Chapter Seven: Daryl's Lesson and Allison's Story

Daryl was having a hell of time in the kitchen. His attempt at making scrambled eggs turned into a disaster. Instead of light and fluffy they were a rubbery and flavorless mess that was hard to swallow. His pancakes were charred beyond belief. It was to the point where Daryl was sure he could use it to nail two pieces of wood together. The only thing that was edible was the fresh raspberries and that was only because all Daryl had to do was take them out of the fridge and place them on the plate. Frustrated and defeated, he considered just opening a can of something. Thankfully, Maggie stepped in before he had a chance to burn the house to the ground.

"Alright, you see how the batter is getting those little bubbles? That means it's ready to flip." Maggie explained as she placed the spatula underneath the pancake and flipped it, revealing a beautiful golden brown color on the other side. "See? Nothing to it. You do the other two and I will get started on the scrabble eggs." Maggie said as she handed the spatula to Daryl before reaching for the eggs.

Daryl took the spatula and carefully flipped the other two pancakes, not wanting them to accidentally break in half. As he did, a small smile started to form, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards slightly. He was pleased with the way the pancakes had turned out. Golden brown and fluffy, just the way they should be. "Thanks for doing this." Daryl grumbled, still embarrassed that he needed Maggie's help.

"It's no problem. It beats making Kraft dinner for the hundredth time." Maggie chuckled as she cracked the eggs into the bowl, carefully picking out the small bits of shell that had chipped off into the bowl. "My dad always added paprika to his eggs. It gives it a mild, sweet flavor." Maggie explained as she added a pinch of paprika to the eggs before whisking everything together and adding it to the hot pan. "They don't take long to cook. The trick is to keep moving them around as they cook," Maggie explained, "that way they don't have a chance to overcook. That's what makes them rubbery."

Daryl nodded as he received his cooking lesson but Maggie words soon drifted off into silence as doubt crept in the back of his mind. How could he look after this girl when he couldn't even make a simple breakfast? The thought of serving her something as basic as scrambled eggs seemed daunting. Ask him to skin a rabbit? He would be able to do that with his eyes closed, but ask him to make breakfast? Apparently that was too hard for him.

Meanwhile, in the infirmary bathroom, Alison successfully managed to wiggle her way back into her pants, pulling them up snugly around her waist. After a quick flush of the toilet she made her way over to the sink and reached for the faucet handle, and to her delight fresh cold water began to flow. It had been so long since she had seen running water that it was almost magical to her. The sensation of the cool water cascading over her fingers was refreshing, invigorating even, and she paused for a moment to fully appreciate the simple pleasure of something she would have taken for granted before the world ended.

She shook the excess water off into the sink before turning the water off. She turned her gaze to the mirror for a moment. She studied her reflection, taking in the dark circles under her eyes along with her greasy, flattened hair that desperately needed a brushing. With slow and careful movements, she peeled back the fabric of her sling until she reached the cutoff point of her arm.

It was a curious feeling. Even though she could see that her arm was gone, her mind was convinced that it was still there. If she closed her eyes and concentrated she could convince herself that she was moving her fingers. The strange disconnect between reality and her imagination left her with a mix of confusion and longing. If she was a little bit faster, she would still have her arm and not be stuck in this strange place.

Alison felt a mix of curiosity and hesitation as she was about to carefully peel back the bandage, wanting to take a small glimpse of what it looked like. Just as she was gathering the courage to do so, a sudden knock on the door made her jump, causing her to instinctively pull her hand away from her bandage.

"Are you alright in there?" Came Aaron's voice from the other side of the door. He had been trying to respect her space, knowing how important it was to give the girl her privacy but he was growing concerned. He had been waiting patiently, but the silence had started to worry him to the point that he got up and knocked on the door.

"I'm fine!" Alison called out as she tried to hide the slight tremor in her voice. "I was just finishing up…" She added, taking a moment to adjust her sling. After a brief pause in order to gather her thoughts, she unlocked the door and accepted the man's help, allowing him to guide her back to bed. Each step she took was with caution, not wanting to collapse in the man's arms. He already had to pick her up from the floor, she didn't want to add to her embarrassment even further.

"Here we are." Aaron said as they finally reached the bed. He stepped aside, making sure there was enough space for the girl to sit down comfortably. "My name is Aaron by the way." He introduced himself, offering up a small smile as he sat down on the chair that Daryl had been using.

Alison shifted uncomfortably, averting her eyes as she went back to fiddling with the blanket, distracting herself as she rubbed the soft fabric between her fingers. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke up, her voice merely a whisper "Alison…my name is Alison."

"Alison, that's a lovely name." Aaron replied.

"...It was my grandmother's," Alison explained, turning her gaze back to the man's arm, "how…how did you lose it?" Alison asked with a bit of hesitation but as soon as the question left her lips, she felt a rush of regret. Quickly, she shook her head and added "Sorry, you don't have to answer. I shouldn't have asked that." Alison apologized.

"It's alright," Aaron reassured, "our community was working together to build a bridge across the river in the forest. The bridge was meant to help connect us with other communities. Making it easier for everyone to trade and support each other. I was part of the team responsible for cutting down trees to gather the wood we needed for the bridge. I was helping to lift one of the logs into place when a herd of Walkers showed up. There was supposed to be a team that worked on distracting them, sending them around in circles while we worked but something happened that day." Aaron explained, sparring Alison the details. "Everyone started to panic and within the chaos of everything the log we were lifting was dropped. It landed on me and crushed my arm and completely mangled it, it couldn't be saved." Arron explained.

"What about you? How did it happen?" Aaron asked, leaning in slightly. He wasn't sure if Alison would be ready to talk about it but he decided to take a chance.

Alison shrugged at first, considering just letting the question slide without answering but then she thought about how Aaron had opened up to her about his experience and how it was only fair for her to share. "...It's getting colder…I was looking for warmer clothes, that's when I ran into a bunch of Creeps…I mean Walkers," she quickly corrected herself.

"You can call them Creeps," Aaron assured her, "lots of people use different names for them. It doesn't really matter."

Alison nodded as she continued, "I can usually handle one or two. I've done it before but everywhere I looked, there seemed to be another one closing in on me. No matter which way I turned, there was always a Walker right there. I was trapped. I grabbed one by the collar of its shirt. I raised my knife, aiming for it, but then another Walker grabbed my arm and took a bite. It all happened so fast…you know the rest."

Aaron nodded, "Daryl and Maggie filled me in. You know, not many people would have been able to do what you did, it was very brave."

"It was either that or die and I don't want to turn into one of those things." Alison explained, fearing the possibility of losing herself. She imagined herself walking around aimlessly, her mind blank, devoid of any thoughts or feelings except for the overwhelming hunger. The image haunted her, a terrifying vision of what her future might be, no control of her actions or desires. She shuddered at the idea of existing only to hunt, her humanity stripped away, leaving behind a mere shell of the person she used to be.

"I can understand that." Aaron sympathized as silence settled over the room before he broke the stillness "You know," he began, "Daryl is a good man. He's not the greatest with words but his intentions are genuinely good. All he wants is to help." Aaron explained, pausing for a moment as he allowed his words to sink in.

Alison nodded her head slowly as she began to speak "I didn't mean…I have been on my own for a while now. I'm just not used to being around people. Everything is just…." Alison trailed off, not sure on how to explain it, "I was upset and then he touched me…I don't like being touched." Alison explained.

Aaron listened closely to Alison, nodding his head slightly to show her that he was paying close attention to her every word. "It's alright," he reassured her, "Daryl might not always know the best way to handle things. He was probably just trying to comfort you, but if you don't want to be touched, all you need to do is let him know and he will respect your wishes. Nobody wants to do anything that will make you feel uncomfortable." Aaron explained, watching as the girl gave him a small nod of understanding.

"How long have you been on your own?" Aaron asked, feeling his heart sink to the bottom of his chest as he observed the girl's bottom lip begin to tremble. It was small, but he was able to catch it before Alison had a chance to put up her walls. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me. I'm sorry that I brought it up." Aaron quickly apologized. He swiftly changed gears, asking Alison a question that would hopefully ease the tension that he created. "You like Lord of the Rings? I'm sorry to say that I never read the books but I did watch the movies. My favorite character was Aragon."

"Yeah, I was crashing in a library for a while. The place has seen better days, at some point the roof collapsed. Only one book wasn't damaged so I took it," Alison explained, "Aragon is alright but I like Legolas."

"Legolas is a fine choice. I guess I like the more rugged man myself." Aaron replied with a slight chuckle.

"I have been trying to find the other two books but I haven't had much luck. They are popular books, I didn't think it would be this hard. I guess people took their favorite books when everything first happened." Alison explained with a small shrug.

"Maybe." Aaron replied thoughtfully, people took all kinds of stuff when everything first happened. He took a photo album which he long since lost. "There are many books in this place, it's worth asking around. I could see if someone here has a copy of the second book for you." He offered

Alison immediately shook her head, "No…I…I don't want to be trouble." Alison quickly said, not wanting Aaron to go through any trouble for her. She already put this community through enough, who knows how much medicine they used up on her, or how many other resources.

"It's no trouble," Aaron reassured, "I can tell people that the book is for me, and leave your name out of it." Aaron explained, giving Alison a smile in hopes of showing her that he truly didn't mind doing this for her.

Aaron and Alison spent the next while in lively conversation about Lord of the Rings. They talked about their thoughts on the different characters as Aaron made sure to stay clear of any spoilers. As Aaron was telling one of his favorite parts, Alison's expression became confused. "I don't remember that part and I read the book three times. It must have only happened in the movies." Just as they were getting deeper into their discussion, Maggie and Daryl walked into the infirmary with the freshly made pancakes, fluffy eggs, an arrangement of colourful fruits and homemade bread that Carol had made. The aroma filled the room, making Alison's mouth water.

Aaron stood up from the chair, sensing it was time for him to leave. "Well, I should go and pick Gracie up," he said, excusing himself, "I'll come back tomorrow and we can finish our conversation. I want to hear more of your thoughts on the Frodo character." Aaron explained, wishing the girl a goodnight before showing himself out.