"Give up trying to make me give up."
- Masashi Kishimoto
They were insufferable.
That was the only thought running through Aliya's mind. The guy with the funny haircut had a stick up his ass, acting like he was much more important than anything else while the chick hasn't stopped glaring at Aliya. The tall guy with the red-orange hair hasn't stopped trying to talk to Aliya which Tara intercepted, responding to him and continuing the conversation for her.
When they all became quiet and Tara seemed like she wasn't sleeping anytime soon, Aliya shut her eyes to take a quick nap. She took one quick look at Glenn to make sure he was still asleep before welcoming sleep herself.
"Stop the truck!"
Aliya's eyes shot wide open as she looked around widely, her arm shooting for her weapon immediately. Tara looked at her in fear, she must've looked unhinged. Not that it wasn't warranted, she quite literally woke up with her only friend being hysterical. Once she realised what was going on, she crawled towards them and kicked the window. She must've been starving since it just made a loud noise and barely budged.
The red-orange haired guy looked back at them, pissed. She's gonna kick my window in, god dammit. He skidded the car into a stop, almost making them tumble over. Fucking finally. Aliya immediately followed Glenn who jumped down and snatched his bag out of the car. Tara followed both of them, trailing behind.
"Where the hell are you guys going?" he then asked Tara the same question as Aliya and Glenn ignored him. Aliya rolled her eyes before taking the bag from Glenn who was struggling with the weight. Neither of them were fully recovered but between the two, Aliya was stronger now. She marched forwards, trying to ignore the brooding man who was following them with orders to go back.
Aliya stopped and stared at his eyes when he overtook them and paused in front of her. "Get back in the truck." he pointed at the truck behind them and towered over her. "You said your mission was time sensitive?" she murmured. He nodded and put both of his hands on his waist, expecting for her to turn around and get back. She nodded back, "Ours too." she pushed passed him, bumping her shoulder against his. Glenn walked up to him as well, "We gotta go."
But the man was persistent, putting his hand on Glenn's chest while his hand shot up to hold onto Aliya's forearm. She whipped around and pushed him with all her might, making her stumble to the floor. The man crouched down to help her up but backed away when she suddenly pointed her knife at him, "You talk a lot for somebody who's rushing." she gritted her teeth in frustration.
Seeing as he wouldn't be able to appeal to Aliya, he turned his attention towards Glenn. Aliya scoffed when he held onto her wrist once she stood up again. She gritted her teeth and tried to pull away only to be pulled back. He introduced themselves to them, the red-orange haired tall man was Abraham. The silent chick was Rosita and the one with the funky hair was Eugene who supposedly held the key to the world's survival.
Aliya glared at Eugene when he answered Glenn's question with 'it's classified'. She scoffed once again, "Classified my ass." she grumbled, looking away from them all. They were literally in the middle of hell and he still wants to keep that shit classified? What were they gonna do with that information? Sell it? To who? Society is dead. The government is dead.
Glenn looked up at Abraham, "I'm gonna find her." he ground out, the veins on his neck protruding in anger. Aliya pulled her wrist out of Abraham's grasp and marched away, snatching the fallen bag from the ground. He was slightly behind Aliya when he was tackled to the ground by Abraham. Aliya's eyes widened in shock before she jumped in and attempted to pull Abraham off of Glenn.
"The hell are you doing?" she barked as she wrapped her arms around Abraham's neck. Rosita and Tara was trying but ultimately failing to separate the three when rounds of shot suddenly pierced the air. The three pushed each other away as their eyes found Eugene's dumb ass shooting everywhere around him. What an idiot.
It was a small group of walkers that they didn't have much problem clearing except for Eugene's whack ass aim. Aliya couldn't help but glare at him as he stood in the dead grass, looking around like he nothing happened. She really dislike seeing him. Her eyes snapped from him towards Abraham who looked at the gas tank in annoyance, "Son of a dick." he sprawled out as he watched gas pour out.
Fuckin' Eugene.
==+==
Beth dropped the meat she was nibbling at gently on the ground before looking at Daryl. "I need a drink." she announced, sighing in boredom. Daryl picked his water bottle from the ground and threw it towards her wordlessly and without so much as looking at her way. She rolled her eyes, "I meant a real drink. Alcohol." she corrected, throwing away the water bottle he gave her.
Daryl just continued munching on the barbecued rattlesnake, drowning his face in it. He wanted nothing more than to drown in silence and just stare at the stars. He was spent and having to take care of Beth was taking a toll on him. He wasn't used to being alone anymore, not used to not seeing her anymore. It was pathetic but he couldn't help but miss hearing her curse him out.
Beth wanted to go and find some but he wasn't budging at all. He didn't even look at her or acknowledge that he was listening so she got up and walked away, annoyed. Daryl waited for a few seconds and when he determined that she really wasn't gonna go back, he threw his snake down and licked his fingers clean before snatching his bow from the ground and following her.
Beth hid behind a tree, looking out at the passing herd of walkers. Just stay calm, Beth. She stuck close to her hiding place when she noticed a pair of eyes staring at her. Daryl kept his steps light as he watched Beth hide out. When she turned around suddenly, he took a step back. Beth released a breath of relief before lowering her knife down. She looked at him expectedly before letting him lead the way.
After a while, Beth noticed the familiar path that they were going down. "What the hell?" she grumbled angrily. He had lead her back to the camp and she wasn't happy. Not at all. She stomped and whined frustratingly, glaring daggers at Daryl. But Daryl didn't care, he was in no mood to entertain her whining and grumbling. He let her ramble on and on about him not feeling anything, letting it go out the other ear.
She has no idea what is going on inside his head, how excruciatingly painful it is to even think about her. He left her inside the prison. She trusted him and he let her down. Daryl shut his eyes tightly as his jaw ticked in frustration.
----
The grandfather clock dinged, calling all the walkers towards them. Daryl held onto Beth's elbow as he pushed her towards safety, looking at the walkers closing in. They were cornered. The walkers have pushed them into a room without exit, leaving them with no choice. He looked at Beth huddled in the farthest corner before facing the walkers. He used his bow for a while before picking up a golf club, bashing it on the walker's head.
Beth watched wide-eyed as Daryl kept hitting the walker in its body, seemingly purposely not hitting its head yet. He grunted as he put all his might into bashing the walker's body, a sharp ringing in his ears. Images of Aliya's sleeping and peaceful face kept flashing in his mind, pushing him to the edge. He swung again only for it's brain matter to land on Beth's fresh white cardigan.
She grimaced in disgust before looking at Daryl, turning away to take her cardigan off. They made it, they were alive. Tired, hungry, sad, and hopeless, but alive. Beth understood how Daryl felt while he let it rip on the walkers, she could see the way his eyes clouded over and the slight quiver of his lips. He was always dodgy about showing feelings or showing affection. But he was an amazing person, she could vouch for it.
He wasn't gonna let her first drink be sappy peach schnapps, so he led her to the place he discovered with Michonne. The place that he and Aliya was gonna hide in as they drown themselves in liquor. He shook the thought away before pouring Beth some moonshine. He smiled softly as she started to look better.
Beth poured another drink and offered it to him which he declined politely. "Someone's gotta keep watch." he answered, looking away. But Beth knew better, "Come on. You deserve it." she pushed, nudging the cup towards him. He pondered for a bit before taking it, "Fuck it." he mumbled as he downed it all in one go.
They sat down on the opposite side of the coffee table, a glass of moonshine in front of them. Beth proposed a game, a drinking game. Some sort of never have I ever but with booze. Daryl begrudgingly let Beth lead.
She started off with a 'I've never shot a crossbow' to which Daryl drank to. 'That was a warm up', Beth said before going into the real questions. They exchanged questions for a bit, both of them starting to enjoy themselves. But Beth figured that since he was being very cooperative, she would ask a question she's been meaning to for a while now.
Beth cleared her throat and stared straight into Daryl's eyes, "I've never fallen in love." she questioned. Was he gonna down the whole jar? Something in Daryl's demeanour changed immediately, his eyes darkened, his body stiffened, and his jaw clenched painfully. Son of a bitch. He stood up abruptly, taking his moonshine with him, "Gonna take a piss." he grunted, letting the jar fall to the ground.
It crashed to the ground and broke into a million pieces, just like his shattered heart. Thinking about that foul-mouthed woman shouldn't be this painful. The sound carried, making Beth struggle to hush the worked up man.
"Never got nothing from Santa Clause."
"Sure as hell never cut my wrists for attention!"
Daryl's mouth was unstoppable, he was hurt by what she brought up and is trying to compensate by trying to hurt her back. It was belittling how much one question could rattle his cage like this. Beth gulped a nervous breath. She was expecting some sort of negative reaction but not to this extent.
Beth's tears were falling in a steady speed, her heart aching as she tried to ignore everything he was saying. He doesn't mean that. He's just hurt. She shook her head weakly, the impact of his words starting to catch up to her. So she threw her own words too, how he was too weak and afraid to allow Aliya in his heart, how he was stringing Aliya around. Tears started falling down Daryl's eyes, "Everyone is dead!" he cried out, roughly wiping away his tears.
They were never gonna see them again, ever. They were all dead. Everybody.
Images of Aliya's still body in the frill mattress flashed mockingly inside his head. He dipped his head low, "I gave up. I didn't even try to find her." he whispered, his voice breaking in shame. He was so close, so close to just going inside the cells to find her. He knew exactly where she laid, it would've been an easy in and out. Beth closed in on him and wrapped her arms around his torso, trying to be somewhat of a comfort.
----
When they both calmed down, Beth looked at Daryl and gave him a stern look. "You were a real jerk today." she stated almost scolding him. The corner of Daryl's lips lifted up a bit as he scoffed a laugh, "I'm a dick when I'm drunk." he agreed, shaking his head. Beth smiled slightly, "I'm gonna tell on you, you know." she teased, making his brow lift up. Daryl nudged his chin at her while his eyes narrowed, "To who?" he challenged.
"To Aliya."
Daryl chuckled lightly as he flicked away a stray twig. That girl. He scoffed a laugh once again, shaking his head at her, "You've always been a tattletale?" he rolled his eyes. Beth chuckled a bit before her lips turned to a frown as a memory swept on her face. She picked up her jar of moonshine and took a sip, "She's alive, you know?"
He too, turned serious as he looked up at her. "How do you know that?" he asked expectedly. How are you so sure? Beth looked away, wiping the dripping moonshine on her chin. She sighed, "Because I told her it was okay to give up." she confessed, remembering how Aliya tried to comfort her about Zach. Daryl's face crumbled. Beth pulled her legs closer, "You know how Aliya is. You tell her to do something, she does the opposite." she smiled as she shook her head.
Daryl looked away, his face becoming lighter. She really does that sometimes. Beth noticed how his face became lighter and relaxed.
"Besides, I still have to apologise too."
==+==
Aliya could hear Eugene's voice even if she was some steps ahead of them. She was watching Glenn march in front of her wordlessly, his steps determined. Her throat has been aching for quite a while now, a permanent lump lodged in her throat. She hasn't said anything for ages, not trusting her voice to no break. Even Glenn couldn't get to her, only giving him the occasional shrug, nod or insincere smile.
They were following the train tracks when they stumbled upon a sign. There, written with dried blood was;
GLENN
GO TO
TERMINUS
MAGGIE
SASHA BOB
Aliya looked back at Glenn whose eyes became wide. Without a warning, he shot forward and ran. She could feel the stares of the others while she ran towards the sign, looking all over it. Where's your name? Aliya held onto the sign and looked at the back only to see that it was empty. She shut her eyes tight as she dropped her head, a tear escaping her shut eyes. Tara stepped towards her, "Aliya?" she called out, unsure.
She sniffled and wiped away her eyes before lifting her head up to look at her, "Let's go." she grounded out, her voice tensed and cold. Abraham understood now, why she was so distant and cold. Just like Glenn, she was hurting for somebody. Missing them. So without any more apprehension, they followed the two.
----
Two arrows embedded themselves in the critter's head, killing it instantly. What the hell? Daryl looked back at the asshole who had the nerve to try to steal his kill and glared daggers at him. He was having a power play, knowing that Daryl was the outsider in the group. Daryl wasn't one to back down though, as he grabbed his kill and walked around him.
Len chuckled and wiped the corner of his lip, "That bitch got you all messed up, huh?" he smirked, trying to provoke a reaction out of Daryl. Daryl clenched his jaw as his hold on the critter tightened. Len's eyes trailed down towards his tight fist, "Damn, was she that good? I always had a thing for asians." he pushed further. Daryl's other hand crawled towards his dagger stealthily.
Not noticing Daryl's position, Len clicked his tongue, "Was it one of the little'uns? Cause they don't really last long." he frowned and shook his head in mocking disappointment. Pig. Having enough, Daryl unsheathed his dagger and turned towards him only to be stopped by Joe.
This wasn't going to end well.
----
Glenn gave Eugene his riot gear, and much to Aliya's dismay, rejected hers when she offered it. Tara couldn't help but smile at the display of care between the two friends. She also couldn't help but notice the worried looks Aliya has been giving her limping leg.
They skidded to a stop in front of a dark and deep tunnel. Aliya and Glenn exchanged glances, as if asking each other how they were gonna go about it. Abraham suggested going around it but that would take too long. If Maggie went through it, they would too.
"This is where we've got to part ways." Abraham said regretfully. They understood, they were in no way obligated to risk their life for them. Just tagging along their search was more than they could've asked for. "You guys are on your own." he added, a sigh leaving his lips. Aliya nodded at the worried and concerned look that he gave them, silently appreciating his concern.
Tara looked at Glenn before briefly glancing at Aliya, "No, you're not." she corrected, patting Glenn's forearm in support. She risked a glance towards Aliya who had a small appreciative smile on her face as she nodded. The sight shocked Tara for a bit, not used to seeing her have any other expression other than an angry frown.
Abraham took some canned food out of their supply bag and nudged it towards the three. Tara limped towards him and took the food gratefully. Glenn started apologising for hitting Abraham in the face to which he only shook his head with a chuckle. Aliya looked at Abraham too, "Sorry for being a bitch." she apologised, scratching her nape. Abraham smirked at this and accepted her apology with a chuckle.
Rosita then walked towards them, hugging each of them goodbye. Aliya couldn't help but smile, she hasn't been hugged in a while. Abraham's eyes lightened up as he pointed at her face, "There she is!" he beamed. Aliya rolled her eyes and shook her head, unable to wipe the smile off of her face.
It was Eugene's turn to say his goodbyes, his monotone voice seemingly starting to become funny for Aliya. He then looked at Tara, "I just have to say that you are seriously hot, Tara." he stated, no emotion in his voice or face. It was like watching a brick talk to a passerby. Glenn and Aliya looked away as they tried to muffle their laugh.
Tara grimaced, "I like girls." she declared. Aliya's head whipped towards Eugene. You have to have a reaction now, right? But Eugene only shrugged and nodded, "Well aware of that."
And they say Aliya had no emotions.