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Alicia walked onto the old wooden steps attracting the attention of Rick and his wife. Rick smiled as she let out a sigh of relief that their son had made it and was ready to see them. Rick paused as he walked up the steps and laid his hand on her shoulder, thanking her for saving his boy's life.
She raised her hand to his and felt his cold fingertips against hers before assuring him that his boy was the strongest kid she had ever seen.
He nodded at her, completely breaking eye contact and opening the door for his wife.
She began to feel her face heat up as she tried to conceal her tears, but it wasn't enough. A sharp pain began to irritate her throat, and she tried to catch her breath. She felt something come up her throat, and chunks flew everywhere.
She took a step back after the smell became unbearable.
She hurried over to the water pump and splashed the cold water onto her burning face. She took a step back and flipped her body upward, moving her hair out of her face. Alicia could see someone from the corner of my eye walking towards her. The man gently set his crossbow down and walked towards the water pump filling up his water canteen.
They both awkwardly stood there in silence, not knowing what to say to one another. She pushed her hair back and set it into a bun. She closed her eyes, rubbing her hands against her face, completely ashamed of what she had done.
"You good?" He asked, and she assured him she was before wiping the excess puke off her mouth.
"Sorry," She muttered, feeling utterly embarrassed.
He slightly laughed, "We've all been there. Ain't nothing to be sorry about." Alicia let out a small laugh before the man began walking away. She let him know what her name was, hoping he would tell her his in return.
He turned back but only for a second, "Daryl."
--
Rick got together a search team for the girl who had been missing for a few days. He organized everyone into groups and immediately wanted to start the search. Hershel disagreed, saying he needed rest after giving three pints of blood, and Shane obviously couldn't go because of his swollen ankle. She only saw one other option.
Herself.
Daryl commented that it would be just him going up to the creek and working his way up from there, and Alicia disagreed, letting everyone in the group know she would join him. The area became filled with silence after Hershel blurted out his concerns over her leaving with Daryl.
He argued she wasn't ready as she shoved her buck knife into its holster and packed other items into the backpack, completely ignoring her father's pleas.
"They need help," She snapped back.
Before he could explain, Daryl interrupted them, asking if she was ready to leave. Hershel and his oldest daughter exchanged fearful looks before she angrily brushed past him.
"I'm going," Alicia repeated, her stomach churning uneasily.
