Merle has to hand it to that girl. She knows how to make a threat; and he doesn't doubt she could make good on it.
It's a little unsettling odd that she bothered to threaten him. But that could have a little somethin' to do with the way she and his baby brother were lockin' lips in their own little world over there.
"Since when did you like that, huh? Was the winter that cold?" Merle's obnoxious laughter grated on Daryl's eardrum and he walked faster.
"Ey!" Merle caught up, "You can't be serious — Is that really your type?"
"What of it?" The branches snapped under Daryl's boots as he stomped through the forest.
"What's gotten into you, boy!?" Merle shouted at his back.
Daryl kept ahead of him, subconsciously trying to escape. As if you'd ever be able to escape Merle Dixon so easily.
"Hey! Hey!" Merle chased after him, almost cackling. "You gotta be kidding me. You can't actually like that woman."
Daryl wanted to whirl around and smack that annoying grin right off his face.
"Are you out of your damn mind, boy?"
"Just leave it, will ya. It's gonna be dark soon." Daryl attempted to change the topic because if Merle keeps going like this, he will lose his temper.
Only reason he hasn't is because Merle hasn't realized that Daryl's been leading them back towards the prison. At this rate, they won't be able to make it before sunrise, but they should be able to at least get in the area before dark.
He isn't even sure how he's gonna sneak away from Merle to meet up with Eve yet.
Carol and Carl slid the gates open and let the two cars in, closing it right behind them as they parked inside.
Rick hopped out, telling Maggie to drive them up and hugged his son while they drove up. He'll break the news to Carol, seeing as how Eve's in no state to.
She woke up just a few minutes before they arrived back but she hasn't said a word.
The stop woke Glenn up just as Maggie climbed over the center into the driver seat and moved the car forward again, to the upper yard where the vehicles parked back in their original spots.
While everyone else got out, Eve remained seated. Her eyes didn't move from the window even though she was just staring at the building now, she wasn't looking at something tangible in the first place so they remained stuck on the single spot on the window.
They all wisely let her be, even as Carol, Carl, and Rick came up. Only Carl noticed that she was still sitting in the car.
Hershel came outside along with Beth to meet Maggie and soon everyone except Hershel, Rick and Eve went inside.
Eve finally moved her eyes from the window to the two people standing outside talking. She watched Rick's face as Hershel spoke to him and by the end of their conversation, Eve wanted to bash her head against the window but she could only lean back, propping her leg up against the back of the seat in front of her and close her eyes to keep them from rolling right out of her head.
She stared down at her lap, a deep sigh forcing its way through her dry throat.
'Is this ever gonna end...' She doesn't even know what's happened while they were gone but something did. It always does. Every time she steps away for five minutes something happens that she has to help clean up, if not deal with herself.
It passed ridiculous some time ago.
She's not even sure why she gets involved in the first place.
What is with this endless stream of drama, fighting, and struggle?
If it's not walkers, it's some other group, if it's not some other group it's basic survival, and if it's not basic survival, it's some ludicrous argument of infighting.
She's starting to regret taking on this dumpster fire.
Maybe she and Daryl should have left after all. It would've been much easier with just the two of them. They even had another chance to leave together, and yet she's still here. Dealing with this.
Eve rubbed her eyes. A deep sense of shame washed over her for thinking about abandoning her family. No matter how difficult it is to get them to cooperate when they get like this, abandoning them should never be an option.
She chose to take this on. She's known for a long time that it wouldn't be easy and that she wouldn't be able to back out once she chose this. She knew it would be hard, but she hasn't been this stressed since the fiasco about Randall.
It's stressful, taking everything on by yourself, taking on responsibilities. Convincing Rick and the others time and time again not to get crazy and to think carefully about the actions they take. It feels like babysitting.
Perhaps a different approach will be more effective.
Another heavy sigh left her and the cramped car began to feel suffocating. She pushed the door open and shut it just as the prison door burst open and a group of 4 people she didn't recognize came running out, with Glenn behind them. Shouting from inside reached all the way to her and she ran for them.
Eve ran past the strangers with her knives pulled, and barely paid attention to how the stranger in front slid to an abrupt stop upon seeing her running at them with some intimidating instruments.
"Rick's lost it." Glenn explained as soon as she stopped in front of him.
She glanced at the strangers, a skinny kid who couldn't be much older than Beth, a middle-aged white man who bears a resemblance to the kid, a young black woman who probably isn't much older than Maggie, and a large strong looking black man — who despite his size doesn't have a threatening atmosphere about him at all. Eve noted the old dirty yin & yang leather necklace before looking back at Glenn and raised an eyebrow.
"They came in through the tombs, Carl found them. We were talking about letting them stay, Rick just started going ballistic." Glenn explained quickly.
Eve's jaw set and Glenn watched her lips turn into a snarl.
"What are you gonna do?"
"This ends now." Eve muttered darkly and didn't spare a glance as she sheathed one knife and one after another she ripped the doors in her way open.
Nobody inside noticed the door open, all of their attention was on Rick, who had his gun out and was waving it around shouting at the upper balcony to, "Get out."
Eve's eyes followed then moved back to Rick, hardened and out of patience.
"Enough!"
The entire room jumped and whirled around at the booming voice.
More than half a dozen pairs of eyes stared, transfixed on the woman at the top of the steps, staring Rick down with eyes like a violent lightning storm. You could almost hear the crackling of electricity.
"I warned you what action I would take if this ever happened again."
A pale palm extended towards him. Eyes hard & hot as freshly molded steel and devoid of leniency pinned Rick like an automatic rifle. Not even blinking.
Like a snake fully prepared to strike the first prey stupid enough to enter the cross-hairs, the entire room stood still as statues.
Rick hesitated and after a long moment, he reluctantly stepped forward, slowly placing the gun in her ice cold hand.
Eve's fingers closed around the revolver and just like that, the entire group felt the passage of power. That same feeling you get when there's a new president or someone is promoted to manager where you work, only this is quite a bit stronger.
"Get some rest, Rick. I'll handle things from here."
That was not a request, and the knife in her voice proved it more than the one gripped in her fist.
Only a few people in the entire room were able to find the words to accurately express it, even though those words didn't leave a single person's lips. She confiscated his position as leader.
Evelyn Rider...…just usurped Rick Grimes.
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Jessica Taylor
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