Chapter Text
It happened fast, faster than she could really protest. Everyone already was, and it didn't get Shane to stop. He'd opened the barn and as soon as he did walkers began to pour out, people were forced to up their weapons. Not everyone had a weapon though, and that made it all the more worse for Blessing. Why? Because the Greene family? None of them had guns, not even their war ready Maggie. All of them just watched on in horror as people from the group took down the walkers that stumbled out of that barn one by one.
Daryl had stayed in his spot in front of Blessing since she wasn't someone who had a weapon. He'd felt her trembling hands graze over his shoulder and then over his mid back, it wasn't much.. But enough for him to know she was afraid. She wasn't even saying anything anymore, not screaming or whimpering like she'd done so many times before. Daryl glanced over his shoulder to get a glance, only to see her staring at the barn doors with wide, horror filled eyes that tears were filling up in slowly. And when he turned back... he understood why.
People had slowed their shooting to a stop because it seemed the walkers were no more, but in that lack of gunshots silence found home... And suddenly... A small growl filled that silence.
Sophia walked out slowly, her teeth clacking every time she snapped her jaws. Her cute lavender colored shirt had a tear on its shoulder, so everyone could see the bite that had turned her.
"Sophia!" Carol cried out, lurching forward as if she were going to try and reach for her daughter. Daryl was the only one alert enough to react, and he rushed forward to wrap an arm around her mid drift to stop her. Although his chest ached from the cries of the mother he was holding back, it clenched even more whenever he glanced up to Sophia..
Blessing watched whilst taking shuddering breaths as Rick stepped forward with his gun raised, her heart racing in her chest and body vibrating with emotions she wasn't sure she'd ever felt before. She knew children died before... But this? This was different... This was cruel. She had to clench her eyes shut when Rick's finger slid onto the trigger and a single gunshot rang out. Only the sounds of the wind, Carol's cries and Blessing's shaky and ragged breaths were what people could hear now. And it offered no comfort.
"You knew..?" Shane was the first person to speak up, narrowing his dark eyes on Herschel and his daughters. All of them seemed incredibly distraught, especially Beth who was ran forward to cradle the body of what people guessed was once her mother, tears streaming down her pale face and pain in those blue eyes of hers.
"We didn't know. Oscar must've put her in there before he..." Herschel said solemnly, but Shane had no compassion for the older mans withering look.
"You fuckin' knew, man! Don't give me that bullshit! We been wastin' time and resources searchin' for that little girl all for her to end up in yer fuckin' barn!" Shane was riling himself up, the veins in his neck protruding as he yelled. He as practically in Herschel's face, and Daryl and Rick had to make their way over to try and ease him back.
"We didn't know!" Maggie jumped in to protect her father, brown eyes filled with tears but it looked like she wasn't trying to shed them. She was refusing to blink, and her eyes were wide. She squared her shoulder as if it'd make her seem just as big as Shane, but he had height and weight on her. He wasn't intimidated at all. In fact, a glint of amusement seemed to shine in his eyes a bit when she tried to seem tough. It didn't show on his face, but definitely in his eyes.
"That's bullshit!" He shouted, pointing a finger into Herschel's face as if poking and prodding the man's personal bubble would get him to say something, anything. But Herschel was still looking at the fallen walkers as if he'd seen live humans being slaughtered.
"Dude, back off!" Blessing tried to jump in and defend Maggie, since Rick and Daryl were too busy trying to get Shane out of Herschel's face. She rushed to Maggie's side, ignoring the look Daryl had given her at her jumping into the crowd of disagreeing people. He knew nothing good would come out of it, and didn't really want her getting hurt or caught up. But with everything that just happened... He knew everyone was a bit hurt.
"Oh, please! You been butt buddies with Maggie lately, maybe you knew somethin' too!" Shane accused, face twisted with a sneer. But Blessing immediately rolled her eyes at the accusation, because if it were true she wouldn't seem so shellshocked. Even with her trying to get Shane to back off of Maggie her eyes told how she felt. Just like Maggie, she was trying to seem tough.
"Don't be fuckin' stupid, Shane! If I knew I wouldn't have been out there looking for that girl too! You're acting like you actually did something, for fuck sake! Shut up!" She shouted back, voice shaking along with her lips but standing steady as a rock. Daryl was already ready to defend her in anyway, even though he was still injured. He was close to Shane, standing by with narrowed eyes and his crossbow ready even though he knew he wasn't going to use it. His stomach was still turning from seeing Sophia like that... Even if he couldn't stand Shane.. He didn't want to lose another person from their group. Especially not from his own hand.
Still, even with everyone around him against him, he stepped towards Blessing with his nose twitching and his arm raising. He was trying to point in her face just like he'd done to Herschel, his face red with anger and fist clenched at his side... Daryl took a step closer, a hand reaching out to grab Shane's arm to stop him, but Maggie had grasped Blessing's shoulder and pulled her a step behind her. When Shane's eyes found hers, she raised a hand and swung, landing a good smack on his cheek that got him and everyone to shut the fuck up finally.
"You leave her and my family alone, you hear me?" She said it low, seriousness laced in her tone to fill the threat ith even more heat. Maggie was always the fighter in her family, she didn't see herself backing out even now. She couldn't.
"Shane, please, just back off." Rick pleaded, just like he'd been doing the whole time. His blue eyes filled with so many emotions Blessing thought she may get dizzy just from looking at them. He'd been the one to take Sophia out of her misery, she couldn't even imagine hat he may be feeling. "Everything is feelin' a lot right now, okay? We can discuss this when emotions aren't as high."
He tried to reason with him, and Glenn nodded along. He'd stepped up to join Maggie's side that Blessing wasn't on. He was concerned, nervous even. But there was an underlying protective glint in his eyes when he glanced at Shane's frame. Giving him a once over once he'd stepped back and away from the Greene's with a roll of his eyes.
"Emotions are always gonna be high, Rick. There's people dying left and right." Shane scoffed out a laugh with a shake of his head, and while Rick tried to reason with Shane Blessing stepped closer to Maggie subtly. Her hand settling on Maggie's shoulder, the warmth of her hand had Maggie turning her head to the side to look down towards Blessing. Stress was all over her face, and tears were still in her eyes. But still, Blessing smiled warmly. Not a big smile, but a smile nonetheless.
"Thanks for doing what I was thinking about, Mags. You're the best." She whispered, trying not to be caught talking and lightening the mood as if the disaster of Shane still wasn't happening. Maggie smiled shakily, a tear finally falling down her cheek, and Blessing pulled Maggie into her side for a side hug when Maggie's shoulder shook the slightest bit. "It's okay to cry, you just watched them take out your walker family. I'm sorry.. You were so brave."
Her voice was light, and Maggie knew it was because the words were so heavy for her. Having to acknowledge what was happening... Knowing it was her people that had done this. Maggie let out a shaky whine as she fell into Blessing's shoulder to weep. And when Herschel turned to see his eldest daughter being consoled by a whispering Blessing, his face became serious before turning back to Rick, Shane, Daryl and Glenn who were all still debating. Trying to get Shane to see that what he had done and what he'd been doing lately... was wrong.
"I want him off my farm." He said, sounding firm and even angry now. He didn't even wait for their reply, he turned on his heel and headed back to his home with his daughters following after him. Blessing patted Maggie's back lightly as she let her go to follow after her father. She turned her eyes to Daryl when they disappeared into the house, and their eyes met since he'd already been looking at her. Her eyes watered at the clear concern in his pretty eyes, concern that she knew only showed when he was looking at her.
"You're such a fucking idiot." She whimpered out loud, it was meant for Shane but to them it semed like she was talking to herself. Well... To Shane it did.
"Why? Cause you didn't tell us?" He asked with a raise of his brow, still huffing and puffing air from his nose since he hadn't really calmed down. If anything, it seemed like his anger had gone from irrational, to calculated. He kept looking from everyone's face as if trying to decide which one of them was the bad guy. "You knew, right?"
"I didn't fucking know! I'm talking about you! You're the idiot! This place was safe! It was safe, Shane! And you fucked that up!" She shouted, stomping her foot as she yelled and looking like a toddler having a tantrum. It made him scoff at her attitude, stepping forward towards her but only being stopped by Daryl who set a hand on his chest with narrowed eyes to keep him in place.
"This place was never safe! They were in the barn the whole time!" He said as if it were obvious. "Those walls were gonna give up sooner or later!"
"If they gave up it wouldn't be on us! You moron! Now he wants you gone! Off the farm! I hope Rick lets you leave alone, you self centered piece of shit!" She let out one last shout of anger before stomping off, ignoring the way Lori stepped to Shane to try and whisper in his ear only for him to tell her to back off. Daryl followed after her, his head hung low but his eyes raised to watch her walk. She didn't go to their tent like he expected her to. Instead, she'd wandered off towards one of the wells they didn't use very often because of it not being as close as the other two. Clearly she wanted to get away from the others, but Daryl... He didn't count as the others. So when she glanced over her shoulder to see him coming up behind her when she leaned against the wellside, she didn't complain or groan. Her shoulder fell a bit, and she turned around to face him.
"We spent all that time looking.. For nothing." She whispered solemnly, her bottom lip wobbling as she tried to fight the tears that were welling up in her eyes. To her surprise, tears welled up in his eyes too. He stepped towards her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her into his chest for a hug she'd been waiting for all day. She whimpered as her body melted into his, sucking in a breath when his body shook with a silent cry of his own. "No, it wasn't for nothing."
She tried to speak back to those negative thoughts she was voicing, trying to reassure herself and him. She pulled away from the hug a bit so she could reach up and wipe the tears from his face. His lips were wobbling still, and his brows were furrowed in sorrow. She knew why he was so beat up.. She was a child... A twelve year old child that lived a life he'd lived before. She never even got the chance to experience a childhood... Only to end up in that barn...Maybe if he hadn't gotten injured or looked more maybe..,
"We did everything that we could, Daryl. Do you hear me? This isn't your fault. I'm sure Sophia is happy we looked for as long as we did, okay?" She whispered to him, and even though she was still crying the warmth in her voice and reassurance... It hugged him. His shoulders shook, and his face twisted further as he tried to fight a sob when he nodded along as she spoke. "You can cry, baby, it's okay."
That was all he needed, as soon as she said it was okay he crumbled into her shoulder just like Maggie had done moments before. It wasn't often that he showed this much vulnerability, but when he did... She knew he needed what he'd never really received before in his life. Reassurance. Love.
"I thought I was gonna find 'er, Bless." He whimpered into her shoulder, his hands clutching at the back of her shirt as if it'd bring her closer to him. He really believed he'd find her alive...
"We did, baby... We did."
~*~
Word Count : 2,347
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April 11th, 2025