⋆ ★ REQUIEM FOR THE ACCUSED ⋆ ★

TWILIGHT

"but the evil is necessary, and you're still hungry for her." - boa

as they finished clearing the house, michonne, salem, and carl gathered their things, the weight of the grim discovery lingering but not spoken aloud. michonne, determined to lift the mood, started teasing carl about his clumsy attempts to sneak through the rooms earlier. salem, catching the light-hearted tone, couldn't help but smirk as carl defended himself, claiming he was just being thorough. their laughter echoed in the empty hallways as they made their way back outside. 

the sun had begun to dip lower in the sky, casting long shadows as they walked down the street toward their temporary home. salem's mind drifted back to the earlier horrors, but the familiar banter between carl and michonne kept her grounded in the moment. the three of them were deep in conversation about comic book heroes, debating who would win in a fight between superman and batman, when salem noticed a figure crouching beside their house. it was rick, his face urgent as he waved them back down the road.

without a word, michonne grabbed salem's and carl's hands, and they broke into a run, hearts pounding. rick hurried to catch up, his breath ragged as he fell in step behind them. they didn't stop until they were several streets away, the sounds of their footsteps echoing in the stillness. "what happened?" michonne finally asked, her voice low but steady. rick glanced over his shoulder as if expecting to see someone following. "a group of men came into the house. i hid, but one of them found me in the bathroom. i had to kill him to get out." carl's eyes widened, and he looked to salem, who swallowed hard, the reality of their world hitting her again.

they continued down the road, putting more distance between them and the danger rick had just escaped. the tension gradually eased as they walked, and michonne reached into her bag, pulling out a couple of chocolate bars. she handed one to each of the kids, and they unwrapped them eagerly, the sweetness melting on their tongues as they walked along the train tracks. carl, balancing on the metal rail, started talking about the comics they had found earlier, his excitement infectious. "if i had to choose a superpower, it'd still be teleportation," he said, taking a bite of his chocolate. "endless free vacations, remember?"

salem smiled, nodding along, though her thoughts were still a bit scattered from the day's events. the normalcy of their conversation, the simple act of walking and talking, was a welcome distraction. rick walked beside them, his eyes scanning the area, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he listened to carl's ramblings. michonne, ever the steady presence, kept pace with the group, occasionally chiming in with her thoughts on superheroes and what power she'd want. 

as they walked down the path, the four of them talking and laughing, they suddenly came upon something unexpected—a large storage locker, the kind that would normally be hooked to a train. it sat alone on the tracks, weathered and rusting, its surface covered in graffiti and peeling paint. rick was the first to notice the map plastered on the side of it. he stopped in his tracks, causing the others to do the same. michonne, carl, and salem all looked around at each other, then back at the map, their curiosity piqued.

"what do you think?" michonne asked, her voice cautious as she studied rick's face. rick's eyes narrowed as he examined the map, taking in the details. it depicted a route leading to a place marked terminus, with bold letters promising safety and sanctuary. for a moment, rick didn't say anything, weighing their options. finally, he nodded, his decision made. "let's go." he said, his voice firm. they all turned their attention back to the map, studying the path it laid out for them. the idea of terminus—of a place where they could find safety—was too tempting to ignore, especially after everything they had been through.

*:ꔫ:*

"i think we got about a day's worth of water left." rick said, glancing at the group as they walked along the train tracks. the air had cooled off a bit, but the looming need for resources still weighed heavily on his mind. he turned to see michonne watching salem and carl closely as they competed to see who could balance on the rails the longest. "what are you doing?" rick asked, curious about their game.