(Temp hiatus) Observe (the walking dead)

Fake it

Ava sits outside by herself, knees to her chest. She didn't want to be around anyone, at all. Every time she was approached, she would send the most threatening glare she could muster at whoever it was.

It was times like these when she wished she had her big brother. He was her protector, her comforter, her friend. He wouldn't have let this happen to her. She missed him, a lot.

   She tried to be there for Roman, and it got her injured. She remembers her back landing distinctly, the wind being knocked from her as she looks up at her best friend. She ended up having to have her whole abdomen bandaged, she landed pretty hard. Not to mention her ankle twisting, from when she had gotten shoved again, this time by Tyrese.

   She understood, for the most part, why the men had done what they did. But she was still scared of them now. Which, honestly, broke her heart. She didn't want to be scared of her best friend, nor did she want to be scared of Tyrese. Tyrese was always so soft and caring, like a big teddy bear.

   And Roman was Roman. Her best friend, the person she wasn't afraid to admit her secrets to. The person she wasn't afraid to be herself around. Now she was afraid of him. If he could injure her as bad as he did with a shove, what would happen if she seriously angered him?

   Ava rested her forehead against her knees, squeezing her eyes shut and praying it was all a bad dream. That she would wake up in the cabin next to her best friend, they would come back to the prison, and Karen would have just had allergies and the thing that killed Patrick would have been something of the past.

   But she opened her eyes, and she was still in pain. She was still sat by herself against the prison wall. Karen was still dead, and Roman still lost her trust.

   Her brain and heart argued on the subject. One saying that grief made people do bad things, and that it doesn't mean they deserve to be punished for it. The other saying that no matter what someone goes through, it doesn't excuse hurting someone else, especially not physically.

   She groaned in frustration, angry at herself and pretty much everyone else. She heard footsteps and instantly looked over, glaring. But when she realized it was Glenn, her expression softened.

   "Hey, kiddo. There's a council meeting in a few, you comin'?" Glenn asked her.

   She shook her head no, resting her chin back down on her knees and looking away from Glenn. She didn't bother telling him what had happened, he didn't need to know. Glenn sighed shakily, ruffling Ava's hair and walking away.

-

   No one bothers Ava for a while, hours pass by. She sits there in silence, the occasional interruption of footsteps and coughing passing her and making its way into the tombs.

   She keeps her head down as feet pass, and she keeps it down as footsteps approach her. Even as whoever it is sits down beside her.

   "Glenn has it," she hears. Her head snaps up, turning to see Maggie next to her, a few feet away. Ava sees Maggie's bloodshot eyes, red nose, and quivering lip. She wishes she could hug her.

   "Is it—" she pauses, looking down. "Is it bad?"

   Maggie pins her mouth in a straight line before nodding, letting out a choked sob. Ava quietly starts crying. She makes no noise as tears pour down her cheeks.

   She stands up, putting most of her weight on the unhurt leg. She breathes in shakily before speaking, "if anyone asks, I have it too." She begins making her way to the tombs, ignoring Maggie's sobs for her to stop, to wait.

   She busts into the tombs, stomping her way down the hall to A block, ignoring the throb of her ankle, screaming at her to stop. Banging on the door vigorously, she sees Sasha poke around a corner in the block, her brows furrowing. Ava notes how pale and sickly the woman looks.

   Sasha opens the door, "Ava? What are you doing here?"

   The teen swallows harshly, "I have it," she whispers shakily. She hopes Sasha believes her without her having to fake a cough, though her pale state from gathering the news could have easily been enough.

   Sasha looks at her for a second before nodding sadly, opening the door wider and stepping to the side, letting her enter. Ava walks in and immediately feels the mood shift, becoming more depressing.

   She hears the echoes of coughs but she persists, checking each cell on the first floor for Glenn. She heads to the perch when she can't find him, and finds him there in a cell, hunkered over.

   His body shakes softly, as if he's cold. Her heart breaks seeing him like this. Glenn looks up at the sound of footsteps. "Ava? Oh, my god, no." He looks at her sadly, concern coating his features.

   She looks at the ground, feeling bad for lying. "It's not bad, yet. I'm gonna take care of you until I can't." She says. Ava understands the risk of being in here, and she doesn't care.

   "No. No, you're gonna go rest. Do you hear me? I'm your— your adoptive father, or something, so you have to listen to me." He says, trying to sound stern. Ava only smiles down at the man sadly, shaking her head.

   She sits on the bed next to him, "lie down," she whispers. And he does, resting his head on her lap. She makes sure his head is at an angle, in case he starts coughing up blood like the others.

   Ava listens as the door to the block opens, but she doesn't move. This is the only place she wants to be, protecting Glenn.

   She eventually falls asleep leaning against the wall, she doesn't even notice when Glenn is woken up.

   Hershel makes Glenn drink some flu remedy tea, and they talk. Glenn shares his feelings on how he doesn't think he'll make it. Hershel urges him to stop thinking like that, giving him a wise speech. Though, wise speeches are the only kind of speech Hershel gives.

-

   Ava wakes up, having heard coughing close by. Her eyes dart to Glenn hunched over, she rubs his back soothingly, hoping to help him get it out.

   He breathes out shakily as he turns to sit farther up on the bed. "You don't have it, do you?" He looks at his daughter.

   "You caught me," she sadly smiles.

   "Why are you in here? You're going to get sick." He sighs, not having the energy to argue much more.

   "After Karen and David, I want to make sure you're safe," she pauses, "plus, it beats being out there where I'm even more unwanted." She dryly laughs, thinking about how people had been treating her. People being Roman.

   "What happened?"

   She lifts her shirt a little to show the bandages across her abdomen, then lifting her pant leg to show another on her ankle. "Got pushed to the ground, a few times." She huffs.

   "What?" Glenn's voice gets angry, "by who?"

   Ava debates not telling him, but she knows he'll ask until she does. "Roman and Tyrese. But it doesn't matter, they're grieving. I get it."

   "Ava, that is not an excuse and you know it." Glenn says sternly, hoping to get it through the girl's head that this isn't okay. "I don't want you around him, either of them, again."

   "As of right now, doesn't look like I will be."