𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗕𝗜𝗔- rick grimes

TWENTY SIX

TWENTY SIX

ARIA WAS CURRENTLY HELPING DARYL Dixon hold Beth up, each of the girls arms draped over the adults shoulders. Her ankle was sprained, or it could've been worse, Aria wasn't too sure the extents of her injuries. All she knew was an animal trap, laid beneath the crumbled leaves of the forest floor, snapped closed on her foot leaving her to the predicament they were in. Unfortunately, Beth wasn't able to walk fast on her own leaving the two to help her walk as they came across a funeral home.

"Can we— can we hold up a sec?" Beth asked as she moved her arms back by her side. Immediately, Daryl and Aria stopped, facing her to make sure she was okay. "You alright?"

"I just need to sit down." She said, trying to move her hurt ankle around as she switched her weight onto her good leg. Daryl readjusted his crossbow letting it drop across his chest instead of his back. "Alright, hold on." Turning around and bending his knees a little to allow Beth access to hop on his back. "Hop on."

Beth's eyes widened, "Are you serious?" Both girls couldn't believe what he was offering until he nodded, grunting out a response. "Yeah."

"This is a serious piggyback. Jump up." Daryl shrugged like it was the most nonchalant, none out of the ordinary, this he was offering. Beth reluctantly hopped on, taking the kindness Daryl seemed to show at the moment anyway she could get. "You're heavier than you look."

Aria playfully scoffed, walking behind them. "If this is all it took for someone to carry me, I would've hurt my foot a long time ago. All this walking is killing me." Beth let out a laugh at the woman's words and Daryl to roll his eyes.

"Maybe there are people there." Beth smiled, her optimistic personality shining through as she was hopeful. Daryl on the other hand didn't think running into anyone was a good thing, "Yeah, if there are, i'll handle them."

"There are still good people, Daryl." Beth told him from her stop on his back. Daryl shook his head, "I don't think the good ones survive."

Aria stopped walking as she saw Beth hop off of Daryl's back, her blue eyes focused on the grave in front of her. 'Beloved Father' written in big bold letters, carved into the headstone made the girl frown. She let out a big draw of breath, Daryl plucking a few flowers off the ground and placing them onto of the stone. Everyone's eyes on the grave as they didn't know how to feel anymore. It was a constant battle, a constant struggle between the emotions they felt too strongly now.

Aria's eyes glanced down to her hand as Beth laced her own through hers and Daryls, a sign of comfort. A few minutes later they began walking again, Beth on Daryl's back as Aria stayed beside them not easing up her fast paced movement. Once the three reached the funeral home, the off white paint chipping in areas. The home was something Aria concluded, back before nature took its course, was once beautiful. In its own way, nature ridden, it still was a nice place.

Upon entering the home, Beth was on her own two feet, Daryl banged on the door frame standing there with his weapon drawn much like Aria was. They stepped inside and looked around the front entryway. "It's so clean." Beth couldn't believe how spotless the home was, compared to the others they had seen along the way.

"Yeah." Daryl agreed. "Someone's been tending to it. May still be around." After that, the three scoped the place out cautiously making sure no one was still lingering around somewhere within the funeral home.

"Daryl take Beth to go find something to wrap her foot up in." Aria broke the silence as they met in the entryway by the stairs again. "There should be a place probably downstairs that has all of that."