TEMPEST. | the walking dead

02 | OPEN UP

 By the time Aurora and Daryl made their way back to the group they were slowing down, if there was even a point to go even slower than before.

The long distance travelling and intense heat had taken a major toll on the survivors, Aurora could gather that much from just a glance.

After their embrace Daryl filled Aurora in on the group's journey since the prison. He told her of the disastrous encounter at Terminus, and of the lives they lost along the way.

It took him a while to work up to the names, and Aurora could tell how heavy their deaths lay on his shoulders, especially Beth's. His silence would hang over longer, an empty space that held such great grief. Aurora eventually gave up on trying to get more information from Daryl. She knew that it had taken a lot out of him just to share everything with her, so she had remained silent the rest of the way back to the main road.

The group hadn't seen her yet; she made sure to linger a little further back while Daryl led the way.

It was silly, the way her heart began to race as they came closer. She was incredibly relieved to be able to reunite with the group, but there were some things she had left undone before they were all separated.

Her palms ran slick against the handle of her machete as Daryl made himself known among the group.

Immediately they all snapped to look at him, a sort of savage look in their eyes as they braced for conflict. But the tension was cut down as quickly as it came; it was only Daryl, they had nothing to be afraid of.

"Picked someone up on the way," Daryl allowed himself a small smirk, watching as Rick tilted his head in confusion.

"Someone?" he questioned.

Daryl only turned around, beckoning for Rory to come out from the trees. She slowly stepped through the grass, emerging with a slight hesitance, gauging everyone's reactions.

Across the group Aurora could see a mix of old and new faces, though the ones she recognized all stared at her in shock.

It was only when Carol stepped forward that their attention was averted. There were tears brimming over as she placed her hands on Aurora's shoulders. They spilled over and ran down her cheeks as she grinned, "Look at you, kiddo. You're a mess." Aurora let out a breathy chuckle, rushing into the older woman's arms, clutching her in a tight embrace.

When Carol had pulled herself away each person Aurora had known came up to greet her, some more enthusiastic than others, but she understood the distance. She had gravitated towards people like Daryl and Carol because they all shared the same sense of privacy that others lacked.

Rick had pulled her in immediately after Carol, murmuring that he was relieved to see her again. It had been a team effort between Aurora and Herschel to save Carl's life all that time ago, and ever since then Rick had felt an immense respect and personal gratitude towards her. Besides Carol, Daryl, and Carl there were very few people left who Aurora had been with since the beginning. Well, there was one other...

"Rick," Aurora breathed, looking around among the others. "Where's —"

"Glenn and Maggie went off a mile back. They should be coming back around soon." Rick replied, already knowing who she was looking for.

Aurora gave a sheepish smile, nodding in confirmation before walking back over to Daryl.

"Daryl told me about everything that happened after the prison," Aurora frowned. She turned to face Sasha, who had held her tight when she greeted her but now held a vacant look in her eyes. "I'm sorry about your brother," she spoke softly. Something faltered in Sasha's stoic stare, but she soon regained her composure, only nodding in response before averting her gaze.