CHAPTER TWO|| MOVING ON

—————————————————————————

Alex and the group kept moving, never stayed at one camp more than a day, They had to find somewhere. Alex tried to keep to herself, but these people were different from the programmed soldiers she'd been with previously. Aside from Eli, she wasn't used to the constant questions, 'Are you okay?' 'Have you eaten yet?' The kindness this group radiated was new. It Was such a change from being Alone, And not saying a word. To these people constantly trying to talk to her. She did, however, notice someone else in the group who preferred to keep to himself: Daryl Dixon.

She'd had a few conversations with him, and the two surprisingly got along. The initial conversation about hunting led to Rick and where the group had previously been: Atlanta, the CDC, and Hershel's farm. Alex learnt a lot about what previously happened to the group, including Glenn saving her uncle and her uncle handcuffing Daryl's brother to the roof. She didn't learn that last piece from Daryl, though. He wasn't one to talk about his past. Alex respected that. She was the same. sometimes the worst place you can be is inside your own mind.

She nodded towards a rabbit she'd spotted, signalling to Daryl its location. He raised his crossbow, aiming for the small mammal, and with a click, the bolt shot through the rabbit's body. A smile showed up on Alex's face as she retrieved the animal, It wasn't much. But it was Something for Lori and Carl.

"And that's dinner," she smiled, picking it up and looking at Daryl. The line of his lips curved slightly as if he was trying to smile as they both turned back towards camp. Alex looked down at the small animal in her hands as she walked beside the redneck. He grunted Not one for much conversation, The silence lingered between the two as Alex's mind wandered to Rick's plans to find somewhere to call home.

"You actually think we'll find somewhere?" Alex asked as the two walked, The girl's Blue eyes flickered to the Redneck Hoping He believed they could find somewhere as much as Rick did. Daryl turned his head looking toward the brunette, his dark eyes flickered with a sense of belonging within the group.

"yeh. don't worry bout it. Rick got us this far. we'll find somewhere" Daryl huffed, The worry of Lori creeping its way into Alex's mind. The group begged for Lori not to go into labour while they were still on the road. Her pregnancy was a constant worry for everyone. Alex thought about Daryl's words, The fact everyone within the group had Faith in Rick made her optimism grow slightly.

Alex nodded appreciating the faith Daryl seemed to have in her uncle as The two walked, leaves crunching under their feet as they got back to camp. Glenn was the first to look up, his eyes widening in surprise at the sight of The rabbit After days of not being able to catch anything. Daryl nodded, taking the rabbit from Alex's hands and pulling out his knife. He was quick as he skinned the animal. 

Alex sat down a few feet from Glenn, her eyes scanning the camp. Her eyes Landing on her Aunt whose Eyes were Glued to Rick, A look of sadness that hid many secrets Consuming Lori's eyes making Alex's brows furrow together as she walked past the woman, her hand going to Loris shoulder reassuringly. Lori looked up at her niece from her seated position on the floor offering Alex a weak smile despite her exhaustion. Alex nodded softly returning the small smile as she walked past her aunt to sit around the fire. her heart aching for her family, she wanted to keep them safe.

Alex sighed running a hand over her face, Despite the warm welcome from the group, she still couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that lingered in the back of her mind. She had seen too much, experienced too much loss, she wasn't sure if she could ever feel like herself again. memories of what she lost crossed her mind making her chest tighten with grief as she let out a shaky sigh, she couldn't believe he  was gone

Glenn noticed her silence and nudged her gently. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, his voice soft and gentle. Alex smiled weakly, nodding her head. he hated the vulnerability that came with her feelings, came with her problem... 

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, but her voice was barely above a whisper. She didn't want to burden anyone with her problems. She appreciated the concern, but she was fine, she had to be. 

As the group settled down for dinner, Alex felt a sense of belonging that she hadn't experienced in a long time. The feeling drowned out the unease that ran through her veins, These people were her family now, If they were family to Rick, They were family to her. and she would do anything to protect them. That's how it worked in the army, she was a protector, a protector before anything else. 

Glenn muttered a soft "uh- well done for finding that.." from beside her, Pulling her from her thoughts, Looking over at the Boy Alex couldn't help but wonder why she had chosen to sit there. Since the night they first spoke, they found themselves next to each other at each camp. It was strange how things worked out like that.

"Team effort, It's not like that's gonna feed the whole group" she replied, He shook his head with a smile, his hunger apparent. Sighing, She watched as Daryl began to light the campfire in the middle to cook the rabbit. Looking around, she noticed the hunger etched on everyone's faces. a sadness deep within her eyes returned as she realised the pain these people had gone through... 

"It's a lot better than nothing. So thank you," Glenn said, breaking the silence. Alex looked at him as she nodded with a soft smile. before They returned to silence, and the boy looked over to Rick, who sat a few feet away.

"Where we heading tomorrow?" Glenn asked, His brown eyes Looking toward Rick for Answers Hoping they'd find somewhere, Glenn and Rick seemed to be close filling Alex with a sense of security.. everyone within the group looked to Rick for answers they all trusted him. 

"Keep going in this direction, Make sure the herd we've been tracking is still on course then push west" Rick nodded from beside him, Taking a breath Rick's eyes flickered to his family. Lori, Carl, Alex... He needed them safe. As Glenn spoke to her uncle, she watched.

**

When Daryl finished cooking the rabbit, he handed out portions, each hungry face grateful as Daryl handed them food, each person immediately digging into the food that had been cooked for them. when he got around to Alex, The archer went to hand her the small portion of meat But Alex shook her head.

"Give it to Lori," she stated bluntly, with no hesitation. looking up at Daryl, both Glenn and Rick raised an eyebrow in surprise, Alex's expression didn't falter from the serious one she held on her face as prying eyes around the campfire laid on her watching the interaction.

"You sure?" Lori asked, overhearing the conversation her expression softened as she looked over at her niece thankfully. Alex nodded, she would always put her family first, no matter what. And in this world, family was all that mattered. 

"of course" she smiles as she took the extra meat from Daryl and handed it over to Lori. Rick and Lori looked over at her with thankful expressions on their faces, Alex offered them a small smile before turning back to The fire.

"Thank you," Lori muttered with a soft smile as Alex gave up her food to her pregnant aunt. Lori's heart swelled with appreciation for her niece. She had always known that Alex had a kind heart, but that gesture proved it once again. Lori couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt that her niece was going without. she wished that she could do more for her family.

"You want some of mine?" a softer voice asked. Looking beside her, Glenn offered her some of his small portion. Her eyebrows knitted together at his offer, his genuine kindness was confusing. a look of concern upon the young boy's face as he holds out some of his food waiting for her to take it.

"You need to eat," Alex stated bluntly, watching as Glenn shook his head and gave her half of his food, not giving her time to deny his offer. She had to eat something, she had to get her strength back somehow, but taking food from someone else made a twinge of guilt rush through her veins.

"So do you," Alex looked at him, unsure of his generosity, but the reassuring look on his face was sincere. Taking the food, she accepted his kindness before looking around the group again. they take care of each other, just like a  family... 

"Thank you," she nodded, Glenn smiled before he began eating. Alex did the same, eating the small pieces of food she was given. But guilt rolled in due to the interaction she'd had with the boy beside her. Something Alex struggled with was Relationships, Of any sort... Friendships. Even as a kid, she was never good at making friends. Something about it worried her, opening up to people, holding conversations... 

her thoughts drowned out the noise that surrounded the campfire, people talking, laughing, just enjoying each other's company, it was such a drastic change. a pain lingered in her heart as she thought of Eli. how she wished he could've been there to see this. 

"Glenn, you still good for being on watch tonight?" Rick asked. Alex looked over to her uncle, as his voice pulled her from her thoughts. the guilt from before that lingered deep within her stomach increasing as Glenn spoke again.

"Yeah, all good," he smiled, eating the last piece of food from his portion. Alex finished her piece and sighed, leaning against the broken brick wall behind her. She pulled her military jacket around herself to conserve her warmth. 

**

As daylight faded, the group ate their food and slowly nestled into comfortable positions. Alex, however, remained seated against the wall, knees to her chest, and her jacket tightly wrapped around her body. The darkness now enveloped the surroundings, and the group began to drift off to sleep. yet she remained awake, her brain not giving her a second to breathe, silence, true silence was what she needed, not the type of silence that comes from the people around you, the type of silence that comes when your thoughts slow, and you can finally relax.

Almost an hour passed, and everyone, except Glenn and Alex, had fallen asleep. Glenn sat next to Alex, his back against the wall, holding a classic rifle in his hands, ready to protect the group as he watched their surroundings, his eyes fixated on the darkness that surrounded the group. As Alex's anxiety pooled in her stomach preventing her from even attempting to sleep.

"Why are you still awake?" Glenn asked in a hushed tone, careful not to wake anyone up, as he glanced over at Alex. He took in her appearance, her eyes drooped with fatigue as she looked up at him, her hands laid in her lap as she picked at the skin around her nails, her blue eyes catching his with an unfamiliar sadness that filled Glenn with questions. 

"Why did you share your food?" she asked, a hint of rudeness in her tone. Glenn's face fell slightly at her word taken aback by her tone. She sighed running a hand over her face in shame as he spoke again.

"You need to eat too. You've been on the road alone for weeks. You need to get your strength back," he replied, shifting his gaze from Alex to the darkness that surrounded them as he sighed unsure of what else he could say to make the brunette understand his kindness.

"I didn't mean to sound ungrateful," Alex said, shaking her head and clearing her throat, as another wave of guilt flooded through her veins, Yet she shouldn't, she knew she shouldn't feel guilty.. she didn't want to let herself get too involved, too consumed by the group. her focus she be on her family, on Lori.

"Just don't be too nice to anyone out here," she added, her head resting against the cold, hard wall. Glenn's expression was a mixture of confusion and concern as he looked at her trying to figure out what she meant by that.

"I know you," he said softly, his gaze fixed on the darkness outside. Alex scoffed, scrunching up her coat and shifting her position.

"You don't know anything about me," she said, her voice laced with bitterness. She laid down on the unforgiving floor, her back pressed against the forest floor. Anxiety and guilt rushed through her veins, yet she couldn't let herself trust him. She just couldn't. Glenn watched her for a moment, his eyebrow raised in curiosity and concern. But Alex had already turned away from him, leaving him alone with his thoughts and the silence of the night.

**
AN

As of the 8th of july i am editing this book, so yeah ily all <3