SIXTY FIVE. losing touch

Adeline felt the earth tear beneath her rushed footsteps, her heart beating rapidly against her chest. Fear tightened her throat, feeling the cold wind force it's way into her lungs- moonlight peering sinisterly through the evergreen ghouls around her. Dead and forgotten leaves became crushed underneath the shoes she wore, a beanie settled atop her head that fell just above her brow line. And even then, nothing protected her from the freezing cold that cornered her body into a deep corner of her darkest fear.

The midnight glow of the forest haunted her, pulling at every string in her sickened body. A deepened blue marked her figure as it missed every low hanging branch and fallen log, knowing the path she followed like the back of her hand. You visit it every night, you would be a fool to not remember, she thought as the familiar feeling of tears refreshing the trails down her features fell from her tawny eyes. Dark bags of both mental and physical exhaustion involuntary prodded at her tired frame, never failing to remind her of every place and person her family had lost.

Her gloved palm pressed against the side of tree, body stopping abruptly. Adeline breathed heavily, an avalanche of arctic cold air storming down the path of her throat and into her lungs. Her breath reflected against the weather, water vapor falling from her lips and into the open sky above, her fingers curling around the rough bark as she raised her head. There was a break in the forest that remained a yard away, moonlight pouring in from the bushes that protected the visible barrier. All she had to do was get there.

Pushing her hands from the tree, she rushed back onto the path and headed for the light ahead. The same words of, all you have to do is get there, swarmed like a disrupted bee hive in her mind- stinging and infecting her thoughts. The distant pound of fear grew louder the closer she became, slamming against her body and pulling back at any attempt it made to get her to stay in the forests hold. The creaking trees and hidden animals begged her to stay, pointing back to the warmth of the path she had started on.

But all she could do was watch as her body broke from the line of trees, stripping her of any protection from the pain. Adeline felt her knees slam against the ground, palms tearing into the dirt floor of the haunted field. Her breaths became ragged, fingers curling into the surface as her head rose to see the sight before her. She never made it in time. No matter how hard she tried. Around her laid countless bodies, cold and quiet with crimson pooling at each stomach. It was everyone she once knew, and had grown to love.

And in the middle stood two figures.

A knife plunged into the stomach of the other, blood dripping from the blade and covering their hand. The liquid began pouring out of the body of Daryl Dixon, his slumped against the one who had carved the knife into his skin. The person shushed him, distant cries echoing throughout the forgotten field of memories- and with the softest touch, they lowered his body into to the grass; kneeling over his bleeding figure. They pressed their hands into the bleeding wound they had caused, holding him until he faded.

Adeline felt shock tear through her, ripping her into pieces as her hands dug into the dirt below, unable to move. Choked sobs left her, tears falling from her eyes and into the uncut grass beneath her figure. The sound caused the figure to stand from where they remained, stepping out of the darkness and into the light, allowing their face to be seen. Her voice was caught between her throat, a cry tearing through the space as Adeline felt her body move back, almost begging to return to the cold forest behind her.

Because who she saw, it wasn't a stranger. It was her.

A series of rapid beeps tore her from the nightmare, her figure flinching against the forests floor at the repetitive sound. Adeline felt as a trail of tears began to dry across the bridge of her nose, an abrupt pain stinging in her left forearm that was tucked underneath her heavy head. Carefully sitting up, she looked down to the newfound watch that was wrapped around her wrist, a gift from Wesley who had found it while scouting out a neighborhood.

Two days had passed since they buried Tyresse and continued on their journey to Washington, courtesy of Michonne convincing Rick to keep going. Although Eugene Potter had lied about a cure, the one thing he was right about was the fact that Washington had the best statistics of survival. And so they kept pushing on, hoping to soon find a place to rebuild or that at-least had supplies for them. But, Adeline was beginning to doubt that she would make it as her fingers hastily moved to cease the watches quiet beeping.

Pain formed in her arm, face twisting in pain as her tired eyes moved to the purple sleeve of her shirt. She moved in her spot, opting to ignore what her past self wanted for a quick second as she crossed her legs underneath her- careful to avoid the body of Theo that slept behind her. Adeline curled her fingers around the left sleeve, folding it up to her elbow, spotting the bandage wrapped around her skin; blood seeping through the material.

"Damn it." She whispered, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as she moved to the bandage, carefully peeling it back to look at the cut on her arm. Her face only worsened at the sight, blood seeping through the dental floss that she was forced to use as stitches; signs of infection marking the red and swollen skin. The group was running on a scarcely low supply of medicine, and Addy was down to a half of an amoxicillin and two full painkillers.

And she hadn't told anyone about her situation.

Cold sweat laced her features, her skin failing to warm her body, to which she brushed off in attempts to forget she had even noticed the feeling. She tucked the bandage back over the wound, moving to roll her shirt back over the material. Adeline grabbed the jacket she was using as a pillow, sliding it over her arms to hide the tear that had formed on Tyresses' shirt. And she would be lying if she said she didn't wear the jacket to hide the bloodstains from Sasha- not wanting the mourning sister to see it.

Loss and havoc hadn't stopped raining from the sky since the world fell, and only the lucky managed to miss the destruction that the storm sewed. And when the dead began to walk, Adeline Walsh started to feel less and less lucky at each day that passed. But before, she would happily take the chance to call herself the unspoken word. Now, now it was bad karma to even whisper the two syllable phrase- seeing as all she was anymore was the broken and forgotten pieces of her old self taped back together.

The new world stripped her of her identity, taking everything she used to know and love only to throw it away and leave her with the remains. Adeline was forced to face the falling sky, her sense of purpose holding on by a thin thread that was beginning to tear as she stood to her feet, brushing the dirt off the jeans she wore. The specks crumbled to the ground, her figure carefully stepping over the sleeping figures of the group to reach the distant tree that they had marked for guard duty just a few hours ago.

At the base sat the familiar figure of Daryl Dixon, Adelines mind remembering she had overheard him tell Rick he was taking the shift. His knees were tucked to his chest, arms resting against the surface as the sound of approaching footsteps caused his head to whip back, his attention landing on the woman which caused his heartbeat to quicken in his chest. The moonlight that peered through the tall trees reflected against her unusually pale skin, his eyes falling to the brunette strands of hair that framed her face.

He noticed the way they stuck to her features, glued down by sickly sweats that he was unaware of- unable to move his attention off her the second he spotted the red that marked her waterline, watching quietly as she reached his side. Daryl pulled his eyes off of her figure, turning to the bolt he held in his hands, trailing his fingers down the bar. "I told Rick I don't need any help," He spoke, keeping his voice quiet but loud enough for her.

Adeline sighed, lowering her figure down to the ground, ignoring his words. She laid her back against the tree, pressing into the side of the archer as she crossed her legs out in front of her. An almost immediate warmth swarmed through Daryl, feeling heat radiate off of Addy who stayed silent. He couldn't help the surge of worry that breached through to his mental defenses, unable to control the words of; "You alright?" that slipped from his concerned lips.

The air remained quiet, the distant sounds of frogs croaking and crickets chirping scattering across the forests floor. Daryl opened his mouth to speak once again, but fell silent the second he heard a sigh fall from her lips. "I'm just tired." Adeline admitted, her voice heard just above a whisper as her head moved to rest against his bare shoulder. "I just needed to see you." The reluctant words left the barrens of her throat, her soft voice trembling slightly.

Her confession left Daryl speechless, unable to say no to her as he nodded softly and turned his eyes back to the bolt in his hand. He kept the space between them silent, feeling Adeline shiver slightly into his side. An uneasy chill ran down her spine, every muscle in her body aching and causing her skin to hurt as her hand fell to tighten the jacket around her body. A part of him was thankful that she had been the one to break their strike of no contact, but the other half was worrying himself sick over why she was doing it.

He couldn't help but wonder if something was wrong.

Daryl felt the movement of her body against his own, his shoulder instinctively lowering to help her get comfortable as she sniffed. "I keep having this nightmare." Adeline whispered, not knowing wether or not to blame the infection that ran through her veins or the overwhelming loss of self for what she was about to say. "And I keep losing you." Her voice trembled, tears threatening to well in her eyes- the memories of losing Tyresse flashing in her mind.

"I really don't think that I can lose you." She admitted, expecting to be greeted with silence over her revelation but instead felt as Daryl moved away from her body. The tear that had been welling in her right eye failed to stay, falling from her waterline and trailing down her face. Before it could make its way down to her neck, Adeline felt the warmth of the archers hand lay against the side of her face, softly wiping the tear from it's trail; stopping it.

Almost like it was a reflex, she curled into his touch and brought her hand to rest against his own. "Look at me." He instructed, his voice soft and careful with the widow as Adeline met his eyes through her eyelashes, feeling his thumb brush over the dried trail of tears. "You ain't ever gonna lose me." Daryl comforted, the defenses he had worked so hard on falling for just a second. "Not even if I'm gone." He added, gently turning her head to face him.

Even then, he could sense the doubt that lingered in her tawny eyes- his stomach turning at the hopeless look that she had succumbed to. Then the regret slammed into him. He pushed her away, even when she begged for him to stay. Daryl couldn't help but to feel blame, the words he wanted to say holding him hostage as Adeline smiled softly; her eyes remaining dark and void of any sparkle. He felt as she curled her fingers around his own, holding onto his touch for a moment longer before pulling it away.

The forest fell silent around them, as if nature held their breath awaiting for an answer from the two. Words were caught between throats, their eyes glued to each other as Daryl scoured her features for any kind of sign. But the only thing he could focus on were the freckles that once danced happily across her skin, her rested eyes now carrying bags of exhaustion underneath them. And all she could see was the reluctance that scarred his skin, the loss of Beth pulling him out of the widows hold and into the dark.

"I should go back." Adeline breathed, breaking the silence with words she didn't want to say. She had to let him feel the loss, and she knew she had to do the same. "I'm sorry," She added, feeling an intense ache in her bones as she stood up from the forests floor. The dirt crunched underneath her boots, stomach twisting in knots before the presence of a hand wrapping around her left pulled her back in place- sudden pain shooting up her forearm at the touch.

Daryl kept his palm curled around her hand, holding her still as she kept her attention glued to the ground below. Trapped words stung his throat, begging to be let out with the harsh thumping of his heart against his chest. His skin was warm, cupping her hand in a tight embrace with his- not wanting to let go, but was unable to find the right words to make her stay. And like a broken record, Adeline pulled her desperate touch out of his and walked away.

After morning rose and the group packed up the temporary camp they had made in the woods, they continued on their journey to Washington after Adeline made her usual rounds of checking up on everybody's wounds, including her own. She managed to force herself to take a painkiller before leaving, knowing that walking for hours on end would only bring more pain to the infected wound on her arm. She planned on saving the amoxicillin until last minute, hoping she could hold out long enough for the group to maybe find some kind of medicine to help clear the infection.

The last thing she wanted was to slow them down, and although keeping her condition hidden wasn't the best thing to do- it was the only choice her tainted mind would let her follow through with. Adeline knew the faults of the cut on her arm better than anyone in the group, to which she already planned on using as an excuse if she happened to slip up. But her body had become more weak faster than she expected, the feeling of malaise keeping her in its tight grasp. The bright light of the sun shined harshly, her body growing more uncomfortable with each second that passed.

Their vehicles had ran out of gas yesterday, leaving them with the sole choice of walking until they found another that would work. Eighteen figures crowded the lonely backroad, each survivor carrying their own supplies- staying close to one another and keeping a close eye on the pack of walkers that lingered a few yards behind them all. Adeline remained near the middle, a tired Theo walking alongside her with her dark hair thrown into two french braids, the familiar hat that belonged to Dale on her head.

Luckily enough when she asked the widow if she could do it, Adeline was thankful that she had picked up on a few things from Beth back at the prison. Though, the entire twenty minutes she spent braiding Theo's hair- her mind was stuck on the fact that Beth Greene was no longer around. And neither was everyone else they had lost over the last two months, their faces never failing to haunt her dreams.

Hearing the distant voice of her brother, Adeline reluctantly pulled her eyes from the concrete road below and to the sound. She was quick to spot Rick walking near the front, Daryl Dixon moving alongside him in a hushed conversation that her ears failed to hear. She watched as they looked back to check on the walkers behind them, moving her hand to anxiously curl around the strap of her bag as the archers eyes landed on her figure.

He kept his attention trained on her, inaudible words leaving his mouth in a rasped tone - tearing his stare away from the widow just before walking off the side of the road, which came to the attention of Carol. Adeline pulled her eyes back to the ground below her as Daryl and the short haired woman moved to leave the group, giving the woods a sweep in search of hopeful water.

"Addy," The careful voice of Glenn spoke up- pulling her out of the trance she managed to find herself stuck in. She felt the plastic of his water bottle tap against her elbow, moving her attention to look at her best-friend who handed the substance out to her. "You alright?" He questioned, his shoes scraping on the surface of the concrete as he pushed to stand closer to her fragile frame. He was unable to hide his concern, the fact that Adeline was wearing a jacket in a hundred degrees worrying him to the point of no return.

The widow simply nodded to his question, reluctantly allowing her hand to take the water bottle from his grasp. She was able to spot his concern from a mile away, slowly unscrewing the lid and bringing the cool liquid to her mouth. Adeline drank enough to at least bring his worry to bay, hastily tightening the lid back around the bottle and handing it back out to him. "I don't want her to see it." She informed, lying slightly as she slowed her footfall and gestured towards the shirt she wore underneath the heavy jacket.

Glenn furrowed his brows, grabbing the water bottle and sliding it into his back pocket. "Sasha?" He questioned, keeping his voice low and only in the reach of Adeline and Theo, who managed to pick up on the conversation but opted on keeping her eyes to the ground. The widow nodded in confirmation to his inquiry, her tired eyes glancing back at the figure of the mourning sister that lingered alone in the back of the group. "Yeah." She answered.

An understanding look crawled over his features, feeling as an heavy amount of sympathy cornered his emotions. He stayed quiet, going deep into thought before his hands grabbed onto the messenger bag that was slung around his shoulder. At the sound of rustling, Adeline turned to face him- watching as Glenn opened the bag on his side and searched the mainly empty depths until he pulled out the crimson colored material of his long sleeved shirt.

"Glenn..."

"Take it." He insisted, the look of concern not daring to leave his features as he carefully grabbed her wrist to lay the fabric in her palm. Adeline felt a tight lipped smile pull at her lips, her eyes raising to meet the face of her best-friend. "Thank you. I'm gonna give it back. I promise." She spoke, taking the shirt in her grasp with a thankful look. A part of her blamed herself for not ever giving Tyresse his back, her attention falling to the violet sleeves that stuck out from underneath the cargo jacket she wore.

They continued on their walk, Glenn retreating back to his wife who walked just a few feet behind Adeline and Theo. The widow grew warm in the coat she wore- her mind opting on pulling it off of her skin for a short second. The jacket fell heavy in her grasp, her hands moving to lay it across the messenger bag she carried with the shirt Glenn had given her. A burst of fresh air brushed past her body, the painkiller in her veins unable to contain the sickly chill that fell down Adeline's spine at the cold feeling.

Before she could break off into the forest in attempts to change her shirt in fear of Sasha seeing, the quiet call of her name broke from Rick's throat. Panic seized in the sister, her hand pulling the violet sleeve of her shirt down, placing her palm to cover the tear in fabric. Adeline used her upper arm to wipe the sweat from her brow as she reluctantly moved up in the group, her hand cupped around the bandage underneath. Small spots of blood had started to seep through the material, but not enough to stain the shirt.

"Yeah?" She questioned, keeping her voice quiet once she reached her brothers side. Rick finished lowering Judith into the awaiting arms of Carl, his eyes glancing back at the pack of stalkers that was beginning to grow. "We're gonna have to deal with those walkers. Soon." He stated, gesturing back to the dozen slumped and decaying figures that trailed restlessly behind the group.

Adeline sighed, sparing a look to the walkers before turning her head back to the road ahead- spotting a small bridge a few yards away. "What about that?" She inquired, nudging her brothers arm with her elbow, careful to keep the tear in her sleeve hidden. Rick turned to the bridge, squinting his eyes slightly to clear his vision. It took a second for the idea to click in his head, Adeline watching as his features shifted and he nodded his head. "Yeah. That'll do."

Several minutes later, the majority of the group found themselves waiting at the back of the bridge while the others helmed the front. Adeline found herself free of her bag and jacket, her hand curled around the crimson handle of her machete that sat patiently in it's sheath. Rick stood in front of her, his hands free of weapons while Glenn, Michonne, and Wesley stood in a line behind of his quiet sister.

On the other side of the bridge stood the still figures of Abraham, Maggie, and Sasha- the eight of them focused solely on the pack of walkers that headed their way. Theo remained at the back of the bridge with Carl and the rest of the group, having a front row seat to their mission of getting rid of the rotting stalkers before they could grow any larger.

Adeline had her violet sleeves rolled just above her wrists, the tear in the shift flowing freely in the wind. But, she knew the ones around her wouldn't be paying attention to the white bandages on her arm. She kept her hand twisted around the handle of her machete, the bursts of air causing an array of goosebumps to settle on her covered arms.

The first walker stumbled forward, breaching the safe barrier and setting the plan into swift motion. Rick shifted on his feet, glancing back at the open cliff the rails failed to cover- patiently waiting for the right moment. The moment the rotted figure rose its arms to claw at the eldest Grimes, he was quick to move out of the way and harshly shove the stalker over the cliff. Abraham copied his actions from the other side, Adeline moving up past her brother to go next.

Teasing the approaching walker with her scent, she lured it closer to the cliff and easily tricked it into tumbling down the dirt hill. A rock beneath her feet gave out, feeling her heart drop in her chest before the haste hands of Rick pulled her back. Adeline slammed into her brothers chest, a harsh hammering felt in her chest as she steadied herself and fixed the violet sleeve that had rose slightly above the bandage.

Sasha stepped forward at the sight, her knife clutched in her grasp at the walker that broke the invisible barrier and began stumbling forward. The moment her eyes landed on the violet shirt the doctor wore, she was quick to break rank. The hushed voice of Michonne attempted to stop the mourning sister, Adeline hastily turning around as Sasha roared her knife back into the rotted brain of the walker.

And in the blink of an eye, she had wasted the one thing they were trying to spare- their energy. "Stay in line." Rick was quick to instruct, unsheathing the hatchet on his side while moving to gain the upper hand on the stalkers. "Flank her. Keep it controlled." He ordered, raising the sharp blade of his weapon and slamming it down into the next rotting body that ended up stumbling his way.

"Plan just got dicked." Abraham muttered, moving to pull his combat knife out of its sheath.

The group was quick to follow in line, unholstering the melee weapons that were attached to their body in one quick movement. Adeline tightened her fingers around the handle of her machete, craning her neck back- a pop! coming from the tensed up bones. She felt pins and needles in her palms, her eyes settled on the dozen walkers ahead of her as she moved towards the closest one with her blade raised.

Her body ached with an uneasy pain, blood splattering from the brain of the stalker as it fell limp to the ground. Unable to jerk the sharp blade out of its head in time, Adeline furrowed her brows in frustration and pressed her foot to the rotted chest of the walker. Attempting to pull it out, she felt a sudden numbness break through her hand- her grip on the handle loosening as her arm hastily roared back.

She couldn't feel her hand. The realization smacked into her like a wave of nausea, her body slamming into the chest of an approaching walker. Distant sounds of grunts and bodies thudding to the ground echoed in her mind, an intense swirl of wildfire spreading throughout her chest as long nails pull at the sleeves of her shirt, unable to reach for her weapon as the stalker roared its teeth into the crevice of her neck- a cry of desperation cracking out of the depths of her throat.

And just as the teeth grazed her skin, a last minute man of faith grabbed onto the shoulders of the walker, pulling it away from the widow just in time. A flame of doubt burst in Adelines stomach, her knees falling to the concrete below as Daryl Dixon slammed his boot into the rotted head of the stalker he had shoved to the ground. Crimson splattered across the concrete, the seven remaining figures moving to finish off the rest of the pack as Adeline stayed frozen.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted Michonne pushing a grief driven Sasha to the patch of grass before finishing off the last two walkers with one swift swing of her sword. A certain silence fell, slow breaths leaving Adeline's lips as she rose to her feet- features tightened in pain as her fingers moved to rest against her left hand. Pinching the skin, she was left with nothing but pins and needles at the spot.

Sasha stared deeply into the eyes of Michonne from where she stood, Adeline cautiously pulling her focus off of her numb hand to watch the women. The forest fell quiet, the dead stalkers around them remaining still as Sasha hastily sheathed her knife and walked away, making her return to the group at the end of the bridge. Michonne was next to follow, Abraham, Maggie, Wesley, and Glenn falling next in line- leaving Adeline alone with Daryl after assuring Rick she was fine before he reluctantly returned to the group.

The archer moved towards the machete that found itself embedded into the head of a walker, wrapping his fingers around the red handle to jerk it out of the skull. Blood splattered against the concrete, instinctively wiping the crimson against the side of his jeans before handing it back to the widow who failed to reach his worried stare.

"Thank you." Addy spoke, grabbing the handle from his grasp and sliding the weapon back into its sheath.

"You gonna tell me what that was?" Daryl inquired, the worry overcoming his basic instincts. His question stopped the doctor in her tracks, his attentive eyes falling to her left hand that was trembling against her thigh.

Adeline fell silent, her head turned to the road below. She couldn't lie to him- "It was a close call. That's it." The words slipped from her lips, avoiding his stare. She knew that if she were to see him, she would say every little thing that he wanted to hear. Her stomach twisted, reluctance pulling at her body as she walked away from the archer, leaving him.

The painkiller had faded completely, the sky growing dimmer with each hour that passed. At the cost of several dog lives, they managed to get a full stomach which helped aid the aching body of Adeline. Although she spent half of her time convincing Theo to eat the meat by helping her pretend it was beef jerky and avoiding the looks Daryl Dixon sent her way across the fires, she still had a full stomach.

But, that had passed and the group found themselves roaming the backroads once again. Adeline walked in the back, her figure moving alongside Abraham Ford who drank from a half empty travel size bottle of whiskey. The road was quiet, only the sound of footsteps shuffling accompanying the eighteen figures that roamed the evergreen trail. Over grown bushes and weeds crawled from the roads and onto the concrete road- dark clouds covering the sun above.

To her left walked a silent Daryl, his eyes focused on the leaves that were scattered across the road. Glenn and Maggie claimed the space in front of them, a distraught Sasha leading the back half. Adeline forced herself to stop wearing her jacket, the worried looks sent her way becoming too much to handle which left her in the red shirt that her best-friend had given her. Thankfully, the sleeves covered the bandages she changed before they started walking.

The constant ache in her bones failed to settle, goosebumps covering the revealed skin of her wrists. She felt the tap of plastic against her right shoulder, a quiet yawn leaving her mouth as she turned to face the plastic bottle of whiskey the redhead next to her offered. Adeline furrowed her brows, slowly her footfall to match Abrahams paste with a look of reluctance. "That's dehydration in a bottle." She spoke.

"Some indeed see it that way." Abraham nodded, bowing the bottle towards her before moving it towards his mouth.

Adeline stopped him in his path, pulling the plastic out of his grasp and bringing it to her lips. The stout whiskey slid down her throat, warming her throat like a furnace as she gulped it down. Leaving enough for it's owner, she forced the liquid with scrunched features and placed the bottle back into his grasp- the fast motions causing a wave of dizziness to swarm her. She kept herself retrained at the feeling, tiredly running her warm palm over her head.

She felt the eyes of Daryl glued to her figure, the tension between them prodding at the strong worry he felt. But, the space remained quiet and their words carried on unspoken.

"So, on a scale of one to ten how did you rate the dog meat?" Theo broke the silence between her and Carl, the silence of the walk picking at her brain. She watched as his face fell at the question, scrunching up in disgust as he shielded Judith's ears. "I'm sorry. I just cannot continue living my life if I don't say something about what just happened." She informed, their figures walking in the middle of the group.

Carl looked back at the girl, "You have to. We all do."

"I know." Theo sighed, an apologetic look covering her gestures as she tightened her hold on a stick she was using as a cane. She didn't even need one, but it did help keep her mind distracted from the fact they were walking all the way to Washington. "You think we'll find a car?" She questioned.

"I hope so." Carl admitted- allowing Theo to see that he had the same wishes at her, but he just wouldn't normally voice them. "We're gonna make it, Theo. I know we will."

The girl smiled softly, "I do admire your optimism." she informed. "I saw that in a book. Sounds fancy." Theo was quick to admit, not wanting to take credit for someone else's work as she twirled the stick in her grasp. "Somewhere, over the rainbow." She began singing quietly, her mind moving at a pace that Carl couldn't even begin to understand.

Silence beckoned the group, Daryl breaking off from them once again to have a look for water in the forest. Adeline stayed close to Abraham, the two of them silently sharing whiskey in the back in attempts to get their minds off of the events unfolding around them. She was careful with the amount she drank, consuming just enough for the sickly ache in her bones to settle. To her, the idea at least seemed better than using the last medicine the group had.

But, the second the collection of full water bottles and jugs flooded into their sight from the distant road ahead- a note residing on the objects that read FROM A FRIEND causing a fearful realization to sink into their minds.

They weren't alone.

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WORD COUNT ... 5700

( QUESTIONS OF THE CHAPTER )
which characters would you like
to see adeline interact with more?

what kind of scenes would you like to see?

hope you guys enjoyed!