Changing To Adapt ➵ TWD

➵ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜰɪꜰᴛᴇᴇɴ

The orange streaks from a setting sun fade quickly, refusing to aid him in his travel. The moon graciously takes over, carrying a cold wind to shake the trees and send the leaves into song.

Lucas shakes, goosebumps erupting up his bare arms. He twists a portion of his damp shirt in his fingers, squeezing out the excess water but barely making progress.

The birds are long chased off, only those of the occasional cricket chirping in the distance.

Heaving his head from its defeated lull, he stares, a single leaf having abandoned its home to catch his eye, mocking him as it rocks back and forth freely in the cold wind. He reaches out, but it only slides through his reddening fingers and lands on the dirt, avoiding him completely.

Lucas looks away. "Oh." He's at the tree line.

Darkness claws its way over the woods, seizing his perfect vision and dwindling it down to nothing. A walker could come out from behind a tree ten feet away and he wouldn't notice.

His only source of light is the moon, reaching down and illuminating a promising structure sitting in the clearing.

A church.

Lucas slithers around the tombstones without a single fuss. Because he knows they're actually dead, compared to the ones walking the earth.

He bypasses the welcome sign and runs up the steps to the church. Eager. Shoving the rusty doors open, Lucas pauses, eyes darting around the room to count the dead. Three in total, sitting on the pews before a bloody Christ statue. Everything about them stolen away once they were turned, just as Jenner demonstrated in the C.D.C. But even so, they look normal, bound to their prayers.

Sophia isn't there.

He slams the doors shut when they bend their heads towards him and twists around the side of the building to take advantage of its highest point.

Backing up to get a running start, Lucas pushes his legs to move and rebounds off the wall to reach the window-sill, pulling himself up. From there, he hoists his body onto the roof, muscles protesting with an alarming burn.

The church doors keep shut against the corpses weak hands.

Lucas searches through the darkness around him as he pants. He's safe for the rest of the night.

But what about Sophia?

Settling himself up against the hitch in the roof, he brings his knees to his chest as an attempt to regain his warmth.

∆

Carol can't sleep. Sitting on the R.V, she looks over the trees. Her little girl, gone from her hands.

Rick and Daryl had come back, empty-handed. They told her that Sophia and Lucas's tracks veered off in different directions, both for unknown reasons.

And they told her about the dead walker, finished off by Lucas's only pocket knife. Fortunately, they gutted it to find no evidence of human flesh.

She presses her hands together, and can only pray that Lucas is with her daughter.

∆

Hours pass.

The sun glares harshly at the boy on the roof until he gasps awake, coming to from a nightmare he can't remember.

It isn't the sun burning his irises, or the nightmare, that had pulled him from a restless sleep, but the church bells.

They clang loudly from the same building he has claimed as his hideout. With a hitch in his breath, Lucas knows he needs to stop the ringing before it attracts any unwanted attention.

He jolts onto his knees, headache jarring against his skull and burning at his eyes. "Fuck." The pain hits him all at once and this time he can't stop the choked whine that passes through.

Lucas forces his head up to look around the roof with a mumbled, "Suck it up,"

Just as he does, the bells stop ringing altogether.

He blinks, the world twisting and turning in front of him when he looks over the horizon cautiously.

Which he quickly ducks for cover from.

Figures dart out from the trees. Too fast for walkers, carrying too much gear. He peeks over the roof hesitantly. People?

Lucas holds his breath, tightening his grip against the roof.

It's Rick.

He knows by the uniform. The others are close behind, like a pack of wolves. Even little Carl, clutching at his mum's hand.

Lucas winces at the idea of revealing himself, and chews on his nail nervously, forcing himself to stay hidden. He can't imagine how pissed they'd be.

Knocking his forehead against the roof, he curses at the pain that accompanies it.

Lucas stands, quickly, before he can regret it.

Too quickly.

"Rick!"

Said man narrows his eyes, faltering in his run. "On the roof!" He points. Heads snap up simultaneously, following his finger.

"What the hell?" Daryl squints.

"It's Lucas!" Shane calls, speeding up.

Lucas waves his arm around and leans forward, feeling suddenly lightheaded. He drops his arm.

"Oh-" He slips, rapidly tumbling down the roof, "-shit!"

Lucas desperately tries to catch himself before he falls completely, fingers clamping onto the very edge of the roof. He throws his other hand up to support himself, his body slamming into the wall.

"Jeez-" Lucas pants. His beanie, having stayed on his head so far, is finally done with the abuse and slips off dramatically. He follows it with his eyes until it hits the grass, noticing the group closing in on him. The tips of his ears start to burn.

"S'alright, I can jump from here," Lucas reassures a worried Carl, trying to bring back some of his pride.

He adjusts his legs and lets go of the roof, rolling somewhat safely to the grass.

The landing rattles his bones.

"Lucas?"

Laying flat on his back, he looks up at Shane.

He so perfectly blocks out the sun with his head, causing a sort of halo around his hair. Lucas doesn't know if he believes in angels, but he knows he doesn't quite believe in Shane. He is grateful though, The sun is killing his eyes.

"Please tell me you found Sophia."

Shane shakes his head. "No, man, we're spread out trying to find her," he says, reaching down to grab his arm. "What happened to you?"

Lucas winces when Shane heaves him up from the grass, even doing so much as to pat down his dirty back. Acting charming because of what he did at the C.D.C? Trying to get on Lucas's good side so he won't tell Rick? Maybe.

Carol moves into view, and Lucas's heart drops. She grabs his hands and pulls him closer, her palms just as sweaty as his. But it isn't the moment to start complaining about hygiene.

"Tell me you know where my little girl is."

Here we go.

He really hopes they don't ditch him after this.