Safe and sound, Carl Grimes

079. A BROKEN HOME

Chapter seventy nine

"A broken home."

It was night, as Katniss was sitting across from Lydia "I remember that look in his eye. I still see it. How cold it is. Was." Lydia shared, sighing "I've seen that look. From too many people to count now even gave it to some people myself." Katniss shared "never been alone like you were. My people traveled in groups with the dead. I miss the sounds..the smell.." Lydia shared "yeah, it's weird being back around people." Katniss shared "your dads an asshole like mine." Lydia shared "yeah. A lot of men I've met are. They do whatever it takes to keep us alive and safe." Katniss shared, thinking of Daryl, Rick and Shane "they were somebody you didn't wanna mess with and now neither am I." she shared.

"That sounds like my mom. She kept me alive. Kept me safe. She's a lot like you. You don't mess with her, either. But you know that." Lydia shared, as Henry in the other cell was listening to them so was Daryl and Carl who were still sitting outside.

And when morning came, they had been brought food but Katniss and Lydia weren't eating "why are you being nice to me?" Lydia asked, as Katniss furrowed her brows "why are you not attacking me?" she asked, the two answering each other's question "it'll never be okay again." Lydia shared "I know that. But how do you know that?" Katniss asked "my dad." Lydia told her, smiling, where she then mentioned how her mom would play checkers with her and call her bug and say checkmate "he always.." she was saying, as her smile "she always said that." she shared.

As Katniss furrowed her brows "well I never knew my mom. Many others tried to be like my mom." she shared "like my mom. She worries about her. She and my dad are leaders of another community. Where I'm from." Henry shared "is it far? What's it called?" Lydia asked, as Katniss turned around "Henry, shut up!" she voiced, as the doors slammed open, Daryl came walking down and up to Henry's cell "hey. What's going on?" Henry asked "shut up. You're getting out. Come on." Daryl shared, as Henry walked out of the cell, Daryl grabbed him and brought him up the stairs and out of there, leaving Katniss and Lydia.

Where the two had been sitting there in silence "you remember the boy I was with? Alden? He went out to make sure your mother didn't hurt me again and yet now I'm here and he hasn't come back. Do you think she killed him?" Katniss asked "she would if she had to. But you know that.." Lydia shared, lunging at her, Katniss fell backwards, as Lydia grabbed onto her left arm, rolling up her sleeve, seeing the scar on her arm "she marked you! You didn't even scream!" she voiced, as Katniss was breathing heavy, she rolled the two over, and rolled up her sleeve, seeing the scars on her arm, Lydia spit in her face, as Katniss got off of her, the two sat there breathing heavy.

And when night came, neither of the two had talked to each other, Katniss pointed at her forehead "this? This is from when a knife was thrown at my head." she shared, as Lydia looked at her, Katniss held up her left hand "middle finger was shot off. My hand stabbed through by a knife." she shared, pulling her left shoulder down "I got shot with an arrow." she shared, rolling up her left and right sleeves, showing her the various cuts and bruises "there's even more then that. All from different people. People who like it when your scared. And your mom is one of them so how about you tell me where she is?" she asked "you don't wanna know." Lydia shared, as Katniss rolled her sleeves down "I do. Cause I need to know if she's coming." she shared.

"Why? This place isn't real. The world changed, and you're all acting like it's gonna change back. My mom walks cause that's what the dead do. It's their world, and we have to live in it. And what my mom does," Lydia shared, rolling up her sleeve "she does for a reason. Because you know just as well as I do that when you stay soft, people die." she shared, telling her how when she was a little girl, she was curious and went toward's the guy who her mom killed and when she looked at his dead body and walked away, the walker came after her and her dad moved out of the way.

As Katniss's brows were furrowed "but you were a kid, you didn't know that he was gonna come back to life." she shared "no, I was stupid. I deserved to die. But my dad was soft, and now he's the one that's dead." Lydia shared "he saved your life!" Katniss voiced, standing up, Lydia stood up "when you can't bend, you break. He broke. I mean look at you! You don't belong here with these people! Maybe you used to, but not anymore! You're hard, they're soft." Lydia shared, as the two stared at each other.

Where as the night continued on, the two were sitting back down, Katniss had her eyes closed, as Lydia was staring at her, footsteps could be heard, as Henry walked up to the cage "hey." Lydia told him "it's me from.." Henry was sharing "yeah, I know. Why are you.." Lydia was asking, as Henry sat down "I came to check on Katniss." he shared "why?" Lydia asked "because she put her life on the line for mine. And I also know she's been down here for the past two days with you because she's been the girl in the cage. And nobody came for her either." Henry shared, as Lydia looked at Katniss, everything she had been holding back from her childhood that her mother did came flooding to the surface, as she crawled toward's her, and lied down next to her and as she did, Henry lied down on the other side of the cage.

That next morning, all three of them were awake, as the doors opened, and footsteps could be heard, Daryl walked up with two trays "I didn't wanna leave them alone." Henry shared, as he got up "my ear hurts. Everything hurts." Lydia shared, as Daryl grabbed the ladle from the bucket, he brought it over, as Katniss took it from him, she handed it to Lydia, as she drank the water, she then handed it back to her as Katniss handed it to Daryl "my mom's not coming for me. None of em are. If someone dies or get's taken or whatever, they move on. Like they never existed. That's how it's always been. They don't come into contact with big groups unless they don't have another choice. That's why I..I was trying to find out everything I could about you. Because when I'd escape, I'd have something to give em. No reason for em to take me back." Lydia shared.

"You're her daughter. Does that matter?" Henry asked, as Lydia looked down "what about our missing people?" Daryl asked "if my mom found her boyfriend, he's marked so she'll keep him alive but the other can't think of a reason she would. Sorry." Lydia shared "she got a camp somewhere?" Daryl asked "near the guard bridge. Maybe a mile east. But we don't..they don't stay in one place for long." Lydia shared "the story about your family..was any of it true?" Henry asked "she thought it was." Katniss shared "I needed it to be. But I had it all mixed up. It was a lie, but..the lie wasn't mine. My mom..she told it to me..over and over, for years. But deep down, I knew..i knew what she was, and..I knew what she did." Lydia shared, as she started crying.

"He was against the wall..scared..and my mom was there. Had that cold look in her eye. Then she..she got her knife. And then she.." she shared, crying, Katniss reached over and grabbed her hand "it's okay. It's okay." she told her "we've heard enough." Daryl shared "I'm sorry I couldn't help you. I'm sorry I wasted your time." Lydia shared "you didn't." Katniss told her, standing up and walking out and as she did, she handed Henry the kids, as Daryl got up, following after her.

The two headed out, as Henry followed after them "so this whole time Lydia's mom made her think it was her fault that her dad died?" he asked, as Katniss and Daryl looked to him "why would a mom do that to a kid?" Henry asked "some people ain't meant to be parents." Daryl shared "so what happens now? Can she stay here with us?" Henry asked "that's not our call." Katniss shared, as she turned walking off "Katniss!" Tara called out, as Katniss ran toward's the lookout, Daryl ran after her, Magna followed them, where as the three climbed up and stood next to Tara and Yumiko, Alpha and her followers could be seen down there by the gate "I am Alpha. And we only want one thing from you. My daughter." Alpha shared.