CHAPTER TWO ━━ AN OVERRUN HOUSE
SEASON FOUR;  episodes eleven

Amelia lay her head in her arms resting against the dining table. Her eyes fixated on the bandaged wound on her hand.  The morning breeze had finally made its way into the house. Her jacket was zipped up, and she almost caught the skin on her chin with it. Her hands were buried deep within the sleeves, and even her own breath had gone cold. She had endured another sleepless night. Carl had a scare where he thought his father had finally turned into a dead one. He was just in pain. His father all but nodded to her acknowledgement, she couldn't blame him the bruises on his chest looked horrible and that wasn't the only place he was wounded. 

The Father and Son were now sitting against the couch on the floor, talking. She couldn't help but eavesdrop on their conversation.

"It's dangerous." The Dad said, his voice was raspy and mixed with his strong southern accents, he sounded like a sheriff from those old cowboy movies. She found it amusing as she pictured him in a cowboy getup, tumbleweeds rolling around behind him. Maybe he was a cowboy, it would make sense with the crazy hat his son was wearing. She crossed her fingers hoping she was in some crazy George Lucas cowboy movie.

She felt herself jump out of her skin, goosebumps crawling up her skin as something knocked against the glass of the front door. Her heart started pumping as she stood up from her chair rushing to the archway and peeking at the door. The man pulled his gun out of his holster as Carl slid back his mismatched shoes making a squeaking noise. He cringed at himself, clocking the gun and pointing slightly away from his father.

His Father slowly looked through the peephole and chuckled to himself as his shoulders relaxed. He laughed at himself sliding down against the couch. Carl looked at him annoyed, "What?" He sounded like he wanted to join in with his Fathers' laughter yet his face said the complete opposite.

His Father looked up at him with sparkles in his eyes. "It's for you."

Amelia once again sat at the dining table this time with a bowl of just cereal. Carl spent half an hour picking out all the bad flakes and evenly distributing them into four white plastic bowls. She twisted the spoon with her thumb watching as the flakes were pushed around at her control.

A chair was pulled out, opposite of her, she looked up at the woman who smiled sweetly at her and playfully scowled at Carl who was snickering to himself. "Do you have something to say about my... extremely comfortable and attractive shirt?." She placed four bottles in the middle of the table, holding back laughter as she rolled up the long sleeves of her white button-up. 

"No, no, no it looks great!" Carl laughed, waving his hand in defence. He looked back down at his bowl trying to contain his laughter. Amelia could only watch as the two of them shared a moment of happiness.

Michonne, was the Woman's name, she had fierce eyes and Amelia was met with them when she opened the door last night, she was scary but at this moment her eyes had softened they felt warm and accepting, she only gave a few glances towards her giving Amelia space. She wore a bandana with an interesting pattern that she couldn't quite describe, but it captured her attention and she couldn't stop staring at it. 

"My best friend, in the third grade, was allergic to dairy..."

"Uh-huh." Michonne raised an eyebrow at Carl, smirking as he shushed her wanting to continue with his story.

"Anyways, every day he would bring this soy stuff to lunch. I tried it."

"... and?"

"I threw up!" He declared slamming his hands on the table, the bowls and cutlery shook startling Amelia.

"Oh yeah right!" Michonne scrunched up her face in disbelief, scoffing at the young boy as he tried really hard to convince her. Both of them were laughing, not caring about a thing in the world. Amelia felt like she shouldn't be here, she wanted to get up and just go to another room and calm her heart which was beating rapidly against her chest. She sat there with her hands on her thighs trying to calm herself down as a lump in her throat formed.

She snapped back to reality as the boy aggressively pushed his chair in storming off upstairs leaving the woman to just stare at her bowl of cereal as she swallowed guilt. She bit the bottom of her lip as she stood up giving Amelia an apologetic look, mouthing Sorry to her and going into the kitchen.

Her eyes watched her movements carefully as Michonne hesitantly put the bowl in the sink, sliding her hands into her pockets, she was looking at someone. Amelia carefully pushed her chair out and crept her way over to the door frame where she saw the woman and the man talking. She leaned over a bit more, and their conversation became more serious as the man's smile dropped and so did his eyes. Michonne stepped closer, her voice full of concern but the man only pushed it away.

Amelia's feet carried her to the lounge room where the couch now had an arrangement of towels, and a few bowls of water contaminated with blood. She didn't know what she was doing, she couldn't contribute to anything, and she felt useless. Her heart ached as she sat on the floor resting her back against the couch, knees up to her chin. But what was she supposed to do? Decapitate a dead person?

The man wobbled into the living room, the floorboards creaking under each of his heavy steps. He gave her a slight smile before dragging himself up the stairs. She pulled a loose string of fabric from her shirt, starting to wrap it around her pinky finger. Amelia just listened to the man struggling to get up the stairs as she stared out of the dirty window. She really wanted to get up and help the man but her legs wouldn't let her. She sat on the ground staring out of the window for an hour before she heard the stairs creaking once again. The Man and Carl had come down heading straight to the kitchen.

Amelia stretched her legs out, immediately squeezing her eyes shut as her muscles cramped up. Leaning against the wall she stood up on her feet, Watching as Michonne, Carl and the Man walked in. Carl and Michonne carry two plastic bags in either hand. She slightly tensed up as they revealed they were going on a supply run and promised to be back by noon. They said their goodbyes and headed on their way leaving just Amelia and The Man to stand in the empty living room.

The man shifted awkwardly on his heels, holding his hands by his sides and looking down at the small child.

"Can you help me push this back?" He motioned towards the couch. Amelia nodded while the man gave a nod back. The couch wasn't that heavy but for a ten-year-old girl who was basically just bone and a man who was slowly bleeding out, it took an unnecessary amount of effort to push it against the door. Amelia took a step back, trying to stretch her arms as her bones ached.

"Good teamwork." He awkwardly patted the air before limping towards the stairs. She turned around, opening her mouth to say something but immediately shut it. Clenching her hands into a fist.

"Uh... my name is Amelia." She took a step back immediately feeling embarrassed as she fixed her eyes on her shoes. Tapping the toe of her foot against the wooden floor. The man turned around smiling slightly, "I know Carl told me, my son," he placed his left hand on his chest, "Rick."

Amelia once again found herself nodding in reply, she didn't know if she was supposed to say something else. She just slowly walked to the dining area where she was before. She had nothing to do, once again she felt alone. How was she supposed to go on with life without her dad? It finally hit her that he wasn't coming back, that slight light of hope was washed away.

Her chest tightened as if her ribs were closing in on themselves, her heart beating faster sending shockwaves of pain throughout her chest causing even more pain. She slowly brought herself down onto her knees. The whole world around her disappeared as she let out muffled sobs in an attempt to shut herself up with the sleeve of her jacket shoved in her mouth.

She didn't want to die, she couldn't imagine throwing herself off a building or shooting herself in the head.

She struggled to pick herself off the floor, she was exhausted mentally and physically. Getting up those stairs was like crawling up a tall mountain, passing the master bedroom she saw that Rick was fast asleep, a book laying open on his chest.

She found herself looking at a bookshelf downstairs in order to make sure she didn't wake Rick. There was a range of different books from children's picture books with colourful covers to thick books with plain covers. She pulled the heavy book off the shelf examining the leather cover. It felt wrong touching the gorgeous book with her dirty hands. Amelia's heart raced once again as a range of male voices could be heard in the distance.

Immediately she put the book down, looking around the room trying to think of something but she couldn't distract her mind from the hard thumping of her heart. Her legs felt like jelly as she climbed the stairs clumsy, running into the room where Rick was asleep and grabbing her bag.

Rick quickly sat up looking at the girl in confusion, trying to understand the fear on her face. He immediately froze as she heard the door being bashed in, and the sound of the couch scratching against the floor. Grabbing tightly onto  Amelia's arm he pushed her underneath the bed while he grabbed a water bottle that would indicate someone was there.

The men were shouting like the dead wouldn't hear them. She silently prayed that a herd of them would come in and eat them alive.

Rick froze at the sound of feet stomping up the stairs, it felt as if it shocked the whole house. Amelia's chest hurt, it was suffocating her as she felt her ribs against the floor. She pressed her hands over her ears trying to muffle as much noise as she could as screams erupted from downstairs. She pressed her head down in an attempt to relieve the throbbing in her head.

A man entered the room they were hiding in, kicking around the clothes left on the floor. Sighing and muttering nonsense to himself. Amelia watched as Rick went to grab something from the pocket of his pants. She pulled up the hood of her jacket burying her face in the side of the material. Her breathing seemed louder than ever, her heart thumping shaking her bones.

The bed squeaked and her heart skipped a beat as the man jumped on top. Rick turned to the girl who had her eyes squeezed shut.

At least ten minutes had passed, and the screaming had stopped leaving the house silent all but the creaking floor of the men's heavy boots. The girl's arms had started to cramp up, tears falling down her face. She slowly and shakily brought her arms down from her ears to rest under her chin.

"This will be our abode for the evening!" A man called out from the bottom floor. Immediately Amelia recognised the voice and the panic really started to settle in. She felt sweat building up on her forehead, they needed to get the hell out of here and fast.

Another pair of shoes had entered the bedroom, the man knocked aggressively against the door frame. "Comfy?"

"You're waking me up to see if I'm comfortable?"

"I want to lie down." The man took a step forward closer to the bed, making Amelia hold in her breath.

The man on the bed slammed his hand down onto the mattress causing it to squeak, freaking her out even more. "Two other bedrooms up here to choose from!"

"Them's kids' beds! I want this one!"

"It's claimed!"

"I didn't hear it." The man inched even closer to the bed. ]

"You're gonna have to lay claim somewhere else!"

The man at the end of the bed took in a sharp breath before attacking the one laying on the bed. He had thrown him onto the ground, his hands squeezing his neck, causing his face to go red as he thrashed around.

Ricks's eyes met the man, watching as the suffocating man's eyes widened. He hit the other man's lower arm yelling his name. Amelia watched as the man's eyes slowly had the life drained out of him. She waited to take in a breath, now even more distressed.

"My bed now, jackoff!"

Like the man, before he jumped onto the bed, sighing. Rick put his index finger to his lips and tapped his wrist, Amelia nodded, swallowing fear as it became a lump in her throat. She lay there waiting for Rick's signal. A simple nod and Amelia slowly slid out under the bed, stopping every time the man stirred.

Once she had finally brought herself to her feet she felt all the muscles in her body scream. Rick nodded to her, stepping behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders leading her through the hallway.

The sounds of heavy boots followed by the slow bangs of a ball hitting every step reminded them that they were still not in the clear. Rick gently guided Amelia so that she was behind him, as he walked back into the boy's bedroom. They were forced to keep moving each step adding more strain to her heart, she was squashed up into a corner, and Rick was facing the wall, his eyes glued to the doorframe.

The man followed them into the room stopping only at the door frame and throwing the ball aggressively against the wall right opposite of them.  With each hit, Amelia's body started to shake even more. Pressing her hand to her mouth she shut her eyes, still flinching each time the ball banged against the wall.

Eventually and finally the man got bored and walked away, giving them the slightest bit of relief. Rick slowly peered out into the bedroom and turned around to check the windows. But they didn't budge.

"Claim! Claim! Claim!" Another Man yelled into the air.

"Shut the hell up! I'm trying to sleep!"

"There's a Woman shacking up in here!"

Amelia's heart got lodged in her throat. She looked up at Rick, tears burning in her eyes. Rick could only swallow, any means of communication would give them away.

They hurried down the hallway into a bathroom. Rick slowly shut the door behind them. Her eyes met a man's bloodshot pupils as he leapt for her. Rick pushed Amelia out of the way and swiftly hit him in the stomach with the trophy.

The man bit Rick's shoulder throwing him into the bathroom counter, both of them struggled to try and get the upper hand as Amelia hid in the rusted and mouldy shower bath making her gag. 

The guy and Rick were now on the floor, Rick strangling the guy from underneath him. She watched as the guy's face turned red making failed attempts to break free. As soon as the Man went limp Rick picked up the gun and aimed it at the door waiting a few seconds before standing up and catching his breath. 

Rick pointed to the window and went through the pile of stuff that had been thrown to the floor in the fight. Amelia stepped out of the tub, her legs shaking beneath her from the adrenaline. She opened the window slowly having the stand on her toes to open it all the way,

She watched as Rick opened the bathroom door slightly brushing the strands of his dark brown hair out of his eyes. He grabbed a jacket that was hanging on the shower door and threw it out onto the roof, helping Amelia climb out of the window.

A cold breeze hit her hot and sweaty face. She felt like she could finally breathe again. She pushed herself up against the white panelling of the house determined not to fall down. Once Rick had climbed through the window he put on the leather jacket with a fur collar.

He led the way, staying close as he could to the house as he could. He lifted his hand to signal her to stop leaning over and looking at the deck below them. "I'll catch you, okay?" Amelia nodded her head as her breathing started to pick up once again. 

Rick took slow steps down the roof, leaning back a bit for more stability. He gave the girl a nod, who was holding onto the casing of the window crouching down out of sight from those inside.

Once Rick had dropped himself down onto the deck, Amelia hesitantly made her way to the edge of the roof sitting herself down so she could lower herself. She turned on her stomach slowly and her legs went over the edge. Her arms were shaking as she held onto the gutter looking down at Rick who gave her another nod. She took in a deep breath before dropping herself down.

Rick caught her wrapping his arms around her torso. Amelia's feet hit the deck and in a blink of an eye, she found herself hiding between two bushes waiting for another signal. The man who had trapped them before with the bouncing ball was now on the front porch slowly walking around with the ball in his hand.

The man wore a black leather jacket, and his hair was an awful grey. He was most likely from a biker gang at least from before. Her Mother disliked biker gangs as her brother was targeted and murdered by one because of a misunderstanding. They mistook him for the wrong guy.

Amelia started to grow impatient, her legs cramping up. She needed to just run even standing would do her some good. She shot daggers through her eyes wishing the man would just go inside. They waited for another five minutes when he finally went inside slamming the screen door behind him.

Immediately they ran, crouching down just in case. Michonne and Carl came back with bags in either hand and started running with them as soon as they saw the fear in Rick's eyes.

╭─────────╮

3156 words

╰─────────╯