.・゜-: ✧☾　☽✧ :-゜・.

Judith leaned her head against Stella's chest as she exhaustingly dragged her over the road that stretched endlessly ahead, shimmering under the brutal sun. Three weeks had passed since Ellie died. Two weeks since Levi and Stella had found food. One week since they had a proper meal last.

They never stopped walking, pushing through the relentless hunger and thirst that reduced their bodies to aching shells, the sun an unwavering predator in the sky. Their clothes clung to their dirt-streaked skin, their lips cracked and dry. It had been weeks since they had seen so much as a puddle.

A small flock of walkers straggled behind them, just far enough to be ignored. No one had the energy to take them down, so they let them follow, praying they wouldn't attract more.

Judith's stomach rumbled against Stella and her heart clenched. She pressed a gentle kiss against her little sister's sweaty head. "She's hungry." She told Levi, her voice strained and weak.

The tall boy beside her cast a concerned look down at the child in Stella's arms. "We'll find something for her to eat soon," he murmured, though the reassurance felt hollow even to himself.

Stella glanced up at him. "It's been more than a week." She muttered before her gaze trailed back to the group. They were practically dragging themselves forward, sweat staining the back of their shirts and dirt and dust covering their bare skin. "How much longer do you think we've got?"

Levi followed her line of sight, watching the group closely. "60 miles."

Stella swallowed hard. "I wasn't talking about that."

The boy's eyes flickered back to the girl beside her and his jaw tightened at her words. He could not deny that the horrible thought had spun in his head for the past weeks.  He let out a quick breath, one that sounded horse from his dry throat. He tried to find it within him to say something reassuring and comforting to give Stella even the slightest bit of hope but the words lingered on his tongue until he swallowed them down and turned toward her.

"Here, let me take her,"

Stella adjusted her hold on Judith and shook her head. "It's fine."

"I don't care. You've been carrying her for hours," His tone turned more serious. "You're exhausted and you need a break." He gently slithered his hands over hers, his warm touch making her slow down in her steps and turn to him. His gaze softened and he carefully took Judith from her arms. The young girl didn't protest, instead, she quickly nuzzled up against him as he cradled her to his chest.

Stella swallowed hard. A weight lifted from Stella's arms, giving her just enough relief to breathe a little easier. She let the ghost of a smile touch her lips. "You don't have to-"

"I want to," He spoke, his free hand coming up to her face, gently brushing his thumb over her cheek, right under her scar. He couldn't help but feel his stomach twist seeing how visible her cheekbone was, the result of weeks without food. Stella drew a breath at his soothing caress. She nodded and swallowed hard again before they continued to travel up the roads.

The group came to a halt where the road sloped into a steep hill. A bridge loomed ahead, where Carl, Judith, Eugene, Melissa, Tara, and Gabriel waited while the rest positioned themselves on either side of the road, lining up along the edge of the hill.

"No weapons unless absolutely necessary," Rick said to the group before getting in his position beside Stella who sent him a nod. The pair turned their attention to the two dozen walkers stumbling their way. One shuffled close enough for Rick to sidestep and shove it off the edge. The others followed suit, luring the dead forward before letting them stumble over the cliffside.

Stella slid aside and shoved the walker down letting it crash down against the rocky cliff side, its fragile body splitting in half. Most of the time, she didn't have to push them. She just simply stepped aside, tricking the walker to waltz off the edge of the cliff.

Then, something shifted.

Everything around her became incredibly sharp. Every outline and detail of the walker approaching her sharpened and then the next, everything blurred together, bleeding at the edges.

Stella's legs wobbled and she drew ragged and strained breaths, trying to focus on the dead that limped toward her. The walker swayed, or maybe it was her. At that moment she couldn't tell. She blinked, desperate to clear her sight, but the darkness only grew, creeping in like ink.

Her knees gave in and the ground rushed up to her. She managed to crash against her arms but she didn't feel the impact as if she had gone numb. The shadow of the walked loomed over her and she tried to shakily push herself up to which her muscles refused. Everything around her spun but she could weakly perceive someone pushing the walker off the cliff before it managed to reach Stella. The girl felt two arms pull her up and she tried to support her weight on her legs but they trembled before caving beneath her again.

She could feel herself being dragged away and carefully placed against the side of the bridge.

"Stella." The voice cut through the ringing in her ears, sharp with urgency. Levi.

The girl tried to lift her head but her body felt impossibly weak. A frustrated and strained breath escaped her lips and she felt two hands grip her arms to keep her from crashing to the side.

She blinked, his face becoming cleared against the too-bright sky. She leaned her head back against the stone and gasped for shallow breaths. The darkness that circled her sight slowly crept back and she tried to focus her vision.

"I'm....fine. I just-" she breathed heavily. Everything sharpened again and she swallowed down the nausea that burned in her throat. Levi's hand cupped the side of her face, gently holding it steadily as she slowly managed to ground herself.

"Stella," he urged, his hands cradling her face, steadying her. "Look at me."

She blinked again and suddenly the sun was burning in her eyes. She could finally see the boy clearly. With one shaky breath, she sent him a nod, confirming that she was okay. "I-I'm fine." she panted, though her trembling limbs betrayed her words. Carl and Tara had rushed up to her and were now kneeling beside her.

Before anyone could respond, Sasha suddenly broke rank, marching toward the horde with her knife drawn. The careful plan crumbled as Rick shouted orders, forcing the group to draw their weapons in an attempt to prevent Sasha from getting herself hurt.

Levi hesitated, his hand still on Stella's cheek.

"Go." She rasped. The boy lingered before standing up and hurrying over to the group, pulling out his knife in the process.

"Are you okay?" Carl asked, scooting closer to his sister.

"I'm fine. I just need a minute." She panted and forced a smile onto her face.

"You don't look fine," The younger boy stated.

Stella forced a smirk, trying to mask the weakness in her limbs. "You shouldn't be talking. You look like a caveman."

"Stella you're not funny." He breathed. "You could've gotten seriously hurt."

The girl smiled briefly up at him, his caring side slipping through his usually guarded standard. She placed a reassuring hand over his and squeezed it tightly without saying anything. All she could do was appreciate his tenderness.

Soon, all the walkers lay slayed on the ground and the exhausted group panted, their gazes traveling over the scene of walkers that they had created. Stella glanced over at Sasha, whose expression was tight with suppressed anger.

______

Rick demanded that the group stopped and rested on the side of the road so that Stella could regain her strength despite her many tries to convince him that she was okay.

"You're not fine," He muttered, his two fingers resting against her neck, counting every faint heartbeat. Stella sat leaning against a tree that shielded her from the burning sun. She exhaled heavily, and let her gaze wander while her father counted. Everyone tried to flee the heat in the shadows but nothing helped if they still didn't have water or food.

"Do you know what you're doing?" She turned to face Rick with a small grin on her face. One that the older man didn't reciprocate.

"Don't move so much," Rick said trying to look gathered but his voice betrayed him. The truth was that the girl's pulse was faint enough for the slightest movement to make him lose it and it scared him, beyond anything he had ever experienced.

Stella stared at him as he avoided her gaze. Soon, she gave up and let out a huff of air, tilting her head against the tree behind her. A moment of silence passed. Not even the other members of the group spoke, everyone too exhausted to even try.

"Hershel taught me," Rick finally spoke, his voice low. Stella looked at him, her heart clenching at the mention of the older man. Her expression softened and she swallowed hard, her eyes scanning his face. She knew that her father and Hershel were close and that he looked up to him which was something that Rick didn't do to most people.

Something deep inside Stella couldn't help but be slightly thankful that Hershel had died when he did. Not in the way he did but she just didn't want Hershel to be here for when two of his daughters died. No father should outlive their children.

"That old man taught me a lot of things too," Stella spoke softly. Rick finally met her gaze and a faint smile brushed over his face. The girl sent a smile back before her eyes traveled over to Maggie who sat slumped under the shadow of a tree with a ballerina music box in her lap. One that Carl had given her earlier, something that reminded them of both Beth and Ellie.

The atmosphere around them held something heavy and raw but somewhat peaceful at the same time. It was the first real break they had taken in weeks and Stella wasn't the only one that needed it. However, soon the fragile quiet around them shattered by a growl within one of the bushes. Everyone instantly turned their heads in the direction of the sound.

A group of dogs appeared from the thick leaves but it wasn't the cute and adorable kind. It was the kind of dogs that looked like they could tear them all apart with their bare teeth. They were lean, barking, their ribs pressing against their matted fur.

Before any of them could react Sasha had risen to a stance, gunning them down within seconds. The dogs wailed before she fired another round of shots, putting them down finally. Stella's eyes widened as she stared up at the woman, whose expression remained firm and cold.

About half an hour later, Stella was reluctantly chewing on the dog's meat. On an empty stomach, the taste shouldn't matter but every time she reminded herself of what she was eating she could feel her stomach turn.

"Here," Levi said and handed her what was left of his piece. The girl shook her head and grimaced. "Come on, you need to eat."

"These are puppies. One piece is enough for me." She replied and forced herself to swallow down the food.

"They're food now," Levi said.

Stella's stomach churned and she drew a deep breath. "What if it was Ollie?" She asked and offered him a faint smile, the memory creeping back into her head. Where she lay in Levi's arms, planning their future without knowing that just days later the prison would crumble into ashes and leave them separated for each other.

The boy chuckled under his breath. "I thought we agreed on Skittles."

"No, you wanted Skittles. I wanted Ollie."

"Well, this wasn't Ollie. This was a scabby rabies-carrying dog so eat up." Levi said.

The girl's face scrunched up and she exhaled deeply as the food was threatening to make a reappearance. "Yeah, that makes it sound so much better."

Once again, it didn't take long before walkers stumbled their way, interrupting their feast.

"I guess that's our cue." She huffed out and began pushing herself to a stance but Rick stopped her, wrapping his hands around her wrists.

"Stella, you are in no condition to keep going."

The girl tried a reassuring smile. "We have too. This is not only about me," She said, her tone firm. "Judith, Carl, everyone is starving. We're no good out here in the sun with the walkers." She could sense the hesitation in his expression, his hold on her wrists tightening slightly. "Dad, we have to keep going. We're gonna find something eventually."

Rick's hold on her lingered for a moment, refusing to let go. The girl sent him another reassuring smile. He glanced around, noticing that the rest of the group had risen, everyone looking at Rick for orders. The man breathed heavily, scanning the girl's face before reluctantly letting her go.

"We take it slow." He said, his voice strained as every bone in his body told him to stay and let Stella rest.

The girl nodded and smiled.

His gaze lingered on her before he reluctantly looked away. "Let's keep going."

They glanced back at the walkers, the distance between them was enough for a few hours. Every member of the group gathered their few belongings quickly and followed Rick up the road again, despite every muscle in their bodies screaming at them not to move. Their bodies ached, their feet bleeding inside their shoes but they all knew that they had to keep going.

Levi's figure slipped up next to Stella and he let his hands gently drag along her lower back, the warmth of his hand comforting against her sweaty shirt. "We should be resting. You should be resting." He murmured, his gaze flickering up at Rick who walked a few feet in front of him.

"And do what?" Stella looked up at him, squinting against the sun. "Stay here and get eaten by walkers? Or even better, starve to death and let everyone else do the same?"

Levi's jaw tightened as if he was restricting himself from saying something. Stella watched his features closely while he stared up the road without meeting her gaze. His skin glistened with sweat and bags hung dark under his eyes. "You should be walking in the woods. Get cover under the trees." He finally muttered under his breath.

"We can't risk getting off the road and get lost," Stella said. "Plus, it's too risky with the walkers and all."

The boy beside her sighed and gently wrapped his fingers around her arm, bringing them both to a halt. "Just-" He breathed and stared down at her. "Just promise me you tell me when you need to stop. All right so no trying to push yourself bullshit. You need to rest, we rest."

His voice was firm but tender in a way that made a soft smile inhabit the girl's face. "Promise."

Levi nodded, his thumb caressing the skin on her arm. "Alright, come on."

_____ ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ _____
𝟐𝟓𝟓𝟎 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬
_____ ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ _____

𝐀/𝐍
sorry that this took forever I'm so busy in school run

this chapter is so mid but gosh I love Stella and Levi