Safe haven | Rick Grimes

056. IT'S THE ONLY WAY OUT OF HERE

Chapter fifty six

"It's the only way out of here."

The violent crunch of the collapsing tower echoed down the street. Scarlett skidded to a halt, whipping her head back toward the cloud of rising dust.

"Mom, come on!" Carl yelled, tugging at her arm.

Through the haze, Scarlett spotted Rick hitting the pavement hard, with the front wave of the walker herd snapping at his heels. She didn't hesitate. She raised her gun, her finger pulling the trigger in rapid succession, dropping the lead walkers before they could reach him.

Rick scrambled to his feet, chest heaving as he sprinted toward them. "Everyone get back! Get into your houses! Go!" he bellowed to the fleeing neighborhood.

A stray walker lunged from the side, aiming for Rick's blind spot. Scarlett fired a clean shot through its skull.

"Mom!" Carl urged again, his voice rising in panic.

"Rick!" Scarlett called out, waiting until he was close enough.

Carl surged up to her side. "Come on!"

Scarlett snatched Judith back from Carl's arms, securing her tight. "Go!" she ordered. The two of them broke into a dead run down the pavement, entirely unaware that a silent, hostile Ron was trailing directly behind them.

Michonne caught up to their stride in the chaos, with Gabriel flanking her. Rick and Deanna were pushing hard right behind them, the massive herd of the dead filling the street like a dark wave.

Michonne's katana flashed, slicing down the two walkers on their left. To their right, two more closed in, but Carl and Gabriel dropped them with synchronized precision. Suddenly, a thick cluster of walkers blocked the path ahead, pinning the group against the oncoming herd.

The sound of rapid gunfire cut through the groans. The walkers blocking their path collapsed. Through the gap, Jessie appeared on her front porch, her smoking gun lowered. "Come on!" she screamed.

They bolted up the porch steps, shoving their way through the front door as Jessie slammed it shut, throwing the heavy deadbolts against the thudding bodies outside.

Rick and Michonne immediately hoisted a heavily bleeding Deanna, carrying her up the stairs as Jessie led the way. In the living room, Scarlett stood catching her breath, cradling Judith while Carl stood guard right beside her.

Rick hurried back down the stairs, his face pale but focused. "You two alright?"

"Yeah," Carl told him.

Rick turned his attention to Scarlett, his gaze softening. "I'll take her. I need you to go look at Deanna for me. She got hurt bad during the escape."

"Rick..." Scarlett murmured, her voice tight with exhaustion.

"I promise you, everything will be fine," Rick shared, gently taking Judith from her arms.

Scarlett looked at Carl, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before turning toward the staircase. As she hurried up the steps, her boot suddenly lost its grip on the polished wood, slipping backward.

Her heart violently skipped a beat. For a fraction of a second, her mind flashed back to the terrifying memory of Pete grabbing her by the hair and throwing her down the stairs. The phantom pain of the impact made her dizzy. She gripped the banister tightly, shook the memory out of her head, and forced her feet to keep climbing up to the second floor.

Scarlett headed down the hallway and slipped into the bedroom where Michonne was working on Deanna.

"Rick said she was hurt bad?" Scarlett asked, crossing the room to the bedside.