FIFTY SIX. unspoken consequences

"IF you play the part of the weak little girl - they'll take you as just that." Was one of the many words of advice her father offered her before he passed, play weak and your enemy will believe that you are. From the start, he taught her how to defend herself. He knew that he wouldn't be around forever, so he did everything in his power to make sure that she would be. When she lost him, her attempts at believing him proved to be futile.

Theo remembered her father as strong-willed and mean. When he wanted things done, he wanted them to be his way and his way only. It was one of the many reasons why her older brother packed up and left the second he turned eighteen, leaving her to fend for herself. Every bit of the responsibility was put onto her. And the missing presence of her brother only made her father more strict towards the young girl. Everything was left to her.

But, although there were times when she loathed him for his ways, they ended up being valuable. Every lesson he taught helped her survive - and his tough exterior to trick his children into believing that he only cares for himself cracked the moment he saw his daughter trapped by a group of rotters. It was all an act and Theo never would've guessed it, but it was the truth.

The execution of his lessons could have been done differently, but the man convinced himself that it was the only way to make them survive the world. He just never thought the dead to walk before he could finish. He wished to raise his children to be able to understand the world and how it worked - that you couldn't rely on anyone else except yourself. When his wife left him with two children to raise, that was when he first saw the truth of how life worked. It was you against the world.

Theo never believed him. She didn't know if it was because she didn't want to live in a world that dark, or because she wanted to have faith in people. It was why she trusted the Governor to take her to a safe place, but she was only pulled into a war that wasn't hers. It made her start to confide in all of the words her father ever told her - and why she put on the act of the weak little girl in the prison. Cry, be protected. And if it falls apart, run.

Except she had forgotten the main rule to her father's game - the same one that got him killed. Don't grow attached. It was how he expected the girl to live, without trust and someone to confide in. Two months inside of the prison and the consistent ways of Adeline Grimes proved the rule to be excruciatingly hard. Theo began to trust, she let the woman in and became attached. The tears she cried started to turn real - and so did their connection.

Theo started to understand that her father forgot the main thing about his daughter. She never had a mother. And he never guessed that the woman who would end up taking Theo under her wing would be one who always wanted a kid but never could. It was as if fate intertwined its hands, veins of possibilities connecting and bringing mother and daughter together. Becoming dependent on one another.

But still, even the widow didn't know the dark secrets that the little girl held. Theo was capable of many things, and her father was the one who made sure of that. It was like a game of cards - and the world was taunting her to show her hand. Though she made herself not to when it would have been helpful, she didn't. The eleven-year-old was scared to let people see the real side of her, but her hand slipped. And the cards came with the fall.

"Hey," The familiar voice of Rick Grimes broke through her thoughts, back pressed to the rough bark of a tree as she looked up from where she sat. "You okay?" He inquired, eyebrows furrowed as he squinted his eyes at the girl. He had seen her cards. He knew what she could do, and he could tell that it wasn't her first time doing it.

Theo nodded hastily, the sharp rock she held in her grasp falling into the dead leaves on the forest floor. "Yep. I'm fine. Why?" She retorted, feeling a slight pinch of nerves seeping into her stomach as she spoke. Her attentive eyes caught sight of the two standing figures of Michonne and Carl, the eldest kicking dirt into the fire to kill the flames.

It was daytime, the sun shining through the depths of the forest - peeking from the hundred of trees around them. "We're checking the snares and you need to learn." The man that acted as her uncle spoke, splashing water on the flames of worry in her stomach with his words. The girls' eyes widened knowingly, relief breaking through her back as she pushed off of the tree and stood to her aching feet.

After grabbing her bag that she had leaned against the tree, the eleven-year-old tossed the strap over her shoulder before walking alongside Carl. It was silent between the two, and Theo couldn't help but catch sight of the familiar necklace clasped around his neck. It was Adelines, the golden pendant of the number 22 hidden beneath the shirt he wore. It reminded her of the gun thrown in the depths of her bag, inscribed with the initials of S.W.

"We'll stay another day or two," Rick stated, leading the three of them through the forests and onto a small trail that was covered by dried leaves. "Get some more rest." He added, resting his hands in the pockets of the brown jacket he had found in the bathroom.

"Finish healing up?" Michonne continued the conversation from where she walked alongside him. Her eyes were focused on the healing wounds that rested against his tanned face, his once small beard growing more each day. It was obvious that the recent fight he had suffered in the bathroom didn't help his wounds.

Shaking her head to remove the thoughts from her mind, the images of her sinking the bloodied pair of scissors into the man's throat flashing through her memories. "Please tell me we're gettin' close to Terminus," Theo spoke, craning her chin to the sky clouded by branches of trees as she continued walking.

"We are," Rick answered, glancing back at the girl with the slightly underlying feature of worry. When telling the story of how they escaped to Michonne and Carl, he had taken the credit for killing the man in the bathroom. Which Theo was very thankful for, and he took notice of that.

"When we get there..." Carl started, looking at his father while he spoke. "Are we gonna tell them?" He inquired, a look of honest curiosity wavering in his features.

Michonne, Theo, and Rick had confusion written on their faces as the samurai turned to the boy. "Tell them what?" She questioned, her hand resting against the handle of the weapon that snuck through the space of her arms.

"Everything that's happened to us. All the stuff we've done. Are we gonna tell them the truth?" Carl repeated his question with a clearer explanation, the confused looks on the three faces around him disappearing.

His father nodded, "We're gonna tell them who we are."

"But, how do you say that? I mean... who are we?" Carl inquired once more, the sound of a walker snarling pulling their attention from the conversation and over towards the two walkers that stumbled from the tree line.

Michonne hastily unsheathed her katana, walking towards the closest one and roaring the long blade into the rotted head. Half of it sliding off and onto the forest floor along with its body as Rick curled his hand around his sisters' machete. With one swift movement, the blade was pushed into the walkers' skull - killing it indefinitely as it fell to the ground next to the other one. "Well, that was easy," Theo whispered, tucking her hand behind her ears.

After finishing off the two walkers, the small group of four continued trekking their way through the forest and to the snare trap. Upon reaching the small clearing it resided in, a look of excitement overwhelmed Rick's features at the sight of an animal caught between the rope. Theo crouched underneath a low hanging branch and stepped forwards, her eyes entranced on the snapped neck of the dead rabbit that would be their meal of the day. "Rabbit, yum."

Rick nodded in confirmation, "It'll do." he replied while unwrapping the rope around the animal's neck and motioning for Theo to come closer. Furrowing her brows, she scrunched her nose in the slight motion of disgust, feeling the man tug open her messenger bag and stuff the carcass inside. "Ew." She grimaced, the happiness in her features from the sight of a meal quickly turned to disappointment.

Michonne and Rick chuckled softly at the girls' reaction, the sound of the 'ew' making the latter think back on when his son tasted wine for the first time at the CDC. It felt like Theo had been there with them from the start and it was almost hard for him to believe that she wasn't. Wiping away the soft smile on his features, he held the rope in his grasp and turned to the three around him. "This is just a simple slipknot." He started, leaning forward to start explaining the trap.

"Tie one on both ends, then you tighten one side to a branch." He started, the trap already being one that Theo knew - but for the sake of his dignity, she stayed quiet and acted like everything he was saying was new information to her ears. "Now, you see the ground here is sort of like a funnel shape?" He questioned, the inquiry causing Theo, Michonne, and Carl to nod simultaneously as if they were at school. His son perked up, "Like a trail?" He proposed.

The sound caused a giggle to topple from Theo's lips, her hand smacking over her mouth as all eyes turned to her and she shook her head in disagreement with her own actions. "Sorry, that wasn't funny. Keep going, please." She swallowed the urge to start laughing and straightened her face as Rick sighed and continued explaining the snare trap.

"That's right, Carl. It's where you want to set the noose. So you hide it with leaves then you put sticks all around it so any animals going by have to run this way. Right into the trap." He instructed, pulling the rope and causing it to tighten around his wrist. Just as he did, a loud scream of "Help!" echoed through the forest.

Almost instantly, Carl took off in a sprint towards the call - Theo's eyes widening in shock at his sudden decision. In the blink of an eye, both Rick and Michonne took off after him; leaving the eleven-year old by the snare trap. All by her lonesome.

"Solid plan," Theo grumbled underneath her breath, twigs snapping underneath the girls' boots as she rushed off after the group. The low hanging branches of the tall trees whipped against her arms as she raised them to defend their lashes, "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow," she repeated, her chest tightening slightly at the fast pace she ran to catch up to her family. The closer she got to them, the more she could make out the distant sounds of walkers snarling.

Catching sight as they all three stopped at the treeline that branched out into an open clearing, Theo slowed to an abrupt stop - her hands latching onto Michonne's arms as the woman hid her behind a clumped up group of trees.

Feeling a set of hands wrapped around her shoulders, Theo stayed quiet as her front side was slightly pushed into Rick's back as he held onto Carl. Her eyes drifting over to the clearing ahead, her stomach dropping at the sight before them.

A lone man stood in the middle of the clearing, a dozen of walkers circling in on him. There was nothing the group could do as they watched the rotting bodies overpower the man. Theo flinched in disgust and sympathy as they tore into his body, one sinking its teeth into his right eye - tearing the skin off, blood splattering everywhere as it revealed the skull underneath.

He was pulled to the ground, his screams piercing the cloudy sky before they faded into nothing but the silence of the walkers eating his remains.

Shifting slightly, Theo felt the pressure of a twig snapping underneath her sneaker. She felt her heart sink to the deep pits of her stomach, two of the walkers turning at the sound. Their misty-filled eyes landed upon the group of four hiding poorly behind the tree, the whisper of "Uh oh," slipping out of the kids mouth.

Almost like it was a repeating cycle, they quickly pulled away from the tree as the walkers began stumbling for them - the group making another run for it; this time, thankfully, away from the chaos and towards safety.

A few hours later, they found themselves away from the danger - hiding out in the space of a broken down car on the side of the road. The sun had set, the moon and small fire being their only source of light. The rabbit in the snare trap had been their only meal of the day, already skinned and devoured by the hungry group. Carl had fallen asleep in the front seat of the abandoned car, a bullet hole marked on the glass of the windshield.

Theo was planted against the rough concrete of the road, her body laying tiredly across the surface next to the fire. Michonne and Rick sat on the other side against a fallen log they had pulled from the forest - their conversation filling up the silence of the night air. Crickets chirped in the distance, accompanying the group as Theo shifted her head against the material of her messenger bag.

It wasn't ideal, but it was enough to bring her the slightest amount of comfort. The headphones of the walkman were pressed into her ears, the soft sound of the nostalgic music coming through - muffling the conversation that Rick and Michonne were having. The sound of music made her eyes grow heavy, hands folded together underneath her head and within her tangled blonde hair.

We met in the springtime when blossoms unfold, the pastures were green and the meadows were gold.

Our love was in flower as summer grew on - her love, like the leaves, had withered and gone. The roses have faded, there's frost at my door. The birds in the morning don't sing anymore.

The music became the only thing she heard as she drifted off to sleep, her eyelids fluttering shut. It made her blind to the sound of branches snapping - Rick and Michonne standing up defensively with their weapons in tow. They stood for several seconds, waiting for something to happen. But when silence greeted them, they sat down onto the log and sparked their conversation back up.

The grass in the valley is starting to die and out in the darkness the whip-poor-wills cry.

Alone and forsaken by fate and by man, oh Lord if you hear me, please hold my hand. Oh, please understand.

Cold hands were wrapped around Theos' body, jerking her up from the concrete and causing the walkman to clatter to the ground. The sound of music was faint from the earbuds that were pulled from her ears, eyes wide and face coated with fear at the sound of a nasally voice whispering into her ear.

"Claimed." It spoke, the words sending chills down her spine and her stomach sinking.

Thrashing in the man's grasp, her attempts became futile at the sight of Rick and Michonne kneeled against the ground with guns pointed to their heads. "Got ourselves a wild one, Joe." The man holding her spoke, his right arm wrapped around the front of her chest as he pushed her backside against hisself. "Get the hell off of me!" She shrieked, her heart pounding heavily in her chest.

"Today is the day of reckoning, you guys!" The one she guessed was Joe announced, a sick smile across his face as he pressed the barrel of his gun against Ricks temple. "Restitution." He continued, "A balancing of the whole damn universe." His voice was cocky, the sound of a knife slamming against one of the car windows causing Theo to look over at Carl's now awake figure - a chubby man standing next to the door with a creepy smile.

Joe chuckled, leaning back slightly as he continued on with his speech. "Shit, and I was thinking of turning in for the night on New Year's Eve." He laughed, recurling his hands around the handle of his gun. "Now who's gonna count the ball dropper with me, huh?" He questioned, looking around at the group of men surrounding them.

Theo shifted slightly in the man's grasp that held onto her, the touch he pressed against her body making her mind panic. Everything scattered, all of the advice her father had told her about the world - the things that he taught her. It was all gone. They were surrounded, trapped with guns put to their heads. Defeat had finally greeted her. And she was scared.

As the man began counting down from ten, the faint sound of music played from the earbuds connected to the walkman. The darkness is fallin', the sky has turned grey. A hound in the distance is starting to bay. I wonder, I wonder what she's thinking of - Forsaken, forgotten without any love. Alone and forsaken by fate and by man, oh Lord if you hear me, please hold my hand. Oh, please understand.

"Joe!" The sound of a familiar voice broke through the forest, the feeling of her heart pounding against her chest causing her breathing to quicken as she turned her head away from her family and towards the voice.

Daryl Dixon cornered the abandoned car, lowering the crossbow he held in his grasp while Theo's scared eyes fell upon him. Relief. It flowed through her body, warming her skin and swallowing her small figure whole as a gasp of shock fell from her lips. It was him. As if it was a reflex, she hastily looked around his figure - expecting Adeline to be trailing behind him. But, she wasn't.

His eyes glanced over at her body pressed against the man, hands tightening around the crossbow as the eleven year old jerked slightly. The grasp only became tighter with her movements, hot breath cascading down her neck and into her shirt as she squirmed uncomfortably at the sinister touch. The fear she felt was real. It wasn't an act anymore - or a lie to trick people. It was real.

"You're stopping me on eight, Daryl." Joe complained, looking to the man with annoyance in his eyes. Daryl stepped forward, "Just hold up." He instructed, taking a closer look at his family around him. "This is the guy that killed Lou, so we got nothing to talk about." The man holding Theo spoke, causing blood to run cold.

Joe turned his eyes to the man, "Nolan, the thing about nowadays is we for nothing but time. Say your piece, Daryl." He spoke, giving a name to the figure behind Theo as the girl squirmed underneath his touch.

"These people, you're gonna let 'em go." Daryl informed, a sense of desperation held in his voice. "These are good people." He added onto his words, stepping forward.

"Now, I think Lou would disagree with you on that. I'll, of course, have to speak for him and all 'cause your friend here stabbed him to death with a pair of scissors in a bathroom." Joe stated, the sound of his voice putting a puzzle together in Theo's brain as she looked to Rick.

His eyes were already on her, shaking his head slightly - his eyes speaking words he couldn't say. Don't say anything. Don't tell them anything. They'll kill you. Theo knew that's what he was trying to imply, and her body stopped moving in Nolan's grasp as she turned her eyes back to Joe. Her voice stayed hidden within her throat.

"You want blood." Daryl nodded his head, "I get it." He added while lowering his crossbow to the ground and holding his arms out. "Take it from me, man." He instructed, his voice causing Theo's eyes to widen in fear for what was to come.

She had to say something.

Joe eyed him questionably, "This man killed our friend. You say he's good people. See, now that right there is a lie. It's a lie!" He yelled, the words he spoke sparking something inside of his group as a man swung his fist into Daryl's face - sending his body into the concrete. "Teach 'em a lesson, boys! All the way through."

"No!" Theo yelled, her voice cracking as tears welled up in her eyes. Her body began thrashing against the man holding her, fear pounding in her heart. "It was me! It was me!" She screamed to the top of her lungs, feeling Nolan jerk her back as she spoke - tears streaming down her face. "I killed him! It was me!" She announced, Joe's eyes turning to her figure that thrashed wildly.

Chaos broke out, the chubby man against the car pulling Carl out of the front seat and pressing a knife against his throat. "You leave them be!" Rick yelled, the bellowing blows pounding into Daryl echoing throughout the night, three men ganging up on his defenseless figure.

Joe kept his eyes on Theo, squinting them slightly at the girls erratic movements against the man holding her hostage. "Did ya hear that Nolan?" He questioned, a haste nod being felt against her neck - "Looks like we're handing out lessons today, boys! Teach her one!" Joe announced, a low chuckle heard from behind her.

Theo felt the hands of Nolan crawl over her body, twisting her around and turning her to face him. Allowing her reflexes to take point, the eleven year old sent her foot in between his legs. He hunched over in pain, her wide eyes pulling away from his body as she started to rush over to her bag where her gun resided.

But before she could, a pair of sweaty hands laced onto her shirt - tearing the fabric across her chest as they pulled her back. The cold wind of the air brushed against her bare upper body, the thin material of a tank top underneath not providing any comfort as a fist pounded into her face. Everything came to a complete stop. All sound becoming a distance ring as the blow caused her body to slam harshly against the concrete.

Her head bounced against the pavement, the ringing becoming louder as her eyesight turned blurry. The distant echo of a gunshot rang through the sky, grimy hands curling around Theo's waist and flipping her back side to press onto the concrete. Her entire body felt numb, the feeling of blood oozing into her eyes blinding her as her head pounded with pain. She could barely feel the presence of the man on top of her, forcing her to be still.

Theo was absent to everything happening around her. So much to the point where she didn't realize that Carl was going through almost the exact same thing as her - both of their bodies forced onto the ground with an unwanted touch lingering against their skin. Theo whimpered in discomfort, eyes squinting shut as she attempted to lift a hand but failed entirely due to the numbness of her body.

Rick thrashed against Joe's hold, his mind focused solely on his son and Theo. There wasn't another way out, the only choice was right in front of him. And without a second thought, he slammed his head into the crevice of Joe's neck - teeth tearing into the dirtied skin of the man as he jerked his head back. Blood coated his face, nestling in between the hairs of his beard, the large chunk of flesh residing in his mouth before spitting it out.

Joe fell to his knees, choking to death on his own blood as his comrades looked in shock at the sight before them. In the blink of an eye, Michonne sent her fist barreling into the man's body next to her - grabbing his gun and shooting the first round into his head. Daryl was quick to take advantage of the moment, his body sore as he rose from the ground and tacked one of the three men to the ground as Michonne took out the other two. Grabbing the fallen gun next to the ground, Daryl fired a shot into the mans head beneath him.

Theo eyes opened, still blurry but able to see the glint of a blade hidden within the fallen leaves around her. A whimper of pain fell from her lips as she forced her arm to stretch out, trembling fingers wrapping around the blade of the knife as she brought it closer to her. The presence of the man behind her was still there, her hand dancing around the knife until it curled around the handle - welcoming the weapon into her grasp.

Pain held her in its clutch, her body aching as she allowed her fathers knowledge to take control. In one swift swing, the sharp blade sliced into Nolan's neck - crimson spluttering from the fresh would, coating the fabric of Theo's ripped shirt as he tumbled off of her, choking on his blood. The girl forced herself to move through the constant ache of her body, figure sitting up and crawling to her knees where she took in everything around her.

Bodies littered the road, all eyes settled on Rick as he repeatedly stabbed a knife into the stomach of the man that was once on top of Carl. Theo breathed heavily, her hands coated with blood and leaves sticking to the crimson substance as she tore her eyes from the scene and searched the rode for Daryl. And when she found him, standing by the abandoned truck with his eyes on Rick, she pulled herself up to her feet and rushed over.

Wrapping her arms around his side, sobs crawled from the barrens of her throat as she cried into his stomach. Daryl found relief in the girls presence and knowing that she was okay. He lowered his body to the ground, arms reluctantly wrapping around her figure and holding her to his chest. He never liked comfort. He squirmed at the thought of it. But, there was one person who has seen his vulnerable side and he knew what he had to do for her.

Because Adeline's touch was the only one he would let in.