Just Keep Walking

One hundred and fourteen

When Mary has calmed down, she'd been given the task of making a cross, much to her annoyance.
"Carl said a cross is for people who believe in God. Carl doesn't believe in God!" Mary snapped at Rick, throwing the sticks and twine at him.
"Mary..."
"Hey," Michonne said quickly, "it's not a cross. Not like that. It's a kiss. See? A X. A kiss."
Mary nodded slowly, and retrieved the sticks and twine. Her shaky hands made a cross, then she pressed it into the ground with a sob.
She sat by the grave sobbing for a while, as Rick crouched beside it. "I want..." Mary croaked, but couldn't finish her sentence; she didn't know what she wanted.
Rick slid Carl's gun onto the cross, as Mary protectively hugged his hat to her chest, not wanting that to be taken from her as well. Michonne was busy killing a few Walkers, allowing Mary and Rick a rare luxury to grieve in peace.
Suddenly, Rick got up, and grabbed the gun, then walked away, making Mary follow him. He walked around shakily, Mary trailing after him, her head on the floor. They came across Michonne, and she put a hand on Rick's shoulder.
"Hey. It's... Let's pack a bag, get the car. It's... We should..."
"Yeah. Yeah. She needs to get out of here." Rick nodded shakily, looking at Mary for half of a second.
"Okay, Moo, we're gonna go home, get a bag, then go to Hilltop, okay?" Michonne soothed, picking up the child as Rick walked away, going to their house, "So we'll get your backpack. The one with stars, yeah? You like that one. And get you changed."
Mary nodded shakily, burrowing her head into Michonne's chest. "I want Carl Bunny."
"Yeah. We'll get him." Michonne breathed, her voice cracking. They walked to the porch, practically silent, then Michonne dropped her bag, and put Mary down, walking over to the side where Mary, Carl, and Judith had made their handprints only a dozen hours earlier.
"We all have blue hands." Mary whimpered, as Michonne laid her hand on top of Carl's handprint.
"W-What?"
"We all still have blue hands. Me and Carl and Judith." Mary explained in a whisper, walking over and putting her hand beside Michonne so the pair could share Carl's handprint. Michonne began to cry softly, as she sat down on the porch, shaking her head.
"It's gonna be okay." Mary sobbed, sitting on Michonne's lap and looping her arms around her mother's neck and pressing their cheeks together. Mary didn't believe the words she was saying, but she felt like it was helping a little.
"I love you so much. So so so much." Michonne breathed into Mary's ear, kissing the side of her head.
"I love you too."
"Okay. Come on now. Gotta go." Michonne sighed shakily, wiping away her tears. She got up and walked into the house, Mary hanging from her neck, and went straight to the kitchen.
"Can you do my bag?" Mary breathed, and Michonne nodded, understanding that Mary didn't want to go into her and Carl's shared room.
Michonne went up the stairs, into Mary and Carl's room, and she shut the door, then sank onto Carl's bed, and sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.

"Okay, I've got a few outfits for us and the girls, and a couple of the girls' toys. Anything else you need?" Michonne asked Rick gently, and the man shook his head. 
"No, I'm fine. It's fine. Got food in this one." Rick explained, then he looked over at Mary with a sigh, who was laid on the sofa, awake but still. "The bloody dog died," Rick began, starting to cry softly, "her stupid dog died. She just went into the garden and found him. Her dog died."
"Come here." Michonne whispered softly, and she held Rick to her chest, holding him as he cried.
"Okay. Gotta pull it together now. She needs me." Rick nodded firmly, wiping away his tears. Michonne kissed his cheek, then pulled her bag onto her back, Rick doing the same with his.
"Okay, Moo, come on. We're gonna come back soon, but we're goin' to Hilltop for now." Michonne said gently to Mary, and she got up, reluctantly following the sound of Michonne's voice.
They left the house and walked to the car, putting the bags in the back, however just as they were about to get in themselves, Michonne froze.
"Hey." Rick whispered, putting a hand on her arm, but she didn't move.
"He used to sit on the roof." Michonne breathed, and Mary saw what she was looking at; the shelter by the lake.
"We have to go." Rick insisted, but Michonne had grabbed a fire extinguisher from the car, and ran towards the fire, Mary following her. Rick sighed, but chased after the pair with the second fire extinguisher. They put out most of the fire, until Walkers began to appear, Rick killing a few.
"Michonne!" Rick called, before stopping and killing several more Walkers; they were surrounded, "Michonne. Michonne!" Rick hissed, killing more Walkers.
"No. It was his favourite." Mary whimpered, but eventually herself and Michonne were surrounded, and they had to go, running back to the van.
Michonne put Mary in the seat in between herself and Rick, and the man began to drive.
"That was his favourite place!" Mary screamed suddenly, hitting Rick repeatedly, "That was Carl's favourite place! It was his favourite! Sitting up there with me while we read! His favourite!"
"Mary." Michonne sighed, pulling her off Rick.
"I hate you! That was his favourite! His favourite! And you let it burn! I hate you!" Mary screeched, kicking her father as he drove, staring ahead blankly.
"Mary! Calm down." Michonne whispered with a sharp sigh, and Mary began to sob into Michonne's chest.
"I want to go home."
"You know we can't. Stop this." Rick sighed as they drove out of the gates.
"I want Carl."
"You can't have him!" Rick snapped in a shout, shocking Mary to silence, "You can't have Carl, and you know that! You're not a baby, so stop acting like one, you're five, not three. You know you can't have him back!"
Mary was stunned to silence, and sobbed into Michonne's chest, as Rick began to cry softly, instantly hating himself for what he said.
"Mary, I'm sorry. I'm... I'm so sorry." Rick breathed shakily, but Mary didn't reply.
"I'm not five," Mary whimpered suddenly, focusing on one point of her father's rant so his words hurt less, her face in Michonne's neck, "I'm six now. I'm six."