| askin' how I managed to end up in this place, and I couldn't get away |
'How did we end up here?' Bea was thinking to herself. And no, not about how they're currently camping out in an old abandoned shed, but about how they ended up existing during an apocalypse. Why, in their lifetimes, did it have to happen?
The unpredictability of what was happening put Bea on edge ever so slightly, but she was deciding to block out those imminent thoughts and focus on the now, instead of solely the future. Thinking ahead right now would get her nowhere, unless it was about finding her family. She had to remain vigilant, keep herself alive during the present so that her future would fit into her timeline. In fact, one night Bea and Ruth were having a conversation about this.
"I need to find them, Ruth," Bea gazed into the fire, the flames lighting up her face and showing the bags under her eyes.
"I know you do, Bea, but..." Ruth trailed off, not wanting to give the girl false hope.
"My family, I, I know they're far away but... We can do this, right? I'm not saying we have to be quick but we can survive our way back home can't we?" Bea spoke up hopefully, making eye contact with Ruth this time, determination clearly written all over her face.
Ruth paused, before speaking up again,
"Let's say this. We survive, that's all that matters..."
"What?" Bea butted in, not quite satisfied with the response she was given.
"I wasn't finished," Ruth held her index finger momentarily, "We survive, then I'm sure we'll find our way back to them. I promise you that. But we need to focus on the now."
And with that conversation, sparked a burst of positivity between the two. Yes, they were still grieving, but they had something to live for whilst they mourned for the ones they lost. Because there were still people out there that they loved, and they were going to find them.
It gave new motivation, and so in the shabby shed they found temporary shelter in, they did their best to set up a bed for each of them, using the roll up mats that Ruth had packed when they left. Maybe it was convenient that they were near a small stream, as they were able to wash their clothes too, Bea doing more of this whilst Ruth went out and scouted for food.
She had to admit, she was nervous the first time she was on her own, but she trusted Ruth and knew she'd come back, and she had done so for the past couple of days. And so on the third day of their routine, as the sun rose, Bea began to look for clothes to clean when she realised, they had only been out here for a little while. How much of this could she do before getting bored? Still, she said goodbye as Ruth went out on her ventures and took the time to appreciate watching the rest of the sunrise.
Bea clambered on top the shed, fingers barely grasping the top of the sloped edge before she hauled herself up, lying down and letting out a breath from her efforts. She couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face.
Sara would have loved this.
Not the walkers and the death and the gore, and the world ending, but the peace that unexpectedly came with it.
Bea started counting the clouds she could see, losing count and having to start again. Her mind just felt too jumbled by all her thoughts going 100 miles an hour. Something kept popping in her head saying 'what if Ruth doesn't come back', but Bea did her best to push that anxious thought away and continued looking at the clouds.
At least there was no one around to disturb the peace that Bea let herself revel in. She had to remind herself that it wasn't selfish to try and enjoy the calmness that radiated through her body as she looked up at the blue skies of Atlanta, when days ago her mind had been tortured by the screaming horrors of the Atkins' deaths.
YOU ARE READING
signal | the walking dead
Fanfiction"If Shane tries to tell me something one more time..." Bea was stranded. Lost. And she had no way of getting in contact with her family. On a mission to get back to her loved ones she faces some obstacles along the way, where strangers become family...
