Okay, so I think we all need to keep calm after 7x01. I will not do spoilers, but I'm really shattered. I have to thank galwidanatitud for leaving a review, it really cheered me up. Please, leave reviews so I now what you think about this fic and its development. Here I leave a new (and short) chapter, which is the beginning of problems and tension and everything. Let me know if you find any mistake.
"This have to be a joke..." I mumbled. I took two steps to move away from the edge of the upper floor and grabbed Beth's wrist. "Why do you keep them here?"
Beth sighed and stayed silent for a few seconds.
"My dad says that they're sick people and one day somebody will find a cure," my heart sank when those words went out of her mouth. I thought Beth was smart enough to know that there wasn't any cure, "and when that happens, my mother and stepbrother will be with us again."
"Beth… I've been sleeping next to that barn for weeks!" Exasperate, I raised my voice over the Walkers growls. "What if they… escape?"
"The barn is secure, Scar." Although Beth kept insisting, I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen if the door of that hellish barn opened. We could be all dead…
"I have to tell Rick…" I whispered, looking at the bodies below.
"No!" Beth lifted her voice for the first time since we met, making me look at her surprised. Did she want me to keep a secret that dangerous?
"Beth…"
"They will kill them; you can't say anything."
"They're already dead!"
"I'm not like you, I would never kill my mother."
I shut my mouth as a wave of rage filled my chest. I couldn't believe she was throwing that argument to my face.
She continued. "I thought I could trust you."
Beth turned around and left the barn. I stood there, observing the bodies that kept walking around and showing their teeth. In the darkness, I wished I had never found my mother.
I decided to sleep on my tent, sure as hell that Beth didn't want me in her room. I didn't want to be there, either. I entered the tent and lied on the uncomfortable floor. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep to forget everything, but it was hard when my place of sleep was near a barn full of Walkers.
Anyway, tiredness and lack of sleep helped me when I stopped thinking.
"Charlie told me I would never be a teacher because I don't know how to write." Said Scarlett, sat on the sofa next to her brother.
"Charlie doesn't know how to treat other children, doesn't he?" Exclaimed her mother, inside the kitchen. Seconds later, she was out with a plate full of cupcakes.
Automatically, Marko and Scarlett left the sofa and sat around the table. Their mother put two pancakes on their plates and shed syrup on them.
"It doesn't matter…" Said Scarlett, with true sadness on her voice. "It's true I don't know how to write. Russian and English are very different, mommy!"
Internally, Allison blamed her husband for wanting their children to learn Russian before the age of five. Marko was a smart kid and had no problem in school, but little Scarlett… Five years-old and she still preferred Russian over English, something that her grades evidenced.
"We will keep working on it. From now on, no more Russian writing. We will learn English for a while, okay?" Scarlett nodded, but still had a pout on her lips. "Honey, don't listen to Charlie… you will be a great teacher and all kids will love you like you love Mrs. Collins."
"Really?" A smile emerged on Scarlett face.
"Of course, sunshine. Don't let people drag you down, you will get everything you propose."
I woke up at sunrise. I left my tent and looked at the barn, sighing. It was like I could hear Walkers growling and pushing the door to get out. The thought gave me goosebumps.
Then, I remembered Daryl. While showering the night before, I had heard Rick and Shane talking about an accident during his run. Instinctively, I walked toward his tent. It was open and I could see Daryl changing his shirt. He had a bandage around his side and a bloodstain was beginning to appear on it. But what really caught my attention were the enormous scars that crossed his back. They were clear, everywhere.
"Daryl?"
He immediately put a shirt on and turned around, looking really pissed off. In that moment, I knew he didn't want anyone to see his back.
"Geez, girl, don't you know the meaning of privacy?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't know that you…" I shut up for seconds, pretty intimidated by his face. Then, I bent down. "I-I… I just came to see if you were okay, I'm sorry."
"Well, I think I look okay."
"Yeah, sure…" I stayed there for a moment, not knowing what to say. I really wanted to converse with him, but why did he made it so hard? "And… what happened?"
"I fell off a horse and an arrow was buried in my side. Then, your friend shot me."
"My friend?" I frowned, not knowing who was he talking about. Beth didn't know how to hold a gun, much less shoot.
"Andrea."
Oh, that friend…
"I bet she didn't do it in purpose."
"I know that."
There was another awkward silence when I thought about the barn again. Maybe Daryl could do something and keep the secret at the same time. But I didn't want to expose the Greene family. God knew how would Rick react…
"Do you have anything to wash? I think I'll help Lori and Carol with laundry."
He shook his head and I stood up. His voice made me stop.
"I'm sorry about your mom. Rick told me. It sucks…"
"Yes, it does."
One week later, I was sitting in front of a pretty recovered Carl, watching how he did his homework. Lori wasn't feeling alright and commended me the task of helping him with his studies. I couldn't deny her offer, I missed teaching kids and he was a good student. Besides, it was another way of distracting me from the new, grotesque world.
Beth was still mad. She didn't talk to me and avoid me anytime I saw her. She began the training with Shane, always under her father's supervision. And even so I hadn't say a word about the barn.
"I finished." Carl handed me his homework, interrupting my thoughts. I half-smiled and took the little notebook to check his answers. I was explaining him one of his mistakes when Carol called us for lunch. I closed the notebook and put the plate on my lap.
Everyone was eating in silence, enjoying Carol's food, when Glenn stood up. He seemed agitated and nervous, which made me feel curious.
"Um, guys…" He began, touching his chin. His hands were shaking. "So… the barn is full of walkers."
