my tears ricochet

Chapter Thirty Eight

Ivy had promised Daryl so easily, bolstered by the confidence that came with the ruins of society and the world ending, never thinking that fate would warp itself one more time. She realized the trap the minute she caught sight of Daryl radiating smugness from the truck, practically smirking at his easy luck.

"Fuck," she whispered, glancing at her odds. If she bolted for her tower, Daryl would know she was intentionally rescinding on her promise and that she was a liar. The prison only offered so many hiding places accessible and she didn't doubt his ability to track her down if she vanished for the afternoon.

"Glenn said Bob's an army medic," Maggie said, shoving a few candle sticks in one of the plastic bins. Ivy recognized them as part of a haul from an artisan shop featuring a number of locally produced beeswax candles. A few tins of salve for skin had also been recovered and Ivy had one in her pocket for safekeeping. "A year ago we didn't have a single doctor, now we have two."

"We had Hershel," she said, refusing to look at Bob. A few people were greeting him and the man seemed nearly overwhelmed by the size of the sanctuary. "Felt like enough."

Ivy knew she was being petulant. Daryl had her in his sights and she knew it. She remained fixed to the bench, pretending like he didn't exist. Soon enough he would be making his way over to fetch her.

Maggie's brow quirked up some but she didn't pick at the subject. Ivy liked that about Maggie, the way she just instinctively knew certain conversations were limited for access and others could be poked at some. "I think Glenn might have a lead on a library. I know the selection here is a bit limited."

"That's cool," Ivy admitted. "It's all boring stuff here."

"State funded selection, I'm afraid. Beth's been complaining about it."

She missed doing the supply runs with Glenn. The first couple times had been intimidating, eyeing up blown out buildings and trying to break locks without drawing attention, but she had grown to like the mix of adrenaline and focus. Ivy had gotten good at tight squeezes and mapping out spaces.

The prison was nothing but a cage that she sat inside, watching days drift past. Ivy wanted the old days back, the parts of herself that had seen challenge and squared herself up to it. She would have settled for a chance to even wander the woods outside the fences, mapping out the unseen spaces.

Once, Ivy had been brave. She had slept under trees and made a home for herself in the wild. Now she was always half twisted, searching over her shoulder for a lingering threat.

Maggie nudged her hand and Ivy tore herself free from her musings. Daryl waved a hand and she frowned, shoving herself up off the bench. "See you later," she mumbled, leaving the older girl and making her way over.

"Found someone," he said with a touch of satisfaction in his voice. "Thought you'd wanna meet Bob."

"I'm supposed to help clear walkers on the fence. Told Sasha I'd be down there."

He hummed, tugging her loosely on the wrist. "Think they'll live for a bit."

Ivy knew she had two choices. She could either dig in her heels and go fighting or resign herself to fate. She huffed, resenting the corner she had backed herself into. "Fine, whatever. This is stupid, though."

"Sure," he agreed, still radiating that awful smugness. "Let's see what that medic I found has to say."

She resisted the urge to snap her teeth at him as she followed him, Daryl neatly collecting Bob and leading him into an empty cellblock for a quick discussion. The man looked tired and worn out but fell in line without disagreement, casting a look over the pair of them. Ivy wondered how they looked to the stranger. "We have a favour to ask you. I'm thinkin' my kid needs a hearing test."