Just Keep Walking

Six

That morning Mary woke up after wetting herself, night terrors hunting her all night. Rick changed her into her dungarees, her tiny pale legs seeming to be stick thin. They ate a breakfast of cereal bars, and drank some water, then set off again, Mary on Rick's back, quietly playing with her bunny on his shoulders.
"I'm bored. Can we play?" Mary asked quietly.
"What do you wanna play? I-spy?"
"Yeah! I spy with my little eye... Something beginning with C."
"Carl."
"Yeah." Mary laughed softly.
"Okay, I spy with my little eye, something beginning with T."
"Tree?"
"No." Rick smiled, and Mary sighed.
"I don't know."
"Guess." Rick laughed.
"Look at the floor, Moo." Carl prompted, overhearing.
"Train track?" She guessed.
"Yep." Rick nodded with a smile, and they carried on with the game throughout the whole morning.

Around midday, Mary began to nap, the gentle heat and pain tiring her. Carl put his hat on her head, protecting her from the sun.
"Maybe we should find a shop. It's cold at night. Find a jacket for Mary." Carl suggested, holding Mary's hand as she slept.
"We'll maybe get there today. Maybe tomorrow morning. And she's got my jacket, she can sleep in that. No point adding an extra hour or two into our journey." Rick shrugged.
"Okay." Carl sighed. "She misses her toys though."
Rick sighed, knowing Carl was only saying it to make Mary happy, but finding it ridiculous. "You're a good brother. But being silly. She doesn't need toys. How's she going to play while we're walking all day?"
"I dunno. I just thought it would cheer her up."
"She's fine." Rick assured, smiling at Carl. The boy nodded back at him, then resumed the silence, letting go of Mary's hand and walking with Michonne.
"Daddy?" Mary whined groggily, tugging Rick's ear.
"Yeah?" Rick asked, turning his head.
"My hip hurts." She whimpered.
"I know, but we're nearly there. We'll definitely be safe tomorrow. And I bet they have good medicine and toys and powdered eggs and juice there." Rick soothed.
"Maggie-Rick." Mary mumbled sadly.
"I know.  It's very very sad. Here, have some water." Rick ordered, reaching over to the bag on Mary's back, and grabbing a bottle of water. Mary nodded, and drank some.
"I think we got about a days worth of water left. We're lucky it's cooled off a little bit but," Rick explained to Michonne, then stopped, looking at Michonne and Carl in amusement, "What are you doing?"
Mary twisted her head, and giggled as she saw Michonne and Carl balancing along the beams of the train track, both of them focused, with their arms outstretched.
"Winning a bet." Carl replied with a smile.
"In your dreams." Michonne scoffed. Mary felt a tinge of jealousy as they played together, wanting to join in, but knowing she couldn't.
I'm still on!" Carl declared, then he began to comically wobble.
"You spoke too soon, wise guy!" Michonne teased, but he gained his balance.
Rick walked over to the pair, and smiled. "This might go in a while. Maybe we can speed this up?"
"Yeah you're right. Shouldn't be fooling around. We should probably - Carl!" Michonne shouted, trying to make Carl jump in shock, but she fell off herself, making Mary laugh into Rick's dark curls.
"I win. Pay up." Carl smiled, jumping down and walking over to Michonne, but staying by his father and Mary, hugging her softly. Michonne came closer to them, and reluctantly went into her bag, Rick chuckling along with Mary. She held out the last two chocolate bars, Mary watching with wide eyes.
"Is that really the last Big Cat?" Carl asked, taking his time to choose. He looked at Mary, his hand lingering over the Big Cat, and she nodded in agreement, so he took it with a cheeky smile.
"Oh come on!" Michonne whined, not letting go.
"Hey, but you said, winners choice!"
"Go ahead, take it, it's yours. You won it, fair and square." The woman sighed, letting go of the chocolate bar, making Mary smile.
Carl smiled, and broke off a third of the chocolate bar, then offered it to Michonne. He half rolled his eyes when he saw her hesitation. "Come on, we always share."
"Fork it over." Michonne smiled, and Rick laughed.
"Moo." Carl grinned, passing Mary the food.
"Thank you." Mary smiled, slowly eating the treat. She ate almost all of it, then gave the last bite to Rick, pushing it into his mouth before he could say anything.
"Thanks." Rick half laughed, talking with his mouth full.
"Hey," Michonne said softly, noticing Rick's limp, "let me take her."
"I got her. I can do it." Rick insisted.
"I know. But we need you strong. Okay? I can manage her. She weighs less than my backpack."
Rick nodded, and squeezed Mary's hand. "Hey, baby, let Mishy carry you for a bit, yeah?"
"Why?" Mary mumbled into his neck, her fingers holding her bunny.
"Let your daddy have a rest, yeah?" Michonne smiled softly, "And we can have girl talks about hair and nail polish."
Mary grinned, her face suddenly bright. Her nails were purple, Maggie having painted them just before she got sick, and her hair still in cornrows. Then her smile fell. Maggie wasn't there anymore. She let Michonne take her, but they didn't talk, Mary thinking of her friends, and sure they were at Terminus, waiting for her.

"Okay. Here'll do." Rick nodded, some wire threaded around trees, to make a small enclosed area. "I'm gonna go set up some snares, find a river for some more water. We don't have enough for tomorrow."
"I'll start a fire." Michonne replied, sitting Mary up against a tree.
"Carl, stay here, okay?" Rick said firmly, as Carl went to get up.
"Why? I wanna..."
"No," Rick cut off, "stay with your sister. She needs you."
Carl sighed, but nodded, and sat by Mary, her exhausted body leaving against him. Rick left, and Mary went quiet with worry. Carl was desperate to cheer her up, but had no idea how to.
"Hey, Mary, why doesn't Carl do your hair?" Michonne suggested, seeing Carl's face. Mary nodded, and Carl slowly unwound each of Mary's cornrow braids, leaving her hair incredibly frizzy, in tight corkscrew curls. He combed through it with his fingers, then tied it up with her bandana.
"There," Carl smiled softly, "you look like a different person."
"Pretty?"
"Yep."
"I think I'm hungry." Mary mumbled.
"I know. I know you are." Carl nodded slowly.
"I'll have a look." Michonne replied, looking in the bags. "We've got one can of beans. I'll cook them now, so they're hot for when your dad gets back."
Mary nodded, and Carl passed her a bottle of water. She drank some, then lent back against Carl, closing her weary eyes.
"My hip hurts." Mary whined, and Carl held her even closer.
"Snares are set." Rick declared, climbing into their small camp.
"Here." Michonne smiled softly, passing Rick, then Mary, and Carl, a small amount of beans, then eating the rest herself.
"Did you get water?" Carl asked, looking up at Rick.
"Yeah, I filled up all the empty bottles. I'll boil them later." Rick nodded, sitting down next to him. Mary crawled onto his lap as they ate, and Rick ruffled her hair. "Nice hair do."
"Thanks." She whispered, eating the beans with her mucky fingers, covering them in the juice. It was slowly going dark, and as it did, Mary clung on even tighter to Rick's shirt.
"Don't be scared." Rick soothed.
"I'm not scared of the dark. I just don't like it." Mary argued. Rick chuckled, then smiled down at her softly.
"The dark is nice. If you look up, you can see the stars."
"Stars are there all the time. You just can't always see them." Mary mumbled knowingly.
"You're so cleaver." Rick smiled, and Mary smiled back, but her face was riddled with pain and fatigue.
"She must take after me." Carl joked suddenly, and Rick laughed. "Then again, I dropped out of middle school."
"Mary never even started school." Rick half laughed, but then his smile fell. He knew how much Mary wanted to go to school.
"Maybe one day." Carl smiled softly to Mary, and she nodded slowly.
"Can I go to sleep now?" She mumbled into Rick's chest.
"Yeah, of course." Rick replied softly, then he turned to Carl. "You try to get some sleep as well."
Carl nodded, closing his eyes. Rick and Michonne sat in silence for half an hour, until both of the children were asleep.
"How much further, do you think?" Michonne asked.
"Maybe one more day from here. But I was thinking, why don't we stay here for a few days. Rest up, forage for some food, there's a river for water. And one of us can go out tomorrow, see if there's any antibiotics for if her wound gets worse."
"I'll go tomorrow." Michonne nodded with a smile.
"Carl'll go with you." Rick smiled softly, grateful of her offer. Michonne nodded again. "I'll take first watch. Get some sleep." Rick added. Michonne, yet again, nodded, then laid down with a sigh.
"Hey, Rick?" Michonne called, looking at Mary asleep, laid on Rick's chest, and Carl sleeping sat up, lent against Rick's shoulder. Rick turned his head, looking at the woman. "You're doing a good job with them."
Rick's heart practically glowed.