𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐄𝐓𝐇 || ᵈ.ᵈⁱˣᵒⁿ

IV

—/<3/—

The two girls changed into the bikinis inside Rory and Archie's tent, emerging with towels wrapped around their bodies and making a run for the hill before the kids could see them. Rory did not want an earful from Lori and Ed about nudity in the camp, even if they were in bikinis and towels.

"About time you took a bath, you reek." Archie teased from where he was washing laundry with Carol. Ed was nearby, watching Carol like a hawk and Shane was atop the hill, watching Ed. They'd all noticed Ed's abusive behaviour towards his wife and daughter, Rory had even tried to talk to Carol about it, but the older woman brushed her off as if it was nothing. Right now, it seemed that Ed was pissed off that Carol was allowing Archie so close to her, even if they were just scrubbing clothes.

"Not many places you can shower in a dead-infested clothing store, Archie." Niamh bit back, dropping her towel and walking into the water. She waded in until she was hip-deep and began scrubbing the grime and sweat off her skin. Rory followed a moment later, grabbing the shampoo and bar of soap.

"Turn around, I'll get your back and then we can start on your hair." Rory handed Niamh the shampoo bottle but kept the soap bar in her hand, lathering up her hands with it before handing that over too. They didn't have a washcloth anywhere in camp so her hands would have to do.

"How long were you in there?" Rory asked quietly, rubbing at Niamh's back and shoulders.

"About two weeks," Niamh replied. "It was just me and Jonah for the month before that, we never saw or heard of anyone but the dead but we ran out of supplies in the places we were holed up in so we needed to move. The streets were swarmed so we tried to run into a different building and when I looked back, Jonah was gone. He would've come looking for me if he was alive."

"I can't believe they're dead..." Rory sighed.

"Me neither, but I'm glad you two survived. We were all worried about you when you never made it to Atlanta, thought you'd died on the way." Niamh turned around after her body was finally clean. "I'll do you and then we can do hair afterwards, else you're just gonna be standing in the water for a while without washing." Rory nodded in agreement.

"I miss Mikey so much, Rory... I don't know what to do without him."

"I know this sounds harsh, but you need to let it go. Death is as common as a cold now and we're going to lose more people. I loved them too and I'll miss them forever, but there's no point in us walking around all sad."

"That's heartless but you're right. Just promise me you'll never die."

"I'll try my best to figure out immortality for you, my little leprechaun."

"You're lucky I love you. No one else would get away with calling me that."

"So you can nickname me after all sorts of French pastries but the second I call you 'Leprechaun' you have a problem?" Rory snickered.

"Croissant is cute, Leprechauns aren't." Niamh scrunched her face up. "Think of some cute Irish things to call me."

"I'll do that." Rory joked.

—/<3/—

"You're Aurora right?" Rick asked as she emerged from her tent, fully clothed but her hair still wet.

"Rory," she corrected him. No one called her Aurora, not unless she was in trouble.

"Right... Rory. Glenn said you're good on runs to the city, would you mind coming with us tomorrow?" He looked slightly uncomfortable to be asking something so big of her when they'd only just met.

"I don't mind. Who else is coming?" It would be a good chance for her to grab Niamh some new clothes whilst she was at it.

"Me, Glenn, obviously Daryl, and T-Dog," Rick answered, visibly relaxing when she agreed. "We leave in the morning, 8 AM."

"Alright, I'll be there." Rory nodded, waving goodbye before she made her way over to Shane who was holding her backpack. Rick went in the opposite direction towards Dale and Jim.

"Sorry, I forgot all about it," she said shyly, taking the bag off him when he handed it to her.

"S'alright. Did you get what you needed?"

"Yeah, if we run out of medicine and someone gets sick, we should be fine."

—/<3/—

"You all set?" Rick asked her as she walked over to the truck the next morning in a new change of clothes and an empty backpack slung over her shoulder. She had a pistol and a knife holstered at her hip. She didn't necessarily want to use the gun, making too much noise in the city was not the way to go. That didn't mean she wouldn't if things got bad.

Her dad had a weird way of bonding with his kids and would take Aurora, Archer and their youngest sister Amelie to the shooting range on a Saturday afternoon to teach them how to shoot. They did that every weekend until he died in a car crash along with their mother and Amelie. Rory was glad they never had to see what the world had come to.

"All set." Rory nodded, flicking her braid over her shoulder.

"Aurora Sterling, where the hell do you think you're going this time?" Archer questioned rhetorically as he stormed over, Niamh ran after him, still groggy from sleep.

"To get Merle and some clothes for Niamh," Rory answered meekly.

"And you didn't think to tell me? You were just gonna leave? What's wrong with you lately?" Archie let out an exasperated sigh, running his hand through his dark brown hair. "You leave for the woods with Daryl for two days and only tell me as you're leaving and now you're planning on going to Atlanta without telling me at all?"

"I got distracted," Rory admitted. "I'm sorry, I'll tell you next time. I've got to go, I'll see you later."

"Don't be mad at her Archer, I asked her to come with," Rick admitted, noticing the tension.

"You didn't tell her not to tell me though did you?" Archer sighed once more and he went to turn away, spinning back around at the last minute. "Don't die."

Rory rolled her eyes and climbed into the van next to Daryl who had been quieter and grumpier than he usually was, worrying about his brother up on that roof all alone. Rory thought Merle was a dick. He made her and a few of the other women constantly uncomfortable around the camp but even she wouldn't have left him handcuffed to a roof in Atlanta—then again, no one had told her what Merle did to end up in that position.

—/<3/—