FOUND LANDS.

chapter twenty-two, run, run, run.
[ season six, episode seven ]

ODESSA IS OKAY. THAT'S what she tells herself. That's what she tells everyone. But anyone with two eyes and common sense can see straight through her lies. They just don't want to see it.

It's the day after the attack and the herd finding its way to Alexandria's walls.

Odessa can't believe it but she's bored. She's so insanely bored. There's nothing she can do about the dead people or the walkers that want to get inside the walls. And she hates it.

She hates sitting here, safe behind these walls. Her family is out there. Daryl, Glenn, Sasha, Abraham. They're all outside the walls. Dead. Alive. Odessa doesn't know. She wishes she did. She wants so desperately to feel Glenn's arm wrap around her shoulders and smell the awfulness of Daryl. She wants see Sasha's rare smile and hear Abraham's weird comments. Bitch nuts, mother dick, a monkey's left nut, Voldemort's nutsack.

Abraham has a knack for saying the damndest things at the worst moment. And it always makes Odessa laugh when she thinks about it.

Kathleen sits under the pavilion. She holds an old picture of her and her brothers. She wishes she could see them just once more. Her big brothers loved her. Sure, they only saw each other two or three times a year but they still loved her. They still protected their baby sister.

And now, when Kathleen is twenty-six years old she watches as Cole Tanner approaches her. She eyes him as he sits beside her.

"Hey." She greets him. He smiles weakly at her. "What's up?"

He shrugs. It's been a while now since they've started talking more. Cole's learned quite a lot about Kathleen. Before that, she was a mystery.

She's twenty-six. Her birthday is June eighth. She was born in Austin, Texas but lived in Richmond with her mother until the end. That's when she had to stab a pair of scissors into the eye of her reanimated mom.

It wasn't the hardest thing she's ever been through but it was the hardest thing Kathleen Cooper's ever had to do.

The hardest thing she's ever went through, Cole learned, was her abusive husband. They got married as soon ad they got out of high school. His name was Jacob Stine. Cole instantly hated him when Kathleen told him the story.

But Jacob Stine is dead. Kathleen saw to that before the Fall. Cole was shocked when she confessed murder to him.

They never divorced. Kathleen never told anyone about the abuse because that gave her a motive. So she shot her husband in the head and made it look like a suicide.

It worked because Jacob had just lost his job. His mother was on hospice care. And he and Kathleen has just lost a baby.

And maybe that's why Kathleen is the way she is. Why she can't feel certain emotions about people, things. She can't feel empathy for others. Only herself. She wonders to herself, does that make her a sociopath?

But she likes Cole.

He gives her attention, he's nice to her.

And now he's kissing her.

Kathleen is shocked by his sudden actions. But she caves and kisses him back. Both of their hearts are pounding. This is the first kiss either of them have experienced since the world ended.

Once they pull apart, Kathleen asks, "what was that?"

Cole smiles. "We could be dead tomorrow."

That's the end of their conversation. And it's unspoken but a relationship blooms between Kathleen and Cole.

Theo hears metal scraping against metal as he walks to the guard post. He doesn't know why he keeps going up there but it comforts him. Rick and Tobin are walking the opposite direction.

All three men come to a stop and share looks. They look up. And there's Spencer Monroe, making his way across the herd using a grappling hook.

"What the hell?" Tobin gapes. They all take off for the platform. Rick is the first up, then Theo, and then Tobin.

"Spencer! Get back here!" Rick orders harshly. Spencer ignores him. "Spencer, get back here now."

On the other watch post, Tara exclaims, "Spencer. Spencer, move!"

Then the hook moves. Spencer is knocked off of the wire. He barely holds on with his hands. "Go! Keep moving!" Rick yells.

Then the hook breaks off from the roof of the house across from the wall. Spencer hits the ground right in the middle of the herd. Theo gasps.

"Theo!" Rick snaps. Theo shrugs his rifle off of his shoulder and readies it. He starts to fire at the walkers while Tara climbs over the wall and does the same.

Morgan rushes up the ladder to help Rick and Tobin pull Spencer over the wall. Once the dumbass is over, Theo pulls away from his gun and clicks the safety back on.

He glares down at Spencer while Rick looks to Tara and Michonne. "Tara! You almost died once for these people!"

"What?" Tara cries out.

"What the hell were you doing?" Rick thunders. Tara's response is a very dramatic middle finger. Michonne deflates when she sees it.

"Lost a damn shoe. Crap," Spencer mutters.

"What was that?" Rick growls.

"I was trying to help. I wanted to get to a car, draw them away."

"You ever make a climb like that before?" Rick gets closer to him. And honestly, if Theo was Spencer he'd be shitting bricks. Spencer doesn't respond. "You want to help? Don't make us come runnin' to save you. You have an idea, you come to me."

"Would you have listened to me?" Spencer asks.

Theo's eyebrows shoot skyways. Spencer's attitude is not going to fly with Rick. He's lucky his oldest isn't here because nobody disrespects Rick Grimes in front of his daughter. She might have thrown Spencer back over the all to the walkers.

"If it was as dumb as that I sincerely hope not." Theo scoffs. Spencer sends him a look. "What, man? It's the truth!"

After that he goes looking for his best friend. When he finds her, she's laying under a tree. She has her arms under her head. Her eyes are shut.

She looks peaceful.

It's the first time she's look that at peace in a long, long time. Beside her is a notebook and a black pen.

His brows furrow. He hasn't seen her use the black pen in a long time. "Odessa." He says. Her eyes snap open. She shoots up. She sees where his eyes are. She follows his line of sight.

She snatches she notebook and pen up. The notebook is small enough to fit in the back pocket of her jeans. But it's the pen she worries about hiding. She shoves it in the pocket over her button up she wears over a T-shirt.

"Don't ask please." She says, her eyes are sad.

"Okay." He nods. "I won't."

"Thank you." She smiles.

Theo promises not to ask any questions about the pen, but he never says a word about not saying anything to her father.

"Are you okay?" He questions.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" She rolls her eyes.

"Because you've lost a lot, Des. You've been through hell since the prison fell." He reminds her.

"I know." Her voice comes out harsher than she intends. Theo's brows raise. Her eyes widen. "I'm sorry, Theo. I didn't mean—"

She cuts herself off. Her eyes fly towards to sky. Theo turns and looks up. In the sky, green balloons float past.

Odessa gasps. "Glenn," she whispers. She's up and running before Theo can blink. He runs after her.

"Dad! Maggie!" She's screaming. She doesn't feel the pain in her side. Her mind is laser focused on Glenn Rhee. "That's Glenn!"

Cole and Kathleen race toward the others. They come to a stop beside Tara and Eugene. Theo comes to a stop beside Odessa.

Maggie reaches the others the same time Odessa does. "That's Glenn! That's Glenn!"

Odessa is all smiles. Glenn is alive. The herd didn't get him.

But happiness never lasts long in this new world.

Because wood creaks. Everyone looks at the watch tower. It begins to tip. Then it begins to fall towards them.

It's falling towards them. The walls are going to break. The walkers are going to infiltrate Alexandria. They're all going to die.

No one has time to process anything. That is until everyone is snapped from their horrified trances because of a single voice.

"Run!" Odessa Grimes screams. "Run!"

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word count: 1,433

double update baby!!!

for such a short chapter so much happened and it is very much in need of a discussion.

so let's start with the big thing of the chapter: cole and kathleen. they are officially together!! how're feeling?? cole finally gets a love interest. do we have any predictions for their relationship?

we also learned about kathleen's heartbreaking past. she didn't deserve that at all, poor thing. but she got her justice (which she took into her own hands, thanks fate). such a baddie.

the next thing is that the tower has fallen and it's not a good thing whatsoever. the trauma my poor babies (especially theo and kathleen) are about to go through. yikessss. they need therapy so bad.

odessa's using the black pen again. we all know that that means. her hallucinations, night terrors, etc are getting worse. this is actually a major part of the plot in the next book. so anything about hallucinations mentioned in this book need to be remembered.

and glenn is alive!!