Down by the water • TWD

The last Straw.

Ron's room felt smaller than it should have, as if the walls had drawn in with the weight of what was happening outside. The curtains hung half-open, doing little to soften the view beyond the glass. The street below was no longer a street but a mass of movement. The walkers pressed together, spilling between houses, filling every open space until there was nowhere left untouched.

Avery stood near the window, her arms folded loosely across herself, her gaze locked on the herd as if looking away might make it worse. Her thoughts came faster than she could sort them, each one pushing into the next before it had fully formed.

"They're everywhere," she murmured, her voice quiet but unsteady. "I didn't think—I mean, I knew there were a lot, but not like this. Not—" She cut herself off, swallowing hard, her eyes scanning the movement below like she might pick out something familiar in it. "I left Ranger in the house," she went on, her words picking up again without pause. "I didn't even think. If they find him I—" She shook her head quickly, like she could undo the thought before it settled. "No, he'll be fine. He has to be. He's smart, he'll—"

She glanced back over her shoulder, barely registering Ron before turning forward again.

"And Jax," she continued, her voice tightening, "and Maggie..." Her breath hitched slightly. "I didn't see if she got away. It all just–"

"Avery."

She didn't stop.

"What if they didn't make it inside? What if..."

"Avery, stop." The sharpness in Ron's voice cut cleanly through her thoughts, halting them mid-spiral. She turned, startled. He stood a few feet behind her, his posture rigid, his expression drawn tight in a way that made something in her chest drop. There was frustration there, but something else too, something less steady, harder to place.

"Just stop," he said again, quieter this time, though the edge hadn't faded. "Please."

"I'm just saying—" Avery blinked, her thoughts stumbling as they tried to reorganize themselves.

"I know what you're saying," he snapped, running a hand through his hair as he turned away for a second. "You keep saying it. Over and over."

The room fell still around them, the noise outside pressing louder in the absence of her voice. "I'm just worried," she said, more defensively now.

"So am I," he shot back, turning toward her again. "Okay? You're not the only one."

The words landed heavier than they should have. Avery's expression tightened slightly, her arms folding more firmly across herself.

"I didn't say I was."

Ron exhaled sharply, like even he didn't fully understand the frustration spilling out of him. "I just...I can't." He stopped himself, shaking his head once as if the rest of the thought weren't worth finishing. Then he moved; he crossed the room quickly, reaching for the door like he needed to leave before something else broke loose with him.

"Ron," Avery stepped after him. He paused, his hand resting on the handle, his shoulders tense. "Wait," she said, softer now.

For a moment, it looked like he might keep going anyway...but then he stopped. The tension in his shoulders loosened just slightly, like something in him had shifted all at once. He let out a quiet breath before turning back around.

She hadn't moved much, her confusion written plainly across her face, her earlier urgency now replaced with something quieter and more uncertain.

Ron crossed the space between them in a few quick steps and then pulled her into a hug. It wasn't hesitant or careful. It was tight, almost desperate, like he was holding onto something that was already slipping.