Oblivion

Wishfull thinking

    They were to leave at sundown. They would go in a different direction that Aaron told them to go. Glenn, Michonne, Rick and Aaron would go in one car while the others followed back in the trailer they would follow behind. Bambi was with Ace. She watched him play with the grass outside the barn doors while they waited for sundown to come.

"Hey." The voice of Daryl hardly startled her as she looked out into the distance in a lost haze. She glanced at him briefly as he took a seat next to her. Ace unfazed by his presence.

"Hey." She replied, gently nudging his shoulder. "What do you think about all of this?" She asked him. She's been wanting to know how he felt about this Aaron dude. The promises he kept telling them seemed too good to be true.

"Don't know." He told her. Honestly. He wanted somewhere safe. He wanted there to be a place where they could be safe. Where they weren't killing dogs for their next meal. A place where Judith and even Ace could grow up at lease a little normally. But that was asking for a lot these days. And his trust in people was running out.

"I think I could be something." She told him. He scoffed at her and she raised a brow at his action.

"Thought you weren't a pessimist anymore?"

"Old habits die hard." She muttered. "Plus, he seems genuine enough."

"You think?" Rick's voice sounded from beside her, suddenly. She turned to face their leader. She shrugged her shoulders and watched slightly amusingly as Rick rubbed Ace's head, shaking the boys short sandy blond hair. Bambi couldn't help but smile.

"It's a nice story." She says. "The walls. The protection. But auditioning? Sounds a bit outlandish. Could be true though."

"I'd like you to come with me, Michonne, and Glenn." Rick says, after thinking for a moment. He looked at Bambi with a knowing glance. She was honestly surprised he was asking her. She figured she stay back with the others, watch over the kids and stay with Daryl.

"Why?" Daryl asked, instead of her.

"Even protection if shit goes down. I know it's a lot to ask...but I wouldn't if I didn't trust what you could do." He told her.

"Yeah." Bambi sighed. She glanced at Daryl. He looked uncertain but nodded his head.

"Okay. Sundown." Rick says. Without anything more he turns away. Bambi looks back to Daryl. Slowly, she moves closer to him and rests her head on his shoulder.

"Don't get yourself killed." He tells her.

"Don't plan on it. Don't you get yourself killed either."

"Nothing can kill me but me." Daryl said. Bambi rolled her eyes. A silence passed between the two. A comfortable one that calmed the nervousness Bambi held as the sky became darker with each passing hour.

"It's almost time to go." Daryl said, as he and Bambi eventually moved from the outside of the barn to the inside. She held a sleeping Ace and handed him to Maggie. The girl smiled and went off to say goodbye to Glenn.

"Seriously....if shit goes down..." Bambi said, turning to Daryl. She placed a gentle hand on his arm. In complete surprise, he wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her in for a hug. She embraced it, and wrapped her arms around his waist. 

"Let's get going." Rick's voice caused her to sigh. She moved slightly and closed her eyes as Daryl reached down just a little bit so he could kiss her forehead. She closed her eyes at the surprisingly comforting action and with much difficulty, eventually pulled away.

—

  By sundown, the car drove past the rout 23. With a packed Car, Bambi sat on the other side of Aaron while Michonne sat on the other. The car shook along the road. The trailer with everyone else followed behind them.