The Wicked and the Sane ➸ R. Grimes

One

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❝Love could be labeled poison and we'd drink it anyways,❞

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I looked over my shoulder to see if anyone was behind me, the feeling of being watched made me uncomfortable. I looked back to the road to find myself right next to a tree, I panicked and tried to stop the vehicle but instead of stopping the truck hit the tree with a this and the engine sputtered.

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I jumped at the contact with something warm and wet. My eyes fluttered open to find a man holding a washcloth to my forehead, I looked at him in alarm then at my surroundings. I was currently in a truck with leather interior, he placed a hand my shoulder to have me lay back down. I leaned my head back and it hit something soft, I felt something burn though to which my hand touched it. "Don't do that you'll just make it worse," the man informed, I nodded. "Is she up dad?" another voice asked, it was more squeaky than what the older man's voice was which probably meant he was a kid. I watched as a little boy emerged from the front seat holding a candy bar, I smiled. He looked to be about 14 while his hair made him look older. The boy had a sheriffs hat placed over his head. His cheeks were still prominent while they also had freckles.

The father looked over while still holding the washcloth, he just shook his head then looked back at me. "How many walkers you kill?" He asked the tone he used was now serious. "At least a hundred,"
"how many people you kill," the vision of my younger brother going missing while my mom died made me shudder. "None," I looked up into his icy blue eyes. "Why?" His southern accent made me shiver all the while my northern accent was prominent while I spoke. "You do what you so to survive, sometimes killing your family member will kill you a little," I replied.

He nodded at what I said my hands were a little shaky but I couldn't tell, he looked at someone who was driving the truck we were in. "Rick," he told his hand was in front of me to shake. "Carl, then Michonne," he then went on as he pointed to the other two people. Michonne was different, she was darker skinned with a badass attitude.

"Saige," I said while everything was going on, I pulled myself up. "Is this all who is in your group? Or do you guys just don't do groups and you're a family," I quizzed Rick had looked at me for a moment before answering. "We aren't a family, by we came from one. We were separated," Rick managed to choke out the pain was evident on his face. The small smile on my face faded. "Sorry to hear that," I comforted him, I pulled my knees to my chest. "How bout' you? You with a group or anyone," he questioned, my breath hitched in my throat. "No," I responded immediately. My eyes started to go blurry once again.

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There he was, looking out the window but still next to me. He seemed very protective but subtle about it. I looked around to try and find Carl or Michonne but turns out we had stopped moving, then I spotted a fire going, they were next to it. "So you guys stop at night to gaze at fires huh," I commented, Rick jumped. "They barely do this trust me," Rick replied while in his eyes it was a fire of emotions. I nodded and pulled my knees to my chest while Rick sniffled his nose from the cold night. I closed my eyes for a moment. One moment and then everything came crashing down, a guy appeared. My heart skipped a beat as I watched Rick quickly jump out of the car. Rick tried to stop him but he quickly was stopped. I searched for my gun in the car but I was soon removed from the truck and thrown on the ground. 

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I felt the mud splatter on my face while a boot was met with my side. I looked over to find Rick battling with an older man. I was on the ground doubled over in pain when I felt another boot hit me. "Stop hitting her!" Rick called out all the while all I could feel was the crimson blood falling out of my mouth. Boot after boot, pain the entire time before I nearly blacked out. There Rick was, standing there with a gun that had just been fired. I saw blood dripping from his beard. The wrath of a killer was in his eyes. He ran to me to make sure I was fine, I wasn't. He leaned me up against a tree while he looked at my bruises but then he spotted one of the biggest secrets on my body, a burn. It was from my father after he started abusing toxins. He lit the house on fire starting in my room. I quickly pulled my shirt back down while trying to get back up. "Stop you need to rest," Rick barked, my black hair was draped over my left shoulder but I moved it over my right. "I can do that on my own," I snapped back. The only emotion you could find from Rick was his eyes. The icy, cold blue eyes he had held the most emotion in a human you could find. For me it was hard to find what I was feeling, sometimes I couldn't even tell my own emotions at times. My actions, my mother always told me my actions explained who I was and for the first few years of my life I didn't believe her till she died. Then that's when I could see the way she saw, feel the way she felt. Rick looked me up then down. "You're resting before you're going anywhere," He gruffly replied.

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  The sun filtered through the tinted glass windows to the truck, my head throbbed from the other night while my sides screamed with pain. I lifted myself up and opened the door to the truck. I pulled myself out of the truck but I noticed something was off which made me stop dead in my tracks. Rick. He was sitting by the fire in addition to his eyes being bloodshot he was poking the fire with a stick. "You're really leaving huh," Rick whispered which I could barely hear. I grunted while nodding. "Don't get attached we barely just met," I rasped while crossing my arms. He looked up. His pale blue eyes were on fire with emotion. I could tell he didn't want me to leave. "I'm not attached I was just asking," he quickly denied I felt a smile appear on my lips. "If that's what you think," I replied. I walked over till I was next to him, I sat down next to him while I stared out at the fire. "We'll find each other again someday if you survive," I comforted but Rick scoffed. "I'll be alive let's see if you'll make it," he taunted the smile got wider. "Challenge accepted. I'll see you soon Rick," I responded with a glint in my eyes. 

His smile was killing me while my mind was screaming for me to get out my heart was fighting it for me to stay. "Stay alive Rick Grimes," I whispered before I started walking off. "Saige wait!" I heard, I stopped. I turned slightly to look at the man that I might have been falling for. "Yes?" I replied but my eyes flickered to the small thing in his hand. It was small and golden. "Take this and don't forget," He answered, he slipped the thing into one of my pockets while still looking into my eyes. "Dear lord I won't okay," I choked out. I turned back to the path I was walking along, I started walking away from him. He had emotions that were visible to even the dumbest person.

My mind raced with thoughts and questions for him. I wanted to learn more about the being that I spent so little time with but yet it felt like I had known him for years. I shook my head from the thoughts. 

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My hand grazed against the words on the poster along the train tracks. "Sanctuary for all, community for all, those who arrive survive."  The words were painted along it but it also had some sort of plastic wrap around it to keep it there from the harsh weather. Maybe Rick is there. My mind flashed with thoughts of the male I met a few months back. No. My mind was fighting itself over him. "Stop," I whispered to myself while gripping the small intricate feather he gave me made me want to cry out for him. I shook my head once more before looking at the map of where I was. Yes! I'm close. I continued walking towards Terminus. A safe place where I could survive. I almost became weak at the thought of a bed to sleep in.