A/N: So, from today London and surrounding counties are entering tier 4, so basically another fucking lockdown. I understand why, I get the safety reasons and that cases in this area increased tremendously, but for fuck sake. For the past three weeks, I bust my ass at work, took so much overtime that I barely saw my husband and kid, just to find out that Christmas is canceled. Don't get me wrong, we expected another lockdown, but not before Christmas. The only thing that people were looking for in these grim times.
On top of that, writing season four provides a real challenge, I'm not sure why but I really struggle with fitting Elena in there. Hopefully, once we get to season five it'll pass. Hope you'll enjoy it and sorry for my vent.
Day 483
I shifted my weight from one leg to another and stared the woman in front of me down, my lips pressed in a thin line, trying to not show any emotions. In fact, I tried my best to not burst out laughing, but Carol should be scared for making my life right now miserable.
"It ain't working on me, Eli," She snorted and focused on meat that was slowly cooking on the grill of our open kitchen. In a few weeks, we would probably have to move back inside the cafeteria, with autumn's weather bringing cold chills in the morning and evenings. But for now, we tried to enjoy whatever warmth was left throughout the day.
"All I'm saying, Carol, is that you should get used to it by now, and your attempts at making me uncomfortable are futile," My voice was unshaken, and I cocked one brow at the older woman, trying to prove my point.
"Then you really should turn it down a notch," Came from behind me, and I snorted, facing Maggie as she came around to help herself to some breakfast.
"You, lady, are the last person who can talk. At least I don't have a father in here who has to listen to all that Glenn is doing to you."
"OK, no arguing before breakfast, Eli. But Carol got the point. Usually, you try to keep it down, but last night I bet even D heard you," Maggie replied, wiggling her eyebrows and smirking in my direction.
I couldn't argue with her, and I felt myself blush under their gaze. "Alright, so maybe last night was- um- yeah, we'll try."
"Oh my God, Eli! You never shy away from sex talk," Carol stated and placed a fork down next to the grill, placing her hands on her hips, grinning like an idiot. "What happened?"
"Um- " Luckily, I didn't have to answer that. I heard voices around me, all of them greeting Daryl as he made his way through the courtyard to where we stood.
"Right. I'm off for watch, but we ain't finished with that conversation, Eli," Maggie said in a stern voice, pointing her finger at me, and slowly she walked away towards the guard tower.
A hunk of a man in a dark sleeveless shirt was making his way towards us, his step springy, and there was a soft smile on his lips. It grew bigger when his eyes landed on me, and my heart skipped a beat, my stomach fluttering with excitement, like every time I saw Daryl.
"Well, he seems chirpy this morning," Carol sing-songed, and my eyes landed briefly on her face, narrowing for a moment.
"Shut it, Peltier," I whispered, hoping that Daryl won't realize what we were talking about just moments prior to his arrival.
"Morning, Daryl," I smiled softly at all the voices around us and how much they respected this man I was proud to call mine.
"What's up, Doctor S?" Daryl replied, with a small nod towards our physician, and finally, he was standing there, mere inches from me. His hand went around my shoulder, and he pulled me closer, placing a small kiss on my forehead.
"Ya were gone when I woke up," His husky voice, as always, was sending me to the dreamland, wishing that we were alone on an island, just two of us, so no one would complain about noise volume.
"Merle and I had to check the snares," I answered, placing a kiss of my own just under his jaw. "I think we should move them soon. And maybe tomorrow we could grab the big freezer from the cabin? We should start preparing for the winter."
Daryl nodded, and his eyes went to the food on the grill and to Carol, who was making sure that everything was edible. "Smells good."
Carol cocked her eyebrow and glanced around behind the man, at the people who were still shouting at Daryl. Seriously, it was like being with a celebrity these days. For some reason, I was the one to come to when you needed a severe and business-like conversation, but if you just wanted to chat, they went to Dixon. Fucking ridiculous, if you ask me, considering that just months ago Daryl hated being around others.
"Just so you know," Carol started, and her lips curved into a small smile. She gestured between her and me and continued. "We liked you first."
"Pff," Daryl blushed at her words, and his eyes snapped to me, looking for some kind of reaction, but I just nodded vigorously. "Shut up."
"No, it's true," I defended Carol's statement with a serious note in my voice. "Though, I called dibs."
"El!"
"Oh, she did. I remember back on the farm, Eli was making sure I have zero romantic interest in you," Carol giggled, when Daryl lowered his face in embarrassment, and I gasped at her words.
"Fuck, Carol. Girl code. Some shit just stays between us!" I told her, making her laugh lauder, and I felt Daryl's hand gripping my shoulder just a tad too hard.
"Alright, sorry, guys. But really, Daryl. You're like a hero to a lot of them."
"Ya know Rick brought a lot of 'em too," The hunter replied and snatched a piece of meat from the grill, not bothering with a plate.
"Not recently," Carol's voice grew somber, and we hummed in response. Rick, indeed, took a proper step back those couple of months. He stayed mainly in the outer courtyard, farming and taking care of pigs and a horse Michonne brought back a few weeks ago.
"Well, El did," Daryl argued, trying to steer attention out of himself.
"Oh, I know. But you are a hero to most of them, while she's the Boss."
"Yay, me," I mumbled and followed Daryl's steps taking some meat and plopping it in my mouth.
"Sorry, girl. They all respect both of you. But they see you as a proper authority, harder to connect to you."
"Hey, I'm not complaining," I told them, and it was the truth. I knew my strengths and that people valued my opinion. Not everybody in prison had to fucking like me for my dashing personality, as long as they respected what I had to say.
"Anyway. I need you two to see something. Patrick, you want to take over?" Carol spoke and turned to the teen that was helping her with breakfast this morning. He was sweet and shy, especially for seventeen. He was closer to Carl and other kids in prison than Beth or Zack, who were closer to his age.
The boy nodded and pushed his glasses up, nervous tick I spotted on him when he was around adults. "Yes, ma'am."
We turned around to walk away to wherever Carol needed us to go when Patrick's voice stopped us.
"Mr. Dixon, I just wanted to thank you for bringing that deer back yesterday." I rolled my eyes and shared a smirk with the woman while stepping aside from the hunter's embrace. "It was a real treat, sir. And I'd be honored to shake your hand."
I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to hide my laugh at how stiff Daryl's whole body went, and I noticed that Carol was having the same issue. She was covering it better, though, wrapping her amusement behind an encouraging smile.
Patrick stood there with an outstretched hand, his eyes shining with hope, while Daryl was glancing between the limb and boy's face, unsure what to do. Finally making a decision, he licked his fingers to get rid of grease from the meat he ate and clasp his big hand over Patrick's. I bit on my lip hard, trying not to burst, and watched as they had a moment.
Carol started walking, and I quickly followed her, both of us giggling and bumping shoulders at the scene that we just witnessed.
"Alright, ya two. Shut it," Daryl grumbled, and I raised my eyebrows at him, slowly shaking my head.
"Not a chance, Big Boy. You stole my thunder, made everyone believe it's your deer, so you suffer when I laugh at how uncomfortable it made you."
"We both shot at it, woman," Daryl replied and sneaked his arm around my waist, pulling me close to his side as we walked.
"Yeah. My arrow pierced the lung. And your bolt got the liver. Ergo the deer was mine. But don't worry, I feel generous and allow you to take credit," I teased him, looking up at his face.
"Oh, really. And how generous?" Daryl smirked at me, and I slowly licked my lips, a warm feeling spreading through my body. His voice dropped, and that was enough to send my mind back to last night and how we celebrated our successful hunting.
"God, it's like being around horny teenagers with you two," Carol's voice came from in front of us, but I just sent her a finger, which she snorted at.
We followed the gray-haired woman towards the fences, where several people were working already, stabbing and shoving pointy weapons through the chain-link.
"I'm not sure if we're going to be able to spare a lot of people for the run."
I glanced at the fences where indeed, more and more walkers were crowding, pushing against the metal.
"That place is good to go," Daryl replied, but I could see the worry on his face as he took in the view. "We've gotta move on it."
"Yeah. But the build-up was pretty big overnight. Dozens more towards tower three. It's getting as bad as last time."
"We might need to drive them away again then," I commented and shook my head. It's like every time we get rid of one problem, another one comes right at us. I turned to Carol, and all playfulness was gone from my voice. "We need the Big Spot, every day we attracting more walkers in there, and who knows what else. Take people from the watch, leave only one and four. That's enough to scan the area; they will just have to be more vigilant. And I'll tell Oscar to get his crew and help out on fences today as well."
Carol nodded and hummed, her eyes never leaving the threat in front of us. "Let's see if we can make a dent, but if it doesn't work, we'll have to think of something else."
"I know. Once we back and it's not getting better, I'll talk with Glenn about a possible route. Maybe try to steer them back to Atlanta."
"And that's why ya're the Boss," Daryl stated, making me smile, and we made our way back to the prison to prepare for today's run.
I passed the last bag and fuel canister to Daryl, and he placed them in the tail of a pick-up we were taking with us. I patted myself over, making sure that my knives were in place, and double-checked the mug of my Glock.
"Nothin' changed since last time ya checked," Daryl commented and strapped his bow to the back of the bike, so it won't be stabbing me in my chest while we ride. I rolled my eyes playfully at him and bit my lip.
"Oh, don't pretend you don't find it hot, Big Guy. Woman, who knows how to take care of any gun."
"El," Daryl's voice was low, rumbling in his chest, and his eyes went dark when he stepped closer to me, but Zach's cheerful tones broke us apart.
"Hey, I was just going to find you."
I glanced above Daryl's shoulder and watched as the young man strolled over to Beth, who just appeared, dressed in an apron and carrying pipe, ready to work on the fences.
"Hi," The girl replied, and they shared a kiss, Daryl huffed, and I elbowed him in the ribs, glaring at him. "What's up?"
"Well, the council pulled back everyone on the coal crew from going on the run," Zach replied, glancing quickly in my direction and then refocused on the woman in front of him. "They shorthanded right now. I figured I'd step up to help, go with them. Just you know, I wanted to make sure that I saw you before."
Beth was still smiling softly, but I could see it didn't reach her eyes even from where I was standing. "OK."
"Yeah. I just, because- you know, it's dangerous, going out there."
"I know," Beth nodded in understanding and leaned in, kissing Zach's cheek. After that, she started again for the fences, without even a glance back at her boyfriend. She didn't look at Daryl or me when she passed us, and I scrunched my nose, thinking about her behavior.
"You gonna say goodbye?" Zach shouted after her, confusion set on his face, looking after the young woman.
"Nope," She replied and walked away towards the fences.
Daryl snorted and shook his head, walking back towards the pick-up. "It's like a damn romance novel."
"Right," Zach replied and cocked his eyebrows, his eyes darting between hunter and myself, trying to make a point.
"Shut up," Daryl grunted and threw his bag into the trunk. I laughed at that and patted Zach's shoulder when I passed him to reach where Glenn and Sasha were preparing their transport.
Tyreese and his sister were both going this time, and I noticed the man trying to avoid eye contact with me at all costs. Interesting, I didn't do anything recently that would justify him avoiding me as far as I know.
Suddenly, Bob, our newest member, came out of the prison, with a backpack slung around his shoulder. He seemed cheerful and rose his hand in greeting, his dark eyes landing on Sasha, who propped her forearm on the car's door.
"Hey. I'd like to start pulling my weight around here," Bob announced, and I exchanged glances with Daryl before facing the Black man once more. I zipped my khaki jacket and fixed the strap of my MP5 over my shoulder.
"Bob, it's only been a week," Sasha told him in a stern voice.
"That's a week worth of meals and a roof over my head," The man argued, stepping closer to the ex-firefighter. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked him up and down. "Let me earn my keep."
"You were out on your own when Elena and Daryl found you," Sasha stated calmly, but there was hidden meaning behind her words.
"That's right."
"I just want to make sure you know how to play on a team."
"We ain't gonna do it unless it's easy," Daryl reminded Sasha and walked over to his bike, possibly to ignore the rest of the conversation. He already added his thoughts and felt justified to not participate any longer, like usual. I stepped closer to Sasha and took in Bob's posture. He seemed genuine, and a soft smile never left his lips when he was staring at the woman.
"You know, he was a medic in the Army," Glenn added from the opposite side of the car, and I hummed at that. It's never a bad idea to have someone on the run who knows how to treat wounds.
Sasha pressed her lips into a thin line and glanced to the side at me, a question in her eyes. I shrugged and started walking to Daryl. "It's your run, your call, Sasha."
"You a hell of a tough sell, you know that?" Bob told her, and I struggled to hold in the laugh that threatened to escape my lips. He was spot on. She wasn't trusting easily.
"OK," Sasha finally said, and I got onto the bike, circling my arms around Dixon. I loved being on his bike, to feel the wind in my hair and on my face with his warm body in front of me. I still hoped that he would teach me how to drive it one day, but so far, I was unlucky.
I glanced over my shoulder and noticed that the others already loaded into the vehicles, and I squeezed Daryl's waist a little harder. "We're ready."
Daryl hummed in response and started the bike, slowly driving towards the outer courtyard to the main gates. I smiled widely when I noticed a familiar figure standing next to Rick on a dirt road, and the hunter slowed down, finally stopping next to them.
"Well, look who's back," Daryl commented, and I grinned above his shoulder at the woman.
"Hey, Katana. Long time, no see."
She nodded in my direction, and her eyes landed on Dixon, face turning serious. "Didn't find him."
"Glad to see ya in one piece," Daryl told her straight away, not really bothered with what she told him. I knew that search was essential to him initially, but now our people's safety was a priority, and that included Michonne.
"I'm thinking of looking over near Macon." Rick clenched his jaw and looked away at her words, careful to not say something regretful. I sighed heavily and shook my head. "It's worth a shot."
"70 miles of walkers, ya might run into a few unneighborly types. Is it?" Daryl replied calmly, and I felt the pride of how he dealt with it.
"You can't just go all the way there on a whim. You would be all by yourself, out of our range," I added, trying to convince her to not do it.
"We gonna go check out the Big Spot," Daryl spoke again, this time directing his words to Rick, who nodded in acknowledgment. "The one I was talking about- just seeing."
"Yeah, I gotta go out and check the snares," Rick avoided our stares, and I puffed out a heavy breath.
"Rick, I did it just this morning, there's no need," His eyes snapped to mine, and I saw fear in them for a split second before he put his cop face back on.
"Still worth a shot. And you talked about changing them anyway, I might do that."
"I'll go," Michonne said, and already started for a car parked behind us, but Carl's voice stopped her.
"You just got here!" I almost forgot how attached young Grimes got to Katana, especially after everything that happened with her and Rick when he was considering giving her away to Governor.
"And I'll be back," She replied confidently, with a big smile towards the boy before she got into the car.
We parked our cars and Daryl's bike just outside of the fenced area to the shop we scouted nearly a week ago and slowly made our way towards the entrance. Bob was walking between hunter and me, his eyes scanning over the parking lot's open space. There were abandoned vehicles in there and tents all over the place, making me think how lucky we got at the very beginning. When we were scavenging, it seemed like every spot with even small traces of military had fallen quite early.
My mind wandered back to the early days, how pissed Shane was when he found out I was FBI and how others hoped for any kind of government support. But it seemed like that's what doomed those other people, and again I racked my brain how come that we made it, but those trained units didn't.
"Army came. Put those fences up, made it a place for the people to go," Daryl was explaining to Bob once we stopped by the gate.
"Last week on a search, we noticed it," I added and smirked at the new guy. "It was crawling with walkers."
Bob knitted his brows, and his eyes landed on me. "So they all just left?"
"Give a listen," Sasha added, her gun ready to shoot. I repositioned my own, so I had easy access to it and gripped it tightly, prepared to storm this place. We all stayed quiet for a moment, distanced notes of music echoing around us, and Michonne laughed softly.
"You drew them out."
"Yep. Dropped the boombox right over there," I pointed at the roof with a ramp, and she nodded.
"Hooked it up to two car batteries," Glenn provided. "Found out that with all her knowledge, Elena knows nothing about cars."
I glared at him but smiled none the less. "Yeah, well I managed in the end, didn't I?"
"All right, let's make a sweep," Daryl ordered and walked through the hole in the fence.
I stepped right after him and let my weapon drop to my side, pulling out the machete.
"Let's try to be quiet."
"Grab what ya can. We'll come back tomorrow with more people."
We made our way around the parking lot, checking for any strangles, but there was no walker left, so Daryl quickly made his way towards the door and pounded.
"Just give it a second." The hunter sat down on a short wall near the window, and I leaned my hip next to him, my eyes scouting for any incoming danger. Zach stood close to us, and his eyes narrowed, his face deep in thought. The boy licked his dry lips and finally looked over at us, nodding to himself.
"I think I got it," He told us, and I rolled my eyes.
"Got what?" Michonne asked, coming around and standing next to me, glancing between us for answers. I snorted and smiled in her direction.
"Zach is trying to guess what Daryl and I did before the turn."
"I'm pacing myself. One-shot a day."
"Been tryin' for weeks now," Daryl mumbled and finally looked at the young man. "Alright, let's hear it."
"Right. Elena, with how everyone respects you and listens to you around the prison. And how confident you are with making decisions- politician."
I nearly choked trying not to laugh, but Katana didn't have similar problems, shaking from amusement next to me.
"Yeah- no. Not enough self-control, kiddo," I told Zach, and he sighed heavily, shaking his head in disappointment.
"Fine, fine. Still, I think you lied when you said you weren't a cop."
"I didn't." Daryl gave me a pointed look, and I crossed my arms over my chest, giving him a cold stare. "Fine. And I'm telling you only because your guesses are getting more ridiculous every day."
I trained my eyes on Zach, whose face beamed with excitement to find out the truth, and I cleared my throat before continuing. "I really wasn't a cop. I was FBI."
The man's jaw dropped open, and his eyes searched mine and then darted to Daryl. He pointed the finger at me and huffed, struggling to find words.
"Right, OK. Well, I'll take it as a half-win," Zach finally spoke and then turned and sat down next to Daryl. "Your turn."
"Alright, shoot," As much as Daryl seemed annoyed by a younger man, I knew he enjoyed that part of the day. Yes, sure, he didn't like talking about himself and his past, but that constant bickering and guessing were as enjoyable for Dixon as it was for Zach.
"Well, the way you're at the prison, you being on the council, you're able to track, you're helping people, but you're still kind of- surly. Big swing here," Zach looked over at Michonne and then me for any indication that he's on the right track. "Homicide cop."
I shot my eyes to Katana, who was next to me, and watched her eyes grew wide and then scrunch. We both burst out laughing, but she tried to cover it while I placed my hands on my knees, barely controlling my fit.
"What's so funny?" Daryl asked with a small smirk.
"Nothing, nothing. It makes perfect sense."
"Oh, God. I imagined it!" Was my reply, and Michonne started laughing all over again.
"Actually, the man's right," Daryl said, his voice casual, and I bit my bottom lip harshly, trying to maintain a blank facial expression. "Undercover."
Breathe, Elena. Breathe. I had to shift, so my face won't be visible to the men and shut my eyes tightly, trying not to laugh out loud at what Daryl was saying.
"Come on, really?" Zach's voice was a mixture of excitement and disbelief. Couldn't blame him, he was trying for so long, and this guess was really different from all the other ones.
"Yep. I don't like to talk about it 'cause it was a lot of heavy shit, ya know?" Daryl's blue eyes found mine, and I could see a spark and twinkle in them. He really enjoyed playing along and feeding Zach this bullshit. He winked at me, and I barely managed to keep myself quiet.
"Dude, come on, really?" Finally, Dixon gave the younger man a pointed look, and I breathed out loudly, giggling to myself and shaking my head.
"OK. I'll just keep guessing, I guess."
"Yeah, ya keep doin' that." That was the moment that one of the geeks inside the store decided to throw himself on a window, startling Zach. Daryl stood up and grabbed his crossbow, firmly moving towards the door, whistling at the others.
"We're gonna do this, detective?" Michonne asked mockingly, and I snorted, following behind them.
"Let's do it."
This place was like a blessing, still fully supplied, definitely fell down early on, but no one was willing to get close because of the walker population. I pushed the trolley full of stock out, and with Sasha's help, we loaded the food I gathered onto the pick-up. I smiled at the woman next to me and was ready to say something when we heard a racket coming from inside.
Fear gripped at my heart, and I run back inside, not waiting for Sasha, a shopping cart long forgotten. I got back inside, and my eyes were darting around, trying to find the reason for the noise. I followed Glenn to the wine aisle and noticed Daryl crouching by the shelves that had fallen down.
"You alright?" I asked him, quickly scanning over his body, looking for signs of injury. Daryl was using his torch to check under the wooden structure, but when he heard my voice, he glanced over his shoulder and nodded quickly.
"Yeah. But Bob's trapped under there," Hunter replied, and I gave an involuntary sign of relief. "Ya alright? Ya cut or somethin'?"
"No, man. But, um- my foot is caught," I heard Bob reply, and I automatically walked to the other side and beckoned Sasha with me.
"Alright. He's just caught."
Daryl, Zach, and Tyreese grouped on the opposite side, and together we tried to lift the shelves up to free the man. Glenn came in shouting, trying to find out what happened, but we told him that we are okay. The men picked up the first shelf, giving them clear access to the second one, where Bob was, and I locked my eyes with Daryl, waiting for his signal to start lifting.
"Ready, Big Guy?"
"Yeah, on three."
Before we could start suddenly, part of the roof ripped open to our left, and a walker fell down, caught on the installation, his middle tangled in cables. My eyes widened, and when I looked up, I saw that there was more of them lurking around, waiting to drop down.
"Go, go!" I pushed Sasha and quickly followed her, going to where the others stood. Back there, we would be cornered, with low chances of escaping, trapped between our guys and walkers.
"Yeah, uh, we should probably go. Now," Glenn stated, but I looked down to the shelf still covering the Black man.
"We can't. Bob's still trapped."
"Get him out of there," Daryl ordered, and with Zach, they tried to raise the wooden object while I stretched out and laced my fingers around Bob's forearm. Once I had a good grip on it, I started to pull, but all hell broke loose and other walkers started dropping down. Daryl pulled at my middle and shot his bow at the geek that landed just inches from me.
"Fuck!" I mumbled under my breath and tried to stay calm while bringing my MP5 to the front, flicking the safety off. Access, make a plan, act. "Sasha, Tyreese, make sure the path to the door is clear. Michonne, Glenn, and I will protect the others. Daryl, Zach try to get Bob out. Now!"
I shouted orders quickly and started firing at the walkers that get back to their feet, trying to get to us. In the corner of my eye, I could see Katana dancing, light on her feet, as always and swinging her sword above her head, slicing and dicing.
"Come on! Stay together. Free Bob, and let's get out of here!" I kept shouting, hoping that my voice will reach the others above the growls and sounds of shooting.
Glenn was shooting next to me, and the roof was collapsing more and more with every second. I glanced back and noticed that the men finally freed Bob, and they started making their way to us.
It was like time froze. I could see what was happening, but my reactions were delayed, like in slow motion, I observed the walker that crawled under the shelves. Reaching his bony, decomposed hand out and wrapped it around Zach's ankle, pulling him to the ground. I felt myself wrapping my finger around the trigger, but by then geek bit down on the young man's leg and made his way up, taking a chunk of his shoulder.
There were noises around me, shouts growls, roof falling down, close to collapsing, but all I could see and hear was Zach's outstretched hand and his cries for help.
"El!" I felt the tug on my elbow and finally snapped back to reality when Daryl pulled me harshly towards the entrance. I followed automatically, snapping my eyes back to Zach, one last time, before the sound of cracking echoed in the store and the helicopter fell down to where we stood, just moments prior.
We escaped, but we lost another member of the prison. And Zach- he was sweet and funny. And even though our first meeting wasn't great, I trusted him. He was helping as much as he could back at home, and he was carrying, hard-working man. Oh, God. What am I going to tell Beth? How will I explain that I just stood there, frozen, unable to move while walker was ripping her boyfriend apart?
Like in trans, I felt myself follow Daryl towards his bike while the others crumbled into the cars. I swung my leg around the machine and placed my arms loosely around the hunter's waist.
"Ya alright?" His voice was laced with worry, and I saw him looking at me from above his shoulder. I blinked a few times, and the answer came naturally, without an effort.
"Gotta be. You?"
"Yeah."
"Hm."
I felt numb, and while we drove back, with the wind swirling around me and making my hair swing onto my face, I came to a realization. I wasn't in shock. OK, maybe a little. But not because Zach's death affected me so much. I didn't feel the urge to cry or scream, not anymore. Right now, I was just tired and numb. And that's what put me in shock because the death of people around me was becoming something so natural. And it made me scared, that I didn't feel like crying anymore, becoming numb and cold, someone I didn't want to be.
