HEART OF GLASS¹ ━━ the walking dead ✓

[ 021 ] six feet under

Blame him instead.

"I think he's still coming back from the shock," Marley mentioned. Lori gave a small nod of agreement, chewing down on a chunk of tomato. "It was a scary situation. He panicked. Probably thought of the first thing he cared about most, realised that was the reason why he panicked, and didn't like the feeling of worrying about it so much. But he came back ── that's what matters most, right?"

Maggie tipped her head to the side, "Yeah . . . you're right." Then slowly, a feeble smile split over her lips, and with fingers covered in tomato juice, she reached forward to ruffle Marley's hair. "Smart girl."

In protest, Marley shoved Maggie's dirty hand away from her head and groaned, causing both of the women either side of the table to chuckle.

With a small roll of her eyes, Marley picked up the tray of food from the countertop, meanwhile tossing Maggie an irritated ( albeit playful ) glare over her shoulder.

"I'm gonna take this to Beth." she informed, balancing a small glass of lemonade on the side; a droplet of liquid sloshed over the rim. "Don't miss me too much while I'm gone."

Lori smirked teasingly, "Oh, we won't."

The women continued talking between themselves, back on the topic of Glenn's uncharacteristic behaviour. Marley hummed a tune under her breath as she meandered down the hallway ── passing by Dale in the sitting room, where he was showing Sage how to do Sudoko ── until she reached Beth's door.

She pushed the door open with her elbow. Inside, Beth was bunched up beneath the blankets, still with a paler complexion than usual. At first glance, Beth looked to be fast asleep, but it was obvious upon further inspection that she was staring glassy-eyed at the cream painted walls.

"Guess what I have for you," Marley gushed as she placed the tray down on the drawers beside Beth's bed. "Apple! I managed to pick some from the trees this morning. They're ripe."

Nothing.

Marley scratched her upper-arm, frowning.

"You know, we haven't done anything for a couple days," she reminded. "Maybe we could . . . sit by the pond for an hour or so? The breeze is nice today."

There was nothing for a fleeting moment ── until the blankets were ruffled by Beth's meagre shrug.

A response was a step forward, at least. Even if it was silent.

"Alright . . ." Marley clasped her hands together, rocking back and forward on the balls of her feet. "Just, eat as much as you can. I peeled the apple because I know you don't like the skin, so . . . yeah. I'll be back later, okay?"

All Beth did was sniff.

That was it.

Marley closed the door behind her, feeling incredibly deflated; as if a balloon had just been popped in the middle of her chest. She stood outside of the room for a while, wondering why Beth was acting so different today. More defeated. Usually, on the good days, she was able to sit up and pick at the food. Today, the worst day Marley had seen yet, the Greene girl didn't even move. Not a single inch.