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TEARS FALL FREELY DOWN her pale face as she looks down at the brown leaves, her back pressed up against a tree. Just in the middle of moving stuff into the house, she almost broke down in front of everyone. Certain moments she feels fine but then suddenly out of nowhere, she gets the urge to just break down and let all the tears out. Of course she snuck away from everyone, no one realizing she's gone.
She pulls her knees up to her chest, her chin resting on top of them. Her arms wrap tightly around her legs, giving herself some comfort. She's weak and she knows it. She isn't Andrea, she's not emotionally strong. Her emotions kill her and she hates it. Sniffling, she wipes away her tears with the sleeve of her gray long sleeve, her eyes now red.
Footsteps creep up from behind her tree and she peeks around, confusion and horror filling her features as she watches Shane lead the prisoner, Randall, somewhere. Slowly and quietly raising to her feet, she darts behind another tree, completely forgetting about her emotions. Shane turns around, his eyes darting around from anyone following him and Aria stays glued against the tree.
Once he turns back around, Aria runs behind a bush, watching him through the leaves. She's confused as to why Shane has brought Randall out here, why he's helping the prisoner escape when he was so caught up on killing him. As Shane stuffs the gun back into his pants, Aria raises from the bush, darting towards a tree, her body fully behind it. Peeking back out, a small scream fills the air before a snap follows it and Aria watches in horror as Randall's body drops to the ground, motionless.
Too busy wrapped up in her thoughts, Aria doesn't realize Shane advancing towards her and she lets out a scream filled with terror as he pulls out away from the tree, near Randall's body. She lets out a small yelp as her ankle twists sideways, pain soaring through her leg. "Let me go!" Aria snaps, her body thrashing around in his grip. That's it, he's going to kill her. As he pulls his gun out, Aria lets out a whimper, her weakness showing. Just as she thinks he's going to pull the trigger, he hesitates. Pain fills her temple and black dots fill her vision, her body falling limply to the forest floor.
♚ ♛
Daryl looks around the barn, confusion on his face. Something doesn't feel right and his gut feeling is usually right. Deep down he knows Randall didn't escape on his own but he's just gonna keep his mouth shut as for now. "Not only is Randall missing, we can't find Aria." As Lori alerts the group of a missing Aria, Daryl feels his heart drop down to his stomach, horrible thoughts beginning to fill his mind.
Not only is Randall missing, now Aria is too? All he can think about is what Randall's group does to women and anger boils up inside him. If he finds the kid and he had done something to Aria, Daryl knows exactly what he's going to do to the kid and it isn't pretty.
Aria lays sprawled out onto the forest floor, her hair dangling in her face and her ankle and temple soaring with pain. Her eyes flutter open and her blue eyes shine bright as they adjust to the darkness around her. She bolts upwards, wincing as her head begins to pound with pain. "Hello?" She whispers harshly, slowly raising to her feet, all her weight on her good ankle.
Her hand holds onto a tree as she feels light-headed. She needs to get out of the woods if she wants to live. Her eyes trail over to a dead walker—but not just any dead walker, Randall. How did he not get her? Did the people that killed him not see her? Questions rack her brain as she tries to figure out the situation. Shaking her head, she looks around, all the trees looking the same. She's screwed, she can't tell nothing right now.
A gunshot rings through the air, alerting Aria that someone is nearby. Turning her head towards the shot, she shuffles her way towards the sound. The browning leaves crunching under her. She bursts through the trees, familiar fields of the farm greeting her. Two bodies walk in the distance and she squints her eyes, trying to figure out who it is. One is most definitely a child—Carl. The only sensible option for the other person would be Rick. Squeezing through the fence, she waves her hands.
"Hey!" She yells, catching the attention of them, her voice echoing through the air, the walker's behind her moving faster. "Run, Aria!" Rick yells back, panic in his voice. Glancing behind her, her breathing picks up as she's met with the sight of a huge herd of walker's moving after her. Hobbling quickly, tears burn in her eyes as the pain in her ankle increases. Arms slide under her arm, helping her move quickly. She looks up, greeted with the sight of Rick helping her. "What do we do?" She breathes out, looking behind her, the herd gaining on them.
"We're not going to make it. You have to go. I'll distract them." She tells him, wincing as she steps on the bad ankle. Rick shakes his head, his eyes trained on the barn. "We aren't leaving you behind." He grunts and the pair catch up with Carl, the trio hobbling over to the barn. Just as Rick seals the door shut, walker's bang on the wooden doors, wanting to get the three inside.
Rick hands a gas can to Aria and she quickly catches on, beginning to pour the gas all over the hay-covered barn. She glances up, her heart racing as walker peak their heads through the holes they made. She drops the empty gas can and Rick looks towards the two. "Carl, help Aria up there." Aria shakes her head, refusing the plan. She is not about to let Rick sacrifice himself for her and Carl. If anyone is going to be a sacrifice, it's her. "Don't argue with me." Rick growls and Aria feels Carl pulling her over to the ladder, holding her leg as she climbs up.
Once she's high enough, Carl turns towards his father, his eyes holding panic. "What about you?" He asks, not wanting to leave his father down by himself. "I'll be right there." Rick crouches down to Carl's height, holding out something. "Drop the lighter when I say. We'll stop some of them from reaching the house and distract the others, so at least we'll have a chance. Hey—look at me. You can do this."
Aria leans down, grabbing Carl's hand and pulling him up the rest of the way. She's not going to let either of them die, they're her priority right now—not her ankle or her head, them—her group and family. The walkers stumble in the barn once Rick opens the doors and they run after him as he shouts at them, keeping their attention on him. Once Rick begins to climb up the ladder, Aria lowers her hand. "Carl, now!" He shouts before grabbing onto her awaiting hand. Digging her heels into the ground, Aria helps him up, flames igniting right as Rick hits the loft. She holds in a cry as pain soars up her leg.
Rick hands Aria a pistol he had before pulling out his own, the trio looking down at the walkers covered in flames. Aria's face begins to burn from the heat and they back away slowly, their eyes trained on the walker's below. The RV pulls up behind the barn and Rick and Carl hop across. Carl reaches his hand out for Aria to grab and she grabs it, stepping onto the tin. Standing on top of the RV, sadness fills Aria as she listens to the screams of Jimmy from inside of the RV, the poor guy getting eaten.
Rick helps Carl and Aria down the ladder before running, Carl and him taking front and Aria trailing behind them. Raising her gun, Aria shoots a walker sneaking up behind her before turning forward, killing another one.
The trio head towards the woods, Aria wincing with every step she takes. She doesn't know if she's going to make it. Walker's are following them and she's in horrible pain. She's slowing Carl and Rick down and she hates that.
It could be her time to go, and right now, she could care less because it would buy Carl and Rick some time and that's all she cares about.
