[ 010 ] sad birds still sing.

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FOUND LANDS.

chapter ten, sad birds still sing.
[ season five, episode ten ]





THREE WEEKS PASS SINCE Beth and Atlanta and Tyreese. They travel on foot, they jump from vehicle to vehicle. They live off of water they barely have and little bits of food here and there. Odessa isn't sure the last time she ate, maybe a week and a half? She isn't sure. The creeks are dried up, there's no animals.

It's hard to live.

Odessa only lives for her siblings now. Beth is dead. The love of her life is dead. Tyreese died only a few days after Beth.

It's been hard for everyone.

But whenever someone looked at Sasha, Maggie, Daryl, or Odessa all they saw was sorrow, agony. And when you looked hard into Cole's eyes you could see he was barely keeping it together.

They're heading for Washington again. Not to cure everything, but because Eugene is a smart man and he did the math. Washington is the best place for safety and stability. They hope they can gather themselves and maybe even find a place.

Theo suggests the White House.

They're sixty miles out.

Odessa knows Beth would have wanted her to keep fighting but she's not sure she can. Her body is tired, her mind is tired.

Odessa's okay with physical contact with the men of the ground now. She's still wary of the four she hasn't known long. Abraham, Eugene, Noah, and Gabriel.

As they walk along the road, a small herd gathers behind them. Theo walks beside Cole, both men are exhausted.

"Theo?" Cole says suddenly. Theo glances over at him. "Are you okay?"

It's the first time someone has asked Theo that question since Tyreese's death. No one took it into consideration that Theo had lost one of his best friends and then watched as another friend had his arm chopped off and then died right beside him.

Theo only shrugs.

Cole nods because he knows Theo isn't okay. None of them are. It's the worst it's ever been since Cole has been with the group. But at least they are all together instead of separated like they were after the prison.

That's the one thing they are all grateful for. Each other.

Odessa looks at her father and say, "I'm gonna go look for water." She informs him.

"No," Rick shakes his head.

"Yes, Dad. I'm not a little kid and I'm not helpless." Odessa rolls her eyes.

Rick sighs. "Theo, go with her."

Theo nods but when Odessa shoves him back. "I don't need a babysitter, Dad. I will be okay." She hisses. With that, she storms into the woods.

She looks high and low for something of use. A creek that isn't dried up, a squirrel, anything.

But what she does find is a walker. A tree had fallen on it. It's trapped under it, it can move. All it does is reach out for her with its rotting arms and snap at her with its teeth.

Odessa kneels in front of it. She contemplates what she's about to do. Beth would be so angry at her for this. She would tell her not to give up and that her life is precious. Odessa doesn't care what Beth would say because she's gone and she's never coming back.

Odessa looks at her right arm where her old walker bite is. It's scarred but not faded quite yet. Her blood is still exactly how it was at the prison. Dark red with black splotches.

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