Iridescence

The Big Dipper

Mia looked upwards at the night sky with tired eyes. Her chest, it held a weight like she had never felt before. Slowly revealing themselves with the swaying branches, stars and constellations grew brighter and dimmer with every breath. Reality seemed too far away at this point.

The sun had rose 11 times since her flee from the prison; and it was about to set for what felt like the last time.

Beneath her fingertips, trying to grasp what sense of the world she had left, a mixture of damp leaves and wet mud crammed their way into her nails. She was so tired, so cold, so numb. Mia couldn't remember a time she wasn't running until she couldn't any more. Now, here she was, helpless and on her back. Not an ounce of strength resided in her bones. She hadn't eaten, hadn't drinking anything, and she sure as hell hadn't slept for far too long. Her entire life was engulfed with the concept of running from the herd. They were too wide to divert, to long to wait out, and too resilient to give up.

With the cold night air, Mia's body shook uncontrollably as her breath clouded her view of the moon. Small impossible hiccups for air would slip past her lips every now and again, her body would lurch as if urging her to get up and run, but she couldn't.

She just couldn't any more.

Their dragging foot steps and moans grew closer and closer with every passing second. Before long, they would be upon her.

There wasn't an ounce of fight left in Mia's body.

She was terrified of what was to come, what they would do. Her mind raced through countless situations; they could tear her apart, they could pass her by, they could kill her slowly, or they could kill her fast beginning at the throat. Would she suffocate on her own blood? Would it drown her from the inside out?

Only time would tell.

"Hey peanut..." a deep voice called out to her left. Mia couldn't even move her head to look though. Instead, she let out a hard blink and opened her eyes wide to the sky. There, standing above her a tall, dark figure crouched down until he his face was merely inches from her. "what's going on, what happened?" The voice was familiar, but she just couldn't put a pin on it just yet. "You gotta breathe Mia. Listen to my voice." Blinking again, she waited for her blue eyes to adjust to the dark silhouette of the figure. It wasn't until he tilted his head upwards and looked at the sky that she recognized him though. His face was as chiseled and defined as she remembered it. Her father always had a strong jaw line; it came with the military background, as well as the constant 5 O'clock shadow. "You don't have much time honey, they're almost here." He turned his head to look behind her. "You stay real still, and you're gonna be just fine, alright?" Mia hiccupped again for air. He had the same color eyes as her, the same icy blue that saw the world as she did. It was what made them so close, what made them best friends. She learned everything she knew from him. Subconsciously, with all the strength she had, Mia forced her hand across the ground and towards what she assumed to be his leg. "No, no Mia. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere, but you can't move. Just stay there, look at-" He looked at the sky. "Look up. Look at the sky. You see that?" Mia slowly adjusted her eyes to do so. "There it is, the big dipper." One by one, the stars of the constellation began to reveal themselves to her. "Look right beneath it, there's the little one." His soft voice smiled down to his little girl.

Mia's vision slipped away for a moment, but it brought her back to a memory in which she was grateful to still have.

It was of her, her mom, her dad, and Scotty. One of their family camping trips when she was very young. It was the first time he taught his daughter about the constellations. Scotty was too young to understand, but not her. She believed every word and worshipped every lesson she every received from her father. He was the hero of her life, the center of her world.

That was all taken away though.

Its how she knew this wasn't real.

"I'm so proud of you peanut..." He whispered down to her in a breaking voice. She couldn't see him anymore, his figure had dissipated. Now all she had was the glowing stars above. "You're one hell of a soldier."

Mia clung on to what sense of consciousness she had to keep her calm. Her life line was the stars above. Soon though, those too began to grow dark. The moans and dragging feet surrounded her completely. One by one each walker stepped around the two bodies. One of which was gutted completely, and the other covered in those blood, guts, and grime.

It was her last conscious act that she could muster. Protecting herself with a deed she swore she would never do again, Mia stared upwards at the passing bodies as tears began to cloud her vision. They didn't recognize that she was alive, they didn't even recognize that she was there. Instead, the dead stepped around her, tripped over her lifeless limbs, got up, and continued forward. By now all contents of the gutted female beside her had froze to her skin.

It was disgusting.

It was degrading.

It was hell.

So, with any ounce of life she had left in her, Mia let out soft silent sobs as the world of the dead engulfed her once again. Time would pass, they would pass, and so would her consciousness. At this point, it was merely a game. She wouldn't stay awake for much longer, and whether or not she would wake up she was unsure.

However, Mia did her job. She did what she could. The young girl protected her friends as long as she could. Hopefully, they would be okay without her. Hopefully they would be able to survive long into the near future. With Daryl, with Rick, with Glenn, and with all the others, they would be okay. They would always find a way. She kept them together, and they did the same for her.

That's why she could rest her head against the ground with ease. With her pounding heart in her ears and the tingling sensation on her tongue, Mia closed her eyes and let out a long, broken breath.

Please. She thought one last time. Make this be her last ride.