The Black Rose

Chapter Eleven

"I do like you... a lot." These words kept swirling around in Daryl's head. Something told him that he should be insulted. He practically professed his love for her and all she managed to say was that. This woman who had never laid eyes on him more than few minutes like... LIKES him. She could have any guy she picked. Hell even Rick if she wanted him. Rose had the nerves to tell him that she LIKES him and then left him high and dry. She didn't even say anything else.

But yet... not even Merle's words could creep in, telling him that no woman would have a redneck like him. It's been three days and there had been no interaction between them. It was like having a whiplash; Rose would give him an inch and take a mile back. Sometimes Daryl swore to himself that he didn't love her. Maybe he just hated her so much that he's confusing it with love.

Rose had been getting up bright and early to continue clearing out the prison. All the small social progress she had made with the group was now gone. The group knew that there was something going on. But none of them would dare to pry. Rose was just an enigma that they just couldn't figure out how to approach her. Her old "heart of steel" personality was back and nobody knew why. Some blamed Daryl, unsure what he had said to her. Some blamed the situation with Hershel. Some said that it was both.

But to everybody's surprise, Hershel was now wide awake and recovering from his wound. The elderly man was unaware of the situation between Rose and Daryl therefore he took Rose's absence to heart. He thought that maybe his leg incident accidently freaked Rose out and now she was not interacting with the group. However each time he attempted to talk to Rose, Rose was gone. Each day, Hershel found himself getting up earlier and earlier in hopes to catch Rose before she heads out. But it was almost like she knew Hershel wanted to talk to her so she'll purposely slip out beforehand.

The smell of burning bodies was thick in the air inside the cell block. The two lovers, Glenn and Maggie met eye contact, knowing that smell was a symbol of a new section of the prison successfully cleared out. Glenn and Maggie shook their heads. Everybody knew that it should be an impossible feat. It was quite staggering how that woman can just tear through a zombie-invested area and be the sole remaining survivor in the end. Sure they knew that she was capable. That was Rose. But for her to still have energy to clean up and burn bodies after going on a killing spree? That's mind-boggling. Glenn wondered how Rose had the strength to lift up all these dead bodies, pile them up and burn them.

It was almost like she's inhumane.

Rick, on the other hand, knew better. Ever since they cleared out a cell block for the prisoners, Rick had a clear idea about who she is. He might not know much about her past however she wasn't simply a woman or human. Rose was never trained to be human. She was practically raised to be a machine. A killing machine. He knew that if a person happened to be Rose's target... he was practically a dead man. Years of being a police officer allowed him to have a secret insight into Rose's life. She displayed all classic signs of being a sociopath. But it was just different. Rick was convinced that Rose wasn't born a sociopath.

Yet her secrets frightened him. He just didn't know what she was capable of or what secrets she buried deep in her past. Rose seems more well-informed about this hell on earth than anybody else. Will she eventually snap? Will she target one of the group members? Rick just didn't know. The small logical voice inside his head whispered that Rose would never do that. The group was her responsibility. He can see it in her eyes. Rose saw a higher purpose in protecting all of them. It wasn't too long ago when he witnessed the level of rage Rose expressed towards Thomas. No... Rose would never go after one of the group members unless if it was for a good reason. Rick had faith in her to make the right decisions even when he couldn't.

"Look! A teddy bear. This would be perfect for the baby." Carol exclaimed. Both Lori and Carol were rummaging through the extra things that Rose had brought in from the night before. Rose had been returning at nights with extra stuff that she found throughout the prison like extra food, fabrics, beddings, weapons, and other essentials.