Sadie's POV

"...but you'd cross SOMEONE's path? You'd do this to anyone...right?"

Rick's cold reply to my husband's desperate pleas for our lives echoed back in my mind.

"...besides…..I already made you a promise…"

I could only watch in terror as the bastard took that damned red handled machete he'd boasted so proudly about and swung it at my husband, while I could only scream his name.

"GARETH!"

His own shriek of terror, following mine…...and haunting me as if it were really happening.

And that's when I awoke to the sensation of Gareth's attempts to shake me awake as I continued to scream.

"Sadie, SADIE!" He shouted, desperately trying to bring back into reality and reassure me. "It's okay, you're okay! I gotchu…." His voice, lowering as I started to finally calm down. "...you're safe."

I held a hand to my chest as I panted, looking around me to see that we were only still in the car that we'd found a couple hours ago in order to seek out our next source of shelter.

"God, I'm sorry…" I started to cry. "I did it again, didn't I?"

But before Gareth could really comfort me, or even say much, I blurted out our son's name at my newest realization as I anxiously turned to scope the back seat. "ALEX! Oh God, I didn't scare him, did I? Mommy didn't scare you?"

"It's fine, he's fine." Gareth reassured with a soft chuckle. "Everything's fine, see?"

He returned his attention, briefly to Alex. "Hmm? You're okay, right Bud?"

The two year old just looked back at my husband, with more amusement written on his face than anything. "Momma sleep loooud."

I started to chuckle nervously, myself, part in relief and part in actual amusement.

"Yeah, she does, doesn't she?" I smiled back at our son before redirecting my focus to trying to make myself comfortable again in my seat. "...and not in the fun way…" I sort of snickered under my breath for Gareth to hear.

"...well, maybe we will, a little bit later." Gareth answered in a similar tone, smirking as I half smiled back at him.

"Is that a promise?"

He glanced back at Alex, who seemed to be falling back asleep, before looking back to me. "...If you're lucky…" he chuckled softly. "...if you're lucky."

The soft mutter of Gareth mumbling something in his apparent sleep next to me pulled my attention just briefly away from the road as I was taking my turn at driving us…...where? Who fucking knows, nowadays?

"Lucky bastard." I chuckled to myself, shaking my head in slight envy, as I returned my focus to the road ahead of us.

When I did, I began to squint my eyes as I tried to make out what seemed to be a small...likely abandoned...house in the near distance.

I reached my hand over to gently shake Gareth back into consciousness as we slowly approached closer to it, just enough for me to confirm that was just what it was.

"Gar...Gar, wake up." I urged. "Wake up! You need to see this."

"Mmmnn.." He groaned softly as he turned slightly to face me more, though still not bothering to open his eyes quite yet.

"Earth to Gareth!" I teased, shaking him just a little bit more. "Come on, naptime's over." I chuckled.

"Make me…." He muttered groggily, finally rubbing his eyes as he awoke more.

He looked at me in my amusement and chuckled. "Sorry, what's up?"

"I forgot how cute you can be when you're that relaxed." I chuckled.

His face lit up a little at that. "Pleasure to be of service then." He sat himself more. "So why wake me then?"

"Right…" I gestured toward the windshield. "...this house that we're coming up on...might be a good place to hole up, at least for the night."

"...that's why I let you take over the driving." He yawned.

"..ohh, let me?" I teased with a playful shove. "LET me?"

"Ow…" He fake whined, trying to hold a straight face. "..yes, let you. You need the rest."

"Yeah, well from what I just saw, so do you." I reminded him.

"You drive a hard bargain.." He chuckled, briefly glancing around. "...and a…..shit, I don't fucking know what kind of car this is. Sorry, I'm tired. That sounded clever in my head."

"So I noticed." I laughed, pulling the car to the side of the road as we approached the house. "...Anyway, wanna go check it out?"

"You're the boss." He teased.

"Atta boy!" I chimed with a slight smirk. "Now, grab Alex, would ya?"

He nodded and made his way to open a door to the backseat, while I adjusted my crossbow over my shoulder and shut my own door behind me.

"Let's do this."