mother tongue | daryl dixon

chapter four

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chapter four: ❝ indifference ❞
warnings: gore, blood, language
word count: 2479
a/n: take this comp of tobey's face claim for visualization purposes
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"This is Turner Creek, so Barnsville must be a few miles downstream." Tobias sits propped against a tree with a map in his hands. He doesn't need it, he's using it to show the group the changes in their route because of the herd.

"Sounds like our best chance at getting a new ride." Daryl is still not satisfied with the fact that the group is listening to Tobey. For some reason, the two aren't getting along much anymore. They've never had any negative interactions, so he doesn't understand the sudden dislike for him. "Yo, Ty!" Tyreese sits near the river, not listening to them. He rings out his undershirt from where he washed the dried blood off of it. He does look up when Daryl calls his name. "C'mon." He nods in the opposite direction. "Let's go. Vámonos."

Everyone begins picking up their things; Daryl being the first one to leave the little meeting section under the tree. Michonne follows him, and Tobey is left behind. The boy stretches before slinging his satchel over his shoulders and making his way over to them.

"Tyreese!" He calls, a few hundred feet away. The man looks up at him, having not moved an inch from his spot near the water. "C'mon, there should be a town coming up in a few miles." He lied. Their next stop should be the college, if they don't find another car.

After a long pause, Tyreese shakes his head. "We lost a whole night. They're probably all dead." He stands, still wringing out his soaked shirt. "My sister, Dr. S, everybody." Tobey sighs and looks away, giving him his privacy. He thinks about how Patrick and the other boy died overnight.

"It helps to keep moving, you don't know that they're dead." He finally shouts back in his direction.

"No, it doesn't." He's seemingly upset the man. "And yes, I do." Even with the angry expression, he rises to his feet and walks quickly to catch up with the other two. Tobias follows, hesitantly.

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They follow a trail for a little while, up in the woods. With Tobias being the most important member--and most vulnerable, according to a specifically annoyed male--he's stuck in the middle. They try to keep a specific formation, so Tobey is the least likely to be harmed in case of an attack.

Michonne stays in the front, eyes constantly scanning their surroundings. Her hands stay glued to the handle of her sword, instinctively. She lost the vote to Daryl, who also wanted the front.

Tobey's in the middle, carrying his bag lightly and keeping his fingers trailing the tape on his weapon, which is stashed inside. The sun hurts his eyes today, and he has to squint to keep sight of the woman in front of him.

Behind him is Tyreese bringing up the back. He, too, keeps his eyes scanning around in an almost paranoid way. Tobey doesn't blame him. He's said nothing since the river, only speaking when directly spoken to. Tobey just thinks that he must be nervous about his sister getting the sickness. This is what pushes the smaller boy to keep going.

Unfortunately, that places Daryl right beside the blonde.

With much arguing and bickering back and forth, the man eventually gave up and let a smirking Michonne stay up front to protect the others. He's been sticking in his spot beside Tobey since the river. He's said nothing to the boy, yet, and it's beginning to make him uneasy. Occasionally, when they hear something in the woods, he'll stop the group and do a full three-sixty around him with his weapon in his hand and at the ready. Tobey giggles every single time.