I think I liked you better when you didn't have a knife in your hand, Peaches

The Escapee

The rain had stopped hours ago, yet even so, a low cloud still hung over the darkened night sky, with no sign on the moon tonight.

This eerie darkness made the sense of foreboding even worse for Rick, as, unable to sleep with worry, he had spent the last hour pacing up and down the silent walkways through Alexandria.

He was always like this before the Saviours turned up, racked with guilt and worry about what they would do next...

They were unpredictable, especially Negan, which is what made them such a threat to him and his people now.

Rick sighed, placing his hands to his hips and coming to a stop in the middle of the street, just staring forwards, at really nothing in particular.

He just needed to clear his head, then hopefully he would be able to grab a few hours of unsettled sleep before the morning came....along with the Saviours.

But the brown haired leader was just about to turn on his heel and head back down the path toward his house...

...when there came a sudden creak from a doorway just over to his left.

He turned his head suddenly, glancing up towards, what he recognised as Tara's house, dark and unlit as it should be at this hour...just as the front door creaked open...

But to his surprise it wasn't Tara who stepped out...

...in fact, it took Rick a second or two to see her, there on her tippy-toes, waddling out of the door on chubby legs, dressed in nothing more than a pair of little pink pyjamas and carrying an oversized fluffy toy snake in her pudgy hand.

He gave a frown.

It was the kid with no name....the kid that Michonne and Aaron had found.

With a tuft of brown hair sat atop of her head and the pudgiest little cheeks he had ever seen.

But she didn't notice him now, obviously on a mission tonight, as she waddled swiftly over to the porch steps, crouching down on squatted legs before trying to ease herself down the step that was far too big for her to manage alone.

Rick jogged forwards, and just in time too, as the toddler missed her footing and was about to fall...

...but the brown haired, bearded man swiftly grabbed the tiny girl around the middle, lifting her up into his arms, as she gave a sudden wail of annoyance.

"Noh!"" she cried loudly, her little bare feet kicking at Rick's middle. "I go!"

But before Rick could say a word, a wide-eyed Tara had suddenly flung the front door open wide, appearing at the top of the steps.

"Jeez, kid!" she said aloud. "You trying to give me a heart attack?!"

The dark-haired woman offered Rick an apologetic look, stepping forwards and taking the little girl from Rick's grasp as she kicked and screamed and wailed.

"She keeps trying to escape....to what, I have no idea...." Tara sighed in frustration.

But Rick merely pursed his lips sympathetically.

"You had any joy getting a name out of her yet?" he asked curiously, peering down at the mousy-haired toddler who looked furious she had been caught and detained and not for the first time by the sounds of it.

But Tara, rolling her eyes, merely paced back towards her front door as Rick watched.

"Pfft, yeah right," she scoffed. "She hasn't told me a lick. Anyone would think she was a prisoner of war!"

And, as if on cue, the tiny girl in Tara's arms gave another cry of utter anger, loud enough to wake the dead. Literally!

And Rick could only smirk now, shaking his head as she turned on his heel , heading back down the pathway that led to the wide street.

"Well, maybe she is," he replied playfully, as Tara chuckled in return, struggling with the toddler in her arms and giving Rick one last roll of her eyes, before shutting the door behind her and disappearing out of sight.

Rick lingered there for a long moment, staring up at the dark house, before giving yet another amused sigh...

...before finally heading back off towards his own home...

...to hopefully grab a couple of hours of restless sleep before tomorrow...and before the arrival of the Saviours.