Lillian sniffled, bringing her shirt up to wipe snot from her nose as she paced the outside of her and her mom's tent for a while, the sun was finally starting to set. She managed to calm herself down while she paced. Her mom remained in their tent, Lillian wasn't sure what she was doing but she didn't want to be in there with her anymore.
"What's all that pacing over there for, little woman?" Merle called out to her. drawling her attention. Lillian looked over at Merle to see him sitting on a log with his brother, Daryl, sitting on the log next to him. They were both looking at the girl. Lillian shrugged in response, immediately tensing and regretting that movement. "Why don't you come sit? Help Daryl over here cook up some squirrel." Merle offered. Lillian's mom suddenly walked out of the tent.
"Go on, Lillian. They're giving you food, be grateful." Her mom walked past her, making her way towards the Dixon's tent. Lillian following behind her mom, pulling at the edges of her shirt nervously.
"Can i have.....?" Lillian heard her mom ask A question towards Merle. She watched as her mom and Merle both smirked towards each other, she looked at them confused. Did she not hear what her mom had asked for? Merle picked up a bag which rattled as he zipped it open. Invested, Lillian stepped closer to stand next to her mom but then heard a quiet whistled. She looked over to see Daryl looked at her, holding out meat on a stick.
"C'mere. Hold this while I start the fire." Daryl more demanded her to do as he stood up. Lillian looked over at her mom who was just looking down at her.
"Go on then little lady, make yourself useful." Merle urged as he laughed. Lillian quickly walked over to Daryl and took the stick with the meat out of his hand. She watched as he walked over to where Merle and her mom was and mumbled something but Lillian couldn't make out what was said.
"Oh relax yourself, Dare-bear. She prob'ly seen worse." Merle said sarcastically.
Lillian continued to be confused, but decided to mind her own business and looked away from the group of adults. She watched as people in the main camp looked like little ants with how far away they were. She considered asking Dale if he happened to have any picture books about sharks. She hadn't really talked to Dale before but she knew that he had books from what she had seen in his RV. That was something that Dale was very fortunate about, Lillian always thought. He had an RV, granted he basically shared it with everyone in the group now but i'm sure his bed is very comfortable.
"'ere." Daryl snapped Lillian back out of her thoughts, nudging her in the arm to take back the meat stick. She handed it back to him and he put it on a metal rack that was on top of the newly started fire.
"I haven't heard much from you, little lady. What're you about?" Merle with a playful, yet creepy tone asked towards Lillian. She looked at the man who her mother sat next to and shrugged. She wasn't sure why, but his look just kind of scared her. Him asking questions make her uncomfortable. "What you mute or some thin'?"
"She's not. She's just stupid." Lillian's mom huffed, rolling her eyes at the kid. Lillian hid a frown as she looked at her mom. She is stupid after all. Lillian always understood her mom when it came to being mean and mad at her and she thought maybe that would make her not stupid.
"She's a very shy kid, but once you get to know her she's annoying. Trust me." Lillian mom giggled at the end of her sentence. "She's a straight B student despite barely being able to read." She also threw out. Lillian began to get nervous and ashamed of what her mom was saying about her. She allowed her hair to fall in front of her face as she dropped her head, keeping her arms stiff at her side.
"Little lady can't read!?" Merle suddenly entertained by this fact, laughed almost too hard. "Well color me damned, so what you been doing sittin' over there with books that you can even read?"
"They're picture books.." Lillian mumbled quietly, her feelings hurt by the comments on the topic her mother brought up. Lillian's comment made Merle laugh harder and her mom only smiled as she watched. She really wished that maybe her mom would stick up for her or had not even brought up the topic in the first place.
"Merle, you ain't even learn how to read 'til you were 15." Daryl's voice sounded aggressive as he spoke. Lillian glanced over at Daryl who was turning the meat as it cooked.
"Calm down, little brother." Merle's laughing died down. "When's that damn squirrel gonna be ready? I'm hungry!" He emphasized on the hungry as he spoke.
"Maybe if your lazy ass wasn' sittin' over ere' gloatin' it would'a already been done." Daryl mumbled.
"What was that little brother!?" Merle raised his voice. His objective seemed to intimidate Daryl, but it only worked on Lillian as she took a couple of steps backwards, putting more space between her mom, Merle, and her but unknowingly getting closer to Daryl. Daryl grumbled in response, startling Lillian with how close she ended up being.
"Sit." Daryl mumbled at the girl, pointing at the small crate that was sat just a few feet away from his. Lillian sat down. She still wasn't sure about how to think of Daryl, but his comment about Merle made her feel a little better. She was only 10, but a lot of people thought she was younger because of how small she is. Some kids would pick on her in school, saying that she belongs back in preschool, or that she still has too many baby teeth to be in fourth grade. Her mama would always tell her to ignore them, but sometimes it was hard and she acted on physical methods to get her point across. That's when her daddy would get real made and punish her. She always came to understand why, even though it hurt her feelings a lot.
Daryl handed her a plate with the meat that he had just cooked on it. She looked over at her mom before grabbing the plate from him, getting a slight nod, she took the plate and held it in her lap.
"How old is little Lilli-an anyways?" Merle question, over pronouncing her name.
"She's 10." Her mom stated, taking a sip from a tin flask.
"Well damn me. What you been feeding the poor girl? Air. She looks to be 7!" Merle talked loudly with a playful tone again. Her mom just shrugged it off, looking over at Lillian, watching her take a bite of the squirrel she was handed. She looked over beside her to see Daryl, glancing over at the mom but quickly looking away when they caught each others glares. Her's mom began engaging in a different quiet conversation with Merle, which Lillian couldn't hear.
Lillian enjoyed the fresh meat, but couldn't help but think it was nothing like her daddy's cooking when he was still around. Unlike this meat, which was bland, his was very seasoned and had a lot of flavor. She looked over at Daryl, who had already put another squirrel meat stick on to cool. She looked beside him, noticing a really cool gun thing.
"Mister Daryl?" Lillian worked up the courage to ask. "What's that?" She pointed to the really cool gun thing.
"Crossbow. For huntin' and shootin' shit." Daryl replied lowly, glancing at what she was pointing at.
"Does it take bullets?"
"Nah, it takes bolts."
"Bolts?" Lillian furrowed her eyebrows, turning her head to the side slightly before taking another bite.
"Yeah, like arrows." Daryl picked up his crossbow, taking off one of the bolts and showing it to her. She carefully reached out, to grab the bolt. "Best not break it." He mumbled, before dropping it in her hands. She examined it, not noticing a difference between what he said was a bolt and what looked like an arrow.
"What's the difference between bolt and arrow?" She questioned, handing the bolt back to Daryl, which he clipped back onto his crossbow.
"Bolt is smaller, used for crossbows. Arrows are bigger, used for bow n' arrows."
"Ohhh. Is it heavy?" Lillian asked, becoming more comfortable with asking Daryl questions.
"Damn girl, leave Daryl alone. Time for bed." Her mom suddenly stood, walking over towards her. "Say thank you. Lets go."
"Thank you." The girl mumbled as she stood, leaving her plate on the crate she was sitting on before quickly walking over to her tent, followed by her mom.
She wasn't able to get very comfortable, considering she forced herself to sleep on her stomach. She sat completely up and looked over at her mom, who was already sound asleep snoring softly. Lillian was already very nervous to sleep in the text, in the woods. She still wasn't quite sure as to why they were in the woods. She overheard some talking about dead people, but she quickly decided to mind her own business about it cause she knew she would get too curious. She knew that dead people were only fake. Some kid in 3rd grade told her a story about how his grandma was dead one night, walking around his house. Turns out, she was just sleep walking so her eyes were closed. That story scared Lillian, she ended up sleeping with her door locked but one night her daddy walked in to check on her and she got in real trouble. Her mama ended up giving her a hug when all things were said and done. She wished her mom would do that now. Ever since her daddy went away, Lillian's mom had been cold to her daughter. Lillian missed her hugs.
"Lillian! Go to sleep." Lillian's mom scared her out of her thoughts.
"I can't sleep, mama." Lillian spoke softly, her voice trembling slightly.
"I don't care. Lay down." She spoke sternly, turning away from the girl so her back was facing Lillian. Lillian sighed softly, laying down on her side too, sinking back into her sleeping bag. She grabbed her stuffed bear, whom she named Beary. She had gotten it when she was real rough, when her mama still gave her hugs and her daddy was less mad all the time. She used to carry it around everywhere with her, but once her daddy went away, her mama found it embarrassing to have her child carry around a stuffed bear. She claimed that Lillian was too old for the thing, so Lillian was forced to just keep it in her room and now that her room is a tent, it's where Beary stays.
The next morning, Lillian was woken up by her mom. "Hey, I wanted to let you know that I'm leaving to go to the city with a group of people. Should be back before too late." She stated, once she knew her daughter was awake she began to put her hair up with a hair tie.
"Can i come?" Lillian sat up, rubbing her eyes.
"No."
"Why not?" Lillian frowned. She already knew what her mom's answer was going to be but she didn't understand. Why didn't her mom want to spend anymore time with her?
"Cause i said so." Her mom said plainly, unzipping the tent. Lillian quickly stood up, slipping on her shoes even tho she was still wearing pajamas.
"But mama, i promise to be on my best behavior like you say! I want to go!" Lillian began to beg, walking behind her mom ask she walked out of the tent.
"Are you stupid?" Her mom quickly turned with a scowl on her face.
"I just want to go with you!" Lillian began to pull at the end of her shirt nervously.
"You better go back into that tent, change your clothes, and then go find someone else to look after your. I'm not playing, girl. You will be in trouble when i get back. Go!" Her mom spoke very sternly with wide eyes, speaking lowly. Lillian let her head drop as she turned to walk back into the tent, letting her mom walk away. She didn't want to find someone else to look after her, she just wanted her mama to. She watched through the tent door, her mom walk away and start talking to some of the people in the group that she was unfamiliar with.
"What's up girlie? Where yo' mama?" Suddenly Merle came into Lillian's view, ducking down to see the girl in the tent. Lillian pointed over to where her mom was before she sat down on the floor of the tent. Merle quickly glanced over at where she pointed before looking back at the girl. "Well what's got you all doom and gloom?" Merle pushed at the girl.
"I just wanted to go with." Lillian frowned, no longer looking at the man.
"Ah, ah, ah. The city is dangerous, girl! Got dead people walking around, trying to eat peoples brains!" Merle informed her, being very loud about explaining. "Safe to stay here, girlie. Thank ya mama." He clicked his teeth before walking away. Lillian suddenly felt very anxious. Was there actually dead people walking around, eating peoples brains!? She frowned and decided that she wanted to leave the tent after she changed her clothes, to go find Carl and apologize so they can go play again.
YIPPPPPEEEEEEEEE
i'm on quiet the writing binge right now so i'm uploading as many chapters as i can before it runs out