when i look at you | TWD

chapter two: shifting eyes and vacancy

THE TEENAGER LEANS AGAINST HER FATHER FOR WARMTH. Although the days were hot, the nights were just a little colder, a sign that winter was coming soon. Eleanor's eyes kept flickering to Jax, him being close to his father across from her, happy that he was back and alive.

"You wanna rethink that log?" Shane yelled across the way at Ed Peletier once he noticed that the fire across the way was starting to get high. And if he could see it, walkers for miles could see it.

"It's cold." Ed stated bitterly, Eleanor just hearing the evil smirk in his tone even though she wasn't looking at him.

"Being cold doesn't change the rules, does it? Keep our fires low, so we can't be seen from a distance, right?" The girl could hear that her father was starting to get agitated with this man as he gave him a side eye. He shifted in his spot to see him better, now seeing the arrogant look in his face.

"I said it's cold." The man protested once again.

Shane growled angrily, proceeding to get up. "Dad.." Eleanor tried to call out to him, but he was already over there, his voice low as he pressed the man.

The girl cleared her throat and put her hands out to the fire, trying to get warm. Her small body shivered slightly, her chin quivering a bit.

Jax looks up at her through the fire, eyes softening. She's always been cold easily, and that was one thing that he had always noticed when she was out with him and his friends late winter nights.

"El." He whispers, getting her attention. Taking off his jacket, he passed it to her, giving her a smile. The girl's cheeks turned a slight rose color and she thanked God it was dark so he couldn't see how red they were at the moment.

"Thanks." She spoke softly, Rick looking between the two teenagers, smirking slightly before raising his eyebrows, giving his son a knowing look. Jax catches his eye and looks down awkwardly, shaking his head. Rick looks away and towards Shane instead, who was now making his way back to camp.

Once he came back, his daughter leaned back on his shoulder as he sat down, her being warm again. Her eyes closed slowly, the low chatter of the people around her putting her to sleep. 

Jax watched as she slept, smirking slightly as she looked so peaceful. The boy could hear her cries late at night in her tent when no one was listening. He felt sad that she had to be going through the loss of her mom alone.

He looked back down once he noticed Shane was looking at him with furrowed eyebrows, concerned about their relationship.

Ellie had gotten up the next morning, her arm hurting a little less than yesterday. She was scared that her father would notice her odd behavior and ask what's wrong. She didn't want to tell him what happened. The teenager just wanted to live her last days in peace. Oddly, she didn't feel any symptoms. She felt perfectly fine as she walked around camp, the wound almost... healing instead of getting worse.

Ellie walked up towards her father, him cleaning his gun as he sat by the fire pit, focus fully being on what was in front of him. "Hey, Dad." She smiled.

Shane looked up, smiling once he saw his daughter. "Well, hello, sleeping beauty." He snickered.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Ellie groaned, going to sit down.

"Figured you could use some sleep." He told her without looking up.

Ellie looked around, the camp being oddly quiet. "Where is everyone?"

Shane shrugged, sighing as he put his gun down. "I don't-" He was cut off by a loud scream. The two looked to each other with their eyes widened, jumping into action before they both ran towards the noise, seeing a walker gnawing on a deer that had arrows in it, and Ellie had a pretty good guess who's they were.

She got out her knife from her pocket as the walker noticed them, aiming it towards its head as all the men hit the body with their weapons, it not causing any damage. The brain. The voice echoed in her head and with the flick of her wrist, the knife flew through the air, it aiming right in the walkers head, ending all it's movements. Perks of learning archery when she was younger.

They all looked to her with wide eyes as she threw the knife so... effortlessly. Jax was watching from afar, his jaw dropping as he realized as good she was with a knife all of a sudden. "What?" Ellie mumbles, shrugging her shoulders at their faces as she went to go retrieve her knife, it making a loud sloshing sound as it came out from the walkers decayed skull.

There was sudden movement in the bushes, everyone pointing their weapons towards the noise. Daryl Dixon emerged from the behind, looking at everyone like they were crazy.

"Son of a bitch!" He yelled and everyone sighed in relief that it wasn't a walker and put their weapons down. The man walked towards the deer on the floor, his face turning up in anger. "I've been tracking this deer for miles!" He began kicking the walker as it lay on the floor, spitting out slurs at it as everyone watched, sighing deeply.

"Whatever. Got some squirrels. They'll have to do." Daryl stated, walking back into tbe camp. "Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! Got us some squirrel!" He yelled, looking around for his brother.

"Daryl, there's somethin' I gotta tell you." Shane started, Ellie watching as he turned around, already annoyed at the man.

"Where's Merle?!" Daryl grunted, getting in his face.

"He's-" Shane started, but was interrupted by Rick.

"I handcuffed him to a roof. You're brother was danger to us all." Rick confessed, Daryl looking at him with irritated, squinted eyes.

"What?" He said in disbelief, shaking his head. "Who the fuck are you?"

"My name is Rick Grimes." He told him, his hands on his hips.

"So you handcuffed my brother to a roof? And left him there?!" Daryl yelled at him, still not believing that this was happening. Before he could answer, Daryl swiped at him with a knife, Rick dodging it as Shane quickly wrapped him a chokehold, stopping all his movements.

"Chokeholds illegal asshole!" Daryl grunted, trying to get free of his grasp.

"I would like to have a calm conversation. Do you think you could manage that?"

"Yeah..." Daryl grunts as Shane's loosens his grip, the man pushing himself out from his arms.

Jax moves up, tapping El's arm gently. She jumps with a gasp, moving back towards him. "Hey." She breathes out and he flashes one of his smiles.

"Hi." He chuckles lightly, motioning towards the forest. "Wanna get out of here?"

Ellie looks from them arguing to Jax, nodding her head without a second thought. "Okay."