LITTLE DARK AGE ― twd x tlou

-THREE

Thankfully, there weren't any walkers, but they scored with three cans of spaghetti and a gallon of water.

Passing the food back and forth, the pair chatted more. Sophia always wanted a horse and was excited to learn that Indiana used to ride them.

Ed never liked when Sophia wore dresses, but Indiana promised she'd get one for her when they went on another run.

Carol loved Sophia's hair braided, but never managed to learn the skill herself, and so Indiana braided Sophia's hair in preparation of seeing her mom again.

The girls found nail polish in the back of the bathroom closet and Sophia confessed this was like her first real sleepover. Indiana told her it was her first real sleepover, too.

The girls fell asleep curled up together under a pillow fort Indiana had forged for them.

—

Indiana woke up first, brushing her teeth with a toothbrush she'd found tucked between two shelves. She examined her nails and smiled softly at the reminder.

Indiana's thoughts drifted to her father and her smile fell, worry smothering the bit of happiness. Nostalgia tugged at her mind as she recalled the first time Shane had painted her nails.

She asked for them to be pretty, every one a different color. He'd taken her to the store and let her pick out as many colors as she wanted, and then when she tried to paint her hand herself and then nearly cried because her hands shook so much, he offered to do it.

Placing her hand on his knee, he calmed her with his favorite action movie, and then put it on when her eyes lit up. He painted each one a different color and then as the months passed, he learned to add stars and flowers and other shapes to make her smile.

Tears filled her eyes and she closed them.

He would be fine. She'd see him again. They'd all be okay. It would be okay.

Indiana took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Wiping her face with the back of her hand, she walked into the living room, tucking the toothbrush into her back and packing up the toothpaste.

"Ready, peach?" Indiana asked Sophia, who was munching on crackers, eyes glued on a comic book.

Sophia nodded, standing up and offering the crackers to Indiana, who shook her head, pushing aside her hunger. She'd eat later that night; Sophia needed the food now.

The girls triple-checked the cottage before leaving, walking out together and heading into the blistering sun.

The girls trekked in silence for a while, judging by the sun maybe an hour or two, before coming across a long stretch of dirt road with acres of farm lands.

"Think they have horses?" Indiana asked Sophia, whose face brightened at the thought. "Let's go see."

—

It was the pretty girl with a cowgirl hat on that really made Indiana feel safe.

"I'm Indie," she introduced to the young woman on a horse. "Th-this is Sophia. We lost our group, we were just hoping to get our bearings."