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Elodie tugged at her hair, a cringe on her face. Lori had insisted on putting her hair up into a bun because of the heat, claiming it would help cool her down a bit. But the bun was tied way too tight, causing Elodie's scalp to throb with discomfort. Lori reassured her it wasn't tied that tightly, just enough to keep it in place. Elodie wasn't convinced. She much preferred having her hair down.

She sat on a makeshift chair—a flipped-over crate—behind a wooden table someone had brought into camp for some reason. They had moved the table to where the tree casted shadows so to stay out of the scorching sun. Textbooks and notebooks cluttered the table, and Elodie felt overwhelmed with it all. She had never liked school before this all happened. She liked it even less now. It made her head hurt.

She couldn't understand why she had to do homework. The world had ended, so there was no school anymore. Yet Lori insisted she keep up with her studies just in case things returned to normal. Elodie didn't see the point.

Lori, Sophia, Carl, and Carol huddled around the table with her, their brows furrowed in concentration. Lori was helping Carl, while Carol tended to Sophia. Both Lori and Carol tried to help Elodie too, but her mind was elsewhere.

Her pencil scribbled across the paper, doodling little sharks in the corner of her notebook. Occasionally, she glanced up to see Jim sitting tied against a tree. Earlier, he had been digging, a lot. No one knew why, so Dale had gone to get Shane. When Shane attempted to talk to Jim, it seemed as though Jim was losing his mind. After Jim tried to attack him, Shane wrestled him to the ground, making Jim share a sad history about his family. Elodie felt a pang of sympathy for him, especially now that he was bound to a tree.

It wasn't as if Jim was being held hostage by Shane; he was given enough water by the man and even had some poured over his head to cool him down. Lori had explained that Jim was experiencing a 'sunstroke'. 

"Elodie," Lori spoke, gently nudging the girl. "How far have you gotten?"

Elodie tore her gaze away from Jim, lifting her arms from her notebook. She glanced at her work, realizing she had only been doodling. She had maybe solved one or two math problems, which have been decorated with seastars and bubbles.

"Oh," Elodie muttered, offering Lori a sheepish frown.

Lori chuckled, offering Elodie a reassuring rub on the back. "Don't worry about it. It's hot anyway."

"Sorry if I scared your boy. Or your little girl, or Elodie," Jim suddenly interjected, drawing everyone's attention.

"You had sunstroke. Nobody's blamin' you," Lori reassured before returning her focus to helping Carl with his work.

"You're not scared now, are ya?" Jim attempted to lighten the mood with the kids, but they only looked at him uncomfortably.

"No, sir," Sophia replied, shaking her head.

Carl and Elodie echoed Sophia's response with nods. Despite their attempts to refocus on their homework, Elodie found it difficult to tear her gaze away from Jim. It felt as though she wasn't allowed to, especially since he was still looking at her, Carl and Sophia.

"Your mama's right," Jim directed his words to Carl. "Sun just cooked my head, is all."

Elodie couldn't help but cringe. "It sounds like it hurts."

Jim shook his head with a smile. "Don't hurt, Elodie. Don't you worry."

"Okay," Elodie muttered, fiddling with her pencil. She wanted to return to doodling in her notebook, but she also felt a need to maintain eye contact with Jim.

"Elodie," Lori gently reminded her, tapping the girl's notebook with her pen.

"Sorry," Elodie apologized, finally tearing her gaze away from Jim.

With a groan, Elodie crossed her arms over her notebook, resting her head on her arms. The heat was starting to give her a headache, and the schoolwork was only worsening it. She buried her head further into her arms with another groan, tugging at her bun in frustration.

She didn't like the hot weather. It made her feel dizzy, especially since she was terrible at remembering to drink water. Jamie used to remind her back at home, but he hadn't done so in a long time.

But the hot weather could also be fun, like earlier today when she was playing in the water with Shane and Carl. If it had been cold out, she wouldn't have been able to do that. And back when she went to school, the heat meant that summer break was coming closer, and summer break meant not seeing the mean girls and Jamie's friends at school. Summer break meant not getting picked on. So maybe the heat isn't all that bad.

Still, Elodie liked the cold way more. Specifically the rain, though she had to be careful of it with her hearing aids and all. But when she was sitting in her room, she could hear the raindrops ticking against her window, and it was even louder because her window was tilted. She'd sit by the window, watching as the ground turned into a canvas of puddles. Sometimes, her neighbor's dog would slip out of the house and dash around the backyard, water splashing on its face as it darted through the puddles. Elodie found it amusing, especially when her neighbors had to go out in the rain to get the dog.

Elodie had always wanted a dog, but her mother had always told her no. She didn't want to spend all the money on it. Her mother explained they'd have to pay for the vet, food, extra water, and much more. Elodie understood her reasoning, but she still wanted a dog. It probably would have made her feel a whole lot less lonely back home. Maybe she could have walked it with Jamie and spent more time with him. Maybe he'd have liked her more if they had a dog.

Elodie furrowed her brow, lifting her head and leaning over the table to peek inside the camp. She hadn't seen Jamie since their mother left. He had stormed off somewhere, but she didn't know where. She had been too distracted playing with the frogs and getting clean clothes after.

"All right. Who wants to help me clean some fish, huh?" Shane said, walking towards the kids with the bucket in his hand.

Amy and Andrea had gone out fishing earlier and had brought back a whole batch of fish. Elodie thought it was sad the way they hung from the hook, just like Daryl's squirrels had been just hanging there, their bodies limp.

"Sweet! Come on," Carl exclaimed, nudging Elodie and waving Sophia along.

Elodie slid her crate back and stood up, setting her pencil down on her notebook. She glanced at Lori and Carol, fidgeting with her fingers nervously. "Sorry for not workin' on school."

Carol offered a reassuring smile and rubbed Elodie's back. "That's okay. Go with Sophia and Carl."

Elodie noticed that Sophia and Carl had already darted off to camp, so she nodded and quickly followed after them. Shane was seated by the firepit with Carl and Sophia already settled in. Elodie was about to join them when Jamie grabbed her arm, pulling her attention.

"Elodie. I've been yellin' for ya," he said, his grip loose compared to their mother's tight ones or his previous ones.

"Sorry."

"That's okay," he replied, though his face didn't quite match his calm tone. His nose was red, as if he'd been crying. Elodie studied his expression, feeling confused. Maybe she was misreading his emotions again. She was never good at that.

"Elodie?" Jamie's voice brought her back to the present.

"Sorry," she blurted out reflexively.

"Stop sayin' that," he sighed.

Elodie pressed her lips together, knowing another apology was on the tip of her tongue. This whole interaction was confusing her.

"What d'ya want? I was 'bout to go and clean fish. Even though I don't really wanna. Poor fish. They were just swimmin' until Amy and Andrea lured them to—"

"Okay, okay. Too much info, Elodie," Jamie interrupted, releasing her arm. "Come over here for a second."

Elodie allowed Jamie to guide her to their tent, where he gently nudged her onto a foldable chair they'd borrowed from Lori. She'd noticed Elodie always ended up on the ground since their mother and Jamie took up all the seats. Elodie didn't mind, but Lori insisted her mother take the chair.

Then it dawned on Elodie that her mother had been gone longer than expected. They were supposed to get that bag with guns, get Merle, and return. A knot of anxiety formed in her stomach as she considered the possibility of her mother being in trouble.

"Jamie, I'm worried 'bout Momma," Elodie voiced her concern, watching as Jamie crouched down in front of her.

He bit his lip. "Me too."

"D'ya think she's okay?"

"I don't know, Elodie. Can't really see her right now," Jamie sighed.

Elodie fidgeted with her fingers, looking at Jamie. She was so, so confused. He was acting weird, and she didn't understand why. He had been kinder since they arrived at camp, except for when he threw her flowers away. But aside from that, he hadn't been as irritating as he was back home.

"I gotta..." Jamie began, sighing and bowing his head. "Fuck, how do I—don't repeat that."

Elodie had already opened her mouth, so she shut it again.

She didn't know why a lump started to form in her throat. It wasn't because Jamie told her not to repeat the curse. That had nothing to do with the lump in her throat. Maybe it was because she missed her mother. Maybe she was just so confused that it made her upset.

"Why're ya cryin'?" Jamie said, knitting his eyebrows together.

Elodie wiped the tear that had escaped her eye from her cheek, not having realized she was crying. She didn't know why she was crying. But she wanted to cry.

"I want Momma to come back," she whispered the first thing she thought of.

Jamie placed his hands on her knees, and Elodie almost instinctively wanted to push them away. Why was Jamie behaving like this? He has had a weird look on his face the entire time. His eyes were teary, and his nose was red. Elodie was so sure he had been crying. But why? She had never seen Jamie cry, except for the one time their mother got mad at him. She didn't even remember what that argument was about, that's how long ago that was.

"Don't cry. She'll be back."

"Why can't I cry? You're cryin'," she countered, using the back of her hand to wipe away the multiple tears streaming down her face.

"'Cause—" Jamie began, bowing his head with a sigh again. "Give me a minute."

Elodie watched Jamie as he took a deep breath, his shoulders slumping. She couldn't understand what was going on in his mind. It was like a puzzle she couldn't solve, pieces scattered everywhere, and Jamie was holding onto the last one but refusing to share it.

Elodie watched Jamie closely as he took a deep breath, seemingly trying to gather his thoughts. She had never seen him like this before, vulnerable and emotional. It was unsettling yet oddly comforting to see him drop his tough facade.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Jamie looked up at her, his eyes red-rimmed. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I've been a real jerk, haven't I?"

Elodie's eyebrows furrowed as she listened to Jamie's apology. His sudden change in demeanor was throwing her off, and she couldn't quite wrap her head around it. His words felt like a slap in the face after everything he had put her through.

"Yeah, ya have been. Ya threw the flowers away. I saw them," she murmured. Her chest tightened with frustration as she spoke, the memory of Jamie tossing her picked flowers still fresh in her mind. She had tried to brush it off, but it had stung more than she cared to admit.

Jamie's expression fell, his shoulders slumping even further under Elodie's accusing gaze. She could see the guilt flicker in his eyes. He removed one hand from her knee and used it to drag a hand down his face, a subtle attempt at wiping a tear.

"I know, and I'm sorry," he said earnestly, reaching out to touch her arm. "But ya gotta understand—"

"I don't," Elodie interrupted him.

"Let me talk. Please, Elodie," he said, his voice desperate. "Momma told me to throw 'em away. She said ya were gettin' too soft, too attached to things that didn't matter. She... she wanted me to toughen ya up, I guess."

Elodie felt like the ground had been pulled out from under her. How could she say something like that? It felt like a betrayal, a confirmation of all the times she had felt like she wasn't good enough. Hot tears welled up in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks as she struggled to keep her composure.

"That's not fair," Elodie muttered. "I just wanted to make ya happy."

She then let out a choked sob, unable to hold back her emotions any longer. She buried her face in her hands, the weight of everything crashing down on her all at once.

For a moment, Jamie hesitated, unsure of what to do. But then, slowly, hesitantly, he reached out and pulled Elodie into a hug. It was awkward and clumsy, but it was enough to make Elodie feel a flicker of warmth.

Elodie wrapped her arms around her brother's neck, and he shifted to sit on his knees so he could properly hug her. It felt strange to be held by her brother like this. They had never been close before, so it was strange see him vulnerable. She had always seen him as the tough older brother, the one who never backed down from a fight, the older brother that picked on his little sister with his friends to seem cool. The favourite child.

But now, he seemed almost fragile.

A pang of regret shot through Jamie's body. He had spent so long trying to be what their mother wanted him to be that he had lost sight of who he really was. And in the process, he had hurt the one person who had always looked up to him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, knowing she could hear him.

As Jamie held Elodie in his arms, he waited for her response, his heart heavy with guilt and regret. But when she didn't say anything, when she remained quiet, the only sound being her hitched breaths, he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He knew he had hurt her deeply, and he didn't expect her forgiveness so easily. After all, he had been the cause of her pain for so long. But her silence was almost suffocating, a reminder of the damage he had caused.

They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, enveloped in a silence that neither of them knew how to break. Eventually, Jamie released Elodie from his embrace, giving her space to gather herself.

"I'll... I'll leave ya alone," Jamie muttered as he stood up awkwardly.

Elodie didn't look up as he left, her gaze fixed on the ground as she tried to make sense of the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside her. She wanted to forgive Jamie, wanted to believe that he was genuinely sorry for what he had done. But forgiveness wasn't something that came easily, especially when the wounds were still so fresh.

〰

Elodie lay in her sleeping bag, covered in the warmth of her blanket as she stared up at the dimly lit ceiling of her tent. The warm glow of the fire outside filtered through the fabric, casting soft shadows that danced across the walls. The night air outside was crisp and cool, a hard contrast to the comforting cocoon she had wrapped herself in.

Everyone was eating their dinner—the fish Andrea and Amy caught—outside. Elodie didn't want to join. Her mind was full of Jamie and her mother. She knew that if she were to join in, she'd only be sitting there in silence, staring off into the distance. She didn't go and join Carl, Shane and Sophia in cleaning the fish either for the exact same reason.

She hugged her knees to her chest, her gaze fixed on the faint outline of her doll in the dim light. She was too tired to even reach out for it. She settled for simply looking at it. That brought her comfort too.

After Jamie apologised he had walked off, and no one had seen where he'd gone. Elodie had asked around once she collected herself. She felt guilty about not responding to him when he apologised. She just couldn't. She didn't know why.

She was enjoying the silence as well. She'd secretly taken her hearing aid off a bit earlier than she was supposed to. Normally she had to wait until her mother was in the tent with her, or Jamie. But neither of them were, and she didn't really feel like hearing anyone at the moment. It couldn't do any harm. Everyone would be going to bed soon, anyway. And Elodie was sure her mother would come back soon, too.

Her thoughts drifted back to Jamie's apology, his words echoing in her mind. She knew she should respond, should acknowledge his attempt to make things right. But something held her back, a barrier she couldn't quite bring herself to break through.

With a sigh, she shifted slightly in her sleeping bag, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. The night stretched on. For Elodie, time seemed to stand still. She didn't know how long she had been laying there already—minutes, hours, it all felt the same.

Suddenly, a figure stumbled past the side of her tent, catching her attention. Elodie furrowed her brow, propping herself up slightly on one arm. She watched as the person slowly walked past her tent, going to the back, and going back around to the front. Then, they walked off again.

Elodie sat up fully, her gaze fixed on the spot where the silhouette had disappeared. Who was lurking around her tent like that? And with such an odd way of moving at that. Maybe someone stumbled upon leftover alcohol and decided to drink it and decided to walk around Elodie's tent for some reason.

But the silhouette didn't resemble anyone she knew, and their movements were far from normal. It was as if they were dragging themselves along.

Her heart leaped and she let out a shriek as two hands suddenly pounded against her tent, followed by a body pressing against it. Harsh outlines emerged, and soon the figure began gnawing at the fabric.

It was a walker.

Elodie scrambled out of her sleepingbag, patting the floor around her drastically to find her hearing aid. If she wasn't wearing it, she couldn't hear most things. If she couldn't hear most things, something could get her from behind.

Her hand slapped onto a solid thing on the ground, so she quickly grabbed it. She knew it was her hearing aid by the familiar feeling of the oval-shaped device. She quickly put it on, placing the aid behind her air and pushing the ear piece into her ear canal. Her movements were shaky as she kept her eyes trained on the walker clawing at her tent.

Once her hearing aid was on she jumped at the sounds that she suddenly was able to hear. Blood-curdling screams echoed through the camp, followed by the sharp cracks of gunshots. The snarls of the walker mixed with the growls of countless others sounded all around her.

Her eyes remained fixed on the clawing walker, her body paralyzed with fear. She couldn't make sense of what was happening. Had everyone left the camp? Were they all dead? No, she could still hear the screams.

She didn't even have a weapon to defend herself with. She was scared to take her eyes off of the walker, in case it was going to rip the tent open. The fabric was pretty thin, and the tent itself wasn't stable in the slightest. It would not surprise Elodie if it would collapse any second.

So, she scrambled up from the ground and reached for the zipper that closed the flap of the tent. She pulled it down, but it didn't move.

"No," she whispered in panic, yanking at the zipper, but it refused to budge.

The zipper was stuck.

"No, no, no," Elodie's voice cracked out into a sob as she desperately pulled at the zipper, but to no avail.

She jumped back from the zipper when a walker threw itself at the front of the tent. Tears blurred her vision as panic gripped her. She didn't want to die.

She frantically looked around the tent, seeing no signs of it being damaged just yet. Should she call for help? There were still screams. Elodie thought she could even hear Lori and Shane, but she wasn't sure. Maybe if she screamed for help, somebody would come and get her. If that was even possible.

If she didn't scream, the walkers would get through the tent anyway and kill her or turn her into one of them. If she did scream, then more walkers would come and possible tear down the tent and her with it. Though, if she screamed for help, it was more likely for her to get out.

"Jamie!" she yelled out as loud as she could, stepping backwards until she was in the middle of the tent. "Lori! Shane! Help!" she screamed, turning her body at every noise she heard.

Sure enough, a third walker began clawing at the tent, its teeth biting into the fabric. The outlines of its gnashing jaws were a terrifying sight before her.

"Please!" she cried out, her body trembling in fear.

The sound of walkers clawing and gnashing at the thin fabric of the tent grew louder, sending shivers down Elodie's spine. Tears continued to stream down her cheeks as panic threatened to overwhelm her. She felt utterly helpless, trapped in a nightmare from which she couldn't wake. She could barely make out the cries of her own voice from the screams of the rest of the camp outside.

"Shane! Jamie! Help!" Elodie's voice cracked with fear as she screamed into the darkness.

Suddenly, a noise cut through the chaos—a sharp, metallic sound followed by the tearing of fabric. Elodie's heart leaped as she turned to see a figure standing behind her tent, looking through the hole, immediately recognising him to be Daryl. He slashed through the fabric of the tent again, creating an opening large enough for Elodie to escape.

"C'mon!" he yelled at her, putting out a hand for the girl to take.

Without hesitation, Elodie scrambled toward the opening, her hands trembling as she reached out for Daryl's outstretched hand. He pulled her through the tear in the fabric.

Elodie's breath caught in her throat as she emerged from the safety of the tent, her eyes widening in horror at the scene before her. The campsite was overrun with walkers, their forms swarming through the darkness like a river of death.

With Daryl's hand firmly clasped in hers, Elodie stumbled forward, her senses overwhelmed by the sounds of screams and growls that filled the air. She clung to Daryl desperately, her grip tightening with each step as he guided her through the chaos.

Elodie forced herself not to look at the walkers feasting on the bodies of some of the people in the camp. She could barely recognize who the corpses were anymore, their features messed up by blood and gore, sprawled out in a crimson red pool.

Elodie stumbled alongside Daryl as he pulled her along, her heart pounding in her chest with each growl. Suddenly, a walker lunged out from the shadows, its rotting hands clawing at them with desperate hunger.

Without hesitation, Daryl snapped up his shotgun and shot the walker right through the head. The sound of the gunshot echoed loudly in Elodie's ears as the walker crumpled to the ground with a sickening thud, its lifeless body twitching in the dirt.

Elodie flinched in horror, her breath coming in short gasps as she stared at the fallen walker. But Daryl was already moving, his grip on her hand firm as he pulled her forward, urging her to keep moving. This made Elodie force her eyes onto a sight that made her blood ran cold. A sight that made her heart stop, and made bile rise up into her throat.

There, lit up by the dim light of the campfire, was Jamie—or what was left of him. His clothes were torn and bloodied, his once-familiar face twisted into a gruesome mask of hunger. He was no longer the Jamie she knew, but a walker.

Jamie was hunched over who Elodie immediately recognised to be Amy, who lay motionless on the ground, her body torn and mangled. With every movement, Jamie tore into Amy's flesh in an animalistic manner, his teeth sinking deep into her flesh as he hungrily consumed her. Blood seeped out of her collarbone, staining the ground underneath her a crimson red.

"Jamie!" Elodie screamed, her voice raw with anguish. She tried to lunge forward, to reach her brother, to save him from this horrible nightmare somehow. But as soon as she stepped forward, an arm wrapped around her, pulling her back.

"No! No! Let me go!" she screamed again, trying to kick Daryl behind her. "Let me go!"

Tears streamed down Elodie's face as she struggled against Daryl's hold, her cries echoing through the night as she watched in horror as her brother feasted on the life of another.

And then, and Elodie swore that if she had blinked she would have missed it, Rick ran past and shot a bullet right through Jamie's brain. His body slumped over Amy, slowly rolling off of her and landing on the ground next to her.

"No!" Elodie cried out, hunching over in Daryl's arms, her knees buckling beneath her.

She hadn't even noticed how most of the walkers had been taken out by now. Her gaze and her attention was focused solely on the now lifeless body of her brother.

With the last of the walkers taken out and the camp finally safe as it can be, Daryl released his grip on Elodie, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of lingering danger. But Elodie paid no attention to him.

Without hesitation, she broke into a run, her feet pounding against the dirt as she raced towards Jamie's motionless body. Tears blurred her vision, her heart pounding in her chest as she dropped to her knees beside him.

"Jamie! Jamie, wake up!" she cried, her voice trembling with fear and desperation. She reached out and shook him, her small hands trembling as she tried to wake him from his forever slumber.

There came no response from the sixteen-year-old. His features were twisted in an unnatural grimace, his eyes empty and hollow. Dirt and grime covered his face, and his clothes were torn and stained with blood. Despite the horror of his transformation, there was still a haunting familiarity to his face.

With a choked sob, Elodie collapsed over him, her body wracking with sobs as she clung to him desperately, burying her face into his chest. She wanted to scream, to lash out at the unfairness of it all, but all she could do was cry.

"Please, please, please..." she whispered, her voice cracking due to the sob that bubbled up her throat. "I forgive ya. Please, please..."

Elodie clung to her brother, her tears soaking into the fabric of his shirt as she whispered his name over and over again. She couldn't bear to let him go, couldn't accept that he was truly gone.

In a desperate attempt she pressed her cheek against Jamie's chest, listening for the faintest echo of a heartbeat beneath his cold skin. 

But all she heard was the empty silence of death, a sound that echoed in the depths of her soul and threatened to consume her whole.