SKYFALL, the walking dead

ii. just the three

THEY HAD BEEN WALKING SINCE
yesterday when Glenn and Tara decided to rest. Though they still hadn't fully gotten along, they had opened up about a lot of things, like how Tara and Glenn got into this situation. River ended up telling them more about how she got into her situation too, which made Glenn doubt her family's liveliness even more.

Tara had gone out for water, leaving Glenn and River alone. "River, do you know how to start a fire?" Glenn asked, pulling out a squirrel that Tara had caught two hours ago.

Her dad and uncle were always the ones to make the fires, and they were always too busy to teach her because of how sure they were that River would always be with them. Now that she thinks about it, she wishes they had taught her more than they did.

"No, dad never taught me," she said.

Glenn gave her a confused look. "How have you been surviving this whole time?" Glenn asked.

"Berries," she said it with an unsure look.

Glenn sighed and gestured for her to come over to him, which she did. She kneeled beside where he was kneeling. Glenn grabbed two sticks that he had in his bag and set them up. He placed leaves on the ground and then looked at the river.

"I'm going to teach you, okay?" He said. River nodded.

Glenn placed the wider sticks on the ground, then he grabbed River's hands and placed the thinner stick between both of her hands.

"Okay, now rub your hands together really fast," he said. The instructions seemed pretty clear, so she did what he said.

When River noticed not even a little spark, she heard Glenn's voice. "A little faster," he said this, vividly watching her.

She sped up a bit, and then she saw smoke, and then the stick flung out of her hand. She looked at Glenn with a disappointed face.

Glenn reached over to pick up the stick. "That's okay, let me show you," he said softly.

She watched as Glenn started to rub his hands with the stick, just enough to make sparks, then dropped the stick before it could start a fire. He wanted her to learn, huh?

"You see?" Glenn asked, glaring up at her. River nodded her head, and Glenn handed the stick back to her.

She proceeded to do the same thing she saw Glenn do, trying not to go too fast or too slow. She did until she saw smoke. She could feel Glenn's stare; he was silently rooting for her. Then she saw sparks.

"Blow on the sparks," Glenn instructed. She did as told and blew until the sparks were now a flame. She dropped the stick, and the fire grew.

"You did it!" Glenn said proudly.

"I did it!" She said, putting both her hands up for a high five that Glenn gratefully took.

Tara came back with the water, confused about why the two looked like they had just found a cure for the virus. They both looked over, faded smiles on their faces.

"River made fire," Glenn informed.

"I made fire," River said after him, her proud smile returning.

Glenn smiled at Tara. "Now we can cook this squirrel properly."

Tara raised an eyebrow, surprised. "And how did she manage that?"

Glenn beamed, his pride evident. "I taught her."

River grinned from ear to ear, feeling a sense of accomplishment. "Glenn showed me, and I did it!"

Tara shook her head in disbelief, but her lips twitched upwards into a smile. "Well, color me impressed, River. Good job!" She said, setting the water down beside them.