A Shred of Hope (The Walking Dead) (The Final Season Retelling)

10. Nine Lives

"I think we should call it a day. It's getting dark already and there's no point moving around like that," Marlon told Brody.

He was right. The sun was disappearing fast enough and they couldn't continue any further. Not without wasting precious resources and risking their lives.

"I second that," Louis agreed with him. "All we need is a place now."

Trees surrounded them, their thick brown trunks obscuring most of their vision. Spending the night in such an area where they had absolutely no cover from danger wasn't particularly idealistic.

"How about over there?" Violet pointed her finger to the right. They followed it to a small clearing where some of the trees had fallen over, allowing for a space that could hold them for the night.

They dropped their bags and sat down on the ground, massaging their legs.

"Holy shit, this feels good," Violet said, rubbing her calves.

"It does," Clementine responded, doing the same. "Your legs hurt, AJ?"

"A little." AJ laid down on the ground.

"We should get a fire going before night falls. I'd rather we get warm now because it's better not to light a fire in the night. Someone could spot us," Marlon said, his hands on his waist. His eyes moved over his surroundings. "Louis, you're with me. We'll go find some wood."

Louis groaned, before lifting himself off the comfortable ground and picking up his favourite weapon. "Come on. Let's get this done with."

"I want to go too," AJ said, looking at Clementine for her permission.

"Uh..." She glanced at Marlon who nodded. "Okay, no wandering though."

"I promise!" he told her enthusiastically, following the two into the forest. They disappeared amongst the trees within seconds.

Their camping spot seemed relatively safe. The trunks provided a slight cover, just enough to hide them from a first glance. They'd have to appoint lookouts through the night, but they could always do short shifts between the five teenagers. "I hope they don't go too far. It's not safe," Clementine said to the two girls.

"Marlon's there. He'll keep it safe. We should figure out the food till then," Brody replied, opening her bag.

They dug through their food supply, debating on how much they should pull out for the night. Without a doubt, walking all through the day had made them hungry but they still had to abide by the rations. They finally settled on three cans to be divided amongst them.

The boys returned by then, carrying a small pile of wood and twigs. Placing them in the middle of the opening, Marlon set about lighting the fire with the flint and pocket knife he had. They watched as the twigs caught fire, before he placed the larger pieces of wood into it, setting them ablaze too.

They huddled around the flame, stretching their arms in front of it, trying to fend off the cold. Brody opened the cans with her clean knife, passing them around, along with a few spoons. Clementine gave the spoon to AJ, allowing him the first bite. The hungry boy shoved the spoon into his mouth and a look of satisfaction spread across his face.

Marlon and Brody were sharing a can, leaving Violet and Louis one between them. Silence prevailed in their temporary sanctuary as they chewed on their food. No one seemed to be in the mood for any conversation, understandably enough.

The spoons softly clanged against the metal containers as the survivors tried to scoop up any remaining morsels they could. Waste was not a problem they ever faced.