She hates this.
They never had this much trouble sticking together before this place.
Eve's eyes roamed around the trees, as if just staring could set them on fire and burn down the whole forest in an instant, leaving nothing but a rain of ash.
The exact same way she used to look at the world around her. The city, the people in the streets.
The corner of her mouth lifted, twisted with bitterness.
It's been a long time since she hated a place so much but couldn't leave.
After every unbelievable thing that's happened in her lifetime, she never expected to be on the front lines of a domestic war with their neighboring "tribe".
Merle is Daryl's brother, she gets that. She's never had a sibling but she can't imagine it's much different than how she feels about Glenn, but strangely she would give anything to just cut Merle's tongue out and drag everyone home by the ear, and burn this Woodbury place to the ground. Problem solved.
"Hey." Daryl called to her, and watched her eyes come down from the trees.
The weird feeling in his stomach didn't dissipate. His eyebrows knit as he stared at the unfamiliar emotion in her eyes.
He isn't good at describing this stuff but the best he can manage is, it looks…. like she's gonna snap.
She got close to this once before, at the farm but it's different now. That looked like frustration but this… the wheels in her brain are turning.
That makes him uneasy.
Eve saw the small shifting emotions on his face and sighed. "When this is over, I want a vacation."
Daryl chuckled without meaning to but quickly recovered and nodded, chewing his lips to diminish the smile on his face. "Deal."
"I don't wanna do things anymore." Eve almost whined. "I just wanna sit."
Daryl brushed his thumb over the one spot on her jaw that isn't hurt. The smile on his face migrating to his eyes, "Deal."
Eve stepped forward and their arms automatically wrapped around one another.
The warmth is comforting. Comforting enough to make her speak instead of suffer in silence.
"I'm worried."
Daryl opened his mouth to respond but gave it a second thought and waited for her to continue.
"That this is never gonna end. I'd rather go back to moving around. Find somewhere else where the neighbors are nicer, or better yet, no neighbors at all."
The corner of his lip quirked up, amused at the idea that he's even having this conversation. "Never pegged you for the domestic type."
"I'd take a domestic life over a stuffy concrete box with trigger-happy locals any day."
Daryl nodded, humming in agreement. He's not overly fond of this place either.
"Are you gonna be ok?" The thought barely crossed his mind before he found himself asking.
Eve sighed. "I'm always ok."
"And I'm a people person. Quit lyin'."
"You know what they say. Lie until it becomes the truth."
"Who told you that?" His tone was bordering accusatory, personally offended by someone saying such bull to her.
Eve shrugged, nonchalantly. "Think I read it somewhere."
Daryl shook his head. Resisting the urge to say 'stop reading' (cause that's not gonna happen) and instead went with, "Don't fill yer head with that shit. Lyin' makes you blind."
"Aye aye captain." Eve mumbled.
"Ey, don't fall asleep."
"I'm planning a counter strike, not sleeping." Eve retorted even though he was right, she is about to fall asleep on her feet.
"What have you got?" Daryl humored her.
She shrugged again. "Set something on fire and beat the crap out of everyone ruining my day."
"Sounds like a plan."
"You get the brass knuckles, I'll get the chloroform."
"Deal."
"I'm gonna miss you."
"This ain't goodbye. We'll still see each other, every day." Daryl emphasized.
Eve sighed and finally extracted herself to stand up straight again. "Then I guess, I'll see you tomorrow."
Daryl nodded and gave her a brief peck on the forehead.
It's almost ominous how it feels like he's just going camping with Merle for the weekend. Like that feeling you get when you watch a movie and two people say goodbye to each other but you can tell something bad is gonna happen.
"Is my backpack in here?"
Daryl nodded and dragged it over.
Eve searched it for a moment before pulling out a few things and handing them to Daryl. "You need these more than I do."
Daryl looked down at the small compass and the night vision goggles.
"Be careful out there."
"Don't worry, I won't fall into any holes. That's your thing."
Eve jabbed his arm but cracked a smile. That's what he was hoping for.
It's crazy how he's gotten so used to this that he's actually scared to go without it. He leaned down as naturally as breathing and connected their lips in a long but soft kiss that was immediately returned.
"Uh — guys. Why does it look like they're saying goodbye?" Randall opened his mouth before he could stop himself and the group's attention turned to the back of the car, just as the two broke apart.
Eve stepped around Daryl and walked straight up to Merle, with determined strides and a face of stone.
Merle stared at Eve's scorching eyes, a sharp word on the tip of his tongue but she didn't give him the chance.
An ominous little smile pulled up the corners of her broken lips, the swelling having gone down to a point where the cuts look like someone failed to stitch her mouth closed.
"If anything happens to him I will find you, a rat, some boiled water, and a magnet. So remember this," A dark twinkle flitted through her gaze. "Blood makes you related. Loyalty makes you family. Make a choice. Choose wisely."
Eve leaned against the backseat window, watching the green of the forest whoosh past.
The ride was tense and silent, Eve seemed to be the only one relaxed, when she should be the most rigid of them all.
Daryl just left. He left the group, he left her. For Merle.
Glenn can't understand how she's so calm.
Maggie had her own thoughts about it from the front seat. She's probably heartbroken. None of them ever expected Daryl to make a decision like that. It feels surreal that he's actually gone.
Glenn has more perspective on this face of hers though, which is why he's concerned. That's the face she used to wear back when they first met. When she was closed off and guarded herself better than Azkaban.
It's been a long time since he's seen it. Truth be told, he thought he'd never see it again with how Daryl managed to pry it off her like a tin can.
He left her alone for most of the ride, swarmed with his own thoughts but eventually it got to him and he gently poked her leg.
Eve looked at him in the reflection of the window before turning her head.
His eyes asking, 'are you ok?' and for once she didn't feel like answering even in the most rudimentary way.
All these little aches and pains have finally caught up with her and she's so tired she's on the verge of falling asleep. It doesn't help that she was already drifting earlier when she was standing with Daryl.
Ugh, Daryl was right. She does need Hershel to take a look at this, but she needs a nap more, and she's dreading having to fall asleep by herself now. She's gotten used to having a presence next to her, helping her sleep through the night.
Her chest is tight. It feels like she's got bowling balls on each shoulder and her tummy is burning like stomach acid is leaking down into her intestines.
She has half a mind to just go collect a ton of gasoline, find a car, load it up, take it to Woodbury, put a brick on the gas pedal and let it crash through their gates and burn the town down. Just to get it over with, or at the very least to make the first strike and improve their chances.
If she was in better physical shape, she might have actually done it.
If she was in better shape she might be able to come up with something than that.
There's no telling when Woodbury will retaliate but they will, they've got no time for naps. When they get back they're gonna have to start a damn war council meeting.
Without numbers, traps are their best option. Use the terrain and their prison stronghold advantage.
'What a disaster this place has turned out to be. We were better off drifting with the wind.'
Eve didn't notice in the midst of her thoughts that her eyes had dropped closed and her head had sunk towards Glenn's shoulder.
Glenn was already leaning to that side cradling his bruised ribs, so his head naturally came to rest on top of hers.
It may have been the familiarity of an older sister-esque relationship or just that Eve is the only one in the car he's not at odds with right now, exhaustion, injury, but his eyes were also soon closed and both of the beat up runners were fast asleep, leaving only Rick & Maggie awake to drive the rest of the way home.
They exchanged a few words of gratitude that they're both able to get some rest but after that, the car was silent.
Meanwhile Daryl trekked through the forest with his brother, his shoulders tense and Merle's gruff obnoxious giggle fit filling his ears, just waiting for the relentless mockery about his kiss with Eve that Merle undoubtedly saw.
Sure enough, they hadn't made it a quarter of a mile before a big shit-eating smirk crawled across Merle's mug.
Daryl looked the other way, rolling his eyes. 'Here we go.'
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Jessica Taylor
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