Don't look back

Twenty eight

"I like this one." Mary smiled happily to Rick as he did his watch shift. He, like usual, had the last shift, and Mary as wide awake alongside him.
"This house?" Rick asked.
"Yeah." Mary nodded. It was the fifth one this week, and it was even colder.
"Good." Rick replied, holding her a little closer.
"Hey. Daddy, look!" Mary said suddenly, pointing out of the window.
"What is it?" Rick asked quickly, his eyes fearful.
"Snow!" The girl giggled back, ecstatic, and she was right, a few snow flakes were falling.
"Really?"
"Yep! Can I play in it?"
"Sure, just don't get too wet. Look, it's getting heavier."
"I'm gonna get everyone up for breakfast. The sun's rising." Math decided, looking at everyone asleep in the living room of the small bungalow.
"Okay." Rick shrugged, and Mary ran over to Carl, laying by him, her face next to his.
"Carl! Wake up, it's snowing!" Mary hissed. His eyes snapped open, and looked at hers.
"What?" He groaned groggily.
"It's get up time. And it's snowy!" Mary grinned. Carl nodded, and got up. A few others slowly gr up, and Mary ran over to Daryl.
"Uncle Daryl, you've got to get up now. It's wake up time. And it's snowing." Mary smiled into his ear.
"What?" Daryl groaned groggily.
"You have to play with me.  In the snow."
Daryl grunted and sat up, and Mary smiled at him, then ran over to Glenn and Maggie, where they laid together.
"Maggie and Glenny, uppy time." Mary ordered, sitting in the middle of them.
"We're up." Maggie mumbled, and Mary nodded and left, kissing Glenn's cheek, then Maggie's.
"Mommy Lori!" Mary shouted.
"I'm awake sweetie." Lori laughed slightly, and Mary ran over to her. Lori picked her up, and walked over to the food, where her and Beth were putting canned peaches onto plates for everyone's breakfast.
"Do you like snow?" Mary asked Beth quietly.
"Sure. Yeah. It's fun." Beth smiled back.
"It's pretty. Can we throw it?"
"Yeah." Lori smiled, kissing her cheek. They ate, then Mary and Carl and Beth  ran outside, the snow thicker.
"I wanna be on Carl's team!" Mary declared, running over to her brother.
"Sorry Beth." Carl shrugged with a cheeky grin, then he gathered some snow and threw a snowball square in her cheek.
Beth gasped, and retorted, then Mary threw another, missing. "Daddy! Come play!" Mary giggled, and Rick smiled back, then came into the garden, as did the others.
"Hey dumbass!" Glenn shouted, and Rick looked over at him.
"What?" Rick asked, and Glenn smiled at him, then threw a snowball at him.
Then it became war.
Even Daryl threw one - just one - at Carl, in retaliation to him throwing a snowball at him earlier. When they had finished, everyone was wet and cold and giddy with excitement.
Mary was soaked from head to toe, and got dry with some towels from the bathroom, as did everyone else, then put on some clothes that Rick had found a few days earlier: a pair of brown leggings, and a flowered long sleeved shirt. After she got dressed, she realised her only jumper was wet, and had to wear Rick's jacket.
"Maybe a snowball fight want the best idea." Lori sighed, trying to warm Mary's tiny body up.
"It was fun." Mary muttered back.
"Yeah, but now our clothes are wet and we're all cold. And to top it off, we're going to be snowed in."
"Not like we're in a rush to get home for Christmas." Glenn mumbled.
"Christmas?" Mary asked suddenly, with bright eyes. Even Carl looked over at his father in anticipation.
"It was a figure of speech, sweetie." Lori explained.
"Is it tomorrow?" Mary questioned again, giddy and excited, her coldness forgotten.
"Yeah. It can be, yeah." Rick replied tiredly, not thinking.
"So Santa is coming!" Mary squealed.
"Maybe not this year, honey." Lori whispered, hugging her.
"Santa comes every year!" Mary laughed. "He never forgets anyone! I love him."
"Yeah, but, maybe..." Lori attempted.
"Yeah," Hershel cut off, "maybe Santa will come tonight. But only if you do as your mommy and daddy say."
Mary nodded happily, and did chores and played quietly for the rest of the day. She laid out a sardine on a plate for Santa, along side a cup of boiled water, then fell asleep curled up next to Carl, the two of them shivering. As they slept, Mary held onto him tightly, feeling safe.
In the morning, the best sight ever was near her.
"Santa came!" Mary exclaimed in excitement, waking everyone up.
"He sure did." Rick laughed softly, looking at the small collection of gifts in the corner. Some presents "from Santa" for Mary and Carl, and even one each for the others, even if it only was some extra food.
Mary was in owe. A notepad with a few pages ripped out. A packet of crayons, the pink missing, the orange snapped in half. A bracelet made from fabrics plaited together, made by Carol. A hair grip with a plastic flower on it, slightly old. A wooden boat, that Hershel had whittled out of a chunk of wood, staying up most of the night. And scavenged pair of dungaree shorts, two sizes too big, and Mary's absolute favourite.