in a dark meadow -- daryl dixon

graveyard

word count: 3969

Avery had seen Carol's face before.

She'd seen it in the dozens of battered women that floated through the front doors of the hospital, like phantoms with swollen skin and bleeding scalps. Those cases were the hardest. Avery had witnessed their fear and sadness, knowing the person they loved most in this world would hurt them so. It especially hurt when they would wander back into the open arms of their abuser, and there was nothing more that could be done for them. 

When the sun fell each night, Avery watched Carol and Sophia disappear into their tent, cowering under Ed's watchful eyes, and emerge the following morning with fresh and mysterious bruises. Avery cursed the bastard whenever she spotted him lounging around camp, blowing plumes of cigarette smoke and criticizing his wife's every move. But what could she do?

Today was no different, as he sat on a fold-out chair by the creek while the women did laundry. Avery rolled her jeans up mid-calf and sat on an overturned bucket, scrubbing at stains that would not come out. Exhaling loudly, she pulled her hands out of the sudsy bucket, examining the pruned skin.

"If I had known the world was going to end, I would've gotten one last manicure."

"Manicures, pedicures," Amy sighed dreamily at her side. She lifted a shirt from the wash bucket, twisting it to wring it dry. "Salon appointments."

"I'd just take a hair brush at this point." Avery had started to ignore the tangled mess that hung down her shoulders, opting to fasten it into a braid most days. "A working toilet would be great, too."

As the women worked, Shane and Carl attempted to catch frogs on the other side of the creek. The small boy looked determined as he held the net underwater, but so far was only successful in catching mud and rocks. Avery had to admit it looked like a lot more fun than scrubbing dirty clothes.

"I do miss my Maytag." Carol worked at the scrub board.

"I miss my Benz." Andrea chimed in. "My sat nav."

"I miss my coffeemaker," Jacqui closed her eyes, as if the thought of coffee pained her. "With that dual drip filter and built-in grinder, honey."

Avery would do terrible things for a cup of coffee.

"I miss my vibrator," Andrea admitted with a grin, earning an "oh my god" from Amy and devious smiles from Avery and Jacqui. After a quick glance over her shoulder, Carol agreed.

"Me too."

"Carol!" Avery's jaw dropped, not expecting meek Carol to say something so... bold. The women cackled louder, their laughter echoing around the hillside of the creek.

"What's so funny?"

Ed's voice cut into their laughter like a viper. Their light-hearted conversation was quickly extinguished, smiles fading into stoic expressions. He hovered behind the women on the shoreline, like he was suddenly responsible for overseeing their work. A cigarette was pressed between his lips.

"Just swapping war stories, Ed." Andrea tried her best to defuse the tension, her eyes falling on Carol a moment longer before continuing her washing. "Yeah."

Avery expected Ed to retreat to his lawn chair, but he remained close by, his cigarette smoke falling over them like a toxic cloud. Avery and Andrea exchanged a look. She was also clearly sick of Ed's presence at the camp.

"Problem, Ed?"

Ed narrowed his eyes at Andrea. "You oughta focus on your work. This ain't no comedy club."