The wind was biting at my skin, causing little shivers to run up and down my spine. 'Nighttime is the worst time' I always told myself and others, the Walkers were more active at night...all the more reason to have at least two people on watch duty, and tonight it happened to be Carol and I. The moans of the dead that were meandering around the metal, chain-link fence echoed throughout the dark, cold night. The starless sky was so dark that it seemed as if someone had thrown a thick, black blanket over the earth, blocking all light and leaving nothing but a bone chilling kind of dark that you didn't want to be in, especially during the apocalypse, where most people were already scared or frightened or on-edge. My crossbow felt familiar being held in my rough, calloused hands; a comforting feeling running through my veins, as if the crossbow's power was running through my very core...some said that it definitely was.
I looked over at Carol and smiled involuntarily, seeing her holding her rifle very carefully made me realize how lucky I was to find someone like her. The tightness of the muscles in her shoulders set me on-edge, causing mine to tighten as well. Her neck seemed stiff and her face frozen, staring at something in the distance, the corner of her mouth twitching every now and then. She was too far away to call to without drawing more attention, and I couldn't leave my post, so I picked up a small pebble and threw it on the ground just in front of her, causing her to snap out of whatever reverie her mind was wrapped around. Looking over at me, she smiled at knocked three times on the metal door behind us, signaling for someone else to take her shift, and I cursed myself mentally for not thinking of that. She walked over to me, the rifle now resting against her back, and smiled at me.
"Everything alright?" She asked me, sounding concerned.
I began to shake my head, but then stopped and nodded. "You seemed tense, lost in thought. I wanted to make sure you were alright..." I put my hands on her arms, feeling her goosebumpd through her shirt and I tilted my head to the side, "You cold?"
She shook her head, "No."
I knit my eyebrows together, confused, "Then why do you have goosebumps all along your arms?"
Sighing, she took my hands off her arms and held them tightly. "Would you like to know what I was thinking about, Daryl?"
I shrugged, "Sure." Then I added quickly, almost an afterthought, "But I don't know what this has to do with-"
She cut me off with a look that read 'Shut up so I can tell you.'. I closed my mouth and waited for her to continue, clasping my hands behind my back.
Her tone was soft and a slight smile played on the corners of her mouth as she began to explain, "While I was on watch, I began thinking about everything that happened today. From Clary picking me for the run, to almost dying on that run, and Jessica's group finding our warehouse. Then, I remembered how she was...acting...around you, which led me to think about what would have happened if I did die on that run. The thought of her-" She shivered again, and I realized why she had goosebumps along her arms.
Smirking, I said, "You were worried that if you didn't make it, I'd be with her?"
She nodded, not looking at me, and opened her mouth to say something, but closed it, a dark look taking over her eyes. "I'll go get someone to take over my shift-I need to rest." Her tone was clipped, and I could tell there was something she wasn't telling me.
But before I could ask what it was, she walked back inside without another glance back.
