Beth lets her gaze fall to the ground, telling herself it's so she can think more about her footsteps and knowing that's not true. Daryl does, too, she's sure, if he's even seen her do it; he looked away before she did, like he hated bringing it up but didn't have another choice. There are some things she'll never forget, no matter how many borrowed weeks or months she has out here. Clinging to a chainlink fence while Maggie shot through it, the gunfire drowning out the way she wept and wailed, is high on the list.

It takes time to set the memory away, back where it usually lives, and remember how to speak. I hope Daddy never wakes up here. I hope he's in Heaven, if it's real, where he belongs. "We tried. We fought until we couldn't fight anymore, and then we left."