damnation → the walking dead ⁴

[ 032 ] the lost.

— CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO.
the lost.

WHEN THEY REACHED THE Hilltop, Maggie and several others greeted them at the front gates. Hope in her eyes and her heart. But when Daryl Dixon shook his head and said one words, all hope was drowned out.

"Carl," he had said.

Tears burned in Carol's eyes at the news. Her late friend's son is dead. Daryl had wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leading her away from then others. Judith rested in his arms.

Enid collapsed at the news. Her boyfriend... dead. First her parents, then Ron, then Glenn, and now Carl. Did everyone she love die? Was she cursed? She pressed her hands to her mouth to muffle her sobs but it didn't help much.

Maggie gasped at the news, heartache growing in her chest. She then kneeled beside Enid, taking the younger girl in her arms as the Alexandrians just walked past them.

Cori stared at the group of people from Alexandria, hoping that Daryl was lying and Carl would appear within the crowd with a mischievous smile on his face and call out, "gotcha!"

But he never did.

So she kneeled beside Maggie and Enid, wrapping her arms around both of them. Tears blurred behind her eyes but she fought them back for the sake of her people.

Then the three women felt the small arms of Flynn Ackler go around them. Flynn understood death very well for a child. He watched as his brother was murdered. His lost his father at a very young age. So yes, he knew Death well. But no, Death had never been his friend.

Theo brushed past everyone. He ignored all of the pity-filled stares and muttered, "I'm sorry for your loss" comments. They didn't understand. They could never understand.

He lost Penny because she wanted to go outside the walls and play. She was bit in the neck. And then he lost Carl in the same way. He wanted to go outside the walls and help someone. So Theo went with him. They approached a group of walkers, it was only a small group. They never could have anticipated what happened.

And the other child, just stood in place. Completely helpless, completely alone. She'd never seen some of these people before. She wanted her dad. She wanted Odessa.

And so they waiting game began.

When would the Grimes family arrive?

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Odessa reaches the Hilltop before Michonne and her father. When the gates roll open, everyone is waiting for her. Eyes trail after her as she walks past everyone. She ignores all the pity-filled stares.

She reaches the person she's searching for in no time.

Daryl looks down at her. "They're inside," he tells her. He leads her inside Barrington House, to Judith and Brielle.

When she sees the two young girls, relief fills her veins. She kneels on the ground. Judith grins happily at the sight of her older sister. She gets to her two shaking legs and slowly wobbles towards her sister. Odessa can't wait. She reaches out and grabs her baby sister.

She doesn't care about the blood. She just cradles Judith to her tightly. She presses her cheek against the top of Judith's head. The toddler seems to understands. She lets her big sister hold her.

When the first tear falls, it hits the top of Judith's head. The little girl flinches at it. She pulls away from Odessa and looks at her. The older girl stares back with tears in her blue eyes. Judith reaches up and takes Odessa's ashen face between her hands.