Anyone else find Christmas shopping to seriously get in the way of story writing? :( ughhh! Welllll, you know what to do! Lots of reviews:) Enjoy;D
I woke from a deep dreamless sleep, my watch blaring its alarm at me. Skipping the shower last night had not been one of better ideas, my hair was on the verge forming into dreads and I could still feel the sweaty dirt mixture stuck on my skin. I strip down to my underwear, not bothering with covering myself as I make my way down the stairs hurriedly. It's still very early, and with all the doors tightly shut the last thing I ever expect is for Daryl to come hobbling out of the bathroom just as I round the corner.
"What the hell!" I yelp, jumping back from him, crossing my arms over my chest in an attempt to cover myself from him.
He stands there, still as a statue, trying in vain not to move his eyes away from my face. His mouth moves to say something but nothing comes out, his face flushes with a red that's noticable even in the darkened hallway. Embarrassment and anger floods through me creating a deadly mixture.
"Kay, peep show is over now asshole. Move." I say, gritting my teeth and pushing him out of the way as I quickly slide through the bathroom door, slamming it behind me.
-Ugh! Why didn't he just move! He didn't have to stand there and look at me like I had two heads. My mind muses uselessly as I slump down onto the floor, embarrassment still burning in my cheeks. I could have locked myself in that bathroom for the rest of my life as far as I'm concerned. Well can't do anything about it now, quit being such a girl and deal with it.
With that final thought, I finish removing what little I have left on and step into the now steaming streams of water. Exhaling deeply as the heat soothes my muscles and cleanses my skin, I am left with only my thoughts and the mental picture of Daryl's face seared in my mind. I had felt like a freak standing in front of him, like I really did just sprout a second head. Shut up. Shut up. SHUT UP.
I finish quickly, not wanting to listen to my thoughts tear me apart anymore. I wrap a towel around my bare, steaming skin and peek out into the hallway before jetting back up to my room. When the door is secure, I drop the towel, pulling on plain black under garments. I pause a moment, catching my reflection in the mirror. My hair, damp and forming light waves, the darkness of it contrasting the green in my eyes, the months of work around the farm had leaned my muscles and tanned my skin even more.
-What was so bad that he saw? I questioned, still self-conscious from our hallway meeting. Nothing is wrong with you, it's time to get to work, so put on your big girl pants and suck it up. I could just hear my brother's voice patronizing me for my constant over thinking.
I slip on a form-fitting long sleeve shirt, tight jeans, and grab my jacket as I head down the stairs, careful to be quiet. At the door, I pull on my boots and take my bow from its place on the wall. The horizon is glowing bright now as I step onto the porch, inhaling deeply, already feeling better from being out of the house. I see the silhouetted figure moving about on top of the RV and decide to check out who's been on watch. With a whistle, I find Maggie looking down at me this time, and she helps me climb onto the roof and we take a seat, overlooking the pastures.
"Such a beautiful place you got," She says, studying the land, "reminds me so much of my father's farm it hurts." She finishes with a laugh that sounds more like a weary sigh.
"What happen?" I ask, turning towards her, not being able to stop myself anymore.
She looks at me for a long while, gears turning in her mind, eyes flooding with grief. "It was.. a whole herd of walkers that found us," she began softly, looking toward to the barn "it happened so fast, we didn't have the time save anything, barely managed to save ourselves.. We lost people, family. Not a days goes by I don't think about it, and being here has made it close to unbearable." She finishes, a single tear rolling down her porcelain cheek.
"I'm so sorry Maggie," It's all that my stunned brain can manage to say, "I can't even imagine how much hell y'all been through.. but I'm so thankful it led you here." That last part sneaks out and I don't even think I know what it means, but I know it's the truth. "I know that I can't guarantee y'all being safe here, but you're welcome to stay as long as you need to." I add, placing a hand on her small arm and look over to her.
"You'll never have a clue how grateful we are of that, and I doubt we'll ever be able to repay you." She answers, giving me an intense look, "but we're gonna do everything we can."
I move to stand, slinging my bow across my back. "Y'all have given me a purpose again, one that I lost a long time ago, I couldn't ask for anything more than that." I say simply, "Now, get back to the house, get some rest. We've got a big day ahead of us." I say with mock enthusiasm, getting a lyrical laugh from Maggie. As we make our way off the old RV, she hits the ground first and I follow suit closely.
"So you found any special someone around? Say in a cave or a hole in the ground around here?" She asks with a devious grin, side glancing at me.
-Is she talking about Daryl? My cheeks burn lightly at the insinuation.
"Ha!" I say, laughing nervously, "Well there was this one guy that I caught, but he didn't have any arms, so I don't think we would have worked out.." I add, using Carl's excuse. Just like with me, Maggie lets out a loud, genuine laugh, maybe the first time she had in a long while.
With that, she dropped any relationship talk, easing my thoughts a little and we part ways at the porch. It was time to go check the fence, and Maggie needs to rest because I wasn't kidding about it being a big day. Today would be a supply run day, a big one, thanks to the reinforcements I now had. Anxiety courses through me as I saddle up Chenoa, taking in her warmth and scent. We head out towards the west, the sun grazing our backs.