"where i come from, you say things will be well and fine, through the world around you is crumbling." - passion pit

carl stands in front of gabriel, laying out weapons, urging him to choose one. deciding it was on him to teach gabriel to fight, carl needed something to distract himself from his father's absence. salem watches quietly from her spot against the wall, fiddling with the locket around her neck. 

she opens the heart-shaped pendant, staring at a picture of her parents from years ago, back when things were okay when happiness was still a part of life. she wonders about her father now, entertaining the thought of asking rick to try and find him. she knows it's a lost cause—if he's alive, he's long gone from the south, probably somewhere up north, where he always loved the cold, wet states like rhode island or connecticut.

salem remembers the stories her mother used to tell about how she and her father met, the spontaneous trips up north, the bar-hopping nights, and the songs they'd sing until dawn. she envies those days—the time adults had when the world was normal. she wishes she could experience life as it was supposed to be.

time passes slowly as salem watches michonne and carl go about their business. gabriel eventually grows emotional, claiming he feels ill, and locks himself away in his office. the church falls quiet except for judith's soft coos and occasional cries, which salem soothes with a toy from her bassinet. michonne eventually stands up and knocks on gabriel's office door after an hour of silence.

"you said you weren't feeling well. you doing okay?" michonne's voice is calm but firm. "yeah, i was just resting." gabriel responds weakly as judith begins to fuss again. salem picks up a small toy and waves it gently, settling the baby down again.

"i know this is all new to you," michonne tells him. "i just wanted to let you know, the things we do, they're worth it." "fine, okay. i'll take the machete. what more do you want from me?" gabriel snaps, his voice strained with frustration.

"i don't want anything from you," michonne replies, her tone soft but unwavering. "i'm just trying to help." "thank you." gabriel mutters before shutting the door again. michonne scoffs under her breath, then comes to sit beside the kids. "he'll come around." carl says, trying to sound hopeful.

"we can't afford any liabilities." michonne grumbles, her eyes scanning the quiet church, the weight of everything pressing down on all of them. michonne sighs, leaning back against the wall beside carl and salem. the tension in the room feels heavy after her conversation with gabriel, but it doesn't take long for carl to try and lighten the mood.

"you ever miss video games?" carl asks suddenly, looking up at michonne with a half-smile, trying to shift the energy. "i used to play them all the time." michonne chuckles softly, glancing at him. "can't say i was ever much of a gamer. i didn't have time for that stuff before... all this."

"i had this one game, 'fury road 3.' it was all about racing and smashing other cars. you'd have loved it." carl grins, clearly reminiscing about simpler times. salem listens quietly, her fingers still wrapped around her locket. she watches as the conversation drifts from survival to something far less serious. michonne shakes her head, laughing lightly. "i don't know, smashing cars? maybe. i think i would've been too competitive, though. probably would've broken the controller."

carl laughs. "my dad wasn't that into it either, but he'd watch me play sometimes, pretending like he didn't care if i won or lost. he always gave me this look when i crashed. like he expected me to do better."

michonne smiles a distant look in her eyes. "it's funny, the things we miss. i miss the dumbest stuff. long hot showers, bad reality tv shows. just sitting on the couch, zoning out. i never thought i'd miss that."

salem listens, her mind wandering to things she missed, too. small things. the smell of fresh laundry, the sound of her aunt singing in the kitchen, or the feeling of a warm bed after a long day. "you know what i miss?" michonne says, her smile widening a bit. "i miss chocolate. good chocolate, not that dollar store stuff. the rich, fancy kind."

"oh man," carl groans, leaning his head back against the wall. "yeah, chocolate. that and pizza. i'd give anything for pizza right now." salem smiles softly, the mention of pizza reminding her of nights spent with her cousins, ordering in and watching movies together. moments of quiet normalcy that feel so far away now.

michonne looks between carl and salem, her expression softening. "we'll get back to those things one day, you know? might not be the same, but we'll have something like it." salem nods, hopeful in her silence, the thought of those small comforts enough to lift her spirits, even if only for a moment. 

the night carries on, the church dimly lit by the flicker of a lantern in the corner. hours pass in a lull of silence, the atmosphere tense, but quiet. salem leans her head back against the wall, her fingers absently tracing the edges of her locket, her thoughts far away.

suddenly, a loud banging echoes through the church, shattering the silence. salem and carl jump up, startled, their hearts racing. instinctively, carl steps in front of salem, pushing her behind him as if to shield her from whatever is coming. "help! help me!" gabriel's desperate voice screams from outside, the sound muffled but frantic.

michonne doesn't hesitate. she grabs an axe from the weapons bag and rushes to the door, the heavy wood nailed shut from the inside. she swings the axe hard, splintering the boards, each hit resounding through the church. carl stands ready, his gun aimed at the door as salem grips judith in her arms, her heart pounding in her chest.

with one final blow, the wood gives way, and the door bursts open. immediately, a flood of walkers pours into the church, their grotesque forms lurching forward. carl fires off several shots, taking down the first few walkers, but there are too many. he quickly grabs salem's hand, pulling her toward gabriel's office as the undead swarm through the entrance. "come on!" carl shouts, his voice urgent.

inside the office, gabriel is panicked but points to a hole in the floorboards that he had used to escape earlier. carl hands judith to salem, her arms tightening around the baby as he crawls into the hole first to clear the escape route. "go!" he urges.

salem quickly follows, still clutching judith, her heart racing as she drops into the small crawlspace beneath the church. gabriel is close behind, stumbling as he scrambles through the opening. the door slams shut behind them, and moments later, michonne slides into the hole, barely escaping the growing horde.

they crawl out into the open, breathless and frantic. gabriel collapses onto the ground, his chest heaving. "i can't run anymore." he pants, his voice trembling. "we aren't running." michonne says coldly, her eyes focused as she readies her weapon.

salem stays close to gabriel and holds judith tightly as carl and michonne move toward the church door, determined to stop the walkers. together, they fight off the undead that had escaped, shooting and slicing through the remaining ones until the door is slammed shut, locking the rest inside the church.