Christie slowly made her way to the gates, a hooded sweatshirt zipped up tight, the hood pulled up. She felt like a complete idiot, but she didn't feel like explaining away her new bruises and the cut on her neck. It would only rile Mitchell up, and she wasn't ready to explain anything to him.
"You're seriously cold?" Mitchell laughed as she walked up. He knew she was easily cold, and the air was a bit crisp, even with the weather warming more and more everyday, but he was still surprised at how cold she got.
"For now." she nodded, trying not to cringe as she did so. "Are we ready?" she asked as she looked around. Rick and Daryl stood closest to each other, two others standing away a bit chatting between themselves. "You take Rick, head south, Riley and Scott head west, Dixon and I will head east?"
"We'll meet back at the big oak and then head north." Mitchell nodded.
"Okay then, let's go!" Christie said as she set out. She'd never been much of a leader before this had started, really before they'd arrived at the colony, but she had gained confidence since then and was happy to boss people around as it turned out.
"You really that cold?" Daryl asked, slipping his crossbow over his head, ready to aim and fire at a seconds notice. He hadn't realized it before, but knowing he had his trusted weapon made him feel complete. It was an extension of him, practically another limb.
"I'm a little chilly." she replied truthfully. "I went by Stein's place this morning."
"Did you find anythin'?" he scanned the area around them, noticing the other two groups had disappeared already.
"He does have a guest." she pulled her hood back and revealed a swollen and bruised face, her lip cut. She looked as though she'd been in a boxing ring.
"What the hell happened?" he stopped and stared at her. "Same guy?"
"I didn't get a look at him." she sighed, angry with herself for being jumped like that. "I can only assume though."
"So he's got some strange guy hiding out at his place."
"A strange, armed guy." Christie stepped over a pile of twigs. "Said if I came back he'd kill me."
"Did you talk to that Reichert guy?" he asked as he stopped and surveyed the area.
"No." she shook her head. "Stein is to Reichert what you are to Rick." she chuckled at his confusion. "His right hand man. If Stein is hiding someone..."
"More than likely the little butterball knows." Daryl nodded in understanding. "Gonna tell your boy Mitchell?"
"I don't know what I'm gonna tell him." she shook her head. "I can't go around in a hood all the time. But I don't wanna tell him..."
"You think he's in on it?" Daryl's mind automatically went there, but he could tell from the look on her face that her's had not.
"No." she shook her head. "I don't want him going off half-cocked and getting hurt."
"You don't think he knows?" he asked as they stopped again and he again scanned the area.
"No.." she, too, scanned the area but didn't see or hear anything.
"Shh..." Daryl whispered. "Don't turn around."
"Why?" she resisted the urge to turn and try to see what he saw.
"We're bein' watched." he looked at her, keeping their watcher in sight out of the corner of his eye.
"Do you recognize them?" she asked.
"Can't see 'em too well." he looked at her. "A man...a bit larger than average from what I can tell. Sound like your man?"
"No." she shook her head. "This guy was about average height, kind of scrawny."
"So someone else is spyin' on us." he let his eyes flicker back over where he'd seen the man. "He's gone."
"Over on that ridge?" she asked, following his gaze.
"Yep."
"Come on." she motioned for him to follow. "You any good at tracking?" she asked.
"You could say that." he smiled as he took the lead.
"Not to be rude, but you look like hell." Mitchell observed Rick as they walked along.
"Long night." Rick shrugged.
"Fight with your wife?" Mitchell asked. "Been there, done that." he laughed.
"You married?"
"Was." Mitchell nodded, his smile quickly fading. "Lost her about a year ago now."
"Where you from?" Rick asked, noticing he didn't have a local accent.
"Chicago." was the reply. "I was a contractor before all this."
"Is that where you met Christie?"
"Outside of Chicago." Mitchell lifted his rifle, looking through the scope when he heard a noise. "She was a wreck."
"All this goin' on, can't blame anyone for losin' it a bit." Rick admitted. "See anything?"
"Turkey." he lowered his gun. "Temping to shoot it, make a nice dinner, but can't risk the noise."
"Was she married?" Rick asked, realizing he knew next to nothing about the woman who had risked her own good standing to help him and his people.
"Nah." Mitchell shook his head. "College kid, was gonna be an English teacher overseas."
"Guess that plan's gone to hell now."
"Teaching foreigners English is the least of our worries now." he stopped when Rick held his hand up and motioned ahead. Listening carefully he could hear the sound of twigs breaking.
They split and headed around a small grouping of trees and came back around to meet as a few stray walkers approached. Each put their guns down at their sides and picked up the knife and machete each carried and quickly and quietly dispersed of the walkers.
"Why all six of us heading north?" Rick asked.
"They seem to converge over there." Mitchell bent down and used some leaves to wipe the blade of his machete clean. "Don't know what it is about that area, but they flock to it."
"So you pick off these few so they don't cause more trouble over there." the reasoning seemed logical to him.
"Gold star to you, sir." Mitchell got up and sheathed his machete. "We'll give it a bit longer and then head for the oak." he informed the other man.
"Sounds good." Rick pulled his gun again. It was louder, but it was faster in a pinch. "Guns'll be used over in the north I guess."
"Keep this up, you'll be covered in those gold stars." Mitchell laughed.
"How was patrol?" Beth asked as she took a seat on the patio across from Daryl. She was going stir-crazy doing nothing but shooting practice and housework.
"Fine." he shrugged as he lit a cigarette. He had no luck tracking down whoever it had been spying on he and Christie during patrol, and that still bothered him. "How was practice?" he asked.
"Well, you were out with Christie, so someone else gave us our lesson." Beth made a face. "He wasn't as bad as the Stein guy, but I still like her more."
"She seems decent enough." he admitted. His mind was still trying to find a way to find out who Stein's guest was without endangering anyone.
"You like sittin' out here?" she asked, realizing it was a stupid question. Why else would be sit out in the backyard all the time?
"No, I hate it." he looked at her and couldn't help but laugh a bit. She'd been trying hard lately to start conversations with him and she kept it up even if she looked or sounded like an idiot doing so. "You don't always have to be chatty."
"I know." she looked down nervously. "We don't really know each other too well...and...we live in the same house, we've been traveling together for months now..."
"We don't have to be friends, neither." he pointed out. "Watch each other's back and all, but don't have to be more than that." Her attempts to become friendly with him made him a bit uncomfortable if he was to be honest.
"I think of most of you as more than just friends." Beth explained. "Most of you are like family to me..."
Daryl sighed. He knew what her family was like. Loving parents, a sister who'd die for her and he felt sure Beth would give her life for her father and sister. "You know every family is different." he looked at her. "Not all of us were like you, growin' up with the damn Waltons."
Beth stared at him, the tone of his voice held a certain bitterness and sadness to it. "I know..." she said. "I've heard..."
"Hearin' ain't nothin'." he got to his feet and began pacing. "You've never had to worry about pissin' anyone off so bad, over nothin', that they'll beat you for it."
Beth just stared at him. She knew nothing about his past, and this sudden outburst was giving her a glimpse into what made him the man who stood before her.
"You had a mamma and daddy who love you, a sister who'd lay down her life for you." he just kept going. Being around the Greenes made him feel bitter at times. He had always wanted that kind of thing as a kid. Two loving parents, a sibling who'd never let you down. Instead he had a dead mother, a father who beat the shit outta him and a brother who left as soon as he was able. "You've heard..." he spat.
"I'm sorry." her voice could barely be heard. "I didn't..." she swallowed hard. "I'm sorry you had to deal with all that." she got to her feet and slowly walked towards the man who paced back and forth like a caged animal.
"Just get so sick of happy families who can't understand that not all of us have that." he stopped pacing when he realized she was moving towards him. "You're sorry?" he asked as he backed away from her. "Sorry don't do make it go away, princess." he moved past her, grabbed his cigarettes and went back into the house leaving Beth staring after him. All she had wanted to do was try to make peace and she felt as though she had done nothing more than open old wounds.