The Archer and The Airship » 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕝𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕕 «

Chapter Twenty One

21. Wolves

'you are the kindest thing,
that has ever happened to me,
even if that is not how our tale is told.'
-nikita gill

⤐

The next week was a blur. Eric came down with a cold, as Aaron had said, so they didn't plan any trips. Rick had been spending more and more time with Jessie, and Carl befriended her eldest son along with a girl around his age named Enid, so Zeppelin spent most of her time with Judith. Sitting on the porch with her, strolling down the street with the baby bouncing wildly on her hip, or simply wasting time with Veronica and Rosita in the community garden.

Having a child of her own had never crossed Zepp's mind, other than when she was young and her only thought was that if she did have one, she'd make damn sure to give them a better life than she had been given. She was happy to take care of Judith. The sweet, soft innocence was a shining light in a dark, shitty world.

Daryl mostly kept his distance but every now and then he'd share a cigarette with her on the porch, or brush against her shoulder softly as he walked past. His gaze was always on her though, burning holes into her skin and sending swirling pulses through her gut. Yet every night when dinner was over and the group started to settle down, he'd quietly slip out the back door before anyone could keep him locked into a conversation.

She began to follow him once, catching herself just at the threshold. If he wanted me out there with him, he'd tell me, she'd scolded herself, and trudged back to the living room where her nights were spent rotating the loveseat with Veronica and Rosita, fighting for a measly few hours of sleep that weren't shadowed by nightmares.

This morning started the same as any other had been. Wake up, make breakfast for Judith and force Carl to eat something before he took off for the day, then check with Maggie to see if she needed help with any tasks Deanna had given her.

She didn't, and Veronica was glued to Tara's side at the infirmary today, so with nothing to do and nobody to talk to, she sat with Judith in her lap on the window seat. Her fingers lightly flipped through the weathered pages of Little Women, though her eyes barely skimmed over the words. Before she realized it, two hours had passed and both she and the baby were dozing off listlessly in the afternoon sun.

  The sound of glass breaking in the distance caused her spine to steel, shooting her frame up straight as she clutched Judith against her chest. Screams then followed, and in a flash she was scrambling out of the living room and jumping down the porch steps two at a time.

It didn't take much effort to find the source of the noise, she only had to follow the people screaming and dashing down the street towards the conflict.

Rick was covered in blood, kneeling on the ground over the also bloody body of Pete, Jessie's husband. She sprinted over to the small crowd surrounding him, passing Judith into Maggie's awaiting hands before she shoved her way in between two pairs of broad shoulders.