CHAPTER FIFTEEN
xv. BUT THE LIGHT BREATHES

JACK

THE CROWD MET in front of the Governor's house, their eyes pinned to the front porch in anticipation. Jack stayed close to Erin, who was messing with the accumulation of scrap metal in her hands. He was unsure of what she was trying to create with it, but he didn't question her motives. He instead glanced around at the borders of the town, examining them for breaks in the defenses.

The two had a plan to escape in three days time, hopefully to find a new place they could reside for a few days, maybe weeks. They were convinced completely by one of the two women that had recently come to Woodbury, Michonne. Her dark skin was lined with sweat, and the katana that she once held so proudly was gone. She stood on Jack's other side, a glare pulling her eyebrows together. The three remained behind a building, far from the crowd in hopes of keeping the attention from them.

The Governor quickly climbed the steps, his voice echoing through the empty streets. "I'm gonna find my damn katana." Michonne trailed off before walking towards the main buildings.

"Ready?" Erin whispered. Jack nodded and followed her towards the makeshift walls. They walked along them, checking for breaks in the lines of overturned trucks. All of it was sealed tightly so biters couldn't get in, but that was until Jack saw it.

"Erin, there." A gap that was just wide enough for them to get through. A way to escape this all, and more importantly, to find the girl whom the two missed more than anything.

"It's perfect." Erin smiled. "Michonne will like it, too." The three planned to leave whenever the chance was given, if not in three days, and Michonne agreed that it wasn't the place for her either. The other woman that accompanied her, Andrea, disagreed with the three of them, leaving the group of escapees narrowed to a trio.

"Okay, mark this down. We need to have multiple routes out." Jack whispered. Erin placed three small rocks down by the entrance to the alleyway, marking the exit.

Erin sighed, the small smile remaining on her face as she glanced around at the town. "I hope she's waiting for us." she said, "Maybe not you, royal fuck up, but maybe she's still hoping I'm alive."

The crunching of leaves made Jack refrain from replying, and their heads snapped towards the man they were both trying to escape. "Jack and Erin, my favorite people in this small town." The Governor smirked, his lips curling in the wicked smile. "You guys are missing the party!" the man joked.

"We were just..." Jack trailed off. He looked to Erin before throwing his arm over her shoulder. "getting away for a bit."

Erin tensed up beneath him, but she seemed to understand his motives. She wrapped her arm around his waist, digging her nails into his ribs to signal her hidden annoyance. "Yeah," she laughed. "we'll join you guys soon enough."

The Governor nodded, his eyes looking suspicious. "I suppose so. There's plenty of food and drinks for all of us." And with that he left the pair once more, his tall figure disappearing around the corner.

Erin immediately retracted her arm. Before Jack could react, she hit him repeatedly on the shoulder. "You're an idiot!" she hissed silently.

"Glad to know the thought of us being something immediately repulses you." Jack sighed, "You couldn't think of anything, so I did."

"Whatever, Thompson. Just be glad I love my sister." Erin muttered. "We need to find better places to discuss our motives. No more out in the open."

Jack ran a hand over his forehead, a sigh releasing from his lips. "Got it." It would be worth it, though, because the two would be able to see Ruth again, and hopefully in one piece. All of this planning was for the girl who cracked jokes in every possible moment, the girl who kept herself together, and the girl who could never fall apart.

**

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
xv. AND THE DARK SUFFOCATES

RUTH

THE GROUND MOVED underneath her. It shook like an earthquake, the force making Ruth's knees knock together. Maybe it wasn't the ground. Maybe instead, it was her, whose legs swayed beneath her with unsteady footsteps. Sweat dripped down her forehead, letting the silence of the son and two women encompass the oxygen in their vicinity, depriving each of them of another breath.

The three of them walked without a word spoken, for nothing worth saying could fill the bitter silence that was broken by the infant's cries. Ruth was a ghost, for she felt like she was floating. She couldn't connect her thoughts with her mind, letting herself move down the dark corridor with Maggie's gun in her hands. Needles pierced her eyes with a jabbing motion, forcing water to her lids. It dripped like a broken faucet, the drops falling onto her outstretched arms.

Promise me you'll look after them, Lori's words to her echoed, protect them. Her eyes drifted to the crying baby in Maggie's arms, but she couldn't stare for too long. It reflected the looks of the boy sobbing silently to her left as he walked forwards into the dark. His hair was glued to the back of his neck in perspiration.

Left to her thoughts, she could only find acidic question that burned into the crevices of her brain. Why? Of all people to fuck over, why was it Lori? The woman's face appeared in Ruth's head, the smile that seemed to be upon her lips whenever they were together. The moment it appeared, it was gone.

"Ruth," Carl muttered, "help me with the door?" Ruth stepped forward to the end of the hall, forcing her weight against the heavy metal and pushing it aside. The midday sun hit their eyes with an intense ferocity, the bright stinging the dark-accustomed irises of blue, green, and brown. In the courtyard the group--or what was left of it--gathered by the entrance to the cellblock. They were gathered in a hush bundle of whispers that Ruth couldn't decipher.

The baby cries got louder, making Ruth wince as she pushed open the gate for Maggie and Carl. The group turned, watching as the three made their way out of the exit. Ruth couldn't stop the tears from falling as Maggie started crying louder than before. The coppery smell of blood lingered on the both of them, its scenting haunting as the substance dried to their skin.

Ruth watched as Rick caught sight of what created such a noise, the look on his face resembling the shattering of glass. The one look was enough for Ruth let a sob breathe from her mouth that she had been holding in since she had left his wife. His eyes scanned the three of them, hoping to find the mother that accompanied the two children.

"Where-- where is she? Where is she?" his voice was weak in his mouth, the words just barely coming out. He looked towards Carl, who stared at the ground as his body racked with sobs. Ruth could hear the crack in his words, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't look at those eyes. Those damn heartbroken eyes. If she did, she knew she would fall apart.

"Rick." she could hear Maggie call out. He continued to walk forwards, shaking his head in denial.

"Rick." Ruth pleaded, her body moving in front of his to prevent him from going inside. He kept trying to move around her, which made her cry harder. She grabbed his forearms, looking him directly in the eyes. The blue was brighter than the ocean, the dam of his lids suddenly releasing in that moment. "Rick, s-she's not-"

The man cried out in agony his body collapsing against her own as he sunk to the ground. "No," he wailed. "no. No!"

Ruth couldn't hold back any longer. She let the tears come full force and wrapped her arms around herself. She watched Rick break in front of her, and she couldn't do anything to stop it. She sat on the ground, letting him mourn the one Ruth had gotten too close to.

Letting her eyes roam, she caught Daryl's stare. Ruth didn't understand the look in his eyes, for he never showed much emotion besides anger. It was one of sympathy, she guessed, but he quickly looked to the ground.

Ruth heard her words to Rick from a few days ago hitting her in the chest from the sick, twisted joke she once believed. We can make this our home. It was not a home, or anything of the sorts. It was a shelter, but it was nowhere close to being safe.

"We can survive this world. All of us."

"All of us." But not all of them.

"Good news is she looks healthy." she heard Hershel announce. Ruth looked down to Rick who had stopped crying and stared blankly at nothing. "She needs formula, and soon or she won't survive."

"Nope. No way. Not her." Daryl protested. "We ain't losing nobody else. I'm going for a run."

"I'll back you up." Maggie replied.

Glenn nodded. "I'll go, too."

Daryl pulled Beth aside, mumbling something to her that was inaudible to Ruth. Rick suddenly stood up from the ground beside her and grabbed the ax he was once holding. Despite the protests of the group, he brushed right past her and into the cell block.

Ruth and Carl remained in their places as the group, including the two prisoners, went to work on trying to find supplies for the baby. She wanted to be like Rick. She wanted to be in denial that Lori was dead. She couldn't, though. She had watched her stomach slice open. She watched her bleed to death in front of her eyes. She witnessed the life leaving her friend's eyes, but she wished it was all some nightmare that she could wake up from.

She blinked hard, trying to wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up! When she opened her eyes once more, the prison courtyard surrounded her still, and the boy with the sheriff's hat stared at her with a pain that ripped her heart in shreds.

An ant crawled over the hands she had placed on the warm concrete. It was a small creature, easily malleable under fist if she dare kill it. She didn't, though, but instead watched it come to a stop upon her index finger. Suddenly, the amber insect was her, its eyes pleading for mercy as her hand lay above it, ready to strike.

She wanted the hand to be death to herself. She didn't want to face another day in a world so messed up if it was all just a dream. She couldn't deal with anyone else dying, much less just surviving in this.

"Ruth?" she heard Glenn question from above. Her chin tilted upwards, and she met the person who had been so compassionate the first time they met. He held that look of sympathy in his eyes once more. It looked like he was looking down at a wounded animal, and maybe that's all Ruth was to him. Just another person to fix.

He crouched down to her, his hands fumbling with a rag he pulled from his back pocket. "Your hands are kind of..." Glenn shook his head, taking one of her hands and scrubbing the dark and dried substances from her skin. Ruth sniffled, the tears still falling silently from her eyes.

Her arms outstretched, and she fell against him in a tight embrace. Almost instantly, she felt his own wrap around her back. Ruth wasn't used to feeling so weak, relying on somebody else for comfort. She couldn't help but cling to a close friend who had been there since the beginning, though, and he seemed to understand that. Ruth emitted silent cries that she couldn't control, her nose pressed against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Ruth." Glenn whispered, "I'm so sorry."

**

I'm so happy I was able to pull something together for once this month. I've missed writing for you guys more than anything, and it's so upsetting that I cannot locate any time to do so! Hopefully I won't be so sick/stressed, and I can figure out a schedule to work things out. When there is a holiday, definitely expect updates for my books because I will be most likely get some time for it! (if not, I'll ignore important things to do it anyways (; )

anyways, I hope you enjoyed it, and hopefully (hopefully) expect more frequent updates in the next couple of months!!

love you guys xx

cass

p.s. it's my bb girl's bday go wish her a happy birthday because she's amazing <3
ILoveSheriffsBoy3

9.17.17