Ain't a world for the living

2.3 - Aftermath

Probably two hours later Josie was sitting on the porch with Judy in her lap, entertaining her with showing funny faces. She tried to ignore the crimson red colour next to her, but she glanced at it warily once in a while. Daryl was outside, too. With his crossbow, a rifle and two knives he skinned the animals on his legs, not about her doings whatsoever. Josie's mind was set on the evening two days ago. She already knew that she was unconscious for a long time, but that didn't worry her at all. So all she did was think about all the If's and When's and snapped when she heard branches breaking and feet stomping onto the ground. Daryl jumped to his feet and met up with Carol, sharing a short embrace with her. Josie looked up, her face pale as she saw Rick, Carol and Carl staring at her. Before something happened Maggie walked up on her waited until she stood up and hugged her. "How are you, hun?" Josie just nodded and said nothing at all.

Maggie moved away, grabbed Judy and stepped inside.

It was late. They ate Daryl's hunted animals. Josephine sat in the corner of the living room, her arms crossed casually over her knees. Her eyes studied the group cautiously. Why was it so hard for her to relax? Suddenly she  couldn't resist the urge to leave the room - and ran into the kid's room, throwing herself onto the mattress and burried her face in the pillow.

The door squeaked and fell into its frame soon later. The girl was half asleep, her eyes closed but she felt the mattress dip under a weight. His weight. A hand caressed her back, moving up and down, up and down and trailed her spine from her shoulders to her lower back. "Are you awake?" Oh how she missed his voice. Turning around she crossed her hands over her stomach and looked straight into Carl's eyes. His blue orbs shone in the light of the candle burning on the night stand. "How late is it?", she mumbled. "Three a.m.? Everyone else is asleep except for Tara and Noah." he answered.

Josephine sat up, her left foot dangling over the bed's edge. "Carl?" the sheriff boy glanced at her. He put his hat next to the candle and grabbed her hand. Engulfed by silence the young teenagers didn't move or speak. With her hand in his she blushed; her cheeks turned crimson red but luckily the boy didn't see it. He was too overwhelmed to say the least. All the prepared words he had in mind before he just stood up and walked into the room had vanished the second she looked at him with her brown eyes that so reminded him of chocolate. "Will you forgive me?"

"What for, Carl?" Rick's son hesitated. He moved onto the mattress and sat with his legs next to hers. The intimacy of the moment grew even more when he held her hand tighter and tighter. "I said some hateful things to you. I should have stopped. I'm so sorry." "Don't be. In the end, we all have to face our inner demons, right?" Carl stared at her in amazement. The fact that she remembered that surprised him. "How'd-"

"Oh Carl." she let out a small laughter, "I am a girl, I remember stuff like that."

Yet again they sat in utter silence. "Josephine?" she nodded. She was tired, her eyes were just about to shut down. "What - Can I sleep next to you?" Carl had changed his mind as he saw Josie leaning back, lying her head on her cushion. She just nodded and turned on her left side, facing the opposite wall.

The next morning

"Carl? Where are-" Rick stopped dead when he saw his son fast asleep next to Josie, an arm of his thrown over her back as if he wanted to protect her. In that moment he wanted to cry and stab himself in the back. "C-Carol?" he called out for the grey haired woman. "What's - oh. Oh." She was just as surprised as he was. "Let them sleep.  It's early. We can kill the walker without their help." Daryl emerged them. The redneck smelled like nicotine. "Oh please tell me you smoked outside!" Carol exclaimed. She wasn't in the mood for yet another fight. "I did. And I killed some walkers. It's like they follow a line. Like, a river, y'know." They looked confused. Sighing Daryl grabbed their arms and pulled them outside.