𝐍𝐄𝐅𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 | daryl dixon

- 𝟒𝟖

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

     ROSALINE SIGHED watching the way rick was acting. not only was it affecting all of them, but it was taking a toll on carl who felt like he was abandoned. of course, he had her - but he also needed his father. his mother had just died, and it was crucial for someone close to be there to comfort him, it couldn't be rosaline the whole time.

     daryl jerked his chin to the bowl next to her, as if to ask if she was finished. she dipped her head, signaling yes and he took it away, scraping out the last parts she managed to leave for himself.

     he put the bowls on the tables to be cleaned out. hershel was speaking to them about how he was going to have a chat with rick because he was putting them at risk with his absence. the elder man had family here and he wasn't willing to let them pass away as well. a third of their group had been wiped out; they could not lose anyone else.

     people were concerned about how rick was going to handle that conversation, but perhaps it was for the best. nobody argued. they needed their leader back. soon.

     when the baby was done bottle feeding, rosaline gently picked her up, "can someone get me a rag? a cloth? please?" she requested.

     beth walked over passing her a light pink cloth. the girl pushed it over her shoulder, taking the baby and patting it lightly on the back trying to get it to burp, so it didn't choke on its formula. daryl observed her, taking note of how good she was with the baby.

     around half an hour passed before the marksman had said that they were going to head back to the lower levels to clear them out from walkers. rosaline desperately wanted to go despite his wishes, so he had to let her. beth was going to take care of the baby.

     as usual, rhaegar was going to stay; the dog could not maneuver in the tight hallways with them in case they were overrun and rosaline was not going to risk losing him.

     so she took her knife, slung her bow and quiver on her body, and made her way down with oscar and carl. with everything going on, he was becoming more involved with what they were doing. he wasn't being treated like a child anymore - he couldn't. it'd get him killed.

     daryl noticed a door being banged on, light breaths were coming out from the other side. he'd made a note of how it could be a weak walker and they'd take it out on the way back. whilst they made their way through he decided to tell a story to them.

     "you know, my mom, she liked her wine. she liked to smoke in bed - viriginia slims. i was playing out with kids, in the neighborhood. i could do that with merle gone," he admitted, his mind flashing back to his not so happy childhood, "they had bikes, i didn't. we heard sirens getting louder. they jumped on their bikes, ran after it, you know, hoping to see something worth seeing."

     "what, like, a crime scene?" rosaline uttered, checking over the other side of the wall.

     he nodded, "ya. something like that. i ran after them, but i couldn't keep up. i ran around a corner and saw my friends looking at me. hell, i saw everybody looking at me. fire trucks everywhere... people from the neighborhood. it was my house they were there for. it was my mom in bed, burnt down to nothing."