Rex was once again woken up the by her mother gently shaking her shoulder, although this time they weren't being forced to flee the undead. They had woken up in the safety and sanctity of their tent, ready to start their fourth day in the camp. The duo exited their tent and grabbed themselves some breakfast with the rest of the group. "Can I go down to the water?" Rex piped up once they had finished their food. Claire deliberated for a moment, sucking her teeth as the anxiety of letting her daughter out of her sight filled her mind. "Amy and I are goin' down there to go fishing, we can keep an eye on her." Andrea offered, giving Claire a comforting smile. "Sure, thanks." the woman smiled, nodding to her daughter who happily scurried off down the hill.
"You wanna join us Rex?" Amy called over as the two women followed the girl down to the water. Rex shook her head, giving them a small smile and turning off in the other direction. She slipped her shoes off to enjoy the jagged feeling of the rocks on her feet as she walked along the shore. She stopped to sit on a rock after a couple minutes, dipping her toes into the water and watching small fish zip past her.
Whilst Rex was down by the water, Daryl had returned from his hunting trip. She presumed they had told him about Merle upon hearing the man yelling at the top of his lungs from the camp. Although this eventually died down and Rex settled back into the peaceful silence once more. She chuckled slightly, imagining how red Daryl's face must've gotten, but this amusement quickly turned into remorse. He had lost his brother after all, and even though Merle was a colossal ass, he was still considered to be his family. Rex had lost family too, her father had been separated from them weeks prior, during the initial chaos of the outbreak. He had left the house in search of help for his family and never returned, Rex and her mother were forced to flee their home a few days later once they accepted he wasn't coming back.
Rex sighed and stood up, not wanting to dwell on her grief any longer. She dusted the dirt from her shorts and stuffed her feet into her converse, making her way towards Amy and Andrea, who were now back on shore. "Check this out!" Amy yelled as she got closer to the pair, holding up a large pile of freshly caught fish. Rex wrinkled her nose at the small and held back a gag. The women laughed at her reaction and Amy jokingly waved the fish towards her, causing her to squeal and stumble backwards, landing on the ground with a thump.
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Upon their return to camp, the trio discovered that Daryl had ventured into the city to find his brother, along with T-Dog, Glenn and Rick. Thankfully Rex's mother had opted to stay behind this time, the trauma of the day prior still fresh in her mind.
"Hey peach!" Claire greeted her daughter as the girl flopped down next to her around the campfire, ruffling her hair lovingly. "You have fun down there?" she asked, referencing her daughter's venture to the water. "Yeah it was good." Rex replied, though her flat tone was not lost on her mother, who was now very concerned. "What happened?" Claire questioned, raising an eyebrow as she fully turned to face her. "Nothin'." Rex mumbled, not wanting to have to talk about her father. She raised her eye line from the crackling fire before her to meet her mother's gaze, sighing as she saw the worry in her eyes. "I don't wanna talk about it." she clarified, trying her best to plaster an expression on her face that would remotely resemble her being OK. Claire nodded reluctantly, her daughter was stubborn, if she didn't want to open up then that was that.
"Rex you wanna help us gut the fish?" Amy shouted across the fire from where she and Andrea were sitting, legs crossed with their pile of fish scattered around them. "Not particularly." Rex responded, giving a dry chuckle. "I'm gonna go for a walk." she informed them, jumping to her feet, darting away to avoid her mother questioning her further.
She hadn't fully thought through the idea of going for a walk, and was now stuck wandering aimlessly through the woods, scuffing the dirt with the heel of her feet. It was rare to get a moment away like this, the safety of the camp was nice but it was damn near impossible to get some alone time. It seemed like there was always someone around and the lack of breathing space was slowly driving Rex insane. She took a deep breath, swallowing back the frustration that bubbled up inside her and forced her feet to walk back to the camp, it wasn't safe to be in the woods and she was logical enough to realise that.
Rex chose to avoid her mother for the time being, making her way up the ladder to join Dale on the RV. "Hey kiddo, how ya doin'?" the man greeted cheerily as she made herself comfy, as comfy as she could on the hot metal roof. Rex shot him a look, implying that she would really rather do anything but talk about how she was doing, the man seemed to understand and let out a chuckle." OK I get it, my bad!" he laughed, ruffling her hair. A smile blossomed on her lips before she could stop it and her foul mood quickly dissipated. The pair once again settled into a comfortable silence, their gaze fixed on the road as they anxiously awaited the return of the small group in the city.
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It had grown dark and the men of the group had not yet returned, which was putting everyone on edge. Nobody talked as they sat down around the campfire for dinner that night, anxiety gnawing at all of them. Lori seemed most on edge, her husband had only just returned and now there was a chance of losing him again. Shane was attempting to reassure her, though she was firmly set on ignoring the man, much to his annoyance. Amy suddenly got up and began walking away from the fire, though Andrea caught her arm to stop her. "Where are you goin'?" the woman questioned her younger sister. "I gotta pee, jeez can't a girl get some privacy around here!" Amy hissed, prompting some quiet chuckles from the rest of the group. Rex drew her focus away from Amy's retreating figure and back to the crackling fire. She stared into the flames until white dots danced along her vision, the rest of the group now blocked out of her sight by the brightness of the flame. Fire made her feel calm and safe, like she was being wrapped in a warm blanket.
A sudden scream jolted Rex out of her trance and she whipped her head round in the direction of the RV. She spotted Amy, mouth open in terror as a walker sunk it's teeth into her shoulder. Andrea wailed in anguish and darted over to rescue her sister as more walkers piled into the camp. The men had returned from their trip to the city at just the right time and bolted past the group in the direction of the incoming walkers. Claire pulled Rex behind her, shielding her from the potential danger of being ripped apart and the remaining group stood in shock, not knowing what else to do other than protect the children. A yell came from the Peletier's tent and Rex realised it must've come from Ed, who wasn't among the survivors at the campfire. She glanced over at Sophia and felt a pang in her chest, she knew what it was like to lose a father, and even though Ed was an asshole, Sophia didn't deserve that.
Gunshots rang out across the camp as the group fought to protect their home, taking down the dozens of walkers that had piled out of the woods. After what seemed like an eternity, the shots ceased, and silence fell over the group. The only sound that could be heard was the crackling bonfire and Andrea's sobs as she embraced her now dead younger sister, both of them surrounded by dozens of bodies with bullet holes piercing their skulls. Rex turned away from the scene and made her way back to her tent, completely oblivious to the ufamiliar face that had unexpectedly joined their group. Tears sprung in her eyes as she zipped up the tent behind her, drawing her knees to her chest. Amy was gone. She had just spoken to the woman earlier that day and now she was dead, just like that.
"Rex?" the voice of her mother called from outside of the tent and the zipper slid open. Rex rolled over to face the tent wall as her mother shuffled in next to her. "Honey?" Claire was desperate for a response from her daughter, not wanting Rex to simply shut herself out. Rex gave no verbal response, but slowly turned around, staring up at her mother with tear filled eyes and crawled into her lap. Claire stroked her daughter's hair and held her as she sobbed, she didn't know what to say to make her feel better and this was the only comfort she could give.
Eventually, Rex's breathing evened out and sleep overcame her, but Claire didn't dare let her go. She stayed in that position all night, holding her daughter as her brain spun with worry. She had thought they were safe here, they were so far up the mountain that no walkers should've found them. But they did. The group was way more vulnerable than she thought, and their camp was no longer safe.
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A/N - this chapter was rlly badly written ik but I just needed to get one published. Next chapter is the CDC w a lot of drama so this was mainly just a filler yk. Hope yall enjoyed anyway <3
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Sonder • TWD
FanfictionWhen the dead rise from the earth and ravage the land, 12 year old Rebecca Maxwell (Rex) and her mother, Claire, must flee from their home in search of salvation. Their prayers are answered when they meet Glenn Rhee, a kind man who offers solace in...
