Salvation

You and I

They head back to the others, Shane's arm still tight around her waist.

"Em, you in?" T asks. She shakes her head.

"I'm gonna sit this one out, sorry guys." She replies.

"Okay, anyone else?" He asks. No one speaks up. "Okay, just me Glenn, Andrea, Morales, and Jacque then. We can do this. In and out." Glenn groans, but he doesn't protest anymore. They need him and he knows it.

"Okay it's settled then." Shane says in affirmation. The group really looks to him for guidance, he never asked for it. But when they turned to him at the start of all this he really stepped up. He's kept them all alive no matter how difficult that may have been.

"We leave first thing in the morning." Glenn says before walking off, obviously anxious. The group disperses and everyone gets back to they're normal daily chores.

"I'm gonna check on Sophia," Emily tells Shane.

"Okay, I'm close by if you need me." He says, placing a sweet kiss on the side of her head. She nods and heads off to talk to her little sister. She finds her sitting in the dirt with Eliza Morales playing with a doll.

"Hey Soph, you okay?" She asks her with a smile. Sophia looks up from the doll with a frown.

"Are you really gonna go?" She asks sadly. Emily shakes her head, she must have only heard half the conversation.

"No love I'm not going." She replies, squatting down in front of her so that they're eye level.

"You're not?" Her little voice is full of hope and Em can see a hint of a smile.

"Nope, I think I'm needed here a bit more." She answers, nudging Sophia's shoulder playfully. She smiles at her big sister lovingly. "Are you hungry?" Emily asks her. She shrugs. "Have you eaten? Where's mom?" Sophia looks to the ground, unsure if she should answer.

"I haven't seen her since you guys were doing laundry earlier." She replies sheepishly.

"Okay, tell you what. Let's go find you something to eat and then I'll go check on mom. Sound good?" Sophia nods happily. Emily stands, holding out her hand to her. Sophia takes it and gets to her feet. Emily takes her to the fire pit in front of her and Shane's tent. "Get comfy Soph, I'll find something." She nods shyly, sitting on one of the logs as Emily goes into the tent to scrounge up what she can. Shane walks up, joining them.

"Hey kiddo," He says kindly. She smiles shyly in response, fidgeting with a string hanging off of a tear in her jeans nervously. Emily steps back out of the tent.

"Hey, you hungry?" Em asks Shane with a warm grin. "I was just about to make some food." She explains. It's a good thing the others are going on a run in the morning. They're running seriously low on food.

"Starving." He teases, returning her smile. He gives her a quick kiss. He shoots her a questioning look when he pulls away, surprised to find Sophia here. She usually never wanders far from Carols side. Emily shakes her head and he takes the hint not to ask questions. "I'll get started on a fire."

"Thank you." she replies gratefully as she grabs her pot.

"Hey Sophia, you wanna give me a hand?" He asks her kindly. She nods, getting to her feet. They gather twigs and small pieces of wood together. She listens intently as he teaches her about kindling and how to find the driest wood she can so it'll start easier. Emily stays back and watches the two of them, he's so good with her, so gentle with his words. She seems to soak up every word he says. They build the fire together, placing a torn piece of an old newspaper in the center. Emily opens the two cans as Shane pulls a pack of matches out of his back pocket. He looks to Sophia. "You wanna do the honors?" He asks her. Sophia frowns.