* NORTH STAR.

              The girl had seen her fair share of violence ( even at such young age ) and she knew the crimsom liquid staining the stranger’s features could be nothing other than blood. That didn’t mean she didn’t appreciate the man’s effort to keep her from being scared. He talked about movies and food coloring. Why would anyone need to color food? You simply ate it before anyone else had the chance. In fact, that was her plan all along: wait for him to fall asleep, then steal some of his supplies and never see him again.

              But other people showed up and it got ugly. Perhaps she felt sorry for the man and before she knew it, she was stepping into his line of sight. “They’re… around.” Over the past few weeks she learned it was better to lie when it came to her parents, even though it had been over a month since she last saw her dad and big brother. Her eyes scanned the many cuts and bruises on the stranger’s face one last time. It was impossible to look away, to not want to help. So she reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a ragged piece of cloth, offering it to the man in need. “I’m little, not a dummy. And I’ve heard the F word before.”

it   was   a l m o s t   enough   to   make   him   turn   around   ,   as   small   body   seen   from   down   the   street   suddenly   made   the   thought   of   going   home   seem   unappealing   .   but   home   he   went   ,   the   polite   dismissal   already   primed   to   spill   from   his   lips   interrupted   as   judith   started   speaking   ,   leaving   no   room   for   interruptions   or   arguments   .   *   ━━ & ❛   that   aaron   sure   is   a   talker   ,   isn’t   he   ?   ❜   thought   conveyed   with   a   smile   ,   barely   masking   the   all   too   genuine   annoyance   beneath   .   maybe   the   TALKER   should   stop   TALKING   ,   (   bless   his   little   heart   )   .   

*   ━━ & ❛   JUDITH   ,   no   one’s   even   talking   about   that   right   now   ,   and   if   they   were   ,   it   wouldn’t   be   something   that   you   would   need   to   worry   about   .   your   dad   is   more    than   capable   of   dealing   with   the   consequences   of   his   own   actions   ,   and   i’m   SURE   he   wouldn’t   want   you   worrying   about   it   .   ❜

              Eric was clearly upset. Could she blame him? Rick had made a public display of ruthless violence and everyone in the community saw it happen. They saw him hold a gun at Pete’s head and then proceed to wave it arround, shouting threats at the people who had welcomed them in. Rick scared them. Hell. He even scared Judith for a minute. But the girl knew whatever her father was doing was necessary. That was how it always worked. 

                “I AM home.” A teasing smile curved the girl’s lips. She dusted off an old chair and made herself comfortable, feet kicking as she was still too short to reach the floor. The makeshift cell was in fact built below the Grimes’ residence and that was exactly where her father kept the fallen leader of the Saviors. “What d'you do when you get bored down here? D'you draw or somethin’?”