"How you feeling Athena?" Hershel said wallking up to me in the morning while I was watching Carol cook everyone breakfast.
"Feeling a lot better Hershel, thank you," I said greeting the older man with a smile as he sat down beside me, "The more I walk, the better it feels."
"Good, just don't push it for a few more days and you will be good as new."
"Some breakfast Hershel?" Carol asked, holding out a plate to him.
"Thank you," he said taking the plate graciously.
Daryl chose that moment to walk out of the cell block. I smiled at him as he walked over and grabbed a plate from Carol. He nodded his response as he sat down on the opposite side of Hershel with his food.
"Gonna have to go on a run soon I think Daryl, getting low on some essentials," Hershel said to the other man, making conversation.
Daryl nodded as he shoveled his food into his mouth. It made me think of my brother, he always ate like a barbarian.
"Hershel, I heard you were in posession of my weapons until I was well enough for them to be returned to me."
"I am."
"I would love to have them back now that I'm feeling better."
Hershel chewed on his breakfast and looked at me steadily.
"I know you don't know anything about me and your all just being cautious..but they have meaning for me. I need them back."
Everyone was silent, you could feel the air tense up around us, like everyone was holding their breath.
"Give her shit back to her," Daryl said not looking up from his food.
The look on everyone's face was the same, shock.
I looked across the table at him and he met my eyes as I gave him a look that said clearly, thank you.
"It's hers. Give it back." Daryl said as he saw Hershel still looking at him skeptically.
Finally Hershel nodded and gave his plate back to Carol.
"I'll go fetch them for you," Hershel said leaning on his cane for support as he stood up.
"Thank you," I said to Daryl as soon as the old man was inside.
Daryl nodded as he finished his plate, "You should be armed staying in that tower anyway."
I smiled brilliantly at him. He quickly got up, hiding his face and gave his plate to Carol.
"When Hershel gets back with your weapons, meet me up there and we'll start clearing it out," he said before he walked off with his hair hanging in front of his face.
"So what's going on with you and Daryl?" Carol asked as soon as he was out of earshot.
"Whad'ya mean?" I asked.
"Well first of all, Daryl is probably the most cautious of all of us here and the quietest. He's doesn't speak up much, especially for people he just met. Secondly, the minute you smiled at him his face got as red as a foxes tail."
"No it didn't!"
"Oh yeah, why do you think he got up and left. He was hiding it from you. But I saw."
"Nothing's going on, he's just helping me clean out the guard tower. Anyone of you would do the same right?"
"Yeah, but Daryl would have never been the first to volunteer," Carol said peeking at me out if the corner of her eye as she washed up the dishes.
"We get along well, that's all," I said looking down at the table and tracing the wood with my finger.
"Really well I would say," Carol said smirking.
I was about to say something back to her when I was interrupted by Hershel's return, carrying my small arsenal of weapons in his hands.
"If Daryl trusts you enough to give them back to you, then so do we," he said smiling at me.
"Thank you Hershel," I said taking my weapons from him.
I tied my katana at my hip and strapped the band of throwing knives diagonally across my chest. The sai I had to slip on like a jacket so they could hang just under my arms for easy access. The field knife I strapped to my thigh. Finally I slung my M4 across my back, hanging by its thick strap. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding, with my weapons back in their home,I felt like I could finally breathe freely again. The comforting weight of each one making me more calm and sure of myself. When I finally looked back at Hershel he was standing there with a somewhat sorrowful look in his eyes.
"Its a shame..." he finally said, "A pretty little blonde-headed, blue eyed thing like you shouldn't have to gear up for war to feel safe. This world has changed so much...I see my daughters when I look at you...at what they will have to become to survive and it breaks my heart."
I stepped over to him and put my hand on his shoulder, "Yes...the world changed and us along with it. Be proud of who your daughters are becoming Hershel, it might not be the life you would have chosen for them but they are doing what they can with what they have been given. They are survivors, and that alone should ease the pain of your broken heart."
Hershel nodded and gave my hand a squeeze before walking back inside. I watched him walk away, wondering what my parents and brother would think of me, the way I am now. I gripped the handle to my katana, letting it dig into my palm. No, this isn't the life my parents wanted for their little girl but I would like to think they would be proud of the survivor I had become. This world would not break me. I would survive, and I was going to make sure these people survived along with me.