𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 | 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘭 𝘋𝘪𝘹𝘰𝘯 ¹

𝑭𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒚

Chapter Fifty,
Claimed

ALLI, Michonne, and Carl found themselves walking along the train rail, struggling to maintain balance.

"We've probably got only a day's worth of water left. We're fortunate that it's cooled down a bit, but..." Rick commented, his eyes on the horizon while the three tried to stay steady on the rail. "What are you guys up to?"

"Winning a bet," Carl replied with a grin.

Alli declared with determination, "I'm the one winning the chocolate."

"Keep dreaming," Michonne teased, addressing both Alli and Carl.

"I'm still hanging on," Carl managed to say before nearly falling.

"Your timing wasn't great, wise guy," Michonne quipped, attempting to keep her balance. Alli fought back a chuckle, trying to avoid losing her own.

"This could take a while. Maybe we should speed things up," Rick suggested, moving closer.

"You're right. We shouldn't be goofing around. We should probably—CARL!" Michonne suddenly shouted, trying to distract Carl but losing her balance and falling. In a split second, Alli found herself tumbling as well, thanks to a playful push from Rick.

"Why'd you do that?" Alli playfully protested, making him laugh at her expense.

"I win. Pay up," Carl said, directing his gaze at Michonne. "Is this really the last Big Cat?" He asked, picking up Michonne's favorite chocolate bar.

"Oh, come on."

"Hey, you said the winner gets to choose."

"Go ahead, take it. You earned it. You won fair and square."

"That's not fair. Rick, you owe me one! I was really craving that chocolate," Alli said, prompting Carl to offer her a piece and Michonne to offer another.

"Come on, we always share," he remarked.

✦

There was nothing about being with these men that felt right to Daryl. He couldn't help but notice the unsettling looks they were giving Chloe, making her visibly uncomfortable, so he decided to take Chloe along to hunt for food, leaving Merle behind with the rest of the group.

Chloe whispered, "I can't... Look at it, it's so cute," as she aimed her bow at a rabbit. Daryl replied impatiently, "Doesn't matter, it's gonna be dead anyway. Come on before it leaps away." Chloe eventually shot her arrow at the rabbit, and another arrow simultaneously struck it.

"Daryl?! What the hell are you doing?" Chloe called out only to be surprised as she turned around to face the owner of the second arrow.

The man, armed with a bow similar to Chloe's, replied, "Catching myself some breakfast."

"That's hers," Daryl said, walking past Chloe to pick up the rabbit.

"My arrow hit it first. That cottontail belongs to me."

"We've been out here since before sunrise," Daryl argued.

"It's okay, Daryl," Chloe whispered as he approached her, holding the rabbit.

"See, out here, the rules of the hunt don't mean anything. Now, that rabbit you're holding is claimed, boy. It's claimed whether you like it or not. So if I were you, I'd hand it over. Otherwise, you might end up wishing you'd never gotten out of bed this morning," the guy threatened.