Chasing Amy (Daryl Dixon/The Walking Dead)

Chapter 37 - Beside the Thriving Fire

Night came quickly, so Hershel and Beth only had a short amount of time to set up the fire, using whatever they could could find.

The hassle was well worth it though, as Daryl had kept that owl from lunchtime. I was glad Carl threw the can of dog food away, as it was only a reminder as to what we were scraping the barrel for. Now, we didn't have to search for anything. My bet was that we'd have everything we needed right here.

The owl was cooked up, but it was only a small little thing, meaning everyone only had just a small few bits of meat each, except Lori, who had double... After all, she was eating for two.

It didn't take me long to finish my small meal, the tough pieces of white meat not nearly filling the empty void which was my stomach.

I was sitting beside Carl and T-Dog, watching as Glenn finished off the bone, after eating every last morsel he was given.

"Just like mom used to make," He muttered, his voice laced with sarcasm. I loved Glenn's wit, as when accompanied with his awkwardness, he just managed to make about every person more comfortable.

His joke earned a few chuckles, including one from me. He threw the bone out just past me, where I sat with my legs crossed, fiddling with the knife in my hand. It probably looked a little strange to everyone around me as I rotated the thin blade in my hands, but I was sincerely wondering whether or not I was ever going to be able to use my throwing knives.

Carol stood up, grabbing one of the makeshift plates made of the lids of Tupperware boxes.

I watched her as she made her way to the overturned truck by the front gate, where Daryl stared out into the forest. He looked so solitary over there, wearing Maggie's poncho to give him the warmth he was missing out on by the fire.

"Tomorrow we'll pull the bodies together," T-Dog said from beside me, his voice deep from tiredness. "Want to keep them away from that water. Now, if we can dig a canal under the fence, we'll have plenty of fresh water."

He meant the lake that was just off to the side of the front gate, with its murky brown water which I certainly wouldn't drink. I guessed he meant we'd have to boil it first, which was an irritating process... But it had to be done.

"And the soil is good." Hershel nodded. I grabbed the plastic bottle that lay by my feet, before taking a large gulp of the cool water. "We could plant some seed. Grow some tomatoes, cucumbers, soybeans." He sat up a little, as though looking for someone. I followed his gaze, to where Rick stood alone by the fence, accompanied by two groaning roamers. "That's his third time around."

"If there was any part of it compromised, he'd have found it by now."

Even though he was still withdrawn from the group, he seemed to be getting more comfortable with taking the leadership position again, taking charge of what needed to be done.

Beth hesitated from beside her father, turning to look at Lori, before rethinking it, before leaning in to finally say, "This'll be a good place to have the baby." She looked up to Lori's slight smile, "Safe."

"I wouldn't mind sleeping in an actual bed someday," I murmured, looking over to the huge buildings behind the locked gate. "With a mattress, and a pillow..."

"A blanket," Carl agreed, pulling the sleeves of his jacket down further to cover his hands more.

There was a brief pause, as my eyes wandered back to where Daryl stood, now accompanied by Carol. Even I couldn't deny the difference in his spirits after we found this place, seeing him look the most... Well, the most "not-grumpy" I'd seen him in a long time.