#horrorempathy

Jesse wasn’t one for partying but he did enjoy bonfire nights. Drinking shitty beer while mingling with friends or sitting off to the side with Dina occupying his lap wasn’t all that bad a pass time. He was wholly dedicated to his role in the community, however, and that dedication often led to fights between him and Dina. But somehow, they always gravitated back toward each other. Maybe it was because they’d known each other for so long that it just became the norm. They were long-time friends. Teenage sweethearts. He cherished this girl but he could be a fucking idiot sometimes. That particular night, he had a couple of beers in him but held his alcohol fairly well. Someone had placed a black leather cowboy hat onto his head (while making the obligatory cowboy jokes) and he decided that he would wear it for the remainder of the night. It was kind of funny. So he ambled up to Dina with a goofy smile, wrapping his arms around her from behind and pressing his lips to her cheek.

“Hey, D.”

He rested his head in his hands as he listened to her. These days, she was always a voice. At least, that’s what he thought. He had seen her still in stone for so long, his carefully laid plans still patching themselves together, that he often wondered if her presence here was entirely in his mind or if she had finally broken herself free of her prison and was here to punish him.

“Yes.” Was what he managed to utter in response, hands running down his aged face as he looked at her, though his eyes seemed hollow. Mad. Rife with visions of things that went along with the constant chattering of the rats that swarmed amongst his feet. “I’ve always seen it. In my nightmares. Every chance I didn’t have to save you.”

His lips parted into a slight smile and he stood up from the throne, his hands moved out as though as an offering towards her. “But it’s alright. I took care of everything. Everyone. Every opposition someone might have had against you, I have quelled!”

The birds are singing, he’s rubbing the back of his freshly shaved head, missing the full head of hair the way he missed who he was before he left Rick in that hospital alone. Before he slept with his best friends wife. Before he had to choose between friendship and family, and survival. This farm, and everyone occupying it had been holding him back, pulling him in different directions, pushing him to his limits when it came to patience and sanity. It’s not an easy decision to make, leaving old friends behind, but it was better for them all; and it was better for himself if he made the cut clean. 

       ‘ -- where is he? -- where’s the marshall? ‘ if she could be honest - micah really didn’t care too greatly for the man. would even leave him to his fate because if it wasn’t for him and his pushing.  no used in dwelling on it. but bringing him up will keep the conversation from drifting into other areas - and rook does not want to deal with that yet. or ever. ‘faith -- where is he?’ 

     “ i’d say i’m surprised to find you here but, you know what, i’m not really surprised. “ she’s eyeing the orb in ming’s hand with a slight frown, “ i’d let you get away with just about anything else in here, ming, but you & i both know that that cannot leave here. “ if it ended up in the wrong hands, yada yada -- there’s a deep sigh as the shorter woman disappears through the wall. “ alright, going to play it like that then. “