ᗯᕼEᑎ TᕼE ᗪEᗩᗪ ᑕOᗰE ᗩᒪIᐯE [ ᴅᴀʀʏʟ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ]

- 21 -

It was a new day

The sun was out and shining bright

Everyone was back at Alexandria Doing their own things

Taking time to themselves

Working on individual projects

Training

And overall just spending time with loved ones

On a bright day like this I would normally be out, taking another walk through the woods to find a new place to see.

But I was behind walls now so instead I was walking by the houses, and going towards the lake as I walked over the little bridge.

"Nice day isn't it?" Rick said as he walked up beside me and leaned his arms against the railing.

"Yeah it is" I said as I looked up at the sky. There was always something I admired about days like this where the sky was a distinct shade of bright blue and the clouds were full shapes of white, looking as if they would feel like cotton if one could touch them.

I turned my eyes down to the lake and watched as the water ripples from the light- almost unnoticeable breeze, a reflection of the sky painted on the surface. I leaned my arms over the railing as I let my hair fall down to the side.

"Are things going to be different from here on out?" I asked Rick as I looked up at him. He looked down at me as he through for a second.

"I think so" he said and looked up at the sky.

"But whether good or bad is to come is still yet to be decided" he said and I nodded in understanding as I turned to look around at everything around me.

"Well I'm going to go check on the others, have a good day Y/n" Rick said as he bid me goodbye. I waved at him as I watched him walk off towards all of the other people passing by. I looked back down at the lake and then stood up straight as I walked back towards the house.

As it came into view, I could see Daryl and Carol sitting on the steps with what I assumed was Daryl's new. . . or old bike, set in front of them. I decided to lean up against the corner of the house and listen in a bit.

"Those people you met, the ones in the burnt forests, they took it from you right?" I heard Carol asked as Daryl lit a cigarette and took a puff from it, blowing out a white cloud of smoke afterwards.

"Yeah" Daryl replies in his husk voice.

"You saved them right?" Carol then asked as turned to him but then quickly said- "sorry, that's who you are" as she turned back to look forward. This made me once again see the almost natural born hunter that was hidden inside Carol. . . she truly had some fight or flight type actions and we all know which one she picked of the two.

"We're stuck with that" she then said and Daryl turned to look at her. Carol also could feel the burden of the people she has killed but also that of those she didn't.

"No we ain't. . . I should have killed them" Daryl said and brought the cig to his lips again. Carol went silent and the got up leaving her box of cigarettes, disregarding them behind.

"Hey" Daryl said as I watch him look down at the box and then Carol turned around as the younger spoke up.

"The ones that took Y/n, Maggie, and you. What'd they do to you?" Daryl asked the older as he looked up at her. I could see hints of both curiosity and concern for the mother like women in Daryl's eyes.