Down by the water • TWD

Not Too Long.

"Rick?" She whispered, eyes widening at the man in front of her. The grip on her knife loosened slightly, but she was still hesitant. He only brought his pointer finger to his lips, clearly telling her to be quiet. His swift movement to press himself against the same wall next to her only confused her more.

"They must have come in thinking no one was here." He whispered to her, now checking the windows to see if they opened. She only nodded, already running the scenario through her head.

Avery peeked her head out around the frame of the open entrance. Rick must have closed the door when he came in, which she didn't hear. She'd fight with herself about paying more attention, but for now she focused back on Rick taking out a gun from his belt. It was her gun.

"Take this." She took the gun from his hands with ease, holstering it where it was missing. "Avery." He whispered directly at her to get her attention. "I'm going to go find a window that will open. You stay here and don't move." He paused only for a moment in an attempt to read her expression. "Once I'm outside, I'm going to come back and open this window to get you, okay?"

Avery nodded, taking in her objective, which was absolutely nothing but waiting. "If anyone comes in here, shoot to kill." He grabbed her shoulders now, talking seriously. "I'll hear and come running." He scanned her eyes, seeing the light fear and hesitancy plastered in them. "You got this."

"I know." She gave him a sharp nod, letting those same emotions drift away. This was something she was more than capable of. That's why he had no doubt in leaving her to do it. Her hands found her gun as she watched him move swiftly through the room, this time away from her. When he opened the door, the voices became less of a muffle; she still couldn't make out the words, though.

"Rick left the door open just a crack," smart, she thought. She lightly stepped towards the window closest to her. But on the way her eyes caught something familiar. It was Carl's comic book stack he was reading just hours before. Michonne and he would be back any minute. Her blood ran cold with the thought of what they'd walk into. She wasted no time grabbing them and stuffing them in her bag, zipping it slowly to minimize noise.

Noise came from outside the same window she was still watching from. To the left she saw Rick moving on the roof towards her, still keeping a lookout for anyone. Or anything.

A certain type of uncertainty washed over her like a tidal wave. She had to climb onto...the roof. And the roof was very high up. Heights were definitely not her favorite thing to tackle. As he approached the window, unlocking it with one clean motion, she groaned to herself. Swinging her backpack onto her back quickly, she put one foot through the window, the other following soon after.

"I'll go down first, then I'll catch you." The girl widened her eyes at the idea.

"What?!" She shouted through a whisper. He couldn't be serious. Catch her? She'd have to do it alone?

"You'll be fine; I won't drop you." He was growing annoyed; it was all over his face. The wind started to blow faster, and she gripped the tile surrounding her. She could only watch as Rick dropped himself down onto the grass. He did it in such a smooth sequence she could barely comprehend it.

"Avery, let's go." She heard the whisper from the grass below her. Her legs moved slowly as she crawled towards the edge. Rick stood below, clearly trying to hurry her. He stretched his arms out, ready to catch the girl.

A curse escaped her lips briefly before she dropped her body below. Her hands still gripped the edge of the roof, holding her up.

"Drop," he encouraged her coolly. "I got you." She took one deep breath before letting go, shutting her eyes tightly.