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believing, a small thing charlotte did from time to time.
before, she believed god. her whole family did, her mother had always believed. since she was a child and those beliefs were channeled into her first daughter.
and when the dead woke, and atlanta georgia was bombed her mother said to believe in god. that he'd make what was wrong right again. that this was the devils doing.
though as the years went by, and charlottes family was ripped from her hold, her belief in god shimmered away, slowly like the light in her sisters eyes did.
she never did understand why god would punish her sister with such a terrible thing. yet still, her mother said to have faith. she said it time and time again, as the twins slowly bled to death, and as her step father attempted to rip her throat out.
it was a never ending cycle that her mother portrayed onto the girl.
though charlotte never did believe in god after she watched, and watched again as everyone she loved died the same way.
when her faith in god died, would be a mystery. perhaps it died over time, slowly like a fire dying out, or maybe it died in one shot. like a boot crushing out a cigarette.
now, she believed in surviving. doing whatever it took to make it to the next day, to be able to see what the world would become when everything was said and done.
see what it was like for, gracie, for lucas and marcus, for her step father and for her mother. she owed them that much.
the sound of boots crunching in the leaves near her stole her attention, and her eyes diverted from the blood that covered the wooden bat to the man who stood before her. his eyes looking down onto the girl who peered back up at him.
"i'm rick grimes" the man told, scratching at his scruffy beard, moving to a standing position charlotte stared at the man with questioning eyes. "charlotte" was all she told, her arms crossing over her chest.
her eyes locked on his eyes, a gateway to the soul.
rick nodded his head, glancing behind him at his group that was talking and eating small nuts they'd found. "thank you" charlotte finally spoke, watching the man nod. "what'd you do" rick questioned slowly, his eyes squinting at the girl. doing the same as she was to him, attempting to read her.
"i killed his sister" charlotte told, not feeling an ounce of guilt from what she'd done. for she held none for doing what needed to be done. "why" he questioned.
"why'd you kill his brother?" charlotte questioned quirking a brow at the man. and when rick didn't say anything charlotte nodded her head. "are you going to stay with us?" rick questioned the teen who shrugged her shoulders. "if you'll have me" the jones girl told, shifting on her feet.
"we leave at dawn, rest up"
with a nod charlotte sat back down, staring at the small child that was passed back to rick. it seemed ridiculous for anyone to want to bring a child into this world, and charlotte didn't understand why anyone would want a child to grow up in the world they live in now.
when dawn came round the group had packed up and followed the tracks. the rocks crunched beneath their feet, and the sun burned at their exposed skin.
"i got it" the women michonne, who charlotte had had a small conversation with that morning, told using her gun to kill a walker.
the screams for help soon filled the air, "dad we have to help him" the grimes boy told, looking to his father, rick seemed to be arguing with himself as he glanced from carl to the rest of the group. though it was clear when he made his choice, and the group went running towards the noise.
finding a man cowering from four of the dead atop the rock. crying for help, his yells seemed to only grow as the group made it into the clearing, a single shot was fired adverting the other three walkers attention to the group behind them.
tightening her hold on the bat charlotte moved her torso before swinging the bat in a swift motion. the sound of the walkers skull crushing filled the ears as the man seemed to calm down slightly.
staring at the group that stood staring at him, awaiting for him to climb down. "come on down" rick told motioning for the man to climb from atop the large rock, which he slowly did.
his eyes wide with fear and distaste, staring at the walkers and the group that had put them down.
"you okay?" rick questioned slowly, his head tilted slightly as the man held up a finger before hurling up whatever he had eaten for breakfast. charlotte silently gagged, her hand covering her mouth.
carl sent her questioning eyes to which charlotte waved the boy off nodding her head slowly.
"i'm sorry. i'm gabriel" the man muttered, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "do you have any weapons?" rick questioned the man who smiled at the question. "do i look like i have any weapons?" he questioned with a slight laugh, though he only earned blank faces from the group.
"we don't give two short and curlys what it looks like" abraham told, his gun over his shoulder. the man didnt seem to find his words funny anymore as his face fell before shaking his head. "i don't have any weapons" the man told slowly to rick who nodded his head.
"do you have any food? whatever i had is on the floor" the man spoke slowly, his hands shaking slightly, and it was clear he felt incredibly intimidated by the group staring at him.
"we have some pecans" carl offered handing the man handful of the nuts they'd found. the priest smiled thankfully as he took them in his hands. "do you have a camp?" gabriel questioned, plopping a pecan into his mouth. "no. do you?" rick questioned bluntly to the man who nodded his head.
rick moved patting down the man searching for any weapons. "how many walkers have you killed?" rick questioned earning a bewildered look from gabriel who shook his head. "none actually" he told with a slight shrug earning questioning glares from the others who stood around.
"all i need is god's protection" gabriel told confidently earning a scuff from charlotte. not seeming impressed by the man, "didn't seem like it" daryl told gruffly, adjusting his cross bow in his hands. shifting on his feet staring at gabriel.
"you said you had a church?" michonne questioned, cutting the man off from saying anything else. no one really wanted to hear it, they had enough problems.
and like before, god and his presence had found a way to make itself known again.
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AUTHORS NOTE — gabriel annoyed me sm when we first met him.
