✓ | SPITFIRE ¹ ✶ the walking dead

⠀⠀⠀𝒙𝒙𝒙𝒊𝒊𝒊. enemy territory

⠀⠀⠀They sat together in silence. Neither tried to comfort the other, their minds too heavy with what had happened in the past few hours. The most interaction they had was Bianca shrugging off her flannel to give to Maggie, still half-naked after her time with the other man.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca couldn't help but feel guilty after realizing what the man likely did to Maggie. She wished they had switched places. The bruises on Bianca's face would fade. Still, Bianca was sure that being taken advantage of would plague Maggie's mind forever.

⠀⠀⠀After a while, Bianca's thoughts became too much, and she needed the answers. At least a reassuring one because she hoped nothing went too far.

⠀⠀⠀"Maggie, did he—?"

⠀⠀⠀Maggie sighed loudly. Her frown pushed further into her face, and she ran her hand through her hair. Then, she turned to Bianca with a faint but reassuring smile.

⠀⠀⠀"No, he didn't," Maggie assured her, and Bianca believed her. Maggie took her hand and squeezed it tightly. "I wish you could say the same."

⠀⠀⠀"I can take a few hits," Bianca retorted, smiling, but it likely came off more as a grimace. "I had it comin', but so does Merle," she concluded, leaning her head against the wall and staring ragefully at the door. For a moment, she hoped Merle would come inside so she could beat the shit out of him. But, then, she'd likely get shot and Maggie, too.

⠀⠀⠀"All this time, runnin' from walkers," Maggie muttered, but a similar fury in her words mimicked Bianca's thoughts. "You forget what people do. Have always done."

⠀⠀⠀Bianca wanted to agree that the walkers made you forget what people were like, but she couldn't. Merle, Ed, Jenner, Shane, Tomas, even Jim not telling them he was bit... People would stay the same even when the world changed around them. Bianca knew this. She had always known it. Trust was hard before, and it was harder now. She could only hope that the people she called family wouldn't turn out like that one day.

⠀⠀⠀"Look at what they did to you," Maggie said solemnly, turning to Bianca.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca could see Maggie's doe-eye concern in her peripheral, but she didn't need the pity. The pain didn't bother her.

⠀⠀⠀"I'd rather get punched until I couldn't see than go through what you did," Bianca explained, tears pricking at her eyes. "This, it'll fade, but you—"

⠀⠀⠀Maggie squeezed her hand again, a warm smile filling her face as she said, "I'll be okay, too."

⠀⠀⠀Bianca nodded but wasn't entirely convinced. Once they got out of this, Bianca felt she could put it behind her. She didn't get hung up on Merle knocking her out on the rooftop or Ed trying to drown her as much as she likely should've. It didn't traumatize her. She was angry. She threw it back in Merle's face, but that's because it got under his skin. And because he got under hers no matter what punches, he threw.

⠀⠀⠀However, maybe Maggie was right. They were constantly on the move, running for their lives, struggling to find another way. Maggie might forget with the hundred new traumatizing things the world threw at her after this.

⠀⠀⠀The silence thickened again. Bianca's eyes trailed across the floor until they reached the walker. Her mind was flooded with nonsense before a brief idea formed. A chuckle left her lips before she was laughing. It was loud and filled her chest like when she sat with Merle.

⠀⠀⠀Maggie turned to her, eyes wide in concern. She probably thought Bianca was crazy or crazier than before.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca didn't answer her, letting go of Maggie's hand as she stood to her feet. She stumbled over to the walker with an amused smile as she looked down at the walker. Then, she rested her boot down on the walker's chest.