Reflections - TWD

90. Saviors.

There were so many camps now. There was just a small camp set up in the middle of everything, there was the Kingdom, Oceanside, Hilltop, Alexandria. The one that Isabella hated was the Sanctuary, they were using the Sanctuary to keep the Saviours in.

Isabella felt really grown up now. When someone asked her 'how old are you?' She could say, 'I'm ten' and hold up all five fingers on both hands. Judith was getting to be really grown up, too. She was probably about two and a half or three now, and Hershel- the baby one- was born. Isabella had only met him once, she just felt guilt.

Daryl had just gotten back from a day trying to gather supplies and things, so, naturally, Isabella was walking by him like a shadow. She didn't wear the bandage over her ear anymore, so it was a little easier to hear everything happening around her.

They had to go to Isabella's least favourite place, the Sanctuary, by the look on Daryl's face, it was his least favourite, too.

"Rick Grimes is here!" A woman shouted, and the murmured chatter died down.

As they were walking by, different people were murmuring things like; that's the man who ended the war or what would we have done without him?

As much as Isabella loved and looked up to Rick, he didn't end that war. Carl did.

All the eyes on her made her nervous, she wanted to reach out and hold Freddie's hand, but he wasn't next to her. So, she fiddled with her necklace. Rosita had given it to her a couple of months ago, she said Abraham had worn it, and then Sasha for a little while. Isabella never took it off, she was too scared of losing it.

"Hello," Eugene approached their side. He'd been trying to make things up to Daryl for knocking Isabella out over a year ago, but Daryl wouldn't give him the satisfaction of forgiveness. "All has been well in your absence, other than a certain cabal of Saviors, slinging me some serious stink-eye, but I've compiled a list of items that need your semi-immediate attention."

"Not now, man," Daryl grumbled and put his hand on Isabella's back, pushing her forward while they walked. He could see all the Saviors watching them, and even if they weren't looking at Isabella in the same way Davey did, Daryl wasn't taking that risk ever again.

"I checked out the supplies. It's a pretty good haul, you should let everybody know," Laura said to Daryl.

"I ain't gettin' up on a stage," Daryl responded. "Givin' a damn speech like him," he shook his head for a moment. "It's bad timin'. We just lost someone out there."

Daryl and Isabella started to walk away, but Michonne called him back. They walked over to see writing on the walls.

SAVIORS
SAVE US!
WE ARE STILL NEGAN

"Does this happen often?" Michonne furrowed her brows.

"More and more since the crops been dyin'," Daryl responded and then looked around. "Eugene, Jerry! You know who did that?"

"Don't know, man."

"That would be a negative."

Daryl rolled his eyes and then looked around, picking on a random Savior. "Justin. Clean that up."

"How?" Justin asked, making Isabella roll her eyes. Some of the Saviors weren't really Saviors anymore, they were just scared of Negan like everyone else all along. But others of them, they were just difficult.

"What do you mean how?" Daryl sassed. "Paint over it."

"We just used up all the paint," Justin shrugged carelessly.

"Figure it out," Daryl snapped back.

—

They went up and sat on the steps. Isabella remembered being stood up here with Carl while everyone kneeled in front of Negan, she tried not to think about that.

"Do you think my Daddy would've been a Saviour?" Isabella asked, pressing her lips down to form a thin line.

"The hell do you mean?" Daryl turned to her, but when he realised he was acting mad with the wrong person, he shook his head. "Sorry. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Isabella gave him a small, reassuring smile.

Daryl shrugged at her question, that wasn't what concerned him though. "I don't know. Why'd you call him that?"

Isabella suddenly realised what she had said. "I don't know," she replied. "I just forget sometimes. It's stupid, I get scared he's gonna come back."

Daryl knew that, he'd held her through the night a lot of the times they'd had to sleep in a tent. It reminded her of when John was still around and she was at her old camp, before she wound up at the farm. So, naturally, it scared her.

Daryl nodded. The memories of his, the ones of his dad and Merle, they didn't scare him anymore, but they make him sad or angry. "I know, baby. He ain't gonna."

Isabella nodded and shoved her hands in her pockets, it was always pretty cold in the Sanctuary. But something was missing. A piece of paper. A letter. Carl's letter. In an instant, she was standing up and rushing back down the stairs without a word.

"Bells? Where ya goin'?" Daryl got up and followed after the panicked girl, who was retracing every step she'd taken in the sanctuary.

"'You're my little sister. Even if not by blood, you're everything a little sister should be. You protected me and I protected you. And you're'-" Justin stopped reading from the piece of paper when he saw Isabella standing in front of him. "Aww, you lost this?"

Isabella wanted to cry, but she wasn't going to in front of all of these stupid Saviors. "Can I have it back?" She held her breath.

"I don't know, boys," Justin looked around, earning a few chuckles. "Should we give little Belly her letter back from big brother Carl?" He taunted, pouting his bottom lip out.

Daryl snatched the paper out of his hands and shoved it into Isabella's. He got right up close to Justin's face. "You got a problem with the shit I tell ya to do? Fine. I couldn't fuckin' care less. You ain't gonna touch my daughter or any of her stuff again, ya hear me?"

"Yes, sir," Justin swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Get back to work," Daryl pushed Justin back and then started to walk away, beckoning Isabella to follow, so she did.

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sorry it's a short chapter, I just wanted to get s9 started since I haven't updated in a couple of days

please leave a vote and a comment of what you thought of this chapter! it gives me motivation and I always appreciate it! thank you! <3

the introduction and first chapter to my book 'crybaby' is out, it's a Daryl father figure book that starts in s1 :)

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 54K READS!!! I APPRECIATE IT SM!!! <3