CHAPTER TWENTY － IF IT COMES

Their journey the next day took the three into the woods fairly quickly after they left the following morning, due to the direction given by a few other signs up ahead. It definitely would've been faster if they stayed on the road, but who knows where Terminus was really located? It wasn't like they had a proper map on them, let alone GPS. So they followed, and the fifteen miles went by much slower than it would've otherwise.

The woods were bumpy, thick, with lots of uneven ground, and ultimately the three lost energy quicker, and had to take more breaks. They were utterly exhausted before the sun set, with maybe ten miles left on their journey. They can go one more day, maybe two. They had enough food and water left, though barely, and would have to ration it out even more now.

Despite the trouble, Nadia felt more convinced about Terminus. If the journey was hard, maybe it was intentional, done so in order to prevent the wrong crowd from continuing on. A reward for those who wanted it so badly.

They set up camp on the flattest stretch they could find, agreeing that they'd use their backpacks as pillows, and that they'd each take turns keeping watch after dark. Their moods were well kept, the faith keeping them motivated. Plus, even if they were exposed, at least they weren't entirely easy to stumble upon, and it didn't reek of rotting flesh anymore.

Nadia had first watch, but Mason still wanted to stay up a while. He wasn't tired enough quite yet, and it was still too bright for him since the sun hadn't finished setting. Kate, who knew she had second watch, was just ready to take a nap while she still could.

When she woke up, the sky was fading into a nice shade of purple, still casting enough light for her to see. She couldn't have been asleep for longer than a hour, possibly an hour and a half. So how, in such a small span of time, did Nadia and Mason find themselves in a dire need of trouble to where they needed to aggressively shake her awake?

There was no real trouble at all. When Kate's vision cleared, Nadia was above her, resting on her hands and knees. Her face was calm, but slightly anxious, eyes darting back and forth between her and something else. As Kate sat up, her own eyes did the same.

"Carl?"

The boy had his gun pointed directly at Mason, who also had his own raised, though bent with hesitancy. Carl was alone, but there were quick footsteps behind him, two pairs of feet.

"Both of you drop your guns. It's fine." She stated firmly, raising her hands. "Mason, do it."

"I'm not going to shoot him. Not unless he tries to shoot you or Nadia." The blonde insisted, eyes kept solely on the teenage boy at the end of their temporary camp.

"They were there," Carl said, the footsteps behind him still distant, but close enough. He must have ran off when he heard voices, only to discover them sitting by Kate's previously unconscious body. "I saw them. Why are you with them?"

"Carl," She said gently, standing up. "Lower the gun. They saved me. I can explain, but you have to lower your gun first."

His hazel eyes faded up to her, then back to Mason. "I believe you, but he needs to drop his gun first."

"If you believe I－" Mason went silent as Kate stared daggers at him, and then he sighed, lowering his gun. "Fine."

Carl followed after, immediately running forwards and wrapping his arms tightly around Kate's waist. He had been getting so tall lately, and was almost her height now, his cowboy hat immediately whacking her against the cheek. The footsteps in the distant had stopped suddenly, not far away at all.

"I thought you died." The boy mumbled as they parted. "Michonne didn't know where you were."

Kate lifted her head, eyes widening as she saw the figures of her two closest friends before her; Michonne and Rick, alive and well. Michonne seemed perfectly healthy, her mouth dropped slightly. Rick looked like he'd been hit quite hard sometime in the past few days, and looked like he was still in some sort of pain, though he'd rather die than ever comment on it.

Carl stepped to the side, allowing Michonne to stride up to Kate next, though he kept a firm glare on Mason and Nadia, of whom were awkwardly watching the reunion. His gum wasn't up anymore, but it still resided in his hand.

"I thought they got you," Michonne said quietly, wrapping an arm over her friend's shoulders. "I couldn't find your body after it happened. I thought I was too late."

"If anyone was gonna survive that, of course it'd be you." Kate laughed. "Careful on my left shoulder, Mich. Still not entirely healed yet."

She raised an eyebrow, inspecting her arm for herself. "You got shot?"

"I did, but it went all the way through. Can't say I would've made if hadn't." Kate pressed down on Carl's hat, making him complain. "Not all of us can handle having pieces of a bullet dug out the way you two can, huh?"

As Michonne stepped back, Kate turned, face to face with Rick, who'd practically been frozen to the leaves on the ground this entire time. When he noticed she had his sites set on him though, he took no more than three big steps, wrapping one arm around her waist, his right hand cupping the back of her head and pressing it into his shoulder. He rocked back and forth, letting out the weight of his guilt in just one heavy breath.

Kate knew it then. The feeling being reunited with them gave her, the feeling of Rick's arms around her. He was the same in spirit as he was when she saw him last, even after being knocked down again and again. Safe. She felt safe, and she felt like everything was going to be truly okay again, for the first time since the prison collapsed.

The prison had been home, the first place to really feel like a place for her since the start of the end. But Kate realized in that moment that it hadn't been the fences that made it a home, or the community they had built. It had been Rick, and Glenn, and Carl. It had been Michonne, Maggie, Beth. Daryl too, as grumpy as he pretended to be. Sasha, Tyreese, and Bob. Hershel. They were home.

She wasn't sure if Rick would've pulled away from her if they didn't have an audience. He cleared his throat, looking back at her with those annoyingly bright blue eyes of his.

Fuck. Kate Rhee was fucked.

"The people you're with..."

She cut him off. "They're my friends. They saved me. I would've been dead if it weren't for them." Kate tucked a strand of her long dark hair behind her ear, resting her hands in the back pocket of her jeans. "This is Mason and Nadia Parish. Guys, you've heard me tak about Rick, Carl, and Michonne."

Nadia raised her hand, almost hesitantly, as if she still expected a bullet in her head any second. "You guys want to spend the night with us here? We have some water."

Kate did in fact that next watch, though it was much later in the night, when the sun had disappeared from sight. Carl joined her, staring at the crackling fire the group had set up before he'd found them. He told his dad he wasn't tired when questioned, but Kate knew the real reason he wanted to stay up with her.

"Why'd you lie to my Dad?" He asked her after about a half hour of silence, when he was really sure the other four were asleep for real. "Nadia and Mason were at the prison. I saw him drag you out of thar car."

"I'm pretty sure he knew who they were. Michonne too." She replied, tossing another few twigs into the fire. "But I wasn't lying, they saw that. Nadia and Mason never fired a shot."

"They were still there. They were ready to let you get murdered. Hershel...they didn't stop it." He bitterly muttered, bringing his knees up as close as thy could go to his chest. "They were going to take our home."

"I'm not excusing that. Nadia killed her friend for me, because she knew it was wrong. He shot me right here in the shoulder, and was about to fire another shot when she stopped him. They got me away from the prison, took me somewhere safe so she could treat me." Kate explained, making the boy's eyes soften as he glanced her her wrapped up shoulder. "They didn't think things would get that far, they didn't know the kind of person the Governor really was. And honestly, by the time they found out I was kidnapped, they weren't in much of a position to let me go."

He looked away after that, staring at the fire in silence for a long period of time. Kate knew he had more on his mind, more he wanted to say, but she wasn't going to drag it out of him. It wasn't going to change anything. By the time he decided what to say, his voice as a croak, like he'd spent a lot of time crying over it.

"Judith is gone."

Kate kissed her teeth, staring open eyed at the flames until it stung, burning away at her soul. She knew it already when she didn't see the baby with her family. Rick would've never left that prison without his kids. Not ever, even if there was a walker tearing at every inch of flesh on his body.

"We found her carrier on the ground. There was blood. I...and I blamed my Dad for it." Carl whispered. "I blamed him for it all."

"It's not his fault, but I think you already know that." She said quietly, peering at him again. "I'm sorry, Carl. I know nothing I say will make the pain go away, but I can still be sorry."

He picked up a few dead leaves, tossing into the flames, where they'd burn to a crisp. "I'm sorry too, about Glenn. You just found him again. It's not fair."

"You're right, it's not, and I wish you didn't have to understand how it feels."

Carl looked up at her. They were both the eldest, they both understood the burden, the natural essence in their being where they needed to make sure their younger siblings would be okay. Both of them had failed. His parents had both been only children, and he hadn't ever really cared to have a sibling until he already had one. Never had he ever thought a loss could even come close to the pain of losing his mother, and never had he ever felt so immediately protective of the same thing that killed her.

"I hope Terminus will be better. That you won't ever have to feel something this painful ever again." He told her. "That things can change. My dad...he was right. I was so mad at him for playing farmer, for not letting me help like everyone else. I told him I wished he was dead when he was hurt and unconscious."

"Did you mean it?"

"No," His voice cracked. "I was just mad. It's supposed to be me, its supposed to be someone who loves him when the time comes. But I don't want him to die. I don't want anyone else to die."

"Then tell him. He's still your Dad, telling him you're sorry isn't going to scare him away. He loves you." Kate told him. "And if he can't take himself out one day, I think he'd want it to be someone who loved him too. That's how I want it for me."

"I'd do it for you." Carl stated. "You're family. It's supposed to be family. If Glenn won't be able to do it, it should be me."

She rubbed his back. "Let's hope it never comes to that."