Lovely Bones

unsteady

unsteady

Tensions were high as Prim followed silently behind the archer and his best friend. Daryl was angry. He was quite irritated at the situation that had happened a few minutes prior, leaving his defining silence as a sign to Carol and Prim to leave him alone for the time being. The young boy that somehow jacked them of their weapons had ruined his plans of finding Beth and he was not so happy about it. He also didn't have his crossbow on him. Without the usual weight of his weapon on his shoulders, he felt defenseless and naked, sending him into a fit of rage.

He would be lying of he said he wasn't also a tad bit pissed off at Carol. Her reckless behavior nearly put a bullet into a kid and for some reason, he couldn't find it in him to let it go. 

His mind crawled back to his little brother, picturing Jude standing in the place of the young stranger that took off with their guns. The two boys looked round the same age, causing a whirlwind of conflict to stir in his mind. Daryl didn't talk much about the younger Dixon, hell, he hardly even talked to him when they were with each other. Jude was a sensitive topic per-say and no one could truly understand why but they knew the slight mention of his name would send Daryl's heart rate to peak. Maybe it was because every time, he was forced to remember what his little brother went through as a child — or what he, himself, had experienced.

Daryl saw himself in Jude and it scared the absolute shit out of him.

"Three bullets," Carol attempted to plead her case to the archer, trying to explain her reasoning for nearly ending the boys life. "We're in the middle of the city. He was stealing our weapons." Daryl continued walking, ignoring her words as they only caused his southern cheeks to burn up with irritation. "What, did you think I was gonna kill him? I was aiming for his leg. Could that have killed him? Maybe, I don't know — but he was stealing our weapons." It was hardly any use. 

Daryl was aware of the difference between his and Carol's instincts. He understood where she had been coming from given he, himself, often struggled to think before he took action. He understood her instinct more than she had. Months ago he would've pulled that trigger before the boy could even blink an eye. Months ago he wouldn't see a boy but instead see someone who was trying to steal his means of survival.

Months ago Daryl would've aimed for his head. 

But that was then, this is now. Things changed. 

"He's just a damn kid," Daryl shot.

"Without weapons we could die," Carol tried again. Daryl could hardly look at her. She wasn't the same woman he remembered, the same poor soul that cried in his arms when her daughter walked through those barn doors as a monster. But again, things changed — people changed. So why couldn't he look at her? She couldn't understand. "Beth could die." Prim frowned at the mention of the blondes name. She didn't know Beth long enough to call her a friend — or even an acquaintance, but she hoped one day they would meet again and share long conversations about stupid boys and romance books.