𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 | TWD [Book 1]

XXVIII. The Reunion Amidst Chaos

Under the relentless glare of the day, Rick sits hunched over, his form cloaked in blood-soaked garments. His eyes, usually steely and determined, now glazed and distant, fixate on an unseen horizon. The weight of the night's grim events hangs heavy upon him, etched into the creases of his furrowed brow and the lines etched into his weary face.

Daryl returns to their makeshift refuge, a jerry-can of water clasped in his weathered hands. He approaches Rick with cautious steps, mindful of the turbulent storm brewing within his friend's troubled mind. Daryl swiftly retrieves a cloth and pours a trickle of water onto it. The sound of liquid meeting fabric punctuates the air, a small disruption in the heavy silence that envelops them.

The rhythmic trickling of water draws Rick's attention, causing him to slowly emerge from the trance-like state that had consumed him. His gaze flickers from the bloodstained surroundings to the cloth in Daryl's hands, a faint glimmer of recognition sparking within his haunted eyes.

"We should save the rest for him." Rick acknowledges, his voice hollow and laden with the weight of the night's chaos.

Daryl offers a small nod in return, his expression a mixture of concern and understanding. "You can't see yourself, he can." He extends the dampened cloth toward Rick, wordlessly offering a means to cleanse the physical remnants of the night's horrors.

Rick's hand reaches out tentatively, fingers curling around the cloth. The sensation of cool moisture against his skin jolts him back to the present, the tactile contact serving as an anchor in the tumultuous sea of his thoughts. With slow, deliberate movements, he begins to wipe away the stains of violence that mar his weathered skin.

Daryl settles beside Rick, a momentary pause hanging between them like an unspoken question. His eyes, weathered and weary, convey a depth of understanding as he prepares to share a fragment of his tumultuous journey.

"I didn't know what they were," Daryl begins softly, his voice bearing the weight of unseen burdens.

Rick turns to face him, a silent invitation to unravel the layers of his past. "How'd you wind up with them?" Rick inquires, his tone laced with curiosity and concern.

"I was with Beth. Only Beth," Daryl explains, his voice tinged with a sense of loss. The unsaid implication about Madeleine's absence echoes between them, a shared understanding in their unspoken words. "We got out together. I was with her for a while."

"Is she dead?" Rick questions, the weight of uncertainty evident in his words.

Daryl shakes his head, meeting Rick's gaze with a solemn intensity. "She's just gone."

Rick's eyes flicker away, lost in contemplation, his mind drifting to the unknown fate of Beth and perhaps even Madeleine. His thoughts meander through the maze of possibilities, imagining the paths their lives might have taken, the struggles they might be enduring.