Just Keep Walking

Seven

Mary woke up to Rick boiling water in cans over the fire, and she pushed herself up into a sitting position, pain flaring through her body as she did so.
"Hi princess." Rick smiled, his eyes tired and loving.
"Hello." Mary whispered, rubbing her eyes groggily.
"Did you have a good sleep?"
"Yeah." The child mumbled, blinking heavily.
"Good. Will you wake Carl up for me? We need to check snares soon." Rick asked, and Mary nodded, gently shakily the boy next to her.
"Carl? Wake up." She ordered softly, and her brother's eyelids fluttered. "It's wake up time."
Carl nodded, and he got up slowly, as Mary chatted to him, nonsense about fairies.
"Do you believe in fairies?" Mary asked Michonne as she saw the woman was awake.
"What? Yeah." Michonne nodded groggily, sitting up. Rick smiled at the woman, living how she would play along. Carl got up, helping Mary to stand, then supported her as they walked over to Rick. Mary sat on his lap, looking into the flames, drawing in the dirt with a stick.
"How hungry are you, scale of one to ten?" Rick asked jokingly.
"Fifteen." Carl replied.
"Twenty eight."
"Ten?" Mary suggested logically.
"Yeah, well it's been a while. A while since we've had a good meal. I'm gonna go check the snares." Rick declared.
"Can I go with you?" Carl begged.
"Well, how else are you gonna learn?" Rick smiled, getting up. "But only if Michonne doesn't mind looking after Mary for half an hour."
"That's fine." Michonne nodded, smiling softly at Mary.
"Okay. Do you mind doing her bandage? We have one fresh bandage, but you can leave the same iodine patch on."
"That's fine."
"Okay. See you soon, yeah?" Rick smiled gently to Mary, bending down to kiss the top of her head.
"Yeah. Bye bye." The child mumbled softly.
"Bye bye." Carl repeated, before the two left.
"Okay," Michonne sighed, "let's get the horrible bit done, yeah? Your bandage. Then I'll do your hair for you, since your dad and brother have no idea what they're doing."
"Hair first." Mary mumbled.
"Okay." The woman nodded, getting up and sitting behind Mary. She brushed her hair with her hands, then put it all in one thick Dutch braid, her hair getting thicker and longer every day. "I gotta do it now."
"Okay." Mary sighed shakily. Michonne pulled Mary's dungarees down, then took off the bandage. She cleaned it, then put on the same iodine patch, and a fresh bandage. Once she was done, Mary was crying in pain and pure discomfort.
"It took twenty ten counts. So twenty ten counts hugs." Mary cried. Michonne laughed softly, and hugged Mary tightly, resting her head on the top of Mary's head.
"I love you Mishy." Mary whispered through her sobs.
Michonne closed her eyes shakily, a tear falling down her cheek. "I love you too."

"Quick!" Rick shouted, him and Carl running over. "Heard!" Michonne nodded, and threw everything into her bag. Carl grabbed Mary, holding her so tight she cried, hurting her wound. They ran back to the train tracks, Walkers behind them, and a few in front of them. Rick and Michonne killed them quickly, then they carried on to run, only stopping when there was a good distance between them and the Walkers.
"Thought maybe there'd be some houses down this way. Maybe even a store. There's gotta be some food around here somewhere." Michonne said softly.
"Hey, look." Carl pointed out, looking at an old car, still effortlessly holding Mary. Michonne got her katana out, and killed a Walker on the floor, as Carl and Rick looked into the car.
"Okay. We'll stay here tonight." Rick nodded, opening the car door. Carl sat Mary in the seat, then began to look for anything left in the car. He found a small tin of breath mints, and shared them out, everyone relishing the fresh taste as they hadn't brushed their teeth in almost a week.
"Spicy." Mary mumbled, but a smile was on her lips.
"Spicy?" Carl laughed, "Mary, mints aren't spicy."
"What are they?" She asked in confusion.
"I dunno. Minty?" The boy shrugged with a laugh.
"Monty? What's that?"
"Minty." Carl laughed again, and Mary began to giggle.
"Marty?" She teased, and Carl laughed again.
"I'm just going to get firewood." Michonne said softly, before leaving.
"I love Michonne." Mary smiled softly, looking at her as she left.
"Yeah. She's great." Carl replied with a smile.
Later that evening, they were sat eating a rabbit Rick's snare had caught, when Carl suddenly spoke up.
"Dad? When we get there, to Terminus, are we gonna tell them who we are? Are we gonna tell them everything?"
"We..." Rick began slowly, holding Mary as she ate rabbit, half listening, "we'll tell them who we are."
"But who are we?" Carl asked softly.
"Survivors." Michonne replied gently, looking at Carl with love in her eyes.
"People who have done what they need to do to survive. To keep their family alive. We have done thins, Carl. But we've done them so you can survive. So Mary can. That's what's important. That's all that matters."
"They'll like us. They always like me." Mary mumbled.
Everyone laughed suddenly at Mary's truthful comment, and Rick held her even closer. "You know, that's very true." Rick laughed, kissing the top of her head. "Okay, why don't you go to bed, yeah? You and Carl?"
Mary nodded, and Rick kissed her head again. "Okay. Night night. I love you."
"Love you too." Mary smiled, getting up.
"And I love you." Rick smiled softly to Carl. Carl just nodded, then picked up Mary, and carried her to the car.
"Carl, when do we get there?" Mary asked quietly, Carl sat in the car seat, Mary laid on his chest.
"Soon. Tomorrow."
"Daddy said tomorrow yesterday." She whined, playing with his hair.
"I know. But hopefully we really will be there tomorrow. Now go to sleep, yeah? So you have energy for tomorrow."
"So I can play with Glenn." Mary smiled suddenly.
"Yeah."
"And talk with Maggie and give her lots of cuddles. And go hunting with Uncle Daryl!"
"Yeah." Carl repeated emotionlessly. "Go to sleep, Moo."
Mary nodded, and laid her head down, then closed her eyes. Carl did the same, and the two of them feel asleep, the brother holding the sister.
Carl woke up with a jolt an hour later, to someone tapping on the window. His heart began to race when he saw a man at the window, a knife pressed against the glass. His eyes went wide when he saw men surrounding them, a man holding a gun to his father's head, another man holding a gun to Michonne's.
Carl gently shook Mary awake, and she looked at Carl with wide eyes.
"Carl?" She mumbled.
"It's okay. But it's a bit scary. Okay. Just do as I say." He whispered shakily, then he froze.
"Joe! Hold up!" A man shouted. That was what shocked both of the children. They knew that voice.
"Uncle Daryl!" Mary screamed, going to open the door, but Carl grabbed her wrist and shook his head.
"You're stopping me on eight, Daryl." The man with a gun to Rick's head, Joe, snapped.
"Just hold up." He said calmly, walking over. Mary looked, and noticed the guns, her blood running cold.
"This is the guy that killed Lou, so we got nothing to talk about." A different man replied harshly.
"The thing about nowadays is we got nothing but time. Say your piece Daryl." Joe nodded.
"These people, you're gonna let em go. These are good people. There's a f-five year old. Let her go."
"Now, I-I-I think Lou would disagree with you on that. I'll of course have to speak for him and all, 'cause your friend here strangled him in a bathroom." Joe retorted.
"You want blood. I get it." Daryl nodded, putting his bag and crossbow down. "Take it from me, man. Come on."
"This man killed our friend. You say he's good people. See now that right there I-I-is a lie. It's a lie!" Joe hissed. "No!" Rick shouted, as men began to hit Daryl. Mary let out a squeal, and Carl hold her tightly to his chest.
"Teach him,fellas, teach him all the way." Joe ordered, as they beat Daryl against the car. Mary could see Daryl's face in pain against the glass, and she began to scream.
The man by Mary and Carl's window opened their door, and the children screamed in protest, one man grabbing Carl, the other grabbing Mary.
"Come here boy." The man growled to Carl.
"You leave them be!" Rick screamed angrily, as Mary was held harshly, and Carl was held with a knife to his throat. Mary was sobbing hysterically, not understanding what was happening, but not liking that someone she didn't know was touching her.
"You'll get yours. You just wait your turn." A man snarled to Michonne, as Mary screamed.
"Listen, it was me. It was just me." Rick begged quickly, seeing his two children being hurt.
"See now that's right," Joe nodded slowly, "that's not some damn lie. Look, we can settle this. We're reasonable men. First we're going to beat Daryl to death. Then we'll have the girl. Then the kids. Then I'm gonna shoot you, and then we'll be square." He chuckled. Mary had been pushed against the car, her hip screaming up pain, feeling weak and faint. Then other man had pushed Carl onto the floor, and was on top of him.
"Let them go." Rick shouted.
"I'm not gonna let you go." The man breathed into Mary's ear, as she still fought him. "Stop your squirming. I'm not letting go."
"You smell! Let go! That hurts!" She screeched, hurting her throat.
"Shush now. Shush and it'll be gentler."
"Let them go!" Rick screamed, then he head butted Joe, making the gun shoot out randomly, and Joe cough. Rick tilted his head to the side, then he got up and punched Joe.
"Daddy!" Mary shouted. "Daddy, help me! Uncle Daryl! Mishy!"
Before Rick could even respond, Joe punched him back, and Rick fell to the floor. "I got him," he nodded, kicking Rick in the ribs, making Mary scream out, "oh, it's gonna be so much worse now!"
"Carl!" Mary begged, looking over and seeing Carl sobbing as much as her, an unusual sight for the older boy. He was trying to grab a knife, but the man on top of him just laughed. Michonne went to grab the gun pointed on her, and the shot flared out, not hitting anyone, and the gun's owner slapped her to the ground.
"Uncle Daryl!" Mary screamed hysterically, the man behind her holding her even tighter, breathing down her neck, "Help me!"
"Oh," Joe laughed, "oh, your Uncle Daryl isn't helping you, darlin'." Then he turned to Rick. "Come on get up! Come on let's see what you got."
Carl's head was being held down by his head, face first, the man chuckling.
"Daddy! He is hurting me!" Mary sobbed, the man's nails gripping into her hips. It made her think of how when they were running, Rick would sometimes hold her a little too tight and hurt her, but she didn't mind that. She knew he was keeping her safe. She didn't understand what this man was trying to do. But she knew she wasn't safe.
"Daddy, please!" She cried again.
Rick saw both of his children fighting off the men, both of them in danger, "You leave them be!" Rick screamed, getting up angrily.
"Hey, right over here!" Joe shouted, grabbing Rick to his chest so he couldn't move, "What the hell are you gonna do now, sport?"
Then time slowed down. The man was truly hurting Mary now. Suddenly, Rick bit Joe's throat, blood spraying everywhere, then he spat a chunk of his trachea out, Mary gasping in awe, but the man behind her didn't let go; he grabbed her hair, holding her head back. Daryl seized the opportunity and turned around, punching one of the men. Michonne grabbed the gun pointed at her, and shot the man dead, then the other one beside Daryl.
"I'll kill him. I'll, I'll, I'll kill him!" The man holding Carl screamed, stood up, as Mary's captor held her even tighter, so tight that she felt she was shrinking, disappearing.
"Let the children go!" Michonne shouted, then she noticed there wasn't a knife or a gun to her. She nodded to Daryl, and in a second Daryl ripped him off from behind her, and began to beat the man's face.
"He's mine." Rick growled, walking over with blood down his neck, as Mary sobbed, curled up in pain.
"Stay back, please!" The man begged, but Rick began to stab him in his chest, the doing it again and again, making his death slow and painful. Carl was pressed against Michonne's chest, but he kept looking at Rick stabbing the man. Mary didn't think he'd ever stop, then she got up and limped over to him, putting a hand over his hand. Rick began to sob when he saw Mary, broken and limping even worse. She took the knife, and staggered back over to the man who held her.
He was alive, at a point where he would be okay if Daryl stopped. Mary collapsed to the floor, exhausted and in pain and broken.
"Is he gone?" Michonne whispered shakily.
"No. He's still okay." Daryl growled.
Then Mary shocked the small group. She stabbed the man in the chest, like Rick had done, then twice in the head.