Detached [TWD Fanfiction]

Chapter 14

If she hadn't had to protect Glenn, she would have easily fallen asleep at the wall after the group had gone back into the town. Her head was throbbing and she felt dizzy. She almost worried that if a walker did come she would be unable to focus on taking it down. She held a knife in her hand just in case.
They could hear gunfire coming from the town as they began walking to the car, though neither of them felt like turning to try and get a look over the now distant wall. Glenn was black and blue from his beating, clutching at his side and breathing carefully as they trekked slowly through the woods. The two of them kept an awkward, heavy silence. They'd never really spoken much at the farm except when giving a nod in passing, but carried a mutual respect for each other. Lucy didn't really know if she wanted to speak anyway. Between the guilt and the headache she was quite comfortable in the silence, but soon enough it was broken.

'How come you're here?' Glenn asked her. It almost sounded like he was mad at her for something, but she decided it was only his injuries affecting his tone of voice.

'I saw when you got taken. Michonne - that woman - she went to find Rick. I met them halfway,' she explained. She shifted her bag on her back - they'd passed the front gates for her to get it. They became quiet again, listening out for the group coming back, or walkers, or anything to avoid forcing awkward conversation. Lucy wondered if she would have been heading back to the car had it not been for Glenn, or if she'd be in the town or going elsewhere.

'He saw you, you know.' She looked at him, suddenly feeling slightly more awake.

'He told you?' She asked. He shook his head.

'Nah, just makes sense.' She looked at him, confused. 'We'd been on a run, he was acting weird after. Just makes sense now I know you're still around.' He drew in a breath, looking like he was trying to force a nervous laugh. 'We thought you were dead, sort of. Daryl said he saw a walker that looked like you.' She chuckled half-heartedly too, thinking back to when she'd been so worried about the group wanting to find her, when all she wanted was to disappear and survive. Now she'd practically thrown herself into the group again. After eight months alone she felt like she actually wanted them.

'I never planned on still being here. I guess I don't really know what I'm doing anymore,' she admitted to him.

'You were wrong, by the way. We never forgot you'. She wanted to fake a smile, act sweetly and be polite, the way they did in movies when someone said such a thing, but couldn't. She still half-wished they had. She knew being with a group would have its complications, she'd always reminded herself of that, and if they'd just forgotten her she wouldn't have felt the need to be with them. Maybe if Daryl hadn't recognised her and reminded her of her time with the group she wouldn't have been compelled to save Maggie and Glenn. It was too late to bother thinking about that now.

'Would've been easier than wondering if I was dead though, right?' She pointed out.

'Maybe, doesn't really matter.' He replied. 'Its not about how easy it is when you care about someone.' To that she had no good answer. Of course, it was soppy and sounded like a love song but she knew he was right. If they genuinely cared about her, which unfortunately they seemed to, it wouldn't matter whether or not it was the easiest option.
They continued walking in silence again, both of them having found conversation quite tiring given their states, and reached the car soon enough without incident. The sky began to brighten as they sat by the car, listening for the rest of the groups' return. Lucy could've sworn Glenn fell asleep a couple times but didn't mention it. As much as she wanted to herself she refused to let her guard down while they were in the open. She enjoyed the peace of waiting. She was concerned for the safety of the group, but she was able to sit and watch the sun rise, listen to nature and breathe fresh air for a while, something she hadn't done so calmly for a long time. She wondered if it was exhaustion making her feel so relaxed.
An hour or so after sunrise, Rick, Maggie and Michonne returned with Daryl, as well as his brother. Rick called out to Glenn, who immediately got up to greet them but recoiled when he saw who they'd brought back.