Future Ghosts • TWD

100. Not a Soldier.

"I do," Dwight said, nodding his head.

There was a long, deafening silence as Rick let go of Daryl and stepped closer to Dwight, staring at him- reading him. The others all gathered in the cell, but Rosie was quietly making her way away from the cell. She didn't care what Rick said or decided this time. She didn't trust Dwight. Not even if Rick trusted him.

"Ok. Get on your knees," was the last thing Rosie heard Rick say before she was out of that building.

Rosie walked as quickly as she could towards the house she was supposed to be living in. She wanted to get far away from Dwight, she wanted to see her home, and she wanted to see Judith. When she got to the house, it tore her apart to see that most things were gone. Almost all of the food, every single mattress, the couches, the TV. It was nighttime, and Rosie knew Judith was already asleep, but she wanted to go see her, anyway. So, she tiptoed to Judith's room and peeked inside. Judith was sound asleep, safe inside her crib. Rosie wanted to be able to hug her, but she didn't want to wake her up, so she quietly pulled the door shut and let Judith be.

After seeing Judith, Rosie made her way upstairs. She first went to her and Daryl's room. Both mattresses were gone, leaving only pillows and blankets. Rosie went to the nightstand next to Daryl's bed and pulled open the drawer. The cigarettes, bullets, and pocket knife were all gone. The shoelaces were still there. The photobook was gone. Rosie's face started to burn and she slammed the drawer shut.

After taking a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm, Rosie went over to the dresser that was next to her bed. She pulled open one of the drawers and took out a pair of pants, then socks and underwear. Next, she opened another drawer and took out her baseball jersey. She tossed it on the ground and left it there, taking out a plain black long-sleeved shirt instead. She brought her new pile of clothes with her to the bathroom.

At the sanctuary, she wasn't given any other clothes to wear. She probably would've been able to pick out her own if she would've just cooperated, but she refused, so she was still wearing almost all of the same clothes as she had been wearing the night they knelt in the dirt. The only change of clothes she had was the dinosaur t-shirt that was packed into her bag. She didn't get to shower at the Sanctuary, but she was able to wash her face in the sink. So, now that she was home, even if it was just for a little bit, she took a quick shower, rinsing herself off. Once that was done, she replaced her dirty clothes with the clean ones from her drawers, then slid on her cowboy boots, despite the hole and how uncomfortable they were.

When she was done cleaning off, she took another few deep breaths. She felt like crying again. She was scared. She should've just stayed at the Hilltop, like the adults all wanted. Now Dwight was here, and he probably saw her, and now Negan was going to come and take her away again. And those boots were so damn uncomfortable, and they were Fraser's, and they weren't going to fit anymore, and now she didn't have any shoes that fit, and the photos were gone, and Negan probably had them, and everything was so, so frustrating, and Rosie felt like she was going to explode into a million little pieces.

"Rosie?" Carl's voice said, with two knocks on the bathroom door. Rosie used her sleeve to make sure that her eyes were all dry, then opened the door. Carl was standing in the hall, his hands behind his back like he was hiding something. "You ok?" he asked. Rosie nodded, even though she felt frustrated and afraid. She just wanted to know what was behind his back. "Well, Enid wanted me to give these to you," Carl said, revealing a pair of old, blue Converse from behind his back. He gestured down to her cowboy boots. "Yours are messed up, and these don't fit her anymore, so she thought they might fit you."

Her frustration starting to melt away, Rosie's expression softened, and she took the shoes from Carl. "Oh," she said, a small, barely noticeable smile finding its way onto her face. "Thanks."