Six Feet Under ➳ Rick Grimes

Discovering Home

Eight months later

We sit in an abandoned house. We smell of death and our faces are hollow from starvation. I slowly eat out of a jar of peanut butter. My baby stomach has grown and my back is killing me.

Carl's hair has grown long, Ricks beard is scruffy. Beth and Maggie are covered in dirt, Carol is covered in blood and her short hair is messy. T-dogs clothes are ripped and Daryl's hair is wet with grease and sweat. Hershel's eyes are sunken in and I know we're all on the brink of death.

Carl goes away from the group and comes back with two cans of...dog food? My stomach lurches as he cuts the lids off. We all look at the cans warily until Rick comes in, picks one of the cans up, and throws it across the room.

We're all losing our will to live. We would probably be better off dead anyways. We basically already are. We're starving and dehydrated.

I hear T make a whistle noise and I look out the window. I see a group of walkers come towards us and since we all know we're not strong enough to fight them off, we get ready to leave.

Carol helps lift me up and I put my hand on my back and hold my knife with the other. I feel Rick put his hand on the back of my neck and we walk back to the cars.

"I don't know how much longer she can go on like this." I hear Hershel mutter to Rick. "We'll find somewhere." Rick grumbles. He's angry. Well, more upset than angry. He wanted us to keep going, he wanted us to make it till the end, whatever the end may be.

We drive for a few more hours until we run out of gas. "We can't just camp on the side of the road." Beth argues. "We may have to." Hershel says. Carl helps me out of the car and we walk down to a little sewer area. "I'm happy there's no plumbing anymore." I laugh slightly and Carl remains emotionless. My smile slowly fades as we settle into our potentially dangerous campsite.

"I'm gonna go huntin, that owl I had didn't really hit the spot." Daryl says, referring to the owl he found and ate at the abandoned shack. "I'll come to." Rick says and looks down at me.

"Be careful." I say. Rick nods before leaning down and kisses my forehead. He puts his hand on Carl's head and they turn to start walking.

"You alright?" I ask Carl and pet his gross hair. "Are you?" Carl scoffs/laughs. "Not exactly." I mutter and lean back on my arms. "How's the baby feeling?" Hershel asks. "Tiring." I mumble and rub my stomach.

Carl puts his hand on my back and directs my body downwards so I'm lying with my head on his lap. It's amazing how much he's changed in the few months.

We've barely survived the winter and I don't know how much longer I can take it. I stare into the small fire and Beth begins to hum a song from beside me. I put my hand up and caress her cheek before lightly holding her hand. She looks down at me and gives me a weak smile.

Slowly, my eyes fall shut and I drift off into the land of dreams.

"Two kids. No, only one...i don't really like kids." Britney begins. "And we'll live in a cottage on a lake because I know that's your dream. And you'll be a teacher and I'll be a vet. We'll have a pet bird named suitcase and a puppy named lunchbox because I know you like weird animal names." She says and I lean my head against her shoulder as we watch the sun burn into the treeline.

"We'll be married." I say quietly and she turns her head slightly to look at me. "Yeah. Yeah we will." She says, her voice cool and low. I kiss her gently behind the ear and close my eyes, taking in the scent of male cologne and lake water.

"This is where we belong." She whispers and I smile. "I belong anywhere, as long as I'm with you." I say, my words softer than ever before. "I love you so much, Janey." She says against my hair. "I love you too, baby." I whisper and she brings my lips to hers.