VIVIAN'S ARMS WERE GETTING TIRED.
Despite being only five months old, carrying Judith for hours was starting to take its tole on Vivian.
And at one point, Liam was jealous of the baby and demanded to be held by Vivian. Of course, the group wanted to prevent the toddler from throwing a tantrum and attracting the rotters, so Vivian had to switch with Tyreese, handing him the baby.
Judith didn't like that very much either.
Luckily, a pacifier was an easy solution for that problem.
Tyreese led the group while Lizzie and Mika stayed in the middle, carrying the diaper bag that Vivian was smart enough to pack. Vivian stayed in the back, trying her best to keep Liam on her hip and making sure the girls kept up the pace.
But Liam was getting heavy. And she knew him walking was not a good option, not if they wanted to keep moving quickly.
When it started to get dark, they headed into the woods to stay hidden. Mika began to sniffle, which turned into soft whimpers.
Reality was starting to set in on the girls.
"Don't cry." Lizzie softly told her sister,
"I want Carol." Mika whimpered,
"Well, she's not here." The older sister reached into the diaper bag to grab a knife, "Here, put this on your belt." She turned to look at Tyreese, "It's gonna get dark soon. Where are we going?"
"Farther. Come on." Tyreese encouraged, only pausing briefly,
Mika jogged to catch up with the man while Lizzie turned to look at Vivian, "Is everybody dead?"
Vivian didn't know how to answer that question. Was there a chance that people got out? Of course. But there was also the chance that they died before they could've escaped.
The bus made it out, though. So Vivian had hope.
They stopped once the sun went down. They found a couple of fallen logs and sat down, eager to get some rest.
Vivian wanted to start a fire, but knew it would be too dangerous. Walkers, or dangerous people could see the light in the distance.
So they would have to deal with the cold.
The woman laid her jacket down for Judith to lay down on, not wanting her to have direct contact with the ground. The poor girl wasn't dressed for the weather, only in a one piece that didn't cover her arms or legs, so Vivian dug through the diaper bag to find a small blanket to lay over her.
Liam laid next to her, curled up against her leg. His small fist clutched her t-shirt as he slept.
Judith began to whine, "They're gonna hear her." Mika hissed,
The baby began to whine and Vivian quickly lifted her onto her lap, laying her head against the woman's chest, "Shhhh..." Vivian began to rock her gently, trying not to wake Liam, "Liz, can you hand me her bottle?"
"We shouldn't be out here." Lizzie stated, standing and grabbing the bottle from the bag,
"We'll find a safe place soon." Tyreese told her, "We will."
Judith instantly latched onto the bottle and Vivian brushed the baby's hair back. She hoped Rick and Carl were out there somewhere, and she hoped they would find them again. Judith needed her family.
Marcie walked for what felt like forever. She didn't care what direction she was going in, as long as it was away from the prison.
And she tried staring at the ground, looking for some sort of sign that something human had been in the area, but she wasn't the tracker of the group.
That was Daryl.
Oh, Daryl. How she missed him.
The last time she saw him, she was on her knees in front of the prison. And even then, she didn't get a good look at him.
She didn't get to say goodbye, didn't get to see him get out of there.
She knows he did, he had to.
He was a survivor, like her.
She wiped away her tears as she trekked through the trees. She needed to keep moving, because if she stopped, then the horror of what just happened would hit her and she doesn't think she would be able to keep going after that happens.
She doesn't want to think about Hershel, or Rick, or the Governor. All of her friends and family, gone.
Even when it started to get dark, Marcie didn't want to stop. She clutched the Governor's gun in her hand. She didn't want to waste the bullets, but it was her only weapon.
She's been through worse. She's had to survive in the woods with a bullet wound and a flare gun before.
Marcie would survive, that much she knew.
And as she continued to walk, she had began to wish she hadn't survived.
The sun went down and Marcie heard something in the distance. At first, she thought she was imagining things.
But as she continued to hear the cries, she then thought it was an animal, a deer perhaps.
Marcie followed the sound of the noise, and eventually heard hushed voices. Multiple ones.
She accidentally stepped on a branch, causing it to snap loudly in the silence.
"Walkers!"
It was Mika, a girl who lived with her sister in D Block. She recognised the voice.
"I got it." Tyreese spoke as he stood,
It was her people. Marcie could cry in happiness, knowing she wouldn't be alone anymore.
"Hey." Marcie hissed, trying to keep Tyreese from attacking her, "Ty, it's me."
The large man lowered his weapon, his eyes wide. Vivian was quick to stand, handing Judith off to Lizzie before running to Marcie,
"Oh, my god. You're alive."