𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻

𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐺𝑅𝑂𝑉𝐸

        THE GROUP FOUND SHELTER UNDER A BRIDGE, CAROL WAS ASSIGNED FIRST WATCH.

"Daryl taught you a lot?" Carol asks Mel who sets the trap for walkers around them. "I seen you shoot."

"Yeah, and the Girl Scouts did too." Mel says. "He's taught me how to hunt, I can somewhat track." She smiles.

"Good." Carol says.

"It's good you came back." Mel says. "Mica needs you." Carol nods and Mel chooses where to sleep at, and she covers herself with the shawl. Mica joins her side asking her for some, and she gives it to the younger girl, who lays next to her and covers Mel. It makes her smile, It's something Frank would do.

THE NEXT MORNING IN THE FORREST, ON THE TRAIN TRACKS, LIZZIE AND CAROL LOOK for tree sap to treat Tyreese's injury.

Lizzie says, "Found some."

Carol says, "There you go. Good job." Carol tend to Tyreese's arm and on the tracks, Mica holds Judith, swaying her back and fourth. Lizzie and Mel keep watch for any walker.

Tyreese says, "Ow."

Carol asks, "It hurts, right?"

Tyreese admits, "Oh, yeah. It hurts."

"This will fight the infection. Might even bring down your fever." Carol wraps his hand.

Tyreese asks, "What do you think? Three days out? Four days?"

Carol says, "We haven't seen any of those maps at the crossings. I'm not sure."

Tyreese says, "Lizzie's tough. Mel can holds her own, she knows how to hunt."

Carol says, "When it comes to people."

"What do you mean?" Tyreese asks.

"You haven't seen it? How she's confused about them, the walkers. She doesn't see what they are. She thinks they're just different." Carol informs them as they see the girls.

Tyreese asks, "Mica the same way?"

"No, she's worse. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body. Mel's like her mother, she might actually make it in this world." Carol says. The girl from the Atalanta camp changed, grew up. Part of her thinks it's because she grew up being comfortable with weapons, from what Anastasia and the kids talked about. Anastasia's husband had guns in their home, and made sure Anastasia and the two oldest knew how to use them.

THE GROUP WALKS ON THE TRAIN TRACKS, CAROL IS CARRYING JUDITH, LEADING them, the three girls between them and Tyreese in the back.

"Did "Tom Sawyer" have a happy ending? We never got to finish it." Mica asks.

Carol explains, "Well, Tom and Huck, they stop Injun Joe and his partner and wind up getting all his gold."

Mica asks, "So they wind up rich?"

Carol nods, "Mm-hmm. And the Widow Douglas adopts Huck."

Mica asks her, "Like you adopted us?"

Carol nods, "Yeah, just like the Widow Douglas."

Mica says, "And I'm Huck Finn."

Lizzie comments, "I think you're more like Tom Sawyer."

Mica says, "Yeah, you're right. You're way more like Huck Finn. You're not even grossed out by dead rabbits."

Tyreese says, "Forgot you used to read to them."

Carol says, "I did."

"Nice hat." Tyreese says.

"Thanks it was my dads." Mel smiles.

        ON THE TRAIN TRACKS, THE GROUP WALKS ALL TOGETHER. "YOU SMELL THAT?" Carol asks.

Tyreese says, "Yeah. There's a fire somewhere."

Carol says, "Must be a big one. It isn't anywhere around here. We should stop here. We need to look for water."

Tyreese says, "I can do it."

"No, you need to rest. Rest your arm. Mica will help me." Carol says.

TYREESE, MEL, AND LIZZIE SIT ON THE ROCKS, WHILE THEY WAIT FOR MICA AND CAROL to come back with water. That play a game to entertain Lizzie.

Lizzie says with her eyes closed, "I spy trees and weeds. Your turn."

Tyreese sees walkers and hands Judith off to Mel, "Here. You stay here" Tyreese walks off and Lizzie and Mel go to check on him, the walker snarling is on the track, stuck.

Lizzie says, "Tyreese. Sometimes we have to kill them. I know that. But sometimes we don't."

Judith cries as the walker growls.

"It's better to put them out of their misery." Mel tells her, before walking away with Judith.

THE GROUP WALKS TO THE CABIN, MICA AND CAROL FOUND WHILE GOING TO GET WATER.

Mica asks seeing nuts on the floor "What are these?"

Carol says, "Pecans."

Mica says picking some up, "Oh, I love pecans."

Carol says, "You know, maybe we could catch our breath here for a while."

Lizzie asks asking the question that's lingering on Mel's mind, "We're still going to Terminus, right?"

Carol says, "We'll just stay a day or two. There's a well full of water. Fences. They're not big, but they're something. And we saw deer. They eat pecans. We should be able to kill one to eat."

Mica asks, "We can eat these, too, right?"

Tyreese says making the young girl smile, "You can eat your fill and then some."

Lizzie says seeing the black smoak, "Look."

Carol says, "Bet that's what we were smelling. Looks far enough away."

Mica says, "I wonder how it started."

Tyreese says going on, "Maybe lightning. Maybe a campfire. I can patch that fence. It's probably where the deer are coming from. We should leave it. Just play it really safe in here."

      OUTSIDE THE CABIN, TYREESE AND CAROL ARE GOING TO CLEAR THE HOUSE, THEY knock, and wait for a walker to come out. Lizzie and Mica sit outside on small metal bench, Lizzie bled Judith,  Mel stood up ready to shoot any or anything that could cause them harm.

Carol says, "If there's one in there, it's not moving much. Let's just stay close, go slow room to room. Girls, you sit tight. You don't come in until we come out no matter what you hear."

Mica and Lizzie say, "Okay." Mel nods.

Carol tells them, "Lizzie's got Judith. Mica, get out your gun. Mel you got your bow. You're gonna need to stand watch."

Tyreese tells Mica, "Stand strong, little lady." They got inside, Mel notices how Tyreese speaks to Mica and she's misses that, how her dad used to talk to her. Whenever she got a talk from her mom, which usually meant a certain behavior so did her dad for encouraging it, like picking on Frank for being the baby.

"They're gonna be okay." Mica says.

Lizzie says looking at a grave, "It's not that." Mel
Follows her gaze and sees a baby shoes, Mel closes her eyes sighting.

Mica asks, "Is it that there was a baby?"

Lizzie says, "No. They're gonna find one in there and they're going--"

Mica yells at her, "Stop it. They aren't people."

Lizzie says, "But you're wrong. All of you." Mel looks at her concerned, this girl was going to get someone killed.

Mica says, "They aren't people, Lizzie. They're just dead." A snarling walkers comes out and falls over the porch railing, the girls gasp and Lizzie falls over
with Judith, Mica yells, and Mel shoots it as Mica shoots at it. "Stop! Stop! Stop!" Judith is crying from everything. 

"Are you okay?" Carol asks, Mel takes Judith from Lizzie's arms, and soothe the baby. Lizzie is hyperventilating, "All right, come on. Come on." Carol days.

Mel walks with Judith back and forth trying to comfort her.

"Mica. Mica, lower the gun. You did it. You saved them." Carol tells her, and Mica lowers her gun, Carol looks at Lizzie, "Why are you upset, Lizzie? Were you scared?"

Lizzie says, "No."

Carol asks, "Then why are you crying?"

Lizzie says getting up, "I don't want to say."

Judith's crying continues.

Tyreese says, "Shh. Come on." He takes her from Mel, and he seems to have better luck at soothing her.

Mica says, "Lizzie. I'm sorry I yelled at you. Just look at the flowers like you're supposed to. Count one, two, three. Come on, let's count together. Look at the pink ones over there. You see?" Lizzie looks at the flowers.
They both count, "One, two, three." Mel looks at them concern, getting a gut feeling something was going to happen. Her dad always told her to listen to your gut, that your subconscious picked up things that you didn't.

INSIDE THE CABIN, CAROL AND LIZZIE ARE CRACKING PECANS, AND MICA COMES RUNNING in with a red head doll, "Look what I found. I'm gonna name her Griselda Gunderson."

"She has red hair like Mel." Carol says seeing the older girl walking in.

"She does!" Mica smiles at Mel, and Mel smiles back at her.

Tyreese says, "Well, we got plenty of water. Now all we got to do is bag one of them deer and we're all set."

Carol says, "Then we'll get one."

"I can help." Mel says playing with the new knife she found, it was a switchblade and it was pretty.

Tyreese says looking around the living room, "Yeah."

Mica asks, "What's wrong?"

Tyreese says, "I'm not used to this."

"Used to what?" Mel asks confused.

Tyreese says, "We're in a living room in a house."

Mica tells him, "Yeah, so relax." Tyreese sits in a chair, Mica looks at Tyreese, "We should live here." This comments makes Mel uneasy, she doesn't want to live here.

Mel finds and old board game, Candy Land, "let's play!" Mel says excitingly.

"Okay!" Mica says smiling. The pecans crack as Mel and Mica set up the game for them to play.

IN THE KITCHEN, MEL SEES CAROL ON THE FLOOR, A WALKER DEAD BETWEEN THE two, Lizzie towering over her yell, "What if I killed you?! What if I killed you?!" Mel sees this through the window.

Carol says, "Lizzie."

Lizzie says, "You don't understand. You don't understand."

Carol repeats again, "Lizzie."

"You don't understand. You don't understand. You don't understand!" Lizzie says.

"Lizzie. Lizzie." Carol says.

Lizzie gasps, "You didn't have to. You didn't have to. She didn't want to hurt any..." kettle whistling, Tyreese looks through the window, "She didn't want to hurt anybody! She was my friend and you killed her! You killed her! You killed her! She was my friend." Lizzie cries, and Carol looks at her concerned.

"She's..." Mel can't find the right words to this entire situation except for fucked in the head.

LATER ON IN THE DAY, MEL TAKES CARE OF JUDITH, WHO IS SOUND ASLEEP, WHEN SHE hears the girls calling for help. Mel grabs her weapons and runs out making sure the door is closed.

Mica says, "Lizzie! Lizzie!"'

Lizzie says, "Mica! Mica!"

Mica is on the ground screaming as walker gets a hold of her shoe, "Lizzie! Let me go! Help me!" The gunshots are fired at the walker, Mica screams as Lizzie helps her away from the walker "Help!"

Mel shoots her arrows at them, testing the new ones she made.

Carol says, "Get behind us!" They shoot at the walkers and Lizzie does too. Once it's all done, Carol says, "It's okay." She Hugs Lizzie, "You did it." Mel collects her arrows.

MEL WALKS BACK WITH A FEW RABITS FOR THEM TO EAT. SHE SEES CAROL, TYREESE and Lizzie standing over Mica and Judith on a blanket,

"Don't worry. She'll come back. I didn't hurt her brain." Carol reaches for the knife, Lizzie pulls out her gun and points at Carol "No, no, no! We have to wait. I need to show you. You'll see. You'll finally get it. We have to wait." Mel looks mortified at the sight, Mica is dead.

Tyreese tells her, "Lizzie, put the gun down"

"I just want us to wait." Lizzie says looking at them.

"We can wait. We can wait. You just give me the gun." Carol extends hand, "We can wait, I swear. You and Tyreese should take Judith back. It's not safe for her."

"But Judith can change, too. I was just about to--"

"No!" Mel says quickly making herself know to everyone, Tyreese and Carol look at her.

"She can't even walk yet." Carol tells Lizzie.

"Yeah, you're right." Lizzie says.

"So you three take Judith back to the house and we'll have lunch. And I'll just tie Mica up. You know, just so she won't go anywhere." Carol says.

"Promise that's what you'll do?" Lizzie asks.

"Mm-hmm. I promise. I'll use her shoelaces." Carol says, Tyreese and Carol share a look, and Tyreese picks up Judith. Judith begins crying.

Tyreese says, "Let's-- let's go, Lizzie." Mel follows them inside.

INSIDE THE KITCHEN, CAROL AND MEL SIT AT THE TABLE, TYREESE WALKS IN. HE SPEAKS up saying, "I brought her some food. Cleared out her room. Made sure she didn't have any knives, anything like that. She has a shoe box full of mice. I asked her if she was the one feeding the walkers at the prison. That was her. And at the tombs, we found this rabbit pulled apart and nailed to a board. That was her, too. Said she was just having fun. I was thinking, maybe she killed Karen and David. But I don't know how she could drag them away."

"She would have let them turn. It wasn't her." Carol says.

Tyreese asks, "So what do we do?"

Carol suggests, "I could leave with her."

Tyreese and Mel ask at the same time, "What?" Mel's voice held disbelief.

Carol says, "We can't sleep with her and Judith under the same roof."

Tyreese says, "You wouldn't make it. Not on your own." Mel looks at her.

Carol says, "She can't be around other people." Carol looks at the red head, "You need to find your family."'

Tyreese says, "Maybe we could try to help her. Talk her back somehow."

Carol says "This is how she is. It was already there. I didn't see it."

Tyreese asks, "How could you?"'

Carol says, "I should have seen it."

"She used to name walkers at the prisons like they were pets." Mel tells him.

Tyreese says, "So maybe we go. Me, Mel, and Judith."

Carol says, "You won't make it either. Judith needs shelter. She can't be around other people."

        THE NEXT MORNING, CAROL, TYREESE AND MEL LEAVE WITH JUDITH. THEY MAKE THEIR way back to the tracks. They walk on the train tracks to Terminus. The three don't saying anything about what happened in that cabin. They all wanted to forget, Mel had taken the doll, that Mica likes so much, she probably shouldn't have, but Mica grew on her. Maybe she'd find Griselda Gunderson a home one day, maybe she'll find a home one day.

_________

Words 2418
I hope you enjoy like the chapter, Mel really out here showing everything Daryl taught her. Don't forget to vote, comment and share. Check out my other stories and my tumblr account @ Wincherthottie who has exclusive stories to only that blog. I have new fics in posted on tumblr, that is 911, SWAT and Mayans related. So if you're into that check out my account. Wear a mask, get vaccinated! Stay safe! I think I might update my sebastian stan daughter one on tumblr! So check it out! Check out my other stories too!
Updated November 15, 2021