Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

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It was hot – hotter than what it was in Georgia, something I didn't think was possible. We were about a hundred miles from DC, but our resources were non-existent, and our moods were dejected. No matter how dejected the group felt, it was nothing compared to how Sasha and Maggie felt. It's been four weeks since we lost Beth and two weeks since we lost Tyreese. To say that I was worried about Maggie and Sasha's mental well-being was an understatement. They've both been depressed, which is understandable, but Sasha's worrying me the most. She's been withdrawn and angry – a combination that seems to be getting on everyone's nerves. I understand why she's acting the way she is; she lost her lover and brother all within a month, but it's unpleasant to be around her with her temper the way it's been.

I walked alongside Noah, the silence deafening as we slowly returned to the group with Gabriel trailing behind us. We agreed to disband into groups of three and search for supplies, but it was a massive pile of nothing, at least for our small group.

"Do you think the others were able to find anything?" Gabriel's hopeful voice asked. As much as I would like to believe they did, something tells me they were just as unsuccessful as we were, "We've been gone for a day and a half—they had to have, right?" Has it really been a day and a half? All I know is that we had to spend the night by a dried-up creek, driving us crazy. We're riddled with thirst, but Mother Nature torments us.

"I hope so," Noah sighed, his dirty hand rubbing his exhausted face, "I really, really hope so," I hummed in response, but I wasn't optimistic. Finally, we exited the woods, our eyes landing on the large white van that had been our home for the past two days. The whole group sat by the van, their exhausted faces turning towards the three of us as we stumbled towards them. I knew it. Everyone came up empty. Rick sighed and rubbed his face, tiredly rising to his feet and walking over to me. I couldn't spare a smile; there was nothing to smile about, and I leaned into him. Rick wrapped his arm around me and held me as I melted into him.

~*~

The van was hot and stuffy, and the air was extremely uncomfortable as we all crammed into the vehicle. Rick, Abraham, Rosita, and Selena – with Judith napping in her arms – squeezed into the front seat while the rest of us uncomfortably sat on one another in the back. I sucked in a deep breath, nearly inhaling strands of Carl's hair. Absentmindedly, I played with the hair on the back of his head as he continued to sit on my lap, heavily leaning against me, his head lolling to the side. Suddenly, the van kicked and sputtered, the engine rattled, and we came to a still. Abraham looked towards the back seat, his brow furrowed and his lips tugging downwards.

"That's all she wrote," Abraham muttered, his hand prying the door open. I pursed my lips and lightly shook Carl, trying to wake him. Instead, Carl moaned and stirred against me, his hat hitting my forehead. I shook him again and pressed his side, containing my smile as he jerked awake.

"We're walking, sleeping beauty," I murmured to him, amused at how he rolled his eyes at me. I waited until everyone climbed out of the car before exiting, groaning as the sun beat down on me. Daryl studied the map, his pale blue eyes scrutinizing the paper.

"We're somewhere near Doswell, Virginia," Daryl grumbled, his hand rubbing his tired eyes, "Near eighty miles away from DC," I bit my lip and looked at Rick, our tired eyes connecting for a moment. Unfortunately, it's not like we have any other choice...

"We walk," I mumbled, leading the group down the winding road ahead.

~*~

We were silent as we walked. I went from leading the group to walking in the back with Sasha and Michonne. Rick walked ahead, Judith in his arms. Daryl and Carol were off in the woods, but Daryl was adamant that he wanted to be alone—not like Carol would listen. Carl walked alongside Maggie, lowly talking to her and handing her the music box he had found hours before when he and Noah went on a small expedition to find water, an expedition that ended in another failure.