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.・゜-: ✧☾ ☽✧ :-゜・.
The camper drove over the bumpy roads, tires crunching against gravel as dawn unfolded across the horizon.Golden light spilled through the dusty windows, washing the trees and worn asphalt in a hush of warmth, but Levi's eyes never left Stella's sleeping form.He watched every flicker of her lashes, every tremor that wracked her frail body, every bead of sweat that gathered along her temple. He clung to those signs of life like lifelines, afraid to blink and miss one.
Maggie had murmured something to Michonne that morning—something about time running thin. Levi had heard it. Not all the words, but enough to understand what wasn't said out loud.
His hand enveloped Stella's, his thumb pressed against the soft hollow of her wrist where her pulse flickered like a fading candle. Every second that passed seemed like a grain of sand slipping through the hourglass of Stella's life and it made Levi's lung clench so tight it felt like his insides would crumble until he saw her chest rise once again and he could finally draw a small bit of oxygen, just enough.
With every rise of her chest, he allowed himself a shallow breath of his own. Then the fear crept back, the silence stretched, and he'd wait again for that faint thump of reassurance.
Again and again. Breath for breath. Beat for beat.
"How's she holdin' up?" A voice asked behind him and he didn't have to turn around to know who it was.
"She's hanging in there, I guess..." Levi muttered, his eyes never once leaving Stella.
Daryl took a step further into the small space in the back of the camper where the pair sat. His eyes examined the girl, quivering and curled up in the small bed before flickering over the Levi. He studied them both—one fading, the other fraying.
"You look like you need rest. I can watch her if-"
"No, it's fine." The boy said, inhaling a shallow breath, one just enough to keep him from passing out, but not nearly enough to fill his lungs. More habit than necessity.
Daryl pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded. "I get it." He murmured and sank down beside him. "Just know that you'll do her no good if youre dead when she wakes up."
"I don't plan on dying."
"Well, you look the part, Lev." Daryl said bluntly and pulled a small, battered flask from his jacket and took a swig of his small flask, his eyes twitching just slightly at the burning taste.
"You smell like one." The boy retorted.
Daryl huffed out and shook his head. "Real mature." He scoffed as the ghost of a grin touched his lips. He held out the flask for the boy who shook his head without even casting a glance at it.
"Gotta stay focused. Don't know who or what we're about to walk into."Levi said.
Daryl didn't push the flask again, only lifted it to his own lips, letting it scorch down his throat. The camper rattled slightly as it hit another pothole, and Stella stirred just enough for Levi to freeze — his fingers tightened around hers.
