𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 // 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘭 𝘋𝘪𝘹𝘰𝘯

ᴄᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴍᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ꜰᴀʟʟ

The wooden stairs creak under my weight as I make my way down. After last nights events, there's a huge grin on my face as I reach the bottom stair, my boots thumping against the floor loudly. Rick stands on the other end of the kitchen counter, raising his head when he hears me. "hey." He mumbles, a distant look in his eyes. Something is bothering him. 

In the long time I've known Rick for, I've learnt one thing about how Rick handles issues. First option; he tells people he trusts, waiting for their advice before striking into action. This option isn't chosen much but when it is, he comes to me. I admire Rick so the fact that he trusts me with things makes me proud. The second option is the one Rick chooses to lead with. The option of not telling a single soul, letting the issue create a nest in his chest, slowly getting bigger and bigger until he explodes. 

We can't have that in a place like this, "What's wrong Rick?" I get straight to the point, resting my hand in my hands as I lean against the counter, staring at him. He shakes his head, looking out the window quickly. 

"Scarlet?" I straighten my back at his tone. This is serious. 

"Rick?" 

He motions me with his hand to follow him outside and I do, trying my best to keep up as I follow the old sheriff. We stop in front of the pond located in the center of Alexandria and stand in silence. Rick looks ahead, at the clear water. And I look at him, confusion written all over my face. 

"What's bothering you Rick?" I ask softly. He looks up but only for a second, the sound of a dog barking makes both of us distracted. I keep my eyes on the woman walking her dog in an amazed daze. I didn't think I'd ever see a dog again. 

"Do you think this place is safe Scarlet?" He asks, finally making eye contact with me. I stare at him in silence, considering my answer for a moment before sighing. I look back to the water, watching a tiny paper boat drift past us. 

"Remember when I told you about that dream I had?" I ask, turning my head to find him already nodding. "I had no clue this place was coming and somehow it's like my brain was telling me it was." 

"Are you trying to say this is right?" He asks. I shake my head but shrug, looking back down at my boots before looking up and at the dog again. 

"What I'm trying to say is, I will always side with you Rick, you know that." I take a deep breath, "But, I think this place is worth a shot." He nods, an unreadable look on his face. "Before the prison I didn't dream, I didn't even sleep, but here, this place is lucky somehow, and we might not be able to see it yet but I have a feeling my brain was telling me to come here for a reason, so yeah this place is safe, at least as safe as we can make it." 

I hold eye contact now, really wanting my words to stick with him. "So are you going to tell me what's wrong now?" He nods, turning his back towards the water, he points at a house. 

"There's a woman names Jessie living in that house with two boys. One is Carl's age the other is just a little younger," I nod along, curious. "Her husband is beating her." 

My heart sinks and my throat turns dry. "Beating her?" I repeat, as if I didn't hear him properly. He just gives me a short nod, dropping his head back to the ground. Images of my dad's bloody hands as he walks away from my crying mom make my head pound, a familiar feeling flooding my head. The type of feeling that scares me. 

"What are we going to do about it?" I sound cold and Rick turns to look at me. 

"Carol says that we have to kill him but if you think this place is really worth it, we're gonna need to come up with a different plan." I shake my head.