Don't look back

Seven

"Sweetie. Mary, time to wake up. Come on, time to get up now." A soothing voice whispered into Mary's ear.
"Up?" She croaked.
"Yeah. Gottta get up baby. Come on."
"Momma." Mary sobbed, still half asleep.
"It's Lori, baby girl. Come on. You hit your head bad."
"When?"
"You ran away. You got scared, and ran away from me and Carl and Shane. Into the woods. Thank God, Rick was coming back at that time and heard you screaming. You fell, and he found you, carried you back, helped to get rid of the Walkers. You've been asleep all night and day."
Mary looked at her shakily, then began to cry softly.
"What do you want, sweetie? You thirsty? Hungry?" Lori asked. Mary nodded slowly.
"Where am I?" She whispered through her tears.
"In the RV. I'm just going to get you some drink, yeah? I'll be right back. Jim's here too, sleeping."
"Rick." Mary sobbed quietly, and Lori nodded and left.
"Hey, Mary. You feelin' better?" Rick asked through a tired face. His shirt was still covered in dried blood. Mary nodded, and Rick passed her a juice box. "Last one. Hope it tastes good."
Mary smiled softly, then looked at Jim, asleep in the other bed.
"He's poorly. We're going to a place called the CDC, okay? To help Jim." Rick explained slowly.
"Safe?"
"I hope so. I really do. We're going tomorrow."
"With you?"
"Of course. Of course. Now, come on. We're cooking up some of the beans. Let's get some food in you." Rick smiled. Mary got up, and took his hand. Rick got her some food, and she ate it quickly, gulping it, not chewing.
"Where's Amy?" Mary asked Rick quietly.
"She's gone, sweetie."
"Oh." Mary whispered, crying softly.
"It's very sad. But we have to be strong. Yeah?"
"Yeah." Mary nodded slowly. "And Ed."
"Yeah. You done?" Rick asked Mary gently, and she nodded. "Okay. Go... Go play with Carl. Play a bit." Rick instructed. Mary did as she was told, and that afternoon passed quickly. That night there wasn't a campfire, or talking late at night. And Mary fell asleep quickly, but only because Rick and Lori let her sleep in between them.

"Alright everybody listen up! Those of you with CBs, we're gonna be on channel forty, but let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now, you have a problem, don't have a CB, can't get a signal, anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?" Shane ordered as everyone stood by their vehicles, ready to leave for the CDC.
"We're, uh... We're not going." Morales sighed softly. Everyone went silent, and Mary looked in sadness at the sight of the man she thought was in charge, leaving.
"We have family in Birmingham. We want to be with our people." Miranda explained softly, holding Louis close to her.
"You're in your own, you won't have anyone to watch your back." Shane warned.
"We'll take the chance. I gotta do what's best for my family." Morales said firmly.
"You sure?" Rick asked.
"We talked about it. We're sure." Morales confirmed.
"Alright. Shane?" Rick sighed, going to the gun bag.
"Yeah." Shane nodded quietly.
"Alright. Three five six?" Rick asked.
"Yeah," Shane replied, "box is half full."
"Thank you all. For everything." Miranda cried gently. Lori walked over and hugged Miranda, the kissed both Louis and Eliza on the top of their heads. Eliza ran over to Sophia, and hugged her tightly, then gave her her doll.
"Bye Mary. I'll miss you." Eliza whispered as she came over to the little girl.
"Bye bye." Mary cried, hugging her friend tightly.
"Bye Mary." Louis sighed softly, giving Mary a hug.
"Bye," Mary whispered, "thank you for the clothes. And for playing with me."
"Thank you for playing with me!" Louis giggled back. Then Miranda called the children away.
"Channel forty if you change your minds, all right?" Rick sighed.
"Yeah." Morales nodded slowly, and the family left.
"What makes you think our odds are any better?" Daryl spat, forever pessimistic.
"Come on. Let's go. Let's move out." Shane sighed, and they all piled into the cars, and drove away. Mary and Sophia cried the whole way.
Not long after setting off, the RV broke down, and Dale got out to fix it.
"Stay in the car kids." Lori instructed as her and Rick got out.
"Why's everyone getting out?" Carl asked.
"I... Oh. I think Jim's getting out. Stay here, Mary. Okay? I'll see what's going on." Carol replied, getting out of the car, Sophia following her.
"If Jim's going, I wanna say bye." Mary protested.
Carl nodded, and they got out of the car, and walked over to everyone else.
"You stay back, with Carl." Rick ordered to Mary. He grabbed Carl's hand, and put it firmly into Mary's.
Everyone says their goodbyes, and as they all left, Jim looked over to Carl and Mary. "You're gonna make it. You two kids. You'll make it."

The CDC was littered in dead Walkers, flies buzzing around them.
"Come on everybody, keep moving, keep quiet, let's go." Rick hissed. Mary began to cry, and cling onto Loris arm while Rick lead everyone.
"Keep moving! Come on."
"Careful." Lori whispered gently to the two children beside her.
"Keep it together!" Rick shouted.
"We're almost there." Lori soothed to Mary as she cried.
"Anything?" Andrea asked.
"There's nobody here!" T-Dog sighed angrily.
"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick argued.
"Walkers!" Daryl hissed, "You've lead us into a grave yard!"
"He made a call!" Shane shouted.
"It was the wrong damn call!" Daryl growled. Mary was howling now, and Carl was crying freely.
"Shut up! You hear me, shut up Daryl!" Shane hissed, looking at the crying children, "Rick, this is a dead end."
"Where are we going to go?" Carol cried softly.
"Do you hear me? No blame." Shane whispered harshly to Rick, but he want moving.
"She's right! We can't be this close to the city after dark!" Lori pleaded to Rick.
"Fort Benning, Rick, still an option!"
"In what? No food, no fuel, it's a hundred miles!" Lori protested, Mary now in her arms.
"One hundred and twenty five, I checked the map." Glenn pointed out.
"Forget Fort Benning, we need answers tonight," Lori hissed, "now!"
"Well, think of something!"
"Come on, let's go!" Shane insisted.
"Let's get out of here!" Daryl shouted.
"All right, everybody back to the cars!" Shane ordered. Mary wiggled out of Lori's arms, and ran to Rick.
"The camera, it moved!" Rick said suddenly.
"You imagined it." Dale sighed.
"It moved," Rick insisted, "it moved!"
"It did. I saw it too." Mary added quietly.
"Rick, even if it did man, it's... It's an automated device man. It's curious, okay? It's just winding down, now come on. Hey, man, just look around this place! It's dead! Okay? It's dead! You need to let it go Rick!" Shane begged.
"Rick, there's nobody's here!" Lori shouted.
"I know you're in there! I know you can hear me. Please, we're desperate! Please help us. We have women children, no food, hardly any gas left!Nowhere else to go. Please! I have a twelve year old son, and a four year old little girl! Help us!"
"Keep your eyes open!" Shane hissed, as Walkers became closer due to Rick's screaming.
"If you don't let us in you're killing us. Please!" Rick pleaded, a tear running down his cheek.
"Please! Let us in!" Mary begged, looking directly into the camera, tears streaming down her face. Rick picked her up and held her tight.
"Look! She's four years old, and not eaten properly in days! Please!"
"Come on brother!" Shane shouted, trying to pull him away.
"Dad, come on!" Carl pleaded.
"You're killing us! You're killing us! You're killing us!" Rick screamed hysterically, making Mary howl and burry her head into his chest.
The Ricks screams stopped: the door opened.