No Rest For the Wicked ~ A Walking Dead Fan Fiction

Chapter 17: Jaded

Chapter Seventeen

Jaded 

First Person~ Kate O'Reilly 

"That was a nice little Detective." I commented as I trudged along beside Daryl; the two of us bring up the rear of the group. 

"Yeah." He agreed, not elaborating. 

"Why'd you take mine?" I got to my point, seeing he wasn't going to take the chance to explain himself. "Seeing as you already had one. Force me to give up a gun for something that was already mine then turn around and hand the same thing off to someone else for free." I growled. 

"She'll give it back." Daryl pointed out. "And I just found that one. Quittin' Tom had it in the tent." 

I raised an eyebrow but bit my tongue. I would not hypocritically criticize grave robbing when I did it myself all the time just because I was frustrated. "Why didn't you just ask for my gun?" I said, surprising him. He'd probably been expecting some nasty comment. 

"You would have said no." 

"Why would I say no? I had two, only ever used one at a time. A friend doesn't have one but wants one? It'd just be plain selfish to keep it." I explained simply, the slight hitch in his step when the word 'friend' left my lips not going unnoticed. 

"Yeah, right." He scoffed. "You were mad as hell over givin' it to me."  

"That's because you forced me into it. The way you go about these things makes a difference, you know." I pointed out. He just grunted. Up ahead Carol took a seat on a log, bringing the whole brigade to a stop. I caught up with the group and took off my pack, crouching to pull a water bottle out of it. The cool liquid felt good as I gulped it back. Out the corner of my eye I say Elsie finish the last mouthful of her water. As I wiped my mouth I looked at her. 

"This isn't fair." She mumbled unhappily, pushing her empty bottle back into her backpack. I was surprised at first, thinking she meant that she ran out of water and I hadn't. It wasn't like Elsie to carp about things like that but she continued, proving herself still above that. "I want to be helping look for Sophia, like Carl is." 

"You are, just in a different place." I encouraged, handing her my bottle of water. 

"It's not the same." She muttered before taking a drink. I have a feeling that her being hot, tired and hungry might be inspiring this, as she didn't complain back at the church. 

"You know, Carl may still be at the church and you aren't, but life isn't fair." I said bluntly, earning harsh looks from Lori and Carol but I ignored them and continued. "The only time you should look in your neighbor's bowl is to make sure that they have enough. You don't look in your neighbor's bowl to see if you have as much as them." I told her, quoting something my mother used to say to me and Rosie and when we would whine about one getting more of something than the other. 

This reserved Elsie a little as she thought this over, taking another sip of water. "Thanks for the water." She handed me my bottle back and I nodded. Apology and acceptance, done and done just like that. 

"So this is it? This the whole plan?" Carol complained, unimpressed by our half of the group's efforts. 

"It's your kid we're out here for." Olivia muttered, quiet enough Carol didn't hear, but I did. I gave her the death glare of all death glares as Eric elbowed her in the ribs and glared too. She just shrugged indifferently, reeking attitude.  

"I guess the plan is to whittle us down into smaller and smaller groups." Daryl said. 

"Carrying knives and pointy sticks." Andrea snarked. Justin let out an exasperated sighed and turned away, his hands on his head. I had to say I felt exactly the same way. "I see you have a gun." Andrea added nastily, eyeing the little one Daryl had given Lori.