Lovely Bones

boxes and a mop

9. 𝒃𝒐𝒙𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒑

As the days passed, her excitement for the next began to face ever so slowly. She was left questioning whether or not she would want to be locked up or walking around aimlessly. She chose the latter, obviously, yet she still found herself faltering throughout the days. With aching feet and a rumbling stomach drenched in starvation, she was melting. She couldn't remember the last time she ate a decent meal, besides Daryl's usual dinners made of squirrels and non-poisonous berries. Without them she'd be surely eating herself from the inside out to tame the hunger.

Okay, maybe she shouldn't think like that after the cannibals she had been acquainted with. But still, she was diminishing.

Of course, Prim kept her complaints to herself. These people have done enough for her and her sister, she didn't need to add to their stress. Plus, she was used to the feeling as they all were.

The desperation had gotten stronger throughout each day, leaving everyone on the very edge of living. They followed the tracks for miles and miles, individual groups combined in one as if they have always been a whole. This time Teddy wasn't completely glued to her side. The blonde had surprisingly found her spot at Michonne's side, leaving Prim alone as she trudged along aimlessly, allowing them to lead the way.

For a second, the group found themselves pausing with tense shoulders. Their weapons were raised towards the trees after hearing distant rustling off the side of the tracks. Daryl rounded a tree and stopped midway as he came face to face with Rick's AK. He scoffed and raised his hands mockingly, holding up a bundle of squirrels.

"We surrender." He joked, causing everyone to sigh in immense exhaustion and boredom before continuing on.

Prim didn't notice she had narrowed in besides Daryl until she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She shot her head towards the man besides her, shoulders dropping when she noticed she wasn't in danger. . . or she had hoped. He kind of had that scary old man look that would normally send teenage girls scrambling the other way. She found comfort in it though as it reminded her of Charlie and his older biker gang friends. She straightened slightly at the remembrance and looked towards her shoes, intently watching as they kicked up pebbles with each step she managed.

She cleared her throat and Daryl unintentionally rolled his eyes, yet not out of complete annoyance. In all honesty, he could use with a little less silence.

"My dad was a big time hunter back in the day," she started, attempting to start a conversation the best she could given the circumstances. "He tried to teach me a couple summers ago but I guess I ,,scared all the birds away with my blabbering,," she trailed off into a frown upon realizing she was doing the exact opposite of what her father had taught. ". . . I guess he had a point."

Daryl took a moment to respond, questioning exactly how he should. He briefly glanced down at her, trying to get an idea of what to say. In his defense, what do you say to a fifteen year old girl who went through absolute hell the past few days. Sure, he had seen his fair share, they all have, and as much as he hated it, they always somehow moved on as if it never happened. But it happened and it will always be something that would haunt her. He was lost, confused even on why she had been speaking to him in the first place. He had only noticed her take conversation with him, she hadn't even looked at anybody else since Terminus. He was sure a man that looked like him would be the last person she would want to talk to but here she was, at his side and not theirs.

Daryl cleared his throat and shifted his crossbow strap onto his other shoulder, holding onto it out of subconscious habit.

"Yeah?" He kept his eyes forward, biting his bottom lip as he went for it. "Back in the days huh?" Prim felt relieved that someone actually took notice in her, even though she didn't really give them a chance to decline. She brought her eyes from her feet and onto the trail in front of her. She nodded before she responded.