Hearth | The Walking Dead

𝐈𝐕. GLIMPSE OF HELL

CHAPTER FOUR

GLIMPSE OF HELL

SYDNEY'S RESOUNDING, "NO" SHOCKED ELLEN, the older woman stepping back as though she'd been slapped. Sydney took that moment to push herself to her feet, looking over her shoulder to check on the twins. A.J. and Rebecca clung to each other's hands, staring up at Sydney with wide eyes; their matching looks of betrayal did not go unnoticed, but Sydney thought they were unfair. Did they understand what they were giving up? Abraham had protected them so far—they had no reason to leave him now.

Ellen's gaze hardened. "Don't be an idiot, Sydney. Get up and get your stuff, we need to go," she said, dismissing Sydney as though the young girl didn't understand what saying no meant. Sydney clenched her jaw, uncaring that it wasn't good for her teeth. "We have to be gone by the time he wakes up. Come on."

"No," Sydney insisted. "I'm not leaving him behind. Why can't we talk about this?"

Abraham stirred at the sounds of their arguing. Despite herself, Sydney quieted down when Ellen held a finger up to her lips. They waited in silence for Abraham's snoring to restart as tension filled the room, so thick that Sydney could barely breathe. Or maybe it was the idea of her family breaking apart in this way that terrified her—the world had already ended. Wasn't that enough trauma for the Ford children? Did Ellen have to leave Abraham, their protector, when it would be so much easier to stay?

"Mom's right," A.J. said. Sydney looked at him, not sure what to say. A.J. always followed her lead, but now he wasn't; what had Ellen said to convince him? "Dad's scary now. He killed those people."

"Those people would have killed us if he hadn't. Or they would've done worse," Sydney told him desperately. "Dad protected us!"

"Just come with us, Sydney," Rebecca said. Her voice was hoarse, quiet, so different from how Sydney remembered it—but the sound still sent Sydney into shock. Rebecca hadn't spoken a word in nearly a year now, and the first time Sydney heard her, she was encouraging Sydney to help break their family apart.

"Becca," Sydney said, almost stumbling over her sister's name. "Come on. You can't believe—"

"You owe me a favor," Rebecca murmured, looking up at Sydney with the bloodshot eyes that Sydney recognized too well. Sydney swallowed, shaking her head. The favor for winning UNO—Sydney had forgotten. Rebecca wanted to use it now? "You promised. We stay together, right? This is my favor. Come with us."

"You're asking me to leave Dad behind," Sydney said. "I can't do that."

"You promised!" Rebecca insisted.

"And I'm breaking it!" Sydney snapped, stepping away from her sister. "I'm not leaving him behind! You can pretend you know how to survive without him, but I can't. You'll be dead in minutes without him!" she rambled, running a hand through her hair. It was flat from grease and sweat, only irritating her more. "So go! We don't need you. You'll only slow us down," Sydney forced out.

She regretted her words the moment she spoke, but even more so as she watched A.J.'s expression fall as Rebecca's eyes filled with tears. But she refused to take them back; Ellen and the twins would see what the world outside was like and they'd come running back as soon as they realized Sydney was right.

So Sydney turned away and walked toward the back of the gas station, needing space from everyone else and hoping to find something to eat. She knew it was a lost cause—convincing the three to stay, to talk things out with Dad, and to find food, too. The place had been picked over several times before the Fords arrived, dust taking up space on the empty shelves instead. She's sure people were at the point where they would eat that, too. She knew she was.