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RUTH
BREATHING: A consistency that remained only slightly unchanged. Shallow, cold exhales rattled the silent tombs, echoing down the metal cages for the animals that lived in them. The woman glanced at her yellowing nails, the ends rough and gritty from a nervous habit she never could outgrow. The white light that shined through the hole in the wall burned into the side of her face, its glare haunting and harrowing to stare directly at, for it reminded her of the nightmares she couldn't escape.
Ruth sat up in the bed, her cracked lips emitting heavy breaths as she tried to recover from the pounding in her chest. She could hear the little one screaming her head off down the hall, and the hushes Carl made trying to soothe her. Ruth slowly leaned off to the side, placing her feet on the ground. The moon shined in the lightless tunnels, giving Ruth enough traces of the shadows of her feet to find the concrete below. Goosebumps ran over her arms from the frosty air that seeped through the holes in the walls.
The infant continued her cries. The woman rushed down the hall. She turned into the cell where the two children resided, watching as the young boy tried to soothe the upset baby. Carl looked up for a second, only for his eyes to drift back to his sister.
"I think she's hungry," Carl whispered. "Do we have anymore formula?"
"We're getting low. Maggie and Glenn should have been back by now." Ruth replied. "Go check the supplies by Hershel's cell. I'll take her for a bit."
Carl eased the infant into Ruth's arms as he rushed out of the room. She sat down on the bed, trying her best to ease the child's frustration. The loud cries hit Ruth's ears like a gong, the pain hard to alleviate. She rocked the child back and forth, trying to quiet her to avoid awaking the entire cell block. Shushes erupted naturally from her mouth as "Little Ass Kicker" continued to scream. Oh, how the name was so fitting.
The boy returned with a bottle in his hands, quickly handing it to Ruth. She held it up to the baby's lips and almost immediately, she was quiet once more.
"You're good with her." Carl indicated.
Ruth sighed. "I used to babysit my brother a lot in high school. Tons of screaming like your sister here." Her lips hinted at a smile that couldn't completely form before dropping back to her blank expression once more. "She's going to be a riot when she's older. I hope you have the older brother skills to keep up with that." Ruth smirked.
Carl smiled slightly, his hand reaching up to grab his sister's. "I think I know what I want to name her."
