RULE THE WORLD | D.DIXON

048

          BLACK OUT DAYS-048

Matilda sat in the back of the van with Glenn and Max, staring out the window. Her father and Michonne were in middle while Ty and Noah was in the front.

"How far out?" Rick asked Noah.

Noah looks at the mile meter. "Five miles."

Rick nods and radios Carol.
"Hey, Carol,"

"I'm here," Carol replied, coming through staticky.

"We're halfway there," He explained. "Just wanted to check the range.

"Everyone's holding tight," Carol says. "We've made it 500 miles. Maybe this can be the easy part."

"Got to think we're due," Rick answers  "Give us 20 minutes to check-in."

"We don't hear from you, we'll come looking," Carol says.

"Copy that," Rick said.

A moment of silence spend thought the car until Noah brakes it as he looked at Ty. "I've been wanting to tell you something."

"What's that?" Ty asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

"The trade. It was the right play. It worked. It did work. Just something else happened after." Noah explained.

"It went the way it had to," Tyreese said, sadly. "The way it was always going to."

"I never wanted to kill anyone before," Noah muttered, looking out the window.

Tyreese glanced at the young boy. "I've wanted that. But it just made it so I didn't see anything except what I wanted. I wasn't facing it."

"Facing what?" Noah asked.

"What happened, What's going on. My dad always told Sasha and me that it was our duty as citizens of the world to keep up with the news. When I was little and I was in his car, there were always those stories on the radio. Something happens 1,000 miles away or down the block. Some kind of horror I couldn't even wrap my head around. But he didn't change the channel. He didn't turn it off. He just kept listening. To face it. Keeping your eyes open. My dad called always called that paying the high cost of living."

Noah looked at Ty. "I lost my dad in Atlanta. I think he would've liked yours. Still got a man and a couple of twin brothers. I hope."