Memory of Devotion- Book 2

12

CHAPTER TWELVE || THE GROVE

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Alex, Josh and Sam had kept walking, Writing messages telling Glenn to Head to Terminus on every wall, every sign they'd passed, yet they still hadn't reached it and another night had passed, Alex's hope wearing thin. again, not a sign anyone else was alive, no indicators anyone had survived the prison, and that filled with the worst type of dread you could ever imagine. the type of dread that fuels your weaknesses, and eats away at your heart.

Coming to a tunnel Alex stopped, Writing another message on the wall with the remaining soup left in the can, they couldn't be that far now... maybe a two days walk from Terminus, but a lot can happen in two days. Sam stopped shining his flashlight in the tunnel. The growling of walkers echoing through the tunnel filled their ears, it wasn't safe.

"might add a few extra hours. but I'm saying we go up and around. we don't know what's in there and we got a kid with us" Sam suggested, his eyes flickering between Alex and Josh knowing the odds would be against them going through what seemed to be a long dark tunnel and the dangers that came with it. Alex looked between both Sam and Josh. Her eyes lingered on the young boy as she thought of Carl, She'd want someone to keep him safe.

"yeah alright." Alex agreed, Nodding as she hoped she was getting closer to finding the people she loved, Securing her pack on her back She followed Sam and Josh treacherously climbing the slope by the tunnel, to make their way around.

"This is basically Mount Everest" Josh huffed Climbing in front of Alex, His comment causing a smile to tug at Alex's Lips, distracting her from the aching pain deep within her spine as they carefully climbed.

the dreaded silence returned as they reached the top and began walking, that's all that she felt like they were doing. and it was nothing to help Glenn, nothing to help her family. She felt like they were aimlessly just walking. the survivor's guilt she experienced in the army slowly crept its way back as silence consumed them. 

They kept walking, time passed, yet to Alex it didn't, her concept of time had completely disappeared just in the way it had when she was alone for all those weeks. her hope was gone, her faith was gone. maybe Glenn and her family really were gone too, and there was nothing she could do. maybe she was consumed by denial or false hope, but false hope was better than no hope at all surely...

the silence was deafening, not a sound apart from their boot-clad feet crunching against leaves as they walked, not a walkers growl, not a voice in the distance. yet both adult's minds were consumed by the voices that plagued their thoughts, for Alex, she could hear Eli and for Sam, he could hear his sister. the silence was once again disrupted by none other than Josh's sarcastic voice.

"do you two talk or is this like one of those movies where the two people stuck together hate each other?"Josh looked between the two adults as Sam snickered at the boy's comment, Alex turning her head sending Sam a look of disapproval.

"no, he's just pissed me the fuck off" Alex shrugged bluntly as she kept walking not paying much attention to Josh's words. he nodded as his glance shifted to Sam, who ran a hand over his face. Sam didn't mean what he said, not like that. the words had just slipped from his mouth before he had the chance to think them over. 

"I don't know about you Sam, but I say you should kiss and make-up or whatever" Josh huffed his hands gripping the straps of his backpack, his comfort levels around the two adults already seeming to have improved, and it didn't go unnoticed to Alex, he trusted people too quickly... that could get him killed. yet that's exactly what she thought about Glenn's kindness when they'd first met.