The archer's daughter(TWD)

Gotta be

(here's a nice lil picture of rickay because he's my bby)

Melissa

I leaned against Carl, my knees up to my chest and his arms wrapped securely around me. I felt his hand move onto my stomach and he gently lifted up my shirt. I realized he was looking at where I was shot.

"I went to Pete when we first came. It doesn't hurt anymore." I said, moving my head to look up at him. He glanced at my face and then rolled my shirt back down.

"You know, tradition is, when you get shot, you get the hat." Carl said. I smiled up at him.

"Oh, really?" I asked. He smiled and nodded.

"Oh yeah. I got it when my dad was shot, and now it's your turn." He said, taking off his sherif hat and placing it on my head. It slid down my face and I chuckled, fixing it on top of my head.

"How do I look?" I asked, posing. He laughed.

"You look adorable. Now kiss me." He said. He leaned down and connected our lips. The hat was knocked off my head and I giggled. I heard someone lightly tap on the door and I looked over, seeing Rick standing at the door. I picked up the hat and saw as Rick walked in, sitting down on a chair across from us. I saw him look out of the window behind us.

"This was supposed to be safe." Rick sighed.

"I'm supposed to be in highschool, Rick." None of this was supposed to be happening, the end of the world. The last four or five years have been a nightmare, the only good thing to come out of it was Carl. Our stupid young love thing. At least, I used to think it was stupid. Pre-apocalypse me woulda thought being in love was stupid. Post-apocalypse me obviously thinks otherwise.

Rick looked directly at me, sighing. "I don't know what to do. I need help. Do you have any idea on what we should do?" I sighed and leaned into Carl.

"I don't. I told you, if I have any ideas I'll tell you." I shrugged. "But there's really nothing we can do."

"Melissa, stop." Carl sighed. I looked up at him, his blue eyes already looking down into my own.

"Carl, what are we supposed to do? It's not like we can fly or--or just hope something leads them away." I said, my eyebrows scrunched together. He opened his mouth to say something, but Judith's cries sounded from down the hall. Rick went to stand up, but I beat him to it.

"If you come up with anything, just tell me." I nodded as I talked. Rick sighed and handed me his hatchet. I grabbed it and looked down at him, confused.

"Just Incase." He said.

"Uh. . . Okay." I said, confusion written all over my face. I took the hatchet nonetheless and walked out of the room. I walked past dean as room, seeing she wasn't in there. Judith's cries got louder. I took a deep breath and hurried over to Judith's room. I got close enough that I could see inside, and saw deanna's figure hunched over the crib. Her arms reached over, trying to grab the baby. She turned already.

I brought the axe up in the air and ran towards her. She turned her head and put her hands up.

"Not turned! Not turned!" She said. I dropped the axe down and sighed, leaning against the wall.

"I'm sorry." I said. "I thought you, in. . ." I shrugged, pouting my arm towards the crib.

"No, I'm sorry. I wanted to see the baby one last time. My legs, on the other hand, had other plans." She sighed. I pulled over a desk chair and helped her sit up on it. I picked up Judith and calmed her down.

"You're good with her." Deanna said. I looked up. "Which one of you is her mother? Rick never told me." She smiled. I looked to the ground.

"Her mother. . . She died in childbirth." I said quickly. Deanna sighed.

"I'm sorry. You knew her, then?" She asked. I nodded.

"I was there when she died. Ever since then, Rick's been determined to protect us, his family, for as long as he can. . ." I passed Judith to Deanna. She looked down at the baby.

"Well, she's beautiful." She said in awe. I nodded, chewing on my thumbnail.

"Yeah. She looks just like her mom." I sighed. "But she has Rick's eyes. Yeah." I sighed, biting on my lip.

"I guess they all have the same blue eyes." She said. I nodded. "It's quite beautiful." I smiled at her ever so slightly.

"Yeah. They're gorgeous." I said, still biting on my lower lip.

"So, Carl." She said. I looked over at her. "You two, I've heard you two got engaged." She smiled. I blushed slightly. I remembered I still have the hat on.

"It's not exactly an engagement ring." I shook my head. "But he said he wants to marry me someday." I said, looking to the ground. My smile faded because what if we never get the chance? The world is hell and I'm pretty sure people don't get married in this hell.

Judith began crying and I snapped out of it, looking at the baby. Deanna gently bounced her up and down. I forgot that she had two kids of her own.

"Well, I just needed to see something beautiful before the infection takes over my body." She said. I glanced up, seeing the blood on her shirt.

"I'm really sorry." I shook my head. She nodded. The saddened mood washed over us once again.

"Nothing we can do now. . ." She looked past me and I turned around, seeing Rick. I took Judith and cleared my throat, walking out past him. I felt him grab my arm and I turned around.

"Everything alright?" He asked. I looked down at Judith and nodded. "Are you alright?" He asked. I glanced over at Deanna for a moment, before looking back at Rick,

"Gotta be."

+++

"Sam, please open your door." I sighed, putting one hand on the doorknob and the other knocking on the door. I looked over at the stairs and saw Jesse sitting on the steps, halfway upstairs and halfway down. I heard shuffling over the music playing. It was a song I had heard in a horror movie once, and it gave me an unsettling feeling.

"No." Was all I heard from the boy. I sighed.

"You don't have to come downstairs. You just gotta open the door," I said. I heard footsteps, before a click and the door opened. I looked down at Sam, then in his room. He had drawings all over the place.

"Can we talk?" I asked. He shook his head and shut the door, but I put my hand up, keeping it open. I bent down so I was level with him.

"We can do this all day, Sam. But we are gonna talk and we will go from there." I said, staring at him. I have him a look that dared him to argue. He sighed before opening the door and resuming his spot colouring. I sat down on the floor in front of him and looked around. I picked up a drawing. It was a picture of a boy tied up to a tree. There were what looked to be two walkers right beside him, and another person standing far away. It was a picture of Sam tied up to a tree, like Carol had promised she would do if he ever told anyone she was in the weapons room. I bit the inside of my cheek and put the picture down.

I looked over near the window and saw a plate with a half-eaten cookie on it. I looked closer and saw a trail of ants coming from the window down to the plate, getting some food. It was kind of ironic really. The ants were kinda like the walkers and we were the cookie. The walkers piled in trying to get some food. Us. Gross, but ironic.

"Um, Sam--"

"I'm not going downstairs." He said.

"Did I tell you to go downstairs?" I said back. He looked up at me.

"Still." He said. I sighed.

"Why?" I asked.

"What?"

"Why won't you go downstairs? Why are you staying up here?" I asked. He stayed quiet for a while.

"Because nothing's changed up here."