Silence

3/8

You couldn't sleep that night. Everyone was happy to be sleeping under a roof, protected from the cold and walkers, and they'd drifted off to sleep, but you couldn't. You couldn't stop thinking about your dead friends. You could still see them there, at the warehouse, as if nothing had happened. You also couldn't stop the flashes of images of their bodies as you had found them, what was left of them. You sniffed, rubbing your eyes, and decided to get up. You didn't want the others to notice you crying, or to wake them up.

Silently, you get out of the warehouse. T-Dog was on watch, patrolling the perimeter, and you tried not to be seen, walking to the back of the house, slightly away from it, hidden by some trees. You didn't want T-Dog stumbling on you like that, you'd be embarrassed. Making sure there were no walkers around, you sat down on the ground, clutching your sister's shawl to your heart, and began crying, hiding your face in the material. You couldn't stop your tears anymore.

Suddenly, you felt something squeezing your shoulder, and you jumped up, knife in hand, ready to stab the walker that you were sure was grabbing you, but when you turned around you found Daryl taking a couple of steps away from you. You both blinked at each other, and then Daryl awkwardly signed you a 'sorry'.

You nodded and wiped your tears, embarrassed, and then waited for him to say anything, but he didn't, and you both just looked at each other awkwardly. Finally, Daryl signed you an 'okay' that was clearly a question. You shrugged and nodded, and he lifted his eyebrows at you. Obviously, he didn't believe you.

You took the small notebook from your pocket to explain yourself, "thinking about my friends."' Daryl took it, squinting to read it only illuminated by the moonlight, and then he signed another sorry and you nodded, but it didn't seem to be good enough for him.

He took a lantern from his bag, turning it on, and then your notebook. "It's dangerous to be out here."

"I'm okay. Wanted to be alone." You wrote by the light of his lantern, waiting until he was done reading to turn the lantern off and give it back to him. You didn't feel like saying anything else.

Daryl looked at you and then nodded, turning around and walking away. You sat down on the ground again, thinking he was gone, but when you looked around you noticed him a few meters away, close enough to keep an eye on you but far enough to not bother you and give you privacy.

You couldn't help your smile, that went wider when you signed at him to approach you again and he looked back as if he thought you might be calling someone else. When he realized it was him who you were talking to, he approached and raised his eyebrows at you. You signed him thanks before writing down, "you don't need to watch over me".

Daryl just shrugged, seeming awkward. You didn't know what to do, but finally you decided to pat the ground next to you so at least he would sit down there instead of just being standing while both of you just stared at each other. Daryl seemed hesitant but finally he sat down.

For a little while, you both stayed there, looking at the ground, until your mind wandered again to your lost friends and you blinked your tears away, taking pen and paper, and tugging at Daryl's side, pointing at his bag when he looked at you. He realized what you were asking, taking out his lantern and turning it on, and you began writing.

"The men came asking for help and shelter, we took them in. They turned against us. We were idiots. We shouldn't trust people like that. I learned."

"You trusted us." Daryl wrote down, and you realized he was right.

You had just made the same mistake again, joining Daryl's group, taking them to your old camp, sleeping among them, it was like you were asking to be taken advantage of again and then killed. But you did trust them, you'd felt they were good people. They'd helped you, even before they knew about the warehouse and supplies, they'd been willing to take you in. They were good people, you were sure, couldn't help it, you felt they were.