Both Eyes Open - Daryl Dixon (under editing)

What's done is done.

Lara sat on the edge of her tent with a small square of wood in front of her. Beside it were two tins of red and white paint, and two brushes, one resting on the red tin, and the other filling in the last ring of her new handmade target.

Finishing her little project, she put the two brushes into a jar of water, and cleaned up her hands with a damp rag she had hanging from one of the branches.

Hauling herself up from the ground she carried the target over to lean against a tree in the sunlight to finish drying, before making her way over to Dale, perched on top of his RV as usual, on lookout duty.

"Hey, Dale?" She called out, her hand covering her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Hmm? Lara?" He replied looking round to her and smiling brightly, "How can I help you?" He asked.

"Can I borrow a few tools?" She asked hopefully, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet.

"Yeah! Of course! They should be tucked under the table inside here." He told her, tapping the ground twice with his rifle.

"Thank you." She said as she stepped inside the vehicle, obtaining the box and rummaging through it to find what she required. Successfully finding a hammer and a long, albeit slightly rusted nail, she put away the toolbox and turned for the door, but stopped as she spied Carol sat at the other end of the RV knitting.

With further observation she noticed how clean the vehicle was compared to how she had seen it when she was last inside. With a kind smile she turned back to Carol and moved down the vehicle, stopping a metre or so from her.

"Hey." She greeted her quietly.

Carol looked up, somewhat surprised at her presence. She must have thought she had already left after the noise of tools clanging together ceased.

"Hi Lara." She responded roughly, her usually light chirpy voice raw and coarse from crying so much.

"The place is spotless... Is this for Sophia?" She asked, leaning against the wood.

Carol nodded, seeming to be more focused on her knitting and sewing than Lara by now.

"She'll love it." Lara told her, not having a response in return. It was quiet for a moment, with no words needing to be exchanged between the two women, before she nodded quietly to herself and turned back for the door.

Making it only two steps, Carols voice drifted to her ears.

"T-Dog told me what you said last night." She started, enough to make Lara stop and look over her shoulder, now intrigued.

"Yeah- what's that?" She fiddled with the nail between her fingers, securing the hammer onto a belt loop on her jeans, and turning back to Carol.

"You're afraid of caring for the group?" Carol said, although it seemed to be more of a question than a statement, as she lifted her eyebrows and tilted her head, her knitting resting in her hands on her lap.

Lara sighed to herself, shuffling on the spot, looking down at the ground briefly before nodding.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Why?"

Lara looked at Carol in incredulity.

"Cause I didn't think I'd ever care for anyone ever again after... It all happened..." She explained brazenly, wafting away her reply with a wave of her hand in front of her.

Carol nodded her head to the seat in front of her. After a beat she whispered, "Please? Sit." And Lara complied, perching herself on the chair.

"What happened to you?" Carol inquired, looking deep into Lara's eyes for answers.