CHAPTER THREE,
god forbid it.

Daryl, T-Dog, and Rick had ventured off with the prisoners, leaving Aiden sitting on the steps in Block C.

Glenn had been informed to keep a watchful eye on her as well as Hershel, Rick knew how irrational she can be when she unstable. She was her brother's sister after all.

The lifeless eyes of her abuser stared at her every time she blinked. She was grateful he was dead. It was comforting in a way. But his voice in her head was worse than ever. He was taunting her.

Her mind was numb and so was her heart. She could the scars on her body ached with old memories.

Hershel had been handcuffed to the bunk bed as a precaution but the group had food now.

Aiden watched Glenn come and sit beside her. "Rick told me what happened." Aiden didn't speak. "Aiden, listen to me. You know that he's dead now. You don't have to worry about him hurting you ever again."

"He'll never really be gone." Aiden mumbled.

Glenn's brows furrowed. "What does that mean?"

"I hear his voice. Always have." Aiden said to him, tapping her head, "I know it's crazy, but he's constantly naggin' at me."

»

Aiden leaned against the wall in the cell as she looked at Hershel's face. She heard the bar door clang shut and she peaked her head of of the door way to see Carl carrying a bag and his gun.

"I thought you were organizing the food." Glenn said to him.

"Even better." The youngest replied and walked into the cell. He dropped the bag, "check it out."

Carol and Lori looked into the bag and saw the medical supplies, "where did you get this?" Carol asked him as the women, excluding Aiden, rifled through the supplies.

"From the infirmary." Carl replied. "Wasn't much left, but I cleared it out."

"You went by yourself?" His mother asked him.

"Yeah."

"Are you crazy?" Lori asked him.

"No big deal. I killed two walkers." Carl stated as if it were nothing. Aiden's eyebrows raised at his comment.

"You- alright, do you see this?" Lori motioned to Hershel, "this was with the whole group." Lori said.

"We needed supplies, so I got them." Carl defended himself.

"I appreciate that, but-"

"Then get off my back!" Carl raised his voice towards Lori causing Aiden's jaw to drop slightly.

"Carl!" Beth nearly yelled his name. "She's your mother. You can't talk to her like that."

"Listen, I think it's great that you wanna help-" Lori didn't finish her sentence before Carl stormed off. Aiden sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"I'll talk to him." Aiden decided.

"Thank you," Lori thanked the young woman. She walked towards where she assumed Carl would be. She entered his and Rick's shared cell and saw his body curled up in the corner of the bunk bed.

"Carl." She said with raised eyebrows.

"What do you want?" Carl asked her angrily.

"I just wanted to talk to you." She said and sat down on the bed. "Your mom is just worried about you." She said.

"She can show a little more appreciation." Carl mumbled, he sat up and moved beside her.

Aiden sighed, "She does appreciate it. What happened with Hershel can happen to any of us, and if we're alone if it does happen the odds are you won't make it. Lori's just looking out for you, Carl. You're her son. She worries." Aiden said and rubbed his back.

"But I know how to take out walkers." Carl said to her.

"So does Hershel and look what happened to him. Jim knew how to handle walkers, so did Dale. They're both gone now." Aiden said to him. "You just gotta be careful, Carl. You can't be reckless. If you want to go off again, let me know so I can come with you alright?"

Carl nodded. "Okay."

»

Aiden watched as Lori gave Hershel CPR and her hand rested on her pistol. Beth's crying echoed through the cell block.

Aiden's eyes widened as Hershel's arms wrapped around Lori's head. She raised her gun at him so did Carl.

Her own eyes looked at Hershel's. They weren't grey or clouded over. They were his usual blue.

She gasped.

He was still alive.

Aiden leaned against the wall outside the cell while she waited for the rest of them to return. She rubbed her eyes harshly, those brown eyes stung from all the crying she'd done.

Soon everyone was back, except Carol, "Hershel stopped breathing. Mom saved him."

"It's true." Glenn said to Rick. Aiden pushed herself up from the floor and locked eyes with Rick.

"They're right." She mumbled. Rick handed his gun to Carl and walked into the cell.

Daryl placed his hand on Aiden's lower back, "you good?"

"No." She replied. But a smile tugged on her lips as Hershel's eyes fluttered open.

"Daddy?" Maggie asked, placing her hand on his chest.

"Daddy." Beth smiled and laughed. She watched as Rick took the cuffs off of his wrist. Hershel raised his hand towards Rick, who grabbed it and knelt down beside him.

Words being spoken with eyes. Carl looked up at Aiden with a small smile. Aiden laughed and whipped her eyes that now held happy tears. Aiden placed her arm around Carl's shoulder and subtly wrapped her other hand around Daryl's.

»

Aiden walked into her and Daryl's cell and saw him laying on the bunk. "You okay?" She asked him. He huffed.

"Yeah." Daryl mumbled. "Hershel's alive. You good?" He repeated his question from earlier.

"Not really. But I gotta be for Carl and Beth." Aiden took off her belt and boots and laid them on the floor and moved so she would be against the wall and laid down. Daryl's crossbow within arm's length if anything went wrong.

"Ya know the other prisoners didn't make it?" Daryl suddenly spoke. "Oscar and Axel are the only two left." Daryl mumbled.

"I'm going to burn his body tomorrow." Aiden said to him. "He doesn't deserve a burial." She stated.

"I'll help ya." Daryl said to her.

"No." She quickly said, "this is something I gotta do by myself." Aiden replied. Her eyes shifted and looked with his blue ones. The moonlight reflecting on them, making them brighter.

Aiden sighed and laid her head on his chest. She felt him take a deep breath before he relaxed.

The two were still getting used to being in whatever the hell type of relationship they were in. They cared for each other, that much was obvious to everyone else.

But the two were equally scared of a relationship. Aiden from her past and Daryl because of his. Their trauma almost stopped them from being whatever they were.

But God forbid it— their trauma, the walls they'd built... nothing was strong enough to stop them.
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word count: 1,148
episode: sick

here's another edited chapter guys!! i'm going to edit and update this one as fast as i can but i want to add more details to this book and so forth. so it may take a little more time.

this chapter is extremely short but that's only because chapter two was so damn long.

just imagine the eyes in the gif are brown not blue.

aiden being a mama bear to carl is amazing and i love her stepping up and taking care of dalton's body.

god, i love aiden walsh sm.