Chapter 4
"Run!"
Zoey reaches out for Harry as Negan tugs her away, watching his back get further and further away from her. She can't do or say anything; terror has paralyzed every cell of her body. She can only stumble along as her brother disappears from sight and then all she can see is the encroaching Biters.
Lucille takes her other hand, prompting Zoey to give her a wild eyed look but she's ignored. The couple pulls her along, running for their lives from the living and dead both. Without Harry's protection… they are vulnerable to the Biters.
Zoey glances over her shoulder and sees more Biters running after them. The roar of engines gets more and more quiet the longer they run, until the only thing Zoey can hear is their harsh panting and the slap of their shoes on the pavement. Then, a gunshot echoes, just barely heard over their hard breathing.
Zoey hopes Harry is okay.
"Stop!" Zoey cries out, finally finding her voice. She pulls on their hands, "We need to go back!"
"No!" Negan snaps, tightening his hold on her wrist. "We need to get out of here!"
"But Harry-!"
"Knows what he's doing and you need to trust that he'll find his way back to you!" Negan replies firmly, unyielding to her objections. He doggedly keeps running, panting hard. "You want to make him mad at you again?!" That stops Zoey from protesting; Harry's disappointment hurt and she told herself she wouldn't earn it again. She needs to trust in Negan's word that Harry will be fine. "We're close!" Negan calls out, glancing at them.
"Close?" Lucille pants, slowing from the unexpected flight.
"Here!"
Negan leads them both to a fire escape on the side of a building. Zoey isn't sure if it's an apartment or not but all they need is shelter. There is a garbage bin near the ladder. Negan is quick to climb up and jump, riding the ladder down. He hops off and pushes Lucille up first, eyeing the activity behind and in front. The Biters have caught onto a meal and begin swarming, the click of their teeth and shuffle of their rotting feet making the hairs on Zoey's arm stand on end.
Harry isn't here; those Biters want to eat her.
Zoey remembers the sounds of the man that was eaten alive on her lawn and knows she doesn't want that for herself. Before Negan can even turn to her, Zoey is quickly climbing the ladder. Negan is right on her tail and shoves her out of the way at the top so he can pull the ladder up. She just stays there, breathing hard at the sky, out of immediate danger for the moment. She's trembling pretty hard from both the scare and the run.
"You okay, Zo?" Lucille asks quietly.
Zoey nods, sitting up, "I'm fine. What now? Why are we here?"
"Harry and I marked a lot of potential spots to take cover before we left," Negan explains as he reaches down. Zoey grabs his hand and he pulls her to her feet. "This is the closest one. If Harry gets away, he'll know we're here."
Zoey feels dread in her stomach as she asks, "... If he doesn't?"
Negan doesn't reply. He and Lucille exchange loaded glances and then he heads further up the fire escape.
Lucille holds her hand out for Zoey, "Come on, sweetie."
"What if Harry doesn't?" Zoey asks again, this time louder.
Lucille gives her a tight smile, "We'll talk inside, okay? We're too… exposed." The word sounds strange coming from her. "Come. You can ask Negan all the questions once we settle in, okay?"
"Okay," Zoey sighs, resigned, allowing Lucille to wrap an arm across her shoulders. Zoey soaks in comfort, leaning into the contact with another sigh.
Lucille shifts away and takes her hand. Zoey allows the older woman to lead her up the stairs after Negan. She looks up and catches him waving from two floors up. She sends a thumbs up and concentrates on lifting her heavy legs. She feels so tired but she can't be. They haven't gone far enough or run too hard to be this tired. She's so worried about Harry too. What if he…
No, she has to believe he'll outfox them.
Harry has to.
Zoey harshly swallows down the sudden lump in her throat. She will not cry.
Negan signs okay with a head tilt. Zoey nods back, determination filling her. She needs to focus. Harry would be pissed if he found out she was distracted from clearing a place for shelter. She pushes her worries away for now and takes out her knife. Lucille pulls out her own knife, face pale but equally determined. Negan eyes them both and then gives them a thumbs up.
He turns and opens the window slowly, quietly. Zoey and Lucille barely breathe, knives up and ready. Negan gets it half way up and pauses, pulling away from the window just as arms swipe out at him, "Fuck!"
Lucille utters a muted squeal at the scare and jumps a little. Zoey can't blame her, it startled her too. You don't quite get used to it. The Biter puts its body through the opening and tries to crawl out. Negan takes that chance to knife the head without worrying about teeth. The Biter stills with a gurgle and they stand in silence for a solid thirty seconds. Then, when nothing else happens, they relax.
Something impacts the window.
Zoey swears she aged ten years in that second, the scare was so bad. Negan curses and even Lucille utters an oath. The Biter that had tried to crawl out was pulled back into the room and another Biter takes its place. Now angry, Negan stalks up, unafraid and stabs the head with a, "You fucking stupid assholes!"
That Biter stills as well.
Negan takes back his knife and cleans it on the back of the Biter’s shirt, pulling the corpse through the window afterwards. He kicks it over the edge of the fire escape and doesn't bother to watch it land on the writhing mass at the bottom. This time he opens the window uncaringly and bangs the knife against the edge, waiting in anticipation. Zoey counts the seconds in her head and makes a sound when Negan tries to go in early. Negan stops and glances at her but she just gives him a wide eyed look. They have to follow the rules! He narrows his eyes at her but gives in without making a fuss.
Finally, she relaxes and Negan breaches first. He inserts a leg, then tucks his upper body inside and his other leg follows. Then, "Clear."
Zoey goes in next, just barely catching Negan nodding at her as he heads further in. Zoey helps Lucille through and then closes the window. The first Biter Negan killed lay haphazardly on the floor. She nods to Lucille and keeps her knife at the ready as she heads further in as well.
"Clear!" comes Negan, just barely above whispering.
It's coming from her left, so she goes right. It's some kind of office space. Dental, by the looks of the pictures on the walls. She reaches out with a shaking hand to open the first door. It swings open with a barely there creak that has Zoey holding her breath in anticipation.
Nothing happens.
Negan curses and starts running back. Zoey takes that as a sign to get the hell back to the window. Her instincts are correct when Negan appears down the hall, face filled with terror. He waves out and huffs, "Go! Go!"
Zoey kicks into high gear, sprinting into the room with Lucille, who already has the window open. Zoey just barely has enough time to motion for her to go out when Negan runs in, slamming the door shut and leaning against it. Lucille is halfway out when banging can be heard on the other side. Zoey glances at Negan and the door with building terror; where are they going to go?
"Go! I'm right behind you!" Negan hisses at her.
Zoey flinches and then manoeuvres her body through the window, turning to gesture to Negan. The man looks at her, then at the door and pushes off of it, hard. He runs and leaps, diving through the narrow space headfirst, grunting at the hard landing. The door bangs open just as Zoey leaps forward to slam the window shut. Hands and rotting faces hit the window the next moment, making Zoey jerk back and trip over Negan as he's sitting up.
"We need to go! Up! Up!" Lucille urges with a tight voice, reaching down to grab Zoey's arm.
"Where?" Zoey asks as she's pulled to her feet.
"Only way is up," Negan replies tersely as he stands. He and Lucille grasp each other's hands tightly for a moment in relief. Then, Negan is pushing them in front of him and up the stairs. The glass breaking ignites a fire under their asses, their tiring legs gaining a surge of energy to run for their lives. Around and around the staircase they go, if there are dead above, no one knows. It is a risk they are forced to take as they ascend above the writhing mass of death beneath them.
They reach the top, a quick look-see showing nothing. Lucille's face is nearly stark white in her terror as she frantically asks, "Negan, what do we do?"
Negan shakes his head, eyes flicking around desperately. Zoey stares at him beseechingly as well, not knowing what to do. What do they do? Where can they go?
Negan runs to the far edge, skidding to a stop and kicking up the loose gravel. Some rocks disappear over the edge as he peeks, abruptly stepping back with a firm head shake, "Definitely not that way."
Lucille looks over her shoulder and leaves Zoey for the edge. She's perilously close to the stairs but she nods shakily, "Here! We have to jump!"
We have to jump?!
Negan runs over as Lucille sprints back to Zoey. The teen startles out of her paralyzed reverie, terror coursing through her as the older woman grabs her hand. Lucille jerks her along with a terrified, "Run, Zoey!"
"Go!" Negan shouts, spurring them into a dead sprint for the edge. Zoey gasps as she pushes her legs hard, ignoring the small voice chanting that she's never going to make it. The Biters crest the stairs, tripping over each other in desperation for a meal. Zoey doesn't even look at them, the edge of the building coming up fast and then-
She exhales and leaps, her chest suddenly stuttering to a stop as she flies over empty space. Her legs run over nothing, she's soaring. Exhilaration rushes through her cells as she peaks-
And then starts to drop.
Zoey inhales-
And screams.
The scream is cut off before it has the chance to escape. She hits the edge of the other building, air rushing out of her lungs in a quick oomph. Two thuds on either side of her are barely registered as gravity pulls her down the side of the building. She whimpers, desperately scrabbling, her fingernails breaking against cement. She fails to gain a hold and squeals when she suddenly drops.
Then she stops, suspended in mid air by a large hand around her wrist. Negan stares down at her in relief, "Hey, kid. Need a lift?"
Zoey could only nod frantically, Lucille appearing over his shoulder to help. Together, they pull her up and over the edge, collapsing into an exhausted pile together. Zoey barely notices her shaking; feeling numb but exhilarated, tired but wired. She… she's alive. They… they escaped a hoard of Biters by… by jumping to a different roof! How fucking cool is that?!
Zoey starts giggling, gasping for every lungful of breath to giggle some more. Negan joins her moments later with his own disbelieving chuckles. Lucille lets out an abrupt snort. Then they all shake with mirth rather than terror. They made it!
At some point, Zoey's giggles turn to hiccups and Negan is the one to pull her into a hug. Lucille keeps an eye out, watching the Biters fall to a hopefully more permanent death one by one. Zoey's trembling doesn't cease, neither does her sobs. She hides her face in Negan's shoulder and lets out all the fear and anxiety she's felt in the last hour. Negan just kisses the curls atop her head and holds her.
Zoey pulls away when she feels better, grateful for the comfort. She feels calm but exhausted, their three flights for their lives making her legs feel like jelly. She doesn't want to move, at all.
"You okay, Zo?" Negan asks gently. "Not hurt, are ya?"
Her chest pangs at the reminder that, yeah, ow. She didn't quite make it, did she? She winces at the pain in her chest… she got from jumping. Over an alley. That's… awesome! She was so scared and didn't think she could but she did! She almost fell right back off but she made it! They made it!
"I hit the edge. It's okay though," Zoey replies, looking up at Negan and Lucille. She grins, wide and excited, "That was fun!"
Negan tilts his head back and laughs but Lucille is distracted by Zoey's hands, "Zo! Your hands!"
Zoey lifts her fingers, wondering how in the bloody hell did she mess her fingers up so bad? Then she dismisses it with a shrug, "I'm alive. That's all that matters to me."
Lucille tuts and takes out the small first aid kit. "We're not going to risk them, regardless." She quickly cleans and dresses each bloody finger, thankfully only two on one hand and three on the other. Zoey ends up with mummified fingers but it's better than getting infected.
"Negan," Zoey says, grinning hard again.
"Hm?" He looks over tiredly.
"We jumped across an alley," Zoey emphasizes heavily. "That's so cool!"
Negan snorts, "Sure is, kid. Feels like a regular action movie."
Zoey giggles.
"Are you two done?" Lucille asks in fond amusement.
Zoey glances at Negan, who looks at her. Then they say, "Nah," at the same time, exchanging wide grins.
Lucille huffs with a smile, "Okay, I guess a few more minutes."
Zoey groans, "Can we just stay here? My legs feel like they are going to fall off."
"Oh, hon, she has a point," Negan says, groaning as he stretches. "Should be okay for a few minutes."
Lucille nods but she seems troubled, "I just think we should try because I'm seeing a lot of birds around. It's making me nervous."
Zoey looks at Lucille and then glances around, silently agreeing with her; there are a lot of birds. Harry told her to always listen to her instincts and they are telling her they need to find cover. She stands despite her protesting muscles, "Okay, let's go."
Negan catches onto something being wrong and stands as well, wincing and gritting his teeth to keep in a groan. Lucille is more than happy to get going. The maintenance door is about ten feet away, they should be able to make it.
There's a rustling sound.
Zoey eyes the birds; none of them move, eerily still and focused. As they step forward, she catches the subtle flutter of wings. Unease slides down her back as they tentatively make their way to the door.
"Nice and easy," Negan says quietly, walking casually-like. Zoey and Lucille are hot on his tail, barely disturbing the loose gravel. Zoey looks at the birds again… did one of them move? She keeps her gaze on them as Negan checks the knob. It turns, unlocked. He opens it, gritting his teeth, tensing in anticipation of a Biter.
When nothing happens for ten solid seconds, Negan motions them to go in, now eyeing the birds himself. Lucille precedes them into the building, knife clutched in a white knuckled grip. Zoey swallows as Negan motions for her next. Her hands shake as she eyes the dark interior of the stairs. Here goes nothing.
A loud, abrupt rustling.
"Fuck! Inside!" Negan suddenly yelps and Zoey squeals when she's shoved from behind. She just barely catches herself on the rail. The door slams shut, Negan flinching away and barely a second later, multiple thumps hit it. Zoey scrabbles around, half crouching in the dark, staring at the tiny slivers of light at the bottom of the door. Negan curses, "Holy fucker on a pogo stick, what the fuck."
What the fuck, indeed. Why were the birds acting like that? Why were they so still and silent the entire time? And why did some just fly into the door like that?
"Everyone alright?" Lucille asks from somewhere close. "What was that?"
Negan shuffles a bit as he answers, "I'm just fucking dandy, how about you Zoey? I know I pushed you a little hard there."
Zoey pushes herself to her feet, "Sore but okay. Why were they acting like that?"
"The birds? That was the birds?” Lucille clarifies, her tone sounding a bit off.
"Yeah, fucking weird," Negan replies. A click and beam of light erupts, nearly blinding Zoey. She turns away hastily and Negan murmurs, "Shit, sorry Zoey," as he turns it away. The beam of light reveals Lucille's stomach and waist, "You okay, hon?"
Lucille doesn't answer. Her arms suddenly wrap around herself.
"Hon?" Negan asks hesitantly.
Lucille turns and walks down the stairs a ways. Zoey watches Negan's light follow and then go out. She hears whispering but not much else, so she retreats into her own thoughts. I hope Lucille's okay…
Her concern for Lucille is dwarfed by her concern for Harry. It couldn't have been all that long since they've been separated. He has to be on his way back by now. He's so strong and it's only three this time. She has full confidence he lost them…
But how would he find them?
Zoey startles out of her thoughts at the click of a flashlight. The beam of light like a beacon as they come back up.
"You okay, Lucille?" Zoey asks quietly.
"Yeah, Zo. I'm okay," Lucille assures her, equally quiet. Zoey sees a smile in the gloom. Negan clicks the flashlight off once they are seated.
"Who's hungry?" Negan asks instead of a greeting.
"I could eat a horse," Zoey complains, her stomach gurgling hard.
"Oh, yeah, just walk right on underneath and start munching!" Negan quips sarcastically as he digs into his bag.
"Don't you have any original jokes?" Zoey snips, sniffing as he chokes on a laugh.
"Ouch, kid," Negan says, chuckling to himself. Something lands in her lap and she picks it up, feeling it. She realizes it's only a granola bar and suddenly feels a chasm open up in her stomach.
Lucille and Negan have already dug into theirs but Zoey can't bring herself to unwrap the bar. She remembers the day her Mom abandoned her. Zoey had never, in a million years, thought her Mom would do that to her. She remembers nearly choking on her granola when her Mom scared the crap out of her. She remembers how the granola was completely tasteless afterwards. She remembers the two days of silence, only broken by the random sounds of the outside world and a man being eaten alive on her lawn. She was so scared, she hid and didn't even try to help. Zoey hopes that man can forgive her.
"Zo?"
Zoey snaps out of her reverie, "Hm?"
"What's wrong, why aren't you eating?" Lucille asks gently. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Oh, I'm fine," Zoey answers, fiddling with the bar. "I'm just… remembering stuff."
"We're here, if ya wanna share," Negan offers, sounding completely genuine and sympathetic.
Zoey plays with the bar as she decides to open up, "I remember, when all this started hitting Atlanta, I was eating granola then too. I was looking out the window and I saw the neighbours. They… were packing or something. They looked scared. It made me kinda nervous, you know? Like, what could they possibly be afraid of?"
They make an understanding sound.
Zoey licks her lips, "Then Mom… she came down the stairs with a bunch of packed stuff and started loading it up. Um… she um…" Zoey can feel the familiar stone in her throat and angrily swallows it down. Her Mom doesn't deserve to be cried over anymore! She hopes her Mom- Zoey turns her mind away and focuses. "She drove away. Without me."
They take in a startled breath and then Lucille gushes, "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry."
"That stupid fucking cow. What the fucking fuck?"
"Honey! Language!"
"What? It's true! What the fuck kind of person abandons their own kid?! What the hell?" The flashlight turns on, muted against something but enough to see by. Negan reaches out and places his hand on her shoulder. "Zo, you know you didn't deserve that, right?"
Zoey feels that lump again but it's in happiness, "Yeah," she croaks. "I know. Harry said the same thing."
"Good. Need to listen to Harry more. That kid is something else, I tell ya," Negan replies fondly. "Never known a more sober, aware, capable teenager as that one."
"He's very mature for his age," Lucille comments warmly. "Very reliable young man. He wouldn't lie to you about something like that."
"I know," Zoey says again.
"How did you two meet up, anyway?" Negan asks curiously.
Zoey absently opens the granola bar as she tells them. As she talks, she takes small bites. The chocolate chips make all the difference.
—
After some water and rest, Negan peeks out the door. It's a tense few seconds until he shakes his head and closes it, "Still there."
A thump startles them.
"We're going to have to wait," Lucille says, sounding disappointed.
"Yeah," Negan answers succinctly. "I'm not keen on trying to go down through the building."
"What now?" Zoey asks seriously. "If we get out, then what?"
"All I need is some daylight and I can show you," Negan replies. "Harry and I figured a good part of the city would yield a decent shelter and space combination. The industrial sector a few miles from here, we can make it in a few days if we get the fuck out of here."
"What about Harry?" Zoey asks, figuring she's been patient enough.
Negan sighs, "Look, Zo-"
"No, I'm not leaving without him," Zoey says firmly.
"You have to," Negan says harshly. Zoey flinches, unseen in the dark. "Harry and I discussed this at length. He told me to remind you of your promise to him-" Zoey feels a stab at the reminder. That she'll take things seriously so that she can protect him. She's supposed to listen to Negan and Lucille and take her training seriously. Harry showed her more than a few nifty moves. "-so that means we need to leave him behind for now. He wants us to find shelter first. He will find us."
"What if he doesn't?" Zoey feels that precipice again. She knows Negan wouldn't lie to her about what Harry said but she doesn't know if she can willingly leave her brother behind. Negan has yet to answer.
"Negan, what if Harry doesn't?" Zoey asks again, voice trembling against her permission.
Negan finally snaps, "I don't know, Zo! I don't know, okay? Harry was supposed to be here and helping us but those fuckers came out of nowhere and now none of us know what the fuck to do, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?"
Zoey feels a wide, yawning void beneath her that's sucking her in. How could they not have the answer? What is she going to do?
"Hey, hey, hon, it's okay," Lucille soothes. Zoey hears shuffling and sees the vague outline of them as one large shadow. "I think we're all a little strung out right now."
Negan sighs harshly, "Yeah. Yeah… sorry."
Zoey bites her lips and says, "Me too."
"Kid, com'ere."
Zoey crawls the small distance between them. Negan reaches out and helps her, pulling her into his lap and then Zoey is being held by both of them. She didn't know how much she needed to be held until she felt surrounded by warmth. She greedily sucked up the comfort, tightly wrapping her arms around both of their necks.
"We're a family now, okay?" Negan says quietly, firmly. Zoey can practically feel little strings tying them together as Negan continues. "We need to stick together, fight together and even survive together. We gotta so Harry can find his way back to us. I know it's hard but Harry believes in you so much."
Zoey pulls back, tears escaping at the declaration.
"We had so many conversations about you when we were out together," Zoey had learned all about Negan from Lucille during those times as well. "Man, I've never heard a parent be so sure about their kid as Harry is with you. That kid thinks you hung the fucking stars in the sky and man, if my folks had half the confidence in me as that boy has in you… well, fuck, my balls woulda been a few sizes bigger!"
Zoey cracks and starts giggling. Lucille utters an oath and slaps Negan's arm. Except, in the darkness, she can't see well, so her hand slips right off his shoulder and she hits his neck instead.
"What the hell did I say?" Negan exclaims in a playful tone.
Lucille snorts, "Sorry, didn't mean to-"
Negan suddenly lets go. Zoey giggles some more when she sees the vague outline of Negan tackling Lucille to the floor. Lucille is giggling as well, which turns into wet sounds that Zoey rolls her eyes at. Adults can't seem to keep their lips to themselves.
"You guys are gross," Zoey says bluntly.
Lucille snorts into the kiss and giggles uncontrollably. Negan chuckles, "I'm going to laugh the day you get your own boyfriend and I find you locking lips with him."
Feeling contrary, Zoey asks, "What if I don't like boys?"
"Hell, kid, you can kiss up a log if that's what gets your motor running. Not many people around to judge ya, these days." Negan sounds smug and confident and a tad careless. Zoey thinks the man sincerely doesn't care where people find their happiness.
"Lucille, did he just akin you to a log?" Zoey asks in a light tone.
"Wait-"
"Well, I do get his motor running," Lucille replies coyly.
"Oh? Oh Momma, you sure do,” Negan purrs in return.
"Ewwww…" Zoey says, covering her ears and retreating from the conversation entirely. There are just some things you don't want to know about your parents.
She pauses, hands coming down, realizing what she thought. She glances at them, now entirely in their own world and… yeah. Yeah, she did think that and… no, she doesn't seem to mind it. She actually likes the thought. Like, a lot.
"You know…" Negan says out of nowhere. "Pet birds must be all the rage right now because their so… cheep."
Zoey takes it back.
"That's so bad…" Zoey whines.
"You asked for original jokes!” Negan crows quietly in delight. “You hear about the crow and the telephone pole? He just wanted to make a long distance caw."
Lucille clears her throat, "Honey? Maybe you should-
"What do you call a parrot that flies away? A polygon."
"Make him stop," Zoey whines, covering her ears from the terrible bird jokes.
"What do you get when you kiss a diseased bird?" Negan sounds like he's having way too much fun. "Chirpies!"
Lucille moans and Zoey has had enough. Just as Negan starts telling another terrible bird joke, she crawls over to him.
"What does a bird-hey! Ow! Okay! Okay! I'll stop-yowch!" Negan whines, cringing away from her pinching fingers. "Damn, kid. So mean."
"No more tweeting you big black bird," Zoey says, backing away.
"Okay!" Negan chuckles. "Just trying to flap the mood."
Lucille groans, "Don't… just ignore him. He'll stop when he gets bored."
"So mean…"
—
Zoey wakes up, hand blindly reaching out for her alarm clock. Silencing it, she sighs and opens her eyes. The dream she must have been having slips away as she tries to recall it.
Feeling strange, Zoey shifts from bed and shuffles out into the hall. The picture of her and Dad is where it always is. She avoids looking at it, not wanting to be reminded. She passes Mom’s room, a quick peek inside shows Mom is already gone. Mouth twisting, she pads into the bathroom and after relieving herself, stares into the mirror unhappily.
Zoey wrestles with her hair for ten minutes, trying to do something with it. As usual, any efforts are futile; her curls remain stupid and wild. Giving up, she turns away.
“Why didn’t you help me.”
Zoey screams, jerking back and tripping into the bath tub. There is a man in her bathroom, chest and stomach ripped apart. He stares her down, stepping up to loom over her with a deathly rattle and asks again, “Why didn’t you help me?”
“Mom!” Zoey screams, terror overwhelming. The man leans down towards her and Zoey throws her arms up with another desperate, “Mommy!”
“What?”
Zoey drops her hands, Mom standing across from her with hands on her hips. Zoey looks around wildly, looking for the ghoul that tried to get her.
“What?” Mom demands testily.
Zoey runs to Mom and throws her arms around Mom’s middle, “I’m scared!”
“Aww...” Mom rests her hand gently atop Zoey’s head and coos, “You should be.”
Confusion settling over her, Zoey raises her eyes up to Mom’s face and recoils in horror. Cold hands grip her arms tightly, keeping her from going too far. A man with a facial tattoo grins down at her menacingly, “Where you going, Zo?”
“Let me go!” Zoey yells, struggling to get out of the man’s hold.
“Why did you let me die?” The ghoul rasps, cold, cold fingers creeping along Zoey’s shoulders and neck like icicles. Zoey shivers and flinches harshly, shoulders coming up around her ears as she squeals.
“Mom!” Zoey cries, now trying to fight off two monsters. “Mom! Help me!”
Mom watches passively from nearby. Zoey is nearly hyperventilating as the ghoul and the monster drag her into a truck, tossing her into the back seat. The door shuts before Zoey can scramble back up, pounding helplessly on the window. The world catches fire outside and suddenly, faces and hands are pressing into the fragile glass with hungry moans. Zoey screams, “Mom! Mom, help me!” But Mom doesn’t appear.
Then, her heart stops when a dark haired man walks by casually, carrying a dark haired teenager. Harry doesn’t move, blood dripping from him in rivulets. The man’s grin is wide in ominous promise and Zoey is helpless to do anything to save her brother from the man’s cruelty. “Harry! Harry, no! Bring him back! No!”
The man drops Harry a distance away.
Zoey pounds harder on the glass, “No! Stop!”
Suddenly, the glass is gone and Zoey is watching from a small hole in the fence.
“What do we do with him?”
“Kill him. What the fuck else?”
Zoey watches the man take out a large knife and can’t even utter a single sound as he stabs her brother over and over and over and over, the cries and groans and whimpers slowly fading as Harry’s blood soaks the ground more than it soaks his body and even after Harry stills, he keeps stabbing-stabbing-stabbing-like a demented robot on repeat just to torment her-
“Zoey!”
Zoey struggles violently, wriggling and fighting off whatever has her in the dark. A sound of a terrified animal can be heard nearby. The images of the bloody knife remain embedded in her mind’s eye as she blindly struggles. Something has her. Something is going to eat her. She needs to get away-
“Zo, sweetheart, it’s okay... shhh... shhh...”
Lucille’s voice pierces through the fog. Zoey hesitates, panting harshly and vaguely realizing it’s her making those sounds.
“It’s okay, Thumbelina,” Negan’s voice is thick with concern. She can feel his hand rubbing her back. Thin fingers are combing comfortingly through the little hair she has left, the other hand cupping her head. “You’re alright. It’s just a nightmare, kiddo.”
“Wake up, honey,” Lucille urges, thumbs meeting Zoey’s cheeks to rub the moisture away.
Zoey relaxes, though she’s trembling and feeling very sweaty, “Negan? Lucille?”
They both sigh in relief. Lucille inquires quietly, “You okay?”
Even though they can’t see her, Zoey shakes her head and starts crying. She snakes her arms over Negan’s shoulders and squeezes him tightly, feeling him envelop her in turn. Zoey immediately feels far safer than a moment ago, burying her face in his shoulder as she cries.
“Just get it all out,” Negan supplies, rubbing her back rhythmically. “You’re safe. We’ve got ya.”
Zoey feels Lucille cuddle in closer and wrap an arm around her lower back in a half hug. They both whisper reassurances as Zoey’s emotions settle down. Eventually, she stops crying, pulling back a bit to wipe at her eyes.
“I’m sorry-”
“Ah!” Negan interrupts. “No one apologizes for nightmares. No one. Hear me?”
“It’s perfectly normal,” Lucille offers in comfort. “Nightmares happen to anyone.”
“Okay,” Zoey sniffs thickly, leaning back in to soak up more comfort.
Negan doesn’t hesitate to enfold her back in his safeness, “I’m surprised you haven’t had one before now. Shit out there enough to make anyone fucking loopy.”
“Negan,” Lucille sighs in long suffering fond annoyance.
“What?” Negan asks, clueless.
“Harry kept them away,” Zoey cuts in quietly. She feels Negan’s small jerk of surprise.
“Harry?” He asks in askance. “He chases nightmares away too?”
Zoey nods, feeling her lids pulling down. She still feels exhausted.
“How does Harry keep your nightmares away, Zo?” Lucille questions gently.
Slowly slumping into Negan’s warmth, Zoey blinks languidly, unseeingly, “He just... does... He’s like... a warm blanket... that keeps you... safe and... warm...” She doesn’t notice her eyes close as she talks and drifts off back into sleep.
---
A crack of thunder jerks Zoey back into consciousness, the nightmare slipping away like sand. Barely a second later, the crack under the door lights up brilliantly, lighting the interior of the stairwell in a flash.
A low whistle sounds out from above and her pillow starts vibrating, “Woo. That was a big one.”
“What’s going on?” Zoey asks quietly.
A large hand settles on her arm and rubs gently, “Just a storm. You okay?”
Zoey bobs her head, settling back in, “Where’s Lucille?”
Another crack and flash reveals Lucille’s form laying down on Negan’s other side just as he answers, “Here. Sleeping.”
The dark closes in again but it doesn’t feel stifling. More flashes of light, more rumbles of thunder. She watches the sliver under the door with half lidded eyes, listening to Negan’s beating heart under her ear. Thoughts of Harry waft up, “Do you think Harry is out there?”
His hand pauses and then drops from her arm, “I hope not. I hope he found a place to lay low.”
“What if...” Zoey’s lower lip starts trembling, almost afraid of saying it might make it true.
“Harry is okay,” Negan assures her firmly.
“What if he’s not?” Zoey blurts out, chest tight with her worry.
“He is,” Negan replies, sounding sure of himself.
Zoey sits up with a sigh, “Negan.”
“We have to believe he is,” Negan says as he shifts.
“What if he’s not?!”
Negan sighs, “Kid, I don’t know what to tell you.”
The truth, she thinks but somehow knows Negan doesn’t have that. She’s grasping at straws in her worry for her still missing brother. Is he out there? In that storm? Did he get away from those men? He got away from five of them at once, he should have outfoxed three of them. Right?
...right?
“Alright, here it is,” Negan shifts again, clearing his throat. “Harry told me what happened, with those guys. Told me how close it was but he got away, right?”
“Right,” Zoey replies, relaxing a little now that he’s taking her seriously.
“So, naturally, he should be able to get away from three, right?”
“...right,” Zoey responds, sounding a little less sure. Negan’s tone sounds off...
“Here’s the thing, Zoey,” she feels her chest constrict again. “The first time, those guys didn’t know what Harry was capable of. He wasn’t kidding when he told you that you guys were extremely lucky...” Negan sighs again and she hears him swallow thickly. “The thing is, the element of surprise only works once for a good reason.”
They would be expecting Harry to fight back .
“Harry is undoubtedly a very capable, very strong young man but...” Negan trails off. Another flash of lightning lights up his troubled face. “Well, sometimes that’s not enough. Zoey, you need to be prepared for the fact that Harry might not get away.”
“But you said-”
“I know what I-” Negan cuts himself off. “Lucille didn’t want to tell you. Said you needed to keep hope but what you need is the truth. Harry might not make it back.”
Zoey pushes away from Negan, landing on the cold floor of the stairwell. Shivers immediately start up but she’s more focused on her whirling thoughts, “But he has to!”
“Zoey-”
“No!” A crack of thunder punctuates her denial. Lightning flashes, lighting up the tiny space for an instant. That instant shows Negan’s wrecked face, sadness and grief warring over it.
“ I don’t know if we have the choice, Zoey,” Negan whispers, voice thick. “We can’t linger and look for him-”
“Why not?” Zoey demands hotly, though quietly, as to not wake Lucille from her much needed sleep.
“Don’t be dumb, kid,” Negan warns, tone berating. “How would we do that without drawing the wrong kind of attention, hm? Gonna walk around calling out his name? Look in every building, in every dark alley? We might as well be ringing the fucking dinner bell at the same time!”
Frustration wells up. How can he understand that she can’t leave Harry behind? What kind of sister would that make her?
“Then leave!” Zoey snaps out, pushing away from Negan to gain some space.
“What?”
Zoey settles as far as she dares in the dark and curls up into a tight ball. She suddenly feels incredibly cold and alone , “Leave. I’ll find Harry and we’ll find somewhere else to live. We don’t need you .”
“Zoey...” Negan sighs.
“Just go,” Zoey stutters, trying really hard to swallow the large lump growing in her throat. “I won’t abandon Harry.”
“We’re not abandoning him, kid!” Negan whispers harshly, tone edging with frustration. “ He knows the other rendezvous points! If he escaped, he’ll be heading to the next one! We just need to get there before he thinks to move on!”
Skeptical, she asks, “What if he doesn’t?” She doesn’t want to think about it. She doesn’t want to wonder. However, no matter how hard she tries to believe in Harry, doubt creeps into her heart. Negan had a point; those guys know what Harry is capable of now and wouldn’t underestimate him... that gunshot they heard... is Harry...
“Harry will find a way to escape and will come back to us,” Negan replies with such conviction that the anxiety clutching her throat finally began to ease. “Come back to you . Just... don’t stop believing in him, okay?”
Zoey thins her lips to keep them from agreein g. S he’s tired and lonely in the dark.
“If he’s in bad shape, he’s going to need your belief, Zo,” Negan whispers gently. “He’s going to need every inch of it.”
“Okay,” Zoey gives in, tears dripping down her cheeks. She sniffs and wipes them away, futile. More tears come anyway.
“Ah, fuck,” Negan utters, shifting. “Come back here, kid. You shouldn’t be sittin’ on your lonesome.”
Zoey unwinds and crawls back over, finding Negan’s knee first. He jumps with a quick inhale at the sudden contact but instantly reaches out to help her settle in next to him. His arm winds around her and she leans into his warm side with a hiccup.
“I promise you, kid. One way or another, we’ll find him. Even if I have to amass a fuckin’ army to do it, okay?”
“Okay,” Zoey sobs, heart breaking. Is she really going to leave Harry behind? Negan tries to comfort her but she can’t really feel it. How can she leave Harry behind? She knew that’s exactly what he would want but it doesn’t comfort her, at all. He would never leave her behind, how can she do that to him?
“ We’ll even go out and... put up those signs of yours. The ones you and Harry came up with. We’ll put them everywhere, okay?”
Zoey just cries harder.
“Ah, shit ,” Negan shifts and hauls her into his lap. He rubs her back in comfort, “I’m... I’m sorry, Zo.”
“Why did you drag me away?” Zoey sniffles thickly.
“Harry and I promised each other that if anything happened one’a us, you and Lucille would be taken care of,” Negan explains carefully. “And when those sonsabitches came outta nowhere, I knew I couldn’t let them get you and Lu. What they’d do to you two, I-” Negan cuts off, breathing heavily. “I wasn’t gonna let it happen and neither was Harry.”
“ But Harry might-!” Zoey tries to argue but Negan cuts her off.
“Harry is too valuable to do anything like that to,” he says firmly. “Now that they know what he can do, they won’t risk doing something stupid to him. His abilities are protecting him right now and he’s going to use that to escape. Harry’s smart, he’ll figure a way out of whatever holds him back from getting to you.”
As Negan’s calm, assured voice makes promises he can’t possibly keep, Zoey is nonetheless calming. It’s hard to remain doubtful when the man seems so confident. Surely, if he doubted his own words, that he wouldn’t be so persuading? Zoey wants to believe him so badly .
“And if we... never see him again?” Zoey forces herself to ask.
Negan shrugs and sighs, “Hate to say it but seems like that’s just part of life now. One moment, they’re here and the next, they ain’t. No rhyme or reason. I can’t tell ya one way or another, Zo. I just choose to believe that Harry will get out of whatever predicament he’s in and find us. No matter how long it takes.”
No matter how long it takes .
Zoey decides to believe in that, too. She chooses to believe that Harry will find a way back, no matter how long it takes. She can wait. She can be patient.
For Harry.
“ Huh, the storm’s passed,” Negan remarks in the quiet. Zoey listens carefully and can only hear the soft chatter of rain. “Let’s hope it reveals a better tomorrow, hm? Go back to sleep, kid.”
“What about you?” Zoey yawns, her lids feeling exceptionally heavy.
“I had some sleep already, don’t worry about li’l ol’ me.”
“Goodnight,” Zoey whispers as she drifts off. She doesn’t hear his reply.
---
“ Zo, wake up, sweetie.”
Zoey groans, her head aching for no discernible reason. She sleepily raises her hand to rub at her head as she shifts under the odd feeling blanket.
“Headache, honey?” Lucille asks quietly. Zoey nods her head carefully. Lucille tsks , “I’m going to grab you something for that, okay? Want to sit up?”
Lucille starts digging through her bag as Zoey tries to sit up without causing an earthquake in her head. Beyond her head, her fingers pulse with pain from the beating they took from the jump and her chest hurts like one large, tender bruise. She can’t believe she missed how much this hurt. How did she not notice her body being in this amount of pain?
“Here, take these, okay?” Lucille presses two pills into Zoey’s palm. She immediately swallows them, taking some of the water the older woman was offering in her concern.
“Thanks, Lucille,” Zoey says as she recaps the bottle. The light from the crack under the door is nearly blinding to look at but it lights up the inside enough to see by. She then realizes that the blanket is actually Negan’s leather jacket. She looks around as Lucille puts the bottle back and frowns when she can’t see or hear him, “Where’s Negan?”
Lucille motions to the door, “Outside. Checking out the streets and looking for the emergency stairs. We’re hoping we don’t have to go down through the building.”
“There’s no birds out there?” Zoey asks in trepidation.
Lucille shakes her head, “No birds. Seems the storm last night blew ‘em all away.”
Zoey relaxes, “That’s good.”
“We were due a little luck, hm?” Lucille asks rhetorically.
The door opens, blinding Zoey for a few moments, “It’s clear all around. I think the storm drew ‘em all away. Morning, Thumbelina.”
“Neg N eg,” Zoey grumbles, unhappy with the nickname.
Negan just grins, seeming not to be bothered by her foul mood, “Come on, let’s get to i t. Quick bite to eat and then I want to get the fuck out of here.”
Lucille sighs but doesn’t bother reprimanding him for once. She just smiles at Zoey as she hands over a can of opened fruit, “Come on, Zo. Eat up. Long day ahead of us, hm?”
Taking the can, Zoey agrees. It will be a long day. Not only do they need to avoid any other survivors but now that Harry’s protection is gone, they need to be completely cautious moving forward. It would be all too easy to be cornered by a hoard. All too easy to make a mistake that could have dire consequences.
“Here,” Negan starts, leaving the door open and taking out a folded paper. He crouches down as he unfolds it, revealing a map of Washington and the immediate area, setting it on the floor. One corner has a bunch of small x’s and a largish circle, roughly drawn. Negan immediately points to one of the lowest x’s, “We’re here.” He drags his finger to the red circle and taps it, “This is where we are heading. All these mark s here are potential places that may be safe to use as shelter for the night. It’s iffy because we’re going off my memory and his routes, so they might not work out.”
“Like the building we jumped from?” Zoey pipes in.
“Yepper doodles,” Negan affirms.
Zoey digs back into her fruit, “Let’s not bank on them, then.”
“I just said-nevermind, moving on,” Negan shakes his head with a fond grin. His finger moves to the road right next to the small x that marked their spot, “This is the road right next to us. It’s clear as far as I can see, so I say we take it a-all the way up to here,” his finger traces the road up quite a bit until it levels with another x and then taps the map.
“Harry said straight lines aren’t the best idea,” Zoey remarks lightly. “ Something about being easy to follow.”
Negan shrugs, “We don’t have his protection and a straight shot, easy does it approach is probably for the best right now. I’m used to travelling alone, Lucille isn’t used to it at all and you are so small, I could use you as an arm rest.”
Zoey glares at him, “Are you trying to piss me off?”
“Negan,” Lucille sighs in fond amusement.
“Is it working?” Negan replies with a shit eating grin. Zoey sets down her can and stands, the leather jacket falling from her lap to the floor. Negan’s face slackens in slight terror as he stands as well but covers it well with another infuriating grin, “There we go. That’s what I want from you, got me, kid?”
Zoey pauses, suddenly feeling confused, “What?”
Negan reaches out and squeezes her shoulder firmly, “We’re gonna need every inch of fight in ya, got me? Don’t relax. Don’t let your guard down. Keep your smart little head firmly on these shoulders and fight , got it?”
Understanding where he’s coming from now, determination steals over her and she nods, “Okay.”
“ Good,” Negan replies, squeezing once more and then turning to Lucille. “May I borrow my lovely, gorgeous wife for a private moment?”
Lucille snorts, “Oh, this is going to be good. Be right back, Zo.”
Zoey waves them off, leaning down to grab her can to drink the juice. Then, she pulls out a marker from her bag and writes a symbol on it. She sets the can down just on the inside of the door and picks up Negan’s jacket, folding it over her arm. Picking up her bag, she shoulders it just as Lucille snorts loudly, giggles muffled. The sound brings a smile to Zoey’s face. At least she’s not alone.
“Ready to go, kid?” Negan asks as they reappear.
Zoey hands over his jacket with a smile, “Yeah.”
---
The streets are clear when they get back to ground level. Though dead, mutilated bodies lay everywhere, none of them move. They give wide berths to most as they jog along the road, kicking any they can’t pass safely. Even though their trek yesterday was far safer, Lucille is just as pale, clutching to Zoey almost to the point of pain. If Zoey wasn’t just as freaked out, she would be complaining. As it is, the contact is more grounding than painful or irritating.
Negan takes point and Lucille keeps an eye on their backs. Zoey is more involved with watching the doors and windows of the buildings as they trek along the dirty street. There is so much garbage that it’s nearly impossible to step on something quietly. Zoey swears she’s never seen so much garbage at once. The doors and windows on street level are either too grimy to see into or boarded up in some way.
They only jogged down a few blocks before Lucille is breathing too hard and needs time to catch her breath. They don’t stop but they do slow to a walk, making sure to stay in some kind of cover. It may be needed, it may not; Harry stressed it was more important to stay cautious.
Their luck begins to wane as they come across the first Biter of the day. It’s wandering aimlessly in the middle of the intersection, absently clacking it’s teeth at the sky. As they approach, it slowly begins to move towards them, moaning for the meal it can smell nearby. Negan body checks it aside, not even giving it time to try to bite him. It stumbles away right into a vehicle headfirst, smashing it’s head right into the mirror. It falls to the ground and doesn’t move.
“M-maybe less football next time, honey,” Lucille says shakily, checking him over quickly for any wounds.
Negan tilts his head with an eh... but gives in, “You got it, babe. We should keep an eye out for any longer weapons, though my weapon -”
Lucille shakes her head and shushes him, “Don’t ruin the moment, dear.”
Zoey giggles, watching Negan pretend to be hurt by the comment.
Then, the moment is over and they continue.
It’s not long before Lucille is practically begging for a short rest. She’s starting to sound wheezy, so they keep their eyes out for someplace safe. Zoey spies a small park nearby; she suddenly remembers the park in Atlanta, where Harry wished for his leg to be healed so he can protect her.
“Hey, this way,” Zoey says to them, waving them along as she leads the way to the park. It’s open and similar to a scene in a horror movie; dead bodies every which way and blood covering the jungle gym in dark hand prints and smears.
“ Well, this place is depressing,” Negan snarks, leading Lucille forward. They pick their way through, making sure every body they get close to is checked before they move on. Then they climb the jungle gym to the top, where there is a small enclosed play area just barely big enough to fit all three of them. “At least there’s no damn kids corpses.”
Zoey feels her face drop, “Why’d you have to put that in my head?”
“Shhh you two,” Lucille berates, curling in against Negan with a sigh. “Don’t want to draw attention. Just need ten minutes or so.”
Negan makes a face at her over Lucille’s oblivious head. Zoey glares in outrage, fuming at the childish behaviour of the very adult man. Lucille sighs again and pinches Negan’s side hard enough to make him flinch and jerk away, “Be nice, you hooligan.”
Zoey raises her brows and lifts her chin, giving Negan a justified look.
He just makes another face at her. What a jerk .
---
When they continue, it’s to more harrowing numbers of Biters roaming the streets. Though it’s nowhere near hoard levels, it has the capacity to become one , so they move onward ever more cautiously. They take down each Biter that comes close enough with teamwork; tripping, stabbing, tripping, stabbing. With every kill, Lucille’s hesitance smooths into determination. Her face is still pale and drawn but now lined with steel instead of silk.
Zoey feels proud of her.
They come across an open construction yard that’s entirely fenced off. It’s not a rendezvous point but close enough to one for Negan to be happy with it. A quick climb draws the attention of any Biters inside and it’s quick work with their newfound sense of teamwork to put them down for good. They decide to make camp inside the manager’s office, as the tinted windows offer a great sight-line to most of the grounds while offering cover. This time, Lucille is the one taking first watch.
“Next time, I will,” Zoey says firmly as she lays down. A yawn comes out of nowhere.
“Yes, you can have first watch next time,” Lucille tells her, smiling gently. “Sweet dreams and deep sleep.”
“Hopefully,” Zoey replies sleepily, eyelids pulling down without her consent. “Goodnight, Lucille.”
“What? I don’t get a goodnight?” Negan whines pitifully.
Zoey gives him a stink eye and turns over, pulling her blanket up.
“Don’t look at me. I’m not the one making faces at her like a man-child.”
“I’m feeling distinctly outnumbered here,” Negan mumbles sadly.
Lucille snorts and giggles quietly, “You are lucky you are so cute, mister.”
“I’m’ not cute, ’m handsome,” Negan corrects matter-of-factly.
“You’re something,” Lucille replies fondly. “Go to sleep. Don’t think I won’t wake you up later.”
“ You can wake me up anytime, sugar,” he purrs in response.
Their voices lull Zoey into sleep before it can get too awful.
---
Loud bangs startle Zoey awake. She just barely whimpers when a hand is suddenly over her mouth. Zoey doesn’t get the chance to panic, Lucille shushing her quietly while kneeling over her. It’s so dark, Zoey can barely see anything in the deep gloom. She can barely make out another shadow at the window, looking out. More gunshots crack the silence like fine glass and a distant scream can be heard under the resounding echoes. Heart picking up, Zoey sits up, dislodging Lucille’s hand from her face. The older woman just shifts closer, one hand on Zoey’s shoulder, like the teen will suddenly disappear if she isn’t holding on. They all listen in stiff anticipation.
At the window, Negan’s shadow suddenly half stands, peering intently out. The sound of crying and gasping reaches her ears, sounding young. Too young.
“Negan!” Lucille whispers harshly. “Are those children?”
Negan doesn’t answer. He very deliberately sits back down.
“Negan!” Lucille demands a smidge louder.
“We can’t!” Negan snaps quietly. “Too risky!”
“It’s children ,” Lucille gasps at his callousness. “Negan! You better open that fucking door!”
Zoey feels like a fly on the wall, her eyes bugging out at Lucille swearing at Negan.
“What if it’s a trap?!” Negan whispers angrily.
Lucille gets up, “So what? We can’t leave them out there!”
Quick as a whip, Negan’s shadowy arm catches Lucille around her waist and says, “Wait! Look!”
Zoey creeps up to the window to see as well. There are children nearby, three of them. All younger than she but the eldest not as much. Two adult figures join them, the guns gleaming under the light of the moon.
“See anyone?”
“No,” replies the eldest kid, sounding fine after crying so much. “No one came out. Don’t think anyone is here.”
Lucille utters a soft gasp. So it was a trap. A horrible one; a nybody with a good heart would try to help kids, especially crying ones. What kind of place has this world become?
“Good job , kid.”
“Hey, think this place is worth checking?”
“No. Some of these Hungries were killed recently, it’s probably already picked over. Let’s just get out of here before those fuckers come back.”
“ Let’s just check this place first.”
Negan and Lucille move away from the window, ducking down. Zoey doesn’t move at all, watching the shadow approach carelessly.
“Come on, man. We need to go!”
The shadow slumps and turns around, “Fucking wuss.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing, geez.”
They don’t move or relax for a good half an hour after the strangers left. The silence presses in on them until Negan huffs, “I told you so.”
“You didn’t tell me anything,” Lucille snips, sounding irate.
“I said it was a trap.”
“No, you said what if it’s a trap. You weren’t sure, either! So don’t you ‘I told you so’ me, mister.”
“I also said it’s too risky,” Negan counters.
“ Kids , Negan,” Lucille’s voice cracks. “So young to be luring people out like that. Out here, in danger and darkness, oh...” Lucille muffles herself, crying. “Those poor kids...”
Negan sighs, “I’m sorry, honey.” His shadow merges in with the rest in Lucille’s general location. Zoey can only assume he’s comforting her. She looks back out the window, staring across the empty grounds and feels sad for those kids. Even though they used themselves as sucker bait, they are still kids and should be protected. Harry would have fought those guys and maybe killed them to free those kids. She knows it. She hopes they find their own Harry that will fight for them and protect them.
“You guys should get some rest,” Zoey says, breaking the quiet. “I’ll keep watch.” She won’t be able to sleep anyway. She misses Harry fiercely.
“Thanks, Zoey,” Negan mumbles, shifting around. Lucille hiccups and then it’s quiet again.
---
At the first blush of light in the sky, Zoey wakes the couple. Negan grumbles and rolls over but Lucille is immediately sitting up, stretching and scratching.
“ Morning,” Zoey says hesitantly, eyeing the older woman in concern.
Lucille smiles tiredly, “Good morning, Zoey. You doing okay?”
“I’m fine,” Zoey replies lightly. “Are you okay? Last night...”
Lucille’s smile turns brittle and she bows her head, “It... definitely wasn’t expected, was it?”
“ I don’t think anyone could really expect something like that,” Zoey commiserates.
“No,” Lucille agrees, unable to keep her smile in the face of the previous night’s events. Lucille tried to see the bright side of things, tried to be happy for everyone around her but even someone bright like her can be dulled by the cruelty of the world. It’s one thing to speculate on it, it’s another thing entirely to witness first hand.
Zoey hugs her tightly, trying to convey that it’s going to be alright without actually saying the words. She doesn’t want to jinx things when they are so close to their destination. Lucille inhales shakily as she hugs back, not seeming to need any words at all.
The moment is interrupted when Negan drapes over them like a large, grumbly bear, “I want hugs, too.”
Lucille snorts and Zoey giggles, the bad mood breaking in the wake of Negan’s uncanny ability to ruin moments in the nicest, or raunchiest, way possible. Zoey pulls away as Negan starts sniffing around Lucille’s neck, sounds of enjoyment coming from deep in his throat, making her cringe and giggle some more. Zoey rolls her eyes, “You weirdo.”
Negan looks at her and makes a face, “ You’re the weirdo. Weirdo.”
Zoey laughs, “I’m not the one sniffing Lucille like a dog.”
“A hound dog,” Negan corrects saucily, giving Lucille some waggling eyebrows.
Lucille puts her hand on his face, her other muffling her laugh as she pushes him away, “You’re incorrigible.”
“You know it!” Negan chirps, grinning as he rolls away to get ready.
Zoey smiles when she sees the healthy red of Lucille’s cheeks. She’s seemed far too pale these past couple days. No matter how weird Negan is, he knows exactly how to cheer his wife up. Zoey’s glad to see some good come out of his jerkness.
---
Zoey draws a symbol on the wall right before they leave.
Thankfully the fight from the previous night didn’t draw more Biters. Or something further out drew them away. Either way, their way is suspiciously clear for the first few hours of their trek through a run down neighbourhood. They hear distant gunfire, back from where they came. It’s far enough away to be wary of but not worry about.
Though eager to get to the industrial sector, they are waylaid by a massive pile up of vehicles throughout the entire street. Deeming it too risky to try navigate through by foot, they are forced to find a way around the long way. Though their intended path was clear of Biters, their detour is not. This cuts away at their daylight quite a bit, needing to sneak around and retrace their steps at times to find a better way through. With night approaching quickly, Zoey, Lucille and Negan pick up their pace. Too little time to look around forces them to break into a maintenance shack for the night. The shelter is far too insecure to sleep fully and the next morning, three exhausted survivors tread deeper into the unknown. At this point, Zoey avoids thinking of Harry. The space he is supposed to occupy grows ever bigger and more pronounced. She hasn't heard his voice in days and the promise she made to him feels like a lifetime ago. It's just the three of them, surviving together. Zoey supposes she's just happy she isn't alone. That would be so much worse.
"What do you guys think of this place?" Negan asks as they crouch outside the fence outlining a large factory. Zoey sees that a good deal of the fence is broken down and would be useless to try and fix.
"Those fences are bad," she points out.
Negan nods, seeing what she's seeing, "We can try to fix 'em."
"Yeah but we don't have time for that," Lucille returns. "Harry said we need to figure out food as soon as possible. We can't do both at the same time."
"No, you're right," Negan says, scratching his face. "Just wanted an easy answer."
"We'll find something," Lucille says confidently. "I'm sure of it."
Zoey hopes so. She wants to get started on looking for Harry and she can't do that if they don't have a home base. "Let's just keep going."
They will find a place.
She will find Harry.