Tiptoe Through the Tulips
Two.
Glancing at my watch I noticed it had stopped, the battery had run out, fan-fucking-tastic. I liked knowing what time it was, gave a sense of normality to my day, plus my uncle had given me this watch and so it held personal value.
“What’s up?” Beth asked, sidling up to me.
“Watch broke,” I replied shortly, feeling guilty about snapping I offered her a smile, “You sleep okay?” she shook her head no.
“I don’t think anyone did” she said honestly, my thoughts exactly.
“What are we going to do now?” she turned to me, I had come back into the walled area and we were now sitting watching as Daryl attempted to talk some sense into Rick about our next move.
“I’m not too sure to be honest Beth, We need supplies but I have no idea where the hell we are, does your dad know this area at all?” she bit the inside of her cheek and shrugged, we both watched as Hershel walked over to the arguing men,
“He likes Rick” she said quietly, “ He’ll want to do whatever Rick says” I nodded, up until last night Rick had always made sense to me, his decisions may not always work but they were the decisions I would have made.
“Hey Glenn?” I called, gesturing at him to meet me near the cars, he nodded, looking nervous, he probably thought I was going to have a go at him. I held my finger up to my lips at Beth as I crept out of the area, sitting on the bonnet of the car again as Glenn joined me looking sheepish.
“You’re a dick...” I said shortly, watching him shift uncomfortably, I swallowed, feeling a catch in my throat, “Please don’t leave me.” I said in a small voice causing him to look up at me. He shuffled next to me and I rested my head on his shoulder.
“I won’t, you were right, Maggie couldn’t just leave Beth and Hershel, and I wouldn’t feel right leaving everyone after everything we’ve been through. I... I’m not sure what to think about what Rick did and what he said yesterday.” I shrugged.
“I’m sure he’ll be alright, a lot of stuffs happened in the last few days.” I looked down at my grubby hands, trying to wipe them on my shorts to no avail.
“You got any idea where we are?” I asked, only getting a shrug in response, “Wanna walk down the road, check it out?” he bit his lip but followed my suit as I slid off the bonnet.
“We’re in the middle of no-where.” he said.
“Yes, but if we use a car to find out where we are we might use all that petrol up too then we’re really fucked,” he seemed to agree with this so we headed back to the “camp” to grab our guns and so Glenn could tell Maggie.
If I told Daryl he would only try and stop me from going, it was better for everyone if he sorted out a proper plan with Rick. I had arranged to meet Glenn on the other side of the wall in about five minutes, everyone was pretty preoccupied so I figure we have a while before they realise, and Maggie would tell them where we went which would hopefully make them get their arses in gear and decide something.
I made my way over to where me and Daryl had been sleeping, grabbing my gun from under his jacket and taking a knife from near the fire, making my way to meet Glenn by the roadside, “Daryl’s gunna be pissed at you!” Glenn told me.
I shrugged, "I’d rather we did this and found a sign or something so we knew where we are, than for those lot to stand around talking shit with no idea where the hell we’re heading.” He rolled his eyes at me and we started to head down the road, staying in the centre to avoid being snuck up on.
It was completely silent, I couldn’t hear birds or anything, “Doesn’t that seem weird to you?” I asked Glenn after pointing it out, “Well in films birds are always like the first sign something bad’s coming.” he reasoned and I nodded.
“Okay, well you see any birds flying like crazy we leg it okay?” he chuckled slightly, I glanced at my watch to check how long we had been walking.
“Oh for fuck sake!” I moaned, remembering it was broken, Glenn shot me a questioning look and I told him my watch was broken, “I’ll buy you a new one,” he retorted, “A pretty one.”
I sniggered and moved closer to him, linking our arms together, “I like you a lot more when you’re all happy.” I told him sincerely.
"I like you more when you’re asleep.” he teased and I gasped, snatching his cap and putting it on my own head, the sun was starting to rise in the sky and it was warming up.
“What happened to you yesterday?” he asked me, unlinking our arms but continuing to walk next to me, "No-one’s properly spoken about it.”
I sighed. “I was with Jimmy in the RV, we stopped so Rick and Carl could jump on top then the Walkers broke the door down and...ate him, Rick shot through the glass and saved me, he...he didn’t have to do that. Its stuff like that that prove he’s a good man, however fucked up he’s acting now.
”
“I told Maggie I loved her” Glenn announced as I trailed off causing a grin to stretch across my face, Glenn laughed at my expression and let out a large smile of his own, “I told her in the car, it’s been true for ages, I don’t know why I took so long to say it.”
“Cause you’re a man and you’re useless,” I joked, nudging him in the ribs, “I finally told Daryl I love him the other day as well, so you’re not the only emotionally stunted one.” He over dramatically awed at me and I rolled my eyes, “Such a dork.” I teased, before whinging as he snatched his cap back and placed it on his head.
We continued joking as we kept walking, the sun grew higher in the sky and my feet were beginning to ache, “We must have been walking for at least a couple of hours now!” I complained, growing aggravated that we still had no idea where we were.
“Wait a sec,” Glenn said, running a bit in front of me to the sharp corner in the road, “Is that a garage?” He called back, causing me to rush over and squint, there was definitely a building further down the road.
“I can see the board thing with the prices on!” I said excitedly, “ So do we go there now or tell the others?” I shook at my head at him,
“Might as well see what we can get now, no point making this journey again.”
“It’s a plan batman.” He said, starting to walk forwards,
“The Joker is way better than batman, especially when he’s played by Heath Leger." I pretended to swoon and he rolled his eyes at me,
“Well that depends on whether it’s like just the scarred joker or the ones that fell in the vat of chemicals...”
And so another pointless debate began, as always with the aim of distracting us from everything that had happened.
Letting us push it down, to repress it.
“What’s up?” Beth asked, sidling up to me.
“Watch broke,” I replied shortly, feeling guilty about snapping I offered her a smile, “You sleep okay?” she shook her head no.
“I don’t think anyone did” she said honestly, my thoughts exactly.
“What are we going to do now?” she turned to me, I had come back into the walled area and we were now sitting watching as Daryl attempted to talk some sense into Rick about our next move.
“I’m not too sure to be honest Beth, We need supplies but I have no idea where the hell we are, does your dad know this area at all?” she bit the inside of her cheek and shrugged, we both watched as Hershel walked over to the arguing men,
“He likes Rick” she said quietly, “ He’ll want to do whatever Rick says” I nodded, up until last night Rick had always made sense to me, his decisions may not always work but they were the decisions I would have made.
“Hey Glenn?” I called, gesturing at him to meet me near the cars, he nodded, looking nervous, he probably thought I was going to have a go at him. I held my finger up to my lips at Beth as I crept out of the area, sitting on the bonnet of the car again as Glenn joined me looking sheepish.
“You’re a dick...” I said shortly, watching him shift uncomfortably, I swallowed, feeling a catch in my throat, “Please don’t leave me.” I said in a small voice causing him to look up at me. He shuffled next to me and I rested my head on his shoulder.
“I won’t, you were right, Maggie couldn’t just leave Beth and Hershel, and I wouldn’t feel right leaving everyone after everything we’ve been through. I... I’m not sure what to think about what Rick did and what he said yesterday.” I shrugged.
“I’m sure he’ll be alright, a lot of stuffs happened in the last few days.” I looked down at my grubby hands, trying to wipe them on my shorts to no avail.
“You got any idea where we are?” I asked, only getting a shrug in response, “Wanna walk down the road, check it out?” he bit his lip but followed my suit as I slid off the bonnet.
“We’re in the middle of no-where.” he said.
“Yes, but if we use a car to find out where we are we might use all that petrol up too then we’re really fucked,” he seemed to agree with this so we headed back to the “camp” to grab our guns and so Glenn could tell Maggie.
If I told Daryl he would only try and stop me from going, it was better for everyone if he sorted out a proper plan with Rick. I had arranged to meet Glenn on the other side of the wall in about five minutes, everyone was pretty preoccupied so I figure we have a while before they realise, and Maggie would tell them where we went which would hopefully make them get their arses in gear and decide something.
I made my way over to where me and Daryl had been sleeping, grabbing my gun from under his jacket and taking a knife from near the fire, making my way to meet Glenn by the roadside, “Daryl’s gunna be pissed at you!” Glenn told me.
I shrugged, "I’d rather we did this and found a sign or something so we knew where we are, than for those lot to stand around talking shit with no idea where the hell we’re heading.” He rolled his eyes at me and we started to head down the road, staying in the centre to avoid being snuck up on.
It was completely silent, I couldn’t hear birds or anything, “Doesn’t that seem weird to you?” I asked Glenn after pointing it out, “Well in films birds are always like the first sign something bad’s coming.” he reasoned and I nodded.
“Okay, well you see any birds flying like crazy we leg it okay?” he chuckled slightly, I glanced at my watch to check how long we had been walking.
“Oh for fuck sake!” I moaned, remembering it was broken, Glenn shot me a questioning look and I told him my watch was broken, “I’ll buy you a new one,” he retorted, “A pretty one.”
I sniggered and moved closer to him, linking our arms together, “I like you a lot more when you’re all happy.” I told him sincerely.
"I like you more when you’re asleep.” he teased and I gasped, snatching his cap and putting it on my own head, the sun was starting to rise in the sky and it was warming up.
“What happened to you yesterday?” he asked me, unlinking our arms but continuing to walk next to me, "No-one’s properly spoken about it.”
I sighed. “I was with Jimmy in the RV, we stopped so Rick and Carl could jump on top then the Walkers broke the door down and...ate him, Rick shot through the glass and saved me, he...he didn’t have to do that. Its stuff like that that prove he’s a good man, however fucked up he’s acting now.
”
“I told Maggie I loved her” Glenn announced as I trailed off causing a grin to stretch across my face, Glenn laughed at my expression and let out a large smile of his own, “I told her in the car, it’s been true for ages, I don’t know why I took so long to say it.”
“Cause you’re a man and you’re useless,” I joked, nudging him in the ribs, “I finally told Daryl I love him the other day as well, so you’re not the only emotionally stunted one.” He over dramatically awed at me and I rolled my eyes, “Such a dork.” I teased, before whinging as he snatched his cap back and placed it on his head.
We continued joking as we kept walking, the sun grew higher in the sky and my feet were beginning to ache, “We must have been walking for at least a couple of hours now!” I complained, growing aggravated that we still had no idea where we were.
“Wait a sec,” Glenn said, running a bit in front of me to the sharp corner in the road, “Is that a garage?” He called back, causing me to rush over and squint, there was definitely a building further down the road.
“I can see the board thing with the prices on!” I said excitedly, “ So do we go there now or tell the others?” I shook at my head at him,
“Might as well see what we can get now, no point making this journey again.”
“It’s a plan batman.” He said, starting to walk forwards,
“The Joker is way better than batman, especially when he’s played by Heath Leger." I pretended to swoon and he rolled his eyes at me,
“Well that depends on whether it’s like just the scarred joker or the ones that fell in the vat of chemicals...”
And so another pointless debate began, as always with the aim of distracting us from everything that had happened.
Letting us push it down, to repress it.