⋆ ★ REQUIEM FOR THE ACCUSED ⋆ ★

FORWARDS BECKON REBOUND

"villan and violent. infant and innocent. baby, both arms cradle you now." - adrianne lenker

salem is lying outside in a vast field, the soft grass tickling her skin as she gazes up at the clear blue sky. birds circle high above her, their wings beating gracefully as they soar. a soft breeze rustles the leaves around her, and for a moment, everything feels peaceful—like the world before.

she sits up slowly and notices carl beside her, lying on his back with a soft smile on his face. without saying a word, they both stand up and soon they're jogging through the woods, laughing and smiling as they run hand in hand. the air is fresh, the sun warm against her skin, and for the first time in what feels like forever, salem feels light. free.

as they run, salem turns her head for a moment, distracted by the beautiful butterflies that flutter out of a nearby bush, their delicate wings catching the sunlight. she grins, but when she looks back at carl, her breath catches in her throat—he's gone.

in his place, a walker runs alongside her, its decaying hand still gripping hers. salem freezes in terror, immediately dropping the walker's hand and stumbling backward. she falls to the ground, her heart pounding in her chest. the walker limps toward her, its outstretched arms reaching for her. she tries to crawl away, but it's too fast. its rotting fingers grip her shoulders, pulling her toward its gnashing teeth.

just as the walker closes in, salem jolts awake, her body trembling. her breath comes in shallow gasps as she looks around, her eyes adjusting to the familiar dim light of the church. the warm glow of the candles, the soft murmurs of her group nearby—she's safe. her heartbeat begins to slow as she takes a deep breath, shuddering as the remnants of the nightmare linger. 

salem stands up and walks over to jack, her eyes scanning the group as she notices the tension in the air. everyone looks sombre, faces tight with worry. "what's going on?" she whispers into jack's ear, keeping her voice low so no one else hears.

"those fuckers from terminus got bob," jack murmurs back, his expression dark. "they ate his leg right in front of him. and he got bit at the food bank, so he isn't gonna make it. sasha's in there with him now." he sighs, his voice laced with frustration and sorrow.

salem exhales, her chest heavy with the weight of everything going wrong. nothing ever seemed to go right for them, not once. "rick and a few others are heading out to scout," jack continues, glancing toward rick, who's motioning for him. "you'll stay here."

"why? why can't i come?" she whispers, frowning at being left behind again. "because, salem, you can't even kill a fly," jack says, laughing quietly. "you'd just be in the way." his tone is teasing, but it cuts deep, making salem feel small, useless. she frowns harder, wishing she could prove him wrong.

rick waves jack over again, and jack squeezes salem's shoulder in a half-hearted goodbye before heading out with the group. rick leaves salem with carl, judith, tyreese, eugene, and gabriel—along with bob, still lying on the couch in the back room, struggling to hang on. rick wanted every set of eyes he could get on the mission, but tyreese always stayed behind, insisting on protecting the kids. salem sits in a pew next to carl, the air thick with tension.

"i can't believe they ate his leg in front of him. that's so messed up." carl says, breaking the silence. his voice is low, almost numb. salem nods, her heart aching for sasha and bob. the tragedy felt endless.

then suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoes from the front steps. salem's stomach drops. "shit, get down." carl hisses, pulling her down under the pew. his arm wraps around her, holding her close as he brings a finger to his lips, signalling for silence. her heart races, her breathing shallow and quick. the sound of the front door creaking open sends a jolt of fear through her.