Alone TWD

Greene, Was The Colour...

Natalia was bestowed a job, when she had been restless, and bugging everyone, she was allowed to look out for the whisperers, shooting them down before they could get to the group, and she was always a pretty good shot, by her standards, anyone else would call her perfect.

"You don't shoot anyone unless it's cleared, I don't want my kids to grow up without a father, cause you were pretty sure." Natalia told Rachel.

That was until an explosion in one of the stairwells, went off.

"Aunt Nat!" Judith called, but she was already running.

"What's going on?" She asked, grabbing the girl, but that question was answered when she saw the whisperer, who's face had been burnt off, slowly and painfully dying, from the electrical tripwire.

"They're coming, they're coming up." The girl whimpered.

People acted fast to block the door to the stairwell, making sure they couldn't get up and in, but Judith still hadn't left it, she refused to leave it, so Natalia waited with her, and then Evie joined her.

"Lydia's gone." She told her mother.

"How long ago?" Natalia asked, still holding Judith.

"I'm not sure, we were with all the kids, then she said she was gonna go look for another book, and she never came back."

"She wanted to go help, there's nothing we can do now, except hope she's okay."

"Jude, come on, let's go back." Evie encouraged, but she didn't budge, holding her small sword, steady.

"I- I can't, I don't wanna." She answered.

Evie looked at Natalia unsurely, but she just sighed, waving the teenager off.

"She's alright." She answered quietly.

"Mom, are you alright?"

"Evelyn, sweet girl, you're hovering, don't. If I wasn't fine, I would say other whys."

"I know, it's just that-"

"Evelyn Baker, stop worrying about me, you're the kid, I'm the parent, relax, it's all fine, go play with the cat."

"But I don't wanna play with the cat." She moped.

"Eve." Natalia stared at her.

"Fine." The shuffle of her feet told them that they were alone, again.

"Harsh, Aunt Nat." Judith commented.

"The girl needs it, sometimes, she works herself up into these frenzy's and then her brain stops working, she get's careless but also becomes a nuisance, sometimes she needs a bit of tough love to remind her that she's not gonna die and neither are the people who love her." Natalia explained.

"My mom's not back yet." Judith looked at her hands.

"I've noticed that." Natalia looked at her. "Unlike Mich to stay away for so long."

"She found this group, and they needed help, and my mom's a good helper, I encouraged to- to help them." Natalia could see clear as day that she was struggling to find her sentence. "But- I just miss her, and I want us all to be together again."

"Do you know when she'll be back?"

Judith shook her head.

"No. But the people needed her to go far away, to help. I don't think she's gonna be back for a while, but I miss her."

"I know, lovey, I miss her, too." Natalia sighed, hugging the girl as her tears filled. "And she misses you, too, she hates being away from her kids, just as much as I do. But, we'll figure it out, and in the meantime, you and RJ are gonna stay with Uncle Daryl and I, and the kids, and we'll wait for your mom to get back, together, and she can tell us all about how she found these people, to help the person who's been missing for a long time, now."