Violent Silence • Rick Grimes ✓

-57-

drinking game

SCARLETT REFUSED TO DRINK, KNOWING THE INHABITANT OF HER UTERUS WOULD NOT BE PLEASED. She sat by Judith, slowly running a finger through the sleeping baby's hair as she listened to Beth try and teach Daryl a drinking game. They were both shitfaced, trying to get her to join them. Scarlett refused time and time again.

"So first, I say something I've never done, and if you have done it, you drink, and if you haven't, I drink. Then we switch. You really don't know this game?" Beth told him.

"I ain't never needed a game to get lit before," Daryl told her back as he took a gulp of the moonshine. "Hey, Red. Come play."

"Not drinking," she said again monotonously.

"Wait, are we starting? Okay, I'll start. I've never shot a crossbow. So now you drink," Beth said with a drunken giggle.

"Ain't much of a game."

"That was a warm up. Now you go."

Scarlett listened to their banter back and forth, glad Daryl had kind of relaxed around Beth. She knew the pair were polar opposites, and they definitely did not click very well. She thought this would be good in the long run. She did not like listening to them argue.

The game continued until Beth let her drunken thoughts win.

"I've never been in jail! I mean as a prisoner," she giggled out.

Scarlett's eyes widened as Daryl's voice came out full of hurt. "Is that what you think of me?"

Beth realized her mistake as she tried to cover it. "I didn't mean anything serious. I just thought, you know, like the drunk tank. Even my dad got locked up for that back in the day. And y'know, Scarlett's Dad went there before for drugs or something stupid before he got stuck there... I didn't mean—"

"Drink up," Daryl sneered out.

Beth's eyes widened. "Wait—prison guard. Were you a prison guard before?"

"No."

"It's your turn again."

"I'm going to take a piss."

Scarlett watched him stand, throwing an empty jar across the room. It shattered causing Judith to stir slightly. "Daryl! You need to be quiet!" Scarlett pleaded, knowing he was hurt from the game and now irritated.

Daryl unzipped his pants, pissing in the corner as he shouted back, "Can't hear you. I'm taking a piss."

"Daryl, don't talk so loud! You'll wake Judith!"

"What are you, my chaperone now?" He zipped himself up as he turned around angrily. "Oh wait, it's my turn, right?" Judith began to whimper now as she woke up. "I never, uh—I never eaten frozen yoghurt. I never had a pet pony. Never got nothing from Santa Claus. Never relied on anyone for protection before. Hell, I don't think I've ever relied on anyone for anything!"

Scarlett stood up, noticing Daryl was getting angrier by the second. She hated the fact that she only saw her father in that moment. Judith began to cry. "Daryl—" Scarlett tried, walking to him.

"Never sung out in front of a big group out in public like everything was fun, like everything was a big game, and sure as hell never cut my wrists looking for attention!" The walker outside got louder as he began banging on the door. Scarlett knew she needed to calm Judith, but she had to make sure Daryl did not hurt Beth. "Oh, sounds like our friend out there is trying to call over his buddies."

"Daryl, just shut up!" Scarlett grumbled out.

"Should'a drank wit' us, Red! Missin' out on feelin' like yer own cloud fuckin' nine! But nah, you didn't drink cause you got'ta look after that damn baby that ain't even yours!"

"She is as good as mine. Stop actin' like an ass!" she shouted back, shoving him a bit. "You are better than this!"

"Am I?" Daryl laughed, grabbing Beth. "Hey, you never shot a crossbow before? I'm going to teach you right now. Come on, it's going to be fun." He looked at Judith. "Lil' Ass-Kicker wants to learn too. Bring her out for the show!"

"Daryl!" Scarlett shouted as he dragged Beth outside. She sighed out in distress, rushing over to pick up Judith. She shushed the baby as she made it out to see the walker dead and Beth yelling at Daryl. She took a deep breath remembering Daryl was not her father. He was just grieving like the rest of them. He finally was letting himself grieve.

"Killing them is not supposed to be fun," Beth told him.

"What do you want from me, girl? Huh?"

Beth finally snapped. "I want you to stop acting like you don't give a crap about anything, like nothing we went through matters, like none of the people we lost meant anything to you. It's bullshit."

"Is that what you think?"

"That's what I know."

"You don't know nothing," Daryl grumbled out, stalking off to the porch to see Scarlett standing there with wide eyes holding onto Judith. He noticed the other hand cradled her stomach as if she was protecting it from something—from him. A wave of guilt washed over him.

"I know you look at me and you just see another dead girl. I'm not Michonne, I'm not Carol, I'm not Maggie, I'm not Scarlett. I survived and you don't get it 'cause I'm not like you or them, but I made it. And you don't get to treat me like crap just because you're afraid," Beth finished coming to stand behind him.

Daryl's eyes left Scarlett's as he turned to face Beth. "I ain't afraid of nothing."

"I remember when that little girl was lost. You were so worried. Then, Zach died. T-Dog. And now God forbid you ever let anybody get too close."

"Too close, huh? You know about that. You lost two boyfriends, you can't even shed a tear. Almost your whole family's gone. All you can do is go out looking for hooch like some dumb college bitch," Daryl grunted out, choosing to hurt her to protect himself.

"Screw you. You don't get it."

"No, you don't get it. Everyone we know's dead," Daryl shouted.

"You don't know that!"

"Might as well, because you ain't never going to see them again. Rick," he told Scarlett. "Carl. You ain't never going to see Maggie again."

"Daryl, just stop," Scarlett whispered, placing Judith in Beth's arms as she approached him. "Hey," she whispered seeing his eyes well up with tears as he shoved her off.

"The Governor rolled right up to our gates. Maybe if I wouldn't have stopped looking, maybe 'cause I gave up. That's on me!And Hershel. Maybe I could've done something," he cried out, letting the tears fall.

Scarlett pulled him to her, feeling his tears wet her shirt. He clung to her, and they both fell down onto the porch steps. Beth sat down next to them, cradling Judith to her chest. They had never seen Daryl so vulnerable...