South Tree * TWD

44. He Knew

Lillian played with the with the bracelet that Daryl had gotten her as she laid in the front passenger seat of the car. Her fingers twisting the bracelet as it laid on her wrist, then let it spin out of its twist. Her head had a slight throbbing from crying so much during the night. The car windows were covered by rags and cloth, whatever they could find to block out the sunlight. There were steady, soft breaths sounding from behind her. Carl in the back seat, asleep with his head in Michonne's lap.

Lillian was glad that Carl has Michonne. She's such a good friend to him and is there when he needs it. He needed it, especially after last night. She had let Lillian know that if she wanted to climb back with them, she was more than welcome. Lillian appreciated the offer but didn't take it up.

Lillian knew that they had both gotten attacked by grown men, she didn't know the extent but she wouldn't ask either. She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to think about it. She wanted to go to sleep and wake back up at the prison, before the attack, before the flu outbreak, she wanted it to be "normal" again.

Yet, she barely slept. She would close her eyes and see Joe's face, holding a gun to the people that she cared about. She would see the dead man that Rick killed inside the house they had been staying at. She would see Daryl getting beaten to the ground. She would feel the coldness of the knife that he been held around her neck and the harsh ground pushing against her face. She didn't want to.

Last night, she cried for a while. Daryl just held her tight as she did, occasionally talking sweetly to her to try and get her to calm down. Despite his efforts, she didn't calm down until Michonne had walked over and crouched next to them. She offered Lillian some M&Ms she found in the car. Lillian took them gratefully but didn't have the stomach to eat them yet.

The interaction caused her to slow down and focus on something else. Eventually, Daryl did make her go sit in the car. He said that it was getting super late and if they were spending all of the time walking tomorrow, that she needed sleep. Plus it was safer and probably warmer in the car. He walked Lillian to the car and helped her get comfortable before he shut the door. Lillian couldn't see where he went but she had fallen asleep anyways. It wasn't too long before the sun rose and Lillian was up with it, barely any sleep as she tossed and turned in the passenger seat and eventually she just gave up.

She thought about how lucky they had been to come across each other. Daryl and them. She was so happy that he was okay, that she actually found him... or he found her, she guesses. But she really wondered why he had been with that group. They were bad people, even Lillian knew that when she had ran away from them the first time. She would rather be alone than be with them, so that's what she did.

Lillian would continue to tell herself that the world sucks. First the Governor then some random people she accidentally came across. She wouldn't trust people anymore, she wouldn't. She wouldn't make the mistake of getting physically close to any person who she doesn't already know. She was scared to meet new people. She was scared to go to terminus for that reason too.

Suddenly the car door opened causing Lillian to jump and quickly turn towards the door. It was just Daryl. Lillian let out a sigh in relief.

"Y'all ready?" He questioned everyone in the car. Lillian nor Carl said anything, they both nodded as they moved up.

"Yeah." Michonne mumbled. Daryl sent a nod back at them as he took a step back, still holding onto the car door but making room so Lillian could get out. Lillian finished slipping back on her shoes before she hopped out of the car.

"Ya okay?" Daryl asked after he shut the car door. Lillian turned to him as he looked back at her. His eye bruised and small cuts on his eyebrow and lip were visible. Lillian hadn't seen them the night before but she felt a frown tug at her lips, she hid it well though.