Second Wind | TWD

022 | Not A Democracy Anymore

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[TW: Emetophobia warning.
I'll put a * where it starts and ends for those who'd like to skip it!]

Elodie sat in the cramped backseat of the green car, squeezed between Glenn and Beth. The vehicle bounced and jostled over the rough terrain, every bump pressing them closer together. Her fingers absentmindedly played with a tangle toy she found in the seat pocket, twisting and turning the plastic pieces. It was a small distraction, but it helped keep her mind off the fear that lurked beneath the surface.

Maggie was in the driver's seat, her hands gripping the wheel tightly as she navigated the rough terrain. Beside her, Hershel sat with a map unfolded on his lap, his eyes scanning the route ahead. Despite the tension, he occasionally glanced back to check on the others, offering a reassuring smile whenever Elodie caught his eye.

Glenn, seated to Elodie's left, tried to make himself as comfortable as possible in the cramped space. His arm was pressed against hers, and he occasionally adjusted his position to give her a bit more room. Beth, on Elodie's right, did the same, her own fidgeting mirroring Elodie's as she picked at the frayed edge of her sleeve.

Earlier, Beth had surprised Elodie with the sign language book she had saved from the dying farm. Elodie's eyes had lit up with excitement, immediately demanding they continue their "lessons."

For about two hours, they practiced signs with Glenn and Hershel eventually joining in, while Maggie focused on following Daryl who led the way ahead.

Now, Elodie had learned a bunch of new signs. She was thrilled about it, even though she probably wouldn't need to use them anytime soon. Learning a new language excited her, and she was actually good at it. Plus, she wasn't learning alone.

After those two hours, Elodie had taken a small nap, having rested on Beth's shoulder the entire time until a sudden bump jolted her awake, and she wasn't able to fall back asleep. She hadn't been sleeping deeply enough to dream anyway, at least not that she could remember.

She then annoyed Glenn by practically crawling over him to rummage through the back seat pocket of Maggie's seat, retrieving a tangled toy that now held her complete focus as she tried to untangle it.

Her eyes wandered from the toy to Daryl and Carol ahead of them. Since hitting the road again, she'd only spoken to Daryl once—during a quick pit stop for Glenn's bathroom break. It was a brief exchange of "you doin' okay in there?" and "yeah," before they were back on the move.

A honk from the car behind them prompted Maggie to bring their vehicle to a stop. Elodie twisted in her seat to peer out the back window, watching as Rick, Lori, T-Dog, and Carl got out of their car. In a split second, everyone in the green car scrambled out too, assuming trouble. Elodie hopped out from Glenn's side as he closed the door behind her.

She saw Daryl asking Rick something, to which Rick replied, "Running on fumes."

Getting her hearing aids didn't mean that she was able to hear everything again. As always, if people were too far away, her aids wouldn't pick up the sounds and she simply wouldn't hear what was being said. That had always been frustrating for her, but it simply couldn't be fixed.

So, she quickened her pace and walked over to stand by Daryl, as everyone seemed to be gathering over there and she knew she would be able to hear most things then.

"We can't stay here," Maggie said with a sigh, scanning the treelines.

"We can't all fit in one car," Glenn murmured somberly.

Rick turned to Maggie, his blood-smeared face making Elodie grimace slightly, though she quickly closed her mouth after the cold wind hit her teeth. It was a bit scary to look at. "We'll have to make a run for gas in the morning."

"Spend the night here?" Carol asked warily, huddling in her cardigan.

"I'm freezing," Carl complained, shivering as Lori wrapped her arm around him and rubbed his chest to warm him up.

"We'll build a fire, yeah?" she reassured him, sucking in a breath out of being cold herself.

He wasn't being dramatic, it really was cold. Elodie herself was shivering quite a bit as well, slightly hopping from foot to foot in an attempt to warm herself up. Her mother used to tell her to run laps around the house when she complained of being cold, and one time she even had to do it, because her mother couldn't stand her complaining anymore. It did work, though. Elodie had been a sweaty mess by the time she was done. But she wasn't really feeling up to running ten laps around the car at the moment.

"You go out lookin' for firewood, stay close," Daryl said. "Only got so many arrows. How you doin' on ammo?" he asked Rick.

"Not enough," he grumbled in response.

Maggie shook her head. "We can't just sit here with our asses hangin' out.

Elodie screwed her brows together. "Asses hangin'—?"

"Hey," Daryl scolded, lightly tapping her shoulder.

"Watch your mouth," Hershel warned Maggie, nodding over to Elodie, who quickly pressed her lips together. "Everyone stop panicking and listen to Rick."

Elodie wasn't panicking at all. She simply glanced at Daryl, tugging at his sleeve to get his attention.  "What's asses hangin' out mean—"

He cut her off with another tap on her shoulder "None of ya concern. Nothin' ya should be sayin', too."

"But why?"

"Not now."

Elodie grumbled under her breath, taking a few steps back. When would someone explain why she couldn't say certain things while everyone else could?

"All right, we'll set up a perimeter," Rick declared, "In the morning, we'll find gas and some supplies. We'll keep pushin' on."

"Glenn and I can go make a run now, try and scrounge up some gas," Maggie offered.

Rick shook his head, holding out a hand. "No, we stay together. God forbid something happens and people get stranded without a car."

"Rick, we're stranded now," Glenn pointed out, his eyes darting between the cars and Rick.

Elodie nervously bit her lip, tugging her sweater sleeves down, ignoring the few blood splatters on the fabric. She exhaled, watching her breath form a small cloud in the cold air. She was starting to think those laps might not be such a bad idea after all.