IVORY | Carl Grimes

twenty-one - petrichor ;

threats were consistent. resolving one would only ready the next one. it was an uphill battle.

saskia had her back against a wall as she pulled her knees to her chest in the corner of deanna's living room. it felt like a metaphor. a new antagonist was on the horizon and although it was a familiar, due to its vast size, the horde of walkers proved highly menacing and inevitably dangerous.

"my team," heath began slowly, "we saw it early on, back when we were on of of those first scouts, finding out what was around here. there was a camp at the bottom. the people, they just have blocked the exits with one of those trucks back when everything started to go bad. they didn't make it they were all roamers — maybe a dozen of them."

"no one's been back since?" maggie inquired and heath shook his head matter of factly.

saskia payed careful attention to every word leaving heath's mouth. not only was the story intriguing, but vital to her survival — she needed her facts neatly laid out in her mind beforehand.

"so all the while the walkers have been drawn by the sound and they're making more sound and they're drawing more in," michonne suggested wisely.

"and here we are," rick broke in, "now what i'm proposing, i know it sounds risky, but walkers are already slipping through the exits. one of the trucks keeping the walkers in could go off the ledge any day now. maybe after one more hard rain. that exit sends them east. all of them. right at us."

saskia watched patiently as fear crept into the faces of those cramped in the room, which grew smaller by the second. she masked her own. it was not difficult, for there was little. it existed, however, because if the girl were to become prideful enough to deny any was present in her system, she would almost immediately get herself killed off of folly ignorance.

"this isn't about if it gives, its when. it's gonna happen. it's why we have to do this soon," rick divulged, resting his hand on his colt python.

"this is," carol interrupted, "i don't even have another word for it. this is terrifying. all of it, but it doesn't sound like there's any other way."

saskia let her head slip into her knees to hide her smirk from the public eye. her act was neglected by everyone in the room who had their eyes busily trained on rick. carol's brilliant facade continued relentlessly, and saskia noted the irony of it everyday. in that room, saskia wholeheartedly believed carol was the least scared of them all.

"maybe there is."

her head snapped up, whipping tawny waves over her shoulder as her eyes travelled up from the worn shoes to the cowardly expression on a man's face whom she did not recognize. she waited eagerly to see what else he had to say, hoping that it would not cause a riff in the plan.