Ruins

51

In the morning I had to pack up me and Noah's things and some stuff from the infirmary. We had no choice but to move everyone from Alexandria. Kingdom fell long ago, and Hilltop's demise meant Beta would lead the horde here or Oceanside, and we didn't want to be here when they arrived.

"Come on Noah, I cannot carry you. Give me your hand." I huffed, adjusting my backpack.

"I got 'im." Daryl patted my shoulder, scooping Noah up. I could tell he was exhausted, but we still had to get to the hospital we were holding up at. "Listen..." Daryl sighed, making me look up at him. "I don't want you at the hospital. I don't know how this is gon' go down but I don't want you or Noah anywhere near it."

"What- where are we supposed to go?" I shook my head.

"It's a couple miles east of the hospital... It's a fire lookout, and you'll have good visibility."

"Daryl..." I shook my head, an eery feeling grow in my stomach. "I hate splitting up, and we can't afford to spare someone to go with us, and this pregnancy has been really hard on me-"

"You're gonna be alright. I'm gonna take you there, and I'm gon' get you when it's over. Alright?"

I rubbed at my temple and sighed.

"If you think we'll be safer out there... Alone in some big treehouse." I nodded. "Then I trust you." I looked up at Noah in his arms and sighed. "And we'll have Dog."

Half way through the trip to the hospital Daryl broke us off of the trail and led us to a small fire outlook.

"I'll make sure it's clear." He sat Noah down and headed up the stairs with his crossbow up. I watched him disappear inside and felt Noah tug at my hand.

"Mommy!" He whined.

I pushed him up the stairs seeing three walkers stumbling through the woods. I tugged my knife from my jeans and dropped my bag. I moved forward, watching the walkers hands, seeing them absent and swaying at their sides.

I lifted my knife, watching Dog jump onto one, pushing it over. I fell to my knees to stab the one Dog took down, before I could stand to get to the next one, it's dead, cold hand was clutching my shoulder.

I screeched, grabbing at its wrist. I could hear Noah's yelling from the stairs.

"It's okay!" I called, I attempted to flip the walker but it's hand came right off as I turned. "Shit." I breathed, dropping it's hand. I stepped back and the walker fell, with a bolt into it's head.

"Come on!" Daryl beckoned me. I jogged back to the stairs, Dog in tow and followed them up. "No more of that while I'm gone." He shook his head.

I chuckled and looked down at Noah's horrified face.

"Hey, it's okay." I wiped the blood from my hands into my pants and crouched down to him. "It's okay, I'm fine."

I stood up and looked at Daryl, knowing he had to get back.

"And I will do whatever I have to, to keep him safe." I responded to Daryl's order.

He looked between the two of us and bit his lips together. "That's my girl." He sighed, tugging me forward. "I love you." He held me against him.

"I love you too." I pulled away, holding his face. "You guys are gonna be fine out there. And we'll be fine here."

He nodded and moved passed me to pick Noah up. "I love you kid." He sighed. "Take care of your mom, alright?"

Noah nodded and he sat him down.

I watched Daryl exit the door and move down the stairs and back through the woods.

I locked the door behind him and scooted the desk in front of it.

"Here, eat up." I poured some cold stew into the canister, and gave Dog part of mine. The sun was going down and I could see the horde, but it was impossible to tell walker from whisperer. The horde had already changed directions once and they were nearly to the Tower.

"Mommy?"

"Yes baby?" I sighed, sitting beside him.

"When will they go away?" He asked.

I furrowed my eyebrows, setting the soup down to peer down at him.

"When will who go away?" I asked.

"The walkers?"

I turned to face him and ran my hand over his cheeks. "Noah, they may not ever go away." I shook my head. "And if they do..." I held my breath, not knowing how to make him understand the world now, even though it was all he knew. "If they do go away, it won't be for a very long time."

Noah nodded and sipped the rest of his soup.

"How about... I tell you about before?" I asked, taking his hand. "You want to hear about how the world was... When I was your age?"

He was eager to hear about everything I did when I was little, and I of course had to embellish because I didn't actually get to go to the zoo, or the park without my Dad dragging me and my mom home because she forgot to pack his cigarettes.

"They had elephants, and monkeys, and-" I cut myself off, hearing faint music and pushed myself up, grabbing the binoculars.

I could see the horde heading away from the hospital, and the music must've been coming from Daryl and the others. They'd gotten to the wagon. I couldn't see the wagon, but they must've been ahead of the horde.

As it grew darker, the music had stopped and I'd lost sight of the horde, which was a good sign, I guess.

I'd tucked Noah under my coat, and sat beside him, holding myself as I shivered.

I'd wrapped myself around Noah and Dog and found enough warmth, to get a few hours of sleep before the sun was waking me up.

It was probably still really early, but I got up and stood, wiping the sleep from my eyes. I grabbed the binoculars searching for something, anything. Any sign of life.

The horde was nowhere in sight, and the hospital looked still.

"Where are you guys?" I breathed, scanning the woods.

I stood there for minutes just looking, until I spotted a red top. It was Lydia's, I could hardly see anything, but I knew it wouldn't take me long to get to them.

I dropped the binoculars, not able to see her, without them, but I knew it wouldn't take long to get there.

"Noah." I put the binoculars down, scanning the ground around the tower. "Noah, get up bud." I called,warning a small bark from Dog, and he got up. "Come on baby, it's time to go." I helped him, up seeing his sleepy eyes.

"But Daddy said-"

"Don't worry, we're gonna go see Daddy, right now."

I took his hand, closing his coat up and let Dog follow us down the stairs, then lead us through the woods. He seemed to know exactly where we were going. And when he let out a small growl, I spotted two walkers.

"Stay with Dog." I told Noah. "Dog stay." I ordered, walking forward, jamming my knife into the firsts eye, getting a spurt of blood over my face. I groaned and took my knife out killing the second. "Come on!" I took Noah's hand.

It was about a a twenty minute walk, but it seemed faster.

"Mommy!" Noah puffed out, making me look down at him. His face was flushed and I could tell he was tired.

"Okay, I'm sorry." I shook my head, bending forward to pick him up. "Almost there." I said. "I can hear them."

Noah shivered into my and I held him tighter. I first spotted Magna and Kelly sitting beside a tree, and Dog bolted passed them, further into the small camp.

We made it.

I just had to find Daryl