❀ 𝐄𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 ❀

~ Needles and Stuff ~

⚠️ - Slight TW for mentions of s*icide 

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As dawn broke the next morning, Aoife crawled out of the tent, leaving her mother sound asleep inside.

She immediately regretted this decision, as the ground before her lay littered with dead bodies, some rotten, some half devoured members of their camp. The air was eerily still, the quiet almost deafening, it appeared as though even the birds had stopped their calls out of respect for the group's fallen loved ones.

Seemingly the first awake, apart from Andrea, who had sat unblinking by her sister's side the entire night, Aoife quietly took a seat next to the burnt out campfire. 

The young girl sat and watched as more adults rose from their slumber, a few taking it upon themselves to begin cleaning up the mess.

She winced as she watched Glenn heave another body on the ‘To Burn’ pile, sending a few blood platters flying onto the man's shirt as he wiped sweat from his brow. He made eye contact with Aoife, and his face morphed into one of guilt, she shouldn't have to witness this.

As the sun floated higher in the clear blue sky, much to many people's annoyance as the temperature rose, their camp was returning slightly to its former condition.

The dead bodies had been removed, the walkers burnt and graves dug for their own people, and Glenn had attempted to scrape gravel over the stained red patches of ground dotting the camp.

Aoife watched in silence as it was revealed Jim was concealing a bite mark on his abdomen, her eyes followed the scuffle that broke out and listened in on the conversation over what to do with the man.

A gunshot rang out across the camp, her head whipped round to see Andrea, sobbing as she clutched her pistol, the one from her father, as she held her sister, who now donned a bullet hole in her skull. 

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After some fierce debates, and annoying scoffs from Shane, it was ultimately decided that the group would head for the CDC, in search of salvation and a possible cure for Jim.

The man lay, sweating and groaning in the RV, the virus slowly taking over his body. Aoife imagined it as little green blobs floating around his body, stabbing into his healthy cells with a sadistic cheer, though she quickly shook this thought from her head, ‘where was her empathy’ she thought.

With the rumble of Daryl's bike, and the final slam of a tailgate, this signified the last of their belongings all packed up into their respective vehicles.

Aoife had taken up residence in the RV, squashed in between her mother and Shane, the latter of which made her scowl.

The Morales family had opted to split off from the group, choosing instead to search for their own family, and Aoife watched with her nose pressed to the window as everyone said their goodbyes, her mother briefly stepping out to hug the children before rejoining her own daughter. 

Aoife leaned over, resting her upper body on her mother's chest as the RV shuddered to life. She sighed in contentment as Jacqui ran her fingers through her hair, detangling the knots gently with her nimble hands.

She wasn't sure how long she had dozed off for, though she was sure the camp was far behind them as she was jolted awake by the RV grounding to a halt, quickly noting her mothers's absence beside her.

She looked over to the corner to see Jacqui helping Jim out of his seat, the man now in agony, his skin pale and eyes sunken, wincing in pain with every step he took.