we're all a bit lost

              “I knew someone named Andrea. Definitely a               blonde girl, but I couldn’t tell ya the quality of               her blowjobs.”

               “Andrea. Nah— I’ll try not to laugh. And I                thought Daryl was a shitty name.”

    "  I mean, I wasn’t gonna say anythin’, but…  ”

As much as she fought to keep a straight face, Beth couldn’t help the smirk tugging at her lips.  Setting both her pistol and knife on the bedside table, the young woman disappeared to investigate their shower situation.  It hadn’t been long since she’d enjoyed the luxury of warm, clean water, but if she could provide that luxury to Andrea, even just for a night, she’d feel like she had done some good for the day.  

At the turn of the a handle, the pipes began to creak and moan, spitting out a mess of orange water until finally running clear.   Success.  With a bright smile, Beth called to Andrea from the echoey bathroom.

    "  We got water!  It ain’t hot or nothin’, but it’ll         get ya clean with the help of some soap.  ”

       He nodded, his heart still tight into Ally's hand, her ghost        never really leaving him. He tried a smile but knew that        he looked nothing happy. He had never been a good liar        anyway. The only good thing lying had brought him was        Ally and he was still thankful for the time he had had to        enjoy with her. His girl.

       He chuckled hollowly at her words, a shower needed though        he didn't feel like moving. He should have never sat. Still,        Andrea had to say something back.

     ❝ Could’a fooled me.  Ya  gotta  trust me, ya know?            It’s the only way we’re gonna make it.  And you’re            right, I got your back — no questions asked. But            that means you  gotta  have  mine  too.  ’Cause            that’s the only  way  we’re  gonna get back to ‘em.            They deserve  everythin’  bad  ta  happen  to  ’em. ❞

              “Smells like bullshit to me, man. Andrea. Can I               call you Andy? Like— I won’t stop laughing if I               gotta say your full name.”

     ❝ i had ta do it —— he did bad things! he woulda            done the same ta me  if  i hadn’t, and then he’d have            told dawn and we wouldn’t get the chance to escape.            don’t try ta make me feel bad ‘bout what i did. ‘cause                                                                                    i don’t.

"…"

             “Andrea. You shittin’ me, son?”

              “It’s troubled times, son. I’m not murdering              you, you’re not murdering me. Call it even?”

       “That depends. You gonna try and murder me and bury me at this gas station?”

At first Beth didn’t think much about Andrea’s words.  Daryl was a real catch.  He’d kept them alive and taught her just about all she knew about survival.  He was half the reason she escaped that hospital to begin with. But it seemed as if speaking so highly of him could have been putting false thoughts in Andrea’s head.  The thought made her nose crinkle, an almost shy laugh falling from her lips.

     ” We wasn’t like, in love or anythin’.  I don’t want ya thinkin’         I’m draggin’ ya ‘round Georgia for a boyfriend.  It would         be kinda romantic though, huh?  Travelin’ ‘cross the state         lookin’ for the love of my life at the end of the world.  Now         that’s a romance novel. “

A dragging sound pulled Beth’s attention to the curtain-covered window, immediately setting her can off to the side.  Even with four walls and roof to protect them, the smallest noise cued adrenaline to pump through veins.  With two fingers the songbird pulled the fabric from the window only enough to peek out.  The parking lot looked clear, no disturbances outside of a red party cup floating around in the wind.  Her heartbeat slowed at the sight.

     ” Just garbage.  So, ya think we got runnin’ water         in this place?  Bet ya haven’t seen a shower in         a while, huh? ”

    He chuckled, his grey eyes going a bit blue as he watched     her speaking about this guy. He wished Ally was there, Ally     would know what to say to this girl and Ally would be so     fucking enthusiastic about Beth and that guy. She would     probably make a bit deal out of it, his crazy girl.

                                                  'Would be romantic. My girlfriend, Ally, she would                                                   have loved the idea, running all over the world for                                                   love. She was, huh,' he ended up shrugging.

     His eyes dropped, he didn't know why he was talking about      her, it only hurt him. He let his eyes stare at the floor, bringing      his knees against his chest like a kid as he focused on his      breathing. He didn't want to cry. Beth's voice made his eyes      go up, gazing at her as she spoke. A tired smile pulled on his      lips.

Beth met enough people on her travels to know gun skills didn’t make the survivor.  Surviving made the survivor.  What Andrea lacked in that department, he most likely made up for in something else.  Despite the lack of confidence he seemed to have in himself, Beth had plenty of faith in this guy for the both of them.  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to shoot a stupid gun.

     ” Maybe y’ could teach me a thing or two ‘bout knife         throwin’ sometime.  The guy I was with a while, he         was real good at that.  Probably could take out two         walkers in one throw if he tried. ”

A soft laugh escaped the blonde’s lips, though the smile stretched across her face held a note of sadness.  That night was still a little spotty, the night her and the archer were separated, but thinking back always sent an odd pang of — whatever it was she was feeling — straight to her heart.  Was it guilt?  Was it loss?  Without all the pieces neatly falling together, Beth was starting to believe she wouldn’t find out until she found Daryl again.

His knife throwing experience had been some kind of a failure. He could throw a knife now, could make it so it would pierce what he wanted. But he had no idea how to aim so it had really been nothing near a success.

                    "I kind of suck. I don't know how to aim.                     The guy you were with seems like a                      real catch in a world like that."

                            “Not  a  joke - just entertaining for everyone else.”

                             She stated while giving him a tiny smile. A friendly                              one  at  that.  A  rarity in itself, Judith offered him a                              word of advice.                                          ” I’ve never picked up a bow in my life before all this either                                           but I was  - I guess  -  Fortunate  enough  to  know how to                                           use  a  hand  gun.  My  dad’s  a  cop,   we   all  kinda   had                                          to  know  how  it  worked if we had one in our house.” She                                          paused. “It’s not that hard. I could — show you?”

                        "Well then at least, I found a purpose.                         I'm happy that I'm some kind of comic                         relief for the group."

He returned her smile with a wide one, tilting a bit his head as she spoke, trying to gather what she was saying.