ELEANOR . NEGAN

081.

"Pope wants you."

Eleanor tore her eyes away from her bruised hands and looked up at the solider. She didn't know his name, although she didn't want to know either. He had black hair that spilled over his one eye.

"Alright, Wentz."

When the group returned from their hunt for Maggie and the people yesterday, Elle grew staggered at the tied up and walkerfied body of Frost. Even as a walker, you could still see his mutilated face of harsh punches and spilled/swollen skin. She remembered how Carver apologised, and then how Pope laughed; spilling business that Frost said something.

Then in the early hours of this morning, Leah and Daryl left to go on a hunt and that meant it was simply Elle alone in a place that all collectively hated her. Her nerves were through the roof and so when Pope called for her, she naturally froze up.

Now she was standing right back where she was two days ago. The lantern lit once more, Pope cautiously looking at her. "How was Carver?"

Elle looked at him and shrugged. "He's got a temper. But nothing I can't handle."

"I do gather." Pope chuckled lowly. "I hope you understand his temper, Soldier. You mustn't forget that you killed our people."

"It was either kill or get killed." Elle fired back. "That how it was on the field, no? Going against the Taliban, going against all the shit people in the world; you need to be the bigger person. Right? Fucking live to prove them wrong."

"The war never left you."

Elle tried her hardest not to roll her eyes. "No, it fucking left me alright. Never thought it'd be like this but after the uh, fall, people got worse. I dealt with worse people." Elle admitted. "Lost good people. You know?"

And the funny thing was, he did know.

"Sir, I think you should see this."

Their short-lived conversation was interrupted by the rumble of a man's voice through the radio linked to his chest. Elle looked up, he looked up, and in seconds they were leaving the small cozy-ish room to see what was going on. Elle sauntered through Meridian beside the enemy and walked up towards the watch-out shelf next to the large metal fence.

Even without binoculars, you could see the massive fuck-off horde in front. But it wasn't a normal horde, they were circling amongst themselves with tenacious ideas. Shit. Eleanor sneakily pulled away from Pope and stood clear next to Daryl, the man already up there with Leah and more of her people.

She had binoculars to her eyes, her blonde hair falling in front. "Why are they moving like that?"

Carver looked at Leah and then shrugged. "No reason."

Pope kissed his teeth. "Wrong. There is a reason for everything." Eleanor bit back the need to roll her eyes. How can Daryl do this with a straight-face? "What about you, Dixon? You two ever seen rotters move like that?"

"Yeah," Daryl nodded his head. "Yeah, I've seen that before. South of here... I don't know why it happens. They just gather up a whole bunch of them and move on."

Elle forced a gulp and looked back at the horde of walkers. They were in there, somewhere. She didn't want to ask for binoculars just in case it seemed eager, but she knew.

"Could take them down." Carver said.

She wasn't paying attention.

"Like we did at that hospital in Rockville, easy."

"Till you almost bought it and I had to save your ass."

"That was just when things were getting fun."