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The ringing wouldn't stop.
It muffled the bloody baby crying in Julia's arms but- she just stares at the baby with no emotion. Someone in her peripheral could be seen moving closer but Julia didn't even flinch. She didn't blink. Holding this baby in her arms was a lot of things, a sign she had killed Lori to get it out, but also a reminder of what she lost.
Whoever was inching toward her stopped briefly to look at Rick. It was Daryl trying to get the frozen man's attention.
When Daryl could tell that was no use he goes to Julia with a concerned look as she just kept staring at the baby blankly. "Let me see the baby." Hershel says but Julia still doesn't do much as she blinks and continues to stare down at the being.
Someone resting their hand on her shoulder pulled her out of her thoughts though. She lifts her gaze and stares stoically at Daryl looking around as everyone kept staring at her. "Let him see the baby he said." Daryl mutters and Julia mutely nods walking to Hershel slowly as if moving to fast would injure the newborn.
"Can I take her to him?" Carl asks and Julia nods passing the baby off. That once again just left her with bloody hands that her gaze locked on as she twisted them around in shock and locked in memory.
"We got anything a baby could eat?" Daryl asks repeatedly glancing at Julia who stares at her hands wide eyed. "The good news is she looks healthy. But she needs formula. And soon or she won't survive." Hershel states making Julia finally crack out of her memories and straighten up.
"Nope. No way. Not her. We ain't losing anybody else. I'm going for a run." Daryl says while putting his crossbow on his back.
Before anyone else could interject Julia stepped forward, "I'll come with you." She says in a determined voice but everyone looked iffy on her going.
"I'll go too." Glenn adds wanting to make sure he helped out and Maggie gave him a slight look but she understood this was needed for the baby's survival.
"Okay think where we're going. Beth." Daryl nods for Beth to follow him and Julia looks to Glenn expectedly, he was the man who knew runs best.
"Where to?" She asks and he pulls out a map as Maggie joins the pair looking at it.
"You two get the fence too many pile up we got ourselves a problem. GLENN! JULIA! VAMONOS." Daryl says making the two follow him slowly Julia wanted to say a biting comment but she'd hold it for now. She needed to look sane enough for this run.
Rick grabbing the ax it makes a noise as it briefly drags on the pavement. Immediately Maggie turns trying to call for the man but he left making Julia sigh and shake her head slowly.
The world really had gone to shit.
"Get the gate. Come on we're gonna lose the light." Daryl calls and the trio start running as they discuss where to go. "Theres a piggly wiggly on 85." Glenn informs but a Julia shakes her head while running.
"No the baby's sections been cleared. Lori asked me to keep an eye out. I haven't had much luck." Julia admits as the men stare at her funny.
Her and Lori bickered worse then a married couple so they found it crazy that Lori had asked the crazy woman for a favor.
"Is there any place that hasn't been completely looted?" Daryl asks as Glenn stops walking and offers another solution. "We saw signs for a shopping center just north of here." Glenn says while Julia shakes her head again.
"Yeah but there's too much shit in the road. Won't be able to get a car through." Julia says with a look to Daryl's bike.
"I can take one of ya." Daryl says while loading up his bike Julia once again quick at the opportunity to leave. "I'll go." She stares as Glenn looks at her weary again.
"Are you sure Julia? Maybe- maybe you'd want to wait here and I'll go..... you've..... had a rough day." Glenn says with exasperation as Julia stares him down before grabbing her stuff and moving to the bike.
"I've had a hard life. I think I'll survive going on this run." Julia spat as Daryl glances at the two Glenn sighs but let's the woman go. He knew better then to argue with Julia.
The shopping center had been a bust and the pair stayed silent the whole time.
As they saw a daycare on the map Julia instructed he go there getting a mute nod in return. Daryl takes in the perimeter as Julia immediately climbs into the window and looks around.
All of the kid stuff and the mess made Julia swallow bile trying to hope she wasn't about to have to kill a Walker baby. She didn't think she could stomach it.
Julia began opening cupboards wanting to hurry to get the supplies and fulfill her promise to Lori ti keep the baby safe. She found bottles, burping towels, and some other stuff but no formula.
Daryl soon follows climbing into the window and staring at the now eery art wall.
"You good?" He asks as Julia stuffs the bag and comes to a stand shooting him a look as she opens a closet in the room. "I'm fine." Julia says in a monotonous voice as Daryl stares her down.
"Weren't you the one rushing everybody to get this formula? Now your suddenly a chatty Kathy?" Julia spat bitterly as she huffs still not finding any formula.
"Multitasking." He says gruffly walking out of the room with Julia slowly following him out. They head towards the kitchen where they can hear a scratching and something moving. Both raising their silent weapons and walking into the room slowly.
It was coming from the pantry door.
Julia slowly goes to the pantry door and opens the doors in one swift move. A possum backs away and hisses right before Daryl shoots an arrow through it.
"Hello dinner." Daryl says excitedly while holding a flashlight between his lips muffling it a bit.
Julia scrunches her face but she wouldn't complain she couldn't remember the last time she ate a good sized meal. Julia opens up some cupboards and her defeated look turns to one of joy.
"And now we got what we needed and more." Julia says grabbing more baby stuff and shoving it in her bag. Her bag was filled with baby stuff at this rate but she didn't mind the zipper was hanging on for dear life.
She made a death bed promise and she intended to keep this one just like the last.
Flash back
"JULIANNA COME HERE AT ONCE!" The old woman's voice bellowed as Julia say in the living room ignoring her calls. She was waisting away in a bed and Julia just kept her eyes on the tv.
"JULIANNA COME HERE NOW!" She called louder even banging something metal probably her bed pan. Julia sighs but stands and enters the room, it smells like old lady and it's now designed like a hospital room.
"Where have you been I've been calling." The now frail old woman spat as Julia stares at her blankly. "What do you want?" Julia asks avoiding the question making the old woman huff and make an exasperation to an cup.
"I need more water. You'd just want me to die right now wouldn't you?" The old woman says coldly as Julia doesn't even waiver.
"Get me more water." Julia's grandmother demands before looking at her tv that plays old reruns shows from her time. Julia stands taking the cup at a leisurely pace, she fills it up and walks even slower to the room.
Her grandmother refused a retiring home claiming to want to stay and die in her house rather then with a bunch of sinning strangers. The nearest retirement home in Atlanta and her grandmother said it was a sinning city so she declined.
10 hours later.
"JULIANNA!" The old woman yells in a broken tone and Julia growls but- she leaves her bed she was about to sleep in and loudly stomps all the way there. That way the old woman would stop howling like a damn banshee. That didn't matter because she still somehow couldn't hear.
"JULIANNA!" The woman calls right as Julia just rounds her door frame. "What?" Julia spat and the old woman glares briefly but waves her closer. "Come.... Child." She wheezes and Julia narrows her eyes suspiciously but comes to her side.
Her grandmother grabs her hand and holds it weakly, Julia's nose scrunched with distaste at her bony fingers.
"I think- I think this is it for me Julianna..... I wish I had more time to show you-.... The way of god but as long as you stay at the church you'll meet me in heaven." Her grandmother breathes heavily.
"Promise me Julianna..... promise me this all hadn't been a waste." Her grandmother pleads and Julia crouches to be more near her face.
"I promise grandmother." Julia whispers and the old lady smiles and is actually about to praise the 17 year old in front of her but Julia keeps speaking.
"I promise..... to go out and whore it up like my mother did. I promise to go do every bad sin known to man. I promise.... To never get married or have kids of my own...... your blood line ends here. Because you were nothing but a foul mouth old woman, who deserves nothing less then what she's getting right now. I promise to make everyone at church and in town know-..... that gods not fucking real. Because if he was? He wouldn't have let you and Marvin do what you've done. I'll be seeing you in hell grandmother." Julia says in a cold harsh tone.
Her grandmother just stares at her wide eyed yet weak looking as the heart monitor by her bed slowly drops. A loud beep ringing out as it flatlines for good, and for the first time in a long time..... Julia Wilson smiled.
She was free.
Present
Julia follows Daryl out of the day care and they make their way to his bike in a hurry. She clings to him as he speeds a little more then normal to get to the prison sooner. The feel of the wind felt good and Julia sighed leaning her head to rest on his back tired from the day's activities.
Daryl noticeably stiffened but didn't say or do anything to stop it.
By the time they reach the prison it's dark out and there's a few walkers by the gate. The prisoners before help making Julia glare them down unnoticed as Daryl parks the bike inside. Julia clamps her hands on his shoulder and swings her leg over before making her way to the prison without waiting for him.
Immediately she swings her bag off and throws it at Beth who flinched and makes a noise of surprise before going and making a bottle.
Daryl immediately swoops the baby up and cradles her making Julia lift a brow with some surprise. Beth brings him the bottle and he feeds the baby like he's done it hundreds of times before.
"Come on. Come on." Daryl says softly urging her to drink and finally it's incessant crying finally stops.
Even Daryl chuckles looking around his eyes catch with Julia's before he looks away with reddening cheeks. Julia didn't notice that she had been smiling at him, her eyes slowly leave him going to the baby that drinks happily.
Now that it was cleaned up the blood no longer freaked Julia out, she still had to get the dried blood off her at some point but- she actually wanted to stay and enjoy this.
"She got a name yet?" Daryl asks and Carl shakes his head. It was kind of a double meaning..... had Rick returned at all.
"Not yet. But I was thinking maybe Sophia or Raya. Then there's Carol too. And... Andrea. Amy. Jacqui. Patricia. Or... Lori. I don't know." Carl lists sadly as Julia had noticeably flinched at the name Raya.
Daryl looks back down at the baby drinking the Miley and smiles. "Yeah... you like that? Huh? Little ass kicker. Right? That's a good name right?" Daryl asks looking at everybody as Julia smiles softly nodding.
"I think that's the only way I'll refer to her now." Julia adds smiling so big it looked to hurt.
"Little ass kicker. You like that huh? You like that sweetheart?" Daryl coos making the baby just stare at him as she drinks.
Everyone stood around for awhile until the baby went to sleep. They slowly went to bed Julia and Daryl were the last ones up.
He was waiting for her to go to bed but- the woman went outside as he watched her carefully. Daryl slowly followed her to the creek outside the fence where she killed some walkers before washing her hands.
It was a little hard at first but she managed to get it off by scratching at her skin.
When it was finally off Julia makes her way back into the prison not even sparing Daryl a look despite him following her around. Again he thought she was done and was leading the way to the cell blocks but she didn't.
Instead Julia grabbed a shovel and went to the yard to begin digging graves for the ones they lost.
"That can wait till mornin." He says casually but Julia just shrugs. "It's not like I'm doing anything." She shrugs before looking at him to see he actually did look a bit worried. "It'll just be nicer to dig when the suns down." Julia explains as he slowly nods.
He leaves and Julia just goes back to her digging but spins around when the gate opens again. Daryl with a shovel in hand.
"What' re you doing?" Julia asks incredulously as Daryl starts digging next to her. "Your right better to do it while it's dark." He explains casually as Julia narrows her eyes. "I got it handled." She says coldly and he shrugs. "It's not like I'm doing anything." He repeats Julia's phrase making her watch him before shaking her head glaring at the dirt she scoops.
They finished the holes pretty quick since only some had a body to be buried. Julia even went to the tunnels to either find Rick or get Loris body with Daryl's help. They just found him in the room where Lori died.
A Walker that had eaten her bloodied to a pulp.
Rick looked dazed he looked out of it and Julia looked to Daryl who looked concerned but she looked unmoved by the sight. She'd been like this countless of times and knew it was better to have time to reflect first before being pestered.
"Come on." Julia whispers and Daryl follows her out of the tombs. After that there really was no reason to stay awake but Julia still didn't go to sleep. No now she looked at the baby they had sleeping in a bin.
Her eyes stayed glued to her sleeping form trying to see if there was any signs of distress but there was none.
Then she moved on to the prisoners cells which were locked with Daryl having the key. Julia stood outside their doors with a suspicious stare as they slept soundly.
By the time Julia finally went to bed Daryl was sighing with relief laying down and watching as she went to her cell.
She didn't sleep though.
Instead she lays on her side and stares blankly at the cell door, her eyes burned for sleep and so did her muscles but her mind felt like it was non stop thinking.
A lone tear slowly falls down Julia's face.
How did she get here with these people? And could things possibly get any worse?
And things would....
(Next chapter is of Dean and Rayas pov's at Woodbury that same day.)