Dead Silent

Chapter 17

Daryl sits on the bench sharpening his knife, blocking out the sounds of those around him.

Maggie watches him from a distance, her heart sinking in her chest. She heads over, sitting down beside him. "You alright?"

Daryl looks up, his hair hanging over his face. He nods, then goes back to his knife.

"I'm sorry," she says, dropping her head.

Daryl looks at her. "What for?"

"Kirsty. I should've spoken to you first instead of listening to hearsay."

Daryl shrugs his shoulders. "Ain't your fault. Don't matter anyway, you were right, she's with him now."

"You think they're together?" She asks.

"Why wouldn't they be, i shoulda known she wouldn't be interested in the likes a me, don't know why i thought otherwise."

"Hey," Maggie frowns, taking his hand. "Don't talk like that."

He takes his hand from hers. "Why not? That's just how it is. She told me she don't love me, an i don't blame her."

Maggie sighs deeply. "You really think she meant that? You know, all i can think about now, is defeating Negan. It's all i can think about, because if i stop.. then all i think of is Glenn."

Daryl looks at her from behind his hair, his eyes beginning to water as he thinks of Glenn. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she stares at him. "That wasn't your fault. Glenn wouldn't want you to think like that," she sighs. "He wouldn't have wanted me to think that way about Kirsty either. But.. i just saw red. I knew she was working with him, but then i heard things, and the thought that she used the same thing that killed Glenn. I was worried that she wasn't on our side anymore."

"You weren't the only one," Daryl says, picking at his nails with his knife.

"I don't know what's going on with her and Negan, i don't know if you're right? But we should've trusted her."

"Don't really matter now," Daryl frowns.

"But it does matter, Daryl. If i had a chance to save Glenn, i'd do anything to make that possible."

"She don't need savin," Daryl says.

"You don't think so? Because i do. He'll poison her mind against us, if he hasn't already. She's only there because of the same reason i told my men not to spare her, hearsay. That, and she's hurt and angry. Don't let her go, Daryl, not when you have a chance to be happy," Maggie smiles, as she runs a hand through his hair. "You deserve that."

~

Negan watches Kirsty get in the truck. He stops Simon as he steps out of the Sanctuary.

"Everything alright?" Simon asks.

"No, it's fucking not. I want you to take an extra man with you."

"Sure thing, but why?" Simon frowns.

"So he can watch her every fucking move. She so much as goes for a piss, i wanna fucking know about it, you hear me?"

Simon stares at him, confused. "So you want someone to watch her taking a piss? Because that's weird even by my standards."

"I don't fucking want her out there at all, but she doesn't know that, and she doesn't need to know."

"You worried she's gonna go running back to Alexandria?" Simon asks.

Negan rubs at his temples. "Maybe, either way, i'm not fucking risking it. Just have someone keep an eye on her."

Simon shifts his feet, hands on hips. "So if she does make a run for it, what do you want me to do about it?"