Shambles- The Walking Dead [Alden x Maggie] [1/2]

32- Don't be a hero

Rose settled on the couch on the overpass upstairs. Maggie had asked her to look after Hershel and Hope, so she did. Maggie had enough to worry about. Hope and Hershel were both scared, although Hershel would barely let it on. They didn't fully understand what was going on. No one really told either of them what was going on because it wasn't something you could tell someone so young. All they knew was that Alden was gone, Maggie was acting off, their uncle was hurt and everyone seemed scared.

It had taken her a lot of time to get them to sleep. She knew they probably wouldn't sleep through the night which is why she stayed close and slept on the couch tonight.

A small hand tugging on her sleeve is what woke her up in the middle of the night.

"Rose." Hershel whispered softly. "Hope had a nightmare. She's scared."

"Yeah, coming." She replied hastily as she stood up. "I'll get your mom."

"No." He shook his head. "She's sleeping too; I checked. And she said that uncle Aaron and uncle Jesus needed her last night."

"It's okay if you need her, or if Hope does. That's why she's your mom, you know, to take care of you guys."

"No." He repeated more sternly. He was stubborn, always had been. Once he put his mind up to it he did it. But he was kind and caring above all. His stubbornness usually tied into it, like it did now. "And Alden isn't my dad and he does take care of me like mom does." He added as an extra bit of defiance against her words.

When talking to him you could easily forget how young he actually was. Sometimes it was as if he forgot himself. Rose grabbed his shoulder and spun him around gently.

"About that..." She began, using his defiance as an opportunity instead. "I still need Alden sometimes when I get scared. I still get scared. I'm scared now." She told him, only speaking the truth.

Hope came dashing out of the room upon hearing Rose's voice and launched herself into her arms. She sobbed quietly. She was trying to stay strong like her brother, but she was younger and more scared of what laid outside the walls.

"I'm scared." She whispered with a small voice. She hid her head in the crook of Rose's neck when she was lifted up into her arms, even if she was a little big for it now.

"You want mom?" Rose asked as she rubbed her back in smoothing circles. "Only takes a second."

Hope swallowed in a sob. "No." Her brother's stubbornness was rubbing off on her.

"Alden's your brother. And you're our sister, that's the same." Hershel said promptly.

"Okay." Rose sighed. This seven year old would only outsmart her again if she tried to convince them to find their mom again. "I think I have a plan."

She took both of them to Maggie's and Alden's room. She pulled the covers on the bed back.

"Come on, get in." She told Hershel as she set Hope down on the bed. She tucked them in and dimmed the light. She was afraid they'd be scared in the dark tonight. And then she climbed in herself, next to Hope. She waited until they had dozed off before she even tried to sleep herself.

The next morning Aaron and Maggie were up early. It didn't take long before Maggie got up to get on with her day, leaving Aaron alone with Jesus again. He didn't mind watching over him on his own. He wasn't truly alone because Enid and Siddiq would come by every hour or so to check up on Jesus, whilst Sasha and Tara would step by every couple of hours or so to check up on Aaron. They wanted to make sure he wouldn't run himself down to the bone, not that they could stop him if he did.

Maggie pushed the door to her childrens room open, only to find both beds empty and unmade. Hope's pink princess covers laid halfway on the ground. But she figured where Rose would've taken them and went to her own room, carefully opening the door. And indeed she was right and the three of them were still fast asleep in bed. She leaned against the doorway and sighed, crossing her arms.