Something To Fear | Glenn Rhee

[열여덟] A Tender Feeling

"Things can get better. We can make them better."

~Maggie Greene

The warm water hit his frigid skin, rinsing him of what he had been a part of. Glenn watched as the dark red liquid stained the pale, white porcelain, staring blankly as it went down the drain.

He massaged his scalp, cleansing his hair of the dirt and blood with the water. He embraced the peacefulness the shower brought, enjoying every drop that hit his body.

His fingers trailed the wounds he had received as he bathed. The indentation of barbed wire on his ribcage and leg.

The stench of blood and smoke overtook his thoughts from the wounds, causing him to scrub his skin harder. He wanted that smell out of his body; those stains, those wounds.

He laid his palm on the fogged, glass door, exhausted from the battle that had carried on for hours into the night. They had only recently returned to Alexandria since there were still the outposts to be taken care of.

Only when each outpost was left in ruins, could everyone return home to rest- unless they were severely injured like Glenn.

But he had refused to return, the adrenaline in his body allowing him to keep fighting.

Now, his body ached; the shower helped relieve his muscles very little. He did not want any medical attention; he believed those with worse injuries should be of priority.

He turned off the water, drying himself with a nearby towel. He changed into some fresh clothes, which were the color black as of late. His dirty, tattered clothes were in a heap by the door. There was no use in wearing them again, they were too far soiled.

To his surprise, he saw a meal and a glass of water by his bedside. He wondered who had been in his house, but quickly pushed the thought aside as his stomach growled.

After he had finished eating, he laid down across the bed, looking over at the empty bed space.  Each time he went to bed, he had expected and hoped Maggie would be lying there beside him. She would look up at him with her bright, green eyes, smiling that he had returned. He would pull her into his arms and tell her how much he had missed her. How much he loves her and that they could finally be together because no one would ever separate them again.

But she was not there, just like the time before that and the time before that. He was there alone, never to feel her again.

~

Rick knew he wouldn't be able to get much sleep tonight. He was too high on adrenaline to rest. The only thing he could do was walk around the city, thinking over everything.

He smiled, remembering Olivia's face when she saw them return. She broke down crying, believing they would not come back alive and it would be Negan instead at the gate.

Negan.

His smile twisted into one of pain and anguish as that name crossed his mind.

But his smile returned when he thought of seeing that man's body hanging from the factory, albeit more sadistic.

How ironic it was really. Negan's stuff now belonged to them! Rick wanted to laugh at the notion, finding it hilarious at how much this war had cost them and their reward was Negan's shit.

He walked around the freshly dug graves for Enid and Eugene. Carl, Rosita, and Rick had been the ones to deal with this heavy burden of burying them.

Rick glanced at the several graves littered across the grass. He made a note to make them look nicer; possibly planting trees or plants on the soil.