"villan and violent. infant and innocent. baby, both arms cradle you now." - adrianne lenker

salem is lying outside in a vast field, the soft grass tickling her skin as she gazes up at the clear blue sky. birds circle high above her, their wings beating gracefully as they soar. a soft breeze rustles the leaves around her, and for a moment, everything feels peaceful—like the world before.

she sits up slowly and notices carl beside her, lying on his back with a soft smile on his face. without saying a word, they both stand up and soon they're jogging through the woods, laughing and smiling as they run hand in hand. the air is fresh, the sun warm against her skin, and for the first time in what feels like forever, salem feels light. free.

as they run, salem turns her head for a moment, distracted by the beautiful butterflies that flutter out of a nearby bush, their delicate wings catching the sunlight. she grins, but when she looks back at carl, her breath catches in her throat—he's gone.

in his place, a walker runs alongside her, its decaying hand still gripping hers. salem freezes in terror, immediately dropping the walker's hand and stumbling backward. she falls to the ground, her heart pounding in her chest. the walker limps toward her, its outstretched arms reaching for her. she tries to crawl away, but it's too fast. its rotting fingers grip her shoulders, pulling her toward its gnashing teeth.

just as the walker closes in, salem jolts awake, her body trembling. her breath comes in shallow gasps as she looks around, her eyes adjusting to the familiar dim light of the church. the warm glow of the candles, the soft murmurs of her group nearby—she's safe. her heartbeat begins to slow as she takes a deep breath, shuddering as the remnants of the nightmare linger. 

salem stands up and walks over to jack, her eyes scanning the group as she notices the tension in the air. everyone looks sombre, faces tight with worry. "what's going on?" she whispers into jack's ear, keeping her voice low so no one else hears.

"those fuckers from terminus got bob," jack murmurs back, his expression dark. "they ate his leg right in front of him. and he got bit at the food bank, so he isn't gonna make it. sasha's in there with him now." he sighs, his voice laced with frustration and sorrow.

salem exhales, her chest heavy with the weight of everything going wrong. nothing ever seemed to go right for them, not once. "rick and a few others are heading out to scout," jack continues, glancing toward rick, who's motioning for him. "you'll stay here."

"why? why can't i come?" she whispers, frowning at being left behind again. "because, salem, you can't even kill a fly," jack says, laughing quietly. "you'd just be in the way." his tone is teasing, but it cuts deep, making salem feel small, useless. she frowns harder, wishing she could prove him wrong.

rick waves jack over again, and jack squeezes salem's shoulder in a half-hearted goodbye before heading out with the group. rick leaves salem with carl, judith, tyreese, eugene, and gabriel—along with bob, still lying on the couch in the back room, struggling to hang on. rick wanted every set of eyes he could get on the mission, but tyreese always stayed behind, insisting on protecting the kids. salem sits in a pew next to carl, the air thick with tension.

"i can't believe they ate his leg in front of him. that's so messed up." carl says, breaking the silence. his voice is low, almost numb. salem nods, her heart aching for sasha and bob. the tragedy felt endless.

then suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoes from the front steps. salem's stomach drops. "shit, get down." carl hisses, pulling her down under the pew. his arm wraps around her, holding her close as he brings a finger to his lips, signalling for silence. her heart races, her breathing shallow and quick. the sound of the front door creaking open sends a jolt of fear through her.

a group of people enters the church, their footsteps are heavy, guns raised and aimed. salem's pulse quickens, her hand gripping carl's tightly as they stay hidden under the pew. carl pulls out his gun, holding it steady in one hand while gripping her hand with the other. his face is tense, eyes narrowed, ready to act.

"well, i guess you know we're here, and we know you're here," gareth's voice rings out, calm but chilling. "and we're armed, so there's really no point in hiding anymore."

salem's breath catches in her throat. she feels her body freeze, hoping, praying they won't be found. gareth continues, his voice dripping with menace. "we've been watching you. we know who's here. there's bob, unless you've put him out of his misery already. eugene, tyreese, my old buddy martin's friend. my favorite little bonnie and clyde imposters, salem and carl. and of course, judith."

he knows their names. chills race down salem's spine, fear flooding her veins. she watches the boots step closer, inching their way toward the back room where the others are hiding. they rattle the door handle, testing it. locked, thank god.

"look, we know you're in there," gareth continues, his voice smooth. "we have more than enough bullets to take you down. can't imagine that's what you all want."

salem grips carl's hand tighter, her body tense, every nerve on high alert. the floor creaks under the weight of their boots, the ominous sound of a gun being cocked sending another wave of fear through her. "how about the priest? father, you help us wrap this up, we'll let you walk away from this." gareth's voice cuts through the silence, growing closer to the pew where salem and carl are hiding. salem prays, silently begging that gabriel doesn't give in and open the door. "just open the door, and you can go. take the baby with you, what do you say?" gareth taunts, his voice growing colder.

salem's heart drops when judith suddenly starts crying. carl's face pales, and the sound of judith's cries echoes through the room. gareth and his group turn toward the office door. "i don't know, maybe we'll keep the kid." gareth chuckles as he and his men move closer to the door.

"it's your last chance to come on out right now." gareth warns, his friends standing ready, guns loaded. "we'll hit the hinges." he orders, raising his gun as carl begins to stand up, ready to act. salem grabs his arm, yanking him back down, shaking her head 'no' with pleading eyes.

suddenly, silenced gunshots echo through the church, and gareth's two men drop to the ground. salem glances around, heart racing, and notices shadowy figures at the entrance. relief floods through her as she prays it's rick and the others. "put your guns on the floor." rick's voice booms from the shadows, calm but full of menace.

"rick, we'll fire right into that office. lower your gun--" gareth starts to threaten, but rick shoots him in the arm, cutting him off. gareth grunts in pain, his hand limp, and salem watches as rick's bullet has taken off some of his fingers. gareth's remaining friend, martin, freezes, unsure of what to do next. "put your guns on the floor and kneel." rick commands, stepping out of the darkness.

"do what he says," gareth grunts, cradling his injured arm, pain etched on his face. "martin, there's no choice here." martin stands frozen, hesitating. "yeah, there is." he finally says, defiant. "wanna bet?" jack's voice suddenly cuts in, his pistol pressed to martin's temple. martin drops his gun, his body slumping as he kneels on the floor. "hey, come here." maggie says, motioning for salem and carl to come out from under the pew. she ushers them toward the corner of the room, standing in front of them like a shield, protecting them from what's about to happen.

"no point in begging, right?" gareth asks, his voice strained as rick steps in front of him. "no." rick answers coldly, his eyes hard as steel. "still, you could've killed us when you came in," gareth says, trying to find some reasoning, some way out. "there had to be a reason you didn't." "didn't wanna waste the bullets." rick replies, his tone as emotionless as ever.

gareth's face twists in desperation as he tries to appeal to some sense of mercy. "we used to help people. we saved people. things changed. they came in, and—we had no choice. i know you've been out there, but you don't know what it's like to be hungry. you don't have to do this. we can walk away, and we will never cross paths again. i promise you."

rick's expression doesn't waver. "but you'll cross someone's path. you'd do this to anyone, right? besides, i already made you a promise." his voice drops low, cold, as he pulls his machete from its sheath. carl grabs salem and turns her around, shielding her from what's about to happen. he covers her ears with his hands as rick raises the machete, and the sickening sound of the blade cutting through flesh fills the air. salem squeezes her eyes shut, flinching at every blow, but she can still feel the weight of each strike in the air around her. blood splatters and the wet sound of brains hitting the floor follows.

maggie stands in front of the kids, her arms wide like a shield, blocking them from the gruesome sight. salem clutches carl's hands over her ears, trying to block out the horrible sounds, but they still cut through her, shaking her to her core. she presses herself closer to carl, feeling his presence steadying her, trying to focus on his warmth, his protection, as rick finishes what he started.