rag doll | TWD

[10] better angels

"If, um, if I tell you something, will you promise not to tell my parents?"

I brushed off my hands and put them in my pockets, "well, it depends. Is this a 'I suck a candy bar before dinner' secret, or an 'I spilt blue Powerade on my mom's $5000 new leather couch' secret?" He shrugged. Whatever it was, it was really bothering him. I sat in the back of the open car trunk and patted the space next to me, "come on. Let's talk."

Carl didn't sit, instead he stood in front of me and handed over a pistol, "I took it from Daryl's motorcycle. If he found out I took it, he'd kill me."

Definitely on the leather couch side of secrets.

I sighed, "Carl, what are you with doing this?"

"It's my fault- Dale. It's my fault that he died." Carl kicked the ground around him. 

I shook my head, getting closer to his level, "No, I-uh-" I sighed, "why on earth would you say that? He got bit by a walker-"

"I saw that walker. I was gonna shoot it. It was stuck in the mud. I- I was throwing rocks at it and stuff. But I was gonna do it- shoot it right in the head. And it- it got free, came after me and...I ran away. If I had killed it, Dale would still be here." He admitted. 

"Hey, stop it. What happened- it's not your fault." I told him, "Look, as long as I'm around, nothing's gonna happen, okay? But you need to protect yourself."

"No, I'm not touching another gun again." He refused. "Just, please, give it back to Daryl."

I nodded and followed him back to the house. 

"JJ, I need to talk to you." Maggie greeted, pulling me aside. 

I huffed, "what now?"

"What's got your panties in a wad?" She joked, continuing before I could answer, "look, would you be okay with sleeping downstairs with the group?"

My face scrunched, "wait- why-" She looked to Glenn, "you're evicting me? For a dude? What happened to chicks before dicks?"

She crossed her arms, "JJ, look-"

"No, it's fine. I get it." I went over by the dining table. 

"You do?"

"No." I deadpanned, "but if he's really that important to you, I can put up with sleeping in the same room as the rest of the group."

Glenn interrupted, putting his stuff next to the table, so Maggie told him, "you can put your stuff upstairs in my room."

I nodded, "yeah, I've been replaced."

He looked between me and Maggie, "With your dad in the house? I think I'll just put my stuff down over there."

"Woo! I get to stay." I smiled, noticing Maggie's glare, "sorry."

♮♮♮

"Take him out to Senoia- hour there, hour back, give or take. We may lose the light, but we'll be halfway home by then." Rick showed Daryl the map. 

"This little pain in the ass will be a distant memory. Good riddance."

"Carol's putting together some provisions for him, enough to last a few days." Rick paused, "that thing you did last night..."

"Ain't no reason you should do all the heavy lifting."

JJ walked out quietly, making sure she didn't interrupt anything. 

Rick waved the map, "so you good with all this?"

"I don't see you and I trading haymakers on the side of the road. Nobody'd win that fight." Daryl noticed JJ waiting to speak to Rick and tossed the map back where it was, "I'm gonna take a piss."