Eurydice

O N E

The little girl in her arms squirms in her slumber at the sudden movement, milk dribbling from the corner of her lips onto her chubby cheeks, which is quickly wiped away by the woman holding her. Once the baby falls back asleep, the woman gently places her down into the nearby crib, the name 'Sophia' etched into the wood.

Eyes soften at the sight of the infant moving slightly to get herself comfortable, fingers gently tracing over the small tufts of blonde hair before moving away from the crib and heading towards the next baby that was due to be fed.

(Y/n) only had two infants in the room today, a small contrast to the usual four that come. The edges of her eyes crinkle from a smile as she carefully cradles the youngest infant, a two-month-old named 'George', into her arms.

"Hello, Georgie. It's time to eat, my dear."

Her voice was soft as she spoke, cautious of waking Sophia and careful of startling George. The little boy's green eyes stare up at her in wonder as she prepares his bottle. Once the nipple of the bottle touches the infant's lips, his gentle sucking filling the once quiet room, a head suddenly pokes itself past the doorway into the small room.

It was her friend, she usually worked with the older children, Jane. The small group of children were in tow as the blonde checked in quickly, "Hey, did you hear about the guy they let enter?"

This piqued (y/n)'s interest, situating George in her arms to be in a more comfortable position as she walked over to where Jane was standing, giving a small wave to the kids with a smile. Her attention goes back to the female, giving a shake of her head at the news that somebody was let into the community.

The community was built a few years after the outbreak happened, nestled in what used to be a small town in Texas. The people of the town protected themselves against infected and soldiers, eventually adding raiders to the list. After building makeshift walls, the town finally felt a sense of peace after many years of bloodshed. Everyone had their specific job to keep the community running smoothly.

(Y/n)'s job was to care for the infants of the community.

Gently bouncing George in her arms as he suckles at the bottle, she listens to Jane explaining that the man was cut and bruised so badly that they believed he was gonna die, but after getting him to their medical unit, he became stable. He'd been in the community for a few weeks, but nobody was the wiser besides the wall guards and the community leader.

"How did you even get this information?" She asks softly, maneuvering George over her shoulder and beginning to pat his lower back, keeping an ear out for Sophia.

Jane gives a bright smile, one that usually means trouble, "He's gotta pay the community back somehow. They decided the nursery needs the most attention at the moment... he's gonna be the janitor for a few months."

(Y/n) gives a soft hum in thought, smiling at the small burp from the baby on her shoulder before placing him into his crib to sleep. She turns back towards Jane, noticing the children starting to get antsy, "Well, if the community trusts him, then so do I. When does he start working?"

"Today."

~~~

It had been an hour since talking with Jane, George and Sophia still sleeping in their cribs as (y/n) kneels in front of a bucket of warm, soapy water. Her arms were elbow-deep as she gently scrubbed at the used bottles, placing them on a dry cloth beside her to dry.

Her mind couldn't help but keep thinking about this mysterious man who managed to get into the community and would soon be walking through the halls of the daycare as its janitor.

A frown pulls at the corner of her lips, thinking of the safety of the children, but if the leaders trusted him... then she would have to as well. Placing the last bottle on the cloth, she uses another one to dry her hands and arms, dumping the dirty water out the nearby window to replace it with clean water from the sink.

Her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of gentle cooing, alerting her that one of the babies finally woke up. A smile quickly appears on her lips as she walks over to Sophia's crib, seeing the young girl on her stomach, her head shakily trying to keep itself up.

(Y/n) gently picks up the girl, "Did you have a good nap, my dear?" She asks softly while pulling the infant close to her chest, placing a gentle kiss against her temple. Turning around to take her to the rocking chair, a gasp leaves her leaves at the male standing in the doorway, her arms tightening slightly around Sophia protectively.

The man was tall, his hair brown with a few curls here and there, his skin a gorgeous southern tan. His arms were crossed over his broad chest, one hand gently scratching at his beard. But what caught her attention most was his chocolate brown eyes. Eyes were the window to the soul after all.

On the surface, they seemed to glare at the younger woman, almost unforgiving in a way. But deep down, (y/n) could see the emotion that was pushed down. This man was hardened by the outbreak, as many others were.

The silent staredown between the two of them was interrupted when Sophia whined softly in her arms, getting uncomfortable in her slightly tight grip. Carefully moving the infant into a more comfortable position, her eyes break away from his brown ones to look down at the infant, "Forgive me, sweet girl. I was a bit scared." She whispers to the infant, gently bouncing her in her arms as she looks back at the male.

"You must be the new janitor." She says with a soft, but nervous smile, "I'm (y/n), the infant teacher."

The man's eyes trail over the woman, taking her in as well as the infant in her arms, whose own small eyes peered curiously at the newcomer. He gives a small nod in greeting before holding his hand out to shake, the sleeve of his jacket pulling up slightly, revealing the bandages wrapped around his arm. She carefully reaches her hand out towards him, keeping the infant in one arm as she finally hears him speak.

"The name's Joel."