sleep on the floor, r.grimes

chapter four, miss malie

CHAPTER FOUR, 004
❝ MISS MALIE ! ❞

BEING a thirteen year old girl was hard enough, but now Malie May Lovdin-Walsh had to be one in an apocalyptic world.

As she sat on a log outside of the Greene farmhouse, her feet kicking back and forth as she attempted to draw in the dark, worry washing away. She wasn't scared of the dark anymore, weird, right? She was scared of what lurked in the dark, more so those who weren't alive anymore.

Her white paper was stained with dark black charcoal smudges, and her poorly signed name at the bottom. A well-drawn picture of herself was etched across the paper, different faces, tools, but still one person and their accessories. A small part of Malie believed that if she could draw her future self, then that's who she could be — gave her something to work towards.

"Fuck." Malie heard and her head moved to the side where she saw Lori Grimes, crouching a ways away with something in hand. She hadn't noticed that Lori had even moved outside from where she probably had been sitting with her sleeping son. "Shit."

Before Malie could even continue her mental debate about whether to approach Lori or not, curiosity got the better of her. She stood up, tucking her sketchbook under her arm, and walked over to where Lori was crouched.

"Lori?" Malie called out softly, not wanting to startle her.

Lori looked up, her face illuminated by the faint moonlight. She quickly tried to hide what she was holding, but Malie had already seen it. A pregnancy test, and if Malie was correct, with a small little plus sign on it too.

"Malie," Lori said, her voice a mix of surprise and frustration that she had been caught. "You shouldn't be out here alone."

Malie shrugged, her eyes fixed on the test in Lori's hand. "I couldn't sleep. What's that?"

Lori sighed, realizing there was no point in hiding it now. "It's a pregnancy test. But you can't tell anyone, okay?"

Malie's eyes widened, she wasn't dumb, she had been in a sexual education class before the world ended. "You're pregnant?"

Lori nodded, her expression serious. "I think so. But it's not something I want everyone to know right now. Can you keep it a secret?"

Malie hesitated, the weight of the request settling on her shoulders. She was just a kid, but in this world, she had to grow up fast, everyone did. "Okay," she said finally. "I won't tell anyone."

That would be a lie. She told her dad everything. This wouldn't be an exception.

Lori gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you, Malie. I appreciate it."

Malie nodded, but as she walked back to her log, her mind was racing. She couldn't keep this to herself. She needed to talk to someone, and the only person she could think of was her dad, Silas.

When she snuck back into the Greene farm house, and back into bed where she, her brother and dad all slept cuddled up because of the limited space. She knew her dad was awake by the way the blankets were still pulled up to his shoulders.

"Dad, can I talk to you?" She whispered so quietly.

Silas looked up, peeking past the blankets as his daughter climbed under her own. He wouldn't ask where she was, he knew she would be safe. "Sure, sweetheart. What's on your mind?"

Malie took a deep breath. "It's about Lori. She asked me to keep a secret, but I don't think I can."

Silas frowned, concern etched on his face, not that Malie could see in the darkness. "What kind of secret?"

Malie glanced around to make sure no one was listening, to make sure her brother was still asleep. "She's pregnant."

Silas's eyes widened, and his expression darkened. "She told you that?"

Malie nodded. "Yeah. She asked me not to tell anyone, but I didn't know what to do."

Silas's jaw tightened, "She had no right to put that kind of burden on you. You're just a kid, Malie. She should know better."

Malie flinched at the anger in her dad's voice, something she had only ever seen once before. "I just thought you should know."

"You did the right thing by telling me. Thank you, sweetheart." Silas took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Don't feel bad for telling me, okay, baby? You shouldn't have to keep that to yourself."

LATER into the next day, Silas found Lori sitting on the porch, her hands wrapped around a mug of coffee. He approached her, his expression stormy and unkind.

"Lori, we need to talk," he said, sitting down beside her.

Lori looked up, her eyes wary about what it could be. A small part of her was more worried he knew about her pregnancy rather than her group having to leave. "What about?"

Silas took a deep breath, his anger simmering just below the surface. "Malie told me about the pregnancy test. She said you asked her to keep it a secret."

Lori's face paled and there was a small hint of anger in her tone. "She told you?"

Silas nodded, his eyes hard. "She's thirteen, Lori. You can't ask her to keep something like that to herself. It's too much for her to handle. Before the world went to shit too."

Lori sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I didn't mean for her to see, I'm so sorry, Silas."

Silas's voice was firm, but there was an edge to it. "I understand that, but you need to find someone else to confide in because Malie, nor me, we can't be the one carrying this burden. Talk to your husband."

Lori nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"You should have paid just a little more attention about who could be around you Lori, it isn't all your fault that Malie had seen, but you can't ask my daughter to keep secrets from anyone, especially me." Silas stood and made his way to where he could see his children playing cards, and left no more room for discussion.