Down by the water • TWD

Dropping like Flies.

Silence was something Avery was grateful for. It was also something she'd miss when it wasn't around.

Noise was something she'd hated. The noise that came from inside her head and the kind that came from around her. She didn't have control over it, and that's where it went wrong.

Everyone came together on the floor of the church. Rick and others had gone to a food bank nearby that Gabriel told them about. The group came back with multiple carts filled with canned food.

So here everyone sat, laughing and socializing while feasting. It's been a while since they've seen this much food, so advantage was being taken.

Avery had a can of chicken open next to her as she was sitting off to the side. She hadn't touched it, being too busy watching Ranger walk up to each person, begging for food. Even after he had 3 cans of chicken himself.

The group had taken a liking to Ranger, the way he'd look out for each of them. He'd always trot ahead looking for danger and always bark when there was.

So a small smile waved over the girl's face when each person would give him a share of their food.

Daryl was sitting with Carol, and Avery wasn't very fond of it. They'd been gone all day, and now that he was back, he was next to her. She cursed at herself for caring so much. It was that in moments like these she wanted to escape in conversation with him. He had a way of making her forget everything wrong.

With him gone, fidgeting with her dirty fingernails would have to do.

"Why are you off to the side like some outcast?" She looked up at Abraham as he spoke to her.

Avery just stared at him for a moment, questioning herself. "Why are you talking to somebody you don't know?"

He let out a light chuckle at the comment, "I want to know everyone who's helping us save the world." His tone was serious now, "and I see that fire in you."

She scoffed and shook her head, "Just like the fire on your head?"

Abraham outright laughed at that, "And I'll cheers to that!"

Avery glared as he walked back to where he stood before, raising his glass to the group.

"I'd like to propose a toast." The conversation stopped as Abraham raised his voice. "I look around this room...and I see survivors." He swallowed. "Each and every one of you has earned that title." A small smile grew on his lips as he raised his glass to the group. "To the survivors."

Everyone raised their glasses to his words, including Avery. No matter how much she wanted to hate the newcomers because they had just shown up, she liked them. Especially Abraham and Rosita; Eugene annoyed her to no end.

"Is that all you want to be?" Abraham asked, "Wake up in the morning, fight the undead pricks, forage for food, go to sleep at night with two eyes open, rinse and repeat?" His eyes danced around the room. "Because you can do that. I mean, you got the strength. You got the skill. Thing is, for you people, for what you can do, that's just surrender."

Avery listened to his words, nodding her head. He had a way of speaking where people actually heard him.

"Now, we get Eugene to Washington, and he will make the dead die, and the living will have this world again. And that is not a bad takeaway for a little road trip." Abraham paused, eyes veering over to Rick. "Eugene, what's in DC?"

Avery looked at Eugene with a dreadful look as he spoke, "Infrastructure constructed to withstand pandemics even of this fubar magnitude. That means food, fuel, and refuge." He breathed, "Restart."