.・゜-: ✧☾　☽✧ :-゜・.

𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐘 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇, 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐈𝐓 𝐎𝐑 𝐍𝐎𝐓, 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐄 𝐈𝐓. You can run, it will follow, it's like your own shadow. It won't leave you. Stella never really feared her own death. It had to happen sometime. What frightened her was the death of the ones around her. She couldn't picture living without them. Her worst fear became real when she lost her best friend, Lilly Smith.

Now, after finding shelter, a home, Stella finally found a sense of peace. They were safe. The safest they had been in months. This place had a future. They had food, water, hope.

It had been a week since Herhsel lost his leg. Ellie had managed to heal the wound without an infection and the old man was now awake. For the past week, Stella had spent helping Ellie to patch the man up as they listened to all sorts of stories that Hershel told them. Stories about him as a child, about the farm, and about the Greene siblings. Stella really enjoyed listening to him. She imagined the farm before the outbreak. Living without the constant fears. It felt like the stories brought Stella back to before the apocalypse.

Entering the cellblock, Stella saw Levi and Carl sitting on the stairs fumbling with something in their hands. The girl smiled as she approached the two.

"Hey, whatcha got there?" She asked, leaning on the railing.

"We're making crutches for Hershel to help him walk again. He seems pretty ready now." Carl's gaze remained on the project in his hands as he spoke.

"He's been in there all morning, whining like a child about wanting to leave the cell." Levi smiled.

"Hey! Don't make me hit you with my crutches," Hershel shouted from his cell causing Stella to laugh. She peeked into his cell and the two exchanged a grin.

"You need any help with that?" Stella asked as she returned her attention to Carl and Levi.

"Nope, almost done," Carl said. "There!"
The boy shot up and handed the crutch to Lori. Levi finished his soon after and they headed into Herhsels cell. Ellie and Beth were sitting on two stools by his bed, giggling about something. Stella leaned against the door frame and she watched as Lori and Levi helped the old man out of bed.

He groaned quietly as he forced himself into a sitting position.
"Daddy, don't push yourself. That would've been a waste of medical supplies, if you'd die now." Ellie joked.

Hershel chuckled as he grabbed the top bunk to pull himself up. He attempted to grab the crutches but showing his loss of balance prompted Lori and Levi to help him. At first, the man swayed unsteadily before catching his balance. He began to walk out of the cell, surprisingly stable and almost all by himself.

"You know, I think I'm pretty steady." Hershel smiled.

"Wow, look at you," Stella said proudly.

"It's a good start," Lori stated. "Wanna take a rest?"

"Rest? Let's go for a little stroll."The eager man said.

The eight of them helped him walk outside. The warm sun hit them in the face and Hershel stopped for a moment. He tilted his head up to the sky and closed his eyes, soaking in the moment. Stella, Lori, and Beth helped the man down the few steps leading to the big courtyard which Rick and the others were currently fixing up. They were moving the vehicles to clear out some free space. Rick, Daryl, and Glenn were standing outside the fence discussing something.

Stella let her gaze travel over the courtyard and the big lawn, imagining what this place could look like. Painting a picture in her head of how this could be a place to call home.

"You cleared all those bodies out?" Hershel asked as he slowly but steadily made his way over the courtyard. "It's starting to look like a place we can really live in."

"You watch your steps," Lori said, placing an encouraging hand on his shoulder to keep him steady. "Last thing we need is you falling."

"Yeah, don't break a hip there, grandpa." Said Levi.

"I'm not kidding about the crutches, boy." Herschel pointed his crutch at the brunette causing him to lose balance for a second.

As they continued down the courtyard, laughing, the remaining members of the group noticed them, bringing bright and hopeful smiles on everyone's faces.
"Alright, Hershel!" Stella heard Glenn cheer from behind the fence.

"You're doing great, Daddy." Ellie smiled.

"Ready to race, Hershel?" Carl joked, looking up at the older man. He looked down at him as he returned his smile.

"Give me another day. I'll take you on." Hershel grinned in amusement.

"I'll race you," Levi said. "But don't get too mad when you lose."

Carl scoffed. "As if."

"On three?"

"One, two..." Before Carl had counted to three, Levi rushed down the gravel yard. "Hey! Cheater!" Carl yelled before taking off after him.

With Levi in the lead, the two ran down to the open grass surface. Somehow, Carl had managed to catch up with the boy and was now only a few seconds behind him. The younger boy jumped on top of the older causing them both to fall to the ground with a yelp. They rolled over before bursting into laughter.

A smile swept across Stella's face as she stared at the boys. Despite the hard past few days, she finally felt a sense of living and not just surviving. She felt pure happiness, watching everyone's faces, laughing as the two boys play fought on the ground. A warm feeling of comfort grew in her chest.

Lori noticed her bright smile and kissed the top of her head. "What are you thinking."

"I'm thinking that I like it here. That this could finally be home." Stella looked up at her mother who returned her warm smile.

The two boys panted as they walked back to the group.

"Man, you're fast." Levi leaned over and rested his hand on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "Lori, you ready to race now?"

"If my pregnant ass would jump on top of you like that I'd squeeze you to death." Lori chuckled. "Just wait. Once this baby is delivered I'll race all of you. And win." The woman said the last sentence in a cocky voice.

Stella laughed. But the smile was quickly washed off her face at the sound of Carl's yelling.

"Walkers! Look out!"

Within seconds, Stella had pulled out her gun from under her shirt and began shooting the walkers. Dozens of walkers limped over the courtyard, headed in their direction. Levi's body loomed over Stella's as he stood in front of her, using himself as a shield. She quickly stepped to the side knowing that she didn't need his protection.

"No!" Rick screamed at the sight of the dead.

Gunshots echoed over the courtyard as they continued to take the walkers down. In the corner of her eye, Stella caught a glimpse of Beth helping Hershel as he crutched to safety. Maggie, Carol, and T-dog had now joined up with them and began shooting the walkers.

The blonde grimes girl made sure to stay close to Lori and Carl as she continued to fire her gun. The dead poured out from around the corner, not seeming like they would ever stop. There were too many. For every dead they took down it seemed like the walkers had doubled. The only thing on Stella's mind was to keep Lori safe. Her eyes darted around maniacally, looking for escape.

"Get out! Get out of there, now." She heard her father scream in the distance.

The dead walkers began to pile up on the ground, scattered over the yard. She heard the sound of Carl's gun clicking, revealing that he was out of ammo. No matter how much ammo they had they wouldn't be able to clear out all of them. Panic surged through her body.

"Lori! Here! Maggie yelled as she opened the door to the main cell block. Stella watched as she ran forward followed by Carl.

"Stella, come on!" Levi grabbed her wrist.

"Where's Ellie?!" Stella panicked.

"We have to go!" Levi pulled her with him as they followed Lori. The five of them rushed inside the main cell block, gasping for breath. they walked through the room, heading for their cells when even more walkers appeared around the corner. Stella, along with the others quickly spun around and ran to the door leading to the dark and unexplored tombs.

Stella jumped at the sound of an alarm blaring through the corridors. "What the hell?" Her voice was thundering with anger.

"What is that?!" Carl said. His voice revealed the fear he was feeling.

"We've got to go. It's not safe in these tombs." Levi said and the group began to run through the dark corridors.

Stella walked in the front alongside Maggie as they traveled through the darkness with their guns ready. Stella made sure to keep Levi and her mother and brother behind her. Levi walked last with his machete in his hands.

Stella heard a sound behind them causing her and Maggie to spin around. A lonely walker appeared behind them which Levi quickly took down by swinging his weapon at its head causing blood to splash onto his face. Stella let out a breath hoping the walker was alone. Just as she did she was met with the faces of dozens of walkers pressing through the corridor.

"Go!" She screamed. They all rushed in blind panic, hoping to find someplace safe. They rushed through a door that was separating the hallways. They swiftly slammed the door shut. They stopped for a moment to catch their breath. Stella leaned against the wall, slowly dropping to the floor as the panted. Carl did the same and sat down next to her as Maggie and Lori leaned against the wall.

Stella shot up upon the realization. Levi.

"Where's Levi!?" She shouted.

The others looked around before releasing the absence of the boy. Stella was overcome with a flat sense of panic and worry.

"He's still out there! We have to go get him!" She almost cried out.

"Stella..." Maggie sighed.

"No! We have to go get-" The girl's sentence was cut short by Lori groaning as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Mom?" All her worry quickly shifted to her mom.

"Something's not right" Lori groaned again. Stella's gaze immediately fell to her mother's belly. Worry bloomed in her chest and she stepped closer and placed a hand on her mom's back.

"Are you bit?" Carl asked.

"No, no, no." Lori quickly shook her head. "I think the baby's coming."

Even though Stella had expected it, hearing Lori say it made her suck in a breath of excitement. "Mom!" She exclaimed and covered her mouth.

Then came a wave of panic. Her mom was stuck in these tombs, crowded with walkers around every corner with no doctor. She can't give brith in here. Not without Hershel.

"Walkers!" Carl screamed. Stella turned to see the herd of walkers they had encountered only minutes ago, pressing themselves against the closed cell door. The pressure from the dead caused the door to fly open and the walkers poured into the hallway.

Stella grabbed Lori's arm and put it over her shoulder as they began to run in the opposite direction. Her pulse raced as they hurried through the tombs with nowhere to go or any knowledge of where they were headed. Carl led the group with his gun aimed in front of him as Maggie and Stella helped Lori.

"In here!" Carl shouted as he stopped in front of a door. The girls hurried inside the room as Carl struggled to close the door behind them.

Lori stumbled to a fence wall and clung onto it as Carl and Stella scanned the room for walkers. The room seemed to be a boiler room. It was dark with only a small lamp to illuminate it. Lori grabbed hold of a chain as she whined in pain. Stella stared at her mother with eyes dark with worry. Unsure what to do or what was causing her mom's pain she began to gently rub and massage her mother's back.

"What are those alarms?" Lori scrunched her face in pain.

"Don't worry about them, mom." Stella tried to force a calming smile on her lips.

"What if it attracts them?" Carl said.

Lori moved deeper into the room, still moaning in pain. Stella and Maggie followed her closely and exchanged a quick look.

"Lori, let's lay you down," Maggie suggested.

"No. The baby's coming now." Lori said as she leaned over and breathed heavily.

"We have to get back to our cellblock and have Herhsel help," Carl said.

"We can't risk getting caught out there," Maggie said as she placed her hands on Lori's lower back. "You're gonna have to give birth to this baby here."

Stella felt her heart drop, her worry was given away by her lips parting and a huff of air left her mouth. The flicker of happiness she had felt only seconds ago had extinguished, replaced with a dull ache of worry.

"What? Mom.." Stella whispered.

"What other choice do we have, Stella?" Lori began to hyperventilate causing Stella to shoot forward.

"What is she doing? Can't she breathe?" Carl asked, taking a few steps closer to his older sister, feeling comfortable in her presence.

"She's fine," Maggie reassured the boy. "Come here, Lori. Let's get your pants off."
Stella helped Maggie to unzip her pants and take them off. The girl then wrapped Lori's arm over her shoulder and helped her lay down on the concrete floor as she winced. The sounds made Stella's eyes brim with tears but she quickly blinked them away to not worry Carl.

"Stella, I'm gonna need your help, you ready?" Stella nodded as she put her hair in a bun to get it out of her face before kneeling down in front of Maggie.

"I'll do an exam. Let me see if you're dilated." Maggie said and Lori lifted her her knees up. Stella placed her hand on her mother's arm and stroked her skin with her thumb, the same way her mother used to do to calm her down after Stella got hurt during football matches when she was younger.

"Do you know how?" Carl questioned, his voice giving away his worry.

"Dad taught me," Maggie said as she examined Lori. Her words made Stella's muscles relax slightly. "but trust me, it's my first time."

Lori whinched in pain and tilted her head back. Stella moved her hand and let her rest her head in her cupped hand as she continued to gently stroke her arm.

"I can't tell," Maggie said.

"I gotta push," Lori stated. Stella held her breath as she prepared herself for the sight. She hated seeing her mother in pain. She only remembered a few moments of Carl's birth. She remembered sitting in the back of her Dad's car as Lori groaned in the passenger seat. Stella was only four years old and at the time she thought her mom was gonna die.

The blonde helped Lori stand up. The woman grabbed onto a metal pipe in the wall and let out a huff. Stella watched as her whole body tensed as she tried to push.

"Somebody!" Lori cried out for help. Stella's grip on her arms tightened. "I'm okay, I'm okay."

Stella watched in horror, frightened by the scene and unsure what to do. "You're doing great. You've got this, Mom." She repeated in desperation.

Lori tried to push once more. A loud yelp escaped her mouth and her whole body shook from the pressure.
"You're doing great." Stella praised.

Maggie sat down on her knees as Lori attempted to push again. Stella rubbed her skin with her thumb as did her best to calm her mother. She tried to maintain her smile while watching her mom struggle.

"Lori, stop! Don't push! Something's wrong." Stella felt her heart sink at Maggie's words. She was hit with a sudden nausea as she stared in horror at Maggie's bloody hand and the blood running down Lori's leg. She felt her chest constrict. Her mother cried out in agony causing worry and panic to crawl up Stella's spine.

No, no, no, no. Not here. Not now.

_____ ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ _____
𝟐𝟕𝟐𝟒 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬
𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟏𝟗𝐭𝐡
_____ ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ _____

𝐀/𝐍

the next chapter genuinely has me tweaking.