MAIA GOLDBERG/RHEE
"The Loner Turned Lover"
*:･✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ
I rub Daryl's shoulder gently as we step through the woods. "I'm here." I murmur gently to the man. "Everyone is here for you. You may not know it, but we are never leaving you." The man shares a smile back to me and pulls me into an awkward side-hug while we continue walking.
We approach the paved path, finding the backs of our group. They all stand present and accounted for in a circle, surrounding something shocking.
Water. Lots of it.
Bottles and jugs filled to the brim with water lay abandoned, or possibly planted, in the middle of a roadway. A single paper sign with black marker scribbled across, indicating it came from someone trust worthy.
"From a friend?" I read the writing out loud. The group just stands silently, eyes boring into the drinks.
Michonne turns to Rick. "You think it's really safe?"
"Doubt it," Carol says, turning back and fourth on her heels and scanning the trees. "It's most likely a trap, probably got something in it."
The group remains in its silent state until Eugene speaks quickly and dryly.
"I, for one, would like to believe it's from a friend." Without any hesitation, he lunges forward towards the water. As he picks up and uncaps a water, a plethora of protests fly his way. Just as the bottle is raised to his mouth, Abraham rushes forward and smacks the container to the ground, leaving Eugene petrified.
"We can't." Rick mumbles, staring daggers at the man who nearly chugged the possibly poisoned water.
The air is still, tension so thick you could cut it with Michonnes sword. No one speaks, not a single word is shared between people.
But suddenly, a miracle.
Thunder roars nearby and a gentle sound of something hitting the pavement makes itself known. The sound replicates, again and again until I can feel the refreshing coolness of water on my skin.
"Oh my god," I mutter and outstretch my arms to feel the constant raindrops.
Everyone laughs and hollers with pure joy. Tara and Rosita lie on the ground, eyes shut as they bask in this glorious moment. I look over to Carl and find his mouth hung open, trying to catch raindrops upon his tongue. A breathless laugh escapes my lips and I mimic his movements.
"Everyone, get the bags." Rick jumps to action quickly. "Anything you can find." The group immediately searches through their belongings to locate and container that could hold the fresh water.
As I go to help, I find Maggie and Sasha, standing next to one another, a grim look of loss and depression on their face. I quickly step over to them and my hands interlock with their own.
They look to me with solemn eyes and I give them a the best smile I can muster while still understanding their situation. My hands squeeze their own, and to my utter disbelief, they squeeze back, a barely noticeable smile on their face.
I rush back over to my bag and begin unpacking in order to collect the rain.
Soon enough, the thunder is getting louder and even closer, lighting begins to flash nearby. Rick stares on with slight worry in his eyes.
"There's a barn back that way," Daryl shouts over the aggressive sounds of thunder and falling rain. He points back towards where him and I had just been, it's mostly likely something that went unnoticed by me.
"Let's go," Rick calls out to the group.
Quickly, taking the containers with as much water as possible, we begin to rush through the woods, following Daryl's lead.
Our shoes crush leaves and sticks on the ground as we climb through the thick forest, eventually stumbling upon small wooden barn. Quickly, Daryl and Rick fling the doors open, fortunately finding it vacant.
We all rush inside just as the winds pick up and the rages at more severe levels.
The doors slam shut behind and we all breathe sighs of relief.
I scan the room and find Carl standing in a friend with Judith, holding her and speaking to her gently. Carefully, I creep over to him and stand directly in front of him. He stares at me, slightly confused, until I reach my hand up and flick the brim of his Sheriffs Hat, water droplets crashing down.
He smiles the most precious smile before lightly smacking my hand out of the way.
I go to speak, maybe make a snarky comment, the sudden sound of walkers outside the barn makes itself present. The noise is deafening and the doors to the barn begin to push back from their presence.
Swiftly, Carl places Judith on a small stack of hay on the ground and we join the group at the doors. We press all our force and weight against the ever growing herd, trying our absolute hardest to prevent them from getting it.
There are shouts and cries, snarls from walkers, and booming thunder in the distance.
For a mere moment, the pushing subsides and all seems safe. Until the dead begin pushing again, the smacking directly into my skull, causing the world around me to fall black.
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ
Birds chirp and flutter quietly nearby as my eyes creak open.
I've been moved from the position I remember last being at; pushing against the door before blacking out. As I go to sit up, I find a hand resting gently on my shoulder.
It's Carl.
His mouth is hung open slightly as he sleeps, he looks peaceful. One of his hands lays softly on my shoulder in an affectionate manner that makes me blush. He's always been so considerate, always making sure that I feel safe and comfortable before his own comfortability and safety.
Slowly, I sit up, trying my hardest to not disturb Carl, and peer around the wooden barn. Most everyone is asleep peacefully.
I stretch, scratch my very unwashed hair, and stand quietly. My jacket is removed from my bag and I find the comforting feelings of a cardboard container of cigarettes and a lighter.
The large doors to the barn are creaked open slightly and it reveals a completely different sight to what last night was. Few walkers lay on the ground after being crushed, no rolling thunder or aggressive rain, and just some slightly destroyed branches of trees.
As quietly as possible, I creak the doors opens sun step outside, inhaling fresh post-storm air into my lungs. Everything seem strangely peaceful, strangely enjoyable after the hellish last few days that's been had.
I walk down the small dirt path and find a beautiful tree-lined field, stretching into the distant of the rising sun.
Meandering between trees, I step into a small clearing between two trees, allowing me to gaze at the rising sun over the field.
I slide the small red and white carton from my jacket pocket, along with the lighter. I bring the stick to my lips and the lighter flicks open. In a mere second, it's lit and smoke is pushed into my lungs satisfyingly.
As I gaze at the orange hues melting into a baby blue color, I can vaguely hear speaking nearby. My fingers wrap around the handle of my knife cautiously.
"Why are we hear?" Sasha?
"For this." Maggie.
I peek my head around the tree and find the two women speaking quietly, sat on a wooden log and gazing at the skyline.
Not wanting to disturb the moment, I step lightly on the ground and back away from the two trees. I want to make my way back to the barn without entering eyesight, however, the loud crunch of a twig under my shoe alerts the women.
The quickly raise their guns in the direction of the tree I'm behind and I cautiously step out, hands raised an cigarette still in my mouth.
"Caught red-handed," I joke. They smile back and place their guns into their respective hostlers. "I just needed some air, I'll head back to the barn." My back turns, not wanting to overstay my welcome.
"No, no." Maggie calls out and I turn back to face then. "Sit with us." She pats a small spot of the log between her and Sasha.
Cautiously, I nod and walk over to the two of them. I take a seat alongside them. An inhale of smoke fills my lungs and, out of respect, I take the cigarette out and burn the tip on the dirt of the forest floor.
"Please don't tell anyone I smoke. Carl and Daryl are the only one's that know." A smile spreads across my lips as I drag my hands down my face. "I don't need to be harassed for my stress relief."
Sasha pats my back lightly. "You're secret's safe with us, hun."
"My daddy caught me smokin' once." Maggie smiles and fiddles with a small wooden box in her hands that I hadn't noticed before. "I found a pack in the woods and snuck out one night to the barn. He thought someone was tryin' to snag the horses; but when he saw it was just me smokin', I got whooped upside the head."
A gentle laugh is shared between the three of us, silently and privately reminiscing about Herschel and his life.
"Maia," Sasha speaks gently. "Truly, thank you for those flowers. It meant the world to have a special way to say goodbye to Bob and Ty."
I smile lightly back at her, the memories of them still hurting.
"And for Beth," Maggie speaks quietly. "She would have loved that tradition if she got to see it."
The memory of our three fallen friends, family, hurts beyond comparison. However, I've been trying my hardest to remember them with happy moments, rather than upsetting ones.
"What did you two decide to do with your flowers?" I question, trying to blink the tears back from my eyes.
Sasha hums and reaches into her jacket pocket, which is truly Bob's. She retrieves a small piece of paper that has been folder over.
Opening it up, she speaks, reading the words off the page. "Be safe." She mumbles. "He gave this to me before I went on a run one time, back at the prison."
I peer over and find the small Orange Glow flower I had given Sasha folded gently into the note.
"And Ty's is right here." She slides her knife out of the sheath and I find the Cornflower wound tightly around the handle, wilting just slightly. "It's a really special way to remember them."
She wraps her arm around me pulls me into a gentle side-hug, which I reciprocate immediately.
"Beth's is in here." Maggie speaks quietly. I glance over and find her slowly creaking the pastel wooden box open, a small mirror and a petite ballerina figure inside. Around the base of the figurine, is the bright Daisy, wrapped around its legs. "Carl gave it to me." Maggie smiles as her fingers run across the box.
I smile at the sentiment of Carl, even in these trying times of loss and hardships, he finds a way to show people he cares.
"He admires you, quite a lot." Maggie looks to me with a knowing smirk.
"It's cute," Sasha chuckles. "When you went to look for Daryl yesterday, he got all anxious. He even started begging Rick to let him go look for you."
A blush dusts my face. "I was do only gone for three minutes." I chuckles and twiddle my thumbs together.
"Guess that was three minutes too many for him." Maggie nudges me lightly with her shoulder. "Do you have a flower, Maia?"
Oh.
I do have a flower, the Hydrangea for my mother.
After sharing yesterday with Daryl about my past, and him responding very kindly, I've found more reason to trust this group with some of my heartbreaking memories.
"I-I do," I stutter quietly to them. "It's a Hydrangea, for my mom. She died before the apocalypse began. She was the most important person in the world to me." I sigh and fight back tears from falling down. "It's wrapped in a small cloth in bag, it's been almost three years now, I'm just so unsure of what to do with it."
I can feel Maggie rub my back softly and Sasha grab one of my hands.
"You'll know." Sasha smiles gently. "You'll know what to do with it when it comes time."
A single tear slips down my face and I embrace the two of them tightly.
"Y'know, you two-"
"Hello?"
An unfamiliar voice sounds from close by. Sasha and Maggie quickly snap up and raise their guns in the direction of the voice. I slide my knife from its holder and I raise it high, preparing to throw it at whoever may come our way.
"Hey, I didn't mean to interrupt." A man, well shaven, and somehow looking healthy and clean, approaches us with his hands raised in surrender. "Good morning, my name is Aaron. I know; Stranger Danger. But, I'm a friend." He begins walking closer to us through the tall grass.
"You better stop right fucking there." I press forward with my knife ready to my tossed.
"Raise your hands higher." Maggie murmurs and he obliges calmly, easing his arms into the air higher.
"I'd like to talk to the person in charge, Rick, right?" Aaron says in a relatively calm tone for someone with three weapons aimed directly at him.
"How the hell do you know him?" Sasha urges her gun closer.
He sighs with a laugh. "Quite a long story. But, I have good news."
The three of exchange a worried glance, silently debating whether or not to trust the stranger that has peacefully made his way over to us.
"Follow us." I murmur.