Feral Citizens

Hidden Agendas

"Dale could- he could get under your skin. Hell, he sure gotta under mine..." Rick spoke.

It felt like I couldn't breathe.

Dale's grave lay between Shawn and Eliza's. A makeshift cross had been carved, and his hat was hanging from one end. That stupid, dumb fishing hat. It had been only yesterday I had watched him take it off and smooth out the creases.

I blocked out Rick's speech. It was too hard to hear. My entire body felt numb. It felt like Dale should be here, ready to lend a helping hand and a wise word to everyone.

"Its okay, you know," Josie whispered to me. She smiled despite the trembling of her bottom lip. "he's in a better place, like Eliza."

"Of course, kiddo," I replied, trying my hardest to return the smile. "why wouldn't it be?"

"Because you're crying." She answered, confusion glimmering in her eyes. I lifted a cold hand to my cheek; it came away slightly wet. She was right.

We barely had time to mourn after the funeral. Rick wanted everyone to begin preparing for the winter. Hershel offered to house us in the farmhouse, much to our relief.

I travelled up to Daryl's camp with Josie to collect my things. He had left Dale's funeral a few moments before us, and was sat on a stool, rubbing a damp cloth across his knuckles. They were still split.

I kneeled in front of him, taking the cloth. His face hardened and for a moment I thought he was going to tell me to leave. Then he noticed Josie, and sighed.

I soaked the cloth in water, and gently pressed it against his knuckles. He hissed.

"Don't be such a baby," I chided him. "I barely touched you."

"I ain't bein' shit!" He snapped back, before glancing at Josie worriedly. I chuckled.

"She's heard worse words than that Daryl, trust me."

As I continued to soak Daryl's knuckles, he looked at Josie, who was stood waiting beside me. After a moment's deliberation, he grunted, "You hungry?"

"What?" she asked.

"You hungry?"

"Umm, yes sir." She answered him meekly. He leaned over the stool to rummage through his bag and pulled out an energy bar. He threw it to Josie.

"My last one, so you better eat it." He grumbled. I smiled; my face hidden by a wall of hair. He cared for than he liked to let on.

"Josie, say thank you." I looked at her sharply, raising my right eyebrow.

"Thank you, Daryl," She said. "Liz, can I go see Sophia and Carl now?"

"I suppose so," I relented. "but make sure you talk to Lori or Carol first. And don't wander off."

She skipped back down the hill as I finished caring for Daryl's hands. He stood up and moved away, putting distance between us immediately.

Daryl watched Josie leave with a faint smile on his face. "She's a good kid. Smart, too."

"That she is." I agreed.

We began following her down the hill. If we didn't arrive to help move things into the house, Lori would never let me hear the end of it. I didn't want to be on the receiving end of the pregnant lady's rage.

"You doing okay?" I asked Daryl. He had been quiet since last night, after Dale. It would be a lie to say I couldn't imagine what he was going through.

"Fine." He replied.

"You can talk to me about it, y'know. About Dale."

"Maybe," I was surprised to hear him agree with me. It was a first. "but it ain't the time right now."