Just Keep Walking

Four

Rick woke up to people in the house, one man screaming, the others laughing and talking. Immediately, Rick began to panic, and he shook Mary awake, his hand gently over her mouth.
"Daddy?" Mary asked in fear, her voice muffled by Rick's hand. He put a finger to his lips, and she nodded, her eyes wide with fear.
Rick kissed her cheek, then rolled off the bed, and went to the door, seeing a man going into one of the other rooms. He ran back to the bed, and pushed Mary underneath it, then went under after her. Another man walked past, and a sudden realisation flashed across Rick's face. His water was still by the bed, and Mary's bunny on the bed covers. He grabbed them, then slid back under the bed, Mary holding the bunny to her face, snuggled tight into Rick's side.
As a man came into the room, Rick held Mary even closer, his hand over her tiny mouth, holding it shut, but making sure to not cover her nose. Sweat was dripping off Ricks face, falling onto the floor, his hair over his face. Mary began to cry, her body shaking in fear, and Rick kept a tight grip on her.
Suddenly the man jumped onto the bed, making it squeak, and Rick closed his eyes, holding a Mary even tighter, his hands shaking. He held her tightly, even as she calmed down slightly when the man began to snore.
"Daddy?" Mary whispered, crying softly, and Rick nodded, his finger to his lips. "Can we go?"
"There's more downstairs." Rick breathed, scarcely making a noise. "We'll go soon." He nodded, stopping when he saw another pair of boots walking towards them. His hand returned over Mary's mouth, firm yet gentle.
"Yo. You comfy?" A man said harshly, and Mary grabbed onto Rick's shirt tightly.
"You waking me up to see if I'm comfortable?" The other man scoffed.
"I want to lie down."
"Two other bedrooms, bitch."
"Them's kids beds. I want this one." The man spat.
"It's claimed."
"I didn't hear it. You're going to hang to lay claim somewhere else." He growled, then the two men began to fight. Rick held Mary even tighter, so tight she was struggling to breathe properly, but she was quiet. Suddenly, the first man fell to the floor, and Rick cocked his head to the side fiercely, his eyes fiery with protection for the little girl by his side. He didn't have his gun, only a small knife.
"Len! Len! Len!" The man hissed, looking at Rick and Mary with wide eyes.
"Hell nah." Len spat, as he choked the life out of the other man. "My bed now, jack off." He taunted, laying on the bed with a sigh, leaving the other man on the floor, unconscious, and Mary silently sobbing.
When Rick could tell that the man, Len, was asleep, he slid from under the bed, pulling Mary out after him.
"No noise," he whispered, looking into her eyes, "no noise." Mary nodded, and Rick kissed her cheek, and began to leave, but went back to grab Mary's bunny teddy.
"Tony, Len get your asses down here!" A man shouted, coming up the stairs, as Rick rushed into the room Carl had been sleeping in. Rick was pressed against the the wall, holding Mary so tight that later, he saw the tiny bruises. The man came up the doorway, and began to bounce a baseball against the wall, Rick's breathing so quiet it was almost non existent.
"Yo, you hear me?" He shouted, going into the room where Len was sleeping. Rick tried to open the windows, but couldn't.
"Claim claim claim!" A man shouted suddenly from downstairs, and Mary froze.
"Shut the hell up! I'm trying to sleep!" Len screamed back.
"There's a woman shacking up in here!"
"Say what?"
"Come on down."
"She got..." Len began.
"Don't grab your pecker just yet. She ain't here." Another man cut off.
Len left the room, stood by the stairs, and Rick grabbed a sports trophy, holding Mary close. "What the hell you hollering about?"
"Found her shirt. Must have washed it this morning. Smells good!" A man called, and Rick's jaw clenched.
"Oh, you found a shirt. She could be miles away by now!" Len argued.
"Why'd she do yo all the trouble of washing her shirt if she was just going to ditch it? She'll be back!"
"I call first when she gets here!"
Mary looked at Rick in confusion, then mumbled, "What's he mean?"
"Shh." Rick hissed, holding a finger to his lips.
"Who knows who else she's got with her. We need to be ready for anything. Len, you take the side room." One of the men ordered, as they both walked downstairs.
Rick ran back to his bedroom, remembering that Len had a gun, then he heard Len shout, "Hold on let me get a gun!" Rick ran straight out of the room, shaking.
"I'll watch the front den. You've got the other side room. Tony! Get the hell up!"
Rick sighed shakily, then ran to the bathroom, shutting the door. He put Mary down, then turned around and saw a man sat on the toilet. The two men began to fight, Mary wailing, but they didn't stop. Suddenly, Rick had a phone cord around the man's neck, but fear flashed through Mary's eyes as she saw the man reaching for a pair of scissors. Using all of her strength, Mary got up and limped over, grabbing the scissors. As Rick choked the man, he looked at Mary and nodded in approval.
Once the man had fallen to the floor, limp and dead, Rick got up, kissed the top of Mary's head, and opened the bathroom window. "Okay, Mary, I'm gonna push you outta the window, then I'll come out next, okay?" Rick ordered firmly.
Mary looked anxious, but nodded. Rick smiled at her, then threw his jacket out of the window, then picked up Mary and pushed her out, being gentle on account of her hip. The child sat on the roof, holding her bunny, as she waited for Rick to crawl out. When he did come out, he pulled on the jacket and put the large gun over his shoulder, then put a soft hand on Mary's shoulder.
"Listen," he whispered, "I'm gonna go down first, then I'll catch you, okay? Just watch what I do."
"Okay." Mary nodded shakily.
"I know it's scary, but it's all gonna be okay."
"I'm not scared." Mary said quickly, holding her hip in pain.
"Okay." Rick nodded slowly, then he went to the edge of the roof, and slowly left himself drop down. "Come on now." He whispered.
Mary nodded looking down at him. Rick opened his arms, and gave her a nod. After taking a breath in, Mary sat in the edge of the roof, and jumped down, crying out in pain.
"Shit," Rick hissed, "you've ripped your stitches open."
"It really hurts." Mary cried.
"I know. I know." Rick soothed, holding her gently, then ran around the back of the house, stopping at the front, when he heard the door open, and a man came out, bouncing a baseball on the wooden decking. Rick looked up, then quickly ducked down, his finger to his lips again. Then man began to spit onto the floor, making Mary pull a face in disgust, then he began to whistle a tune. Rick's jaw clenched as he saw Michonne and Carl in the background, scared they'd get seen.
Suddenly, screams and gunshots came from the house, and the man ran inside. Holding Mary even tighter, Rick ran to Michonne and Carl, shouting for them to move. They did.

"It's okay. Only one came out." Michonne nodded, looking at Mary's bleeding wound. Rick nodded, and took off his bandage around his sprained hand, then ripped it into two, made it into two pads, putting them over the wounds, and taking Mary's bandana form around her head, he secured it around her stomach.
"Do you need me to carry her?" Carl asked gently, knowing his father still wasn't fully recovered.
"No, it's okay. Anyway, you can't for too long, she's getting bigger."
"She weighs less than she did at the start of this, and I'm a lot stronger than I was." Carl argued, and it was the truth. Although Mary was naturally quite small and thin, she was painfully skinny, and definitely too small for a normal five year old.
"I got it, son. Don't you worry. Let me do that." Rick smiled gently. Carl nodded, and helped to lift her onto Rick's back, and tied some material around Mary's waist and Rick's body, so he didn't have to hold her.
They carried on walking, Michonne and Carl slightly ahead, the sun setting around them.
"Crazy cheese?" Carl asked Michonne, pulling out a can. Michonne smiled at him, and Carl put it away, then they stopped, looking at a large sign.
"What is it?" Mary mumbled groggily.
"A sign. For... For..." Rick began slowly, then stopping.
"What do you think?" Michonne asked, looking at Rick.
The man nodded slowly, "Let's go."