ELLIE CLUTCHED NERVOUSLY at Hershel's hand as she steadied him out on the courtyard, where he beamed from ear to ear with pride at his achievements. The blonde led him down out through the door, and glanced down at Daryl as he had been hard work with Rick alongside him. They connected their eyes for a brief moment, instantaneously causing a natural instinct to smile between them.
"You ready for me to let go?" Ellie asked the elder as she grinned at him, observing how well he had been balancing on his crutches.
"You bet," he stated as he eyed up an area of the courtyard to walk towards, and instantly managed to do it himself.
Ellie cheered loudly for the man, alerting the working group members surrounding them, particularly Maggie as she stood from afar with Beth and Coda. The three stared adoringly over at Hershel, observing his skills as he slowly made his way around the courtyard.
From afar, Ellie and Hershel heard Glenn's enthusiastic voice yell support for Hershel, which may have been too loud, almost alerting any walkers nearby, "Alright, Hershel!"
Ellie's eyes trailed over to Rick, who held the fence as he stared up the spectacle. It didn't appear to be much, but when put into the thought, there were always too many fences separating them off from one another. It was bound to induce danger, and it was only a matter of time until they'd discover this the hard way.
"Ready to race, Hershel?" Carl asked, a smirk playing at his lips as he tilted his hat upwards.
Hershel hesitated for a moment, before he flickered his eyes between the boy and the floor, "Give me another day, and I'll take ya home."
A simple joke gained several belly-laughs from the group, each observing the banter between the elder and the boy blossoming. It was a truly serene moment, and Ellie couldn't keep her eyes off the man who had warmed her heart, and her daughter, who was her heart.
"Deuteronomy 31:6," Hershel whispered to Ellie, breaking her from her thoughts.
Ellie raised an inquisitive her eyebrow at the man, and her mouth hung open slightly before she breathed out, "You heard that?"
"I heard it all," Hershel nodded, plastering a smile of gratitude on his face.
Ellie glanced down at her feet as she couldn't help but allow a gargantuan smile to creep onto her cherry lips. She cleared her throat, and simply brought the man into a warm embrace.
"I didn't know what else to say that could help you while you were unconscious," Ellie stated nervously, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. She then whispered, "Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm."
"Proverbs 13:30," Hershel whispered back, and released the woman from the embrace. She knew he was always going to be there, her wise saviour who she could rely on for counsel. He was the essence of wisdom. "You're doing great, Ellie. It's wonderful to see you're still using your faith for the good of others."
Ellie scoffed as tears filled her eyes, but she shortly blinked them away, "I should be saying that you, you're the one who overcame death."
Hershel sighed and placed his hand on Ellie's shoulder, and uttered, "We all overcome death every day. We all should be reminded of our strength sometimes," and with that, left Ellie with her thoughts as he paced around the courtyard with Lori.
Instead of trailing over to Daryl's, Ellie's eyes landed upon Rick, whose face held both bewilderment and shock as he stared up at his wife with the elder man. He and Lori flashed one another small, warm smiles to remind one another that love once inhabited their hearts, and it was possible to get back to that place. It was a smile of hope, and it warmed Ellie's heart to see their progress, despite the chaos. Ellie quietly nodded to herself, and finally landed her eyes upon Daryl as he clung to the fence, his eyes lingering over Ellie. His eyes hadn't left her once.
Ellie clenched her jaw as their eyes remained connected, and blinked heavily, until quietly and eloquently, she whispered, "I love you," earning a mere stare in response. His eyes immediately widened, and his breath hitched in his throat as he felt his hands drop limply to his side.
It hadn't been aloud, but it was enough for Daryl to know she truly cared. One day, she would announce her profound adoration for the man, and he would always be waiting for that day, but he finally had his confirmation that the day would arrive. It was a glimmer of hope to him, and he simply grinned in response, to which Ellie reciprocated a grin.
Interrupting the special moment, Carl's voice echoed deafeningly through the courtyard as he screamed, "Walkers!"
Ellie's eyes widened with fear as she clasped at her holster, recognising the unfamiliar emptiness within it. She gulped as she glanced down at Daryl, whose eyes were wide with fear as he spotted Ellie's distressed patting of her body, attempting to discover a weapon. She was defenceless, against a minuscule herd of walkers, with only a pregnant woman and a disabled elderly man along with her. Neither of which possessed any weapons.
Ellie stumbled slightly as she set her sights on the walkers as they flowed in, and gulped as she watched Lori push Hershel towards the cellblock. The blonde immediately sprung into action, and grabbed a long, steel pole from the ground, gripping her fingers tightly around it. She swung it up towards the walkers, and pushed it horizontally against them, pushing the herd in the other direction.
"Get Hershel inside! I'll find a way to clear them," Ellie panted to Lori as she pushed with all of her strength against the walkers. Her eyes immediately landed upon her daughter, who had been scooped up into Maggie's arms.
"Ellie!" Daryl cried out as Rick held him back, attempting to keep the man at a distance, fearing his interruption of Ellie's battle would end badly.
Ellie groaned against the strength of the walkers, and finally allowed the pole to clatter on the ground, her eyes popping out of her head once she observed Lori and Carl running back out to her. She shook her head at their defiance, and pushed them aside, out of harm's way.
"There's too many," Ellie panted, whilst kicking one down to its knees, and plunging her knife in its skull. She spun on her heels rapidly, and gestured towards a nearby door, "There, there!"
Ellie gently nudged Lori and Carl into the direction of the door, and pushed them inside into safety, before slamming the door shut behind them. The darkness suffocated them as they attempted to grab at the wall, until finally Ellie patted at her coat, and yanked out a lighter. She held the lighter up as an aid in the darkness, only it hadn't provided much light.
Ellie led the mother and son towards the dining area of cellblock A successfully, and eyed up the clean area. It had been raided entirely of its contents, presumably by the group after they had secured the prison. Ellie gulped as she stared ahead at another door accompanied by another door slightly further down, and pulled Lori and Carl along fearfully towards the first door, as footsteps lingered in the darkened hallways.
Ellie reached out to swivel the handle of the door open, only before she could reach her destination, an influx of walkers poured from the door, sending her stumbling backwards. She immediately pushed Carl and Lori in the opposite direction, and shoved them through the second door, slamming it just time to keep the walkers out. Through pants, she remained running, and holding the hands of the afraid mother and son as they ran slowly with her.
Ellie continued to lead them through every door they could possibly find, until she eventually let out a whimper of disbelief as she found them stuck in the centre of the gloomy tombs. The blonde clutched at her aching chest as she felt her breaths becoming shorter and shorter; faster and faster.
"I-I don't know where to go!" she panted, shaking her head as she felt her eyes beginning to well with tears.
The flickering lights above cascaded shadows across Ellie's olive skin, painting the atmosphere with a coat of fear. She picked at the skin on her thumb nervously, until she let out a puff of air after connecting her eyes with Carl's — they were wide with true fear; a panic he had been unable to voice all together from shock. Ellie knew she had to keep going.
Ellie laced her fingers through Lori's as she held onto Carl, he led them through the dark tombs, with only slight daylight from windows in the distance to guide her. The quicker they paced, Lori began to release more agitated grunts, until eventually she let out a loud gasp all together, and yanked Ellie down as pain spread throughout her lower abdomen. Ellie stumbled at the weight, but steadied herself and Lori as she observed the pained woman.
"Stop! Stop!" Lori gasped, clutching her stomach suddenly, indicating she had been experiencing contractions.
Ellie gulped as she had been familiar with the feeling, and sighed, "Lori..."
"The baby. I think it's coming," she said, panic clear in her voice as she clutched her stomach.
Ellie stared in disbelief at the woman, shaking her head in a deep panic, "Lori, we're gonna get back to C, please just hold on."
Ellie hauled the three of them around the next corner, attempting to quicken the pace as she followed the daylight in the distance. She searched endlessly for the arrows that Glenn had painted previously, only her vision had been impaired by the darkness. Once they turned the corner, they immediately froze in their stance as they face a small group of walkers.
"Shit," Ellie whispered as she pulled them back around the corner, and aimed back the way they had entered.
As she attempted to turn another corner, she was faced with more walkers, earning a slight scream from Carl, which Daryl had heard from the outside, immediately alerting him. Ellie yanked them both back around the previous corner, and thrust them through the first door she spotted, pushing her entire body against it as she attempted to catch her breath. It wasn't that Ellie was afraid to be leading Lori to her birth. No, it was much more complex than that. She was afraid of not being able to save her. Lori's previous concerned only seemed to swirl through her mind on a loop. Pressing like lava against her mind as it disintegrated all hope to pieces.
From above her, Lori had been whimpering softly to herself as Carl curled his arms around her shoulders. She eventually released a loud hiss of pain, causing Carl to shriek with fear at the notion that his mother was in agony. He scrambled over to Ellie and tugged at her arm, despite evidently observing Ellie's fatigue.
"Help her!" Carl screamed at the woman as his eyes pooled with tears at the sound of his mother in pain.
Ellie gulped as she stared down at the frantic boy through her glazed eyes, "I-I don't know what to do, Carl!"
"You've had a baby before," the young boy hissed, shaking his head as he blinked away his tears, "Help her!"
Lori's panting commenced as she felt her body moving deeper into the birthing process, leaving Ellie to stumble at how close she had been to giving birth. It terrified her to her core — she knew she could not physically get back to cellblock C without Lori giving birth first, meaning she had to be responsible for the birth of her baby. She was terrified. Not an emotion she had wanted to be acquainted with, but she unfortunately had been. Even when her chest felt as tight and rigid as a sharp seatbelt against crashing ribs, she had to make it. For Lori.
Lori clutched at her stomach as the pain increased tenfold, leaving Ellie to worriedly clutch the woman, holding her upright in her arms. She rubbed her back gently as she attempted to stabilise her own breathing, slowly relaxing herself under the defeating pressure. Ellie continued to rub circles on Lori's back as she gestured to Carl, calling him over. If she was going to the impossible, Carl was going to be her nurse. There was no other way.
"Hold her hand," Ellie asserted, before she bit her lip. She observed the situation, and finally uttered, "Your body knows what to do, it's built for this. We're women. We're meant to have babies."
Lori nodded through heavy pants, until she groaned in pain once again. She then glanced up at Ellie through strained eyes, "I've got to push."
It seemed like a bad decision. Ellie hesitated as she gawped at Lori, until she met her sincere gaze, and sighed. If Lori had been certain, then she had to trust her instinct. With all of the strength her body could muster, Lori clasped at the nearby chains and pushed with all the might she had. Ellie leaned down next to Lori, clutching her hands underneath in order to catch the baby as it slipped from the woman, only as Ellie felt a warm liquid trickle down her hands, she retrieved her hand. She shakily held it up to her face. Its crimson liquid glistened against the flickering light like a bad omen. Her hand had been drenched with blood, leaving a whimper to escape Ellie's lips.
"Lori, stop!" Ellie commanded, beginning to pant as anxiety built up heavily in her chest, "Something's not right..."
Lori's screams increased tenfold, bouncing hauntingly off the walls surrounding them. There was nothing she could have done to silence herself against a pain comparable to being torn to pieces. Ellie's shaking hand stretched outright as she attempted to lift Lori upright, but she simply shook her head as she continued to pant louder. Carl's pleading eyes connected with Ellie's as he begged her to rescue his mother, only Ellie truly had no idea how to fix the situation.
Ellie paced forward, a stone cold expression painted upon her face as she gently pulled Lori towards the floor, "Lie down."
"Mom. Mom! Look at me! Keep your eyes open!" Carl cried as she gripped his hand, her forehead was drowning in sweat as she battled against the birth.
"I'm not going to make it," she stated groggily, it was barely audible, leaving Ellie to ignore her comment.
"I-I don't know if you're fully dilated," Ellie whispered, shaking her head anxiously as she allowed tears to trail down her cheeks, "Lori, I can get us back."
"I know what this means," she announced, nodding as she breathed calmly, "You've got to cut me open."
Ellie immediately froze, her lips parting as a trembling breath escaped her lips. Her eyes lingered hauntingly over Lori's swollen stomach as she squeaked, "You can't be serious."
"You're going to have to, I won't let my baby die!" she hissed, her eyes welling with tears as she stared up at the blonde.
Ellie's bottom lip quivered involuntarily as she allowed more tears to trail down her cheeks, and finally whispered, "You'll die."
"Carl has a knife," Lori simply stated, ignoring Ellie's precious statement.
"Lori!" Ellie hissed, resulting in Lori bursting into defeated tears of misery, prompting Ellie to shakily announce, "You will die!"
"My baby has to survive," she breathed heavily, panting through the tears as the sincerity in her eyes met Ellie's, "Please — my baby."
Ellie remained silent for several contemplative moments, until she finally clenched her jaw, clasping her eyes shut. She simply nodded, although she was hesitant with her action. Shakily, she curled her fingers around Lori's hand, and squeezed it gently, allowing Lori to know she would do what she wished. Their previous conversation left goosebumps along Ellie's skin, almost as though Lori had entirely predicted her imminent demise. Lori gave Ellie's hand a gentle squeeze back, until she released her hand, and gestured for Carl to hand his knife over.
Carl reluctantly handed the knife to his mother, and observed as she lifted her shirt to reveal a large scar across her stomach, "See my old c-section scar?"
Ellie swallowed the lump in her throat deeply, and despondently whispered, "Please, don't make me do this."
"You can do this. You have to," Lori reminded the blonde, clenching her eyes shut as she released a long, deep exhale.
"I'm so sorry," Ellie whispered, clenching her eyes shut as she felt the handle of the blade enter her palm.
"Carl, I don't want you to be afraid, baby. I don't want to you to be scared. You take care of your daddy for me, alright? And your little brother or sister. And look after our Ellie. You take care of all of these people. That's all I need you to do. You are gonna beat this world. You are smart and you are strong. And you are so brave. I love you," she finished with a cry, holding onto Carl tightly as they both cried together. "El, I can't thank you enough for being here for me. You're stronger than you think. You take care of that little girl of yours, because one day, she may be gone. Don't let anything hurt her. You're such a beautiful girl. You'll beat this world together. If something feels easy, don't do it. I love you okay? Don't let this world spoil you."
Ellie let out a loud sob as she leaned down to embrace Lori, feeling her hand rubbing at her hair soothingly, "I don't want to say goodbye, Lori."
She breathed out through the pain and shot the blonde a small nod, "It's only a goodbye for now.
I'm only slipping into the next room, Ellie."
"Please, I can't do this without you," Ellie whispered, allowing hot tears to trail down her cheeks once again. Once Lori shook her head once again, Ellie tearfully uttered, "Please, tell my parents and my family that I love them, and that I am so... so sorry."
She closed her eyes and smiled, "I will." She then reopened her eyes, staring directly at Ellie intensely, "When I'm gone, it has to be you. It can't be Rick."
Ellie intensely shook her head once again, breathlessly retorting, "Please, don't make this harder for me."
"You have to do it, Ellie," Lori asserted, her hand giving Ellie's a squeeze of solace, though Ellie had felt far from consoled.
Ellie then shakily curled her fingers around the handle of the knife in her hand, and clenched her eyes shut, her strained throat squeaking out, "I will rue this day forever."
Lori breathed out, and closed her eyes once again, "Alright," she then breathed out once again, repeating, "alright." Ellie prayed she continued to speak for she feared of never hearing her voice ever again, "Goodnight, love," she whispered as Ellie readied herself by shakily placing the tip of the knife on her stomach.
"Lori," Ellie whispered for the final time, before whimpering, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me: your rod and staff, they comfort me."
Lori nodded peacefully through Ellie's scripture of comfort, until the very moment she had hesitantly shoved the knife through the her stomach; through the deep layers of skin beneath the surface, causing her to release a blood-curdling scream that caused both Ellie and Carl to cringe from heartache. Her screams slowly started to fill the empty void in Ellie's soul, reminding her that she was responsible for all the pain she had being inflicting upon the woman. Ellie sobbed loudly through the procedure, until finally Lori's body fell limp, causing Ellie to release a cry of disbelief. Once her hands felt around through the thick blood and felt a body, Ellie coldly turned to face Carl.
Emotionlessly, Ellie held her hand out to the young boy as she gritted, "Carl, give me your hand."
Ellie completely shut her brain down as she delved her hands back inside Lori, and felt for the baby's head. She gently tugged in a non-harmful method, and felt its body slowly sliding out. Once the baby was out, Ellie let out a pant of shock, holding the small frame in her hands as she passed it to Carl. He shakily held the baby in his palms, his eyes filling with hot tears as he glanced down at his deceased mother. The baby did not cry. Through the eerie silence of the boiler room, Ellie noticed how the baby remained silent, and barely wriggled upon leaving Lori's stomach. She clenched her jaw as she felt a lump quickly beginning to form in her throat, until she flipped the baby onto its front, and tapped gently on its back, gently enough not to harm the baby.
The baby quickly begun to splutter and cough, until eventually it transitioned into loud wails and sobs, leaving both Ellie and Carl to sigh in relief. Ellie let out a sob of happiness as she stared down at the beautiful baby, observing how she already resembled her beautiful mother; she had been blessed with the same adorable nose as her mother's.
Ellie grinned down at the baby through tears as she wiped the blood from its face, "Hi, baby..." she turned to face Carl, breathlessly announcing, "It's a girl."
She held out the baby to the young boy, and proceeded to tear off the lower half of her shirt, and wrapped the small child within it. Ellie then hesitantly took her clean knife, and snipped the umbilical cord from the baby, finally detaching her from Lori — forever. Ellie vowed from that second onward to forever honour Lori's memory with beautiful stories told to the bundle in her arms.
Ellie took one last glance at Lori on the ground, before she whispered to Carl, "We-we need to go."
"We can't just leave her here! She-she'll turn!" he cried, tears leaving his eyes as he stared at his mother.
Ellie clenched her jaw tightly as she proceeded to hand the baby to Carl, only for the boy to shake his head slowly, holding his own knife up. His eyes welled with tears as he connected his own with Ellie's, desperately proving his pain. Though Lori had requested Ellie to relieve her of the burden of walker-dom, it had been Carl whose desperation proved stronger.
"No," the young boy stated, allowing his tears to drop from his eyes, "I'll do it."
"Carl—"
"She's my mom. I have to," Carl asserted, painfully gripping onto Ellie's arm to prove his sincerity.
Ellie simply nodded, gulping as she turned in the other direction towards the door, in order to leave the room. She instantly halted at the door, and jumped slightly as the bullet echoed loudly through the boiler room. Ellie gulped as she felt the young boy shove past her shoulder, and emotionlessly left the boiler room. It hadn't been unforeseeable, for Carl's life-giver had simply given her life to someone else. How could it be?
Without mentioning a single word, Carl led the two back in the direction they had entered the cellblock, walking ahead of Ellie in a cripplingly emotionless stride. He ignored Ellie as she attempted to hold the doors open for herself while balancing the sobbing baby, leaving Ellie to fend for herself and the small infant, without a single weapon. Carl finally stormed out of the door, where Rick's voice could be heard booming through the courtyard. His voice silenced as he spotted his son leaving the tombs, his worst thoughts immediately swimming through his mind.
The baby's cry echoed loudly in the tombs, immediately alerting Daryl and Rick as they stared blankly ahead at the door, their eyes widened as they awaited the noise. Ellie rocked the baby back and forth gently as she whispered soothing words to her, but she remained loudly sobbing. Suddenly, the baby cried out in an even louder sob, her cries echoing deafeningly through the hallways as Ellie suddenly stepped outside, meeting the group in the courtyard.
Rick's wide eyes landed upon Ellie, filling with tears as he spotted her, holding his baby in her arms. He dropped his axe on the ground in disbelief, and paced towards the blonde, and immediately cupped her face in his hand. The two exchanged a teary grin as they both glanced down at the baby together, until Rick gulped, stumbling backwards slightly.
"W-where is she?" Rick tearfully inquired, his voice cracking as he spoke in Lori's evident absence.
Ellie remained silent as she glanced at the ground, and rapidly caught Rick's arm as he attempted to brush past her, causing him to gaze intensely at her. She remained silent briefly, before she managed to choke out, "You don't want to go in there..."
Ellie's words pierced his heart like a blade, his eyes suddenly unable to leave her and the bundle in her arms as he breathed out. With a quick shake of his head, Rick paced towards Carl, who stood emotionlessly staring into the distance; the only thing he could feel was the bottomless void left in the place of his heart. He had lost his mother, and had ended her life with his own two hands. To Carl, there had been no other solution to her situation, and when the bullet pierced her skin, it took a chunk of his heart with it. Rick leaned down and leaned his hands against his knees as the breath knocked from his lungs, facing his son with fear in his eyes. It all clicked into place, finally. Rick knew Lori didn't survive the birth of their baby, and it left him sick to his stomach.
"No, no, no, no!" he repeated, crouching down to Carl who was crying once again; the two of them proceeded to sob loudly together.
As a Rick fell to the ground in a pitiful fit of despair, Daryl immediately lunged over towards Ellie, and allowed her to fall into his strong arms. He cupped her face in his hands as she sobbed into his palm, planting gentle kisses onto his skin. She clenched her eyes shut, burying her face deep into the warmth of Daryl's chest, just as the baby's cries rung louder, and louder, and louder.
Until Ellie's mind snapped, and she entered the darkness she had fought so valiantly to escape.