You can breathe. You can blink. You can cry. Hell, they're all gonna be doing that.

-Negan; from The Walking Dead (2016)

The silence seemed to stretch on forever. Around every corner, every block, there wasn't a single sound. Not from animals, not from people. In fact, Emma was certain the city no longer had people. If the inhabitants — the healthy ones, anyway — were really rounded up to go into safe-zones, then the silence only made sense. The sense of abandonment only made sense. Regardless, however, Emma didn't like it. She didn't have to like it. She felt out-of-place, and it made her skin break out into goosebumps. The one good thing, though, was that Dominick had stopped crying. At least that way, in case there were some remaining threats, they wouldn't be drawn to the infant's loud screeching.

"How much farther?" Emma murmured, looking at Hilary. The duo, since escaping the hospital, had been venturing to a supposed "regrouping spot" that Hilary knew of. But no matter how far they walked, it felt like they weren't getting any closer.

"We're almost there." Hilary's voice was firm, almost snappish. It was very obvious she was letting the uncertainty get to her, and it was starting to make Emma a little nervous. With how crazy things have been, being on edge seemed like a common emotion; but Hilary. . .she seemed almost paranoid. She still held her gun firmly, looking around carefully. Her body was stiff and her jaw was set.

She's just being cautious, Emma thought. God only knows what she endured at the hospital, so her demeanor only makes sense.

Nodding slightly, the young mother tried to focus some of her attention on her son. He was wide awake, his eyes a bit red and a little puffy. His bottom lip was shoved out into a pout, indicating he was calm but still bothered. Emma could understand why he felt that way; he hadn't even been in the world for a day and he had to experience incredible madness. He would occasionally let out small noises, as if to vocalize, in some way, his displeasure in everything that was happening. It made Emma's heart wrench. She couldn't believe she'd have to bring her son up in such a world. She'd always hoped, ever since she had been a kid, that her future children would be living in a healthy living environment, one where they'd feel safe and secure. But that damned virus. . .it showed up so suddenly, without any warning. It ruined everything.

Looking up, Emma focused her attention on her surroundings. She couldn't let Hilary do all the work. But, at the same time, she allowed herself, even if it was for a split second, to tune in to how her body was feeling. There was an ache deep inside her entire body, but her legs seemed to have gotten the worst of it. While her thighs burned from the movements, her knees and feet were pulsing from the work out they received. Not only that, but there was a definite discomfort in Emma's lower back and arms. She could only imagine it could be from holding Dominick, but she could also attribute some of it from her birth. On top of that, her chest was feeling somewhat painful, a sensation she was just starting to notice. From the beginning of her pregnancy up until the birth, Emma became aware of how sensitive her breasts had become, but she hadn't realized that they'd hurt after childbirth.

"We're here." Hilary's voice snapped Emma out of her thoughts. The duo were approaching an apartment building, one that had been heavily vandalized and looted.

"This is it?" Emma asked.

"Yeah."

"Are you sure it's safe to be here?"

"It's the safest place I know," Hilary responded.

Letting out a soft hum, Emma adjusted Dominick in her arms. She was trying to find a comfortable position to hold him, hoping to give one arm more of a break while relying more on another.

"I had a friend who used to live here," Hilary went on. "He'd let me stay here when I was going through rough patches. I can only hope it's safe to be in."

"We'll have to see for ourselves, right?" Emma stated.

Hilary simply nodded.

As they got closer to the building, Emma found herself instinctively tensing. Her muscles, despite their aches and pains, clenched and readjusted themselves, causing Emma's body to curl around Dominick. If anything were to happen, the young mother could only hope that she could defend and protect her son to the best of her abilities. Hilary's body seemed to become so tense it was painful. Every muscle in her body became rigid, on high alert for whatever may happen.

It sure as hell doesn't help that I'm unarmed, Emma thought. If I could, I'd help Hilary however I could.

A nice thought, really. But just how helpful could Emma be? She had no prior training when it came to firearms, and she hardly knew how to do any kind of self-defense. She took — maybe — one karate class when she was in middle school, and then stopped after that. Emma had no fighting skill, no way of actually defending herself. And that sucked. If the world was truly becoming such a violent place, then being able to physically fight back was essential. It didn't seem right to just leech off of someone who had the experience to survive.

"Stay quiet," Hilary murmured, looking at Emma briefly. "Keep your kid down, too."

Nodding, the young mother made sure to hold her son as close to her as possible. Dominick's prior episodes of crying were valid, but Emma and Hilary couldn't afford to blow their cover. If the building had any intruders, they couldn't know of the womens' arrival.

"I'll go in first," Hilary went on, her voice low. "You stay out here. I'll let you know when it's safe to go in."

"Are you sure?" Emma asked, her voice equally as low.

Hilary nodded. "I don't need you or your kid getting hurt," she stated. "Just trust me, okay?"

Emma nodded in return.

They took their time getting to the front of the building. They knew they had to be careful, and they had to watch their steps to make sure no attention was drawn to them. Even if the surrounding area was deathly quiet, it didn't mean they couldn't be cautious. Neither woman knew if someone was lurking in the shadows, watching or waiting for someone to be dumb enough to expose themselves. But, at the same time, considering things were getting bad so fast, people were probably becoming bolder with who they hunt. With communications down, anything that could go wrong was bound to happen. There's no way of getting in contact with any law enforcement, any family or friends — it's a madhouse. And that was terrifying.

Once they approached the front of the building, nearing the front door, Hilary looked back at Emma. Nodding, the young mother took a few steps away from the entrance. Hilary let out a long breath before reaching out for the doorknob. There was a long tense silence before she actually gripped it and turned. The door let out a long groan before fully opening. Hilary's face was scrunched up, obviously displeased. Emma's face was twisted into a wince, not entirely liking the loud sound. But the door was opened, and all that was left to do was for Hilary to inspect. And God knows they didn't know what to expect.

(A/N):

First off, I'm sorry this chapter took so long. Second, I'm sorry it's so poorly written. I got sidetracked by a bunch of other things so I pushed this aside for way too long. But if you've got any constructive criticism, don't hesitate to give it! I'd love to know how I can improve my writing.

Do I own anything in TWD? No. No I don't. All I own are my OCs, my subplots, and the bed I sleep on. If you've got ideas for OCs or subplots, be sure to PM me or leave a review. I'll add them in as soon as possible.

Thank you all so, so much!

Finley Braxton