Safe haven | Rick Grimes

043. WE CAN'T STAY HERE

Chapter forty three

"We can't stay here."

That night, Daryl returned—not with Carol, but with a teenage boy named Noah. Daryl had found him in Atlanta, where a community based in a hospital had kidnapped Beth and was now also holding Carol.

While the rest of the group worked to secure the church, destroying parts of the structure to build walker traps outside and board up the windows, Rick and Scarlett stood together by the side of the house.

"He wants to go to Atlanta, but I can't have that," Rick shared, his voice heavy.

"But I know how you feel," Scarlett replied softly. "After sending Carol out there, and then her saving all of you, you feel like you owe her."

Rick placed his hands gently on her face, looking into her eyes. "I don't wanna leave you."

"And I'll be here when you get back," Scarlett promised before kissing him.

Heading inside, they found Carl standing across the room. Rick held Judith tightly in his arms and kissed her forehead.

"All right," he said quietly, handing the baby over to Scarlett.

He turned to Carl and pulled him into a warm hug. Carl hugged him back tightly. Pulling away, Rick said, "We'll be back soon."

"I know," Carl replied.

As Rick went to grab his gear bag, he looked back at Scarlett. He stepped toward her for one last kiss, a quiet moment of connection before the journey. Scarlett kissed him back, both of them acknowledging the uncertainty of the road ahead.

When they parted, Scarlett whispered, "The longer you stay, the longer it'll take for you to come back."

Rick turned, gripped his bag, and walked toward the exit. Scarlett followed him to the entrance. As she began pulling the left door shut, Rick grabbed the right one. They maintained eye contact until the doors finally closed, separating the group.

In the quiet that followed, Judith began to cry.

"Shh, shh," Scarlett said softly, lifting the child and walking away from the door to soothe her.

Michonne and Carl immediately moved to secure the entryway, lifting heavy wooden planks to barricade the doors. As Carl began hammering the wood into place, the loud noise startled the little girl. Scarlett leaned her forehead gently against the child's.

"It's okay. I'm here," she whispered, holding her securely until the crying subsided.

Some time had passed, and Judith was now fast asleep in Scarlett's arms. Keeping a watchful eye on the room, Scarlett watched as Carl stood in front of Gabriel, who was on his knees scrubbing the blood stains off the church floor. A selection of weapons lay on the floor nearby.

"Pick one," Carl told him.

Gabriel ignored the request and kept scrubbing.

"You need to learn how to defend yourself," Carl insisted. "We can teach you."

Gabriel finally looked up at him. "Defend myself? They said they'd go."

Michonne looked over, listening closely as Carl replied, "They were liars and murderers."

"Just like us," Gabriel muttered.

"We protected ourselves. They wanted us dead," Carl countered firmly. "You're lucky your church has lasted this long. You can't stay in one place anymore. Not for too long. And once you're out there, you're gonna find trouble you can't hide from. You need to know how to fight."