Haunted | Daryl Dixon

27. Church in the Apocalypse

"And how's little Judith doing?" Evelyn asked, smiling down at the young infant in a way that made her eyes and nose crinkle.

Carl smiled down at his younger sister fondly, adjusting her in his arms, "She's good. She's a fighter." He told the woman.

A few hours had passed since Evelyn had found the group- found the people she had thought to be dead.

No matter how many minutes had gone since then, she still couldn't get the hammering of her heart to slow, the adrenaline rush of finding them again to wear off.

It was then Evelyn's turn to morph her smile into a fond one as she looked down at the young boy, "Just like her big brother."

For the first two hours, Daniel had refused to leave Evelyn's side. Not that she had wanted him too, of course, but she did feel as though he had been thirty seconds away from asking her for a piggy back ride just so he could stay glued to her.

Tyreese, though, had been the woman's saving grace when he beckoned Daniel over to walk with him for a moment, claiming the need to talk to him about something.

In the time Evelyn had with Daniel since finding them again, she had learned that he had been with Carol, Judith, and Tyreese ever since the prison fell.

It felt as though a weight was taken off of Evelyn's heart at the newfound knowledge that he wasn't alone during everything like she was, but she could also tell that there was something else bothering him.

She didn't want to pry, though, not when everyone was walking in such a way that they could over hear any conversation if they so wished.

Though she hadn't said a word to Daryl since their reunion on the tracks, she felt his gaze land on her quite often. She couldn't say, however, that hers didn't land on him in turn as well.

Once Daniel had reluctantly detached from her side, the young Grimes boy had been quick to take his spot.

Carl visibly puffed out his chest at the compliment, raising his chin as though being awarded a medal.

Evelyn laughed lightly, plucking the sheriffs hat he always wore off of his head and dropping it down onto her own.

"What do you think?" She asked, throwing her head back as if to model it.

The grin he wore was wider than his face, "Badass," He breathed out in complete admiration.

Rick, who had been a couple paces ahead of the trio, chuckled lightly and slowed his pace so he could drop back to walk side by side with them.

"Badass." Rick echoed, his eyes lit up in a way that made Evelyn happy to see.

Though she hadn't known the man for very long, he seemed to be under constant stress and burden, so seeing him smile warmed her heart a bit.

The woman smiled at him, gently taking the hat off and placing it back onto Carl's head, "At least we know I can steal your hat in any case of a fashion emergency."

Judith then cooed, catching the attention of those surrounding her.

Evelyn smiled lightly at the young girl, "Don't worry, I'll share the hat with you when you're big enough to fit in it."

It wasn't until that moment that Evelyn realized how much she had missed being around kids.

Back when the world was still normal- back when she was still home in Virginia- she had been around kids all the time for her job as a teacher.

She hadn't realized how much she missed teaching, missed the feeling of kids beaming up at her all day, excited to hear what she had to say.

Rick glanced to the side after a moment, slowing to a stop, "We'll rest here for a little bit," He announced to the others, inclining his head towards the side of the road, "Get something to eat."