Infection ; carl grimes

15 [bittersweet reunions]

VIVIAN HAD SOMEHOW managed to sleep through the night without nightmares, she didn't dream at all. It was just one man. Just a couple of minutes. So why did it get to her so much? The moment she woke up she felt everything once again, even though she had a hard time remembering things from hours ago— she remembered every single detail of what happened last night as it kept replaying over and over in her head.

Mary had flooded her with questions the moment she woke up, Mary hadn't slept since the incident even though she was sitting there in the car watching. She droned on and on about asking who the guys were or saying how it could have been her down there instead of Vivian, she knew she had a good heart but she really wished could just be left alone.

Vivian quietly opened the car door, she had been laid there since she passed out, her head throbbing and feeling like it could pop at any moment. She saw Rick and Daryl leaning against the vehicle, just seeing Daryl safe and within reach was a big relief. He took quite the beating last night so Vivian wasn't sure if he would be alright.

The morning was eerily quiet, you could hear the bugs buzzing in the woods and every rustle of the leaves.

"How'd you wind up with them?" Rick asked, because Vivian was curious she sat down beside them.

"I was with Beth." Daryl answers, immediate dread flooding through Vivians body. "We got out together. I was with her for a while." He continued, his voice was numb and Vivian could clearly see something bad happened to her by the way he was speaking.

      "Is she dead?" Vivian speaks up, her voice cracking as she said so though she held herself together just well enough that they couldn't see the tears threatening to spill. She wanted not to care so much, she had only known Beth for a couple of months, but they were like sisters. Looks like now she's 0 for 3.

     "She's just gone." Daryl answers, Vivians eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Gone? Raven, Vivians sister, left not too long after the fall, was it like that? If so, why did she leave? It was at that point Vivian decided to go back into the car, she couldn't keep the tears from spilling anymore.

~

     There were now six of them. Michonne, Rick, Carl, Mary, Vivian, and Daryl. They were all heading to terminus, seeking some safety as if that word meant anything anymore. Nothing's save. Everybody thought the prison was some untouchable land where people could pretend like everything was normal, but things aren't normal, and they never will be again.

     They all walked in silence. Michonne and Rick at the front together. Carl, Mary and Daryl walking together. Vivian just lingered in the back. She couldn't help but feel like the odd one out.

     Rick had cleaned all the blood from his beard, Vivian was somewhat thankful for that because he looked fucking terrifying but she hated how he could just wash away the physical remains of last night, everybody had cleaned their wounds and it almost made it feel like nothing happened, except Vivian knew it did. They were all left with the constant reminders of what they had to do lingering in the back of their heads.

     Rick had stopped when he found a wooden plank covered with the dead leaves, he kicked them out of the way to see TERMINUS written in blocky black letters. She wanted to feel hope, but a strange sense of dread overtook her. She knew Terminus would be fine, and if it wasn't, they've escaped way worse situations before.

"We're getting close." Daryl spoke up, a ghost of a smile twitching at his lips.

"Now we head through the woods. We don't know who they are." Rick tells the group, his statement giving Vivian a spike of anxiety. They couldn't be any worse than the guys they just faced, right? Could Terminus really be this safe-haven and Vivian was just too paranoid?