𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 ↠ 𝘤.𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴

44: A

Sanctuary for all, community for all. Those who arrive, survive. Those words repeated themselves in Elle's head as she sat on the forest floor.

"Maybe a days trip left until we get there." Rick spoke up, talking about Terminus, a place that claimed to help people.

"What are we going to tell them?" Carl asked. Rick looked at his son.

"What do you mean?"

"Are we gonna tell them everything we did? Everything we've had to do?"

"Well, we're gonna tell them our names, and enough to let them know not to try anything." Rick assured. Rick suggested they all go look in the traps to see if any rodents had gotten tangled up. Michonne kicked some dirt on top of their small fire to put it out, before following the other four.

A rabbit. All they could catch all night was one rabbit. They could easily split it among the five, but it wouldn't be enough to distinguish their hunger even the slightest bit. Rick still shoved the dead rodent in his bag before giving a small, quick lesson on how to make the trap that caught the rabbit. They all played close attention, watching every move Rick made so they could remember. Even Elle, Daryl never taught her how to make traps. She missed Daryl. Everyone missed Daryl.

Just as Rick finished tying the knot, someone yelling grasped their attention. It was a man yelling for help. Carl bolted towards the noise. "Carl!" Rick whispered harshly, but it did no good. They were all forced to follow him. Elle caught up first to see a man getting surrounded by a small herd of walkers in a small clearing.  Carl pulled out his gun, but Elle grabbed him from behind.

"We can't help him." She whispered as the walkers finally got to him. They watched as the walkers bit into the man's face, tearing the flesh as he cried out on agony.

"We have to to, now." Michonne insisted as some of the walkers started making their way towards the small group. They all agreed and started running away, and further into the forest.

❀❀❀

They had been walking almost all day again, when thankfully, Carl pointed  out an abandon truck on the side of the road. Rick and Michonne agreed to rest and stay there for the night, as they were already close enough to Terminus. 

Elle hopped in the driver's seat, Carl sat in the passenger seat, and Sarah decided to lay down in the back. The back windows were covered in drapes, so she was easily able to fall asleep. Carl had started to doze off as well, leaving Elle wide awake and restless. All she thought about was Terminus and her brothers and the rest of the group. 

Maybe Glenn and Maggie were together, maybe Beth was with them too. Maybe Jack and Cody were together thinking of ways go find Elle. Maybe, just maybe, everyone had seen one of those maps that lead to Terminus, and they'll all be together again. These thoughts calmed Elle down and put her mind at ease, and she started to drift off to sleep herself. She lay her head back and closed her eyes, letting the darkness engulf her.

❀❀❀

"Elle, you need to wake up. Elle, wake up now." Carl whispered harshly at the girl, shaking her shoulder. Elle opened her eyes to see Carl looking over her, in complete panic. "There's people." Elle shot up in her seat and saw Rick and Michonne with guns to their heads. One of the men looked familiar. He held the gun that was only a few feet away from Michonne. The man turned his head, and that was when she realized who he was. He was the man who looked at her in the eyes as he was being strangled and she was hiding under a bed. He said something, though she couldn't hear what it was, and pointed at her.