𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 - carl grimes .

❷ - wary attempts

act one - chapter two
"wary attempts"
- soobriety -

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WITH EACH STEP up the steep ladder into the prison's watchtower, May found the lengths of her newfound embarrassment almost unbearable.

Glenn had seen her, from his perch atop one of the scattered watchtowers. First, he was worried, he had told her, that a stray walker had slipped its way into the fence. Then he told her that he had accidentally woken up Maggie on his way down to go investigate. At that comment, May was ready to send herself plummeting down the ladder.

It's been a while, since she's been embarrassed. Nothing to be embarrassed about when you are your only company. In some way, she's decided, the feeling of embarrassment is worse than fear. Her skin itches, she feels heat in the balls of her cheeks and the tips of her ears. She wants to crawl into her own skin, to hide within her carefully created shell, to not have to look anyone in the eyes.

The first words she had uttered to the man when he had discovered her were the pleads to not tell anyone. Her hands were clasped together behind her back, fingers tingling like they had touched a hotplate. She stood in front of him, idly, trying to look as innocent as possible. She couldn't look him in the eyes then, either.

Climbing each bar, She could only assume that this is what it would be like to be sent to the principal's office— something she's never done, to the extent of her memory, she was a good kid. She never imagined she would try to escape from prison, either.

What happens, happens.

Maggie was waiting at the top. She sat, gracefully, her best angles illuminated by the glow of a lantern. May's look at her was brief, too afraid to pick her head up and face the woman. She was looking up for long enough to see Glenn offer out his hand to her, a kind gesture. May pretended not to see it, placing her foot on the metal floor and hoisting herself up. She swallowed thickly; her mouth was dry.

"Sit." Maggie offered. May didn't have the courage to do anything other than comply. Her knees found her chest as her back pressed against a charred wall, sling bag covering her legs like a shield.

She messed with the frayed shoelace of her boot, listening to the shuffle of Glenn as he took his seat next to Maggie. Silence dawned on them with an ample force. May watched her fingers entangle themselves into the loops of her shoelace, twisting and pulling and tightening them, distracting herself so she didn't shatter.

Maggie tilted her head, met May's gaze with a lopsided grin. The corners of her eyes crinkled, the eyes that cracked May's ribcage through the middle, exposing her tattered soul for Maggie to see. Without a word, her vulnerability had peaked through; she wanted nothing more to escape, to stitch herself back up and enclose her heart.

"So," Maggie started. Her voice careened through the weight of silence. This was one of the few times May preferred the quiet. "What are you doing?"

Her tone should be aggressive. It should be offended and questioning and probably worried, but it wasn't. She spoke calmly, elegantly laced with curiosity.

May shrugged. Any answer left her throat, floated away within the ocean of her anxiety. "I don't know— leaving, I guess."

"Why?"