ƬΉΣ ЩΛᄂKIПG DΣΛD. O/A

[queen of wifi]

D A R Y L D I X O N

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂
▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

With false bravado, he raised his chin, edging closer to the wired fences to face the conflicting source of the witty remarks. At that he briefly scanned her face for a moment, all while studying her with narrowed eyes, then threw back his head and began to chuckle dryly. Perhaps he did find her insults to be unique at best, or her attempts to knock them down a peg with her sharp tongue ended up in vain. After all, he didn't want to be at the mercy of the woman who looked like the devil herself, but he was not going to allow that little ' slip ' of this woman's tongue to pass with any retorts. Forget the never fading law that all men were supposed to treat women equally and with respect - this woman was a clear exception, hands down. She didn't need respect, what she needs is a little smack on the upside of her head, maybe rile her up a little. Given that this wench had just insulted them, already she was trying to convince Rick to allow her entry into the prison, their prison, and making some sort of draft deal to lend her services in return for a free pass into their sanctuary. With a scowl, he bit down on the bottom of his lip. In fact, Daryl wasn't so fond about letting this woman onto their turf. Judging by the way she skillfully handled those approaching walkers with that elongated sword of hers, he estimated that this woman was a proficient fighter in her own right, but what if one of them rubbed her the wrong way and instead of slicing those walkers, that same blade would be jabbed in the back of someone's head? She had successfully sliced, penetrated and disposed of any walkers that invaded her personal space. She may be able to help with their walker infestation, but after everything has settled down and she's still here, Daryl was sure he wouldn't hesitate to shove her against a wall and demand that she leaves while she still has her head intact.

As much as he tried to stay out of Rick's overall leadership and decision-making to the best of his ability, like hell would he allow Rick to have a woman ' seduce ' him into earning her keep. He was a taken man, he has an unborn child and an already out of control teenager to keep tabs on, and here she was, idly standing by and offering to ' help '. Was this some sort of deranged idea of bribery? Rick would have been pretty desperate if he had taken her up on her pledge. They had more than enough people present to wipe out any remaining numbers of the undead, and they didn't need the extra help of what's-her-face to get the job done and over with. In reality, recruiting new people into their domain was too good to be true, and they were always willing to take any helpless individuals out there and mold them into their own, but this woman? Already she left a bad impression; a sour taste in Daryl's mouth. If Rick can stand up to her nonsense, then kudos to him, but as for everyone else? Not everybody has such remarkable toleration when it comes to people like her. She was basically a female reminder of his brother, Merle. Not so much personality wise, but in the sense that she has the brains equipped to verbally attack anyone with little to no effort at all. Even so, Daryl wouldn't just stand around and let her drive him, or anyone else, for that matter, to the brink of insanity with her.. brilliant quips. And, what made the situation even more interesting, is when she insulted Jack by referring to her as raggedy-anne. Heh. Clever. Too bad he couldn't stifle a chuckle or two, because he honestly felt that out of the majority of slang that she'd toss their way, that was probably the most well thought of and put together. If he did laugh, however, not only would it be out of place and offend Jack, but it would probably fuel the woman's ego no bigger than it already is. Instead, the scowl that was once on his face faded and in turn a smug smile tugged on the corner of his lips, and he leaned against the fence, tightly gripping the wire.
"This tramp mus' think I'm playin'..". His voice, when he regained it, was low with repressed fury. It was not a task to determine that he was practically fuming at this point, yet he restrained everything within himself to not verbally lash out at the intended threat that was thrown against him. After all, she was just a woman. Potentially dangerous or not, he'd have to practice a lot on constraints from this point forward if he wanted to remain in Rick's good books. "Unless you want one 'o these arrows shoved up that tight a** a' yers, best bet would be to shut that pretty lil' mouth .. ", his voice deepened, though whether from anger or frustration, he wasn't certain. All he knew was he didn't, for the life of him, appreciate this woman's intrusion onto their base. Though, despite his fueling anger, he was still grinning, an act to shelter his burning desire to attack the woman who stood on the other side of the fence. If only Rick hadn't been standing right next to him..
Which reminded him - he needed to inform his leader on the lingering threat that this woman posed.

"Rick, you on somethin'?", he whipped around to face their alledged leader, irritation written across his features and in the tone he carried as he spoke. He immediately ushered the man to the side, backs facing the woman while they conversed. "You must be ********' high right now if you even think 'bout letting Betty Boop even a foot inside this prison yard", he told him as he gestured towards her, intentionally raising his voice a few octaves for the woman to overhear, regardless of how she would interpret the conversation and the claims made against her. In his defense, he wanted to make it as clear as day that he did not want her anywhere near him, and hopefully she took the hint and made it her business to leave them while she still could. Of course, the likelihood of this would be that she very well isn't going anywhere any time soon, and he is going to have to accept the fact that she might very well become one of their own. Even though Daryl took into consideration that It wasn't up to him to decide her fate of whether or not she was allowed inside, he was certain that if he was granted such control or domination in place of Rick, she would have already been disregarded and left out to the mass of the undead that would be much obliged to handle her for him. Of course, she was fully capable of handling herself, but the undead don't take into account that they were risking their heads just for a full stomach.

Daryl was well aware that Rick has a horrible and exceptionally dangerous habit of putting too much trust into others, always willing to give them a second chance with this absurd belief that they'd change for the good of mankind. In the past where he'd part take in his aching conscience, and went along with what his ' heart ' told him rather than his goddamn instincts, someone had to take the fall for his mistake and usually it's someone who'd been apart of their group. Like the incident with Shane, for instance. Reason being why Daryl was so wary of the thought of having this stranger join them in the first place. Once Rick had his mind set onto a certain someone, it was hard to distract him from pursuing them until he got what he wanted, and usually the outcome was less than satisfactory. It's not like he wasn't allowed to share his humanity with everyone else, it's just he needed to learn when it was appropriate to be cold and driven rather than accepting and kindhearted to anything that stands on two legs. Prime example? His son, and more recently, this woman. "I damn hope we ain't hoardin' any o' that marijuana business, 'cause yer' ********' out of it if you think she's gon' come in here. " Overhearing Jack make a snark remark at the sword wielding woman in retaliation to her crude insults, Daryl took a moment to exchange a look between both women. They both looked like sworn enemies, and they hardly even stood eye to eye for five complete minutes. "I swear to God, if she tries anythin' funny, 'M gonna be the first one to run an arrow through that thick skull. Preach to me about being good and the like for all I care, but Rick, 'M tellin' you, she's --"

"s**t..".

The prison alarm's unpleasant cries greeted the redneck's ears. It's sudden, unexpected shriek almost sent the entire group into a state of frenzy - if someone hadn't been running to and fro to save someone from a pack of intruding walkers, then others were doing the best that they could with whatever they could find and taking down any walker that came within a five foot radius. Granted, it was amazing to see how everyone's mere inclination to survive provided more than enough motivation to make it through without wanting or, or being willing to, become a meal for the undead. As the alarm's harsh shrill continued to spread across the territory, more walkers appeared to be emerging from the depths of the forest once again, and proceeding to force their weight against the fences as they groaned their desires through blood tainted lips. The fences were a barrier that separated the walkers from the prison, and without them the prison's safe grounds were no longer what it was supposed to be; safe, guarded and secure. If that fence goes down, so does their home.

At short notice, Rick began shouting orders, and Jack followed suit, directing her members accordingly. Already she had her guns drawn in both hands and firing at the walkers with accurate aim and precision, taking them down one by one. With her military training and experience prior to the apocalypse, Jack had put her acquired skills to good use. She almost made it seem like the slaughtering of the undead was sort of like.. a distorted image of a game. While doing so was not an admirable source of entertainment, it was certainly something to ponder about. In a world where everything that would be deemed as ' fun ' has fallen along with the majority of society, sometimes what one least expects to take up as an an enjoyable activity becomes the central point of amusement. Gunshots were heard from afar, and as Daryl looked around to locate the primary source, he came upon a strange brunette who had just plunged forward at a walker that had been stalking behind Carol, killing it with an object that he couldn't identify with how far he stood from the scene. He groaned; just how exactly did this woman get in here? And furthermore, how long had she been observing before deciding to intervene between them and the walkers? Well, at least her help would be appreciative in the end, but they hardly, or rather didn't, know this woman yet she was risking her petty life for their sakes. The apocalypse really did reserve a few kind-hearted people, didn't it? And to think it was so peaceful, saved for the raven haired woman at the gates. Asides from the stranger's foolish nit-picks, everything was so serene and tranquil. Now? Chaos and destruction. Clutching his crossbow with an iron grip, Daryl sprinted behind Rick, ignoring the brunette as he swiftly ran by. He slid to a halt as two walkers came into his view. Holding up his crossbow, he pulled back the trigger.

Ssshhthwap!

The projectile drove straight into the walker's skull, blood splattering onto his face as the corpse fell onto the ground with a short, last grunt. Quickly, he extracted the arrow from it's skull, panting heavily as the second walker crept behind him and wrapped it's decaying limb around his neck, keeping him in a strong headlock as it attempted to bring it's rotten teeth towards his exposed neck. He dropped his crossbow onto the grassy field, hearing the light thud, and inwardly, he panicked.

With a burst of strength, he pushed himself free of the walker's grasp and grabbed it's arm in one smooth motion, twisting it behind it's back and driving his foot into it's back, knocking it towards the ground. He bent down and retrieved his crossbow, holding it in front of him as he straightened and faced the fallen beast, and releasing the trigger on his bow once more, causing the arrow to release with uplifting force and collide into the corpse's head. Bending down, he yanked the arrow from the walker's head, smearing the bloody remains that tainted the tip onto his greasy pant leg. Again, he was breathless as the exertion that lead to the walker's death was just as tedious as it was messy. That was a close call, he had to remember that the next time he took the alarming risk to not be aware of his surroundings. Taking a moment to look ahead, he saw Rick and Jack entering the prison, but the path of walkers that were crowding the area were no longer.. there. Jack had taken care of that, it seems. He jogged inside the prison, mind already distant from the sword wielder that they had left at their gates. She was the least of his worries, and was definitely not a priority to protect

Daryl came bursting in just as Jack had announced that she, Rick and himself were going to shut off the generator that was producing the continuous shrills, and warning Avery to keep watch over the stranger that Rick was seemingly inviting into the prison. What Jack did was clever; informing someone she can trust to be vigilant around a stranger was probably the best advice she can give right now. They've already lost so much - both groups, actually. So taking cautious efforts to secure anyone and everyone around her in her absence was great thinking. Daryl was skeptical about Avery being the appropriate candidate to handle this, but she was the only one asides from Carol, Rick and Jack that he'd seen around. Where the hell was Glenn, Connor, Maggie, Lori, Beth, Carl and Jack's kids? Hopefully Connor got by and directed the children to a secluded area to hide in until this entire thing just blows over. "Let's get a move on. The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can find everyone. Bunch 'a people probably scattered 'round here, can't waste no more time", he reminded them, taking the lead, though only briefly as Rick shortly rose above him and took over the reigns of leadership, guiding them through the walker littered hallways.

Le skipping of the timee

"Damn noise. Can't even hear my own thoughts"

Daryl was confused and disgruntled. The mere thought of having to maintain focus between the distracting alarms and the constant, inward inquires about the cause of this ridiculous journey irritated him to no end. He wanted to hurry and get this over with, to make this trip a lot shorter than it needed to be so they can resume their life as it should be. There was plenty of speculation about how the machinery that started the alarm was capable of turning itself on, but Daryl knew, for a fact, that machines just don't ' magically ' turn themselves on. If the group had been seeking refuge in the prison for this long and the alarm hadn't been turned on up until now, then there was definitely something shady occurring under their very noses. Whether or not his people wanted to accept it, this was precisely the case. Could it be that one of their own backstabbed them? Did he, or even she, pre-plan this to make sure his fellow men would fall to the hands of the walkers? Maybe.. maybe it was a mistake. No, that was unlikely; he had to keep reinforcing this to himself, to keep the reality of the events vague and interesting. If only the prison wasn't so large, then maybe they could have scheduled watches in a few areas to keep some degree of order around here. With Rick ahead of both him and Jack, calmly walking through the corridors of Cell Block D, Daryl noticed that the man had remained silent the entire time. Perhaps he too were caught up with the frustrations, though Daryl was sure Rick wouldn't let everyone catch onto his distress unless he has certainly hit the breaking point.

"How long we been walkin'? Five minutes? Five hours seems more like it", he mumbled, his gruff voice drowning out through the clear, blaring siren, unable to hear himself speak. He continued to curse under his breath, unaware of everything that was happening behind him, save for the siren. He still kept in mind that Jack was walking at his side, shoulder to shoulder. However, Daryl was too worked up with finding a way to shut off that alarm that he hadn't been paying much attention the red headed woman's inquiry about the potential suspect who may have initiated this entire charade. So, in turn, he only shrugged, not finding it within himself to reply to a question he had not even the simplest idea of answering. It was Rick's job to keep tabs of what goes on around the prison, so he would be a much more civil and wiser form to ask rather than Daryl himself. Besides, it wasn't like he had anything against Jack or her concern; he was just in a really horrible mood given all of these unwanted, re-occurring sequences of drama. First Rick's son and his nonsense, the sword wielder and her ' welcoming compliments' thrown to Jack, and now the influx of walkers and this damn annoying siren. His sanity and tolerance were practically ticking away as the seconds rolled by, like a pre-set time bomb preparing itself to detonate. He had been a little ahead of Jack, intending to catch up to Rick since the man had been travelling far too fast for Daryl to match his quickened pace. Losing Rick in the confusion would be both an inconvenience and a dire mistake. Though, he realized that abandoning Jack wasn't such a worthy decision, either. He stood aloof in the center of the narrow corridor, choosing to idly wait for the woman to catch up when, suddenly, a walker had appeared behind her, extending a deteriorated arm to the back of her neck. It was quiet, it's moans inaudible as it's fingers curled at the touch of her flesh. She probably hadn't been paying much mind to everything that was happening around her, hence why she was a supposed victim. "s**t, s**t, s**t ,s**t!", he briskly jogged up to her, yanking her by the hand and pulling her out of the walker's reach and into the warmth of his chest, an arm secured around her waist. Holding up his crossbow, he fired a single arrow into the beast's skull, and it's eyes lulled before collapsing onto the ground, dead. He sighed and glanced down at petite red head, panting as he wiped some sweat from his brow. He was thankful and relieved that he had caught sight of the walker before it had the chance to grab her. If anything happened to Jack, not only would he be devastated, but the rest of her group will suffer on her behalf. Connor would be more likely to step up and take leadership, but Jack's loss would impact them severely. As much as he would have preferred to scold her for being so, well, careless, he just couldn't assemble the right mindset. Getting considerate and reluctant for a woman wasn't exactly what he had in mind, far from it, actually. He ignored her canine's persistent growls, and had his undivided attention on the woman as she made a comment about them being uneven once more. Oh, so they weren't even before? He blinked, rising a brow as a smirk came upon his lips, a bit overtaken by the kiss that was planted against his cheek. He was definitely not expecting that; though, how could he when there was so much happening around them all at once? Just as she pulled away, the alarm had ceased. His mind was numb, breathless as she turned away to follow Rick's path. He wasn't sure if he could interpret her act of gratitude as a sign of affection, or if it was done to simply toy with him. His heart rate had picked up and he was tempted to go after her, to pull her aside and to cradle her in his arms and force his lips onto hers. He stared into the distance, absent-mindedly swooned by the woman's quick peck. As their shadowed figures bounded around the corner, Daryl snapped out of his daze-like trance, and continued after them, jogging at a steady pace. He reluctantly eased the lavishing memory to the back of his mind; business before pleasure, as always.
Finally, they arrived to their destination. Entering the dimly lit room, Daryl stationed himself in the middle of the doorway while Rick and Jack took it upon themselves to inspect the interior of the generator room. He took the position as a guard, a protector, while they were the ones who used their wide-set of skills and tactics to discover any clues as to why they were here in the first place. A supposedly dead corpse was lying in the middle of the floor, though if it had been deceased for a considerably long time, or if it was a soon-to-reanimate walker was beyond his knowledge. Either way, he was not willing to find out the hard way, and would take any measure to make sure that corpse remains exactly what it is; dead. Carefully looking on as Jack thoroughly searched the dead body, his eyes flickered to Rick whilst he examined the control panel, searching for any tell-tell inclinations that someone had been snooping around and intentionally messing with the machinery that occupied the room. If only there were more more to go off of other than the dried footprints tracks dragged across the flooring, then perhaps it'd be easier to identify the origin of chaos. Several minutes passed, the inspection was over. He stepped aside and allowed for Rick and Jack to go ahead of him just as he heard a faint masculine voice from a distance. He couldn't familiarize the voice with either of the group members. Another stranger, maybe? Maybe an inmate that they haven't met up with, certainly. As much as he wanted to accompany Jack, he couldn't. She was a strong, determined woman and didn't need a sidekick to follow her every step of the way. She has proved her independence when she offered to find baby materials for the sake of Lori's newborn child, risking her life for a bunch of people she did not even know. He was hesitant to let Jack go, sure, but he had to make sure everyone else were okay.

"I'mma go on with Rick", he yelled after her as he began to saunter down the corridor with his crossbow slung over his shoulder, leaving the woman to her own business as he ducked into a few hallways. While he continued to strode. his mind went off on T-Dog, and whether he had made it out alive, since he was no where to be seen. The worst part was over, yet nearly all of the members were still scrambled all over the prison, and he hoped none of his own were in any danger themselves. Jack's group were least of his concerns, but that could be because he has not formed an emotional attachment to either of them. He had quicker relations to Jack rather than Connor or the children. Typical for him to befriend the leader, but ignore everyone else apart of their group.
Soon, he returned to his group's original cell block, poking his head into every cell until he located the one they had been keeping Lori in.

"Damn. There some sort of party up in here?", he slowly eased his body halfway into the cell, as his hands grasped the cell bars, eyes flickering to and fro. Maggie, Herschel, Beth, and even Carl were all huddled up in this tiny, humid space, all looming over the quaint woman. They all appeared so worried, exhausted; no doubt from the hassle of childbirth that they all had to coach Lori through. Even if he wasn't present, their diminishing energy levels were enough to prove that no one was in best of shape at this point. He noticed that Maggie was smothered with blood, and holding some sort of foreign lump in her hand. Daryl arched a brow, staring at the child, hearing it's small cries echo from the small encasing of the room. Without a second thought, those very same crystal blue eyes soon came upon a withering Lori, appearing faint and feeble. Already he connected two and two together - it wasn't hard, really. It was obvious that Rick's woman had given birth to her second child. Was it a boy, or girl, he didn't know, but all he knew was Rick's gonna have his hands tied with having to protect and keep his family intact with yet another member secretly added to the mix. Managing Lori and Carl were already as demanding as is, and now to have a helpless, screaming child just made the situation a little less appealing. He wasn't stunned, or surprised at this child's unexpected turn up. Yet, his gaze quickly yet calmly shifted from Lori, to Maggie, to Carl, then to the baby. Turning to Maggie, he held her stare, then averted his eyes and leaned against the cell gate, senseless thoughts tripping over one another in an effort to locate the right thing to say to ease this horrible tension. For some reason - he wasn't sure what, exactly - there was something so peaceful of being in the same room with a newborn infant. Babies weren't always the best to be around, given their needy and slightly insatiable nature. But, this one felt soothing. Odd. Kids weren't usually beings he'd find pleasure in, especially after his little one on one with Carl earlier.

He allowed for the silence to linger, until he finally spoke out. He figured it would be of anyone's best interest to have them informed of what's happening, or at least what had happened. "Walkers' all cleared out. We got almost all of 'em. Hopefully we didn't lose a few of our own in the process. Last thing we want is another one o' us gone to those meat heads", he told her, licking his lips briefly, then looking over his shoulder. "I'll try n' round up some folks who'd wanna give blood", he replied to Maggie, looking back to her once more. He then noticed Rick's son anxiously pacing around the room, fidgeting every so often and wiping his tears with the back of his plaid, shirt sleeve. He observed how distressed and highly agitated the teenager was, most likely from the constant worry of his mother's condition, just like everyone else who was with her. Daryl himself held a flicker of concern, though he refused to display such emotions in such a critical moment. What they needed was composure and reassurance, not tears and fear. This must have been especially hard for her son, however. With being so young and all, this must have shaken him up a bit. He couldn't exactly say he was happy at the little boy's distress, though he did emphasize with the kid. Losing a parent or even a parent figure in this world is a lot more difficult to deal with. He was lucky enough to have both of his parents still at his side. Some children weren't so fortunate. He had no idea where Rick had wandered off too, but his son needed him; heck, his wife needed him even more. As a leader, a father, and a husband, his family should be his first priority, not his last. He was sure the man had stopped by before he did, though where to?

“Avery! No, no, no, no, no, no…. Hey.”

Alarmed, Daryl frantically looked around, crossbow drawn and shoulders risen, ears lightly picking up the sounds of consistent sobs. It was Jack's voice, he could recognize it from afar with ease. Was she in danger? What about her people? It was about time something horrible occurred in his absence; it was always something to look forward to, if not at the lowest of times.
"The hell was that?", he mumbled, walking away from the cell and nearing the cafeteria where he pinpointed the sound from. Low and behold, he was greeted with quite a sight. This was all too much to bear, and he couldn't help but frown at the spur of events that took place. A dead Avery, a weeping Jason, a brutalized Audrey and a batshit insane Jack; it was all a basic replica of a horrible drama depicted from a badly written play. Thing is, he never expected for something, or someone, to end up in this light. Death was far from his mind, and he knew that a few people were in good hands thanks to the quick aid of others. Well, his assumptions turned out to be inaccurate this time, and here he was, unable to process what was going down right in front of his eyes. He wasn't at all shaken at her death - he hardly knew her, is all. One less person to take care of, right?

But, as for Jack, she practically crumbled. Whatever inch of her sanity that she'd hope to savor was lost in the flood of intense rage, a clenched hand violently thrusting itself into the skulls of the undead, their bodies going limp as the fell to the ground. He felt a sense of hopeless, despair and powerlessness as he watched his comrade release her fury is drastic doses; her cries evident with each fluid movement of her wrist. As she did this, the sensation of fear deepened, and Daryl stood aloof in the sidelines, at a loss of what to do to contain the woman from her ongoing rampage. He shook his head and ran a hand through his messy brown hair, cursing wildly in a short huff. The breath backed up in his throat, and his mind spun like a top; anxiety at its finest. He was torn between a mixture of surprise and disbelief. He tossed his crossbow beside his feet and jogged behind her. Reading her intentions, he snagged her wrist and roughly pulled her into him, as to prevent her from further destroying anything in her path.
"Jack, stop! Cool it!", he ignored the curl of heat along his spine as their fingers touched, cradling the frantic woman into his chest with his muscular arms. She was so frail, so weak - but he knew that she was never usually like this, never one to succumb to such emotions unless faced with an intense experience.
"She's gone! There ain't nothin we can do 'bout it! ". He briefly saw Ava approach them from afar, only to stop as she saw Avery's dead body. The girl instantly broke into tears, dropping onto her bottom as panic consumed her. Daryl panted, looked away from the girl, and down at Jack.

"She's gone, Jack. Avery's gone. She tried helpin' us, she died a hero. Y'all knew that the minute you set foot into this here prison, that you were riskin' yer lives. We risk our lives everyday to live, Jack. Even if we step out to git some fresh air, we risk gettin' bit and dyin' right then and there", he paused, clutching his thick hand to back of her head as he gently nestled her head into his chest, perhaps a manner to soothe her, or for her to use his chest as a tissue to mop up her tears. " We're gonna get through this, you hear me? You ain't the only one hurtin', Jack. Your little girl, Ava, is hurtin', too. And you gon' be here crying while your little one can't even bare to look at that dead woman? Jason, Audrey, everyone. They need you to stay strong. You gotta stay strong for them, fo' the kids. Can you do that? I know what it's like to lose one of yer own, and it ain't good. Losing someone you care about never is a good thing, but we have to move on, Jack. Avery wouldn't wanna see you crack 'cause she's dead, would she? Lori is dyin' in there, Jack. The baby came. You gotta stay strong fo' her, for Rick. She needs you, she needs your blood". He remained quiet for a few seconds so his words can sink in, reminisce. "Lori needs you, Jack.."



ooc;; Sorry. Too much to respond to, so I had to do some timeskips here and there because I had writers block, and got lazy on Daryl's accent. ;p

[queen of wifi]

ＣＡＲＬＧＲＩＭＥＳ

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂
▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

Dry tear tracks were lightly etched on his cheeks, his eyes gleaming with happiness as he looked down at his smiling mother.

He grinned, exposing his white teeth as he sniffled, his face appearing red and splotchy as he rose a free hand to wipe away the stream of tears. As much as he tried to contain the flurry of emotions that overtook him, his attempts somehow went against his will and he resumed crying out in despair even more, each tear trickling down his face and dripping from his chin. Every so often he'd try to hide his face from the other's view by tugging his hat downwards, or staring blankly at the wall opposite to where they were staring at him. He hated exhibiting such signs of weakness in front of the elders, he outright despised being looked down upon because he was a mere child. Having everyone tell him what to do, how to think, how to act; he wanted to end all of it. He was not some sort of puppet that they have utter control of, and he was well aware of this. If he was granted the opportunity, he'd prove to these adults otherwise, to show how useful he really can be. He'd finally have the chance, once given, to acquire the status of being an ' adult '. Yet, for someone who'd love nothing more than to be treated with the same standard of respect as his elders, he couldn't restrain himself; he couldn't resist the urge to allow his feelings to have the upperhand, but he'd forgive himself, just this once, for stepping down from being a man. He instinctively flinched as his mother brought a hand to his face and gently stroked his cheek, and he chuckled softly, marveling at how content she was with comforting him while she was at the hands of death. She didn't seem to be upset about the fact that he had abandoned her in favor of protecting everyone else, or his previous counts of rebellious streaks. No, she had forgotten about all of that nonsense, and he was quite thankful that she did. If she were to pass then it would be best to do so without holding deep within her heart any regrets, or unsettled disputes that could have been prevented. Once everything has settled down and he would resume his usual behavior, there was no stopping him this time.

However, his short spurt of new found relief and happiness were soon dismissed as Maggie stepped forward. At first, he ignored the incoming footsteps, intending to only have his focus directed onto his mother. However, he furrowed his eyebrows as a hand was rested atop his shoulder, a scowl apparent on his face as he slowly, cautiously turned around to meet eye to eye with the woman. Originally, he held nothing against Maggie. She is helpful and kind, always willing to make sure everyone else's needs were met before she tended to her own. If anything, Carl wished nothing more than to respect Maggie, to see her as an equal in comparison to the strong, older men that he childishly admires around the prison. Though, what she did, whether she realized it or not, was her biggest mistake. He withheld the urge to say something, anything, along the lines of 'Don't touch me ', to fortify his build up of anger. If only she had known how highly agitated and frustrated he was, even if he made the worst attempts at hiding what he really felt in the presence of the Greene family as they surrounded him. He usually resented everyone and everything, often wishing that death could ensue onto him instead of having to outlive this life day to day. It was times like these that reminded him why he was so quiet and verbally aggressive towards anyone who opposed him or his actions; it served as an emotional outlet. These mean, disrespectful outbursts and gestures weren't the result of his personality, but more so his damaged psyche. He can only hide so much for so long - eventually, once the right moment came along, he'd snap. He was tempted to shrug his shoulder away from her touch, to rudely express how her invasion onto the platform that are his emotions were nothing to take lightly. He was traumatized and visibly weak, but his frown deepened into a glower of resentment, and he mumbled a curse of his breath. He was clearly oblivious to the way he was behaving, only having his behavior operate as a shield to forcefully block anyone from entering his weakened mental state. They did not belong there in his head; it was a corrupted and unstable warzone up there. Only he knew of the dangers that lie within once this hardened shell has officially cracked. Averting his once fixated, cold gaze from Maggie just as the infant was handed to her, he drew back from his mother's body when Beth stepped forth and lent her assistance. His eyes reluctantly followed her, a slap of heat stinging his cheeks whilst she bent over to scoop his mother up and throw her arm over her neck. Although he heard and chose to ignore Maggie's suggestion to assist Beth, Carl sharply nodded at Beth's request to help instead, his expression softening as he absent-mindedly stared at her. God, she was so pretty. If only he could just walk up the blonde teenager and...

"Focus, focus. Mom needs you, now's not the time", he argued in his thoughts, regaining concentration once more. Rising to his feet, he dashed to his mother's side opposite to where Beth was, and allowed for her to shift her weight onto him as her body slumped against his and arm slung across his small neck. He made sure she was positioned in such a way as to not hinder her critical state any further than it already is. He stumbled forward a few times, a bit overpowered from his mother's heavy weight, coupled by her height, though managed to walk alongside Beth with a bit of combined effort. Thank goodness she was there to help, otherwise he would have collapsed and suffocate under his tower of a mother. It was simply impossible for him to handle carrying her alone. He was panting slightly as they made it down the dark, brooding corridor, following Maggie's lead. Indistinct groans met with his ears, and almost on impulse he quickly used his free hand to pat the sides of his holster, half expecting his precious gun to lie in wait. To his disappointment, he was reminded that his weapon had been given up to his father, and the chances of him getting it back were zero to none. He groaned, clenching his fist. He had no one else to blame but himself. He could have kept the gun, but no, his pride had to step in the way of his safety. And now, as it have been preached a thousand times before, here he was feeling utterly helpless. Luckily they did not run into anymore walkers while on their way back, approaching the light end of the hallway and emerging into the fully lit cell block.

It seemed like a lifetime before they arrived back at the desired cell block. Carl's shoulder was beginning to ache from the heavy pressure applied to it, as his own mother couldn't ease her weight off him due to her condition. Beth was likely to sustain more of the enforced pressure with effort, though Carl was practically struggling with his share. While it was embarrassing on his part, he would argue that he hardly ever handles anything large or heavy to add onto his growing muscles, therefore making it near impossible for him to hold up anything that weighs double or triple his size for extended periods of time. Guns were nothing when it came to lifting a human body. Comparing the two would be like mentioning a horribly developed joke, and it surely wouldn't be funny. When he caught Maggie motioning at the entrance of the cell, Carl tossed his head back and exhaled a light sigh of relief. He was not sure how long it would have been before he would have crumbled under his mother's sheer weight had it not been for Maggie's reassurance that they made it. With Beth and Carl following the brunette inside, Carl helped to lay his mother onto the bottom bunk, making sure she was comfortably fitted onto the mattress. Once she was on the bed, Carl doubled over and winced, clutching his aching and throbbing shoulder. The pain would subside shortly, but for now it was excruciating and inconvenient. He did not, in anyway, hold his mother against this. She was on the verge of death and she needed his help. He would have to be undeniably twisted and selfish enough to resist his mother's health then turn around and blame her for nearly dislocating his shoulder. "Ow.. ow..". Standing upright, he let his arm fall to his side as he continuously wrung his shoulder in a circular motion, hoping to ease the stinging pain. Feeling a bit of relief, he then adjusted the pillow under Lori's head, glancing up at Beth whilst he did this. He nodded at her and looked away briefly, trying to boyishly hide his blush tinted cheeks as he lowered his head. The day he stops being so flustered around her would be the day his crush on the blonde has met its days - if those days will ever be met, that is. "I just wanted to say thanks for helping me carry my mom. You didn't have to, but you did anyway, so thank you..", he mumbled to her softly, almost sounding a bit shy and reluctant during his speech. He wouldn't have shown such gratitude to anyone else, whether it be Maggie or Herschel, or even Connor. But, because it had been Beth, he felt like he was inclined to behave like a gentleman, maybe to impress her, or just for the sake of doing it because she was Beth. He wondered if, by now, she had caught up to his obvious crush on her. He knew that Herschel surely did, as the first day they entered the prison Carl was hoping to share a cell with Beth, only to have the old man to interrogate him on what he was doing and why he was in there. Carl's hasty response, while trying not to be flustered and give away his intentions, was ' I just wanted to make sure Beth was safe '. Herschel for sure could have read through that lie. He was a living, breathing lie-detector, after all. Maybe Beth hadn't seen it yet, and Carl hoped that she didn't. At least not now.

Shedding a shaky stare at his mother's bloodied body, Carl pursed his lips and began to anxiously pace back and forth the length of the room. His mother was getting more frail as the seconds swiftly passed, and yet no one had proceeded onto their plan to help his dying mother. He wanted to do anything to help, just so Lori wouldn't have to suffer any longer. But what was there for a thirteen year old to do? He found himself at a loss with the limits of his mental maturity as well as his age. That was until Maggie took it upon herself to give orders, and just to their luck a certain redneck showed up out of the blue, leaning against the cell's gate and giving a run down of the prison's state. Carl felt a bit uneasy in the man's presence, with their little altercation and all. Daryl's sudden turn up did not, however, distract him from briskly walking to and fro the interior of the cell itself, fists still shaking at his sides. Was this yet another outlet for him to take all of his frustrations out on? There was a conceivably strange pattern coexisting with all of Carl's chosen methods to express himself. They were either bizarre, irrational or displayed signs of mental instability. These actions did not impede his overall development, instead it enhanced it somewhat. Because of these traits he has shown the capability of protecting himself, and using his seldom quick wits to his advantage. It was not long before Daryl himself left, along with Beth and Herschel as they scurried off to find the equipment Maggie instructed them to get for Lori's blood transfusion. Even though Maggie gave him clear instructions to stay with his mother, Carl wasn't going to leave her side even if the brunette gave him a task to complete as well.
"Fine. I'll stay. I wasn't going anywhere, anyway", he replied coldly to the woman, looking back at her and his baby sibling. "I'm not stupid enough to leave mom behind like that..", he muttered aloud, knowing full well that Maggie could hear him. Giving the woman back talk? Indeed he was. Now that his sibling had entered their lives, he did not hesitate to run an entire list of possibilities through his mind. Would all the attention that were constantly on him be turned onto his sibling? Is his mother going to discipline his little brother or sister in the same way that he was? And, how exactly was his sibling going to enjoy such a childhood growing up in a world like this one? At short notice, Carl stopped his constant back and forth in the cell, intent on finding out at least one question that was plaguing him.

"Mom. Can you hear me? I want.. I want to ask you something", he began, swallowing hard as he felt his mouth go dry, voice slightly hoarse from the repetitive crying. With a bit of hesitance, he looked over his shoulder at everyone who were gathered in the room, frowning as he exchanged a steely, sullen gaze between all of them. He did not want for either of them to hear what he was about to askand leaned closer to his mother's bedside, "When my little brother or sister gets older and you're still here, are you and dad going to..", he felt his mouth agape as his words trailed off, unable to construct even the simplest of sentences as he suddenly shook his head, as if to repel the negativity that provoked him from saying anything further. What he really wanted to say was 'Are you and dad going to love me just the same?' He tried to allow for the words to slip through, but with each attempt he only cursed and shook his head. "Nevermind. Forget it", he told her, losing the battle with his own self-doubt. He swallowed and licked his lips, lips quivering once more. "I.. I think I some need air. I'll be out there if you need me", he announced, not even awaiting a response. He stepped out of the cell, a hand braced against the wall to hold up his weight. There was queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, almost like these fearful, nervous and distressed feelings were manifesting into a vile reaction with his body. Stress really is a silent killer, wasn't it? His suddenly breathing hitched, lungs depriving him of air as he clamped a hand onto his chest, trying to regulate his unsteady breathing. He did not hear his father walk by and into the cell, as his heaving drowned the sounds of footsteps and the man's voice. His chest was feeling cramped, congested, a sharp pain coursing through him. Hearing the footsteps once more, Carl looked up from where he laid his forehead against the wall, panting heavily while sweat dripped down his face, his father walking past him and into the cell, now speaking to Jack. He used what little of his strength and rose from the wall.

He held his breath and took a step closer, looking onwards at the figure of his father, his hoarse breathing becoming louder. "Dad...", his voice lowered, a sense of relief and sincerity swarming over him. Before he could stop himself, before he could take a moment to think about the consequences of his future actions, he was already running up to his father and embracing him, his sheriff hat falling from his head from the brute force of the hug. The short dispute that happened between them was almost non-existant in his mind, and just like any other normal child he would soon forget. It was not about him not caring about the destruction he'd cause, of the extent to which it had affected everyone else, but the fact that at the end of the day, Carl was still just a child. There was a lot of things he should be accountable for, but his raging hormones should not be one of them. His intense distraught and fear overrided the rage and hatred he had held for his father. He needed the comfort of his dad.
"Why are you never here when we needed you most?", the innocent question slipped from his lips, not realizing what he'd asked until moments following. He hadn't intended to phrase it in that manner, but truly he felt severely let down at his father's constant inadequacy to be present in such dire situations. It wasn't Carl's fault, really. After having someone you admire let you down step after step, it just proved to be a problem to cure once you begin to doubt them rather than trust them when it's needed most. When he was a little boy, he used to idolize Rick. He'd be 'Daddy's little man ', always at his side and ready to follow in his footsteps so he can grow up to be exactly like him. Even when they reunited as Rick recovered from his coma-like state, he still admired his father, a spot that Shane could never replace. Currently, the admiration and respect has wavered since then. Rick's reoccuring mistakes and misguided priorities has put a damper on Carl's mentality and perception of his father. He was no longer deemed as a Hero. Carl was far too young to realize that just like him, everyone makes mistakes, but with his age came the immature belief that empathy does not exist, and adults were automatically expected to have a brave front and all of the answers to every problem. Rick was now the centre of this belief, and Carl was slowly losing his father as both a hero and a parental figure. His shoulders heaved with each forced cry, dampening the fabric of his father's clothing as his arms were tightly wound around his waist. He was so tiny and slender in comparison to his father's stature, barely able to conceal the quaking fear."It's like every time we get in trouble..", he sniffled, ignoring his aching chest. "You're never here..", he pointed out with some measure of disappointment, drying his tears as he violently dragged himself away from the embrace, realizing that his father was unworthy of his sympathy as he made yet another mistake.
"And mom could have died and you wouldn't have been here! And then what? Huh? You'd cry. That's all you'll do. You don't care. You never did. You're always going around trying to fix everyone else's problems when you can't even fix your own!". He realized. Carl finally realized. His stubbornness and curiosity has always been a declining factor about him that seemingly lead him into a few rough, dangerous consequences. But those past experiences have prepared him for even tougher times ahead, and again his intellect helped him to outweigh his father's faults to use against him.
"I can't take this anymore. You can't even protect me, or mom.. or.. or anyone else. And guess what? I cried. Even though you told me not to, I still cried. Because I actually care. I promise never to cry again. Crying is for the weak, and I am not weak, and I am not you"

All goes to show that no matter how hard he tries to prove to everyone that he was grown up, he was still very immature and petulant. After all of those battle hardened years where he had to bottle up all of his boyish implications of how the world works, or how completely dark and twisted some people have become during the apocalypse, his coldness and perception had drastically increased. He alternated between peering at his father and looking over at his bed-ridden mother. "I'm going to take my gun back. Because it's mine, and I need it more than you ever will. You can't stop me".





o.o.c;; Carl's being all hormonal and junk. Awwwhh snap.


Flutter-By-Chii


Dynasty Juliet


Jill I Valentine


runic knight Celes





x

[ex general celes]

Rick Grimes

Rick's throat constricted Carl's harsh words seemed to have cut his heart like a knife.. he was right. His own father, if he deserved that title anymore much less deserving being called a husband, was busily acting like a survivor and the group's leader than supporting and protecting his family. He can't blame Carl for resenting him after continuously disappointing him, hell he expected Lori to despise his guts soon. " Carl.." he stooped to pick up the sheriff's hat, cradling it between his hands guiltily. He finally found his mouth, and his son was expecting a lecture but he was too heartbroken and angry at himself for neglecting them for too long, Carl's words served as a wake up call, instead he chose to do the one thing that should have been done a long time ago. " I am a bad father and a terrible husband.. I'm sorry for not being there for you and your mother" to his son his apology might sound like a total utter lie, but he was being sincere. There's a high chance in losing the people that he cared dearly and respect and trust from the group he cared for, something he shouldn't let happen. " I know you don't believe me. I don't blame you, son. But I honestly do love you and your mother. " he can't mention the mistakes he made when he acknowledges that he made quite a few and some were costly, his dead friend was a prime example. Thinking of Shane was just painful on it's own.. but he was there for Lori and Carl when he was absent both emotionally and psychically... and his former partner stayed by their side while he was comatose and the beginning of the apocalypse... he provided them shelter from walkers. There's Lori's and his daughter.. who has yet to be named. She's something else to be thinking about, when he first laid eyes on her for the first time it was instant love. No... he can't afford to make anymore stupid mistakes like this not when there's a new addition to his family. " You may resent me, you may think I'm not worthy of being your dad.. but the fact remains you will always be my son, Carl. Nothing will change that, again I do love you.. please believe me.." noting the teenager violently pushed away from the embrace... not that he could blame him really.. he's not going to win father of the year award anytime soon. Rick had to do something to gain his family's respect back otherwise lose them forever. He reluctantly pressed a hand over Carl's cheek, expecting him to either push him away or slap his hand off in disgust but Rick was a stubborn man and he wasn't about to give up in winning back Carl. The same hand shifted over to his hair before pulling back, sighing. " I am not saying all this just gain to sympathy from you I'm being sincere.. wanting sympathy was the last thing I want " a frown forming on his face, he rolled the sheriff's hat between his hands honestly at a lost on what to do anymore. The boy hated him and he just can't blame him for picking at his faults and blaming him for wronging him and his mother. He wandered back to the cell and back to the same position this time sitting there quiet as a mouse while staring at his wife hoping she'll be alright. All his emotions were going out of hand.. silently pleading this blood transfusion would be fine. He can't just shake the guilty feeling. He blames himself for hardly being a decent parent to his growing son. His son's words were harsh but held truth to them. Rick let Carl down and in return is hostile towards him. I'm a bad father and an awful husband the words only were breaking his heart. Was he growing too emotional..? seeing Lori's bloodied made his breath hitch. He didn't want to lose her.. he loved Lori. Lori please stay strong.. I love you.. Carl loves you he sighed and wiped his eyes, the woman needs him and he was expecting a lecture from Hershel for his poor decisions regarding about allowing a threat in. Last thing he wanted was to get another earful so soon after Daryl and his son.. but he highly respected Hershel. Goddamn he was feeling his tears again damn afraid of things going wrong. Lori needs you to stay strong.. for her he closed his eyes wanting to be by Lori's side when and if the blood transfusion goes well. That seemed like the right thing to do. Her husband's face should be the first thing she needs to see when she wakes up. If.. she wakes up. Rick mulled over Carl's words.. they need him as much as he needed his family. The teen was right about many things and Rick wanted to literally kick himself for ignoring his family. If things go well.. I gotta make things right between Carl and I and Lori no more broken promises no more disappointing the people that depended on him. He kept on messing with the sheriff's hat it looked way better on his son than him. How should he redeem himself for his mistakes....? he was lost on that maybe he should just go ahead and have a heart to heart with Hershel.

[TechiNerd_21]

ღ Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. ღ

Angelica had flinched a little as Carl had 'yelled' at her. Soon enough she shut the door behind her once more as she stepped closer to Ava. She wished she wasn't so little, that she wasn't so helpless that she could be more use....useful...like Ava...and Carl. And... Just as Angelica's mind started to wander to pity Conner came busting through with Sasha was holding a gun? That was a bit new to her, but then again it wasn't often that the children had to defend themselves. Conner got rid of the walkers quickly letting them hide away long enough for the others to get rid of the walkers that would still be left after the alarm was silenced. Now that she could think clearly Angelica's mind and worry started to wander to the others, wanting to know who was ok, if anyone had lived or if someone had...died. Gulping slowly as the door was opened to them, Angelica stayed back allowing the others to go first leaving her alone. The commotion was brought to her ears and soon the cry's and screams of rage followed after, filling her mind. What..had happened.

Taking a few breaths and adjusting her book bag. Angelica slowly made her way out the door bracing herself for what she was about to see. Dead corpses of the walkers of course, but...she didn't suspect to see the small group huddled around, around...Her small steps stopped at the sight of Avery's bloodied and dead corpse. It was..one of there's...and...soft blue eyes turned to Jack that was being held in Daryl's arms, the cry's of Ava also drifted to her ears. Looking between them all Angelica could feel the stress and heaviness of the situation, she was use to people dieing, coming and going but. That didn't mean it didn't hurt and it didn't mean it didn't hurt to see the one's you cared about hurting. Lastly the topping of it all was Audrey huddled against her son beaten....beaten...who how.... That was it Angelica felt herself withdrawn and her eyes become distant as she withdrew any emotions, she pulled the book bag closer as she took a few steps back. Her mind couldn't register everything right now, before...before Jack had found her she dealt with her own problems, and then after Jack found her and saved her...she had gotten use to things being handed to her gently news being given to her only once she was able to register it but this was...to much right now. The one step back turned into more before Angelica found herself turning with her back to everyone a single tear running down her cheek as she walked towards the fence, the groans of the walkers coming to her ears, the one's on the outside of course, her steps seemingly able to miss the dead body's of the walkers. Her breathing was quickened as she tired to forget what she had seen. Not now..she didn't want to see that...she thought things were getting better...but this after just losing a bunch of people.

Stopping at the fence, her distant eyes lifted to the gnawing faces of the walkers at were inches from her trying to get at her, to eat her flesh. Yet her gaze was unwavering, the only sounds she could hear were the walkers that came as a murmur in her mind. It was safe to say Angelica had shut down like she use to do before the walkers before she was taken away from her abusive home when she was five. Small hands slipped from her book bag as it felt with a thump to the ground, Angelica herself following to slump to her knees, still gazing at the walkers that knelt down with her. Walkers...they were emotionless and cruel...but what had happened to Aubrey was not done by walkers...were they not alone here...if Walkers were not the only thing they had to fear now...what scared Angelica more..the dead...or the living. Her delicate fingers reached towards the fence stopping with a small twitch of her fingers before it lowered again down to the dirt, a silent hiccup came from her, she didn't know Avery and Audrey much but..they were still family in a sense and...she knew what it felt like...Audrey that is..she knew how the woman felt to have thews scars and feel that pain...

Angelica's arms reached up and hugged herself close at the memory of scars. Her's would always be there, physically and emotionally. Slowly closing her eyes Angelica lowered her head to her chest and shook...shook from fear, from frustration, sadness...and she'd mourn there loss on her own like everything else with her...was done alone. Silent and small tears fell down her cheeks, small hands letting go of her shoulders to reach to her hood and pull it over her head, before covering her ears. She wanted to escape and hear nothing to allow everything to sink in. It was a good thing she didn't know what was going on with Lori. Angelica didn't feel the tugging on her shoe of the hand of the walker's fingers from the other side of the fence, it wasn't like it could get at her anyways, or scratch her or bite her.

ღ Human life is purely a matter of deciding what's important to you. ღ

((O.O.C: Sorry for short post. @-@ Couldn't think of much to post. lol ))

[Healing Wrath]

♚ Ƙαѕѕιє ƛηηє Ƒαηηιηg♚

Bang, Bang, Bang. Repeatedly slamming her open hand against the entry gates of the strange little town. No emotions were felt from the woman, she felt nothing anymore. Everything she cared about gone, the world she loved was no ******** up. All alone, she had never felt this way before and never had a reason too. Having once lived a wonderful life was now gone for good. The eery smile that lingered on her cracked lips faded once the gates opened, she hardly even noticed the young girl who was standing beside her. The young girl had approached with no noise or maybe Kassie was distracted but still she was not pleased having this young girl sneak up on her. As the gates opened her blue eyes darted between all the men who stood by, one in particular stood out. Neatly groomed, well dressed for an apocalypse, Tall and charming. As the man knelt down in front of Clementine using a gentle approach to make the young girl feel comfortable. As for Kassie she simply got a nod of the head and was guided away by a man, The middle aged man was talking to her but she had no interest in conversing with him, to her he just seemed like a dickhead. Shrugging his hand away from her back once they reached the office of a dark woman who seemed to be a nurse or doctor, Obviously she was getting a check up to see if she was healthy. With a sharp exhale she stepped into the office slowly making her way over to a seat. The doctor was trying to interact with her though Kassie remained silent, staring at nothing in particular. The ocean blue orbs seemed to be staring into space, staring through everything. The doctor was done by the time Kassie snapped back into reality, with a gesture towards the door she was being guided to a room. Once again the middle ages man was talking...He wouldn't shut up. Silence was her response, nothing to discuss with this idiot. In the building it looked old but it was better then living in a tent out in the open. The hand that rested on the small of her back guided her up the stairs and stopped in front of the door, The man known as Martinez so he says had opened the door for her. Stepping into the room her ocean blue orbs gaze upon the room, Nothing special. Sharply turning around n time to block Martinez's entry to the apartment she furrowed her slender eyebrows at him. "I've got it."

With that her hand reached for the doorknob gripped it tightly then swung the door forward, slamming it in the man's face. With a quick twist the door was locked and prevented any unwanted company. Kassie felt cold, her body was quivering as she wrapped her arms around herself her lower lip quivered and her gaze was blank. Numb was the only feeling she had that very moment. Slowly walking over to the bed she tripped over her feet a few times before catching herself on the frame of the bed. Nothing to do besides hide away in this room until someone came to talk with her, which she assumed would happen. A shaky hand reaching out and clenching the blankets, lifting them slightly then crawled under the blankets. Hiding away from the world was the only thing on her mind. Losing her father and brother in one day had affected her greatly. The warmth of the bed felt like being wrapped in a cocoon, safe and sound from the big bad world. Eyelids heavy, inching closed hiding away those beautiful ocean blue eyes of hers. In and out... Breathing deeply as if she were resting peacefully but truly she was not. The images of her father being attacked, the blood pouring out of his neck and the life draining from his eyes. Then the images of her brother being bitten, fighting to stay alive, to stay awake, the blood trail he left behind as he walked then the life draining out of his eyes. His last words lingered in the depths of her mind, "Hang in there Princess". Why? Why should I?" What was the point of living in this shitty world when the only result was a painful death and having the virus consume your mind until your nothing but an empty shell only wanting to eat flesh. Why...? after that her mind drifted off, to a more pleasant time. Remembering the faces of the people she was close too. Continuing to shiver even under the warm blankets, it was possible she was going into shock though it was unknown to her.


When Jason was at the table
I kept on seeing him look at me while he was with that other girl
Do you think he was just doing that to make me jealous?
Because he was totally texting me all night last night
and I don't know if it's a booty call or not
So... like what do you think?
Did you think that girl was pretty?
How did that girl even get in here?
Do you see her?
She's so short and that dress is so tacky
Who wears Cheetah?
It's not even summer, why does the DJ keep on playing "Summertime Sadness"?
After we go to the bathroom, can we go smoke a cigarette?
I really need one
But first,
LET ME TAKE A SELFIE

[Flutter-By-Chii]

Lori Grimes

She may have been weak and her version might have been blurry but she recognized the bright white toothed smile that her son had on his face right now, how long had it been since she had seen an honest smile from him? Lori just wanted to hug her baby boy and just hold him, but she could barely lift her arms she was too weak to do anything at this point.. Only time would tell if she would ever get to hold any of her loved ones again. Laying there in silence she squeezed her eyes shut tightly trying to ignore the stinging sensation, she was surprised she could feel anything at this point. Lori expected her body to become numb at some point, but it seemed she still had feeling in her body when Beth carefully scooped under her shoulders to help her to her feet.

Standing took a bit of effort still and Lori took a few gasps of breath as she stood with one arm over the blonde haired girl, listening to Beth's gentle words requesting Carl for help, of course she knew her son would have helped even if not asked. Lori knew deep down even with his new hard exterior that her son loved her, he was still her baby boy deep, deep down. With both of their help she managed to get some strength in her legs to move them ever so slightly so she wasn't just having the two drag her. No matter how long it took to get back, it seemed to be over in a blink of an eye to Lori, maybe she was closing her eyes for longer period of time. Slowly she could feel her strength fading, fighting for life was getting harder and harder as every moment brushed past.. Her eyes slowly searched faces when they arrived back at the cells, where was Rick? Was he safe? But she was soon brought into a cell where she was laid down on the comfort of a bed, it was much different then the cement floor she had just given birth on. A much warmer place to...

Her body just seemed to sink into the bed as she allowed herself to drift partially to sleep trying to conserve what little energy she had left in her. She could hear what was going on around her, but it sounded distant, that was until Carl spoke to her, his voice sounded much more clear to hear. Listening closely to his words she waited for what he wanted to know, but it seemed something was holding him back, and just as Lori opened her eyes to look at him all she saw was his back. "I love you Carl..." Her voice was low, and knew he wouldn't hear her say it, but she wanted to, as many times as she could just to be safe.

Closing her eyes once more she opened them only a few times here and there as she glanced to the blood that was draining into her body, would this work? Blacking in and out she drifted into a deep sleep.




OOC:: Fail on Lori post xD What do you do with a woman that is on the brink of death~ Lol.

[TechiNerd_21]

Flutter-By-Chii

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Smiling a little then chuckling at Allison's comment, Maverick pulled the chairs out and set them up one for Allison, and one for himself. Handing the spoon and can opener to her gently he slowly stood, moving a rock in front of the door to the shed to leave it open. Turning to her while removing the base ball bat from his back and laying it on the ground beside him. "I don't think you have to worry about a tan." He spoke lightly with a smile before taking a seat beside her and taking the can opener from her as he set the spoon down on his leg. "You look good to me considering life now." Ok that might of been his best attempt at the time at flirting or maybe he was just trying to make her feel better, either way...he did mean what he said.

Finally opening his own can he set the lid down in the small bucket before pulling it over to Allison as a garbage can. His gaze shifted to her before looking to the walkers, he heard her question and her apology about his parents, Maverick spoke with a hint of sorrow when thinking of his parents. "Thank you Allison." Closing his eyes briefly and opening them as he picked up the spoon he took a bite feeling his stomach relax now that he was giving it what it wanted. "The shed and the spoon." He paused while scooping up another spoonful and side glancing to Allison with a playful grin. "Are a few things I can produce to accommodate your wonderful stay." Laughing he continued to eat. It was safe to say it had been a couple weeks since the last time he had company, and for it to be Allison made it better, someone who he knew, who allowed some feelings return that were in him before everything went crazy.

"So yes...I made the shed. Took me a while but I figured it was safer then being on the ground, and well...not like I had anything else to go towards so. I decided to stay here and help any that came across. Some died, others continued on offering for me to follow but I stayed knowing there would always be someone that would need help." His gaze had softened as he watched a small group of walkers move slowly past the store and across the street. He was half way through the can before he set it down and picked up the water bottle, he adjusted himself so one leg was stretched out to be more comfortable. "Then you showed up...a couple weeks and someone shows up and it's you. But..." Maverick took a drink once more then set it down before leaning towards Allison a bit smiling warmly. "If I can't get rid of you...then I might as well keep you, besides if you bug me enough all I have to do is pick you up and toss you off the roof." Silence formed after he said this, but for a moment before he started laugh showing her that he wasn't serious at all. "Thank you for accepting my offer to stay, I'll keep you safe to the best of my ability's." Looking to Allison one last time he gave a wink to her before finishing the can of stew.

It wasn't till he was done that he spoke up as he held the bottle of water with no cap on in his hand. "Do you mind sharing your story...as much as you'd like of course." His tone was softer, he wouldn't be offended if she declined. He knew everyone's story was different and everyone reacted differently to his question. Maverick just didn't want Allison to think he was being pushy or was stepping where he had no right to step. In the morning he'd ask another question...what she'd plan on doing after she had rest, food and everything to get her back into shape. Would she stay? Or leave like most...or...would Maverick actually follow her if she asked him to...could he deny her what she wanted? Glancing to the pretty blonde beside him, he found his gaze trailing along her body. She was still small..but still had a figure that could still turn heads, the small bit of muscle added to that factor. Beautiful blonde hair that shined in the sunlight, and dazzling eyes that could always make him stop back then and still now. Her voice was sweet and soothing to his heart, sure it was obvious Maverick had a crush on Allison before this but he had never had a chance to do anything mostly, because he saw the way other guys looked at her and..he honestly wanted the best for her, and Maverick believed he wasn't it. But things were different in this world now, what did that mean then for them?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Flutter-By-Chii]

вєтн αηηєттє gяєєηє

It was reassuring to hear Lori say she wouldn't give up, it meant the woman wasn't ready to die, maybe she would be able to fight long enough. Beth tried to step back when Carl began to speak to his mom, it wasn't like she was trying to overhear them, but she couldn't help but smile. It was touching to see this soft side of Carl, she seemed to grow up quite quickly for his age. Maybe he was mentally much older, but in a world where you have to fight to survive it seemed only necessary. Bright eyes starred up at the ceiling of the boiler room for a moment remembering her own mother and the comfort she use to seek in her, but now she would never see her smiling face again. 'Stop it... This isn't the time to miss them.. We need to focus for Lori' Fighting back the tears that had started to well she squeezed her eyes tightly shut before focusing once more on Lori and Carl, they needed to get going because she could see the woman weakening by the moment.

With the two of them supporting Lori's weight it wasn't too bad, she could have managed on her own but then she would have been much slower and more vulnerable. With Carl at the other side she at least had a free hand if needed. But with the woman in such a critical state it seemed to take forever for them to reach the cells, the run to the boiler room seemed much quicker earlier.

Beth felt relief sweep over her when the reached the cell block, and it was clear of walkers, so far so good, now they just needed to keep Lori from dying and everything would be alright.. Right? Following Maggie closely into the chosen cell she carefully laid Lori down on the bed with Carl's assistance, or rather she seemed to assist him. Seeing the young man begin to stretch his shoulder she did the same but only lightly, she did not have too much trouble with Lori's weight with Carl on the other side. Listening to her sisters words about assisting their father in gather all the supplies needed for the blood transfusion, but before she left she heard Carl's thanks. A smile formed on her soft pink lips as she peered down from where she stood "Your welcome. I will always do what I can to help.. So you can rely on me from time to time" Without waiting for a response she set off the grab what was required, though her mind couldn't help but wander to other thoughts that graced her mind at this critical time.

At least she was starting to put two and two together when it came to how Carl acted around her, she heard Ava shout it out at Carl in rage, but she didn't really understand what she meant. But trying to think about his attitude around her compared to others didn't seem too different, he just wasn't very social with anyone, just a bit more with her. Shaking her head she brushed off the thoughts of Carl's attitude towards her, so what if he liked her more then the others? A crush wasn't that big of a deal...

Reaching the cell that all of their medical equipment was stored she carefully sorted through what they needed listening to her father tell her what to grab. After they had gathered everything up in a bag the two hurried back to the cell where the unconscious Lori lay still, biting her bottom lip gently she gave the bag to her father and stepped out of the cell allowing there to be more room in the already small cell. 'She's going to live through this.. She has to..' Beth thought to herself as she walked down the row of cells and sat on the railing a little ways down just incase her father needed her help at all.

[Flutter-By-Chii]

April Black

Her cigarette had soon come to the end of it's life as she dropped it to the floor and stomped it out with her boot before exhaling the last breath of smoke she had taken. "Find any smokes?" It didn't hurt to ask, she just did not feel like quitting any time soon. But she paused when he explained exactly what had happened to him with as little detail as possible, he didn't really care to share possibly.. But it was better this way because if April knew too much then she would get too attached to this man, and no one ever lives long enough to get attached to.. "Whoa whoa.. He thought you were too harsh? Okay maybe a little, but handcuffing you to a pipe and leaving you for dead is much more harsh then what you must of done" The dark haired woman frowned slightly, whoever this man was that was the leader of Merle's old group must have been quite the strict man, possibly a stick shoved too far up his a**. But then again April could understand where some would take Merle's comments as harsh or rude, she just brushed them off with a laugh if they bugged her too much. Life was just too short to hold things like that against someone.

"Ah.. I don't know if I could have done what you did, sawing your own hand off and all.." Staring down at her hands for a moment before looking to him with a smile "You are defiantly one tough man" Merle seemed quite set not having a second hand, with his blade attachment he seemed to manage quite well on his own.
But what caught April's attention next was the comment about Merle having a brother named Daryl, "A brother, huh? That's cool, I'm guessing he was part of this group too? But why would he let them leave ya.." Pausing for a moment she shook her head "Never mind, I'm not going to pry for more details. I'm sure I can get your dark secrets out of you when your drunk" A playful grin formed on her lips as she stepped to the side allowing him to pass by her and head down the steps, following closely behind him with weapons in hand. Once she reached the door right behind Merle she peered out of the dusty glass the best she could seeing what had caught the man's attention "Guess the truck attracted them when we got here" Giving a small shrug, the small group wasn't anything these two couldn't handle. Tightening her grip on her hunting knife before heading out the doors, quickly moving up the one of the walkers that had it's back to her and with a quick raise of her arm she shoved her blade through the back of it's skull. As soon as she removed her blade the walkers body fell limp, letting out a small huff she glanced at the others who had heard her come close.

"Alright, who's next?" The creatures groans and moans seemed to get louder as they began to stumble in her direction, causing April to take a few steps back, she needed them a little more broken up to be able to take them down with a knife and not get bitten in the process. Lifting her foot she slammed her boot into one of the walkers chest sending it stumbling back until it fell on the ground; this gave her enough room to take out another walker with her hunting knife. Her attention now on the remaining what seemed to be three walkers.

[lolthite]

She's got a date at midnight

With Nosferatu.

Oh baby, Lilly Munster.

Ain't got nothing on you.

leona maysdale.

Well when I called her evil

She just laughed.

And cast that spell on me.

Boo b***h Craft.






Well was this not just cute? The man who stood on the other side of the fence – thick, calloused fingers stuck through the wire, was a bulldog with the fur on his neck rigid and his maw foaming and gnashing. She responded with a tiny wave, fingers bending at the second knuckle, bones popping and sighing with the effort. A devil’s tongue swept across her bottom lip, moistening the flesh enough to keep it from sticking to her teeth, and she smiled, a demure twitch of her lips that was far too docile to be genuine. Fury coloured his gaze, anger screamed from every fiber of his muscles and all it served to do was make the muscles in her stomach clench. Pointed teeth caught her lip, worrying the skin slightly, digging into the pink gash of her mouth. “Oh don’t you worry ********] Leona crooned, arching against the fence until they were far too close – air thick with fury, dangerously comprised of distrust and large egos, “This tramp isn’t going to waste more than a day or two on your little band of miscretains.”

His threats were low, rumbling forth from a lion’s chest. “Is that right? Best bet would be to shut my pretty mouth? Innit that something… You actually think you have some sort of authority. What’s your real place here? The Sheriff’s b***h? Run along after him with your tail tucked, barking his orders back at the others?” Leona shook her head slowly from side to side, clicking her tongue against the scarred flesh of the inside of her mouth, painting the gnarled flesh with wet muscle as if desperately attempting to turn the monstrosity into a masterpiece, “What illusions of grandeur. You poor misguided boy you…” The laugh that fell from her tongue was honeyed, but not in amber sweetness – rather it was layered thickly in a bitter sort of mockery, despite its lightness. “And as for this a** of mine?” A single porcelain hand fell from the fence to trace the arch of her back and settle upon the denim-clad curve of her bottom. “Seems to be the only thing that you addressed correctly in your little tirade.” Leona fluttered long lashes, pursing her lips in a terribly sarcastic kiss. She watched with a smug little smile as the redneck and Rick conversed in hushed, harsh tones – baby doll eyes fixated on their body language, the twitches in their shoulders and the shakes of their heads.

The panic of the situation pushed Rick to make a decision, and make one he did. She was in. Leona bowed dramatically, a sweeping motion that bent her body in half. Weaving spider fingers through the fence, she climbed up and over. The barbed wire was more decorative than helpful – it was missing in places and where it did snag her skin it opened it the slightest of bits, porcelain peeling apart to showcase liquid carmine, drops of which only enticed her undead friends further. She weighed the blade in her hand, flexing her hand against the leather, eyes darkening as she set to the task at hand. If there was ever- her internal monologue was cut short as teeth snapped somewhere close to her ear. Leona jabbed her blade into its temple, dropping low to avoid the sweeping, aimless claws of the next rotting corpse. “You poor sonuvabitch…” A soft laugh slipped over candied lips and a venom slicked tongue, hanging in the air for a moment before she finished the second one off with the handle of her blade – cursing as it slipped from her fingers. [********]

The black-haired marionette rolled away from the two bodies, staying low to the ground, and procured her machete from where it’d slipped from her fingers. A small group of the drooling, gnashing monsters stood across the plain, a good fifty feet, silhouetted against the sky, more shapes than people. The growl that tore itself from her throat was anything but pretty and she stood, beginning to take slow steps forward, blade clenched tightly in white-knuckled hand.

“Now… I wasn’t expecting visitors…”She chortled, languid pace quickening now – hips swinging in the low cut of the jeans that served as her only bit of clothing. Matted inky ringlets piled atop her head, ripped bit of rag keeping it from spilling down her back. Charcoal eyes narrowed; their depths endless, threatening to pull your soul right from your chest and devour it. She was a waif of a woman, thin and pale, petal lips and feminine features. But under all the batted lashes and that ruby gash of a mouth she was nothing more than a beast, animal by her very need to survive. Her grace was admirable and her fluidity gave her movements the devastating edge they needed to drop the monsters as they approached.

Leona was well aware of the grin on her features, well aware of the way she laughed and spun and simply enjoyed. There were few people built to live in this time, the time of putrid flesh and the walking dead, and she was one of them. Regular society had never appealed to her, nor had it catered to her needs like the apocalypse seemed to. Wiping sweat from her forehead, she nudged one of the fallen corpses with the steel toe of her boot, socks bunched awkwardly about the top of the leather.

She was almost disappointed. There weren’t many now and she hadn’t heard any –
Her thoughts were cut short as a scream pierced the night, almost breaking the neck of walkers who jerked their attention towards it. Cleaning her blade off upon denim, she broke out into a jog – following alongside the walkers. She was coated in their grime and they did no more than sniff, empty eyes flicking over her. When Leona arrived it was that redhead, leaning over someone else who’d gotten a rather nasty chunk ripped out of them. “Natural selection.” She commented offhandedly, shrugging and spinning her blade in her fingers.

While the breakdown continued, Leona took to slaughtering the surrounding walkers as they approached. She arched and ducked, and after a particularly brutal stabbing motion, her blade lodged itself between the eyes of a sunken-cheeked woman. Arachnid fingers were quick as they reached for her calf, pulling a second – smaller – knife up and into her grasp. Her chest was heaving, pale flesh covered in sheen of sweat and rivulets of blood, muscles tense and aching beneath the surface. It was fun, yes, but there was an element of stress that accompanied playing with your own life. The living and the living dead were very different, simply because the latter had no fear of death. In fact, they had no fear at all. Not of death, not of punishment. They had no desire other than consumption… and on that level, Leona could perhaps understand the infected. One-track mind.

“You wanna perhaps hurry the ******** up?” She suggested to the kneeling couple a few feet behind her. “Its really quite lovely all the emotion or whatever that's happening but we've got a good group of hm.. thirty or so of those ******** so either get off your asses or get the [********] out of my way, yeah?” Leona settled her bag at her feet - the canvas filled to the brim with weapons, some straight steel and some curved. She kicked the bag to the left, stooping and rifling through it to grasp a second machete. The first she wrenched from the skull it'd been stuck in - boot on the dead woman's jaw to help pry it free. Juggling the weapons from hand to hand, she stopped when they fit snugly and readied herself, left leg sliding back, knees unlocked, muscles quivering with anticipation. “Here... we... go.”

[Healing Wrath]

ღ Mａｇｇιҽ Ｇгҽҽɳҽ ღ

Muscles were tensed, body aching but just the little cries from the newborn had Maggie in a sort of trance. Lori's second child was a sign of hope, the possibility to live and create new life. Though there was the ongoing danger the child would create, the cries from the infant would draw more walker's then usual. If the child remained within the prison's sanctuary then all should be well. Not moving her face away from the child but her emerald orbs shifted to the side as she felt someone's presence nearby, the warmth of closeness as Rick's shoulder grazed against hers. The smile that graced his lips was a nice sight, he had been so tense lately it created the lingering thought that Rick might have crumbled under the pressure of being leader. A hint of a smile graced her lips for a few seconds before gazing back at the newborn. Breathing in and out felt somewhat difficult the stress had taken toll on Maggie along with her body feeling very weak after the days events of eliminating walker's, helping deliver Lori's child, Guiding the small group to the boiler room and back and now caring for the newborn. The tiny child was protectively cradled against her chest attempting to slow her breathing to a more peaceful rate so the child felt a calm environment regardless of the events unfolding around them. If she were calm then maybe the newborn would feel more calm itself. Worry still consumed the twenty-three year old, where was her boyfriend? Where was her darling Glenn? The protective young male was nowhere nearby which worried Maggie, Where could he be? How much more stress could the young woman bare?

Eyes shut tight trying to not keep the persistent negative thoughts at bay regarding Glenn. He is tough... He is fine... Little did any of the group realize how much responsibility the brunette had taken upon her shoulders to protect the group. Slowly opening her eyes, tilting her head up to rest against the cold cement wall tilting her head to the side as she cradled the child close to her whilst making a gentle rocking motion to keep the newborn content. Her gaze landed on Daryl, their eyes locked for minutes before he turned away. Daryl was a good man, over the time period she had known him he had changed. Gliding her tongue over her lips as her eyes closed once more, it felt like her eyelids had weights attached to her eyelashes and were forcing them to remain closed. Gruff voice speaking up which was the recognizable voice of Daryl, No one could mistake his voice. Somehow the reassurance didn't help much, it was possibly the exhaustion that loomed over her like a cloud. She was a strong young woman, stronger then anyone gave her credit for especially Glenn. Her development into a kickass Walker killer was not a quick process, since losing her home along with Patrica, Otis, Jimmy, Andrea and Shane she had stepped up to help protect the group. The cell block gave a noticeable spacey feeling as Daryl, Beth and her father made their way out of the cell to gather what was needed to help Lori recover from the C-Section if it is a possibility she does even survive, Which was a horrible thought that linger in the back of her racing mind. Eyes fluttering open, her piercing emerald eyes lingered on Lori's first born as he coldly replied to her demand. It was becoming more difficult to remain patient with this kid. Blunt, rude, arrogant were only few traits Carl possessed and the only person he seemed to be polite to was Beth, her baby sister. It was obvious to Maggie that Carl had a crush on her sister but annoyed the hell out of her that he didn't even respect his own parents.

Little did Carl know he wasn't going to earn everyone's respect by acting like a brat, Even so Maggie never lost her patience with him it wasn't her place to discipline him or tell him off. Exhaustion helped with the little bit of emotion she had left which prevented her to be hurt by Carl's cold mannerism. "Alright." Her eyelids seemed to have the temptation to close again, the urge to rest was hard to shrug off but she refused stubbornly knowing she had more to focus on before even thinking about rest such as Glenn's safety, Lori getting blood, The safety of the newborn amongst other things. Her chest rising then falling with every deep breathe she took, though yelling caught her attention. Wearily opening her eyes once more she turned her head to the side to see what all the yelling was about. As usual it was Carl disrespecting his father in front of everyone this time he showed vulnerability which was a new sight. Maggie had to agree with one thing, Carl needed his father and Lori needed her husband, Rick needed to focus on his family as well as everyone else in the group. They were like a big family. Sighing before peering down at the newborn who was softly crying she reached up and brushed it's cheek. "We are going to keep you safe." Her voice was just a whisper so only the child could hear the soothing tone of her southern accent. "You're mom will be fine, I promise you're goin to be fine. It isn't goin to be easy, I won' lie it'll be tough. But you will live a long life." What good was it, she felt as if she were lying to Lori's second child. How could she promise safety in this world? teeth clenched the inside of her cheek agitating the soft flesh threatening to tear it. Focus on the baby, Worry about everything later. She couldn't allow herself to freak out and go search for Glenn putting the newborn in danger, she couldn't leave Lori now that Maggie was the only one in the cell with Lori. Thump, thump, thump. Her heart was trying to work its way out of her chest in fear of losing Glenn. No! Shaking her head left to right keeping her attention on the child. Whispering to the child again, Her southern accent seemed to help the child remain calm. "Ya' know I remember when Beth, my younger sister was born. I was so excited. I was brought up with more then one sibling you see, it's hard to get attention in a big family. But I'm sure you'll have no trouble with that."

Gently rocking the child cradled close to her back and forth, it seemed to be working. All she could hear were the small breathes that escaped the child. It was a sight you'd never think you would see in this world. Lori's child was adorable. Maggie's behind to feel numb from sitting on the cold cement floor of the cell, it wasn't really bothersome though. Emerald eyes examined and memorized every detail in the child's face, the rosy cheeks the small button nose, the doll like lips and the black lashes that shielded her eyes from the world. So innocent, so fragile, Hope... "You're mom is going to be so happy to see you." A hint of a smile flickered across Maggie's face as she gazed upon this tiny little bundle of joy, For some reason the feeling of relaxation was starting to wash over her entire body. Lori will definitely be happy to join the world of the living, the ones she loved were certainly waiting for her awakening, for her recovery. Though it was known her recovery wouldn't be a fast one but it was sure better then having the woman laying on the uncomfortable looking mattress on the brink of death. Maggie was the only one who stayed with the child and mother in the cell whilst everyone else was wandering around doing errands, cleaning up, finishing up killing walker's, looking for the rest of the group, whatever it was Maggie assigned herself the duty of protecting Lori and the child whilst caring for them. Keeping them both under close observation.

The day felt like it was stretching out for an eternity, what a relief would it be once nighttime came around. The night sky and the shining little lights known as stars would hopefully create a peaceful atmosphere for the entire group giving them chance to mourn, rest, or have some sort of peace. It was certainly needed. Emerald orbs flickered across the cell to rest upon Lori's rather still form, it was visible she was still breathing though her condition looked terrible. The poor woman was drained of color, white as paper. No flushed cheeks, no sign of life on her face, no movement besides the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Her hair messy and stuck to the nape of her neck from sweat. Beads of sweat visible on the pale skin, it was rather frightening to see someone in such a bad condition. It sort of reminded her of the time Carl was shot by Otis. "I'm sorry..." Guilt filled Maggie as she stared upon the middle aged brunette, Maggie knew the C-Section was needed but what if Lori dies? It would be her fault... She was the one who guided the group to the boiler room, she was the one who prepared the C-Section, Would Rick hate her? Would Carl wish it were her dead instead of his mother? Quickly shifting her gaze away from the woman as her face titled down towards the newborn, Shutting her eyes tightly as tears threatened to spill.



Location: Inside Prison; Cell block Company: Lori, Carl, Rick, Hershel, Judith. Thoughts: This Child... Feelings: Protective, Maternal, Shaken up

[queen of wifi]

( ＣＡＲＬ // ＧＲＩＭＥＳ )
▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇
.
tab tab ʜᴏʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇɴ ┇ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ'ʟʟ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴍʏ //ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ

THIS IS THE END tab HEAR MY HEART BURST AGAIN tab THIS IS THE END tab HEAR MY HEART BURST AGAIN
THIS IS THE END tab HEAR MY HEART BURST AGAIN tab THIS IS THE END tab HEAR MY HEART BURST AGAIN
THIS IS THE END tab HEAR MY HEART BURST AGAIN tab THIS IS THE END tab HEAR MY HEART BURST AGAIN

.

Silence ran through the room, shock and confusion echoing in his hurdle of transgressed thoughts. His father's apologetic response to his outrageous outburst just didn't seem to wrap around his brain fast enough, and the boy simply ended up blankly staring into Rick's deep blue eyes, his chest heaving from the exertion of his confession and outward disappointment in his father. In truth, he was anxiously awaiting for the moment where his father would hit the breaking point, where his tolerance had exceeded its limit and instead of making an effort to resolve the issue the man would choose to lash out at him for disrespecting him on an entirely new level. Usually, it was Lori who received the brunt of Carl's countless hostility, but now the target has switched sides and it was Rick who'd have to unwillingly bear with the emotional wreck that is his son. Fortunately for him, Rick was not a parent of whom would aggressively handle his own child, and even made it so he'd use more timid and friendlier alternatives to discipline him with. His lips that were once agape folded into a small frown, and he drew away from the man as he extended his hand to stroke his pale, tear stricken cheek; jerking his head away from his touch, refusing to have Rick even lay a single hand upon him, one foot reluctantly stepping behind the other as the distance between them widened. His brown hair was slightly ruffled from where the man had briefly made contact with it, stray strands sticking out of place and giving the impression that he'd only just woken up from a long day's rest. Unfortunately, a long day's rest was completely opposite to how everything was being played out before him; stress and fear seemed more appropriate and less thrilling. This sympathy, or whatever it was, that Rick was foolishly trying to acquire did not work well with him, and Carl could have easily seen through his father's intentions. Soon enough, Rick himself would eventually forget his own words, having allowed the state of affairs to take the center of his attention and disposing his very own words of wisdom that could have been spoken months before. He only stood at a safe interval within the enclosed space and away from his father, listening, observing and allowing for the spoken words to flow and process through his thoughts. His father had already begun to berate himself; exposing his faults and willingly making claims against his son, stating such accusations like ' I know you don't believe me ' and ' I know you resent me ', all of which have been proven to be true. Likewise, Rick's capability to point out those specifics has shown that he understands exactly what Carl was feeling, both as his son and a young survivor of the apocalypse. Not everyone is going to respect and abide by the leader's decisions, but that option was clearly not available to his family of whom should be his utmost priority, and certainly not the last. Lori would, on occasion, voice what she thought was appropriate for the benefit of herself or the group but, as usual, Rick would tone her out. God forbid if Carl were to ever project his concerns, either, because history would likely repeat itself as it does with his mother. As much as he may appear and behave like an intolerable child, his understanding and empathetic approach was not a factor about him that should be underestimated, especially for a growing boy who was still trying to find his way in the ruins of a fallen society. He made sense, or what little there was, of his father's words, though he deliberately decided within himself to brush aside what the man had said for no apparent reason other than the fact that he could. He did not want to have his imperfect father, who should have filled the position of a parental figure and a role model, to just stand there and dictate to him about how he should feel. As a person, Carl was undeniably broken both mentally and personality wise. He was too far gone, as they say, no longer maintaining most of his innocence as it was buried along with the rest of his memories.

His repressed memories of childhood seemed to be nonexistent and nearly appeared like a twisted memento of what had been, rather than what should be. Sometimes when he found himself alone while the adults tended to their own problems and pleasures, he'd wish and hope for everything to go back to the way they were. Sure, he wouldn't see any of his old friends again, and neither Shane nor Sophia who he once used to care greatly for, would rise from the depths of the graves to see how much he has changed since their extinction, but it was calming to have such desires, only to distract from how horrible life had been for him overall. Without such dreams, without such aspirations, he'd find himself into an even darker and unstable state of mind. His fixated eyes traced the man's figure as he bent over to retrieve the fallen hat, twiddling the said accessory between his fingers, perhaps a nervous reaction on his part. He gave his father a dirty sideways glance, occasionally darting his gaze toward the hat he held in his hand. What he wouldn't do to snatch that hat away from him and put it back where it rightfully belonged. He could recall the first day his father presented that hat to him; it was yet another memento to describe their father-son chemistry, which was admittedly stronger back then than it was now.

Dry, pink lips pursed in apprehension. No matter how much his father would acknowledge and try to rekindle the mistakes that he has caused, the fact still remains that the supposed leader would eventually return to what he does best; being absent and reluctant in time of need - that is the way Carl perceives for it to be, at least. He was just too utterly heartbroken and damaged to have his father attempt to make things right between them. Even if Rick happened to find a cure to all of their faults, it wouldn't exactly be the same as it was before. And perhaps it never will be. He struggled to find something, anything, to say to his father, peering from the corner of his eye as he took a step aside to allow his father free reign to move back and forth
"You.. you don't get it, do you?", his tone was sharp, edgy; reluctance shining through the enforced speech. He shot a steely glare at his father once he returned and sat down once again, looking briefly at his precious hat that he still held in his possession. That hat, it meant a lot to him. There was scarcely a time where he does not go out and about without having the hat placed atop his head. "I'm not some kid anymore. You can't just apologize for everything and expect everything to be fine, because it's not." His voice lowered as the word ' not ' slid from his mouth, as if to emphasize how crucial the matter had been. As Beth had taken her leave outside of the cell, Carl whipped around and studied her movement into the open end of the halls, feeling a bit uneasy that she suddenly left on such short notice. He was inclined to follow her, though with his mother in the state that she was in he could not abandon her in favor of a teenage girl who hardly acknowledged his petty crush on her. He would be all for leaving his shameful father behind to enjoy the company of Herschel's youngest daughter, but it was about time that he himself showed some restraints in his desires, unlike Rick who perhaps could not distinguish between what he wants for himself, or what he would like for others to have. He slowly turned his back to the cell's entrance and looked down at his shoes, avoiding his father's stares. Maggie, who he had completely forgotten was still present in the room, was engaging in short babbling with his baby sister, and it only served as a reminder that his sibling was still in need of a name. Whether it was a boy or girl, he was still unsure, though if his parents ever suggested that he would be the one to name his sibling, then he had already concocted an imaginary list of names ready to be said and chosen from. Now boldly looking at his father, crystal blue eyes peered upward under short eyelashes, and his lips parted as if to speak, though he closed them again, turning away from Rick and facing his mother, casting his gaze to her sunken features. Look at her, so helpless and dying.

"There's a'lotta things you can say you're sorry for, but you always end up leaving when.. " He abruptly stopped midway, not appearing to be speaking to his father, but rather talking to himself aloud as he pensively stared downwards at his mother, extending a small hand against her cheek. His words could not slip from the tip of his tongue quickly enough for him to continue, holding his breath as he waited in vain for what he so wished to say to come forth at full swing. He waited, a few seconds swiftly ticking ahead of time, and the result remained the same. He lost his train of thought and was completely submerged in Lori's likely, predetermined fate. The blood transfusion was another hassle to keep tabs on, and whether it would turn out to be a success was highly dependent on Herschel and his knowledge on the machinery he would be operating to transfer the blood effectively. "-- But.. but that's all right, because loneliness doesn't bother me, anyway", he continued, choking on his breath as he fought to hold down his tears. Again, he lowered his head, shame and disappointment taking control over him.


His eyes returned to his helpless mother, and at the simple sight of her the blood roared in his ears. His pulse hammered against his temples, and he could have sworn the floor was spinning beneath his grimy pair of sneakers. This lasted no more than a few seconds, though it was long enough for the boy to quickly latch onto the wall nearest to him, feeling as if he were to collapse right at that moment. "I don't..". he finally managed to surface and push himself stiffly away from the wall. "I don't want you to die, mom." He was exposed to the blinding realization that his mother was still in dire need, that he still needed her no matter how ' grown up' he claimed to be, and he was shortly beckoned back to reality, though this time retaining most of his hositlity and childlike impatience. His father was desperately trying to restore what little respect his son had held for him. Yet, Rick's usage of his mild mannered approach to steer Carl into the right direction had lead the boy to feel that he couldn't identify what was real or what wasn't between his father and himself. He's known his father to willingly display such sympathy and understanding to those around him, yet his inherent desire to help those around him was not a solution Carl could quickly relate to, as he himself usually does so as there is some sense of obligation, and not because he was helping them just their sake. If he really wanted to, or rather if he had grown up with a cynical and warped mentality, he could have simply left Ava and Angelica to the hands of the walkers. He would have stood at the sidelines, arms aloof at his sides, watching with a twisted degree of satisfaction as the girl's blood-curdling screams sliced through the constant moans of the walkers, each choking on their own blood whilst the beasts tore through the exposed flesh of their necks, savoring the velvet fluid that gushed out of the ripped skin. Like a pack of starved buzzards, the undead would push against each other to get the best tasting organs, childlishy pushing their rotted limbs forward into the sack of flesh, tearing them from the encased abdomen and shoveling the contents into their mouths, ravenously devouring and appreciating what had been encoded into their existence; the desire to feed. And, before anyone amongst the group would have realized, before Carl himself could have gone out and helped, they'd both be nothing but a remaining, useless faction of their group. And all he'd done was stand back and watch, oblivious to what was happening as he sheepishly backed away, shaking his head and darting away from the scene.
Of course, that is to say, he was not insane. Not in the slightest. The fact still remains that Carl was not mentally unstable, nor did he enjoy watching the suffering of others in consideration to his entertainment, save for that petty incident where he was casually stoning a trapped walker that resulted in Dale's death. That alone had been an entirely different scenario prior to all of this.. muddled chaos. As always, any action questionable on his part either came with the infamous expression; I did what I had to do.

"You're mom will be fine, I promise you're goin to be fine. It isn't goin to be easy, I won' lie it'll be tough. But you will live a long life"

His head suddenly flicked toward the southern twang that sounded from the far corner of the room. Eying the brunette curiously, Carl noticed the infant nestled securely in Maggie's hold. Tears were brimming in her eyes, and he happened to hear the constant rambling that were coming from. He couldn't believe how someone like Maggie can ensure to some child that his mother would turn out to bre just fine when the transfusion has yet to start, and progress has yet to be made. He stepped forward, jaw clenching. "How do you know? No, she's not gonna be fine. You're just sittin' there and talking to someone who doesn't even know you exist " he coldly stated, "If mom dies, it'll be all your fault, because you'd rather talk to some stupid baby than to help her, because you're usel-- ", he abruptly paused and swallowed, mortified by his behavior yet unable to control himself. How can he say something so cruel to a fellow survivor, someone he should have considered as apart of his family by now? And worst of all, he called his innocent baby sibling ' stupid ' before he can even stop himself. But, even though he silently regretted having disrespected the woman in such a way, he knew that he had to let out this distraught - Maggie served as the perfect victim to unleash what he'd been holding in for the past hour. She was vulnerable and timid; perfect qualities to be used against someone. The worry of his mother, his poor relationship with Rick, his previous quarrels with Daryl and Ava -- enough to send him into a downward spiral of pent up resentment. He gave it a moment's thought, then shyly looked away from Maggie.

"You know, you're right, dad. You will never stop being my dad, but that doesn't mean I have to continue being your son" , he mumbled, remembering that comment his father made, though addressing it rather late on his part.
Whenever he found himself venturing into the darkest parts of his mind, he usually ended up wallowing in misery for countless hours. To keep himself from falling into the dangers of his own distraught and incapabilities, he concentrated on his frail mother. It suddenly occurred to him that his mother was still torn between sleep and wake, her mind barely able to concentrate on the transpirations before her. If Lori was still up and about, God forbid if Rick and Carl were arguing like they had been earlier, because the brunette would have immediately snapped for both of them to be quiet, and order for either to reconcile with the other before she gets up and does something herself to keep her family intact. She was the glue that kept them together - if she succumbs to death and leaves them behind, then everything would fall apart. That was the purpose of glue, to keep things in place without falling out of order. It wasn't until then that the boy began to tap the sides of his pockets, feeling a bulge protrude of out one of the corners. Shoving his hand into that very same pocket, he grasped the handle and shoved the item into his view, catching his reflection as the light refracted off of the stainless steel.

"If mom dies..", his voice was immersed with nothing less than a flat, apathetic and demeaning tone; his facial expression forbidding, cold. His indifference was clearly notable, unbeknownst to him, as he was secure in his blunt and anti-social standing. Holding up the knife in a defensive manner, he stood at his mother's bedside, eyes lulling over her face, grimacing without a second thought. "I will be the one to kill her before she turns. Not you or anyone else", he spoke up, once again not speaking to anyone in particular, though he was still referring to everyone present at the same time. It would be for her sake, he assumed, but an ache would remain just the same. Opting to rid of his mother in the event that she were to pass would be too much to bear. Though, he figured it would better for him to be the one to end her suffering, rather than some stranger who they had been on the road with for roughly a few months. A shock of dread rippled through him, and the hand in which held the blunt blade trembled uncontrollably.

He briefly entertained the thought of killing his mother right then and there to end her suffering, especially since it did not seem as though she were going to be treated any time soon. However, it was practically impossible. He'd already made commitments to himself to be prepared for her death, yet he was still shaken at the thought of losing her. His father had told him once before; " I'm gonna die. Mom. There's no way you can ever be ready for it." Although he knew his parents weren't going to live forever, having them there when it's least expected is much more beneficial than to lose them forever. He thrived off of their presence , counted on them to keep his mind off of less pleasant things, to take care of him when no one else could. They were his rock. All of this assumed responsibility to be grown up was surely taking its toll now. It was a workload that would stagger any other child in his position, yet he would remain strong and untainted, ready to handle anything that steps in his path. Just thinking about it made him nervously curl and uncurl his fingers around the handle of the knife, his frown deepening, eyes losing it's luster.




o.o.c;; Weeewt. Yay for tons of shatty filler! because i don't what to do, lul


Flutter-By-Chii


Jill I Valentine


runic knight Celes

x

[Dynasty Juliet]

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
╔══════════════╗
☪º°”˜ "𝓙𝓐𝓒𝓚" Ɍɨɡɡȿ `”°º☪
╚══════════════╝

Rage, just blind rage and devastation over filled Jack. It had been a whole month since they lost anyone; most recent had been Ava’s father and just three weeks before that was when they lost their home… It was like she was offering the group false promises of safety. Jack couldn’t stand it, everything she had promised Avery was gone because she was gone. She wished with every fiber of her body that Billy would have just left her to die, that he would have gone to find Conner and became the leader… At least then they would all still be alive. Her rage, anger and desperation were solely focus on this single walker, everything else was gone. Her muscles even ceased to burn and ache the way they did when she had walked out of that maze of a prison. Flashes of Avery’s face, memories of her fallen comrade buzzed in her skull as she turned this downed walker’s skull into just a mess of chunks of bone and little pieces of brains.

Jack couldn’t even feel herself shaking or the angered tears that slowly streamed down her face. Her position as the protector, the leader the one who was to make sure everyone was safe was stripped from her the moment Avery had been bitten. Her position, her title, her job and duty to the group was jeopardized with Avery’s death. It shook her to her core; the thought of losing someone else frightened her more than facing a hoard of mindless beasts by herself. The world was spinning; all she could see and hear were the creatures that only had the most basics of instincts- to eat. Something got close, her instincts where to take it down which she moved too do. It wasn’t until strong fingers wrapped around the hand that held the knife that she started to fall out of her anger fueled rampage and devastated daze. The lady who had appeared at the gate earlier was standing just feet away- the object that she had just moved to take down.

Finally breathing more than to just let out an agonizing cry, she felt the warmth of Daryl’s arms pulling her into his chest. How could she tell it was Daryl and not Conner or some other strong male? At first she didn’t know how she knew but then her senses told her all she needed. All she could do was inhale sharply, forcing herself to try to breathe normally as the gruff voice tried to sooth her but it wasn’t fully having the effect that even she deeply wanted it too. She didn’t even realize that she was muttering outloud. “Billy wouldn’t have let this happen. He would have protected everyone. That stupid son of a b***h had to go all noble and get bit. While trying to save me?! It should have been me. He would have found everyone and gotten them to safety.” The comments had started since she pulled the trigger to end Avery’s life and she was still rambling them lowly but heard what Daryl was saying. Suddenly a sharp slap stunned her, turning the edges of her cheeks red. Conner was standing at Daryl side and had just popped her one, holding Sasha and glaring at her. He didn’t say a word but only looked down at her with a stern expression, anyone else might have read it as a cold gesture- how his brows were forwarded made it look like he was ready to tare her a new one but Jack knew better; this was their way of steeling each other. Without speaking but only giving her a serious squint he turned and walked away over to where Angelica was. That and Daryl’s fasted arms were enough to start bringing her back down to earth and out of her ‘pity/guilt party’.

She appreciated the effort he was making- it wasn’t an easy task to bring her out of one of her episodes, normally taking Conner multiple attempts to grab her and even longer to make her quit resisting. Taking in a slower inhale to calm herself she had to let everything sink in. Daryl was right, Avery was gone and there was nothing nobody could do about it. Amongst the smell of the rotted corpses there were other distinctive smells, a faint smell of wet dog- which probably was coming from Reno as she was soaked with walkers blood from her shoulders back and pretty much all the way down, sweat from just about everyone- if she got close enough she would possibly be able to tell them apart too but the most distinctive smell apart from rotted flesh and fresh blood, was Daryl. It was hard to explain but the fact was that he had a musky scent, that his sweat and the dirt that was now caked on him with layers of swear and blood mixed and leather from his vest turned his scent into something unique to her sense. Sounds, other than her sharp wheezing and the steading voice of Daryl, met her ears and were starting to register. Ava was not sitting too terribly far from the pair; she was crying and starting to look as though she might come unhinged too. That was something that the red head wouldn’t allow. No, nobody should lose control like she just did. It was foolish and hot headed- letting her emotions override her duty like that and having her survivor’s guilt coming out to the surface… How weak and a very pathetic show on her end. No. Not anymore- get the job done.

Breathing the gruff man in for a brief moment the musky scent calmed her. Letting the knife drop to the floor she buried her head into Daryl’s chest. Her radical shaking had died down to quivering and that wasn’t going to subside, her muscles had reached beyond their limits for the day. The few moments that Jack spent in Daryl’s arms were enough to ground her again, gave her the few moments she needed to really process what all had happened and what had been said. “Thank you, again… I… I am sorry that you had to do this… Sorry that you had to see me being so weak… Thank you for bringin’ me back to reality, that makes us odd again- I owe you and still need you…” Slowly she raised her head, emerald orbs meeting crystal blue. “I-I still need your help to get to Ava and Lori.” She said lowly, her voice that had been so hushed by the fabric and mass of their bodies it lowered her voice to where she was sure only he heard her and with the last sentence she said it lowly but it wasn’t masked. Slowly she pulled herself away from his grasps- it was hard prying herself from his embrace but to avoid any more negativity from the b***h that she almost took down and owning up to her responsibilities to Ava- she made her way to the weeping girl with one of Daryl’s arm in tow. Yeah, so she pretty much had to rely on the male to steady her but her muscles were screaming and she was still quaking from being so weak.

Letting go of Daryl Jack knelt next to Ava, the girl was still shaking. Looking up at Daryl she shot him a slightly pitiful look- she was used to rallying military men and women, not children. Gently wrapping her arms around the youth she tried her best to hush her cries. “Shhhh…. It’s going to be okay. Ava, you’ve got to be strong right now. Angelica and Sasha need to look up to you sweetie. It’s painful and it sucks and we will miss her but let’s try to do what needs to be done first okay?” Well hell, Daryl’s pep-talk got to her, maybe something similar would cut through the girls grief. She wouldn’t want us to sit around and mourn, she’d want us to dust it off and tend to the wounded. Inside there is a new baby, can you hear it’s cries? I need to go in there. Avery wanted for us all to live but mostly she said she wanted us to take care of that baby and make sure it survives for her. So let’s do that, okay? Let’s get up and do what she would have wanted us to do, okay?” It was all she could say, her voice was a little shaky but she tried to be strong for the children and other remaining members of her group. With Daryl’s assistance she got up and as she did Conner came by. He was still carrying a sobbing Sasha and leading a saddened Angelica. Jack took a few steps and embraced Angelica, telling her the same thing she just told Ava. “It is okay to be sad and it is okay to cry but we can’t forget about everything else. Stay with Conner and listen to what he has to say, I’ve got to go inside and do what I need to do to help Lori. Be good girls.” She said to all the girls, running her fingers through Sash’s hair before touching each girl on the head and making her way to the enterance.

Pausing Jack looked over at Audrey, who was still clinging to Jason. For a moment she wanted to interrogate the woman on where she had been when the siren broke out and what all happened, a sneaking feeling that she might know more than what she was leading on. But, for now, she simple sighed at the woman, placing her hand on her should then running her hand down Jasons arm. “Take care of your momma, alright? The two of you should come inside for a few minutes when you’re able to get back up. The doc should take a look at ya Audrey, you looked pretty messed up.” She stated in a low and sensitive tone. Adrianna was sort of standing on her own, looking terrified and saddened. The woman didn’t have a chance to get to know Avery but was obviously upset by the events that unfolded before her eyes. “Hey, would you make sure everybody is okay? Maybe help Conner coral the kids and help get Audrey inside?” Okay, totally not pep-talk of the century but it was something for the woman to do to feel like part of the group. At the moment the only thing she wanted to do was get inside and get that needle shoved in her arm to transfer the blood as quickly as possible so that she could go make a ‘burning bed’. It was how Avery wanted to go; make a hole, make a pallet of wood, burn the body and burry it after.

As Daryl helped her back inside the steps proved difficult going up. Jack felt like Daryl was pretty much carrying her, even though he was just as worn out as she was. Turning her bright emerald eyes up she studied him a little, he was so strong- he was helping hold this other group together and was now helping her keep herself together. That warm feeling took her by surprise as her eyes slowly lowered as the two maneuvered through the first door. As the last bit of direct sun kissed their bodies and illumined their forms she caught sight of his vest. Where he had pushed her head into his chest was damp from her crying and even smudged lightly with blood from one of her facial wounds. Feeling light headed from the sudden rush from ‘climbing up stares’ she staggered into Daryl- they were on their way to save Lori and she knew that but there was one thing she wanted done- one thing she wanted him to know something that she found to be rather important and not all that time consuming seeing as she heard the angered voice of the teen boy raging at his father over something.

As strong arms tried to steady her, she allowed herself to be steadied by him. Jack’s chest met Daryl’s again and that warm feeling washed over her- making her finally calmed heart beat to quicken once more. With Avery’s sudden and unexpected death the red head processed that she needed to say and do what she wanted, to let others know what she was thinking… And at this moment the only thing on her mind was the man whom had his arms wrapped around her to keep her from falling. Looking up slowly in the dimmer but not darkened light she could feel how hard he was breathing. The adventure in the corridors and whatever events followed for him had obviously taken its toll on him but then he stopped her rampage and proceeded to pretty much carry her inside. A bit admirable, amongst other things to add to the list she was mentally making. “Life is too short, especially these days to not do what we want to live… So, do what you want, right? Right now I want to thank you. So, thank you for everything you've done, for me and the others." Tired but burning emerald orbs caught the crystal blue hues, making a bright red blush dance across her cheeks. How? How did this man hold such sway over her? Her mind reeled for a split moment- thinking back to just how many times he had stepped up for her and she pressed forward. "And right now, well... I want to kiss you.” Her smaller and frail body pressed closer to his as she brought a hand up to place on his shoulder for support for what she was about to do. She could read the starting processes of him about to say something, the way his lip twitched for a brief moment was his tell that he was about to speak his mind- so she had to act quickly before something or someone ruined this perfect little moment. Pulling herself straight up, slight extending her height by balancing on her tip toes, she pressed her lips to his. The warm feeling she had that had washed over her now exploded into a fire that urged her to do more but she wouldn’t, not now anyways. The moment her lips touched his she deepened the kiss, sliding her hand from his shoulder to the back of his neck, only hoping that he would precipitate it; it was obvious that the two had something starting to form. Frankly it was hard for her not to try to rip his shirt off, if it had been a situation where it was only the two of them- it probably would have already happened but she refrained from inappropriate behavior. This moment, even if it were to be cut short was perfect and she would hold on to for a good while. The frail Jack had rendered the mighty Daryl speechless, at least for a few moments.

Fading like a D R E A M

cruci-fried

Flutter-By-Chii

Jill I Valentine

[ex general celes]

Rick Grimes

He opened his mouth to retort but cannot form any words even if he expressed his thoughts Carl made it pretty clear he wanted nothing to do with his father anymore making anything he wanted to say moot at this point. Rick furrowed his eyebrows unsure if he should bother with trying to repair the relationship with his son when it's nonexistent in the first place. His past mistakes were coming back to bite him in the a** and continued to do so at the expense of costing the respect of his family. The man shook his head feeling like if he even opened his mouth somehow his son would retaliate with more resentment and venom instead he dropped the sheriff hat he gave Carl as a gift and stepped into the hall needing a breather. It feels like all his past problems and current troubles were surfacing all once weighing down on his heart and mind.. something felt wrong. He kept on walking ignoring the sights and sounds around him pausing to see Daryl walking with an exhausted Jack in his arms.. she talked about needing to be there for Lori. Lori was on the brink of death and it was all his fault. She'll die and it will be all his fault for not being by her side when she needed him the most. What he wanted the most was rebuilding their marriage it was something weighing on his mind lately now that their child is here he wanted his relationship with Lori stronger than ever not wanting his child to growing up with two parents with a broken marriage. Rick couldn't do it he just couldn't bring himself to admit his feelings even when he was sure that was something that needed to be done.. but it's too late. I wanted for us a chance at rekindling our relationship. For our bond to grow stronger. But I didn't. I didn't. I wanted to give us a chance at least for us to be a happy family again but I just can't bring myself to admit that I still love you despite what happened. Heh, I messed up things again, didn't I Lori? he kept on hearing the same words over and over again like a record. Lori will die.Lori will die and it will be your fault! he closed his eyes in hopes the voice would leave him unfortunately not. He sighs, and leans against the wall, completely shaken up and on the brink of tears. What if she dies.. what will you do next? your son hates you enough already. You'll be all alone to pick up the shattered pieces he shook his head desperately trying to blot out this horrible voice but still no luck. Where was it coming from? his blue eyes scanned the prison.. nothing but darkness and the voices coming from his people and Jack's group. Carl despises your guts and it's all your fault his eyes glazed over and just suddenly got back on his feet wanting to look for the source of the voice that was taunting him. He thought he saw some one moving in the shadows he grabbed his colt python out of instinct then quietly crept closer thinking surprising whoever it was would be a better idea. " show yourself!" he thought to himself, moving quietly in the darkness. The voices kept on taunting him furthering annoying him as he saw no signs of the person that must have broken in during the chaos. Was he losing his mind? Rick kept on going walking down the stair well. He shook his head continuing in pursuit of the mysterious person. Finally, he managed in catching up to the person having run into a dead end. He looked up and his eyes widened. Shane was standing right before him. No it can't be him.. the man was dead. It can't be. It just can't be.. there's no mistaking that crazy look in his former friend's eye and that cold smile plastered on his face. " S...shane.. b..but how?"" he sputtered, both surprised and uneasy about his presence. Shane stepped forward still wearing that lopsided smile bur gradually fading into disgust. What.. you didn't expect to see me.. again? his glare intensifying. Rick was calm in the outside but his uneasiness was growing while he was face to face with his best friend's ghost. They both exchanged intense looks with each other never once relenting even when the former sheriff went to rest himself against a wall, sighing sadly. This was just too much to handle with the pressure of having the survival of the group on his shoulder and being forced to face the reality that Lori might die if the blood transfusion fails left him completely broken. " Shane. I hope you're happy. Carl doesn't want anything to do with me and I might lose Lori.. isn't that what you wanted all long?" his voice wavering, just seeing the woman's ghastly skin tone was enough to leave him totally shaken then there's the big possibility of her losing her life leaving behind a widowed father to raise two children. ' I finally thought I had a real family with Lori and Carl while you were out in your coma.' he snarled, moving closer to Rick until there was a bit of space between them. " You're wrong.. you never really loved them" Rick's jaw slackened, of course he knew Shane lusted after his wife. The part about them having a love affair while he was in his coma was long forgiven it made him feel uncomfortable but he forgiven Lori. 'I didn't love them?! are you kidding me? I was there for them and what were you doing? out playing superhero. Who was it that went back when the outbreak started? it was me all of it was me. Don't try and act like I stood by while this was all happening, Rick. You never cared about Lori and Carl.' Shane was spitting venom at his ex best friend. " Be quiet. I do love them!" Rick was close to losing his temper now. Where did Shane get off by accusing him of not loving his family? he did oh god he did he was just horrible at expressing it as Carl bluntly pointed it out. ' You know this is stupid. I really loved them until you had to come back in the picture and take them from me. Take the very people that made me happy. And who are you? some guy that can't even put his family's needs before anyone else, always trying to solve other people's problems. and you have the nerve to say that I don't love them? I stayed by their side while everything was going downhill fast.. something YOU couldn't even do' . " Alright, that's enough out of you.." Rick didn't want to hear anymore, his anger was reaching to a boiling point. Shane crossed his arms in front of his chest, glowering at the until eventually sneering. ' I was done playing second banana to a man that can't make a decent decision to save his life. ' I would have made a competent leader than you. You know that I am an expert with guns and combat. At least with me Lori and Carl had shelter from the biters and safety unlike you with all your web of lies and hiding behind your dumb beliefs. I should have been the leader not you. I would have kept the group alive but with you around that obviously won't work. So I had to come up with a plan to keep you away for good. Hashing out a plan was the easiest part but luring you away was another story and killing you would be a small price to pay if I can keep Lori and Carl to myself and the baby would be mine. ' Shane suddenly leaned closer until there was no more space between them. The hatred and anger intensified ten fold as he prepared to spew more venom at the man that not only got the woman that he loved but managed in winning her over again ruining his plans for what seemed like a promising future in this bleak world. Shane would have been happy if Rick just stayed dead then he can take on the fatherly role for Carl. He imagined he can protect Lori and her son and at the same be a strong man for all the he went through keeping them both alive while Rick was comatose. 'You're such a softie, Rick. That's what I hated about you, always clinging to your stupid outdated morals rather than using logic and trusting instincts instead of emotions. I am nothing like you. I refuse to take orders from a weak, pathetic man like you. I was better off without you always flaunting your position as the group leader. Lori would have been fine. Carl would have a better role model. He would have been a strong young man with me around. Everything would have been perfect until you showed up.' His cold expression returning with a hint of malice in his dark eyes. That was it. Rick was done listening to Shane picking at his faults like Carl. He was done trying to even be reasonable with his former friend. ******** this s**t. He got back on his feet, and leaned forward, growling. " Just shut up. Just stop talking!" he began firing at the other not sure what came over him anymore. " Just stop. You don't know nothing. You would never make it as a leader, ever. So stop it, just leave me alone " he bellowed on the top of his lungs, emptying out his gun. At least Shane was no longer there ranting him. It seemed like he'll return soon. He collapsed to the ground on his knees, shaking violently and bawling his eyes out. Every emotion and thoughts he bottled up were coming down hard on him leaving him broken. He was lost like completely lost. " Lori... Lori... Lori." he muttered between sobs. Oh hell he just wanted to see her again hold her in his arms, kiss her, then finally explain to her what he wanted to do all along which is work on their marriage. He seemed really pathetic there sitting in that state sobbing and shaking. " Please, live. Just let her live. I need her. I am sorry for never telling what I wanted. I wanted to give her a home and place for her to give birth but even then I kept on making broken promises.." Damn Shane. He was still so violently angry even in death and managed in getting under his skin enough for him to break down.