Chapter Twenty Six
Glenn was the first to react out of the six of us, stepping towards the marked door without a word and hesitantly laying a hand against it. After a few seconds, he removed it and then turned to stare down at his palm with a frown. Over his shoulder, I was quick to take in the red that now coated Glenn's skin and came sturdily to the same conclusion as everyone else.
"It's still wet." Glenn murmured, wiping his hand on the side of his trousers. "It hasn't been here long." That certainly wasn't a reassuring thought.
Glancing back to the other men, I was quick to meet Daryl's gaze and found an equally uncertain pair staring back. The worry in me began to mount as I considered the possibilities, knowing full well the implication of the letter "A" that was marked against the door. While it may have been a long time now, the memories of Terminus were still fresh and the sight of the "A" marked train carriage remained rather firmly etched in my mind. Its meaning now, with the blood marked counterpart before us currently, was enough to make my insides churn horribly. I thought of Lilly then, how quick everyone was to dismiss her sudden breakdown after David's death and the guilt of not realising something had been truly wrong last night began to mount. Why had I not thought to check up on her? Why didn't I see the signs? My stomach twisted then with uncertainty and I bit my lip from speaking up on the matter - Tara certainly didn't need me to talk about how all this could have been prevented with a little more care, especially now when there was nothing I could do. The single shake of the head from the hunter was enough to tell me that he was thinking along the same lines and I found myself letting out a quiet breath before glancing at the others. At his side, Abraham and Rick were eyeing the door with matching thoughtful expressions, taking the sight in.
"Is it-" Tara breathed, her voice cracking. The woman paused to allow herself the time to swallow thickly. "It's blood, isn't it?" Glenn's lack of response was enough to make Tara let out a shaky breath and fall back against the wall beside it as she rested her hands against her knees. There were a few worrying moments when I thought the woman was going to vomit and judging by the sickly pale colour of her face, she was close to doing so. Wordlessly, I moved towards her and laid a, hopefully, comforting hand against her back, unsure what other comfort I could give. The air was horribly tense for a moment, Abraham the one to break it as he suddenly turned on his heels to stare out across the area around us.
"We should get back inside." He murmured, quietly, though nobody moved to do so. At his comment, Tara raised herself from her keeled over position to glare incredulously at the red-headed man.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" She hissed, straightening up and shoving the hand I held against her back away in a harsh manner. Taking in her angered expression, I decided to take a step back to keep my distance. Abraham straightened out his stance when he saw Tara's heighted glare, keeping his expression passive as he waited for her bite. "My sister is out here missing-"
"As are a group of fucking psychos with the aim of killing us." At that, Abraham pointed quickly towards the marked door, the sudden loudness of his tone causing me to flinch. "That is a warning, one that I ain't sure I fancy pushing." Tara's eyes widened incredulously and the rest of us watched on silently, Daryl and Rick quietly shifting in between the pair to prevent any lashing out from either end. Glenn remained with his back near the door, his eyes flicking hesitantly from the arguing duo to the surrounding area. I found myself doing the same.
"So, what?! You're just gonna hide away? Is that it?" Tara demanded, stepping closer and shoving aside Rick's attempt to lay a calming hand on her shoulder.
"We don't know what we're dealing with here, girl." Abraham muttered, warningly, in response. "You didn't see what we saw back at that place, you don't understand-"
"Oh fuck you!" The woman scoffed, her voice raising almost to a shrill now. "You ain't nothing but a fucking coward!" At that, I thought Abraham meant to step towards the woman then, the flare in his eyes growing quite dangerous then. Daryl's firm hand pushed against his hard chest though kept him in place and while Abraham didn't move, the hunter was keen to keep his hand there just incase.
"You best back off now, girl. This is a fight you don't understand." He countered, quietly, though still as hard and firm as when he was shouting. "We cannot afford to go running into this blindly. We gotta plan and we gotta prepare. We certainly don't need people like you running your mouth."
"And what about my sister?" Tara cried, ignoring the rage that was glowing behind Abraham's eyes. "Where does she fit into your "planning" and "preparing", huh?" When Abraham didn't answer, the woman turned almost crazed, her eyes widening even more so than before as she glanced around at each of us in shock. "You're going to just leave her, is that it?"
"No, Tara, we're not going to leave her-" Rick tried, calmly, though was soon cut down.
"After everything we have done for you?! After all the people she has taken care of?!" At that, she turned and pointed an accusing finger at Glenn. "Your girlfriend's father would be dead if it wasn't for her!" Then she turned to me and I felt myself shying away from the anger I could see behind her eyes. "You would be too!" No one corrected her, because in the swing of it all, Tara was right. Lilly had saved so many of us. I eyed Abraham meaningfully, hoping he wasn't wanting to do what Tara was accusing us all of. "We didn't have to let you in, we didn't have to help any of you. But we did! And now you're just gonna fucking leave her out there in the mess you have made?!"
"No, we're not." Rick spoke up again, his voice a lot firmer now. Tara didn't cut him off this time and the ex-sheriff turned his hard stare towards the large red-head beside him. "That wasn't what Abraham was meaning, was it?"
It was a warning and an order all in one and for the first time in a long time, I saw the authority that Rick once had take the reigns again. Despite being shorter and smaller in stature, Rick still managed to stand tall against the red-headed brute and did not sway against his hardened stare. He was taking a hold of the situation and doing the thing he does best; leading. For so long the man had been passive in the way of authority, helping the council but not truly acting as the same leader he used to be. Now though, taking in the strength in his stance and the hardness in his tone, the fighting Rick was coming through and I found myself strangely pleased. While the council had managed well in the way of keeping the group in check, it had never been quite the same as when Rick was leading. For a brief moment, I wondered if this was Rick stepping up once more but knew better than to get too ahead of myself. It was only a little snippet after all - though it was a step in the right direction. The brief glimpse of respect in Daryl's gaze was enough to make me realise that the hunter had noticed this sudden change too and I watched as Daryl made a point now of moving in between the two men. To protect Rick now from getting hurt. The way Abraham glanced at the hunter and back at Rick, made me realise he had noticed what had happened too and I was happen when the larger man took a small step back.
"Like I said; we can't afford to go running into this blindly, Rick." Abraham muttered quietly, cocking an eyebrow at the shorter man meaningfully. "We don't know how many of them are out there; there were at least forty back at that compound. We can't be sure how many survived." He was right; we did not know what we were up against and even the mere mention of forty of those people out there, had Tara inching back a little. Of course, her expression still remained firm though as kept her argument strong, waiting from a remark from Rick. After a long pause, the ex-sheriff sighed, glancing around at all of us before his gaze solely landed on Tara.
"Abraham's right; we don't know how many are out here." Tara opened her mouth to speak then, to no doubt verbalise her angry thoughts towards his comment, but Rick was quick to continue. "But that doesn't mean we're gonna abandon your sister. We go back inside, get some groups together and plan our defence. Not everyone is mobile and we need to decide on a way out if necessary, as well as our base of attack to find her." Tara frowned unhappily, looking like she was ready to argue then, but Rick took a step towards her, eyeing her in a meaningful way. "I don't wanna sound patronising here, Tara, but again Abraham is right; you don't understand what is out there. I cannot and will not risk my people's, my family's, lives so rashly. We will look for Lilly, but we do it on our terms. Do you get that?" Behind him, Abraham had the good grace not to look so smug on the matter and instead chose to look away, in favour of scanning the area around us. Rick's gaze remained unwavering as he held his own against Tara's angered one. The air between us all was overwhelmingly tense and I half-expected Tara to continue arguing with the men and hurl more insults. I was therefore surprised when the woman eventually decided to just give in and slowly nodded, her shoulder slumping immediately.
"Okay."
The others were on high alert when we returned, Michonne lingering near the door with her katana out menacingly while everyone else appeared quite disgruntled by what was going on. The dark-skinned woman took once glance at our grim expressions before taking a step back. She met my gaze meaningfully and I simply shook my head once before moving to stand near Sophia. As the rest shuffled into the room, everybody else seemed to glance at one another wordlessly, aware that something was wrong.
"Somebody's marked the back door." Rick announced once everybody was inside. At the back, Maggie stood leaning against the doorway of her father's room and I gathered that the door was open so Herschel could also hear what was going on.
"With what?" Michonne asked slowly, though given her expression it seemed she already knew the answer to that. Tara, who had made a point of standing away from everybody in the room and who refused her niece's arms when the girl wanted a hug, scoffed at Michonne's question.
"What do you think?" She muttered, running a hand through her short-cropped hair. Thankfully she did not continue on with her heated words from earlier, but the sharp glance that she sent at both Abraham and Rick was enough to highlight what she was feeling. In turn, Abraham only glared back and Rick had the grace to look a little guilt about forcing the woman to abandon the search for Tara's sister.
"It's definitely Terminus." Rick continued then. "And from what we can gather, this is only a warning. It seems only a matter of time before something happens and we need to be ready for it." He paused then, turning to Abraham. "How close are you to finishing the bus?" The red-head sniggered at that.
"I've been sneaking out to fix it the past few nights - she's ready to rock and roll on our say." While it certainly was a little discouraging to hear that Abraham had been sneaking out the building, putting his own life in danger and somehow managing to do so without anyone noticing, it was still a strange relief to also know that the bus was working anyway. We had a means of travel should we need it. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Eugene shift awkwardly at Abraham's words and I turned to the man for a moment, frowning at the sudden sheepish expression on his face. He seemed to notice my stare and met my gaze for only a brief moment before looking away, still looking as tense as he had done earlier. Given the current situation though and the hints of a threat, I gathered that the man might merely be fearful of what was going to happen and decided to leave my suspicions.
"We should gather up all the supplies and have them ready to go should we need to." Rick urged, gaining a collect of nods from those in the room. The man then looked towards where Maggie stood at the back of the room and I watched as his expression softened. "Would Herschel be fit to travel?" The Greene woman shifted a moment, glancing back into the room, before turning back to everyone with a sigh. Her expression certainly wasn't comforting and after looking to Bob - the remaining one with medical knowledge - his expression wasn't either.
"He'll have to be."
"What's the plan, Dad?" Carl spoke up, eyeing his father will an almost determined expression. Rick stared back for a moment, looking uncertain of his son before he let his eyes roam once more at those around him. All of them were looking to him now, waiting for his order and after looking at them all myself, there seemed to be a great level of trust given to Rick right then. The thought made me smile slightly and I turned back to the man too, waiting quite anxiously to hear what he was going to come up with.
The group was going to be split; those who would stay behind and those who would go out. For obvious reasons, Herschel was staying behind and Glenn and Maggie both urged that they wanted to stay with him. On top of that, the three kids - or young adults as Carl preferred - would remain too and after my recent injury, I also opted to stay. There was no surprise when Daryl further decided he would stay behind but it seemed to be a decision Rick was happy with. With Herschel injured and three kids to take care of, there certainly needed to be an inept amount of muscle staying behind to take care of everyone and with Daryl, I knew we would be in safe hands. As for the others going out, there seemed to be a great deal amount of hesitation when it came to letting Morgan, Elliot and Eugene go - each of whom took different attitudes to the possibility of leaving. Morgan seemed indifferent to the idea, barely speaking when Rick asked what he would prefer to do and though his sanity was still in question, there appeared to be no doubt that the man could handle himself. Still though, after a few cutting words from Merle and Abraham, Rick decided that it was best for Morgan to remain behind with us and he continued to remain pretty passive about this decision. Elliot, who was thoroughly on the way of becoming his old self again, demanded straight out that he wanted to joint he part leaving. Doubts though from Abraham again put this into question but after the young man argued his case and straight up put his foot down, it was soon decided that he would leave with the others. Eugene was the opposite. The man as expected argued against the possibility of leaving the security of the apartment and urged that he would be no good out in the field, only proving to be a liability. While that may have been the case, a gun was still thrusted into the man's hands and he was ordered to stay near Abraham.
Given that the majority of the other group's movements appeared to be coming from around back, it was decided that it was the best place to start looking. The cluster of buildings between us and wooded area were to be searched thoroughly before the group moved out towards the forest. For security measures, the apartment building that the rest of us would be staying in had all its windows and doors checked to make sure they were still stable. As Rick had ordered too, the supplies that we had - both our own and from Tara's family - was soon crammed into bags and ready to move with should it be necessary and Bob quickly redressed Herschel's leg and provided Daryl and Glenn with a few pointers of how to carry him out so he was ready to move too. Abraham and Merle double-checked the school bus to make sure the engine was still working fine and one they had returned, the group gathered once more in the main space of our apartment.
"We take the buildings together; we don't need to be splitting things anymore than necessary." Rick urged as those leaving readied their weapons and bags. His eyes turned back to those of us remained behind. "I want eyes open constantly, do not let your guard down." Daryl nodded once at that, an understanding expression on his face.
"I've been thinking, Rick." Michonne suddenly spoke up then, arms folded as she eyed the ex-sheriff across the room. The man inclined a questionable eyebrow, prompting her to continue. "It seems likely that they've got eyes on us right now; it seems only reasonable to think that." Rick nodded once, not even denying the possibility. "What's going to happen when they watch half of us leave?" The group hesitated then. "Maybe splitting us up like this is what they want? Maybe that's why they took Lilly?"
"I know." Rick sighed then, nodding slowly. "But we haven't got much of a choice; not everyone is fit for moving right now." He locked eyes with Michonne meaningfully then, the pair of them silent as they contemplated one another a moment. There was heat in Michonne's eyes, one that made me curious for a moment as I took in her somewhat defensive stance as she stared the leader down.
"And we're not leaving my sister either." Tara was the one to speak up, a bit to her own tone as she waited, branding her own weapon as she prepared to leave with the others. With another sigh, Rick ran a hand through his lengthening locks before turning to Daryl once more.
"Don't let ya guard down; I get it." Daryl muttered and Rick offered the man a small smile before reaching out to pat his shoulder once. I was glad that the hunter did not duck or flinch away from the man's touch, looking more at ease now in the other's company than what they were for a time.
The group that was leaving didn't waste anymore time hanging around. After loading up with their weapons and a small bag of supplies each, just in case, the group gathered by the apartment door, ready to leave. Abraham and Rick were leading the procession with Merle and Michonne bringing up the rear as the more able bodied ones out of the seven of them. I studied them all silently as Rick relayed a few ground rules, a strange fear niggling in my chest as I couldn't help but wonder whether this would be the last time I would see certain individuals. That was an ongoing risk now though; it wasn't any different than usual.
Goodbyes were shared briefly though they were pretty meaningless in respect to it all. They always were. The only goodbye that really counted was the quick few minutes Rick spent in the back bedroom with Herschel on his own, speaking quietly with the man while the others got ready. After leaving the room, there was a strange expression on Rick's face, one that looked quite hallowed and grief-stricken but once he had returned to the main area, it was business-mode once more and the look vanished before I could make anything of it.
"Be careful." Maggie urged them all, her arms folded as she observed the small group.
"Ain't we always, darlin'?" Merle countered, smirking, which Maggie only returned with a half-hearted glare.
"Remember what we said." Abraham muttered then, glancing briefly around at everyone before staring pointedly at Daryl. After a moment, the red-head reached into his trouser pockets before producing a set of keys and throwing them to the hunter. "Get yourselves out of here if you need to." Daryl grasped the keys - for what I assumed was the school bus - in his hand, staring down at them for a moment before nodding once and shoving them into his own jeans.
I watched the group leave silently, standing at the back of the room as they all filed out one by one. Their footsteps echoed across the landing outside and down the stairs until they grew far too distant to hear. Once Glenn had shut the door, there was an awful sense of finality in the air that was only made worse by the silence that remained in the others' absence. Daryl was the first to break it, grunting loudly before moving quietly over to the window over-looking the back once more.
"I'll take first watch."
During the wait, everyone that was left were quick to make themselves busy to fill the void of the others' absence. Morgan took to his usual activity of cleaning weapons and to offer him something more to do, I gave the man my sniper to take care of. He took it with a grim nod and I left him to it, aware that he preferred to do it alone. Meghan and Sophia were quick to return to yet another game of backgammon, taking up a small corner of the living room behind one of the cabinets. Before they disappeared, I had heard Sophia ask Carl if he wished to join them but the boy had refused briskly before taking a seat by the window with Daryl, muttering something about "wanting to do something useful". I watched as Sophia stared back at her friend, a small frown playing on her lips before she slowly retreated after Meghan with the backgammon board in hand. I considered going after her but thought against it, knowing they'd prefer to play alone, and instead turned my attention to the other couple left behind. For the longest of moments Glenn and Maggie simply lingered in the doorway of Herschel's room, talking quietly to one another. Judging by the way Glenn was gently tugging at Maggie's arm he appeared to be wanting Maggie to leave the confines of her father's space but the worried look on her face told her argument. After a moment, I wandered over.
"I could sit with him for a while, if you like?" I murmured, halting their conversation. The couple looked to me then, observing me silently for a second before Glenn offered me a thankful smile.
"Thanks." He nodded. "Just for a little while; I thought Maggie could do with some rest." Beaming in return, I laid a light hand against Maggie's arm and squeezed it briefly in comfort before stepping back so the pair could pass. The Greene girl spared one last look over her shoulder towards where her father was before sighing quietly and allowing her fiancé to lead her away to rest in the other bedroom. I watched them go, the pair disappearing from sight as Glenn closed the door behind him, before making my way into Herschel's.
Herschel was sat up in bed when I entered, his back propped up carefully with many plump looking pillows - Maggie's doing, I gathered. The injured leg was concealed beneath the thin white sheet he lay beneath and I was thankful for the lack of blood stains in sight, having found myself quite used to seeing them during Herschel's unconscious period. The man was reading a book - one he probably found lying around the place - though made a point of putting it down once he saw me coming into the room. Offering him a smile, I paused to close the bedroom door before making my way round to sit on the seat beside him. He smiled in return.
"How are you, my dear?" He asked, voice slightly throaty. I nodded slowly, shifting to make myself comfortable before sighing.
"I suppose you know full well what's going on." I observed; Herschel's responding expression an immediate confirmation. "I guess things are a little tense at the moment."
"Aren't they always?" The man instead countered and I couldn't help but let out a chuckle in agreement. It seemed like we were always in some sort of trouble.
"What do you make of the plan?" I asked, tilting my head to the side a little. It had been far too long since I had truly spoken to Herschel Greene like so and I recalled ruefully all the many times we had discussed topics such as this. His insight into these things had always been something I thrived from and it was terrifying to think that the group could have almost lost him not so long back. "You think we're doing the right thing?"
"I think you've made the best out of a bad situation." He eventually murmured, expression grim. "While I cannot say for sure whether I believe the others will find Tara's sister, I am hoping in some way that they don't." At that, I raised an eyebrow and quickly earned myself a tired sigh from the man. "If these people from Terminus have her, then it would mean confrontation - one that I'm not confident that all will triumph in." Herschel's words packed a heavy punch to the gut and I allowed them to simmer a moment in the pit of my chest before I spoke once more.
"We've got to have faith." I strung out, though even I sensed the clear edge to my own tone. In response, Herschel studied me for the longest of moments, his expression thoughtful as he drawled out the silence between us.
"Faith is something that's rather hard to grasp nowadays, my dear." Herschel eventually sighed, eyes falling grim. His somewhat defeated tone was just like another punch, the shock of it over-whelming me for a moment. While there was no bitterness lacing his words, his down-turned expression and how saddened he suddenly looked was infinitely worse. "You know, I have made many bad decisions in my life, Ruby; many that I'm not proud of, but I have always believed that life isn't about dwelling on those mistakes. It's about learning from them and carrying on; it's about not giving up; it's about fighting to the end." A pause. "I cannot profess to understand God's plan - why the world is what it is now - but I believe the sentiment of life still stands. Living is a test. A test of strength, of courage." He met my eyes then, smiling in a way that stunned me once more. I found myself completely rendered dumb-struck by his words; his tone and the edge of them captivating me for a moment. I couldn't have spoken even if I wanted to. "Only the strong will survive though that does not mean the rest should just abandon hope. As I said, life is about fighting to the end, to that very last breath."
I processed his words, soaking them in and considering them thoughtfully. Memories of all those we had lost came to mind then, all those that had died fighting for life - Lori, Rosita - and all those who had not - my sister, Laurent. True to his character, Herschel had left a considerable amount of wonder to over-whelm me then, to render me pensive as I allowed his wise words to sink in. I thought of all those that remained then - the strong ones, perhaps - and found myself reeling slightly at all we had done to get where we were now. So much death tainted the paths behind us and a part of me knew that more blood would be spilled on the road ahead before we were finished. It was a bitter thought but was one moulded out of the world we all now lived in. As Herschel said, we had to fight now for survival - no matter what the cost.
"Loss is a terrible thing." Herschel spoke suddenly and when I looked to him once more, I saw his gaze lingering on the space where his leg had been severed. Strangely, his expression remained passive. "We carry it like baggage everywhere we go, unable to put it down no matter how hard we try. It sickening to think how common it is to carry so much of that weight around with us now."
"It's not about the weight though." I murmured then, voice cracking briefly. I took a moment to swallow the dryness of my throat. "It's about fighting through it; about learning and carrying on. The baggage is just a reminder of how hard we've all fought." Herschel's mouth twitched with a smile as I returned his words back at him and I was happy for the warm chuckle that rumbled his chest at that.
"Very true." He agreed. "I'm glad there is still some optimism left, even in the darkest of times. We all need that light to keep us going, regardless of how small it may seem. All hope is precious." Herschel stopped himself then again, eyes frowning once more as a thought seemed to occur to him. "I fear Maggie is losing that hope."
"She's worried about you." I returned then, softly, not liking the sudden worry lines that etched into his face. "We all are." Again, his lips twitched upwards at that.
"You all needn't waste time worrying about me; not with the plenty of other things to concern yourselves with at the moment." I opened my mouth to argue at that, to insist that Herschel's well-being was one of the more important things to worry about right now, but the man quickly continued. "Maggie's a good girl. And while I know that I've not always done right by her, she's come out to be a fine woman in the end. Beth did too." There was a brief pause as Herschel considered his youngster - deceased - daughter, before chuckling warmly. "They were a handful growing up - as you can expect - and fought something rotten. Always arguing about something; make-up, music, boys. And yet, while they fought so much, they were still so very close. The best of friends, I used to think. Even when Maggie went off for college, they would phone each other up almost daily - I certainly didn't get that treatment!" Another laugh and I found myself smiling warmly at the man, overwhelmed by the care and the clear love in his tone. Suddenly though, Herschel's laugh died off and I knew by the sad look in his eye, that his thoughts had turned somewhat haunted. "Bethy was always the sweet one; the one that battered her pretty eyes and got away with whatever she wanted. She was just so good, so pure. I miss her everyday." A sigh, one weary and exhausted. "I had a son too, you know? Well, he was my wife Annette's son but to me, he was my own. His own daddy had left him when he was young and he never really had a father figure for a while. He was always very protective of the girls - Beth more so than Maggie. Maggie would argue fiercely that she didn't need anyone looking after her, but he still did. He was always such a nice boy and Annette and I would worry that he'd get taken for granted one day. He was the type that would fall in love easily - the nice guy that would have made an amazing husband - and I worried that it would make him vulnerable." I had not heard much about Herschel's stepson, only snippets from Maggie on the road and when observing pictures throughout the Farm all that time ago. The way Herschel spoke about him now though - him and Beth - was saddening; watching the concealed pain through the farmer's eyes, though I was grateful that he had shared such information with me anyway.
"I'm sorry, Herschel." I murmured, softly, aware that whatever condolences I could offer were overdue and no doubt unwanted. Herschel smiled sadly in return anyway.
"There's no need to be, my dear. My memories of my children live on with me every moment." He assured me, before his face turned thoughtful for a moment. "I have lost so much. I've lost both my first and my second wives, I've lost two of my children and countless dear friends. But you know something? I look around me now - at the group we live with - and I know that I've gained more family in the faces I see. I am so very privileged to have met each and every one of you." I felt my heart warm at the thought, the flare of affection that I knew I returned for the man. "Sometimes I think that maybe God wanted Carl to get shot; to bring the group to my farm. And maybe, God had wanted young Sophia to go missing so you could find us also. At the time, such events were so very scary but right now they're just another step in the path behind us. When I first saw Rick running across my field with his boy in his arms, I had a little hope he would survive. But he did; even though we lost Otis. Rick's man Shane made it back and we saved the boy. That was the miracle that proved to me miracles do exist. And you know what else? Before Rick came to my farm, I was deluded. Rick saw it, you all saw it, and somehow you showed me how wrong I was. You all made me a better man than what I was. You saved me."
"Well," I began, chuckling softly. "I suppose it's only fair to say that you've saved us too, Herschel Greene. We have may have brought you out of your delusion, but you're the one that gives the group hope. We've gotta have hope, remember?" While I had tried to keep my words light, the smile that Herschel returned me with was one that left me faltering. It was sad, but sad in a way like he knew something bad was coming and he had long accepted it. It made my own grin leave my face and as I studied the aged features on the man opposite me, I felt like there was something wrong. Before I could ask him though, Herschel continued.
"I believe you, my dear, carry enough hope for many. I've never seen you darken, no matter what evil you face. You have always held onto the light, whatever that may be and I believe that that is strength worth holding." I felt my throat constrict briefly then, unsure how to take such words. "You must take care of one another." Herschel insisted firmly. "And no matter what happens; the group stays together. We're all a family now and we best not forget it."
It wasn't long after that Maggie returned. It had been a short break, but given the distressed look on her face, it seemed she couldn't part from her father for too long. I allowed the pair their space, smiling warmly at them both before taking my leave. Of course, Herschel's words had left a strange worry in the pit of my stomach and I found myself repeating them over in my head again as I lingered in the space outside the bedroom. His words had been heavy and ever meaningful, as always, but it was the weight of his expression that left such an uncomfortable feeling in me. I hadn't wanted to push the man - Maggie's appearance made it hard too anyway - and as I made my way back into the living room, I decided to shake the feeling off as best as I could given the current situation. I didn't need more things to worry about after all.
Sophia and Meghan passed me by as I entered the living space, apparently seeking seclusion in the other bedroom that Maggie and Glenn had recently just vacated. I smiled at them both as they passed - only receiving one from Sophia, though that was hardly surprising. The rest of the remaining group remained spread out across the room. Glenn had apparently taken over from Daryl on watch, his shadow just visible behind the drapes. Daryl, himself, was seated in one of the armchairs, legs slung over it and his eyes were closed as if he was resting. Morgan remained in the same seat he had been in before - currently in the process of cleaning Daryl's crossbow much to my surprise - and Carl was sat on the sofa. I just and so caught the boy's lingering look as he watched Sophia and Meghan vacate into the back bedroom, a frown clear on his face beneath the sheriff's hat. Once he saw me looking, he immediately looked away but with the damage already done, I let out a sigh. Carl tensed as I approached, the boy folding his arms quickly over his chest in almost defiance. I took a seat beside him anyway.
"So I'm guessing you don't like backgammon, huh?" I asked after a while, glancing sideways at the boy at my side. Immediately, I watched the shift in Carl's expression; the tense set of his jaw and the burrow of his brow.
"It's a stupid game." Carl muttered tightly in return, holding onto the grip of his gun with careful precision. Tilting my head, I studied him silently for another moment, taking in the hostile nature of his tone and finding that it was all too familiar now to me. "How can they be playing games at a time like this?!" I smiled thinly then, understanding overcoming me.
"I suppose playing games is a way of forgetting all that's going on." I suggested lightly, though only succeeded in making Carl grimace more.
"I asked Meghan if she knew how to shoot a gun." Carl informed me then and I raised my eyebrow briefly at the thought of him doing so. "She told me she doesn't - never even held one before. How crazy is that?!" At this I sighed, finding that while I agreed with his overall sentiment - in the world as it was, everyone needed to know how to defend themselves - I knew it wasn't my place to comment. If Lilly hadn't wanted to teach Meghan then that was her decision. "She's bad for Sophia, Ruby." That comment quickly got my attention.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, frowning. Carl didn't answer right away and I took in his words thoughtfully for a moment before asking; "Carl, it's alright to be jealous of Meghan and Sophia's friendship-"
"I'm not jealous." Carl grunted quickly, sending me what could only be described as a darkened glare. I bit my lip quickly from saying anymore, waiting to see what the teenager would say. "What I'm saying is that Meghan will make Sophia weak; she'll make her forget all that she knows about what's going on. She'll make Sophia think that it's okay to play games all the time and make her forget what's really important." After a pause, the Grimes boy tisked. "Sophia is different right now - all she does is play backgammon and talk about things that don't matter. She should be helping me on watch like she used to do or practising her training some more. But she doesn't. She is better off without Meghan."
"Meghan's her friend, Carl."
"Yeah well Meghan's going to die if she doesn't help it." Carl bit then, startling me all at once with how dark this brief conversation had quickly gone. "And I don't want Sophia to end up the same way. But she will if she carries on like this."
Unsure what to make of the boy's comments, I stayed silent for a moment, simply allowing myself the time to process his cutting words. Of course, underneath the bitterness, Carl was right. Meghan wasn't a fighter; wasn't trained for the world we know lived in, and if she didn't help herself, then her fate was inevitable. Given the current predicament, the girl couldn't rely on her mother and aunt to take care of her all the time anymore either. If her and her family were going to stay with us, then I knew the issue needed to be brought up again with the relevant people. Perhaps Rick could train Meghan up as he had done with Carl and Sophia? Would her mother even allow her though? Given that Tara had been an officer in training with an avid supply of guns and ammunition at her fingertips, it was a wonder that the young girl hadn't been taught soon. Though as I thought about it, I realised that this family hadn't really had the cause for much need given that they had been sheltered for a great deal of the apocalypse. Still though, I knew that things still needed to change.
I considered Carl's comments about Sophia then and found that they left a sickening feeling in my stomach. Was Meghan's influence truly making Sophia weak? Was she in danger of going the same way? While Sophia may have once been a very innocent girl - much like what Meghan was now - I knew that experience and training had made the girl more resilient. Sophia had grown hardened and fierce and I wondered if her new persona could truly be shattered after some games of backgammon and another girl's influence. I hoped it couldn't but made a note to keep an eye on her closely from now on until I knew for certain. I definitely didn't want Carl's dark comments coming true.
"Hey guys." Glenn called from his spot on watch by the window suddenly, halting my darkening thoughts. Carl and I looked towards him and out the corner of my eye, I saw Daryl's figure come to stand in the doorway, apparently hearing Glenn's call too. Curious, I wondered what was the matter but after taking in the Korean man's expression, I felt my stomach drop. "Somebody's coming." Immediately, Daryl stalked forward and even Morgan shifted in the chair he sat in by the door. I watched in silence as the hunter's figure came up to stand beside Glenn's and after a few tense moments, I knew that something was wrong.
"Daryl?" I breathed, wanting more than anything for it to simply be the others returning back from their search. It was nearing night time now and the darkening sky certainly wasn't doing anyone any comfort now. The fact that the others weren't back yet was more worrying than anything and after watching Glenn and Daryl share a meaningful look, I knew it wasn't good news.
"It ain't Rick." Daryl muttered, gripping Glenn's shoulder and pulling the man back as they backed up from the window. Letting out a quiet breath, I felt Carl freeze up beside me. "Go get the girls; move 'em into Herschel's room." While he wasn't giving this order to anyone in particular, I was on my feet instantly and quickly rushed into the bedroom the girls were quietly playing in, not wanting to waste any time - we weren't certain how much we even had now. When they saw me enter, my expression no doubt betraying my emotions, I watched as the welcoming smile immediately drained from Sophia's face. Their game of backgammon halted and the pair of them looked to me with wide eyes for a moment.
"What's wrong?" Sophia asked, voice clearly worried. Saying nothing, I grabbed the pair of them by the arms and hauled them their feet before they could protest.
"Take your bags and go and wait in Herschel's room." I ordered, handing the rucksacks into their stunned arms. While Sophia seemed like she wanted to question what was going on, I was glad that the girl knew better than to ask and she quickly helped Meghan into her bag before pulling on her own. After hugging me and for a moment taking me by surprise, Sophia grabbed Meghan's hand and the pair rushed to Herschel's room across the hall without another word. I followed after them, closing the door to the empty room behind me before returning to the living room to see what the plan was. When I entered, the three men were busy pushing the couch and cupboards in front of the door in an attempt of a barricade. Carl remained lingering near the window, though kept back in the shadows. I was thankful that we had chosen not to light any candles or torches that night.
"They're nearly here." Carl called, quietly, his voice uncertain. After barricading the door with everything they could, the men paused for a moment to consider their efforts.
"They'll get through eventually." Morgan muttered, sounding strangely more in tune than I had ever heard him. Daryl in response only grunted noncommittally.
"We can't just sit and wait for the others to get here; there isn't enough time." Glenn urged to no one in particular. "And there's too many of them to fight."
"We need to get out." Daryl added, backing up slightly and whistling for Carl to come back from the window. "With all the doors 'nd windows blocked, the back door is the only way out but they've got full view of it."
"What about the fire escape?" Maggie suggested, suddenly appearing in the doorway of Herschel's bedroom. Everybody turned to her then and she gestured inside the room briefly. "One of the windows in here leads out onto it. We can climb out and make our way down, then either head to the bus or towards the forest to find the others." Daryl seemed pleased enough by this plan and nodded once. At that point though, a suddenly clattering from downstairs could be heard, causing those of us in the room to start immediately. The noise provided the grave knowledge that the ex-residents of Terminus were now in the building and I shifted awkwardly as I felt my heart rate pick up. With a grunt, Daryl urged everyone into Herschel's room.
Glenn and Daryl took to barricading the door again once everyone was inside, pushing cabinets in front of it before quickly making their way to the window that Maggie was pointing at. Herschel was thankfully awake, looking more alert by what was going on and was doing his best to comfort Sophia and Meghan who both sat on the bed beside him. When the old man met my gaze, I offered him a weak smile, watching as his eyes glistened with a strange amount of unknown knowledge before he smiled sadly back. After the two men had got the window open, Glenn peered out before turning back to those of us inside.
"We should get Herschel and the kids out first." He whispered, earning an approving nod from Daryl. Herschel sighed at that and made a point of patting both Sophia and Meghan on the head before grasping onto Daryl's and Glenn's offered arms and allowing himself to be pulled to the end of the bed. Maggie and I lingered close by, ready to aid if necessary while Carl and Morgan remained by the door, the pair listening out to what was going on. "We're gonna need to have someone outside the window to help him through." Glenn urged once he and Daryl had Herschel's arms both down over their shoulders. Maggie was quick to volunteer.
"Meghan, Sophia; come and stand out on the fire escape with me." She ordered quietly and as she did, Glenn and Daryl slowly raised Herschel to standing position, pausing for a moment to let the man take a breath. Judging by the old man's face, the exertion was taking a hard effect on him but he made no sound or complaint about it. Meghan followed Maggie obediently to the window though Sophia hesitated, eyeing me with a frown.
"Go on; you need to help Maggie." I breathed, forcing a smile. After glancing once more at Herschel and still looking unhappy by the idea, Sophia obliged silently and the pair waited for Maggie's instruction. The Greene girl climbed out first, making sure her movements were as silent and as slow as she could make them before urging the girls out the join her. Thankfully, they followed her lead and climbed out onto the railed balcony with quiet movements and I breathed a sigh of relief once they were both safely out. After a moment, Maggie's darkened figure appeared back in the window and urged that the men lead Herschel over.
Just then though, there was a sudden and almighty bang close by, startling us all again and sending a sinking feeling into my gut. Those of us in the bedroom paused for a moment then, unsure what to make of the noise and after glancing around at the others, I noted the quick raise of fear in their eyes. There was a pause though after the first bang before all of a sudden, what could only be described as an axe smashing into the wood of a door was heard and it took me only a few seconds to realise that the noise was coming from the main barricaded door of the apartment. After getting over the initial shock, Glenn and Daryl worked quickly to gently ease Herschel into a sitting position on the window frame, their movements desperate now as the hammering of the door got louder and louder. I watched as Carl and Morgan remained agitated by the door, the former holding his gun ready. Despite his apparent readiness though, each smash from the room next door made him flinch and I took note of the uneasy feeling on his face. I knew the rest of the others were feeling the same.
Glenn and Daryl worked as quickly as they could without hurting Herschel but just when the old man had managed to get his undamaged leg over and onto the fire escape, half of his body inside and half of his body out, the loudest of all the bangs was heard followed by a sickening douse of silence. With a hiss, Daryl urged that everyone stop what they were doing and waved his hand furiously to the three on the fire escape to back up and press themselves against the walls of the building so they were out of sight. As for those of us who remained inside, he pressed a finger to his lips before pulling his crossbow out in front of him. Nobody moved, nobody dared to breath and for what felt like forever, not a sound was heard.
The sound of slow footsteps on the wooden flooring in the living room was what broke the silence and it seemed like everyone was holding their breath in anticipation for what was going to happen next. I felt a sickness inside my stomach and I closed my eyes briefly, almost ridding that this nightmare be over, despite knowing better than that. My heart was pounding quite furiously in my chest, so loud that the feared that they might hear it.
"Well," A voice that I found myself recognising immediately - the man that had carted Rick and the others into that container back in Terminus. The sound of it now sent a sickening feeling into my core, even more so than before. "That certainly wasn't a warm welcome." They had found us.
(Author's Note): Oh wow, it has certainly been a long time, hasn't it? I won't go into details about my hiatus but I will say that things have been pretty rough going these past couple of months for me and unfortunately this story (along with my other) has suffered. While things are still pretty on-going in my life, I try to write when I can. Thanks as always for the responses from the previous chapter - I'm so happy to still hear that some people, despite how poor I can be with updating, are still sticking with this story! I can only hope that you continue doing so.
I won't make any promises about updating but I can assure you that I won't forgot this story. I have every intention of following this particular arc out to the end, no matter how long it may take to get there! I know there are quite a few overall issues with both this story and the previous one - namely in regards to Ruby and characterisation. While this is something that I am aware of myself, I don't really have the motivation to do anymore editing with them at the moment. My plan is to finish this particular story and mark this sequel as completed. From there on, I will decide whether or not it is best to edit or simply to leave it as it is and learn from my mistakes. Given my withering motivation, the latter will probably be the option I go for. However, I am glad that my stories are at least enjoyable to some of you and hope that they continue to be enjoyable until their completion. After all, I'm not aiming for perfection - simply telling a story and hoping someone out there enjoys it! :) As always, thank you and please feel free to leave a comment.