Shooting training went as expected, I tried to think of any helpful tips Dad, Shane or the guys at the station had told me all those years ago as we trained the other. Jimmy picked things up quite quickly while Andrea did nothing but irk me even more than usual.
"Who says I didn't hit my target?" She asked confidently after Shane had reassured her about being a beginner. We looked to the no trespassing sign to see three small holes punctured into the circle of O.
"Easy to show off when the target is still and posing as much threat as a sandwich." I called back to her, I saw her narrow her eyes at me before I turned back to Jimmy, telling him to adjust his posture.
After another while of shooting we agreed to go back to the farm, Shane wanted to see what Andrea was made of so they split from the group to go train on moving objects.
"Carl is going to be fine." I mumbled to Dad as he drove us back to the farm. Carl was in the back but was talking animatedly to the others about guns. "He's resilient and he knows what needs to be done. He's a lot better at this than most kids his age."
"Yeah that's what scares me." Dad sighed, keeping his eyes on the road. "Your mother is worried it's taking his childhood away, making him grow up too fast."
I watched dads face carefully as he kept his gaze locked forward, there was a slight crease in between his eyebrows as he thought of the words he just spoke. "If he's going to survive in this world he needs to grow up fast." I muttered. There was no way keeping Carl's innocence would protect him against the world we're living in now.
"And when did you grow up?" There was a smirk on his face this time. "Watching you teaching others how to shoot like we did when you were no age."
"Good thing I have my Daddy's head on my shoulders, ain't it?"
"We were so young having you." Dad sighed again, the smirk fading into a fond smile. "We grew up with you."
"I love that." I smiled back, putting my hand in his.
When we got back to the farm I helped unload the guns and put them away safely as per Hershel's request. Movement in the distance caught my eye and I realized it was Daryl working outside his tent.
"I'm gonna go up and see how he is." I nudged Dad, nodding towards Daryl's outline, Dad only responded with a slight frown, his eyes fixed on the archers form. "He could be bleeding out up there and he'd never tell us."
"Yeah that is true."
I made my way up along the incline, sweat beading on my forehead as the sun glared down on the farm and the surrounding fields.
"Y'know if you don't want to be friends with us you can just say." I teased, holding my hand over my eyes to shade them. I swear I saw a slight smirk on Daryl's face before he went back to sharpening his homemade arrows. "How's the injuries?"
Daryl responded with a shrug, not looking up at me. "Turning into scars."
"Yeah I know, I have a matching one." I smiled, pointing to my side where the sickle had pierced although not as deep as the arrow had gone through Daryl. "Saw Andrea up here earlier." This was met with yet another grunt of acknowledgment. "She apologize?" He nodded. "Well, at least that."
"She's not so bad, just wants to learn." He shrugged again, still not looking at me. "Why does she annoy you so much?"
"Why do we all annoy you so much.?" I countered. This made him look at me, stopping what he was doing to stand up straight.
"Your people don't mix with my people, maybe Andrea annoys you cause you're too alike." This took me back, I was sure this was the most Daryl had ever said to me in one sentence and I didn't take kindly to it.
"I am nothing like Andrea." I grit my teeth. "I don't hate her I just wish she'd be more self involved."
"Give you a few years before and you'd be the exact same. Going to a good college, nice clothes, mixing with your asshole middle class neighbors." Daryl wasn't angry in his words, just matter-of-fact which seemed to cut deeper. Is this why he kept his distance all the time.
"Daryl you can drive us all away and distance yourself as much as you want but you're one of us and we want you around, so get used to it. The surly misunderstood persona isn't fooling anyone." I gave him a few minutes to reply but he just went back to checking his arrows, refusing to look at me. "Anyway I just came up here to make sure you weren't silently dying or something."
I walked away with my forehead creased into a frown, Daryl's words weren't angry or meant to be hurtful but he got under my skin with them. What was the point on dwelling on what lives we would have lead if the world hadn't ended or who we would have socialized with.
"Glenn, pass me the box of extra clothes pegs." I called, holding the pair of trousers I was currently trying to hang on the makeshift washing line. I watched as my friend nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of my voice. He had come back from his run with Maggie not long ago and he was acting even weirder than he had been this morning. "What is with you lately?"
"What? Nothing." He shrugged, not making eye contact as he thrust the pegs in my direction. "I guess I'm just waiting to get my bitten off again because all the girls are in really weird moods lately."
I narrowed my eyes at this, watching him carefully. He was trying too hard to be nonchalant, the fact he was failing to hold eye contact a big betrayal to him at the moment.
"Between you and Daryl I'd say it's more like the men are all on their periods these days." I shrugged trying to make a joke to put him at ease. A flash of a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth before it disappeared again. He made to walk away before I stepped in front of him blocking his path. "I'm not letting you go anywhere until you tell me what's bugging you."
Glenn groaned deeply at this before looking to the sky, it seemed he was hoping some kind of answer would fall from it. His brow was in a constant crease and he was sweating more than usual.
"It's Maggie." He sighed, finally looking at me. I narrowed my eyes at this, wondering what could be wrong with the farmers daughter. "One minute I think she likes me, the next she's being really mean to me, I stayed back earlier to ask Dale about it."
"I'm gonna ignore the fact that you screwing the angry farmers daughter right now is the worst idea I've ever heard," I started, shifting my weight from one foot to the other while I tried to think of advice to give Glenn. "But going to Dale for relationship advice is an even worse idea." This finally made him laugh.
"One minute she's all over me and the next she won't even look at me and I don't know what I'm doing wrong and asking her makes it worse."
"Of course asking her makes it worse!" I rubbed my forehead, trying not to laugh. "Boys are idiots and when you piss us off it's worse when you're completely oblivious to the reason why. You're better off just agreeing with her and going with the flow right now, you're a really good catch Glenn but she doesn't know that yet because she doesn't know you."
"I just hope I don't piss her off so much that she calls time on whatever this is." He sighed, looking to the ground.
"You do know it's the end of the world right?" I laughed, nudging him playfully. "It's slim pickings." He laughed back at this before clearing his throat.
"Yeah well y'know she picked me a couple of time, if you know what I mean." He wiggled his eyebrows, I laughed out loud before pushing him away and telling him to shut up.
"Are you sure that's all that's been bothering you though?" I asked, holding his gaze this time.
"Yeah, it is." He said quietly before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around me, I lay my head on his chest, returning his hug. "I'm really glad I have a friend like you in all of this Nik."
"I'm really glad I have you too."
Maggie's jaw set from her perch outside the farmhouse, she watched the exchange between the two friends from a distance. She was too far away to hear anything but she saw the close hug the pair shared and she couldn't help but have some doubts about the Sheriffs pretty daughter.
I was walking out a horse for Hershel when I heard them. I offered to help more with the animals earlier in the day in the hopes of softening the old man. Hershel was a good man, there was no doubting that, he had saved Carl and patched up most of their group by now. He had even let them live on his land without so much as a question but it was clear he was uneasy of having so many strangers around his home and loved ones.
Opening up his home was something he didn't have to do but despite his weariness he had done it for them so I wanted to show in anyway possible that they were grateful and would not take advantage.
As I walked the chestnut brown horse along the paddock that afternoon, sickle secured to my side the horse is what brought my attention first to the disturbance in the peaceful air.
As the mare raised her head, coming to an abrupt halt I watched as her ears twitched, trying to locate the direction the sound was coming from. I was instantly on high alert in case the animal had picked up the scent or sound of a walker before I did.
The voices got louder as I coaxed the horse along, both of us still weary of what we were walking towards. As I rounded the corner I realised it was my parents, Dad was the angriest I had ever seen him and that was just from reading his body language.
For a moment a shiver went through my spine as I realised he may have just found out about Shane, I wanted to walk away and leave them to it but something kept pushing me towards the pair, failing to keep their voices down.
As I got closer I realised my dad was holding something small in his right hand, he was holding it tightly, like he was trying to force his anger into the small object and my mother was crying, she wasn't defensive nor was she shouting back but she was answering him every time he spoke.
"Do not put this on me!" I heard my dad shout, his voice loud and deep, it almost made me stop in my tracks. I was close enough now to hear every word. "You tear into me for keeping secrets when you're holding on to this!?"
"You want me to bring a baby into this!?" My mom finally shouted back and I felt the breath leave my body as the mare beside me got more and more restless. "To live a short cruel life."
"You're pregnant?" Dad was in the middle of yelling when I called to them, stopping them both from forming anymore words. The look on both of their faces was all the confirmation I needed, Dad immediately lifting his hands to his forehead, rubbing his temples trying to calm himself. I wasn't looking at him though, I was looking straight into my mothers eyes, she had fucked up in the worst way possible and all she could do in that moment was to minutely shake her head from side to side, so slight that only I realised what she was doing. A silent plea for me to not add anymore to this.
Another chapter after the worlds longest hiatus! My boyfriend is currently watching TWD for the first time ever so it made me think of this story and I read it through again and fell in love with Nikki and her storyline that I wish was in the show.
Also, Nikki still has to find out what's really bothering Glenn!
I really hope you guys like this one, sorry it's been so long and I can't guarantee that this will be a regular thing again but fingers crossed! Rewatching the show made me remember all of the exciting things I had planned for Nikki and Daryl.
Don't forget to leave a review, I still love hearing from you guys and I read over all of the previous ones a few days ago.
Hope everyone is keeping safe xx
