Didn't See That Coming | The Walking Dead(1)

Part 49 (Sickness)

When the group got back to the prison, they were exhausted. Daryl volunteered to be the one to tell Beth about Zac. The rest of them went back to their cells after putting away the stuff they'd got from the Big Spot.

CJ had made her cell a lot nicer over the last few months. Lizzie and Mika and a few of the other kids at the prison had drawn pictures for her that she had displayed. She had a small bucket in the corner that she kept her arrows in. She'd put a few nails in the wall to use as hooks for her clothes. There were even a few candles dotted around to make the place feel warmer.

She arrived at her cell and kicked off her boots and jeans, changing into her navy sweatpants and swapping out her vest and flannel for a hoodie. She let her hair out of its ponytail and ran her fingers through the waves. The prison had showers now which meant she didn't have to put up with greasy hair anymore. It may have been a stupid thing to worry about, but it made her feel better.

She thought of how the run had gone. How they lost Zac and there was nothing they could do for him. It had been a while since the prison had lost anyone. And he was a good one. There was always a slight feeling of guilt for CJ when she lost someone. She knew the death was unavoidable, but she was always left wondering if anything could have been done differently.

Daryl came over to her cell and leant on the doorframe. "Hey."

She sat down in the side of her bed and looked up at him. "How's Beth?"

"She seemed okay," he replied with a small shrug. He came further into the cell and sat down beside her.

"And, are you okay?" CJ asked.

Daryl leant forwards and rested his elbows on his knees. "Just tired of losin' people, that's all."

"I know," she sighed. "But, hey. At least we still got each other."

He turned his head to look up at her; seeing her smiling warmly at him. "Yeah, I guess we do." His eyes darted down to the orange charm of her necklace and he chuckled quietly. "You're still wearing that thing?"

CJ followed his gaze and grabbed the charm in her fist. "Hell yeah. I told you, this thing ain't ever coming off. And besides..." she added with a smirk, poking his side. "You said it looked good on me."

"Pfft. No, I said it didn't look that bad," he was quick to argue.

"It's the same thing."

"It's not the same thing."

"Yes. Yes it is."

"No it ain't."

"It is."

"It isn't."

"Hmmm," she narrowed her eyes in a playful glare.

Daryl's fake frown turned into a smile as he looked at her. They were both feeling down about the incident with Zac, but she'd somehow managed to make them both smile. He always admired that about her. He always will.

"Aunt CJ?" the heard Carl's voice call out.

"Yeah?" she replied, tilting her head to see him stood smiling in the doorway.

"You wanna come see the comic books Michonne brought back?"

"Ummm YES!" she beamed. "I'll be right there, okay?"

"Alright," he nodded. "Hi Daryl. Bye Daryl," he waved as he walked away back to his cell.

"Well, there goes my plans for an early night," CJ giggled, making Daryl chuckled.