Hope Is a Waking Dream
Chapter 3
Chapter 3
She just stood there with her mouth wide open, watching Daryl walk away. She barely registered the squirrel land at her feet. She didn’t dare move until she couldn’t see him anymore. For some reason her anger had lessened. What the fuck just happened? He actually touched her, he got in her face and wasn’t hesitant about it. People had always been wary about getting near her, most thought she was crazy and avoided her at all costs. In the last fifteen years of her life, another human hadn’t touched her. She could still feel the anger in his grip and looked down to see the red mark that would soon become a bruise. Yet, her anger did not return. After about ten minutes of confusion, she picked up the squirrel and her knife and headed back to the cabin. When she arrived, the old man and the blonde girl were sitting on the front steps. They didn’t look unfriendly, so she thought she would give them a chance. She approached them slowly. When she reached the bottom step, she spoke. “My name is Melissa. I apologize for my behavior last night. I’ve gotten use to being alone and I don’t care for people much. Ya’ll took me by surprise.” Both looked at her with soft, caring eyes. The old man spoke. “My name is Herschel. This is my daughter Beth. We appreciate you letting us stay here last night. I would like to make an apology myself. I am sorry we scared you. We would never hurt you and I understand your wariness of strangers. Being alone isn’t easy, especially now.”
“Thank you,” Melissa said quietly. “It’s not you personally. I don’t know any of you. I’ve been alone for a long time and I never cared for people much. Never met any that were good. But I haven’t given ya’ll a chance. You can stay here as long as you want, but don’t expect me to be social. Don’t plan on making me a part of your group.”
Beth stood and put her arms around Melissa’s neck. The second time in one hour someone has touched her. It didn’t hurt this time, but she didn’t know how to respond. Turns out, she didn’t have to, because Beth quickly let her go. She smiled her sweet, innocent, happy Beth smile and Melissa tried, but failed, to return it. “Thank you,” Beth said. “I’m gonna go tell everybody. They’re gonna be so relieved.” She quickly ran up the steps and through the door.
“You’ll have to forgive Bethy. Since we had to leave the farm, she’s missed the stability of walls and a roof. She’s still hopeful in all this. If you need a light, she is it.”
“She seems like a very innocent girl. I bet you are a wonderful father. You’ve protected her very well. I hope that she never loses that. I hope that your group can keep her safe.”
“We try to keep everyone safe, Melissa. Rick is our leader and he has done many things to keep his family safe and secure. Although we are not all blood related, that group inside is every bit family. Maybe we can keep you safe too. We would love to have you as a member of our family.”
“Thank you, Herschel. That’s very nice of you to say, but I don’t think everyone in your group would agree. I don’t think I would feel comfortable being around this many people for long; and I certainly don’t think they are comfortable around me at all.” Melissa sighed, thinking about her encounter with Daryl earlier in the woods. Something about that bothered her; something about him bothered her. “I’ve made a bad impression, but some of yours have too. You can’t blame me for being hostile, especially when you’re hostile toward me.”
“You’re referring to Daryl, I assume.” Herschel said, with a smirk on his face. “He is an angry man. He has not had a good life, before or after the turn. He’s lost people that he cared about and blames some of us for it. We are very lucky that he has decided to stay with us. He’s a strong man but doesn’t relate to others very well. He’s a little like you, I think.”
“I would rather avoid him,” Melissa stated. “Honestly, I would rather avoid you all, but I don’t think that’s possible anymore. Like I said before, don’t expect me at dinner every night. I’ll stay out of ya’lls way if you’ll do the same for me.” She stood up and took her squirrel and knife back behind the cabin, hoping to be alone. The old man seemed to be nice, his daughter, however, had gotten on her nerves. She’s probably perfectly fine child, but Melissa was afraid she would puke a rainbow at some point. As she rounded the corner of the cabin to the back, she heard him talking to someone. She didn’t stop or pause. She wasn’t gonna cower around this asshole. If he wanted to leave, she would give him a boost out the door. He was talking to the grey haired woman. They were sitting next to a fire where the rest of the squirrels were cooking. She quickly and quietly passed them and went over to a big oak tree where she sat against the trunk to skin her squirrel. She could hear the two of them talking in muffled voices and then the sound of a door slamming. The rustling of leaves caused her to look behind her to the grey haired woman walking toward her. “Hello. My name is Carol. Thank you for letting us stay.”
“I’m not letting you stay. Your muscle isn’t giving me a choice. I won’t bother ya’ll if ya’ll don’t bother me. Just don’t think this is permanent.” Melissa said.
“You’ll have to overlook Daryl. He’s a little, well, he’s abrasive and not very friendly. But he’s gotten better. He’s not as bad as he used to be.”
Oh my God, Melissa thought. He’s mellowed? “I would love to overlook him. I’d prefer to overlook all of you, but you’ve made that hard. I can handle him, if that’s your concern. I’ve known men like him; they tend to think I’m a stupid bitch. I’m alright with that though, he’ll find out different, it he keeps pushing me.”
“Daryl is still learning how to deal with people.” Carol said and sat down in front of her. “He’s not a social person. He only ever had his brother, and he lost him a while back. We’re not bad people, we’ll help out, do whatever needs to be done. We want to earn our place here.”
“You have no place here. No offense, but I’m not gonna pretend to accept this situation. I am resigned to it. I can’t fight all of you. But, I will not pretend to be a part of your group. I’m not your host and ya’ll aren’t my guests. You saw something you wanted and you took it, without regard to anyone or anything. Good people don’t do that.”
Carol was stunned. The girl had a point. “If you had been here when we found it, we would’ve let you be. We never would have set up and got comfortable. We thought we had found a place where we could rest, a place to feel safe for a while. We’ve been through so much in the last few weeks, and we’re all just scared. This cabin was a haven for us. I hope that you can forgive us and forgive Daryl. He’s brash and surly, but he’s a good protector and provider. He cares about all of us, even though he denies it. I hope that we can work things out between us. “Then she stood up, giving Melissa hesitant smile and headed back to the cabin.
She just stood there with her mouth wide open, watching Daryl walk away. She barely registered the squirrel land at her feet. She didn’t dare move until she couldn’t see him anymore. For some reason her anger had lessened. What the fuck just happened? He actually touched her, he got in her face and wasn’t hesitant about it. People had always been wary about getting near her, most thought she was crazy and avoided her at all costs. In the last fifteen years of her life, another human hadn’t touched her. She could still feel the anger in his grip and looked down to see the red mark that would soon become a bruise. Yet, her anger did not return. After about ten minutes of confusion, she picked up the squirrel and her knife and headed back to the cabin. When she arrived, the old man and the blonde girl were sitting on the front steps. They didn’t look unfriendly, so she thought she would give them a chance. She approached them slowly. When she reached the bottom step, she spoke. “My name is Melissa. I apologize for my behavior last night. I’ve gotten use to being alone and I don’t care for people much. Ya’ll took me by surprise.” Both looked at her with soft, caring eyes. The old man spoke. “My name is Herschel. This is my daughter Beth. We appreciate you letting us stay here last night. I would like to make an apology myself. I am sorry we scared you. We would never hurt you and I understand your wariness of strangers. Being alone isn’t easy, especially now.”
“Thank you,” Melissa said quietly. “It’s not you personally. I don’t know any of you. I’ve been alone for a long time and I never cared for people much. Never met any that were good. But I haven’t given ya’ll a chance. You can stay here as long as you want, but don’t expect me to be social. Don’t plan on making me a part of your group.”
Beth stood and put her arms around Melissa’s neck. The second time in one hour someone has touched her. It didn’t hurt this time, but she didn’t know how to respond. Turns out, she didn’t have to, because Beth quickly let her go. She smiled her sweet, innocent, happy Beth smile and Melissa tried, but failed, to return it. “Thank you,” Beth said. “I’m gonna go tell everybody. They’re gonna be so relieved.” She quickly ran up the steps and through the door.
“You’ll have to forgive Bethy. Since we had to leave the farm, she’s missed the stability of walls and a roof. She’s still hopeful in all this. If you need a light, she is it.”
“She seems like a very innocent girl. I bet you are a wonderful father. You’ve protected her very well. I hope that she never loses that. I hope that your group can keep her safe.”
“We try to keep everyone safe, Melissa. Rick is our leader and he has done many things to keep his family safe and secure. Although we are not all blood related, that group inside is every bit family. Maybe we can keep you safe too. We would love to have you as a member of our family.”
“Thank you, Herschel. That’s very nice of you to say, but I don’t think everyone in your group would agree. I don’t think I would feel comfortable being around this many people for long; and I certainly don’t think they are comfortable around me at all.” Melissa sighed, thinking about her encounter with Daryl earlier in the woods. Something about that bothered her; something about him bothered her. “I’ve made a bad impression, but some of yours have too. You can’t blame me for being hostile, especially when you’re hostile toward me.”
“You’re referring to Daryl, I assume.” Herschel said, with a smirk on his face. “He is an angry man. He has not had a good life, before or after the turn. He’s lost people that he cared about and blames some of us for it. We are very lucky that he has decided to stay with us. He’s a strong man but doesn’t relate to others very well. He’s a little like you, I think.”
“I would rather avoid him,” Melissa stated. “Honestly, I would rather avoid you all, but I don’t think that’s possible anymore. Like I said before, don’t expect me at dinner every night. I’ll stay out of ya’lls way if you’ll do the same for me.” She stood up and took her squirrel and knife back behind the cabin, hoping to be alone. The old man seemed to be nice, his daughter, however, had gotten on her nerves. She’s probably perfectly fine child, but Melissa was afraid she would puke a rainbow at some point. As she rounded the corner of the cabin to the back, she heard him talking to someone. She didn’t stop or pause. She wasn’t gonna cower around this asshole. If he wanted to leave, she would give him a boost out the door. He was talking to the grey haired woman. They were sitting next to a fire where the rest of the squirrels were cooking. She quickly and quietly passed them and went over to a big oak tree where she sat against the trunk to skin her squirrel. She could hear the two of them talking in muffled voices and then the sound of a door slamming. The rustling of leaves caused her to look behind her to the grey haired woman walking toward her. “Hello. My name is Carol. Thank you for letting us stay.”
“I’m not letting you stay. Your muscle isn’t giving me a choice. I won’t bother ya’ll if ya’ll don’t bother me. Just don’t think this is permanent.” Melissa said.
“You’ll have to overlook Daryl. He’s a little, well, he’s abrasive and not very friendly. But he’s gotten better. He’s not as bad as he used to be.”
Oh my God, Melissa thought. He’s mellowed? “I would love to overlook him. I’d prefer to overlook all of you, but you’ve made that hard. I can handle him, if that’s your concern. I’ve known men like him; they tend to think I’m a stupid bitch. I’m alright with that though, he’ll find out different, it he keeps pushing me.”
“Daryl is still learning how to deal with people.” Carol said and sat down in front of her. “He’s not a social person. He only ever had his brother, and he lost him a while back. We’re not bad people, we’ll help out, do whatever needs to be done. We want to earn our place here.”
“You have no place here. No offense, but I’m not gonna pretend to accept this situation. I am resigned to it. I can’t fight all of you. But, I will not pretend to be a part of your group. I’m not your host and ya’ll aren’t my guests. You saw something you wanted and you took it, without regard to anyone or anything. Good people don’t do that.”
Carol was stunned. The girl had a point. “If you had been here when we found it, we would’ve let you be. We never would have set up and got comfortable. We thought we had found a place where we could rest, a place to feel safe for a while. We’ve been through so much in the last few weeks, and we’re all just scared. This cabin was a haven for us. I hope that you can forgive us and forgive Daryl. He’s brash and surly, but he’s a good protector and provider. He cares about all of us, even though he denies it. I hope that we can work things out between us. “Then she stood up, giving Melissa hesitant smile and headed back to the cabin.