"Riley?"

The girl's mouth nearly dropped upon instant. She knew that voice, she knew it too well. Its feminine song accompanied by its southern delivery was unmistakable against the bleak sounds she'd been hearing all of recently.

Maggie Rhee stepped forward, her figure just barely illuminated in the one sliver of light they were granted. Riley could see the faint outline of her tangled, brown, hair as the woman approached closer slowly, as if fighting to believe the young girl was truly there in front of her.

"Maggie?"

The Rhee's relieved laugh practically illuminated the room despite the black all over, the sound itself splitting Riley's lips into a grin of disbelief. She stepped forward, awkwardly blinded by the lack of light, but it didn't matter, as Maggie's body surged forward and collided with the Endicott's within a matter of seconds, the older woman's arms wrapping around her as her hand held Riley's head close.

It was as if the past few days had melted into a void, shedding off of Riley and her conscious for the moment she lived in. She no longer had to spend her extraordinarily long hours of each creasing day worrying and wondering if Maggie or perhaps the others were alive, because they were right here. In front of her, Riley could see the magnificent grin on Maggie's face, feel the laughs and sobs of reassurance and ease vibrating through her body and into Riley's own. Beside them, Glenn had stepped forward and revealed his appearance to the others, the man's figure in a single glance surging the Endicott with a flood of consolation.

"You're here." Rick's statement was nearly contaminated with disbelief, although the shock of it all came heavy with the price of joy and dread. They were all there, stuck in a train car as they were wheeled to their deaths. "You're here."

Maggie's fingers brushed the hairs out of Riley's face, her dirty appendages slightly irritating the cuts and bruises along the girl's skin, but she didn't really care. The overpowering feeling of excessive delight and exhilaration blurred every small thing out.

"Thank God you're alive." Maggie's voice nearly broke in excitement. "I thought you were dead."

Riley nodded her head, no other way to express her mutual feeling across to the woman coming to her mind- although, she did always believe there was a chance Maggie had survived. The woman, despite being raised a dainty Christian girl with collective morals, had been built for this world all along.

"I'm okay." Riley said, her own mouth breaking into a chapped beam. "I'm fine."

The words were only partially true, as the girl knew that after everything she'd been chained to and pulled through in the past few days truly stripped her down of anything remotely close to "okay". But, she was alive, and she was standing there still, not yet beaten to the point where she laid her head on the ground and gave her soul up to rest with defeat. That enough gave her the motivation to say that she was okay, and that she was fine.

"Have you- have you seen Sawyer?" Riley asked suddenly, withdrawing a little from Maggie's arms to read her expression as clearly as possible. "Or Beth?"

Maggie's face dropped a little, her eyes blinking as she shook her head. "No, no I haven't. You didn't see any of them since...?"

Riley felt her stomach curl in a sickening twist as her own head shook. Maggie was there, Glenn was there, a few people in the back who the girl hadn't had a chance to look at yet were there. But Sawyer wasn't. There was the slimmest chance that he was still out there somewhere, but the world was big. For all she knew, he could've headed the exact opposite direction all of them had, and was now wandering aimlessly as he'd never seen any Terminus sign, any maps along the roads. Every joyous feeling Riley had just experience disappeared like a gust of wind wiped through her body within the course of two seconds.

"You guys didn't see Beth?" Maggie's eyes spoke all of her words, all of her feelings. Those bright green eyes were suddenly stormed in heart-sickening worry.

Riley looked over toward Daryl, who lingered a little behind everyone. His head fell at the young blonde's mention, but he said nothing. The brunette girl looked back at Maggie, whose face was crestfallen in denial, but without any confirmation was stuck blinded. There was too much going on at once, too many feelings to sort through.

Suddenly, from behind, more people emerged, taking Riley's focus away from Maggie. In the back of the train car, Bob and Sasha appeared, both of their with faces drowned in relief at the sight of Rick's face. Next to them, a large man with red hair covering his head and his face, a beautiful young woman with a slim but muscular physique standing by his side. Next to her, a plumper man with a permanent frown and an odd haircut eyeing everyone nervously from beside a young adult with a practically bored expression on her face. To that little, odd, group's right, two familiar faces stood out in the dark. Riley's eyebrows furrowed a little as she tried to place her finger on the pair she was positive she was fairly acquainted with. One was a woman with dark hair in two pigtails, that innocent and anxious expression plastered to her face as she stood next to a Korean man in a green jacket.

Then, it clicked. The woman was the same person from the Governor's army that Riley had defended with an arrow while she was being harassed by some man on her own side. The individual next to her, with his fluffy mess of black hair and wandering eyes was the man who'd urged Riley to get up and out of the violent scene right after Hershel had been murdered. Somehow, they'd all circled back to the same place.

"They're our friends." Maggie's trembling voice appeared, noticing the way all of the newcomers eyed the unknown people in the back of the train car. "They helped save us."

"Yeah," Daryl nodded. "Now they're friends of ours."

The big, built, redheaded man in the back stepped forward a little, the simple movement catching Riley's eye almost immediately. "For however long that'll be." He started to turn around and walk to the back of the car when Rick's voice rang out against his, fueling his body to return right back.

"No." The Grimes looked around at everyone laid out in front of him, the faces of the foreign and the faces of his family blending into one. "They're gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out."

That same stranger stepped forward, eyes darkening in a gaze of curiosity. "Find out what?"

"That they're fucking with the wrong people."

Riley sat in the tail of the train car, her back pressed against the rough wood as she sharpened her knife on the largest stone she could find laying around. There were a few small rocks lingering here and there, and the largest one she could find was barely the size of her palm, but she still tried her best to put it to work. The only weapon she had left was the pocketknife hidden in her shoe the whole time, and despite its tiny size, was much better than what most other people had, which was nothing.

She'd had her fair share of small reunions, mostly revolving around Maggie and Glenn, but beside that, she didn't really care much to talk to the strangers picked up along the way or the people from the prison with whom she'd only exchanged a few words with before. No one really seemed keen on social interaction though, mainly making their own weapons and preparing themselves for the worst to come.

As Riley ran her blade over the rock in her hand, she let herself sink deeper and deeper into the hollow feeling that was slowly swallowing her up. Of course, she was beyond glad and relieved to see some of her people there in that train car with them- despite the circumstances, of course. But she tried to ignore how many people were missing, how many people hadn't been seen since the prison collapsed. Sawyer wasn't there, Beth wasn't, Lucas and Billy and Nessa were missing as well. Not to mention Carol and Tyreese, whose absences were also clearly noted. It would've been great to know beforehand that no matter how many people she was presented with after it all, that gaping hole where those other individuals were supposed to be still stood out blazing bright.

"Hey, how's everything?" A voice suddenly broke through her thoughts. Riley looked up, following Glenn's image as he sat down beside her.

Riley shrugged her shoulders a little, wrist continuing its movements as she brought her knife repeatedly across the rock's surface. "Fine. Everything's fine."

Glenn nodded, sensing the tenseness all over her. He knew that it wasn't directed, wasn't personal at all. He also knew that her brother was missing amongst the many others lost from their group, and that just like how Maggie and Sam were reacting to their own siblings not being with everyone, Riley wasn't really handling it well.

"Where'd you get that?" Glenn nodded toward the small knife in her hands.

"I kept it in my shoe." Riley said quietly, raising it to the small sliver of light to try and see it a little better. "Thought it'd be better if they didn't know every weapon I had on me."

Glenn chuckled a little, acknowledging the idea with slight praise. "Smart on your end."

Riley offered him a smile of thanks, energy a little too low to continue conversation. It seemed like work itself to even offer up a strong front.

There was an air of quietness for a little bit after that, as Glenn sat by Riley and observed the way she ran the knife over the rock repeatedly, rarely stopping to observe her work. Her main focus was drawn to the same actions, over and over, as if her whole purpose was to be stuck on that simple task, like it was keeping her grounded for some reason a little deeper than what stuck out to the eye.

Glenn placed his hand onto Riley's back, his mouth beginning to open to ask if she was alright when suddenly he felt her tense beneath his palm, hands almost flinching in their track as she swallowed heavily.

Glenn lifted his hand up a little, eyebrows furrowing at the response he'd received from the simple action. "I- I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to-"

"It's fine." Riley quickly cut him off, turning her head to glance at him from eyes shielded with a protective glimmer. "Right now- I just, I don't really want to be touched right now."

Glenn nodded, although he regarded her with an expression deeming worry like no other. "No, of course. I get it, I'll just give you some space."

Riley didn't even try to force a weak smile onto her lips or a small "thank you" at all, as her face felt frozen and her mouth sealed shut. She swallowed again, trying to wash down the strange interaction and focus back onto her knife, but when she looked over at her hands again, all she saw was the way they shook with such intensity.

The sound of Glenn standing and leaving brushed against her ears, and she closed her eyes with the burden of feelings she couldn't even try to place a finger on. Maybe guilt? Or sadness? Maybe anger? It all circled back to that one man the night before who had laid himself on top of her and forged their skin and blood into one. God, she felt disgusting. She still felt his handprints on her, as if they were coated a different color so that every time she looked down at herself she could see just where he had touched her. Now, whenever any man- perhaps even just anyone at all- came close enough and put their hands onto her without warning she was brought back to that night, and all of the sudden they transformed into him.

She felt pathetic, so weak and vulnerable because she couldn't even have Glenn try and console her with any comfort without stiffening up and becoming some statue that couldn't even handle human interaction. She felt nearly laughable, like she actually wanted someone to come and laugh at her and snap in her face so she could be brought back to her senses. But unfortunately, in this case there were no senses, just reality.

Suddenly, as if floating lazily on a river and passing by her ears in the swiftly flowing stream, a wave of voices passed into Riley's earshot.

"Alright, we got four of 'em pricks coming our way." Daryl muttered to everyone in the train car from his position by the door. He glared out of the little crack in the wall, peeking out toward the light as he watched the people from Terminus approach them.

Riley felt her heart jump into her throat, nerves dancing around inside of her. She stood up, one hand clutching her knife and the other keeping a firm hold on the rock she'd been using just in case she needed back up. As proved to her just before, having a second weapon can never hurt.

"You all know what to do," Rick said as he began to crowd everyone into a wide half circle around the door. "Go for their eyes first, then their throats."

"Hey," Carl whispered from somewhere far to Riley's right. He ushered his way through a few people until he was standing next to the man with a mullet, who Riley had recognized by the name of Eugene. "You ready to get out of here?"

"What do you mean? This place is so cozy." Riley bit back a grin, trying to shake the sweat forming on her palms.

Carl returned the small smile, steadying the sharpened piece of wood grasped in his hands. "We got this. Hands up, be ready."

"Yeah, noted." Riley whispered, training her eyes on the door in front of them.

They were near the back of the group, although to be fair, they only had around a bit less than fifteen people, so their lines of arm weren't very thick. Everyone was handy with small, wooden, spears, sharpened belt buckles, zipper chains, and practically everything one could think of with their limited resources. Despite the shortages, each person was armed with some sort of defense for those that were lurking closer and closer with each passing second.

"Put your backs to the walls at either end of the car." A voice commanded from outside. Everyone glanced around at each other, although no one moved. The uncomfortable shift in the air lingered ever so slightly as the group caged inside waited for the doors to open.

"Now!" The same voice shouted.

As if the person commanded someone other than the people locked in the train car, movement from up above them all began to sound. Riley glanced up at the roof, confusion tweaking at her before a panel slid open along the top and the bright lasers of the sun's rays began to sear into her eyes, forcing the hazel irises to be shielded by her arms.

Then, almost like the cherry on top, a canister was dropped from the open hole and into the car, the open space shutting right after it fell.

"Move!" Abraham shouted, his voice loud in volume as his warning echoed around the confined area.

Riley stumbled backwards instantly, trying to get as far from the can as possible before it exploded. Before she'd even made it four steps, a boom crackled and the bottle's explosion blurred her vision in a blanket of white.

The contaminated air began to flood the car, seeping into their eyes and their lungs. Riley's body collided with someone else's, and through her foggy vision, Riley could make out the brown edge of a sheriff's hat. Coughing, Riley tried to reach her arms out and grasp anything for support, but all she latched onto was the person in front of her. She fought to keep her mouth closed, determined not to inhale anymore of the gas than she already had, but her hysteric fit of coughing denied her from doing so.

Suddenly, her eyes became watery, her lids falling as if a sack of weights were tied to them. Her breaths became shallow as her coughing stopped, although she felt so drained of oxygen that it was nearly painful to try and hold her breath. Her feet danced around each other, her body becoming so light that she felt like she could float away, her brain dissolving into the nothingness. A swoop in her stomach and the chill of the wooden floor meeting the side of her head signaled that she had fallen, no longer able to stand on her own. From what seemed so far away, she could hear her name being shouted by a voice eerily familiar, but through the haze of it all, she couldn't open her eyes, couldn't call back or see who it was. Within the next few seconds, all noise drained out, and the only thing she could see was black.

The smell of dust was the first thing that kicked at Riley's consciousness, the second being the pounding in her head. Eyelashes fluttering slightly, the girl slowly sifted back into her body, becoming more awake by the second. Through the dim lighting, she could see a few bodies lying knocked out cold on the ground, a few others groaning as they began to wake up, a couple more standing as they looked around.

The last thing she had remembered was hitting the floor and drifting off into a very deep, very craved sleep. After that, nothing. She presumed she was still on the floor, head aching from the contact with the hard ground when she fell. But instead of the dusty wood, she felt a softer cushion beneath her skull. Riley blinked a little as she turned her head, glancing upwards a little.

"Riley?" The first noise she had heard was a little strange, almost as if being clouded by some sort of wall. The person repeated themselves again, this time a little more clear as they shook her body a bit. "Riley? Wake up."

Blinking away the drowsiness hastily, Riley attempted to sit up, but the experiment failed as her body seemingly gained a hundred pounds and pulled her back down again. She felt the soft surface underneath her head shift a little as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get a solid grip on her consciousness before trying to sit up again.

"Riley," the voice said again, although this time, it was much more comprehensible and easier to place a finger on. Carl's shaky image came into view as Riley's eyes opened again, the blurriness fading away as if falling through cracks in the floor. The boy's face was staring down at her, eyebrows furrowed with unsettlement as he analyzed the sight in front of him, the caked dirt and blood painting over his skin not enough to mask his expression.

Suddenly, as if her mind was pieced back together and polished over to keep intact, Riley put together her surroundings instantly. That weird, misty, fog that had erupted from the exploded can that was dropped into the car had knocked everyone out, sleeping them into a deep unconscious state. Now, she was among the many who were just starting to wake up, and that soft cushion underneath her head was Carl's leg as he held her in his lap, trying to urge her back awake.

Riley raised her hand to her temple, trying to ease a gentle but uncomfortable pounding when a thundering detonation shook the train car. Carl's arms tightened around the girl, his body leaning forward across hers just slightly as his head whipped around, regardless of the fact his vision was blinded by the four walls that trapped them in the darkness. The sound of the explosion was so loud that it left an echo in Riley's ears, her hands holding onto Carl's flannel as her breath ran rapidly along his neck from their close proximity.

"What was that?" Riley asked, hoping that it wasn't the first time that it happened, and that Carl, who was awake before she was, had heard and felt it before and knew what it was.

"I don't know." The Grimes shook his head, leaning off of the girl's body and loosening his grip around her. His face felt hot, but the dullness all around shadowed his face so that everything along it blended into one color.

Pushing herself off of Carl's thigh and the dusty wood floors, Riley winced a little as she sat upright, her vision going a little dark for a second before clearing up again. She glanced around, watching as more people began to stand, holding onto the wall or others for support. Her eyes narrowed almost instantly.

"Hey, are you okay?" Carl asked quickly, scooting around a little to place himself in the girl's line of sight. His face was still pinched together with apprehension, his body still so close that Riley could feel the warmth it radiated, feel parts of her still supported by parts of him.

"What happened? Where did everybody go?" The girl fired questions upon instant, she couldn't help but notice the group's lack in numbers as soon as her eyes swept the train car.

A soft breath of air left Carl's mouth as his gaze dropped, almost like a sigh of defeat had left his body. "They took them. Those guys from Terminus, they came in here after we passed out and took them. They took my dad."

Riley watched Carl's face the whole time he spoke, watched the way he avoided eye contact, his body eerily still as he spoke his words aloud.

"Do we know where? Can we go find them?" Riley asked, dipping her head a little to try and level with Carl's gaze, but he just shook his head.

"We're just as locked up as we were before. There's no way to get out."

Riley shook her head a little, looking back around to see who they still had. The big guy with the red hair was still there, as well as most of his group, except the man who had saved her back at the prison was missing, gone with the rest that Terminus had taken. Michonne was still there, Maggie, Sasha, the guy with the mullet, but nearly everyone else was missing. Gone.

"Shit." Riley muttered as she faced back around. Carl nodded, his agreement silent just like his fear.

"He'll be back." Carl whispered, his confidence staggering before he inhaled a breath and glanced back up again. "My dad's gonna be back. They all are, we just have to be ready for them."

Riley's eyes wandered across the boy's face, her vision practically glossing over the scrapes and bruises that made homes on his fair skin. Instead, all she saw was the faith in his expression, the trust that his father would somehow make it back to save them all, even though he had no idea where the man went or what was happening to him at the present moment. That single ounce of credence was enough to restore Riley's hope just enough, just enough to not let the easy side take over and let her believe that despite all their efforts, they really had been overcome this time.

She nodded. "Yeah."

The sound of argument and conversation became suddenly louder than their own private dialogue, the mingling of multiple people's voices grabbing Carl and Riley's attention and turning it to the adults stationed to the frontal area of the train car.

"I'll be right back." Carl said, placing his hand on the girl's shoulder before standing up.

Riley watched him leave, making his appearance known almost immediately after he arrived at the group. Riley's gaze stayed on him for a minute before she looked back down again, a weighted breath of her own escaping her lips as she looked around for her knife, which had fallen from her hands as she'd stumbled and fell when the fog hit her brain.

Twisting her body around a little, Riley's hands skimmed the surface of the floor feebly so that she wouldn't root any splinters into her skin, trying to locate her blade on the low energy she was running on at the moment. It'd only been about a minute or so of searching around in the dark that a growing annoyance began to bubble up inside of her. The lack of light was beginning to dim even more so in her eyes, her skin becoming irritated from the rough wood beneath her palms. Before she knew it, she was on her hands and knees, crawling around the confined space as she searched desperately for the small knife that could be anywhere in the train car.

"Come on." She muttered, squinting her eyes as she tried to peer down in front of her. "Come on, come on, come on."

Still, the knife didn't appear anywhere. In fact, it seemed almost as if the floor was morphing itself to look like her objective item everywhere, but just went she went to reach for it, it flattened out into the dirty ground again. Flaring stress began to burn at her fingertips, but nothing seemed to be happening.

"Incredible." A voice from behind her laughed in mockery. "You can't find a little knife?"

"I'm trying." Riley murmured back, swallowing as she moved onto another area. Her neck began to grow hot, the pounding in her head becoming harsher with each blow.

"It's right there." Meg's voice snapped, although her image didn't appear anywhere, and Riley had no clue to where she was pointing to.

"I can't see." Riley's attempts to keep her voice steady were nearly pathetic, the end of her three word sentence breaking off as a straining pressure began to tug on her vocal cords. Her hands collided with the floor more roughly, sucking on her teeth in frustration when she was met with the plain, flat, ground again.

"What, do you need my help again? Do you need my help to do one simple little thing? God, how pitiful are you?" Her stepmother's voice swam in her ears again, the angered tone setting off Riley's stability as she began to search quicker, weak tears of tension beginning to sting at the corners of her eyes.

Riley shook her head, taking a shuddering breath as she sat back on her heels, pressing her hand against her forehead as she glanced around blindly in the dark. The sound of Meg sitting down next to her chimed in her ears.

"Breathe, Riley. Just breathe." She said soothingly.

Riley inhaled deeply through her nose, flooding the air out through her mouth as her hand dropped back down.

"Good. Find the knife."

Riley fell back on all fours, sweeping the ground to try and locate that same, tiny, blade, but to no avail. Her even pattern of breathing began to dissociate, turning shaky once again. Riley felt her face scrunch up in the dark, the stinging heat of thick tears beginning to spill over her cheeks. A retched sob escaped her throat and she instantly wiped at her face violently, trying to erase any track of the running water.

"Riley." Meg's stern voice was back again, adding onto the piling pressure. "Crying will get you nowhere. You're being weak."

Riley tried to ignore the voice, but it was right in her ears now. Her head turned this way and that, trying to look for a place she hadn't yet searched, but it felt like she had gone over every area at least twice.

"Stop it. Stop crying." Meg said again, the disappointment on her face practically illuminating in the younger girl's mind.

Riley nodded, although the tears didn't stop. She squeezed her eyes shut, bringing the heels of her hands to face as she ducked her head downward.

Calm down, she thought to herself. Just calm down.

She took another deep breath, blinking rapidly to rid any blurred vision, although the darkness still left her stranded. She began to run her hands along the floor again, this time trying to shrug off the desperate feeling, although it still stuck to her like glue.

"Come on." She whispered, her hands becoming more torn with the minute. "Come on."

Meg took a deep breath, another scold beginning to rile up from her throat when a palm pressed against Riley's back. The girl turned around upon instant, the physical touch catching her off guard. Maggie bent down beside her in the dark, her eyes tracing the girl with worry.

"What are you doing?"

Riley blinked, glancing around. Meg had disappeared, gone like the missing members of their group. Suddenly, she realized how delusional and strange she must have looked, crawling around on all fours, crying as she talked to no one. "Were you watching me?"

"No," Maggie said slowly. "But I saw you were freaking out just now, what happened?"

Riley shook her head. "Nothing. I'm fine. I was just looking for my knife."

Maggie nodded, regarding her with a look of slight disbelief plastered to her face. "Are you okay? Glenn told me something was up with you a little earlier."

Riley laughed, the sarcastic noise so poisoned it nearly hurt her ears. "I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine." Maggie pushed. "What happened to you?"

Riley rubbed at the inner corner of her eye, trying to fight off any retort she had coming. That was a broad question, a really damn broad question. There were so many answers she could give, so many different pieces she could plug in that would fit just right. But she knew the one Maggie was looking for.

"Last night... there were these guys. These men." She mumbled, starting out small. She shook her head a little, trying to blow away a few stray hairs that had fallen across her face. "They, um, they did some things to me. And to Carl, too."

Maggie listened, watching the girl with intent, flashes of concern lighting up her face as she soaked up the story.

Riley glanced up at the ceiling, trying to focus her gaze somewhere so it wasn't wandering or making eye contact with the woman in front of her. She didn't think that the first time she'd be telling this story would be so soon, or so difficult.

"This one guy, he was on top of me, and he- he wouldn't get off. He did things..." It was as if Riley's vocabulary had been locked away from her, leaving her to piece her sentences together in shambles, making her attempts at telling the disturbing story all the more deplorable.

"He did disgusting things." Riley finished it quickly, trying not to live in that moment for longer than she had to. "And now, every time I look down at myself, all I can see is where he touched me. Every time I hold something, all I feel is that weight of him being on top of me. Every time I think of it, all I can remember is how weak I was. How pathetic."

Maggie nodded, concerning the girl in a different lighting. "What do you want to feel?"

Riley's eyebrows raised, holding back that same, sarcastic, laugh as a breath of overwhelming sensation escaped her. "I want to feel stronger than that. I don't want to be scared anymore, I don't want to freak out every time someone comes too close to me. That night, when it all went down, I felt powerless. I felt insanely weak, I felt like I needed someone to come and save me from it. I hate that feeling, I hate all of it."

Riley's voice was raising in volume now, but it was at the least of her worries. All of those emotions that had been stacking up since the previous night, all of the anger, the fear, the worry, the shame, the guilt, all of it was beginning to seep out, making a home right there in her conversation with Maggie.

"So, yeah, I do want to feel stronger than that, I want to feel powerful. I want to be able to prove that I can do more than just sit underneath him and take everything he was doing." Riley's breathing was becoming quick paced, her rant escaping her mouth at a rate too fast for her to keep up with. She took a deep breath, a slight nod in her head as she digested her own words with acceptance, with pride. "Because I can. I can do more than that. I want to."

Maggie's face was morphed into an expression foreign to Riley. It was like an ecosystem of its own, in a way, containing so many different emotions inside of it that none really had a chance to shine, because all were holding the spotlight. Riley could read sadness in her face, a glimmer of desolation, but it was evened out with a front of satisfaction, of dignity all at once.

The sudden quiet made the girl aware of an ongoing round of gunfire from outside, screams and shouts as people were pierced by raging hot bullets, the sound of walkers growling unlocking the possibility of many being eaten alive as their living flesh was torn from their bones. Booms and cries began to seep into Riley's ears, making her become quickly aware of the war waging outside, the force of it all shaking the train car, leaving a tremble beneath her hands on the wooden floor.

The sound of the large, wooden, door rolling on its hinges dividing the derogatory blares of battle came first, then the sight of sunlight pouring into the car second. Everyone inside began to spill out, handmade weapons grasped tightly in their hands.

"Well, now's your chance." Maggie said, her voice raising over the ear-splitting noise as she drew back Riley's attention. "Come on, now!"

The Rhee was on her feet in seconds, and as soon as Riley drew herself back up, she was standing again. In the light, everything surrounding her was illuminated finally, every crack in the wall, every pebble on the floor, every speck of dust crowded in a corner, it was all put on display. Riley glanced down at her feet, and right there in front of her was the knife she'd been searching for the entire time.

Grabbing the blade by its handle, Riley ran out of the train car as if afraid someone was going to close the door and shut her back inside again. The light was nearly overbearing, but the girl batted her lashes rapidly as she forced her eyes to become accustom to it. Everywhere, gunfire was alive. Raining from the roofs, striking across the courtyard, coming from the windows, it was as if it were coming in from all sides. The only thing keeping the group from being pelted was the monstrous amount of walkers, a good portion of them being newly turned, as they were murdered by either human hand or from another walker's bite.

All around her, people were plunging their own weapons into the rotting skulls. Most were handy with their newly created spears, as they'd chipped the ragged wood from the train car and slimmed it down to be deadly. A few others had found real knives laying on the floor, dropped by those who'd fallen victim to death in one form or another. A handful of lucky people, such as Sasha and Rick, had picked up guns.

Just like the majority, Riley kept her blade in hand, its metal tip already covered in flesh, blood running from its point all the way to her wrist. Despite the usefulness of the weapon she had, its flaws were nearly outweighing its pros, as every walker she put down, another few were lining up behind it, other people surrounding the girl needing to finish the string off. It took at least two blows to the skull to put it down permanently, but those hits took too much time.

Riley ran forward with the rest of the group, trying to dodge the flying bullets as best as she could as she was choked by the smoke and dust clouding the air. Beside her, Carl was blindly stumbling through the thick chaos, spear plunging in and out of the skulls of the snarling walkers.

"Holy shit!" A voice far to Riley's left screamed, catching attention her and Carl's attention. In the midst of the whole attack, Samson was with their group again, although this time, blood was splattered all over his face and clothes, practically painting him a crimson red. His axe was back in his hands, splitting the head's of nearby walkers in half.

"Sam!" Riley yelled, trying to grab his attention. The boy was drifting farther and farther from the group, further into the attack and drifting from the sidelines to which everybody was striding for. "Sam!"

"He can't hear us!" Carl shouted, tugging at her arm. "Come on, we're gonna get left behind."

"We can't just leave him there." Riley argued, glancing back.

She was about to turn back to the Grimes, offer him a switch in their weapons so that she could go after the older boy and bring him back when something caught her eye. Hanging on a loose hook just outside of a doorway, a bow hung, glinting in the sunlight, a quiver filled with arrows right beside it.

Without a second thought of hesitation, Riley ran for it. Carl shouted after her, trying to run in her direction and pull her back.

"Go!" Riley called to him. "Get Sam! I'll be right back."

Her legs were nearly burning at the pace she was pushing them to, but as she raced toward the bow the walkers started to fall behind her, as their walking speed was scaled far behind the rate she sprinted at. It was so close, only a few more yards and it'd be in her grasp.

A hollowed moan came from right next to her, giving her barely any time to react before a walker threw itself onto her. Riley pushed it off desperately, holding it by the collar with one hand while her other drove the small blade into its rotted skull. The creature let out a croaked scream, its arms swinging toward her face. Riley tightened her grip on the handle, heaving it out of the hardened brain it was latched onto with a harsh tug. Once it finally ripped loose, the girl slammed it back down again, a spray of blood attacking her face as the walker fell limp, its body falling to the floor like dead weight. Riley nearly fell down with it, yanking the knife out of its head before stumbling back to her feet and making a beeline for the bow again.

An array of clicks and growls growing louder behind her signaled the closing in of the walkers, and as she whipped her head around for just a second, she caught sight of her group, still close enough that she could run right back to them in no time if necessary. With that closure, Riley shoved her pocketknife back into her boot, grabbing the bow off of the hook and holding onto its grip as she slung the quiver around her upper body.

"Okay." She murmured to herself, drawing arrow and knocking it. She raised the bow, leveling it with the eye of a walker approaching her for just a moment before letting it go. The tip of the spear lodged itself just a few centimeters off of its mark, close enough though that the walker stopped dead in its tracks, crumpling to the ground.

Riley grinned as she lowered the bow, running over to the target and quickly dislodging the arrow before she began her sprint back to the group. Her arm was pulled back at every chance she was granted, the bodies of walkers dropping like dominoes by the second. It was less than a minute before she was back with the group again, Michonne's hand on her back as she ushered her to the fence line where everyone was scrambling over. Riley was just about to climb up the messy wreckage and ascend the fences herself when she noticed something that made her stop immediately, her head turning around as she scanned the courtyard in all its mess.

"Where's Carl?" Riley asked, eyes scrutinizing the property.

"What?" The closest person, who the girl learned by the name of Rosita, responded.

"Where's Carl?" Riley repeated herself, this time a little more desperately.

"The kid?" Rosita's eyebrows furrowed. "He probably went over already. Come on, we have to move faster."

"No." Riley shook her head, backing up from the fence lines. "I didn't see him go over, he's still back there."

"We don't have time to go check, come on!" Rosita called, but Riley had already run back into the attack.

Carl's name left Riley's lips in a scream of anguished repetition, the girl fighting to make her voice rise above the gunfire and the cries of people as they fell victim to the walkers crawling all over the place. Riley knocked another arrow, holding it steady as she put down one creature after another, but for each one that fell, another took its place, and Carl was seen nowhere.

A hand grabbed the girl's upper arm, pulling her in the direction of the fence as the walkers began to double up by the number and close in on the group. "We have to go."

Riley's head turned to face Michonne, who had blood smeared along the side of her face, her other arm supporting her sword. The woman dragged her back, leaving her with no choice but to climb up and over the fences as the fingertips of the walkers drew themselves along her shoes and ankles. Abraham, who stood by the barrier helped guide her over, holding her bow for her as he pushed her over the wall before throwing it back down to her.

Soon after, Michonne dropped down beside Riley, Abraham as well as they all ran over to the group, who stood by the forest line as they watched Terminus crumble into ashes, fire covering it like a blanket and its people turned into the dead as they stumbled around blindly, eating each other as they planned to do to the strangers who wandered upon their doorstep. Even though a society was being brought to dust right behind her, Riley couldn't focus on that, not even if she tried. Her eyes were falling all over the group members, not one face holding her attention for more than a half second before she moved onto the next one. Numbers ran through her head as she counted each person, but no matter how many times she went over the whole group, there was always a significant person missing. Carl wasn't there.

Riley stepped back, looking at Terminus before she turned to the group again. There had to be something wrong, they would've have left without him.

"Carl?" She tried to call out his name, hoping he'd appear from behind someone else, but he didn't. She turned to Michonne, who was breathing heavily, rubbing a little bit of blood from her katana as she too glanced around. "Where's Carl?"

Riley's voice was ragged from screaming, but it was loud enough to gather Michonne's attention. When she wasn't faced with an immediate response, the girl felt her stomach absolutely drop, falling as if there was no surface for it to stop on. She whipped her head around again, checking to see if she by any chance had missed a spot, but there was no brown hat anywhere, no piercing blue eyes that shone through the rest. He couldn't have been left in Terminus, there were too many people who wouldn't let that happen, wouldn't let him slip through their fingers like that. Riley felt sick, stupid, that she'd been one of the people who had.

She was just on the verge of creating a list of people to run over and harass with questions of the boy's whereabouts when a call from behind stopped her. Rick, Samson, and Carl ran up to the group, blood splattered along their clothes and skin as their arms fell to their sides, heavy with the weight of their weapons.

It felt as if a huge mass had been lifted from her, the sight of Carl and alive and unhurt suddenly plummeting every past anxious feeling of pressure and worry from Riley's mind. In the crowd of bloody and battered people, the youngest Grimes' eyes sought out and quickly locked onto Riley's relieved figure. He walked forward, lips beginning to part in what was most likely an explanation when he was cut off. Riley's arms threw themselves around his shoulders faster than he could get a word out, the tight squeeze of the embrace and the action in itself wiping all words clean from his mouth. He only had a duration of about two seconds to try and hug her back before she let go, keeping her hands steady on his shoulders as her eyes ran circles along his face.

"What happened back there? I thought you got nabbed." Riley asked, awaiting his answer with almost desperate impatience despite the fact the question had just left her mouth.

"I went to go get Sam." Carl explained, panting a little from the run he'd just completed to get over the fence alive. "My dad came and helped us when the walkers got a little thick."

Riley suddenly remembered the older boy, washed in blood with a stricken terror clouding over his eyes. She looked over at Sam, who stood on the outer lines of the group, not really talking to anyone as he stared off into the burning remains of Terminus. She turned back to Carl, who was staring at her still, following her every movement, tracing her with his irises as he caught his breath. Abruptly, Riley was aware of the fact that her hands were still stuck to Carl's shoulders, practically stuck to them for stability from the weight of relief. She dropped them quickly, scratching at her neck.

"You scared the shit out of me. I thought you were dead." She finalized, trying to backtrack and forge any possible awkwardness from their interaction.

"Yeah, I've been hearing a lot of that today." Carl said with a short laugh, readjusting his grip on his knife as he nodded toward their group.

Everyone seemed to be moving now, making an aim for the belly of the forest, where Rick led them all. It was a funny observation that Riley had made. Somehow, always, Rick appeared to be the man in charge, no matter the scenario. When he arrived at the farm, those long months on the road, in the prison, even when it was just him and a fraction of their group after the fall, and here was now again, materializing as a leader right in front of them all. He fit the role, Riley had concluded to herself long ago. He just did, everything about him, his mentality, his delivery, all of it. All of it just screamed leader, though there are times when she wondered if he ever needed a break at all, if the pressure of every person's weight being shared with him was too much. As much as she hoped not, she knew for a fact it probably was.

Into the forest, alone with the trees and smoky air, everyone walked until they'd come across a well dug hole, its appearance practically blended in perfectly with the leaves and the ground. Rick fell to his knees, beginning to brush away all of the stalks and dirt with a rusted shovel as Daryl supervised, the rest of the group crowding around him.

"The hell are we standing around here for?" Abraham asked, walking up from behind as he wiped sweat from his face.

"Guns, some supplies." Rick muttered his reply before speaking up. "We go along the fences, use the rifles. Take out the rest of 'em."

"What?" Bob questioned, his appalled expression shimmering in the dull surroundings.

Rick looked up, breathing heavily as his lip twitched. "They don't get to live."

"Rick, we got out." Glenn protested. "It's over."

The Grimes pulled out a gun from his bag, checking its bullets as he turned it over in his hands. "It's not over 'till they're all dead."

"The hell it isn't, that place is on fire." Rosita snapped, her arm thrusting out toward the smoking building behind them. "Full of walkers."

"I'm not dicking around with this crap. We just made it out." Abraham agreed, watching Rick get to his feet.

"The fences are down. They'll run or die." Maggie said, although her voice held no accusation like the others, almost as if trying to persuade Rick into making the right decision.

Riley glanced down, her grip on her bow still steady. So it was confirmed, very true. Rick did embody the leader in all its glory, but there were still times when his judgement was swayed, perhaps the power climbing into his head, perhaps the adrenaline maneuvering his common sense. Or maybe, it was just that sometimes, after everything he's been through, after all of the hard decisions he's had to make, the line between right and wrong blurs so furiously he can't tell which way he's stumbling, and that's why he needs people like Maggie and Glenn to help him set it straight again. With that funneled point of view, Riley was strictly reminded of how humanity is so structured, the way even those who held the most authority needed help sometimes. It was funny to see it that way, as after the past few hours, the mere thought of humanity seemed shriveled. Possibly, that just showed how human Rick was, why he was just so perfect for the role of the figurehead.

The snapping of thin branches cut the tension in the air like a knife, drawing everyone's attention to a person approaching them all from behind Rick. At the sight, Riley's eyes blinked numerous times, not because she couldn't believe what was there, but because of the conditions of the person who was there was in.

Carol stepped forward, hair and skin painted a dirty brown that resembled dried blood too realistically. A large gun was strapped across her body, her clothes muddied and torn just like the dry guts clinging to them. But, despite this messy appearance, her face split into what was almost a grin at the sight in front of her.

Wasting no time, Daryl lunged forward, encasing her in a hug so tight Riley thought she could almost feel it herself. The girl was so caught up in witnessing a much needed sentimental reunion when a second round of cracking almost slipped by her. Head moving to an area just beside Carol and Daryl, the sight of an animal appeared, its head dipped a little low, a small growling sound emerging from its throat. Riley's eyebrows furrowed as she stepped forward a bit, a familiar sense of recognition beginning to simmer inside of her. She was almost positive of what she saw, nearly a hundred percent sure.

"Selva?" The name left her lips in a normal tone, as she wasn't calling out for the dog, but just testing to see if the animal in front of her would have any reaction to the name being used.

Just as she'd hoped, the dog's head snapped up, the growling from his throat stopping short. Riley's lips cracked into an unbreakable smile, a laugh escaping her as she bent down on her knees, laying her bow to the side as she pat down on her legs, signaling him to come closer. Selva ran up to the girl, no longer sitting in an eerie gloom of uneasiness behind Carol. His snout touched the tips of Riley's fingers before letting her whole hand run over his head, his dirty yet soft fur gliding like silk underneath his skin.

"Good boy." Riley praised with an infectious laugh, although she wasn't quite sure what she was praising him for. Just being alive? Just coming back to her? She didn't know, but she didn't really care either. It might've just been the feeling of having his presence beside her again that made her so happy, because maybe she did miss him more than she cared to admit. Those few hours without him seemed so empty in a way, as although he'd never let her touch him as fondly as she had now before, she'd become so used to him being beside her that when he left, his existence being gone was much louder than when he was with her.

"Oh, I had some help along the way." Carol joined in on the tiny reconciliation, a smile plastered along her face as she watched Selva furrow his head along Riley's arms.

Help along the way. Riley blinked before looking over at the smoke rising from Terminus, instantly fitting everything together. That was what the explosion was, the walkers everywhere, the reason why Rick and the others had escaped the cannibals holding them captive. Carol. It was all Carol. Riley's surprise was apparent on her face, even though she knew that if it was any of them, that woman was the one who had it the most in her to do what she needed for her people, and that was never a doubt.

"You have to come with me." Carol said suddenly, looking over at all the people in the surrounding forest. "I have something to show you."

Riley walked up a road, the forest now leveling on either side of her as they'd left its hold a few minutes before. Carol was leading them somewhere, insisting that she had something they'd all love to see. A tiny hope inside of Riley was praying that it was people, people from the prison. She'd come across so many of them today, so many people she could consider friends and family in Terminus just from being locked up. She didn't want to seem like she was taking it all for granted, and that the hope of more of them coming was highly unlikely after it all, but what else could it be? Unless Carol had hit the jackpot and stumbled across an army of guns, food, supplies, and more when plotting her attack on Terminus. The wide variety of options made Riley's brain tingle, and she averted her attention to a loose thread on her shirt to keep her focus on something else.

"Hey." Someone came up beside her, falling into step as they walked by her side.

Riley looked over at the person, smiling as Carl glazed over her bow and arrows. "Hey."

"So that's what you left me for, huh?"

"Yeah. I knew I probably wouldn't get another chance like that in a long time, so, I took it." Riley explained, her truth coming out clean.

Carl shrugged. "I can't blame you. If I was stuck with a tiny knife when the last gun was right there I guess I'd take it too."

Riley nodded, thankful that he'd understood her reckless reasoning, even if it seemed stupid in the moment.

"It was dangerous, though. I almost thought you were gonna get bit." He said, voice turning a little stoic for a moment.

Riley grinned, despite the serious conversation topic. "I didn't."

Carl laughed. "Yeah, thanks for letting me know."

Riley bumped her elbow against his, taking notice of how she didn't have to reach out very far to do so. They were already walking so close together that perhaps, if one of them were to simply trip a little over a rock or a branch in the road, they would knock into the other quite easily. It was a little nerve-racking, to be honest. After everything that had happened, small things such as the space between the two when walking didn't really stumble into Riley's mind, but maybe a part of her was still a little disturbed from their era of coldness, when exchanging a few words even was an achievement for them. Or maybe, it was something a little different.

Riley glanced over at Carl, outlining his features in the glimmering sun. She took notice of his ruffled flannel, the way a part of it was hanging off one of his shoulders. That had happened, she realized, when she'd hugged him so abruptly. The force of it all had caused the material to slide down his arm a little bit, and he'd never fixed it. The thought made her cheeks go red with embarrassment. It was a little weird, wasn't it? Of her to just catch sight of him and hug him without thought? But to be fair, she was just happy to see him, to see that he was alive. That's a reasonable reaction, right? She might've just been wondering if she'd crossed any boundaries, but considering Carl's response to it all, she didn't seem to have. With that thought on it all, her nerves settled back down again. Besides, it wasn't like that was the first time she'd ever hugged him, just the first time since they became friends again.

As they came upon the top of what seemed to be the hill they were walking on, a small house came into view, its wood a dark brown with dusted windows glimmering against the sunlight. On its porch, a few people sat. Riley could just barely make out about two, maybe three figures sitting in the shade. Suddenly, one person's head perked up, glancing over in the direction of the group approaching him. As they stood up, Riley could identify them as a male. Behind him, the other figures got to their feet as well, but that one person was walking closer, hand raising to shield his eyes as he squinted.

Riley squinted, doing the same as she blocked out the sun. The guy had such a familiar look about him, the tone of his skin, the build of his body, the way he walked paired with all of his physical movements. A wave of overpowering disbelief washed over Riley, the intensity of incredulity practically knocked her over as recognition of that one person flooded Riley's mind as if a dam had been obliterated. A smile grew on Riley's lips, a laugh of pure astonishment left her mouth as her hand dropped, her walking increasing to a near run as a shout left her.

"Sawyer!" Riley cried, and in spite of the fact she was still a distance away, she could hear the laugh of relief and amazement from her brother.

The sound only motivated her to run faster, the pain from her recent injuries and the flare of the hot sun having no affect on her, as if it all melted away. Sawyer's image grew larger as he ran closer to her, so close that Riley could see the large grin spread across his face, the glint of what could even be tears in his eyes.

Riley slowed down as soon as Sawyer was within a couple foot distance, the vigor intensity of the movement stripping her of all energy to finish the last few steps. Her arms raised up, encouraging his embrace as he picked her up into his arms, her body becoming molded with his. Riley instantly buried her face in his neck, her legs wrapping around his waist as he stumbled a little in his step, blinded by the dominating shock of having his little sister in his hold again.

Riley's face was stuck in that permanent smile, the only feeling present was that of Sawyer's arms around her body as he fell to his knees for support. Despite the sweat and dirt, he still smelled the same. His hair, although it had grown a tiny bit, still looked and felt the same. The sound of his laughs still rang the same tune inside of her ears. Everything about him, everything she loved was still there, here.

Riley pulled back, examining his face that had grown a few cuts and bruises throughout the time he'd spent living in the wilderness. Regardless, his smile still gleamed brighter than every purple mark on his face, skin shining from the tears dropped from his eyes. His hands brushed the hair from Riley's face, cradling it as he did so.

"You're here." Riley's voice cracked as she stared into his face, her own still being ran over by his hands. "You're really here."

Sawyer nodded, leaning his head forward as he pressed his forehead to his sister's, hands weaving through her hair as he held her closer.

"I knew I'd find you. I was looking everywhere. I knew I'd find you." He said, his body shaking with sobs despite the grin so bold on his lips.

Riley's face broke with the second wave of realization. Sawyer was here, he'd been looking for her the whole time. She knew it, he'd been alive throughout it all, out there searching for her too. That whole time that she'd been praying that she would once again find him, it was all coming to life.

Riley slid her face away from Sawyer's, hiding it back in his neck as his arms encased her tightly, whispers leaving his lips, words that were muffled into her shoulder. Tears of her own had been cascading down her face, and she couldn't tell anymore if the intense expression on her face was a smile or a cry, or maybe a mixture of both. It probably was. There were too many things she was feeling right now, that fierce sensation of joyous relief she'd been washed in from head to toe since she set an identity to her brother was still overwhelming her greatly, but somehow in the best way possible. All of the fear and the stress and the sorrow she'd felt as she racked herself sick trying to fight the undeniably loud voice who insisted Sawyer had died was diminished. There were so many ways she'd been sure he could've died, from his sickness, during the prison fall, from starvation or walkers or men like those she'd run across last night. But despite all of those possibilities, there he was, alive. Arms around her as he soaked in her own presence as well. Even after all of the near death experiences she'd survived lately, she'd never felt more grateful, more happy than she did right now.

"Sammy?" A voice just a bit in front of them shouted. Sawyer and Riley pulled apart a little, watching as none other than Nessa Carniage ran forward, eyes set on her twin brother who dropped his axe as if letting go of the heaviest weight in the world, face crashing as he reached out for his sister, embracing her for the first time since they parted.

"Oh, yeah, we found her along the way too." Sawyer said with a chuckle, a small grin across his face as he watched the reunion.

Riley turned to him, eyebrows strung together as if confusion itself was holding the sewing needles. "I have so many questions."

"I have answers. Come on, there's other people waiting for you." Sawyer got to his feet, pulling her up with a firm hand as he brushed off his jeans.

Riley's pace set toward the small house, where a few other reunions were taking place. Up ahead, a baby was held in Rick's arms, him and Carl's fingers each caressing her youthful face with alleviation spilled across their own. It was an instant realization that the infant was Judith Grimes, Carl's younger sister. His face was so bright, a beam so pure and genuine on his lips as he took Judith into his arms. The sight made a small smile of her own come to Riley's lips. They'd had their own conversation about the baby on a rooftop once just a few days ago, where he'd told her that him and Rick had found her baby seat covered in blood at the prison. Only, that small factor had nothing to do with Judith, as she was there in the flesh, reunited with her father and brother.

Riley blinked a little, the wonder of that baby seat sparking a little confusion inside of her when the smile dropped from her face. The small carrying chair wasn't Judith's at all, it was Arthur's. That one new baby who had came to the prison with his mother, Diane, that day that Carl had brought Riley the peach back from his run. She had been the one who helped them settle into their cell in Block D, where the woman told her the story of how her baby was named after her late husband, who'd taken his own life.

The realization of the baby and most likely his mother's death made Riley's stomach churn, forcing her to turn her eyes from Judith and toward Tyreese and Sasha, who were tightly intertwined in a hug. That saccharine sight lessened the dreadful feeling inside of her.

"Hey," Sawyer nudged Riley with his elbow, gathering her attention. Riley instantly swept a smile back onto her face, but the small gesture wasn't because of her momentary quietness. "I think there's someone here who wants to see you."

Riley's eyebrows furrowed in question, following where Sawyer's gaze focused on a person standing a little ways from the porch of the house. Riley's eyes widened as a sense of recognition passed between the two, smiling as the person stepped forward and made his way to her.

So it was what she believed, then. All of the people she'd been missing, all of the people she'd been secretly pleading to be alive were all there, gathered at that small shack in the woods. It wasn't impossible, to have practically everyone from the prison that she cared about come back to her, because they were doing so right now.

"Hey, stranger." Riley grinned, welcoming the boy with open arms.

"Hey." Lucas murmured, his voice muffled by Riley's hair as he pulled her in close.

It was such a strange feeling, the brunette girl couldn't help but notice. Feeling that joy of having the people she cared so much about back in her grasp again, and being so happy just to see their faces, to know they're alive. If you had told her two weeks ago that she had tears threatening to spill from her eyes just from seeing some of them breathing she might've laughed in your face. But now, the feeling of having them around her again was so overwhelmingly exuberant that an indefinite smile was painted upon her lips.

Lucas pulled back, and from that view, Riley could see Billy, her best friend from the prison, walking toward her, a grin plastered to his face. The girl looked back to Lucas, his red hair gleaming a tangerine gold in the day's sunlight. The look in his eyes was mirrored by her's, just clear happiness swimming in them at seeing the other unhurt, externalized with a new shimmering glow of survival packed onto their skin.

Riley stepped back a bit just as Billy approached, his joyous face brightening the surrounding's they all stood in. At Rick's command, they gathered closer to the house for what was probably one of the man's "group discussions" as little bits of conversation passed around between the three. Riley looked between their faces, most of their words flowing in one ear and out of the other. She wasn't really involved with the idea of dialogue, but more of just soaking in the presence of everyone in her nearby perimeter. The thought of it was still somewhat unreal to her, almost too good to be true. It was just so strange to finally be with all of them again. She glanced over at Glenn and Maggie, who stood side by side, hands intertwined as they looked around. Michonne who was patting Judith on the back, stroking her hair with a soft smile gracing her lips. She noticed Abraham sitting down on the porch steps, bickering a little with that same girl Riley had noticed in the train car, with the light brown skin and curly hair in a knotted bun while she stood beside Rosita and Eugene. She also noticed Lucas's smile, his eyes crinkling just the slightest as he looked over at her, his hand brushing against her's.

What Riley didn't notice, though, was the way Carl's gaze followed her with a bitter glare from across the yard, his longing stare never once leaving her elated face.

a/n - i wrote this chapter while i was in costa rica for break, and i saw the inspo for our lovely puppy in this fic again! but i found out the real selva's acc a girl and attacks other dogs on the daily... it's fine we all have our moments

- ik I said this chapter would revolve around riley and carl but i realized there were a lot of things that were important for her character that i thought would be best if written in this chapter. i also posted this chapter super late so ik i'm totally lacking on y'all😭 i'm sorry ab that guys i'll try and step up my game asap

- there are two new oc's in this chapter!! the first one was the guy who helped riley at the prison fall incase that wasn't too clear :)) if u forget who a character is / their fc i have all of that on the cast page <33