Changing To Adapt ➵ TWD

➵ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜɪʀᴛʏ ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴ

"-and um, I think Glenn went with Maggie, T-Dog with Andrea. I saw Lori leave with Carol, Patricia, and Beth. Daryl took off into the fray with nothing but his motorbike and good wishes. There were too many walkers to see where the cars went - Jesus, d'ya think they're going to the highway too? What if they don't and it's the last time we ever see them-?" 

"Lucas."

Rick's voice demands his attention.

"Calm down."

Picking at his stretched collar, Lucas meets Carl's eyes in the rearview mirror. Notices how worried the kid looks with every passing word.

"Sorry." He says, sending a close-lipped smile at him.

Hershel on the other hand, won't meet Lucas's eyes at all.

"They'll know to meet on the highway, just like when we were looking for Sophia, alright?" Rick reaches back to pat Carl on the shoulder. "Mum will be there."

Lori is not there.

None of them are, not yet.

"I'm gonna go look."

"Stay close," Rick demands, tilting his head. "Three minutes most."

Lucas leaves the others behind in the dust to scour the highway, running past cars, head whipping back and forth to search the roads.

Arms swinging by his sides, he stops a good distance away, out of breath.

They were the only ones here.

With the certainty of the situation and dried blood still coating his everything, he drops his hands on his knees and bends over, making an effort not to dry heave over the gravel.

When Lucas gets a hold of himself and finally heads back to the car, sneaking around a singular walker, he interrupts what looks to be a heavy conversation between dad and son.

Rick pulls back from Carl to jab a finger at him, brows heavily pinched together, "I told you to stay close, you were out longer than five."

"Sorry."

"Look," Rick leans down again, latching onto his son's arms, "Carl, it's not safe here. I'm sorry. . ."

When Carl's face twists into upset and a sprinkle of denial, there's an engine's roar in the distance, taking Rick's words back in an instant.

Followed quickly by two more motors, quieter ones. Lucas darts past Rick and spots them coming down the road.

Two cars, one motorbike. 

He sends an unstoppable grin towards Rick and Hershel, almost collapsing out of relief when the vehicles park.

Maggie's out first, along with Beth, racing for the comfort of their father. He doesn't see Patricia.

Rick slaps his hand against Daryl's in a handshake.

Lori sees her husband and son, "Oh my god!" And abandons the open door in her haste to greet them.

Lucas breezes past the hugging family, eyes squinted in unbridled joy when he holds a hand out for Glenn.

His face smoothes from shock into happiness and Glenn yanks Lucas into a swinging hug, laughing softly when the blond shoves the hat he was twisting in his hands back onto his blood-matted hair.

Weeks had passed since the first day on the farm. Where Lucas was too afraid to greet anyone like friends would.

He's glad to see things have changed.