Violent Delights¹︎ | D.Dixon

2.06 ➸

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CHAPTER SIX
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          IT TOOK TWO MORE DAYS for Daryl to be allowed out of the house by Hershel, and it was the same day that Carl was able to start helping with chores. Leona had helped Daryl hobble out of the farmhouse and back to the tent they shared in the camp in the front yard, and she waved at Lori when she saw her and Carl feeding the chickens. Her nephew waved back with his usual bright smile plastered over his cheeks, but Lori was lost in thought, her gaze settling on the chickens that swarmed around their feet.

Leona had spent the past two nights inside, preferring the mattress with Daryl to the empty tent with a sleeping bag as her bed. Not that anyone seemed to mind, considering that an extra tent only meant someone else didn't have to share.

T-Dog and Glenn seemed happy that she was back with the rest of the group, and the second that she stepped out of the tent after getting Daryl into it, they were back to their usual antics. T-Dog was helping Carol cook breakfast over an open flame, and Glenn was carrying a basket filled with fruit—mostly peaches, but there were also some apples and jerky—and she grabbed a Granny Smith as he walked by, using a knife to cut slices from it before using it to carry the fruit to her mouth like a sharp fork.

They were playing the cloud game again, picking out what shapes they made, when Andrea passed by, her head down. Leona didn't dull her glare as she approached, and when the blonde sat down on the bench beside her, she didn't say a word and simply cut another slice of her apple. Leona knew Andrea didn't miss the extra hint of aggression behind her actions, and it took strength not to smile as the woman shifted in her seat.

"Look, Leona, I'm sorry. I know you're mad that I shot Daryl, and—"

She held her hand up between them, the one holding the knife, fruit juice making it gleam in the sunlight. "I'm gonna stop you right there. You're right about me being mad—actually, I'm livid—but it's really not my place to be." She pointed her knife in the direction of Daryl's tent. "Apologize to him. He forgives you, then I forgive you."

It was a lie. She'd forgiven her after the first night. It didn't take long for her to overcome the anger, knowing that Andrea was just trying to protect them. If it had been a walker, she might've congratulated her on taking the time to practice. Still, she didn't want to let the woman off too easily, preferring to let her stew in her guilt for a few more days.

Andrea stood up from the table, offering her a small nod that Leona ignored. Instead, she turned back towards T-Dog, who'd watched the whole interaction.

"I don't have the patience for that girl." He sighed, stirring the eggs in the pan. Leona hated eggs—scrambled, over-easy, all of them—and the smell alone made her want to vomit. "I swear every time she talks, her voice gets higher pitched. It's crazy."

Leona chuckled, moving to cut herself another slice of her apple when Rick approached them, and the concerned look on his face put her on edge. "Hey, did you send Carl for a radio from the RV?"

Leona shook her head, glancing behind her brother at Lori, Carl, Dale, and Shane, each of whom were watching her. "No, why? What's going on?"

Rick sighed, shaking his head and running a hand over his face. "Carl took a gun from the RV. Just wanted to see if his story checked out." His glare turned back to his son, before softening a bit. "It doesn't."