⋆ ★ REQUIEM FOR THE ACCUSED ⋆ ★

NORMAN FUCKING ROCKWELL

"you're just a man, it's just what you do." - lana del rey

the trees seemed to stretch endlessly as the group pushed through the forest, each step crunching over fallen leaves. the silence was interrupted only by the occasional rustle of branches. rick kept a steady pace, frequently checking his compass while michonne walked beside him, her eyes scanning their surroundings. 

carl, his face tense with both fatigue and frustration, was a few steps ahead when he suddenly stopped. a piercing scream sliced through the quiet, its source distant but unmistakable. carl's eyes widened with a mix of horror and determination. without waiting for a response, he bolted through the trees, his boots kicking up leaves as he raced toward the sound. "carl, stop!" rick called after him, his voice urgent. but carl was already too far ahead, driven by the desperate cries. salem, who had been jogging along, felt a sudden surge of fear and adrenaline. she followed carl, weaving through the underbrush, and soon caught up with him and michonne.

they reached a clearing where the sight before them was grim. a horde of walkers surrounded a man and a woman, their clothes torn, their bodies already being pulled apart. the couple's screams were muffled by the growls of the dead as they desperately reached out for help.

rick pulled carl back onto the road, his hands firm on his son's shoulders. "we need to get out of here." he said, his voice heavy with urgency. the walkers had started to notice the new intruders, their heads turning towards the noise. without a second thought, rick, michonne, and carl, with salem close behind, began to jog down the road. the distant cries of the couple echoed through the trees. as they ran, the walkers closed in, their groans growing louder. rick, michonne, and carl pulled out their knives, ready for a fight. the group fought their way through the horde, their blades flashing in the dim light as they cut through the mass of flesh and bone. the sounds of bodies hitting the ground and the clang of metal on bone filled the air.

salem, still trembling from the sight, couldn't help but stare at the open chest of one of the fallen walkers. she felt an almost irresistible urge to cover herself in the decaying flesh, to blend in with the dead. but as she stood there, lost in her thoughts, carl grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the nightmarish scene. "salem, come on." carl said, his voice strained but determined. he led salem up the road, where the group continued to walk in heavy silence, each member dealing with their turmoil from the day's events.

salem walked close to carl, the smell of blood still clinging to him and herself. she shivered, both from the cold and the emotional weight of what they had just witnessed. michonne broke the silence with a murmured observation. "there's gotta be some food around here somewhere." she said. as they climbed up a hill, carl pointed out a car abandoned on the side of the road. a faint gurgling sound came from inside. a walker was trapped inside, pinned by the seatbelt, its limbs flailing weakly.

salem took her knife and, with carl's help, they pulled the walker out of the car. salem squeezed her way in, finding some cans of beans. they decided to camp out for the night, taking refuge in the car. rick and michonne started a fire outside, cooking up what was left of their meagre supplies. inside the car, salem lay in the passenger seat, watching as carl twisted and turned in the driver's seat, his hat tilted aside. the moonlight cast eerie shadows through the windows.

suddenly, the sound of commotion outside made salem sit up. through the grimy window, she saw a group of men standing before rick and michonne. one of them had michonne's katana pressed against her throat, while another aimed a gun at rick. a particularly dirty man tapped on the car window. salem shook carl awake. carl's eyes flew open as he realized his gun was left with rick. the dirty man opened the car door, grabbing salem by her hair and dragging her out roughly.

the cold night air hit salem like a slap, her heart pounding as she was slammed down onto the ground. the man's rank smell burned her nose as his greasy fingers twisted in her hair. salem's panic escalated as she heard the unmistakable sound of a belt being fiddled with. she kicked and screamed, her cries blending with the laughter of the men watching her.

rick's voice cut through the chaos, shouting for them to stop. salem's breathing came in ragged gasps as she watched rick leap from the man's grip, sinking his teeth into the attacker's neck with savage fury. michonne, now free, grabbed her katana and rushed to help rick.

the man on top of salem continued to hold her down, his hands grasping her jacket. suddenly, the weight of another body crushed him. salem rolled over, tears streaming down her face as she saw michonne holding her tightly, the familiar face of jack emerging from the shadows.

jack's knuckles were bloody, his face streaked with grime, but his eyes were cold and hard. the man who had been tormenting salem was no longer moving, the result of jack's merciless intervention. jack scrambled to his feet and scooped up salem into his arms. his familiar scent she so long missed, wrapped around her, providing a hug she desperately needed.

jack hugged her back, his embrace gentle but firm, as if afraid of hurting her. salem cried into his shoulder, her tears mingling with the grime on his clothes. the world outside seemed to fade as she clung to him, finding solace in the familiar presence. as jack held salem close, daryl approached, helping michonne and rick finish off the last of the attackers. salem trembled in jack's arms, her body shaking from a mix of fear and relief. her cries were quiet, but the tension in her small frame spoke volumes. 

the next morning, the road was eerily quiet. the bodies of the men lay strewn across the street, a grim reminder of the previous night's violence. salem slept soundly on jack's lap, her breathing steady and calm. carl sat beside him, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "i took care of her." carl said quietly, his voice tinged with guilt.

"thank you." jack replied, his tone still stern but softer than before. he glanced down at salem, her small form resting peacefully. jack's face hardened as he began to speak. "after the prison, i ended up with daryl and beth. we were together for a while," he paused, running a hand through his longer hair. "beth was kidnapped, and it was just daryl and me trying to find her. we came across this group of guys who were hunting someone who'd killed their friend. didn't know they were looking for rick until now."

"does my dad know?" carl asks and jack nods. "daryl probably told him by now." jack answers, carefully moving salem's hair from her face. "thank you for keeping her safe, i mean it." jack's gaze remained serious, but there was a hint of relief in his eyes as he looked over at carl. "just doing what needed to be done."