Salvation. The Walking Dead: Season Five.

A Last Stand - Part Six.

*

The atmosphere was thick with a concoction of conflicting emotions that sat heavy on all of them. A mourning for the loss of a child, a brother. Regret for unknowingly allowing an enemy into their midst.

And then an apprehension upon closing in on The Greenbrier which would come into view any minute now. It should have been cause for celebration, and yet the exhaustion they all felt both physically and mentally muted any feeling of levity. It would feel wrong.

Not when Tennessee was still with them all, it having been decided he would not be buried along that long and lonely stretch of road.

Instead he would carried most of the way by his twin sisters to a final resting place outside The Greenbrier. Where he would always be within reach for the girls, and for AJ.

The place would be their home, or so they hoped. It would be Tennessee's too.

Though as light as he was, it would prove impossible for both Sophie and Minerva to carry their brother for the complete nine hours - though they tried valiantly.

It became a joint effort as the others took over for spells, so to speak, carrying Tenn for as long as they could before passing him to the next set of willing arms. It was the least they could do for him and the family members left behind to keep his memory...

Clementine however was given a pass due to her leg, which had been neglected ever since Louis had tended to it, though she found herself moving a little easier now, having taken the time to have fresh bandages applied this time by Violet.

Clementine found her to still be sheepish, but had also noticed a low key improvement in her state as Clem kept her talking while she wrapped the gauze around her upper thigh.

She'd returned the favour by using a sizeable amount of their remaining water to wash the dried blood from her once clean, blonde hair. She just hoped that where they were going had a body of water close by.

Short introductions had helped at the time too, as Emryn and the other girls moved into their ranks, however brief their stay may prove to be.

Condolences were given, and taken surprisingly well on Minervas part. Clementine knew how volatile a personality she was and she feared a somewhat smothering show of pity on the part of Danika in particular would only result in an outburst of resistance from the abbrasive twin.

Minerva did not exactly take it positively, at least outwardly, but her continued silence at hearing the sympathy of strangers was much better than the aforementioned alternative.

There would be no further retribution directed upon Ryan.

Not on the part of Minnie and Sophie anyway, as their arms had been full when they had passed her body, in enough grief that it may not have even crossed their minds - that was if they had overheard AJ.

Lilly however would step in for them. Clementine would watch over her shoulder as she lingered behind at the scene of the massacre, having been filled in with the relevant information.

But it was not a brutal showing. Ryan was dead, and she would stay that way thanks to Violets hatchet rooted deep into the brain.

Ryan did not deserve a thing, no show of emotion, no revenge.

And Lilly knew this.

She'd pulled the hatchet from its place with swift force, causing Ryans head to snap upwards with it momentarily before her cheek thudded back down to the concrete, not unlike one of her earliest interactions with Lilly.

She stood with a cold stare down upon Ryan, likely rueing ever allowing her gut to be overruled.

Clementine just hoped she had enough tact to never bring up the fact that Minnie and Sophie had stopped her blowing Ryans head off in the tower immediately after 'saving' Clementine.