Safe haven | Rick Grimes

045. THIS IS HOW WE SURVIVE

Chapter forty five

"This is how we survive."

It had been a day and a half since anyone had eaten. While Daryl, Maggie, and Sasha searched the woods, the rest of the group scoured the surrounding area but came up completely empty-handed. They sat on the ground outside the stalled bus, exhausted. Carl sat to the right of Scarlett, leaning his head tiredly against her shoulder. Scarlett cradled baby Judith in her arms, while Rick sat to her left. They still had sixty miles to cover to reach Washington, D.C., and the very thought of heading toward the capital still made Scarlett deeply uneasy.

When the hunting trio returned empty-handed, the group piled back into the truck. They drove as far as the remaining fuel would take them, until the engine finally sputtered and died.

"We're out, just like the other one," Abraham announced, turning off the ignition.

"So we walk," Rick replied flatly.

Everyone climbed out of the vehicle and began moving down the empty road on foot. Scarlett carried Judith, walking side-by-side with Rick. Sensing movement behind them, Daryl turned around, prompting Rick and Scarlett to look back as well. A pack of walkers trailed lazily in the distance.

"We're not at our strongest," Rick noted quietly, turning back around to face the road ahead. "We'll get 'em when it's best. High ground, something like that. They're not going anywhere." He glanced at Daryl. "It's been three weeks since Atlanta. I know you lost something back there."

Judith began to fuss and cry. Scarlett adjusted her grip, shifting the baby closer to her chest to soothe her.

"She's hungry," Daryl said, his voice tight.

"She's okay," Scarlett insisted, trying to convince herself as much as the others. "She's strong. She's gonna be okay."

"We need to find water, food," Daryl countered.

Rick looked up at the overcast sky. "We'll hit something in the road. It's gonna rain sooner or later."

"I'm gonna head out. See what I can find," Daryl said, veering off toward the tree line.

"Hey, don't be too long," Rick called after him.

"I'll go with you," Carol offered, stepping forward.

"I got it," Daryl muttered, not slowing down.

Carol looked at Daryl with a faint smile. "You gonna stop me?"

Without waiting for an answer, she followed Daryl into the brush, leaving the rest of the group to continue their long march down the highway.

As they continued to trudge down the asphalt, Carl stepped up and gently took Judith from Scarlett's arms. Carrying his little sister, he moved to the front of the pack, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Rick and Scarlett. The rest of the exhausted survivors closed ranks around them, their footsteps heavy and slow. Behind them, the shuffling crowd of dead grew larger, the dragging footsteps and low groans multiplying by the minute.

Rick glanced over his shoulder at the highway behind them, his brow furrowed as he watched the growing horde.

"There's more of them," Scarlett muttered, keeping her eyes fixed firmly on the road ahead. "Don't even have to look to know."

"Yeah," Rick agreed quietly, his voice tight with fatigue.

Nobody else spoke. With the threat closing in from behind, they simply pressed forward, keeping their pace steady as they marched deeper into the unknown.