〰
〰
The RV slowly rolled to a stop, making Elodie look up from where she was sitting and head over to Dale and Glenn.
"Are we there?" she asked them, leaning forward and looking past Glenn out of the window. They had stopped in front of a really big building. It stood tall against the now dark blue sky, the inside of it hidden by the reflective windows. It was a really modern building, and Elodie thought it looked pretty cool.
What made her grimace though, was that everywhere she looked, there were bodies—rotting corpses of walkers strewn across the ground, their decaying flesh crawling with flies.
"Yes, we are," Dale confirmed, offering Elodie a reassuring pat on the back before exiting the driver's side of the RV.
Following Glenn outside, Elodie hesitated upon reaching the last step, gripping the door handle tightly. Her eyes darted from one lifeless body to another, and she wrinkled her nose at the foul smell assaulting her senses. She wanted to turn right back around and hide inside the RV and let the adults go inside, but she knew she couldn't.
Maybe they should turn around and leave. If dead bodies were littering the area—and have been for a while, judging by the amount of flies swarming around the bodies—that probably meant that there was no one left at the CDC. There were no guards posted at the front either, so no one was protecting the building.
Lori silently took Elodie's hand, nodding to indicate that she should come along. Elodie complied, hopping off the final step and clutching onto Lori's hand. Wanting to avoid the sight of the bodies, she focused her gaze on her feet as they walked, noticing a loose thread dangling from her jeans that she still hadn't cut off.
Rick and Shane led the way, their guns at the ready. Some of the group members began to cough, and Elodie struggled to suppress her own urge to cough. She tightly pressed her lips together, inhaling small amounts of air to minimize the smell.
Shane urged everyone to keep moving, prompting them to pick up the pace. Elodie couldn't stifle a gag when she nearly stumbled over a body, causing her to gasp and accidentally inhale a lungful of foul air. Lori positioned herself in front of Carl and Elodie, shielding her mouth with her arm.
As they neared the entrance, Elodie couldn't help but steal a glance, only to let out a small whimper at the sight of even more dead bodies strewn across the ground. It felt like an endless sea of death.
"We're almost there. It's okay," Lori reassured both Elodie and Carl.
Arriving at the doors, they discovered them securely closed by shutters. Rick and Shane began knocking and rattling the doors, but they remained sealed shut. Frustration etched onto Shane's face as he pounded on the door, teeth gritted in determination.
"There's nobody here," T-dog observed.
Elodie glanced around, seeing it was starting to get really dark really quick. She stepped closer to Lori, clutching the woman's hand tightly.
"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick hissed.
"Walkers!" Daryl shouted, making Elodie whirl around and stagger back behind Lori. Daryl aimed his crossbow, sending a bolt flying through a walker's head. "Ya led us into a graveyard!" he accused Rick angrily.
"He made a call!" Dale rushed to Rick's defense, but Daryl scoffed as he approached Rick.
"It was the wrong damn call!" he spat.
"Just shut up," Shane hissed, pushing Daryl back with a finger. "You hear me? Shut up!" Turning to Rick, he continued, "Rick, this is a dead end."
Clutching a terrified Sophia tightly, Carol said, "Where are we gonna go?"
Shane didn't acknowledge Carol as he pointed a finger at Rick. "You hear me? No blame."
Lori squeezed Elodie's hand comfortingly while pulling Carl behind her. "She's right. We can't be here, this close to the city after dark."
Elodie let out another whimper when everyone started talking over one another. She had always struggled to really keep up with everyone yelling and whispering in general, but when everyone started to shout over each other, she couldn't pick up what anyone was saying. The only thing she heard were yells.
Her head whipped from person to person, trying to keep up with everything despite barely able to understand everyone. Lori shouted something, then Andrea, then Shane—Elodie felt completely overwhelmed. Bowing her head against Lori's back, she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to block out the noise. But it didn't work.
Lori let go of the two kids to run up to Rick, gently pushing against his chest to try to calm him down. Elodie frantically looked around, her hands flying over to her head. She started hitting her head to try to calm herself down, though it wasn't working. Everyone's yells and shouts echoed in her ears, making her feel all dizzy.
She accidentally bumped right into Daryl, but he didn't seem to mind. Instead, he steadied her with a firm hand on her shoulder before positioning himself in front of her, crossbow aimed at the approaching walkers.
His hand suddenly wrapped around her wrist, forcing her to stop hitting her head, and he pulled her along when everyone started to run back to the RV, seeing as it was getting way too dangerous to stay. Looking over her shoulder with a heaving chest and tears streaming down her face, the slightest bit of movement caught her eye.
"Camera!" Elodie spoke up through her tears, tugging her arm back to alert Daryl.
"What?" he said, turning to her.
"I saw it. The camera. It moved!" Rick yelled, his eyes narrowing as he inched closer to the doors, his gaze fixed on the camera.
"You imagined it," T-dog said, shaking his head dismissively.
"It moved," Rick insisted.
"Rick, even if it did, man, it's an automatic device. It's gears, okay? They're just windin' down. Now, come on," Shane hissed, grabbing onto Rick's arm in an attempt to pull him away.
Rick resisted Shane's grip, his attention still focused on the camera. Despite Shane's attempts to reason with him, Rick pushed him away and slammed his hand against the shutters. The situation escalated as everyone started yelling again. Elodie tried to hide herself behind Daryl, who was still holding onto her wrist to make sure she didn't start to hit her head again.
Shane shouted for everyone to retreat to the cars, prompting Daryl to pull Elodie along once more. Rick stayed by the door, pleading with the camera with tears streaming down his face. Shane wrapped an arm around Rick's upper body and began dragging him away, only letting go when Rick pulled away on his own, his head bowed with a defeated expression.
A sudden noise echoed through the air—a mechanical whirring that made them freeze in their tracks, the shutters in front of the CDC doors slowly beginning to slide open, revealing a blindingly bright light from the inside. Elodie squinted against the brightness, her heart pounding in her chest as she struggled to make sense of what was happening.
The brightness of the light decreased, and Shane immediately yelled, "Daryl, you cover the back!"
Daryl let go of Elodie, placing a hand on her back and pushing her forward. "Go. Get inside."
Elodie glanced back at Daryl with fear in her eyes, but was forced to go inside by Lori quickly pulling her with.
"Hello?" Rick called out, his gun raised as he cautiously led the way.
Elodie looked around, her widened eyes adjusting to the dim interior after the blinding light of the doorway. As she looked around, she took in the details of the entrance area.
At the entrance side, tall windows stretched from floor to ceiling, allowing faint shafts of moonlight to filter into the lobby. To the right, a reception area stood silent and empty. Elodie could make out a row of empty chairs, their cushions faded and worn.
Directly opposite the entrance, there stood a wall decorated with a huge logo of the CDC. A blue circle with the letters "CDC" in bold white letters encircled an image of the Earth, but it didn't look like how the earth really looked. It was a blue version. Elodie wondered why they hadn't just used green and blue colors instead of only blue.
She flinched when everyone suddenly drew their guns, aiming it at a man that had appeared out of nowhere, standing in the overshadowed corridor further inside. He pointed a shotgun at the group, raising an eyebrow in question.
"Anybody infected?" he shouted, maintaining a cautious distance.
"One of our group was," Rick began, prompting Elodie to furrow her eyebrows at him in confusion. "He didn't make it."
"So why tell him 'bout it?" Elodie muttered under her breath, her words not quite quiet enough as she heard Daryl scoff behind her.
The man approached, stepping further into the light. "Why are you here? What do you want?"
"A chance," Rick replied.
"That's asking an awful lot these days." The man's demeanor softened slightly, and Elodie noticed him gradually lowering his gun.
"I know," Rick acknowledged, tilting his head before turning back to face the stranger.
The man scanned each member of the group before slowly nodding and continuing to approach them. "You'll all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission."
Rick nodded in agreement. "We can do that."
Elodie's eyes widened in panic at the mention of a blood test. No! She was terrified of needles. Before everything went wrong, she would faint at the sight of any kind of needle. Once, when she had to get her blood tested because she had been feeling dizzy for a whole week, she fainted as soon as the doctor pulled the needle out. Her mother had to keep her wrists pressed against the armrest of the chair to keep her still when she woke up, even though Elodie knew it would hurt more if she tensed her muscles, but she really couldn't help it.
Looking around, Elodie saw everyone suddenly running outside. Some had already reached the RV. She sprinted to catch up with them.
The cool outside air felt refreshing on her face, but she couldn't enjoy it for long. As Glenn ran past her, he pressed her backpack into her arms. "Here. Your stuff," he breathed, patting her shoulder to signal her to return inside.
Turning around, Elodie unzipped her bag, quickly checking to see if the most important things of hers were in there. As she quickened her pace, she rummaged through the contents, feeling the familiar shape of her hearing aid batteries in her hands. A sense of relief washed over her as she touched her doll's hand. She also felt her clothes that she had stuffed in her bag before leaving the Atlanta camp, so that meant she had everything she needed.
"Elodie!" Shane's voice rang out from the entrance, urging her to hurry.
She zipped up her bag and sprinted the final stretch to the doors, skidding to a stop once inside. Dropping her bag by her feet, she bent over, chest heaving with heavy breaths.
"VI, seal the main entrance. Kill the power up here," the man commanded into a device on the wall. Instantly, the shutters at the entrance lowered back down, leaving Elodie in awe.
"How's that work?" she whispered, watching the shutters with fascination. "Is it like magic?"
The man chuckled softly. "No, not magic. It's like... a super smart computer that runs everything in this building. It can do all sorts of things, like control the shutters, monitor air quality, and even regulate temperature."
Elodie tore her eyes away from the shutters, looking at the man. She didn't know what half of those abilities even meant, but she still said, "So cool."
He nodded in agreement, a slight smile marking his face as he watched Lori guiding the girl away.
〰
Not long after, they found themselves cramped up in an elevator. Elodie fiddled with the hem of her shirt, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. There was barely any room to move, let alone breathe. And to top it off, she hated elevators. She'd heard stories about people getting stuck in them for hours or worse, them breaking down and plummeting down the shaft.
Elodie squeezed her shirt, trying to push aside the thoughts of the elevator malfunctioning. But it was difficult to ignore, especially since this elevator didn't seem to receive regular maintenance.
"Doctors always go 'round packin' heat like that?" Daryl's voice broke the tension, making Elodie breathe out in relief. She could focus on his voice now instead of clouding her mind with terrible outcomes of the short elevator ride.
"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself," the man—Elodie knew his name was Jenner now—replied casually. "But you look harmless enough."
He then crouched down slightly to address Carl with a playful smirk. "Except you. I'll have to keep my eye on you."
The elevator hissed as it came to a stop, prompting Elodie to bounce on her feet impatiently. Once the doors opened, she waited for Jenner to exit before hurrying out herself, turning to wait for the rest of the group.
"You scared of elevators?" Jenner's question caught her off guard, and Elodie blinked before realizing he was addressing her.
"No," she lied, shrugging afterward. Jenner chuckled in response, leading the way down the hall once everyone had exited the elevator. Everyone was quick to follow him, struggling to keep up due to his fast pace.
"Are we underground?" Carol asked.
"Are you claustrophobic?" Jenner replied with another question.
"A little."
"Try not to think about it."
Just moments later, they entered a big room, and Jenner commanded, "VI, bring up the lights in the big room."
Elodie's eyes sparkled with excitement as the lights flickered to life, the computer responding obediently. She glanced around the room, taking in the scene. Desks were arranged in a circle with big lights shining from above. But what caught Elodie's attention immediately was the absence of any other people in the room besides them.
"Welcome to Zone 5," Jenner said, walking further inside of the room.
"Where is everybody?" Rick asked, following the man. "The other doctors, staff?"
"I'm it." Jenner turned around. "It's just me here."
Elodie furrowed her eyebrows, glancing up at Dale, who stood next to her. He looked back at her, shaking his head with an equally as confused look on his face.
"I'm sorry," Jenner said. "I'm all that's left."
〰
Loud laughter filled the room, mingling with the clinking of glasses and plates. Elodie sipped on her glass of water, a smile playing on her lips at everyone's laughter. This was the happiest everyone had been since Atlanta. It made sense, now that they had enough food and drinks, and a place to rest.
Inspecting her sandwich, Elodie lifted the bun, carefully checking for any ingredients she was allergic to. She knew she was allergic to tomatoes, so she checked extra well for anything red. Luckily though, the only things in her sandwich were lettuce, some kind of meat, and a slice of cheese.
She put the bun back on top of the lettuce and took a bite, enjoying the flavours in her mouth. She watched as Dale poured a glass of wine for Lori, jokingly saying, "You know, in Italy, children have a little bit of wine with dinner. And in France!"
Elodie scrunched up her brows in confusion, though a smile lingered on her lips.
"Well, when Carl is in Italy or France, he can have some then," Lori said, holding her hand above Carl's glass to prevent Dale from pouring any wine in.
"What's it gonna hurt?" Rick laughed, raising his brows at Lori. "Come on!"
Lori stared at Rick for a moment, seemingly surprised, but removed her hand from Carl's glass with a chuckle and a shrug of her shoulders. Elodie was curious to see how Carl would react, so she watched closely as Dale poured some wine for Carl. The boy brought the glass to his lips, taking the tiniest sip. Elodie wondered if he'd even tasted it. Carl then scrunched up his whole face, shaking his head.
"Ew!" he exclaimed in disgust, causing everyone to laugh.
"That's my boy," Lori muttered jokingly, rubbing Carl's back and pouring the remaining wine from Carl's glass into her own.
Elodie placed her sandwich down, not feeling so hungry anymore. She had almost turned to Jamie to tell him to try the wine too, before the realization struck her. Pushing her plate forward, she rested her arms on the table, burying her face in them.
The sound of laughter faded into a blur as she stared at her half-eaten sandwich in front of her. A year ago, she never would've thought what she was thinking now. But she missed Jamie. She missed the way he teased her, mean or not. She missed his annoying yells behind the computer, she missed the way he'd only stand there and watch as everyone made fun of her at school, she missed him making fun of her, embarrassing her. How stupid it may be.
Her mother, too. She missed how she bossed her around, missed how Catherine would yell at her when she hadn't heard her. Elodie missed her family, she felt alone.
Everyone here still had their family, one way or another. Carl had Rick and Lori, Sophia had Carol, and everyone else was still a kind of family. But where did she fit in? She was just a child without any parents. A kid no one wanted to put up with. A burden.
She blinked a few times to shake off her thoughts as Rick stood up, her gaze following him. "It seems to me we haven't thanked our host properly."
"He's more than just our host," T-dog chimed in with a grin, raising his glass.
"Hear, hear!" echoed around the room.
"Here's to you, doc. Booyah!" Daryl exclaimed, holding up the bottle of wine.
Booyah? Elodie couldn't help but giggle, though she quickly hid her face in her arms. Her laughter didn't escape Daryl's notice, his raised brow and small smirk betraying his amusement. He then raised his bottle of wine to clink it against T-dog's glass.
"So, when are you gonna tell us what happened here, doc?" Shane asked, making everyone fall into a silence. "All the other doctors that were supposed to be figurin' out what happened, where are they?"
Elodie's smile faltered, having completely forgotten why they were here in the first place. It seemed like everyone else had, too, judging by the annoyance flickering across their faces.
"We're celebratin', Shane. Don't need to do this now," Rick told him, settling back into his seat.
Might as well now that he has ruined the mood, anyway, Elodie thought.
"Whoa, wait a second." Shane shook his head, sitting up a bit straighter. "This is why we're here, right? This was your move. Supposed to, y'know, find all the answers. Instead we..." He scoffed, rubbing his chin. "we found him." He jerked his thumb toward Jenner. "Found one man. Why?"
"Well, when things got bad, people just... left," Jenner began, seemingly a bit uncomfortable. "Went off to be with their families. And when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted."
"Every last one?" Shane asked, a smile on his face that held no happiness nor any humor.
"No." Jenner sat up straighter as well, looking right at Shane. "Many couldn't face walking out the door. They... opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time."
"You didn't leave," Andrea said, trying to stay positive. "Why?"
"I just kept working, hoping to do some good."
Everyone fell into a silence—an awkward one at that. Elodie glanced around at everyone, mostly looking at Jenner. She had the feeling he didn't exactly want them here. She understood, kind of. He had been in here on his own for a long while now, and suddenly an entire group of strangers are at your door begging to be let in. That meant you had to lend out extra food, water, clothes, rooms—extra everything.
"Dude, you are such a buzzkill, man," Glenn sighed, directed at Shane.
〰
Elodie stood in front of one of the game machines in the rec room, eyeing it with furrowed brows.
She had changed into cleaner clothes, that being sweatpants that were a little bit too big for her and a long t-shirt. She liked it. It was very comfortable. Her hair was still damp from showering, but she didn't mind. It was better than it being damp because of the rain.
She had to ask Lori to help her wash her hair, because her mother used to do it for her. She sort of knew how to wash her hair, but she really wanted all the dirt out, so she asked Lori. She really liked how Lori washed her hair. It was very gentle, in contrast to her mother who would just ruffle a hand through her hair quite harshly, wash it out, and be done with it.
Elodie reached up a hand, trying to grab onto the joystick, but she huffed when she couldn't reach it. She looked to the side, seeing a small stool stood in the corner. She walked over to it and picked it up, placing it in front of the gaming machine. She climbed on top of it, grinning as she grabbed ahold of the joystick and pressed a few buttons.
The machine didn't work, Jenner had told them that before hand. But Elodie was really bored—surprisingly. With a finger she pressed onto the button the furthest away, blowing out a woosh sound out of her mouth.
Carl and Sophia were playing checkers behind her, while Carol sat on the couch flipping through a book. The room was lined with shelves full of books, but Elodie's attention was firmly fixed on the game machines, finding them way cooler.
She tilted the joystick to the left, dramatically swaying her body along with it. Then to the right. She blew out another woosh, pressing down on one of the tinier buttons. "Pew," she whispered, pressing it again.
"What are you doing over there, Elodie?" Carol asked, her voice gentle. She sounded really tired.
Elodie turned around, grabbing onto the machine tightly when she almost misstepped and fell, looking at Carol. "Playin'."
"Don't you want to play with Sophia and Carl?"
Elodie shook her head with a shrug. "Don't know how that game works."
The door to the rec room opened, Lori entering the room. She took one glance around and let out a chuckle, her eyes widened in amazement.
"Any good books?" she asked, walking further into the room.
"Uh-huh," Carol hummed. "Enough to keep us busy for years."
She then stood up, nudging Sophia. "All right, come on kids. It's bed time."
Elodie frowned, casting one last glance at the game machine before hopping off of the small stool. Carol walked up to her with Carl and Sophia right beside her, and she placed a hand on her shoulder, gently guiding her away.
"This is the first night we might actually get some real sleep," she said, a smile on her lips. "It's a miracle, isn't it." She swept a finger over Sophia's nose lovingly before turning around to a staring Elodie.
The girl blinked before turning right back around, scolding herself for staring again. She was the first to open the door and head into the hallway.
〰
The rustling of the blankets Elodie was laying under echoed through the room. Frustrated, she tossed and turned, the thin blanket tangling around her legs as she struggled to find a comfortable position.
It seemed like Jamie's face was haunting her. Every time she closed her eyes, she'd see him. Well, not him, but walker Jamie. Dead Jamie.
She'd see how the blood dripped out of his mouth and onto his chin, his white glazed-over eyes, she'd hear the hungry snarls—it was too much. She couldn't sleep. Each thought felt like a stab into her chest.
She blinked back tears, pushing her head into her pillow with a frustrated cry, trying to force the thoughts away. But they lingered like ghosts in the darkness, refusing to be ignored.
She wondered if her mother was a walker too now. Rick said she was 'gone'. That meant dead, right? So had she turned into a walker? Was she bit? Or did people kill her? What happened? Elodie didn't know, and right now she didn't even want to know, because she was letting out another cry into her pillow when she realized she was clouding her mind with her mother and Jamie again.
I have to do somethin' else. I can't sleep anyway.
She threw back the covers, kicking the bottom part off of her feet. She swung her legs over the edge of the cot, letting them dangle above the floor for a second before sliding off of her cot. She shivered when her bare feet hit the floor, and she took a quick glance around.
In the far corner there was a small light plugged in that Carol had set up for her. Elodie didn't like sleeping in complete darkness when she was alone. If there was anyone else in the room with her, she could easily sleep in the dark. But there was no one else in the room with her now. None of the other rooms had enough room for an extra girl, so they asked Elodie if she'd mind sleeping on her own. Of course, she had said no, because she didn't want to be a burden to anyone. And she genuinely thought she would have been able to sleep on her own.
Thought wrong.
She quietly opened her door, peeking out into the hallway. No one was there. She walked down the hallway, trailing her fingers along the cool surface of the walls, tracing the texture of the paint as if it would help her redirect her thoughts.
She started tapping her fingers against the wall, humming to herself while bopping her head a little bit. Tapping turned into lightly hitting the wall as she walked back and forth in the hallway. Why couldn't she just fall asleep like everyone else? Why did her mind insist on replaying memories of her brother?
"Why don't ya just shut off or somethin'," she muttered to herself. "Stupid brain. Just wanna sleep."
She realized she forgot to put on her hearing aids when she left her room when her voice sounded more muffled and distant than it normally was. She bit down on her cheek, hoping she hadn't been too loud.
Unbeknownst to her, Daryl had been standing there in the doorway, watching her. He hadn't slept at all, so when he heard the humming and tapping outside, he thought there might have been some kind of evil ghost out there. But no, it was only Elodie.
He wondered why she was awake, though he had an idea as to why. She had told everyone she was okay with sleeping alone, but Daryl thought he might have been the only one who noticed the uncertainty in her eyes and voice.
"Elodie," he grumbled, his voice low and tired.
She didn't look up, only continued the humming and hitting, unaware of the man stood there trying to catch her attention.
Daryl sighed, noticing that Elodie wasn't wearing her hearing aids, and retreated into his room. A few moments later, he came back out with a crumpled piece of paper he had found in a drawer, tossing it at her and watching as it hit her shoulder.
Elodie flinched at the impact, immediately halting the noise and looking up, her eyes widening as she caught sight of Daryl.
"What're ya doin'?" he asked her.
She furrowed her brow, obviously not having heard his question. "What?" she responded, a little too loudly.
Daryl groaned and quickly placed a finger to his lips, making a guilty look spread across Elodie's face, her slowly nodding.
The two stood there looking at each other for a few more moments before Daryl realized she wasn't planning to go back to her room for some reason. He wanted to ask her why she wasn't sleeping, but didn't really know how he'd manage that. He didn't know sign language, and he doubted she did either.
He resorted to making a series of awkward gestures, prompting Elodie to narrow her eyes in concentration before figuring out he was trying to talk to her. He raised his arms in a questioning shrug, then mimicked lying down with his hands beneath his cheek, and finally shook his head.
Why sleep no?
Oh, why aren't you sleeping.
A smile tugged at her lips. She had never seen Daryl act that way. Assuming the alcohol was still affecting him, she decided not to address the matter. "My brain won't shut up," she explained, her brows furrowing. She chose not to admit her fear of being alone, thinking that mentioning her racing thoughts would be good enough.
Daryl chuckled softly at her response. He then pointed down the hall to where her room was. Go back to sleep.
She shook her head.
He mouthed 'why' as clearly as possible. Elodie's face tensed and she looked away, shrugging. Daryl could tell she was scared, even if she said she wasn't.
So, he walked towards her. She stepped back at first, but she relaxed when he gently grabbed her shoulders and guided her into his room.
Once inside, Daryl flicked on a smaller light and walked toward the bed. He looked at Elodie and patted the cot, gesturing for her to get on it. She hesitated momentarily before following his instruction, carefully sitting down on the edge of the cot, her legs dangling above the floor. She watched as he rummaged through some drawers before returning his gaze to her, noticing how she barely settled on the cot.
"No," Daryl muttered as he approached her, lightly pushing a finger against her shoulder, causing her to fall onto the cot with a small yelp followed by a giggle. "Sleep," he insisted, pointing at the cot.
"Where are you gonna sleep?" Elodie asked, furrowing her eyebrows as she sat up straight again. Daryl pointed at a small couch, which appeared barely large enough for him to fit on. She furrowed her brows even further. "Aren't ya too big for that?"
Daryl turned to her with a scoff. "Talkin' to me like yer my mother," he muttered, throwing some pillows onto the couch as Elodie squinted to try and decipher his words.
He turned to face her with a shake of his head. "No, I ain't," he clarified.
"'Kay..." Elodie shrugged, allowing herself to fall back onto the cot.
She watched as Daryl made himself comfortable on the couch, suppressing a grin as he curled his legs up due to the limited space. It made her feel a little bit guilty for sleeping in his cot, but he had insisted—or rather, forced her to take it. He wasn't exactly accepting no for an answer.
He adjusted the pillows beneath his head, trying to find a comfortable position despite the cramped space. Elodie could feel the exhaustion pulling at her eyelids. She stole glances at Daryl on the couch, his figure outlined by the faint light. For some reason, she felt a strange sense of comfort knowing he was nearby.
Daryl glanced over at Elodie, seeing that she had already begun to drift off to sleep. He wasn't used to looking out for others this way, especially children. He didn't have experience with kids. He didn't know how to deal with them, yet here he was, giving up his bed to one to make sure she got some rest.
Rubbing a hand over his face, he let out a frustrated sigh. He was used to being alone, and now he was stuck with a group that he and Merle had been planning to rob. But if he was being honest, he found that he was okay with that.