𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒍𝒇 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 ➪ «𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑦𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛»

ch. XLVI pt. II

oOo

Diana walked out into the cool midnight air and inhaled the scent of earth deeply. She looked towards their camp and saw the glow of lanterns and shadows crossing the settlement.

She was too tired to confront yet another person about this issue. And Rick wouldn't let her off easy, he would want to know details and would want to handle matters straight away. As selfish as it sounded, Diana just wanted to sleep. Sophia wouldn't get any deader.

She crossed the darkness and entered the camp, bidding goodnight to whoever she passed by.

It was dead silent in her and the kids' tent, although both were wide awake. Felix was curled on his side, back to Alice, paging through one of the books Glenn had scavenged for Diana, looking at the medical pictures. Alice was on her belly, and at first sight, Diana thought she might be doodling in her sketchbook. Upon closer inspection, she saw the girl flip through her polaroid pictures, pausing for a long time on one she had taken of mom and dad.

When she noticed her sister looming at the entrance, Alice jammed that photo inside her sketchbook and slammed it close before hastily gathering the others into their small stack and snapping an elastic band around them.

Felix was less dramatic; he simply looked over his shoulder with glassy eyes and returned to his activity. He worried her at dinner with how little he had eaten, but she summed it up to grief.

Diana plopped down onto her less than ideal sleeping bag with crisscrossed legs. "I talked to Hershel."

That made Alice stop rummaging through her bag and Felix to roll onto his other side to face her.

Alice said it first, "And?"

Diana shrugged. "It's their family in the barn, apparently. It's like I told you, they think the walkers are sick, and they're waiting for a cure. I feel sorry for them."

"That doesn't have anything to do with Sophia unless her last name is Greene. And quelle surprise, it's not. So, what was the old man's shitty excuse for her being there?"

Diana wanted to admonish Alice's skepticism but didn't want to spark another rageful tirade. It would also be very hypocritical of her. "He told me Otis and Co. would put trespassing walkers in the barn, for the same reason as the others. He didn't know Sophia was one of them. I believe him."

"I can't belieeeve how naïve you can be!" Alice hissed, clenching her fists in front of her as if to refrain for lashing out.

In her tired crankiness, Diana's tolerance snapped. Her spine straightened as she faced her little sister, returning to their native tongue, "Don't dare talk to me like that! Be grateful you don't have to put up with half the shit I do! I'm way in over my head and getting barked at from every side no matter what I do, I just need- I need you guys to stand by me! At least you." She felt a hollow in her chest with no tears left to cry.

Alice did what she does best whenever she catches scent of any emotional affair; she avoided it. She gathered some of her things, stood, and left without a word.

If there was one thing Diana hated, it was being ignored, especially during a disagreement. Alice knew this, it was another thing they had in common.

Diana scrambled to a stand and stormed after her. "Where do you think you're going?"

Alice's reaction was less explosive than Diana expected. "RV," she said with a voice devoid of feeling, back still turned. Diana couldn't tell if it was better or worse than having her yell at her.

"Why?"

Alice's shoulders remained tense. Diana waited, already guessing the answer would be something unsatisfactory, unnecessarily rebellious and very à la Alice, in the lines of 'none of your business' or 'telling you would defeat the purpose of the escape itself'.