Prompt by AddictedtoCaffine :)
He became numb.
After he finished with that man who'd had his hands all over Carl, once his body was a mess and he heard Michonne quietly calling his name, he just dropped the body to the ground and he stood there.
And Carl turned from him and into Michonne and she hugged him tighter. He became aware of someone else looking towards him and he remembered Daryl, but he didn't look towards him. He looked at the blood on his hands instead and remembered the fear on Carl's face. And he drifter. Body and mind.
And the next thing he can hear Carl. And he's speaking softly to Michonne, who's leaning in the car door and Carl's begging her to stay with him, voice hushed and quiet but there's a slight hysterical tone to it, like he just might fall to pieces if she leaves him and Rick thinks he should move and do something but he doesn't. And whatever Michonne was going to do, she doesn't do it and she sits with Carl, holding him in the safety of the car as Rick stares blankly at them, wondering why it's not him.
He watches as Daryl drags one of the men out into the woods. He's gone a while and Rick guesses he's taken them far enough away that it won't attract walkers to them. And then he comes back for a second.
And he knows he should help but he doesn't do that either. It's not until he hears a little grunt from Daryl that he realises that he probably shouldn't be hefting these corpses about like he is, not after he got a beating from those two guys but when he tries to help, Daryl shifts away from him. "My mess. I'll clear it up," he says and carries on before Rick can argue. But that's a lie. Rick could have said something if he wanted too. It's silent out here, the only sound is from Daryl and he's still being as quiet as he can, considering the task. But he leaves Daryl too it but he remembers. Makes sure that he keeps it in mind.
He moves away from the spot he's been stood in and he looks in the car and see's Michonne and Carl huddled together. He moves round to the other side of the car, figures Michonne has one side covered and if he sits outside the other door, he can protect Carl that way.
So that's what he does. He hears Daryl return, starts to drag away the last body. He thinks it might be the leader but he wasn't paying much attention. He just sits and listens. Hears Daryl come back.
He thinks he might come over to him, but Daryl's doing something else now. He gets up to go and see when he keeps at it and Daryl's searching through the bags, emptying the contents out on the ground. He must find a flash light in one as suddenly it's flicked on and Daryl's making a pile of clothes. "Windows," Daryl says, pointing to the car. Rick gets up and goes over and picks up the pile Daryl's already made and heads back to the car. He taps on the window, even though Michonne and Carl are both watching him, looking at him, and she nods, tells him it's okay, so he opens the door and speaks to them. "It'll keep the light out," Rick says, as he hangs the shirt over the door slightly so it blocks up the window, closing it so it's caught in it's place.
He does them all by himself before he looks back round to see Daryl's gone again. His heart flutters just a moment because he doesn't know where he's gone or if he's okay, but he tells himself it'll be okay. Pushes away the worry that Daryl called this 'my mess' and that he thinks he's done this to them all. Daryl emerges from the woods again and Rick watches as he takes the bags fro, those men and drops those out into the woods too.
There a pile of weapons and food Daryl's scavenged from all of their packs, and a spare bag to put it all in.
Then Daryl's looking for the next task. Starts to ready his bow like he might just head out on a hunt.
"Sit down. Rest a while," Rick beckons. And Daryl looks. Over to where Rick's heading, back to the side of the car where he sits down to rest himself. And then Daryl looks out into the woods. He can think of plenty to do to keep himself busy. "Whatever it is can wait. Just sit and rest. Just until dawn."
Daryl nods. Reluctant. But he heads over hesitantly an sits down. Rick ignores the groan Daryl lets out as his aching body is allowed to rest a little. Daryl looks across to Rick. "You look a mess," he tells him.
"You too. Rest," He tells him again. "Everything else can wait until morning."