The woman who loves you unconditionally from birth, the one who puts her kids before herself and the one who you can always count on above everyone else
RICK GRIMES
(S1-?)
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Chapter 3
The long day had finally worn her down, and now she could sleep deeply. As she drifted off, the sound of crackling fire and laughter outside her tent faded away. The deep bellows of bull frogs and cricket chirps were pleasant to hear, and the late summer breeze that rolled over her was even better. Julia was a light sleeper, and these days she barely gets any good sleep at all. Hearing something move in the brush of the grass, a twig snapped, and the hairs on her body rose and a pit in her stomach formed. She stayed still without moving a muscle, straining her ears to listen for any further sounds. The rustling continued, growing closer, and Julia's heart began to race with fear.
The flap on her tent opened.
"Hey Jules," a soft voice whispered her name. A shadowy figure stood inside her tent. She leaped out of bed and moved closer to her slumbering baby, narrowing her eyes to get a better look at who it was.
He was so tall that he nearly filled the entire doorway. His voice was soft and gentle, as if sharing a secret. As he got closer, she caught a whiff of a familiar cologne and could make out the shape of his face. She kept her eyes glued on the guy as she slowly reached out and flicked on the light in her tent. When she saw the guy standing in front of her, her face turned white as a paper sheet.
"Carter?"
It had been almost a year, and yet nothing about her husband had changed. She studied his features, tracing each line and curve with her eyes. Carter's voice washed over her like a soothing melody. The warmth of his hand in hers sent shivers down her spine—a familiar comfort that never failed to make her heart race. He smiled as Julia melted into his grasp, just as she used to.
Carter pulled back, looking her over. She smiled at him. It felt nice to be seen in his eyes again. Another twig snapped outside her tent. Julia's heart skipped a beat as she felt a sudden shift in the atmosphere. This time, it wasn't Carter outside her tent. She couldn't quite place it, but a sense of unease began to settle in the pit of her stomach. Carter's expression had darkened as he grabbed a stern hold of her.
"You don't have much time. It's not safe."
This time, she really did jump out of bed. Julia's eyes flew open, her heart racing as she took in her surroundings. The tent was empty except for her and her sleeping son. She raised her hand to feel her cheek, hoping for something she didn't know, but there were no traces of warmth left on her skin.
After a minute, she realized how quiet it was—actually, not even the sound of wildlife in the night forest could be heard. Which Julia knew was really weird; the silence made her skin crawl and the hair on her arms stand up.
"It's not safe?" Julia whispered to herself, trying to gather her thoughts as the sound of a scream broke the stillness of the camp. Then it sounded like chaos was erupting through the camp as more shrill screams got piercing and scarier. She could hear Shane's voice shouting, but he was too far away for her to understand what he was saying.
