traded my life [TWD]

『107』

"Spider," Woojin declares.

"Cicada," I correct.

Woojin makes a face. I bend down by the tree stump and slowly hover my hand over the bug. When it remains still, I hurriedly scoop it up, the bug then shrieking and buzzing in my hands.

"Loud," Woojin says, holding his hands to his ears.

I squish the bug until it's dead, silence filling the air.

"Why?" Woojin wonders.

I slump against the tree and tear the wings off of the bug. Woojin tilts his head, surveying the situation carefully.

"Eat," I urge, holding up a piece of the bug.

Woojin's eyes widen and he just stares at the bug.

"Yah, Yoo Woojin," I plead. "Eat."

He takes the piece of bug into his hand and turns it around.

"It's like Samchon Daryl and the deer," I help out. "Food. You need to eat."

Woojin eats the cicada and I sigh in relief.

"Eomma, too?" he asks, scrunching his nose at the taste of the cicada.

I hesitate. Woojin needed the nutrition. Food was scarce and water even harder to find. Now that I was sitting, I was slowly getting the black spots out of my vision.

"Eomma, too," he repeats, this time a demand rather than a question.

I smile softly and ruffle his ever-growing hair. I break the already small piece in half, giving him another piece. I eat mine and he looks content with that.

"Tree cricket?" Daryl asks as he walks up.

"You're the one eating worms," I remind.

"Snake?" Woojin asks.

Daryl huffs the smallest idea of a laugh. "Small snake."

Woojin hums and eats the rest of his share.

"You ready to head back?" Daryl asks.

"Yeah," I sigh, dusting my hands on my dirty jeans.

Daryl holds his hand open for me and I take it, grateful as he pulls me off the ground. I take Woojin's hand and follow Daryl back to the road.

"You know in Korea, cicadas are normal. When it's summer there.. you'd think it was the plague with how many there are," I note.

"I'll book the flight," Daryl teases, though his voice is too tired to sound playful. "Gonna have a buffet."

"I fucking wish."

--

I sit down beside Rick and Carl, our backs leaning against each other, Woojin in my lap while Judith is held by Carl. The group was silent.. the air between Rick and I was painfully tense.

I didn't know what to say to Rick. We hadn't talked much since Atlanta. That was probably three weeks ago, or so. Time kind of blurs together when you are dehydrated and starving.

What could I say to him?

We now knew where Shane was. Doubt he would leave unless forced to by walkers or someone similar to the Governor. Old wounds were reopened. I wasn't sure how to approach it.

I felt like a parasite clinging to Daryl so much. But, he was the only person that felt normal right now.

Daniel was there, but Daniel wasn't family. Carl was there, but I wouldn't spring all of my problems onto him- that wouldn't be fair to him. I didn't do it before and I wouldn't start now.

Rick and I were in a distant place. Maggie and I were in a weird place.

I haven't tried to get close to any of the new people- Abraham, Rosita, Eugene, Tara, or Father Gabriel.

Honestly, anytime Gabriel spoke, it reminded me of Hershel. And that just made me miss Maggie more, even if she was less than three feet away.

I didn't care about the whole bullshit lie that Eugene told the group. I'm just glad they sorted it out before they got me. I don't trust that I would have been as nice as they were had I been there to find out my hope was shattered.

Carol was back. But, she was busy reuniting with her daughter. I wouldn't intervene in their time together, especially knowing how it feels to not know where your child is. Let alone for as long as they were apart.

Sasha and I were never super close, though we held a mutual respect for each other. But, since I left her, Maggie, and Bob, it's been tense. Bob was dead, quickly followed by Tyreese. While Sasha was blaming me- she was also blaming everyone and everything around her for taking the ones she loves. It was a dangerous mindset to be in and I wasn't sure if I had the strength to drag her back the same way I did with Rick. Nor did I have to same safety and optimism I did back then.

Daryl was my only safe place. I stuck to him like glue and he'd probably have an indention the size of me on his side by the end of the week. But, he never pushed me away. He never offered to step back. He knew I needed him and I was so grateful to him for that.

Besides.. we were on the road with no camp, no food, no water, and no sense of hope. It probably wasn't the best time to try and talk our shit out.

Abraham takes out a bottle of liquor and I tilt my head. He goes to take a drink.

"Hey," I call.

He doesn't pay attention.

"Hey, Carrot Top!" I snap, a little louder.

A few of the group members look at the interaction. Abraham lowers the bottle.

"If you're gonna drink the booze, do it out of sight of my kids," I warn.

Abraham is silent. He doesn't drink but he doesn't put it away. I keep eye contact to make sure he knows how deadly serious I was.

Finally, he sighs and scoots back behind a tree.

I rest my chin on Woojin's head as he toys with some pebbles he'd picked up.

The trees rustle behind us and I move, but Rick holds his arm out to guard Carl and me as we hold the infants.

Four dogs exit the treeline, one barking at us. Daryl takes out his knife, but no one has time to move as Sasha pops off rounds, killing each one. I hear Beth sniffle and she hides her face in Maggie's back. No one else makes a sound. 

Rick is the first to move. He stands up and grabs a stick, breaking it. Then, he walks over to the bodies. 

"Start a fire," Rick says as he kneels beside the bodies with a knife.

My eyes widen.

"Oppa," I call to Glenn.

"Don't," he warns.

𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇 𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓈--

hyejin bout to say some out of pocket shit

she's slowly coming back to herself <3

HYEJIN DARYL BESTIE DUO I WILL NEVER LET THEM GO