ANGEL FACE ➵ DARYL DIXON [2]

Chapter Eleven: Welcome To Terminus

Chapter 11

Walking the railway tracks. Counting the birds. One foot in front of the other.

People are never built to forget. Yet that doesn't mean we don't try to distract ourselves.

Daryl pretended. So hard. Everytime he looked at Clementine, walking in front with a slight limp to her step, he saw it all over again. She turns her head. And again. She looks forward, her short curly hair blowing.

And again. He sees it.

Girl, who is beside her, one hand on her upper arm giving her company, tries talking in her own pace and lexicon. Clementine is mute.

And probably for a very long time.

An already faded fog smothers and suffocates the land, departing and black silhouettes of walkers standing still in the blanket of grey and white. Like the weather, they will change. They will adapt. They will evolve.

They have to. Whether they like it or not. The world is an ugly place, so they have to be ugly first before they can be beautiful.

Kai and Daryl walk side by side, Clementine and Girl in front. Girl balances on the edge rails, her arms out wide like a baby bird learning to fly and flutter. Her body twists, falling off many times, but everytime getting up again and lasting longer than the previous.

She does this over and over again, the intention of Clementine joining her on the other edge. And, eventually, Clementine commits, standing on the small surface area of the rail and balancing. She's no sooner on than off, tripping over herself and landing her feet on the grass instead.

"Try again," Girl says over with a tinge of a grin, Clementine getting up again.

She places one foot out. Then another. Then the same foot.

"Good," Girl compliments, further ahead than Clementine's slow pace.

"You're too fast," Clementine mutters, the men behind giving each other side glaces because she hasn't spoken since.

They're proud. Girl knows what she's doing.

Girl jumps down, waiting for Clementine to catch up. Once she has, Girl jumps up again, finding her angle and best fit. Then she's off, her balance amazing and almost perfect.

Clementine becomes more demanding of herself, pushing forward more wanting to have Girl's talent. She practices and practices, always on the edge of the rail even when turning left or right following the signs to Terminus.

"Three miles," Kai notes, pointing to probably the last sign they will see before reaching to their destination, "don't know what to expect."

"Neither do I. Neither do any of us," Daryl adds, Girl now reaching her hand out for Clementine to hold as they walk the tracks together and for something to support her.

"I know," Kai agrees, swearing he just saw Clementine smile while Girl fell off loosing her balance and landing on the ground, "feel sick to be honest."

Daryl sparks a light. He inhales sharply.

"What ya did last night would make anyone feel sick," he remarks, then adds, "but I don't blame you. Did what ya had to do."

"I tore a man's neck out, Daryl. How am I suppose to live with that?"

"Jus' gotta. Everyone's gotta live with somethin'."

"What have you got to live with?"

Daryl exhales, the smoke matching the fog and he can't tell which is which as it floats and disperses.