Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
RUTH
HERSHEL FINISHED wrapping a fresh bandage around her leg, the soft cotton stinging against the raw skin. Ruth smiled at him in gratitude and he nodded, his mouth only hinting at a small smile. The vehicle rocked on the bumpy road and made Ruth's stomach flip, but it was better than walking. She could feel the stare of the young girl beside her, but she ignored it the best she could. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruth could see the girl's frizzy blonde hair pulled back and her wide blue eyes gazing curiously into the side of her face.
Suddenly, the car horn from the red truck echoed behind them, and the small car rolled to a sudden stop. Glenn and Maggie- as Ruth learned- exited the vehicle, Hershel in tow. He stuck a hand out to Ruth from the outside, and she pulled herself closer to it and out of the vehicle.
"Thank you." She muttered. Hershel didn't reply, but instead let her use the car as support.
She felt their stares on her once again, and her body movements were rigid as she tried to relax under their gazes. They didn't trust the girl, of course, but that made sense.
She caught the gazes of two women. One wore short gray hair, but the other had long brown locks. They didn't glare, but they didn't smile either. Carl was forced to stay close to the brunette, so Ruth believed her to be his mother. She breathed out a heavy sigh, the white smoke appearing from her mouth like it came from the breath of a smoker. With an inhale, her lungs contracted at the cold air that entered her body. The cold air still lingered from the evening freeze. She was still trying to process the fact that she was here and alive. Ruth was in a group now. She was one of them.
But she had never felt so alone.
"You out?" Daryl asked.
"Running on fumes." Rick announced.
Maggie leaned against the car beside her, shaking her head. "We can't stay here."
"We can't all fit in one car." Glenn said with a sigh. Rick turned his head to face them. His face was still covered in blood, but he didn't same phased by it.
Rick shook his head. "We'll have to make a run for some gas in the morning." Ruth glanced around at her surroundings, noticing the sun coming back down. Had a day already passed since the farm?
"And spend the night here?" The short-haired woman replied.
"I'm freezing." Rick shrugged off his jacket and placed it over his son, Ruth wishing she could have a blanket of warmth of her own.
