Just Gone

13: What We've Lost

When I woke up, Daryl was gone. My eyes burned, telling me I was still tired, but I forced myself up. I reached my arm up to sweep the hair out of my face and winced at a dull ache in my arm.

I groaned, grabbing my arm with my other hand, seeing the tiny red dot from the needle.

I clenched my teeth together, only hurt for a second, my ass.

Remembering last night, did not help me leave the room. I wasn't even sure why I did, maybe I was hungry. Maybe I was sick of sitting in one place avoiding everyone.

I left the room, I walked down the hallway and made a turn, I could hear voices and followed the source. I found the kitchen like room we were eating in the night before.

I walked into the room, sitting at the table was Carl and Lori. Carl was eating something out of a bowl that looked like cereal. On the right side of Carl was Andrea, staring blankly at her plate.

Across from Andrea was Dale, his back was to me, an empty chair in between him and Jacqui. Shane was at the end of the table in between Andrea and Dale.

I could smell something cooking and I was hungry, but I hesitated at the doorway, feeling anxious. I was a little scared and didn't want to be near Shane, I thought about going back to the room but I was hungry. Daryl wasn't in there and I wondered where he was.

I spotted an empty seat at the other end of the table by Lori. I thought hard for a minute, then made my way toward the empty seat near her.

"Hey, wait."

I stopped and glanced at Dale, he pulled the empty chair out between him and Jacqui, "sit here, we'll get you some food."

I hesitated, looking over at Shane. His head was down but he was peeking at me out of the corner of his eyes. I walked to Dale, taking the seat beside him.

"Morning," Rick said as he walked in.

"Are you hungover?" Carl asked, "mom said you'd be."

"Mom is right," Rick agreed, getting a plate for himself..

"Mom has that annoying habit," Lori smiled.

"What're you cooking?" Rick asked, eyeing T-Dog at the counter.

"Eggs, powdered. But I do 'em good," T-Dog answered, "I bet you can't tell."

T-Dog put some eggs onto Rick's plate and he sat beside Lori. Rick picked up a pill bottle he saw at the centre of the table, "what's this?"

"Jenner, he thought we could use it. Some of us at least." Lori said.

Unexpectedly, T-Dog placed a plate in front of me. On the plate there were several yellow and white chunks. I scrunched my nose, "eggs?"

T-Dog hummed in answer as he handed me a fork. I took it, looking down at the eggs curiously.

"Daddy don' make 'em like this," I said.

"It's good, they're scrambled." He told me, turning away. I stabbed my fork into a piece of egg and tried it. I liked it so I kept eating.

We all turned to the doorway, hearing someone groaning in pain. It was Glenn, he walked in, his head low as he clutched it, obviously in pain.

"Holding up okay, Glenn?" Dale asked, smiling.

Glenn groaned again in response. He slowly took the seat at the end of the table I had originally chosen, between Rick and Jacqui. He put his head down on the table. Jacqui rose, telling him she'd get him a plate.