Alexandria's break ended and our lives were thrown back into motion one day when Daryl and Rick went on a run together.
"This isn't medicine, is it?" I asked Daryl. He was getting ready—checking his bag and his gun and knife, slipping on his vest. I was sitting in bed, wrapped up in the blankets.
I had gotten up earlier than Daryl, to tend to the crops and go on a run. The morning air had been cold, though, and I had always been a baby about the cold.
"I feel like you're gonna be a pain in the ass when it really gets cold. Lemme see that." Denise had made a list of things to stock the infirmary with for Daryl and Rick to take with them.
I ignored Daryl's teasing and held the list out to him, pointing to the las thing Denise had written on the little scrap of paper.
"Nah, I think that's soda," Daryl said, his brow furrowing as he read the words. He folded the list and shoved it in his back pocket, barely taking the time to bother with folding it.
"Anything you want us to look for out there?" He slung his backpack over one shoulder and leaned down to kiss me.
"It'd be nice if you could come back in one piece," I told him, which made him smirk.
"I think I can manage that, darlin'. Think about leavin' that cocoon you made for yourself, huh?"
"I'll think about it…but that doesn't mean I'll do it. See you when y'all get home."
He kissed me again before walking out of our bedroom door. I snuggled into the covers to catch a little bit more sleep. I was going to have to be up all night anyway, because it was my night for standing watch at the wall. Eventually I did leave the blanket cocoon, but I got right into the shower when I did.
I was actually an hour or so into my shift on the wall when Daryl and Rick got back.
"You wanna get it or should I?" I shouted over to Abraham. We were on watch together. Usually, Eugene was on gate duty—just about the only job he trusted himself with. But he had gone home to use the bathroom.
"You get it. I'll keep watch."
I climbed down from my post and pulled the gate open. They had come back in the car they left in, with nothing else. That didn't really speak well for their run.
But the car wasn't entirely empty. Even though it was dark, I could see enough from the headlights that Rick was alone in the front seat but there was two people in the back seat.
I waited on the ground until they parked. Rick got out first, opening the backseat and pulling someone out by the feet.
"You got his head?" he asked.
As I walked closer, I heard Daryl answer with a "Yeah."
"Who's that?" I asked. Rick walked backward, pulling the person to reveal a man with long hair half covered by a beanie and a beard.
"Paul. Jesus. Whatever," Daryl mumbled as he stepped out of the car, his hands hooked under the man's armpits. I thought he was making a joke about the man looking like Jesus because of his hair and beard.
"Y'all, uh, need help with our Lord and Savior there?"
"No, we're taking him to Denise. But thanks." Rick said as they hurried away. The man was about their size, so I reckoned he must have been heavy. I shrugged and climbed back to my post.
"Who was that they had with 'em?" Abraham asked.
"Jesus."
"Well I'll be damned," Abraham said, shaking his head.
"I think you're supposed to be saved in his presence."
"He's got a lot of work to do with this shithole of a world."
"Amen," I told him, earning myself a chuckle.
Abraham and I were done at roughly 5 a.m. Of course, we had no idea if that was the actual time or not. The Alexandrians had a few clocks running when we arrived, and any watches or clocks that had been found since were synchronized to those clocks. But even Deanna had admitted they probably weren't right.
And Abraham wasn't even done. He still had a perimeter sweep to do on the outer side of the wall. At first I thought he was crazy to want to do back-to-back shifts like that…until I realized Sasha was his perimeter sweep partner. Abraham had been finding any reason to be around Sasha since we dealt with the horde.
As soon as Glenn and Tara came to relieve us, I went to the house we used as a holding cell of sorts. I knew Daryl was there, standing guard.
"Hey," I told him. "How's the second coming?"
"Still unconscious, I reckon," Daryl answered with a shrug. His wrists and feet were bound pretty good when Daryl and Rick brought him in, so there didn't seem to be any reason for Daryl to be in the actual room with him. Outside the door should have been good enough in his state.
"I'm surprised you're not." When we had been on the road, we were used to staying awake for days on end. Thanks to Alexandria, we actually had somewhat normal sleep schedules again.
Daryl shrugged. He wouldn't admit it, but I could tell he was tired with the way he kept shifting his weight from foot to foot. Trying to keep moving a little, helping to keep himself awake.
"What about you?" He asked, reaching out and tugging one of the curls that had come loose from my braid. Daryl was always doing that, pulling lightly at my curls.
"Do you want a break?" a voice said behind us before I could answer. Daryl looked up and I turned to see Denise.
"You offerin'?"
"Yeah, I woke up when Tara left anyway. And you've both been up all night, so I figured a changing of the guards all around was in order."
I looked over at Daryl, to see if he would let Denise take a turn or if his stubborn pride would win out. I guess he was a lot more tired than he let on, because he just nodded his head and asked Denise if she had a weapon with her.
"I'll just make sure he's still sleeping."
Daryl unlocked the door and walked quietly inside. I stayed on the outside with Denise. I was just about to ask her why she had put orange Crush soda on her list for Daryl when we both heard him shout.
"Son of a bitch, the bastard's gone!"
Before rushing in, I told Denise over my shoulder, "Go tell Glenn and Abraham and Rick!"
I helped Daryl check the holding cell house completely, but he was right: Jesus was gone.
I kind of wanted to make a resurrection joke, but I knew it wouldn't be appreciated at the moment. Instead, I followed Daryl back out and towards Rick's house.
It looked like maybe we were underestimating who we were dealing with.
