I thank everyone who added this story an alert. It lets me know I have a general audience. I don't have as much of a reviewer based one, but I still hope that means there is interest in this story. This is the first chapter I have truly been nervous about writing. It's long, explores parts of my OC that even you as an audience won't quite understand yet, navigates through the actual characters of the show and hopefully what I've interpreted as a general personality for them, and of course - Daryl. Who's confusing feelings you won't be really given a heads up to much this chapter, seeing it more from the group's and Paige's eyes. Anyways, enjoy!
Chapter 3 - Copperfield
"You need help? We're sheltering some survivors at a makeshift base just up the road."
Paige, starved from the short breakfast of walnuts and unripened peaches earlier in the day, blew out a sigh of relief, eyes landing on her rescuer. Her bangs had grown excessively in these past two weeks, able to be flicked behind her ears now. The naturalness of her strawberry blonde hair began emerging, showing how terrible of a dye job the fire engine red had been in the first place.
But college had been a magical place of experimentation, and you only lived once, right?
Well...it'd be twice nowadays.
"You sure?" she asked, wiping off a sheen of sweat gathered at the nape of her neck. "I could eat practically anything right now. Dead or alive."
She meant this as a joke and the man laughed right on cue, features briefly softening.
"Yeah, I don't doubt you. You'll get what Atlanta couldn't provide. Safety and comfort."
The only time the man hesitated, Paige could now faintly recall, was when his eyes drifted down to Winston.
"Need me to carry that?" he offered.
By now, Winston had become more than just her means of survival. He'd become a friend.
"No, that won't be necessary. Plus, we'll need to cover each other, right? Just cause we made it out of the city doesn't mean there aren't any hiding near the woods."
The man nodded in agreement, gesturing Paige to follow.
And so, she did.
But in seconds flat, her surroundings blurred together, rearranging forms and shapes until they were all one melted mess of colors.
When everything finally stilled once more, Paige found herself sprawled on a concrete floor. She blinked once, ignoring how cold, out of all sensations, her body was. In fact, she never allowed her gaze to travel down, feeling a sense of panic creep in whenever she thought about it.
Instead, she kept her gaze up.
The beginnings of a mold infestation peppered the corners of the ceiling, causing a musty stench to fill the room. A small window, allowing little sunlight, and perhaps big enough to stick your head through, cradled itself between two salmon curtains, torn at and severely outdated. A broken chair leg littered itself near the window, but Paige didn't have a clue as to where the remainder of the wooden chair could be.
All she knew was coldness unlike she'd ever felt before, covering her from head to toe. Not even the family trip to the Mall of America in Minnesota, taken during what seemed to be the blizzard of the century, could compare to this coldness.
It numbed her body from the ability to feel anything other than the shivers coasting through her and the slices of ice digging into her lungs each time she tried to breathe. No ability to imagine warmness, however false, or any ability to take refuge in a place other than where she lay.
She was sure that had she the courage, one glance at her form would show it receding into a bluish pale.
But she didn't, and staring up at the ceiling, eyes pinpointed to a faint stain of yellow, became her comfort.
She wondered how the stain had gotten there. Whether a toilet sat above the stain. What the stain would look like if it were a different color.
And for a brief moment, her body wasn't necessarily so bitterly cold and the ability to imagine a place far from reality itself, seemed limitless.
That is until her ears detected movement from behind the only door leading into the room.
Her heart paused in place.
Suddenly, everything held sense. Deep, maddening sense. Why the stain was there. What happened to the rest of the chair. Why she knew that only a human head could fit through the window. How the curtains had come to be so torn.
And why fear engulfed her whenever she thought of looking down at herself.
The scream burst from her throat, carrying no hope of stopping.
Paige screamed until her lungs bled, until her fingernails tore into the flesh of her palms, until the bluish pale darkened her skin.
Until the yellow stain above morphed into an angry grimace.
DPDDPDDPDDPD
Although a part of her recognized that the dream had induced such panic, Paige still couldn't contain her form from flying up in the cot, hands shooting out at an arm near her forehead. Loose bits of screams, sounding more like broken yelps, flew from her lips, and quite suddenly, her body became animated, knees violently jerking up as her nails attempted to dig in to the flesh trying to restrain her.
"Hey!" came an angry yell.
Paige detected a feminine quality within the voice, and ever so gingerly, opened both eyes, fighting down the urge to continue her thrashing.
A blonde haired woman, flushed and in the process of yelling again, stood in a bend over her.
"Hey," the woman repeated, less outraged this time, "it was just a dream. You were dreaming."
Swallowing thickly, Paige forced a nod, sheepishly pulling back her hands. A trickle of embarrassment entered her at the realization that she'd been ready to claw the woman's eyes out.
Definitely not a productive way to make friends.
"Where am I?" she gravely managed out, glancing around the enclosed space as her breaths steadied.
"You're in a camper. Fighting off a heat stroke that nearly killed you."
As soon as the word 'heat' left her mouth, Paige felt a dizziness so common of the month prior, fly through her.
"Woah," the woman said, extending a hand.
Paige allowed it to press against her forehead.
"You're still fighting it off. That means taking it easy for these next few hours. And drinking lots of water now that you're awake."
"Next few hours?" Paige repeated, still a bit disoriented.
The woman tried hiding her smile at her confusion.
"You nearly died from dehydration, starvation, and heat stroke. No matter how much you love the outdoors, the elements are not in your favor at the moment."
Glancing down, Paige studied the slick build up near her veins.
"You saved my life?" she inquired, scanning the woman for confirmation.
"I helped. But if you really want to thank someone, thank Daryl. If he hadn't found you when he did, we wouldn't be having this conversation," the woman informed, holding out a canteen. "Now drink."
Paige obeyed, pouring the lukewarm water down her throat.
Despite how tired her body had been, the sudden nutrients lessened the numbness of her senses. And so she continued on drinking until dribbles of water split down her cheeks.
"Thank you," she panted, handing back the empty canteen. "You found the river?"
"We found a river," the woman answered, offering up a second canteen. "Not a major one. And as far as the animals drinking out of it are concerned, not yet toxic. But that may soon change. The walkers have been leaving the city to find food. We went to fill them up last week, but that'll be it from now on. With what we have, if it's used carefully, we'll be able to carry on for a few good months."
Pausing, Paige lowered the canteen.
"You trust me enough to reveal your supplies?"
The woman offered up a half smile at the puzzlement in her voice.
"I don't. But, Daryl does. And the only person Daryl trusts is himself. The fact that you managed to work your way into people he trusts is a miracle. "
"Daryl," Paige confirmed, tongue running over the name. "That's the hunter with the crossbow?"
"It is."
"And he saved my life?"
"He did."
The information needed a full minute to sink in.
"Tell him thank you."
I have no idea how the hell he found me, but thank God he did.
"I will, if you want. But he'll be sticking around through the evening. I don't care how quickly he threw you at Shane and stalked off, he'll want to make sure you're alright."
"I can't stay the night," Paige spoke up, making sure arrangements weren't being made without her knowing.
The woman readied herself to argue, but was stopped by Paige's hand.
"I appreciate everything you've done for me. All of you. If not for your sympathy, I'd be dead. Being so close to death made me realize how much I truly want to live. But, this is your camp and these are your people. And you were right. You don't know me. I think it'd be better if it stayed that way. Plus, if I keep guzzling down your water, your estimation on the water supply might not be as accurate by the end of the night."
The woman grew pensive at the statement, and Paige only hoped she would see the bigger picture. Allowing her access to the camp, someone relatively unknown to however many people resided here, wasn't the wisest idea.
Even though she knew she'd never do anything to hurt anyone. At least not until she was provoked.
"My name's Andrea."
Swallowing the last sip of water, Paige tilted her head.
"That's your answer?"
"I never thought I'd say this to anyone," Andrea relayed, crossing her arms, "but the more you distrust me, the more I trust you. Doesn't make much sense, does it?"
"It kinda does," Paige pointed out, then smiled despite herself. "How do you ever handle relationships?"
"I don't. Damn, it all makes sense to me now."
Then, she laughed, the sound coming out swiftly, but full of humor.
Paige marveled at the action, remembering how long she'd been away from human contact or emotion. Even something as tiny as a laugh managed to remind her that people were still surviving despite what the world threw at them.
"But seriously," she said, amusement sliding from her voice, "if you don't want to stay the night, at least stay a few hours. Your body desperately needs it."
"I know," Paige nodded solemnly. "I think I can do that."
"Good. We have people stand guard to make sure we don't get any unfriendly visitors," Andrea assured.
"Winston!" Paige suddenly exclaimed.
Andrea only stared at her.
Paige gripped the canteen until her fingers turned white, but she forced her words to come out calm. "Um...did Daryl bring my sniper?"
"I'm guessing that's the one he had on his back along with his crossbow?"
"Oh, thank God," she mumbled, relaxing.
"Huh, you two have something in common," the blonde woman observed with a smirk. "You're both attached to your weapons."
"His is better for stealth," Paige admitted, thinking back to their first encounter. "Mine's the better one if you really want to kill the bastard."
"Well, for the moment, you don't have to worry about looking over your back. And on that note, I'm going to go see if Rick's got food ready yet. He's the sort of...unofficially elected leader. Be prepared. He'll try to talk you into staying the night."
"Why?"
"Because he's nice. And he'll want to help you out, even if you don't want it."
"Sounds pleasant," Paige noted, sipping at the canteen.
By now, drinking large quantities was becoming uncomfortable. Which meant slowly but surely, her body was fighting back from its malnourishment.
"You'll get used to him."
And before Paige could argue that she only planned on staying a few hours, Andrea exited the camper.
For a moment, she didn't say anything. Nor think anything. Nor allow herself to realize how utterly lucky she truly was.
I'm alive. Living another day. Not a victim of nature.
Which made her ponder over the situation at hand.
At this moment, because of the hunter, whose name was Daryl, she was alive. And being tended to by members of his group.
I know nothing about them, they know nothing about me. It's not a good idea to mingle.
This wasn't something Paige had an issue with. And she knew that despite how well she and Andrea had gotten along, the woman wouldn't have a problem with her departing either. It took a lot to earn her trust, that much Paige knew.
So, lingering around for another hour wasn't a terrible idea, especially if it meant she'd be getting her first meal in over a week.
She'd eat, get her sniper, thank them for their kindness, then head back to her own little fortress underneath the canopy. Now that she was more lucid, the journey there wouldn't be so difficult.
I've been in this area for way too long. Soon as I get back, I'll have to pack and leave immediately. Can't afford-.
"Hello."
Blinking out of her reverie, Paige's eyes shot to the open screen door.
"Hello," she responded, studying the gray-haired, aged man. Who held tin foil with some sort of roasted meat inside.
Sweet Jesus.
The aroma followed soon after, invading her senses like an army does a fort. All she wanted, all she needed was just a taste of whatever spicy, smoked meat lay inside the tin foil. And the water she had so heavily consumed, suddenly didn't become much of a priority.
"It's all yours," the man gestured with a smile, offering her the foil.
Paige resisted the urge to grab at it and stuff it in her face.
Just barely.
Instead, she met the man's eyes.
"That's way too much meat."
The man studied the tin foil as if he was just seeing it for the first time.
"Actually, it's not enough," came his reply. "Not nearly enough to give you the energy you should have. But don't worry about us. You are in need of it far more than we are right now."
Her fingers flinched, but Paige still held back.
"What is it?"
"Rabbit. You're getting the back of it. Daryl shot it a few days ago. We wouldn't have brought it out unless for a special occasion."
A day ago and I was telling the man to leave me alone. A day later and I'm eating the rabbit he shot. Irony at its finest.
"Thank you," she finally caved, accepting the foil with both hands.
She held no qualms about tearing in as her instincts told her to do, but because she was in the presence of someone who lived with a sense of civility, Paige merely bit and chewed at the meat for awhile before taking another piece.
"Not a problem. I'm Dale, by the way," he introduced.
"Hello, Dale."
When his gaze didn't falter, Paige ceased chewing.
"It's better if you don't know my name," she remarked. "I'm just a temporary resident."
"I don't ask to be nosy," he defended earnestly. "I ask because I need to know that there are still others out there, surviving in the best way they can. I ask because it gives me hope, even when I least care to see it."
The words stirred something inside her. Something so foreign that Paige didn't think she had felt it since the whole world first went to hell.
"There are others out there," she began, carefully deducing what parts to reveal. "Since I got out of Atlanta, I've either come across groups or just people on their own. I may not have gotten as comfortable with them as I am doing with you, but I have acknowledged them. And they are out there. Granted, this was over a month ago, but some of them never stopped searching for hope."
Dale nodded, silent for a moment.
"Was that your last contact with a person? Over a month ago?" he asked, failing to hide his amazement.
"Yes," she answered honestly, tearing apart the meat on her lap. Only moments ago, her tummy rumbled, but not out of hunger.
It rumbled because she was eating too quickly. And having gone so long without food, then suddenly scarfing it down, could do more harm than good.
Even though it physically ached for her to eat slowly.
Had I known rabbit could taste so good...
This thought momentarily made her blanch, remembering her old neighbor's pet rabbit.
"Something wrong with the meat?" Dale asked.
"No," she said, laughing a bit. "Just trying to eat this without feeling guilty. My old neighbor, Pearl, owned a rabbit. Copperfield, she called him. Hated Charles Dickens so much that she used David Copperfield, the book we had to read my senior year in order to pass English, as a place for him to go to the bathroom."
Dale chuckled at this, scratching the back of his head.
"Didn't the teacher notice the book's appearance?"
"Absolutely. But she never wrote our book numbers down so she never figured out who did it."
The memory pulsed with nostalgia, sweet and heavysome, but Paige firmly pushed it away, knowing that sentimentalism was not the road to go. At least not now.
"Would you like to meet everybody?"
Paige's eyes widened.
"That's-that's okay, Dale. Really, I'm just trying to get used to eating again. Maybe later on?"
Lie.
"Then I'll let you get through it. I know you're only holding back because of me. If you need anything, just holler."
Thanking the man, Paige watched him retreat, uneasily.
Why the hell do I feel like leaving here won't be so simple?
Biting back her discomfort, Paige continued chowing on the meat, not even realizing that for the first time in what seemed forever, her tummy grumbled rather than shook with cramps.
DPDDPDDPDDPD
"What's she like?" Glenn asked.
Dale and Andrea glanced at each other, initially unsure of how to begin.
"Private," she revealed first, eyes falling to the flames.
"Smart," Dale followed. "But I don't believe she has any intention of staying here tonight."
"Then she's not very smart at all," Carl interjected, looking to his dad. "If she thinks going back out there is better than staying here where she has protection and food, then I don't think she's smart."
No one responded, knowing Carl could not yet see the possible danger in allowing a complete stranger to stay with them.
"I heard some yells," Carol recalled.
"Nightmares," Andrea mentioned, running both hands wearily through her hair. "Nearly clawed my eyes out when she woke up."
"Dangerous?" Shane inquired.
"Too soon to tell. Might be. But I don't think she'd hurt someone randomly. Despite not trusting us enough to give a name, I think she's relatively harmless unless she's in defense mode."
A quietness seeped into the evening, the air just a bit less humid than the night before.
"So...she wants to leave?" Lori inferred, running her fingers through Carl's hair. "That doesn't seem like a problem. Let her go."
"We just spent two hours making sure she didn't die," Shane defended, throwing a glare at her. "Like hell I'm going to watch her go back into the woods. I don't like the idea of taking in strays either, but if she's not violent and she keeps to herself, then I don't see the harm in letting her stay the night."
"T-Dog?" Rick asked, finding the man's slumped form around the fire.
"Haven't met the girl," he voiced. "I don't wanna say kick her out, but we've gone a long time without any trouble. Maybe her wanting to leave isn't such a bad thing."
"I know we've all seen it, but I don't think anyone's realized it yet," Glenn remarked firmly, studying each person. "She nearly died. Throwing her back out after a few hours is basically like saying we never helped her in the first place. I know you weren't in there, Rick, but she didn't look like she'd survive another minute. I have no idea how she managed two months by herself."
"Once again, everyone is against me," Lori muttered, looking off into the woods.
Rick sighed, rubbing at his chin.
"Alright," he announced, palms balancing on each knee. "We're gonna have a show of hands. Raise 'em now if you don't mind her staying the night."
Glenn, Dale, Andrea, and Shane all showed their hands.
"Show of hands now of the people who don't mind providing her with food and sending her on the way within the next few hours."
T-Dog, Lori, Carol, and Sophia (with a whisper from her mother) raised their hands.
"Wait, if Sophia can vote, so can I," Carl exclaimed, throwing his hand in the air. "I vote for her to stay the night."
"Carl," Lori warned, her stare bringing his hand back down. "We don't know who she is or whether she planned this whole thing just to get into a camp that'll feed her."
"Are you serious?" Andrea questioned indignantly. "Of course she purposely dehydrated and starved herself so Daryl could bring her back to our camp. That's exactly what happened. And Carol...I get that you want to do what's best for Sophia, but you were in there, helping cool her body down so the heat wouldn't take her. You know she won't be able to last if we throw her out tonight."
Carol stayed mute at the accusation.
"Andrea is right," Dale piped in. "If we start turning away people in need of help, no matter how reserved, what will that say about us? What kind of people will we become?"
No one spoke after this thought, busy processing their own.
"Up to you, man," Shane relayed, clapping Rick on the back.
"Ain't nobody gonna ask 'bout my vote?"
Startled, the group turned their way to the darkened trail, peering at Daryl's materialized from.
A visible anger marred the hunter's features, followed by a visible glance of disgust at Lori.
"Oh don't look at me like that," Lori scolded, holding up a hand. "You don't know who she is. Just because you rescued her doesn't mean she won't get used to it or want something from us now that she knows we have food and supplies."
If possible, Daryl's stare only grew dirtier.
But it took a surprisingly long moment for him to speak.
"Girl wants to be isolated," he noted. "Even if y'all stop bickerin' enough to agree to let her spend the night, she ain't gonna 'cept the offer."
"What are you asking for?" Rick replied, moving to stand. "Because I personally have no argument against letting her stay for the night-."
Lori rolled her eyes at this.
"-but you know her better than any of us. What do you think we should do?"
For the first time in months, the role of power shifted from Rick to Daryl. And even though the shift was brief, Daryl felt his respect for Rick grow just a bit deeper.
Grudgingly.
"Get her to stay," Daryl stated. "She thinks she can handle it, but right now, you set her out there and she might not make it through the end o' the week."
"We were having a vote on it," Lori stubbornly input.
"And as far as I know 'bout politics, we've got a tie," Daryl bit back. "I vote for her stayin' the night. Five t'a four. End of elections, lady."
"How'd you meet her?" Shane suddenly questioned, having been staring intensely at Daryl for the past few minutes.
"Why'd that matter?" he defended suspiciously.
"You go from protecting only your ass to protecting someone else's. Maybe I just wanna know how to get on your good side."
Daryl stayed silent, leaving the unsaid words to filter in through everyone's imaginations, allowing them to wonder what inspired such compassion inside of Daryl Dixon as to save the life of a person he'd met on two separate occasions.
"I ain't screwin' her," Daryl retorted angrily.
"Never said you were," Shane easily remarked, ignoring Carol's attempt at shielding Sophia's ears. "But you gotta admit, Rick, it's weird, ain't it? Good weird, I think."
Shane's wording stirred a memory loose in Rick's head.
It regarded what Daryl had said to him earlier in the afternoon. About why he saved her life.
"We're even now."
Daryl recognized the exact moment Rick figured out his reasoning to keep the Grass Fox at camp for the night, but to his surprise, the deputy remained silent on that issue.
"It doesn't matter how Daryl knew her. What matters is that he saved her life," Rick acknowledged. "That's more I can say for most of us who are contemplating throwing her back out just because we're nervous about her reluctance to speak. I'm sure you all haven't forgotten. The world is a mess out there. Undead eating the living. The living we've probably been lucky not to stumble upon, probably worse than the dead. And now we're thinking about turning someone away just because we don't know their private thoughts. From what I've seen of her, I'm guessing she's seen far more of the world than we have. And that ain't something I'm going to hold against her. Especially not tonight."
Dale and Glenn were the most visibly relieved at these words, but Lori crossed her arms angrily.
"Someone keep an eye on her tonight," she warned. "I want to know Carl will be safe."
"I don't plan on staying the night."
Once again, the group had to rotate their heads, along with Daryl, as they took in Paige's form standing a few feet from the camper. She probably could have remained in the shadows all night without detection, had she not spoken.
"And since it's been a bit of an issue that's gotten between you all, I'll be comfortable departing now," she announced. "Thank you to everyone who helped save my life. I'll remember it."
No one made a move.
"My sniper," she expressed, turning to face Daryl. "I'm to guess it's with you. Could I have it so I can be on my way?"
"It's dark out," Andrea argued. "You'll hardly be able to see, much less fend off a walker with the energy you have."
"It is," Paige agreed. "But I've traveled through later hours. And the walkers don't stop just because we go to sleep. As to my energy level...well, eating that rabbit and downing three canteens of water was like being baptized in the Jordan River. And with my sniper, I feel safer than ever. Now...Daryl is it? Thank you for saving my life. But quite honestly, I've got this feeling that you only want me here because you feel you owe me for what happened last evening. I'm here to tell you - you don't. So, I'm asking again for my sniper back. Please."
Daryl only stared at her, face revealing nothing about his thoughts. But his lips parted.
"I ain't gonna force you to stay, but you'd be stupid to go back out there."
"You certainly have a way with words," Paige noted, the corner of one lip threatening to quirk up. "Daryl, give me back my sniper, please. You do this and everyone here will be able to sleep safely tonight, never having to worry if I'll slaughter their children like I so very much like to do."
At these words, Lori froze, knowing Paige had heard her complaints.
Glenn bit down on his chuckle, watching the exchange.
Indeed, something electric stirred in the air between the hunter and Grass Fox, only increasing the longer they held on to their stares, and once again, Glenn pondered over what could have happened the first time they met that made Daryl say everything short of asking her to stay.
"Ma'am?"
Retracting her stare, Paige searched for the source of the voice.
"My name is Rick," the man said once she'd located him.
"I understand, Rick, I truly do," Paige sighed out, recalling what Andrea had said about the man. "I was the leader of a group once. Granted, lives didn't depend on me, but the stress is there. I'm here to say that I am not your problem. And I mean no disrespect by this. It's just a fact. Y'all helped me out, got me on my feet, put some food in me, but I am telling you now that I'm fine. And that I want to leave. How unreasonable is that?"
When Rick didn't answer immediately, Paige began feeling the first signs of weariness seep in. She was hoping to hide it until the woods were around her and Winston sat in her palm.
But the longer she stood, defending her right to leave, the more she felt like dropping into the dirt and taking a long nap.
What has it been...a month since I've had a rest consisting of more than six hours?
"You are free to leave at any moment," Rick agreed, meeting Daryl's eyes. "But I really think it'd be best if you stayed the night. I don't know how long you've been traveling or what you've seen out there, but your appearance before you were cleaned up let me know that you need to rest without the fear of what could get you. We always have someone up each night, standing guard. We have food and water, something you'll eventually need more of. And you'll have a place to sleep that isn't the ground."
"How do you know I-?"
"The disposition in your back when Daryl carried you in," Rick pointed out. "I remember my dad having the same sort of back issues after leaving Vietnam. He stayed there for three years, sleeping on the ground more often than not so they weren't hit by a surprise attack."
"Grandpa fought in a war?" Carl asked excitedly.
The exchange between father and son forced Paige to truly reconsider her quest.
Yes, she wanted to leave as soon as possible. Yes, she had reasons to back up her impulse. Yes, she had a difficult time trusting people now that the world stripped bare all false pretenses and simply showed the man that was.
But Rick had a point. While far more energetic than hours before, Paige could feel it start to wane a bit. And the desire for water never quite left.
Most of all, he'd enticed her with a simple promise.
A night of actual slumber. Something she needed with a desperate need.
"Okay," she grumbled out, lowering her head in defeat. "Okay."
"Hate to be the one that says this," T-Dog interrupted, "but where she gonna sleep? Dale and Andrea each got a camper bed. You, Lori, and Carl got your tent. Carol and Sophia got theirs. Glenn and I take turns sleeping on the cot, and whoever ain't on the cot, takes watch. Shane's got his tent too, but I think Glenn is watching tonight."
It was obvious Rick hadn't even thought about the sleeping arrangements yet, and without meaning to, Paige's eyes found the woods behind him, a yearning inside her, really more of instinct, telling her that there's still a chance to leave.
And just as she readied herself to voice this, Daryl spoke up.
"I got room in my tent."
Paige glanced at Daryl curiously.
"Still got some o' Merle's blankets. He always kept a lot. Less he ate, colder he got," he explained.
"Are they even sanitary?" Andrea blurted.
Daryl narrowed his eyes, but no real agitation mirrored itself there.
"I'll use his. She can use mine. Hardly ever do myself."
"And that's more sanitary?" Lori asked with a furrow of the brows.
"'Least I ain't thinkin' of ways t'a kick out the girl your husband's payin' more attention to," he snapped.
Paige's eyebrows shot up as Daryl aimed a final glare at Lori before stomping off into the darkness, angry mumbles jumbled underneath his lips.
And that will be my roommate. Fun.
"Will you be alright with that arrangement?" Rick asked, one hand bringing Lori to him as he tried shaking off the comment. "If not, I can-."
"You've done more than enough," she assured. "I'll just go follow the angry curses. That should lead me to him."
This time, Glenn didn't hold back his laugh.
"Shame you're just staying for the night," he said. "You make things interesting."
"Bunk with me for a week and you'll wish you never said that," Paige confirmed, feet shuffling over each other. "Night. Thanks again."
She received a nod from everyone except Lori who spoke in hushed tones with her husband.
"I'm sorry about wanting to kick you out," Carol remarked before Paige retreated into the darkness. "It's just that...we haven't met anyone in a long time. It's difficult, trusting new people."
Paige nodded, fighting the urge to frown.
"I understand," was all she said.
And with that, she followed the general direction Daryl had stomped into, hoping that the night would provide just what Rick had promised.
The reason I had such a big discussion among the group regarding Paige is because I see it as this. For a whole month, there has been relative tranquility with the group. Yeah, it's been tough, but there have been no more deaths or scary run ins with potentially dangerous people. But here pops out this woman who keeps to herself like she almost has something to hide, and I can't say everyone in the group will be accepting of her. I didn't try to stereotype anyone who was against Paige staying. T-Dog I feel can be swayed either way, depending on what's best for him or the group. Carol just wants to keep Sophia safe after the high way incident. And Sophia is obviously getting swayed by her mother's vote. However, I am stereotyping Lori. Because quite honestly, she can be a real bitch. But then again, it's kind of fun to write the bitch of the story. Maybe I'll soften her up. Who knows. I do hope you enjoyed that though. Let me know your thoughts in a review.