devil's water || the walking dead

- 04 - those days -

[season 2, episode 2]

Scotty could feel her heart pounding in her throat. Every direction looked the same, she couldn't remember which way she came. Her head thrashed from left to right as her feet carried her through the dense forest. Greenery surrounded her, the sticks and leaves crunching beneath her.

Scotty's pace quickened as a twig cracked from somewhere around her. She needed to find Rick. Or Sophia. Anybody. Scotty tried to stay as light on her feet as possible, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention from the creatures that lurked in the woods.

It felt like Scotty had been walking for hours – honestly, she may have been. The sun was beginning to set, and Scotty needed somewhere safe to stay. Tears welled in the teens' eyes. Had her father been right? Maybe "opting out" would have been better than being lost and alone in the woods.

The girl settled on climbing a tree, hopefully hiding herself away from any potential threats. Scotty knew she wasn't getting any sort of sleep in the tree, but it eased her mind knowing Walkers couldn't reach her.

Scotty found the biggest branch she could find and hoisted herself up, arms wrapping around the scratchy bark. She pulled herself up, resting her back on the large trunk of the tree. She pulled her knees toward her chest, thankfully her sneakers gripped the bark well enough. The light breeze rustled the leaves, gently lulling Scotty into a twilight-like state. Enough for her eyes to rest, but she was still awake enough that if anything were to happen, she would be ready.

The unsettling growls of the Undead made Scotty's eyes pop open. She steadied her breathing, and let her eyes adjust to the lighting. She scanned the ground, looking for the culprit. There, a few yards away, a woman, or something that was once a woman, growled loudly. It fell to its knees, devouring whatever poor creature fell victim to the Walker's dead hands.

Scotty's eyes welled with tears. This wasn't the life she wanted to live, being on the run, attempting to protect herself from whatever was thrown her way. She wanted safety. Stability. But those were a thing of the past. Scotty pulled the neckline of her shirt up and wiped her eyes, the scratchy fabric collecting the tears.

As the girl drifted back to her twilight sleep, she pondered where to go next.

Her best-case scenario was finding the highway, or someone from the group finding her. Though Scotty was slowly becoming a pessimist, as it seemed like best-cases were a thing of the past.

The blonde hairs on her arms stood straight up as a cool breeze blew through the air, and the young girl shivered. The sun began to crest, and Scotty was thankful. She made it through the night.

Scotty craned her neck, eyes wide in search of any potential threats. She carefully climbed down the tree as soon as she deemed it safe. The grass was wet with morning dew, wetting the hems of Scotty's long jeans. The girl let out a shaky breath as she carefully stepped forward. The last thing she wanted to do was draw any attention toward herself.

Her legs, sore from her night in a tree, wobbled slightly under her. Scotty held her knife tight, ready to fight if she needed to. Completely turned around, Scotty decided to start walking wherever. She'd find the road eventually, right?

Scotty hiked through the forest, kicking branches and pushing leaves out of her way. Her stomach grumbled loudly, making her think about the last time she had actually eaten. Scotty put a hand on her belly and frowned. She needed to find the group soon.

A growl echoed from beyond her, making Scotty stop in her tracks. She took a deep breath, tightened her grip on her knife, and continued forward. Scotty decided if she was going to live in this world, she couldn't be scared anymore.