I could tell you all the boring details of walking aimlessly through the trees, the bonding moments, the terrifying moments, the embarrassing moments, but I won't, maybe we'll revisit it later. I'll spare you that pain and skip to a more interesting part of the story.

Terminus.

.Terra.

When we found the message from Maggie, they were excited, there was more pep in their step. I simply carried on, I didn't know Maggie, I felt happy that they were happy I suppose.

So, we continued on along the train tracks to where all tracks meet.

Terminus. A beacon of hope. I don't trust those bullshit signs. And I decided to tell Carl that.

"Those signs are bullshit." I said, slowing my walking pace down a little so Carl could hear me but Rick and Michonne couldn't.

He gave me an annoyed look, "Maggie is gonna be there, we have to try."

"I'm getting bad vibes from that sign and those words, Carl. What if those people are luring us to our deaths?"

He gave me another look and rolled his eyes. He takes his hat off to run his fingers through his hair before replacing the hat on his head.

"You're being overly cautious. I get that you've been on your own for awhile and maybe you're just getting paranoid."

"Ah, yes. I'm going to definitely trust the kid whose life I've had to save multiple times."

"I don't know what to tell you, Terra. If Maggie is on her way to Terminus...if she's alive, we have got to try."

I huff at that, crossing my arms, but I continue walking and I don't bring it up again.

The next day however, I was walking in front of all three of them and something caught my eye.

"Stop." I throw my hand out to the side, signaling not to go any further.

"What is it? What's wrong, Terra?" Rick asked, with growing concern.

On a tree with a hanging walker, a handwritten note was snagged there by a dagger.

I take the dagger, and take the note into my hands.

It reads:

Last one there is a rotting undead corpse. ;)

-Judith

"That little...bitch."

"Uh, Terra?" Carl says, carefully testing my reaction.

"Well, now I have to go to Terminus."

I re-dagger the note to the tree in case Rachel and Elena come through here.

We continue our trek to Terminus, my step filled with much more vigor than before.

I still had a bad feeling about that place, but if Judith is going there than I have to make sure she's safe.

I'm much more quiet now, focused on getting to Terminus safely.

Rick amd Michonne looked at Carl with questions in their eyes, Carl just shrugged in response. I clenched and unclenched my fists repeatedly as I walked.

Just wait till I get my hands on you, Judith...

.Carl.

Terra isn't one for conventional terms of endearment, but I could hear some very choice names coming from her mouth after reading that note.

I also heard things like "wring", "strangle", "stab", and other equally deadly threats. I'm hoping that's just how she shows affection because if not, whoever wrote that note has another thing coming.

Time blurred together, minutes turning into hours into days of travel. Scavenging for supplies and hiding from small and large herds made up most of our days. Setting up watch and rationing food made up our nights. It wasn't the worst it had ever been, but it was by no means the best.

Nothing seemed to scare or deter Terra, in any case. She took every challenge in stride, overcomes every obstacle, and is almost always the first one to react to any situation.

So, when I saw her eyes gripped with fear for the first time, it's understandable why I became scared for a moment as well.

I was on second watch, after Michonne, and about halfway through Terra becomes restless. She twitches in her sleep, fingers clawing into the ground, feet sliding the dirt and debris around frantically.

She's laying next to me, and since all her movement is making noise, I shake her awake. In hindsight, I was probably too rough with her because in no time her knife was at my throat, eyes wide,wild, and full of terror. She was breathing hard and half on my lap, like she was trying to get leverage to stab me.

She blinked a few times before realizing what she was doing and that's when I saw it. A little reflection of light fall down her face.

Terra was crying.

I didn't know what happened, or if I could help, but I could offer comfort and she took it gratefully. When I opened my arms for her, she was already coming in for a hug. She cried silently, holding onto me for dear life, her face buried in my chest. It was strange to see someone so strong look like that and not know why. This girl I had known for only a few weeks, who never even hinted at this kind of behavior, was just sobbing in front of me.

She took a shaky breath, and locked into me with a steely gaze, "We will never ever talk about this. It never happened, got it?"

I nodded quickly, not wanting to upset her in a much more dangerous way.

"Go to sleep, I'll take next watch."

Terra pulls out her crossbow and starts cleaning it, tuning me out. I settle down on the ground, closing my eyes and listening to the night sounds which now included the occasional sniffle from Terra.

Morning came and Terra was back to her sarcastic, snide, annoyingly playful self. This was proven to me by the cold water that woke me up.

"Jesus Christ!" I yell, jumping up from the ground, looking for the culprit.

I turn around, barely catching Terra toss the bucket at Michonne, who catches it with ease. My dad is close by laughing softly to himself as he packs up our stuff.

"I saw that."

She tried for innocence, "Saw what?"

"Nothing."

"Exactly." She laughs, and continues doing whatever she was doing before.

I scoff to myself.

I'll show you. Just you wait, Terra.

Show her I did.

On a particularly hot day, our group had found a small river.

Terra and Michonne were standing by the edge, pointing at something a little distance away. Neither of them were paying attention so I signaled to my dad to be quiet.

I slowly crept up to them and pulled Terra into the river with me.

"Ah!" She screamed, "Car-!"

The water, as an added bonus, was freezing.

When we resurfaced, I was laughing whole-heartedly joined by my dad and even Michonne let out a small chuckle. I was grinning ear-to-war at Terra who had her arms crossed over her chest. Her hair, now soaked, hung over her chest, her clothes clung to her body now.

"Oh you think this is funny, huh?" Her hands were now on her hips, eyebrow raised as a threat, I stopped laughing for a second.

Then.

She cracked a smirk at me, "Oh you're gonna get it now, tough guy," was the only warning I got as she tackled me into the water.

.Rick.

Terra tackled Carl and for the next thirty minutes they relaxed in the river, splashing at each other and tackling each other into the water.

"They're like siblings already," Michonne commented as we sat there watching them.

"Carl needs this. He needs a friend, his age, that is," I added that as Michonne gave me a sideways look, "there's just some things he won't want to talk to us about, and he needs someone he can relate to."

I glance back over at the two of them, they're playing keep-away with Carl's boots, Terra running away from him, and Carl trying to keep up, but failing miserably.

About fifteen minutes later they crawl out of the river, breathing hard, and flop on their backs.

"I won." Terra gasps.

"Barely, you liar." Carl says rolling into his stomach.

"Bitch, I might be."

"Language." I say reflexively, Terra sticks her tongue out at me in response.

I was skeptical about Terra when I first officially met her, but she's grown on me in the past few weeks. There's a strange sort of ease when she's around. Not because she puts us at ease, but because she blatantly ignores any tension or awkwardness and fills it with conversation, or actions. Whenever Carl and I start to argue even a little bit, she immediately starts talking about something else, distracts Carl, and pulls our attention to her instead of each other. We don't argue as much as we would if she hadn't been here.

"Alright. We've had our fun let's keep moving, we still have a half of a day before we need to stop," I say standing up and brushing the dirt off my pants.

"Aye, aye Captain Crunch!" Terra mock salutes me and quickly packs all her stuff into her bag. Carl and Michonne follow suit.

There we were, the four of us, on the road again, headed to Terminus.

.Terra.

Warning you right now. The next part of this story might be disturbing to some people. It was fairly traumatic.

.Terra.

I wish good things didn't have to end. We were in an SUV, resting on the side of a road for the night. Michonne, Carl, and I had gone to sleep in the car while Rick took first watch.

I jumped awake a second before being grabbed by the ankle and dragged to the asphalt, my arms scraping painfully as they took the impact. I'm being dragged painfully by the ankle away from everyone else. I hear the fighting going on, see Rick and an old man, a group of men surrounding a dark figure, Carl and Michonne dragged away on the other side of the road.

And then they're out of view.

Asphalt changes to dirt beneath my fingers.

My crossbow and machete were still in the car. Everyone was still on road.

I was alone.

"You're a pretty one," A man with a face cloaked in shadow said. I could already hear in his voice what his plan for me was.

I couldn't breathe. I don't remember screaming, but I'm sure I did. He was clawing at my clothes, ripping my shirt in several places.

"Stay- Still!" He grunted as I struggled to get away from him.

And then, I had this profound clarity. My arms were pinned above my head, my legs were all but useless. I had exactly 1 defense left.

And I used it.

The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as I surged up to meet his ugly grin and bite into his throat. I but right into his Adam's Apple. In a furious frenzy, I pull back, teeth still locked around his throat.

When his body falls on the floor next to me and the moonlight shines on his face. I can finally see his face, it's a mix between shock and horror. I spit the disgusting flesh out of my mouth as my own horror at my actions sets in.

I empty my stomach on the ground next to me. I don't know how long I sit there before the thing starts moving again, but I'm frozen.

"Terra!" I don't register the new shuffler crawling towards me or the sound of my name.

I dont register the shuffler getting ready to bite my leg.

I do; however, register the blood splattering my face as a crossbow bolt appears through it's forehead and I feel the blood dripping from it's skull onto my leg.

"Terra!" I turn my head towards the sound of a voice before being crushed by another body.

I tense up.

I relax.

It's Carl.

I'm safe.

.A/N.

So now that I've pretty much established how everyone feels about each other I will be progressing through the story more quickly until Alexandria where the real story begins. The next few chapters will cover Terminus and then the road to Alexandria.

The chapters will be longer as well, it has been a crazy past few weeks for me and writing was nearly impossible. So, bear with me, the chapters will come.

As always drop a review lemme know what you think. Your reviews inspire me to write more.

See ya next time,

~WiseChic~