southern charm |d. dixon|

1.8

It took away their time to grieve and heal. 

Hershel knew if Birdy knew about her parents in the barn, chaos would ensue. She didn't think like him, like the rest of them.

She knew the walking dead were dangerous, that it wasn't her mother and father that walked out of the barn.

It wasn't Sophia. Wasn't Shawn or Annette.

They were monsters, wanting nothing but to consume them.

"Yer right." Birdy took a step back, "It is enough." 

She gave her family one last dirty look before walking away from the barn, towards the woods. The blonde made it to the lake that she and her cousins used to visit when they were kids, the ones surrounded by Cherokee Roses.

She sat on the dock, plucking the petals from the flower in her hands. She threw the petals into the water, watching them float away from the shore.

The wooden dock shook slightly as footsteps landed on the planks. The footsteps were much too heavy to be her cousin, so she figured it was one of the men from Rick's group,

"I didn' know." Birdy whispered, throwing what was left of the flower into the lake,

"I know." Daryl grunted, standing behind her with his arms crossed across his chest, staring across the water,

They stayed there in silence, Daryl had nothing to say, not like there was anything he could tell her to make her feel better.

She knew her parents were dead, but didn't know their reanimated corpses were in a barn, wasting away.

"They're diggin' graves now. Under that large tree by the barn." He told her after a few minutes,

Birdy nodded, "That's a good place."

Shawn, Birdy, and Maggie used to climb that tree, would sit on the branches for hours, just talking. Birdy used to go on about how she was gonna leave the farm, be famous in the big city.

Shawn said he would take over the farm, make his dad proud.

Little did they know, that dream would never come true for the eldest Greene.

Birdy moved to stand, and Daryl held out a hand to help her. She gave him a small, thankful smile before dropping his hand and moving back towards the farm.

She made it back in time to see Andrea, Jimmy, and T-Dog digging graves. Birdy was grateful for their contribution, especially T-Dog with his injured arm. The blonde grabbed the other shovel before helping out.

It took another hour before all the graves were ready. Andrea held out a hand to help the blonde out of her mother's grave, and Birdy took it,

"We know you're innocent in all this." Andrea told her,

Birdy gave her a nod, "Had I known-"

"We know." T-Dog patted her shoulder before walking away to get some water,

Everyone had gathered for a service, minus Carol. Birdy could see that Hershel wanted to speak, but with his shaky hands and wobbly lower lip, she knew he would break down if a word left his mouth.

Birdy wanted to say something about her parents, but knew she wouldn't be able to hold it together.

The silence was enough. For Birdy it was.

Patricia stepped forward and said a prayer for all of those they lost. She even mentioned the people who were in the barn, hoping they all found peace in the after life.

Birdy stayed, staring at her parents' grave markers while everyone else broke away.

"I'm sorry you were in there for so long." The blonde woman mumbled, wiping at her tears, "I'm sorry I didn't save you, I should've come home sooner." She sighed, moving her gaze to the clouds, "I'll try and make you guys proud."

"Birdy!" Maggie ran down the steps of the porch and sprinted towards the fence, "It's Beth!"

Without hesitation, Birdy ran towards her cousin. The two sprinted into the house, with Maggie leading the blonde towards the youngest Greene's bedroom, where she laid in her bed.

Beth looked... unwell. She was paler than usual, and her blue eyes looked glazed over as she stared at the ceiling.

"Wha's wrong with her?" Birdy asked as she reached for Beth's forehead, her skin feeling clammy and cold,

"She might be in shock." Lori answered from the doorway, "Where's Hershel?"

"We can't find him anywhere." Glenn answered from the other side of the room,

Lori went to get Rick and Shane, and the six of them gathered in Hershel's room while Patricia and Jimmy watched over Beth.

Birdy stayed in the doorway, staring at the boxes of her aunt's things, which Hershel had clearly began clearing out of the room.

"Your stepmother's things?" Rick asked, glancing over at the brunette,

She nodded, "He was so sure she'd recover. They'd just pick up where they left off."

Shane lifted up a flask that was sitting on a dresser, "Looks like he found an old friend."

Maggie took it from his hand, "That belonged to my grandfather, gave it to dad when he died."

"I didn't take Hershel for a drinker." Rick commented,

"No, he gave it up on the day I was born." Maggie explained, "He didn't even allow liquor in the house."

It was the same in Birdy's house growing up. Her father saw what alcohol did to Hershel, how it affected their family. Her mother only had wine on special occasions, like fancy dinners and birthdays. Her father only had wine at church.

Hershel had a way of affecting more people than himself with his actions.

"What's the bar in town?"

"Hatlin's." Birdy answered, crossing her arms over her chest,

Maggie nodded with agreement, "He practically lived there in his drinking days."

"Betting that's where I'll find him." Rick stated,

Glenn nodded, turning towards his leader, "Yeah, I've seen the place. I'll take you."

"All right, I'll get the truck."

Birdy glanced between the two men. Why would they want to go save the man who endangered them? The man who wants them off the farm, to go fend for themselves in this dangerous world, as soon as they're physically able to?

This was a Greene family problem. Beth was their responsibility, Hershel was their problem... why were they getting involved with family affairs.

Birdy went to offer to help when Maggie took a step forward and pressed her hand to Glenn's chest, "No."

"It's an easy run." Glenn insisted,

"Like the pharmacy?" She asked, referring to the run they went on and Maggie got attacked,

"Hey, Maggie?" Rick reached for her arm, "I'll bring him back."

Birdy felt awkwardly in the middle as Maggie and Glenn bickered, and on the other side of the door, the others were arguing about going on this rescue mission.

"This is not the time to head off, not today." Lori told her husband,

"It's the least I can do for Hershel after we-" Rick paused and Shane raised an eyebrow,

 "What? After we what?" Shane walked between the two, leaving them alone to talk.

Lori glanced at Birdy, and she raised her hands in surrender before leaving the hallway. She went up to her bedroom to change into something more durable, out of her denim shorts and into a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt. Birdy made sure to grab a bag, putting some water bottles inside before heading out to the car, where Rick was waiting for Glenn,

"I'm goin' with." Birdy stated, walking up to the group's leader, "I know the town better than Glenn. If shit goes down, I know where to go."

Rick sighed, staring at her for a long moment, probably weighing the pros and cons in his head, "You sure?"

"I ain't standin' around with my dick in my hands. Bethy needs Hershel, 'M gonna drag him back here myself if I have to." Birdy crossed her arms over her chest.

Rick nodded, reaching for another handgun before holding it out for her, "Let's go."