THICK SKULL , twd [ 1 ]

30. go drink your tea, koa

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YELLOW CONVERSE STAND AT the edge of a grave. Sadie's hands fiddle with each other, sliding Uncle Shane's hoodie down her arms as she sits at the end of it.

        "I told myself I'd make it twice a week. I'm sorry. I've lost count of the days, Aunt Lori," Sadie gently says, running her finger along the dirt hiding the decaying corpse. Six feet below her lays the bright light that was Lori Grimes. Sadie wonders if she'll always feel this guilt for Lori's death.

Her uncle caused it. Her uncle caused her light to dim until she ended up with a flimsy cross being the only thing marking her.

        And Judith? Judith is a light, just like Lori.

A bright light that fills the prison with giggles, unaware of the death that surrounds her. "I don't know how you knew I was alive. Motherly instinct? Maybe," Sadie says, tucking her knees to her chest, "Koa is sick. Beth saw her, said she isn't—well," Her voice cracks, "I'm scared." Brown eyes rest on the sky above her and then they fall to the ground.

            "They'll come back with the medicine. Rick and Carol will find supplies. Koa will be okay. So will Glenn and Sasha. Nellie will make it back. Everyone will," Sadie touches the corner of the cross, sliding her finger across the name carved into it.

Lori Grimes.

                   Tears make the light dirt darker along the grave. Low snarls from the forest cause an annoyed groan to slip passed Sadie's slips. "I'm tired of those things," Sadie laughs solemnly, "I'm sorry I didn't see you before we lost you. I'm sorry we lost you." Sadie clears her throat, picking out a random daffodil from the grass and placing it at the edge of the cross.

         Her tear brimmed eyes scan the area, seeing Maggie killing a group of walkers through the fence. She's aggressive with her motions, clearly frustrated. Sadie glances back down at the grave, pressing a kiss against the pad of her pointer and ring finger before touching the grass rooted to Lori's decomposing body.

         The two girls catch eye contact but Maggie continues to aggressively kill some walkers. "How's everyone doin'?" Sadie asks, hands behind her back as she watches walkers thud to the ground. Maggie clears her throat, "Glenn needed some rest. Koa was sleepin' the last time one of 'em saw her. The medicine should be on the way," Maggie finishes, wiping sweat from her face. Sadie nods slowly, brows furrowing as she imagines her sister and Glenn in pain, throat aching from the insistent coughs.

The growls just become a ringing in Sadie's ears as Maggie closely watches her. "They'll be alright," Maggie says, despite her own internal doubts. "They gotta be, right?" Sadie forces a small smile. Maggie gulps, "They don't have to be but—they will," She says with a grunt, killing another walker. Sadie watches the older woman's eyes fall on the green Honda that Rick and Carol took out for a run.