𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 , the walking dead

[07] the wall

THE WALL
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DAY 1

First day of the wall building, they started at the crack of dawn. Rick gathered everyone who could and would work on the wall, and they all were working away in the beaming sunlight. Maeve had a thick layer of sweat coating her, she had cut off the sleeves of her shirt in order to reduce the heat it was absorbing, her hair was tied back into a messy low ponytail to keep the hair from her face but wasn't exactly working the way she wanted it to, because it felt like every few minutes she was pushing the hairs back that were sticking to her forehead.

Today Maeve's job was hole digging, making spots for the pillars that will keep the walls up. Her arms ached from the repetitive action, but ached in a way where it meant she was working hard. Maeve was looking forward to getting home and taking a nice shower, because she can do that now. And all this work, it was also really helping Maeve distract herself from her thoughts, which mostly consisted of Rick and his offer last night. The offer for Maeve to become his little assassin, kill whoever puts his people at risk, it was ridiculous. Why would she agree to that? How could she? He was using her past against her and the image of her that Rory told him, which she still hasn't moved on from and has refused to speak to Rory.

Truthfully, it made Maeve doubt herself. Was she really a good enough person to keep a place like this? Was Rick right to pick her for such a morbid task? Did he see something in her she didn't? No. There was nothing wrong with her, right? She was just protecting what was hers... but it wasn't like they posed a threat to her family anymore. She hunted them down, she attacked them. She didn't have to do that, they left her alone, they walked away. Why couldn't she? Was she really the monster that everyone else saw her as? Did Louis and Kai see her as a monster too?

Suddenly, Maeve felt faint. Her knees wobbled, her mouth went dry and she got dizzy in the blink of an eye. She forced herself to stop digging, which was probably a mistake because after hours of non-stop working the sudden pause made her bones feel like glass, any more movement and they'd break. She leaned into the shovel that she forced into the ground, keeping her steady.

For a split second, she thought she was going to fall over. If it wasn't for the sudden hand placed on her upper back keeping her upright, she probably would've. She took a glance over her shoulder, it was Aaron, the other man who had saved her in the woods. Except this time, he looked dirtier and sweatier, more like she did. Now they were equals.

His eyebrows were raised and he gave her a concerned look, asking her without words if she was okay. Maeve lifted her hand up, nodding her hand and signalling that she was fine. She expected him to walk away, he was free to go knowing that he checked on her and he had done his neighbourly duty, but instead he grabbed a left over shovel that was discarded to her left and picked it up. Joining her in her hole digging task.

"I don't need no babysitter, I'm fine." Maeve tried to get him to leave, she did better work alone. Maybe Rick knows that too and that is another reason he picked her. She doesn't need anybody to survive, not physically anyway.

"Drink this." Aaron ignored her statement, and handed her a water bottle. The way the water glistened in the bottle made it appear much more pleasing than it should have been. Even though she didn't want the company, she did want that water. So, with some hesitation and shame she took the water from his hands and took a few sips. The water was lukewarm, probably from sitting out in the sun all day, but it still coated her throat with a nice coolness. "Y'know, there is no shame in needing a break."