never strong enough, twd

05. GONE, GONE, GONE.

Millie had asked Shane if she could take a nap, surprisingly, he said yes. She had just assumed he felt awful about what happened because he always said he never believed in naps. Apparently they were for lazy people.

He also did her hair before she went to sleep, in two braids. He didn't complain, either, even if his hands were still hurting. Millie did try to ask questions about what happened, like why Ed hit Carol, why Carol was apologising to Ed, but he just kept brushing it off, saying she was too young to understand and it wasn't her business.

When she woke up, the tent was empty. She couldn't hear the mumbles of the others outside or the sound of the fire. Nothing but the few crickets chirping. Rubbing her eyes, she slipped her boots on and unzipped the tent.

Stepping out, the hot, muggy air consumed her instantly. She tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ears and walked up the slight hill, expecting to be greeted by the others. No one was there.

Millie frantically searched with her eyes, not moving a muscle out of nerves.. She kept telling herself they wouldn't leave her. Maybe they just forgot about her. She knew better than to walk off, attempting to find them. Shane taught her to always stay where she was last, so the others can find her instead.

She had done this before, it didn't end well. Back before the fall, Millie was eight, shopping for Carl's birthday. Shane had told her to stay in the aisle she was in, and he'd be right back. She agreed, he never took long before. So she just sat on the ground, reading the back of a toy box. A few minutes went by, but that felt like years to Millie. She shot to her feet, and searched every aisle, eventually leading her to start crying in the middle of the store. Shane found her instantly of course, he told her that it was her fault because she didn't do as she was told. He also threatened her with using those kid leashes too, which Millie absolutely hated, those were for toddlers.

She decided sitting and waiting was the best option. She sat on make shift chairs— a row of car seats, tucking her knees to her chest. She thought about all the times she didn't listen to her father, and contemplated if what she was doing was the right thing. What if Shane thought she was being weak, that she had no survival instinct? A store and a world full of the living dead isn't even close to being the same.

Millie let her mind wander, waiting for someone to come back. Her focus was suddenly shifted when a few shouts echoed through the camp. Her eyes quickly fixated on the top of a hill, where she couldn't see her father, but simply the tops of several people's heads. Millie immediately sprang off her seat, speeding uphill to the group. Her chest beating, she dropped her hands to her knees as she finally reached them. She stood beside Carol, just to lift her head and see her father on top of someone, again. His stance was a lot calmer this time, he didn't seem to want to hurt the man on the ground. He wanted to help him.

Millie utters, "Dad?" taking a few steps forward. She was quickly shut down by Carol gently holding onto her shoulder. The feeling inside her was a mix of fear and sorrow. She didn't fear anyone, just feared for the man on the ground. They had never spoken before, yet she feels so deeply for him.

                                          —🦴—

Carol and Lori tried to distract the three kids with maths, sitting down with work books. Millie liked maths, she was doing grade seven maths by the time she was nine. Focusing wasn't easy, though, Shane was talking to Jim; who was tied to a tree. Jim wasn't looking at Shane at all, he was practically looking through him, right at Millie.

She tried her best to keep her head down, Lori tried distracting her by asking questions too. Jim's eyes just burned into her like no other, she couldn't help but stare back. She wanted to ask if he was okay, if he needed help. But her father always taught her to let the cop do the talking, especially with people who are sick.