"Honey, you really should take a shower, now that you up and about. I can give you some clothes."
Harley put the book down and glanced at the pale woman in bed. She sighed, realising she was right, since the dirt and blood was caked to her body. "That'd be nice. I don't really have much clothes."
2 weeks had passed, and Harley started to feel more and more at home. The people had all accepted her it seemed, and even Shane gave her an unsure smile every now and then. Babysteps, she said to herself while thinking about the man. He always seemed nervous for some reason.
They were all discussing tactics on how to defend the prison. Harley was glad when Rick had involved her and it put her mind at ease, knowing she would be able to protect these people when neccessary. When her head was feeling well enough, Harley had offered to keep watch. Rick had accepted it gratefully, and she now had morning shifts every two days. When she wasn't on watch, she would help out wherever she could.
She had grown close to Rick and his family, and she often sat down in Lori's cell, who was currently recovering from giving birth to Judith. The woman was a calming person, and the way she spoke to Harley somehow reminded her of her own mother. The more she thought about her new friends, the more she got attached to these people. She knew she shouldn't, because a part of her still wanted to track down the killers, though a part of her told her to relax and take it easy.
"In the bag over there are some new clothes. Didn't get a chance to wear it yet. Take whatever you need." Lori said with a smile. Harley smiled back, grateful for being able to put on some new clothes. The girl closed her book and stood up. When she opened the bag, she grabbed a white tanktop and long jeans. Harley hoped it would fit her, considering that Lori was taller than her. Harley smiled once more at the woman and walked to her own cell then, to grab panties and her leather jacket.
The person in front of her scared her; the once so brown and uplifting eyes looked hollow and sad. Her hair was sticking to her face, while the mud was spread all over her neck and arms. Sighing, Harley undid herself from the filthy clothes and stepped into the shower. Even though the shower was ice cold, she enjoyed it anyhow.
When she was all cleaned up and dressed in a new pair of clothing, she threw the clothes in the basket in the corner.
The sound of splitting wood echoed over the field. Harley walked towards the plank and grasped the knife out of it. The circle in the middle, that she had managed to create from some left over graffiti from Glenn, was already splintering.
"Unbelievable."
Harley glanced at Dale. "Why, thank you." she chuckled while positioning herself. While she tried to concentrate, she clutched the knife in her right hand and aimed at the dot in the middle. She in- and exhaled as slow as possible and lifted her arm backwards with full force before throwing the knife to the circle. It carved a few inches away from the dot in the middle. "Shouldn't have left my glasses at home." Harley grumbled unsatisfied as the perfectionist she was. She walked towards the wood and repeated the process until she hit the dot in the middle. Dale applauded and Harley nodded sheepish.
"Cool! Where did you learn that?!"
Harley turned around and looked at Carl, who had dropped deadwood and ran to her to see the show. "Honestly? I played darts in the pub on friday night. I became a lame-o once I hit the 20's. Doing nothing but drinking beer and listen to old music." she chuckled while Carl investigated the set up target.
"Playin' darts my ass."
The voice from the redneck startled her, and there he was, right behind her.
"Well, goodday to you too." Harley said dryly while she walked over to the target to get the knife. Merle smirked and nodded at the target. "Got som' serious throwin' skills there, princess." he said as he finished his sentence with a whistle. Harley laughed, but stopped when Merle was licking his lips and waggling his eyebrows. Dale shook his head and turned around, while Carl was still focussed on the target. "If ya can hit tha', maybe ya can hit on ol' Merle s'well, huh?" he rasped heatedly. Harley rolled her eyes and Merle walked towards the door. "I'd make it worth ya time, princess, trus' me," he said, while walking away. "—ain' nobody goin' ta refuse ol' Merle 'ere, got som' serious skills on dem pu—"
His words were cut off by the sound of a knife hitting wood. Merle startled, darting his eyes to the sound and seeing the knife that was practically stuck next to his head. He grasped the knife out of the wood and turned around in disbelief. "What? Sorry, still practising. Forgot my glasses at home." Harley chuckled Dale and Carl had turned around in shock now aswell. Merle let the knife fall down while he opened the door, murmering something about 'ninja bitch'.
It was nearly midnight, and Harley had made herself comfortable on the lower bunk bed. The book that was resting in her hands, was distracting her from all the madness in the world. That was the main reason why she read books in the first place; to read about things she never could and would do.
"Evenin' princess."
The voice made her jump up, and she hit her head to the bed above her. "Fuck!' she hissed, while white lights were blurring her view. Her head had just healed from the concussion, which made this even more painful. "Oh fuck." she heard Merle growl while he ran towards her and lifted her up. He put her down on the chair next to her bed. "What, was knocking too much trouble?!" she exclaimed while rubbing her eyes. Merle grinned sheepish. "Sorry, didn' mean ta scare ya." he offered in response. Harley slowly opened her eyes again to look at him. "Yeah? Is that what you told all the kids too?" she teased, while sticking her tongue out at him. Merle smirked and shook his head. He sat down on her bed and glanced at her. "Here ta talk 'bout somethin'." he said more serious this time. Something about his words caught her attention. "Yeah? well, speak up then." she said while waving her hands. Merle chuckled darkly. "Officer friendly 'n us talked 'bout partnerin' people up, 'case somethin' 'appens when tha' shit'ead comes ta play. Partner's 'r goin' ta make up their own strategy. Ya partnered up wi' mah brotha."
Harley tried to process everything quickly, snorting and rolling her eyes when she heard about being partners with Daryl. "You're kidding." she grumbled. Merle shook his head, and she swore that she saw an amused glance in his eyes. "Nah, I'm bein' dead serious, princess. Mah brotha 's pretty darn good with tha' bow of his. Ya good with dem knives. Perfect match."
A brown strand of hair fell in front of her eyes and she quickly brushed it behind her ear. Daryl and her? They hadn't talked since their.. conflict. They looked at each other occasionally, but they both didn't attempt to interact with each other.
"Well, sorry to disappoint, but that's not gonna happen." she said harshly while she pierced her eyes into his. Merle raised her eyebrows at him and noticed the way she looked. "Ya got a problem wi' my brotha?" he said blankly. His reaction rather surprised Harley. "Me? Hell no, he's got a problem with me."
Merle seemed to reconsider. "Whad'dya do tha 'im? he wondered as he looked back at Harley again. Harley bit her lower lip. "Told him you were an asshole."
She didn't know why she told him; Merle was agressive, far as she knew, and to openly admit something like this could be dangerous with someone like him. Harley's cheeks reddened and she gazed down at her hands.
Merle snickered. "Well you's a true charmer, princess. Ya ain' lyin', tho." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I ain' goin' ta play Dr Phil. Ya two need ta git it togetha, for dis group's sake. Dis ain' no fire drill, we talkin' 'bout tanks 'n bullets here. Suggest ya go 'ave a friendly conversation wi' 'im, as a good girl."
Harley raised her hand. "How now, good girl? What, I'm your pet now? Why don't you go talk to him yourself?" she fired back while plucking her nails. Merle snorted and growled under his breath. "Fine. Jus' do me a favor, don' try ta kill 'em like back in tha woods." he finally said before he stood up. "How's tha head?" he wondered while nodding at her. Harley shrugged. "Hurts."
Merle grinned. "Got som' booze in my cell, tha' will easen tha pain. Ya welcome ta join me. We can make som' sweet love—" "Yeah, dream on, asshole."