.・゜-: ✧☾　☽✧ :-゜・.

Laughter, chattering, and the sound of plates bounced between the four walls around them. Everyone in the group's eyes shone with something that Stella hadn't seen in a long time and everyone was showing their teeth in huge smiles. Even Judith was heard giggling as Rick and Levi played with the girl.
The food that Rick and the others had found was more than enough for a while. Even a wine bottle had been passed around the group, poured into the glasses that they had found.

Stella laid in Levi's lap on the floor, resting the back of her head against his chest, draped in the blanket of his arms.

"You okay?" Levi whispered into Stella's ear, his breath tingling down her neck as he tugged a small strand of her hair back.

Stella nodded. "I am now. Don't worry. I don't know what happened."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't be, Levi. It wasn't your fault. I don't want you to think that." The girl looked up at him and he nodded.

"I was just so scared that I'd hurt you."

"You could never hurt me." Stella smiled and placed a hiss on his lips before placing her head back down on his chest. For the first time in months, she felt completely full after two cans of food. She had enjoyed every bite. But she wasn't just full of food. She was full of hope and happiness. Something that she hadn't felt in a while. She had found her way back to her family, what was left of it. She had Levi and the rest of their group with her. Not only had they found shelter for the moment but also food and resources.

But there was still something lingering in the air. Stella glared over at Gabriel who sat on one of the benches a few rows back. The letters carved into the church wall seemed to have carved themselves into the back of the girl's head, restricting her from becoming fully relaxed. Like a constant weighted fear that the man would turn on them hung on her shoulders. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt but she wasn't ready to take the risk with her family under the same roof as him.

"It's fine," Levi said. The warmth of his hand wrapped around Stella's and she looked down to see that she had grabbed the handle of her knife that rested in her holster.

"There's plenty of us and one of him. Relax." Levi whispered in steals ear like he had read her thoughts. The girl switched her attention from the priest and released the grip on the knife.

Judith cooed next to her, allowing her to get a momentary calm. The girl sat in the comfort of her father's lap next to Stella and Levi, babbling and laughing at the faces Rick was making.

Stella giggled at the sight of the little girl grabbing an almond off Levi's plate and feeding it to him. Judith clapped her hands as the boy chewed on the nut and Rick and Stella joined her.

"Thank you, Jude." Levi chuckled.

"I'd like to propose a toast!" Abraham's voice echoed through the church bringing the chattering to a halt. Stella like away from Judith and up at the ginger man who stood in front of everyone with a glass of wine in his hands.

"I look around this room... and I see survivors." The man's words instantly sparked a warm and proud feeling in Stella's stomach. Like a comforting blanket wrapped around her heart, looking at the members of her group to see how far they've come. So much struggle and pain. But they've made it through everything.

"Each and every one of you has earned that title." The man lifted his glass. "To the survivors!"

The group cheered and raised their glasses. "Survivors!"

Once the cheering and clinking of glasses died out Abrahams spoke up again. "Is that all you want to be? Wake up in the morning, fight the undead pricks, forage for food, go to sleep at night with two eyes open, rinse and repeat. Cause you can do that. I mean you got the strength. You got the skill. Thing is for you people, for what you can do, that's just surrender."

Stella exchanged a quick look with her father, who didn't seem impressed by the man's speech. Neither was Stella. Abraham was strong and a good contributor to their group but he wasn't a leader. Not in the way Rick was.

"Now, we get Eugene to Washington and we will make the dead die and the living will have this world again. And that's not a bad takeaway for a little road trip." Abraham said looking at Rick before turning to Eugene. "What's in DC?"

The man looked around the room, slightly uncomfortable before his gaze fell into his lap. "Infrastructure constructed to withstand pandemics even of this fiber magnitude. That means food, fuel, refuge. Restart."

Abraham chuckled proudly and nodded. "However this plays out, however long it takes for the restart button to kick in, you can be safe there. Safer than you've been since this whole thing started. Come with us. Save the world for that little one. For your boy. Your daughter." Abraham said, speaking directly to Rick.

A soft coo escaped Judith's mouth and Rick chuckled. "What was that?" He asked her. "I think she knows what I'm about to say. She's in. If she's in I'm in. We're in."

Cheering and scattered applause erupted from the group. Stella looked around, a smile blooming on her face at the sight of hope around her. Until her gaze fell upon a small figure at the altar. The familiar blonde locks hung low over Ellie's face as she entered one of the secluded rooms, shutting the door behind her.

Guilt soaked Stella's heart at the sight. Ellie had barely said a word since they arrived back from Terminus after hearing the news of Tristan. Stella had attempted to talk to her but she had shied away telling her that she wanted to be left alone which Stella had respected. The girl had just lost her father and the boy she liked and her sister was out there alone. It was a normal reaction to need some space but with the group all gathered and glowing with hope, Stella couldn't let her sit alone.

The blonde sat up from Levi's lap but the boy grabbed her hand before she walked away.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm just gonna check up on Ellie. I'll be right back." She placed a quick kiss on his lips before turning on her heel. She managed to catch a glimpse of Carls's disgusted face at the sight of their kiss and the girl giggled.

Stella reached the door but there was no point in knocking knowing that Ellie wouldn't hear her over the loud chatter inside the church. Instead she just gently pushed the door handle down and stepped inside quietly.

Ellie sat on the window frame with her face away from the door, looking out over the dark night outside. She sat with her arms hugging her legs to her curled-up body.

The floor creaked under Stella's steps as she closed the door and approached the girl slowly. However, Ellie didn't react, like she couldn't gather the strength to.

The laughter and chattering outside has transformed into a distant mumbling, muffled by the wall that separated the two girls from the rest of the group. The lively atmosphere from the other room was drowned out by the heavy silence that suffocated the girls in the room.

"Ells?" Stella called out softly.

"Not now, Stella," Ellie said without meeting her gaze. The blonde slowly moved closer to the girl in the window.

"I know, Ells. I get it. But we're celebrating. You should join us." Stella spoke and the girl simply just shook her head, a quiet sniffling coming from her.

As Stella got closer, she could perceive the moonlight glimmering over her face, illuminating the track of tears along her cheeks and her heart crushed instantly.

"Ellie, baby please talk to me." Stella placed a gentle hand on her shoulder as she crept up onto the small window frame.

"I can't." Ellie's voice broke as the girl shattered into a million pieces. Rivers of tears flowed down her face as she stood up, making hopeless attempts to wipe them off her face but they immediately made a reappearance. She shook her head frantically as she paced away from the window. Her hand clutched into her heart, her mouth catching short pieces of oxygen. "I can't. I can't do it anymore."

Stella rose to her feet.

"I can't keep living like this. Everyone dies. Everyone around me dies. I just- I..." Ellie struggles against the heavy sobs, craving a breath of air. The girl crashes and breaks into a million heart-shattering sobs.
Stella didn't hesitate before hurrying up to her, her arms desperate to wrap comfort around the girl who lay fragmented on the floor, her body shaking under Stella's arms.

Her sobs transformed into grave cries that left Stella's heart to falter.

"First Mom, then Patrica, Jimmy, Dad, and now Tristan." Ellie cried. "Now Beth could be as well. I can't take it anymore. I just can't. I can't lose anyone else. I want to be strong. I try. But I need my family."

The girl's voice broke at the last word, sending an instant stab into Stella's stomach. "Ellie, listen to me." The girl cupped her face, almost forcing her to look at her. "You're strong. You're so strong. We all look up to your bravery. You've been through so much and you've made it out on the other end. That proves just how strong you are."

"I can't do it anymore, Stella. It hurts so much. Every part of me hurts."

"Yes, you can Ellie. Please don't talk like that." Stella had ruptured into a fist of tears without even noticing. The scene was all too similar to something she'd seen before. At the farm with Beth.

Stutters and fragments of words that Ellie tried to string together into sentences were muffled by her loud cries. Stella even felt her own tears drip down her face as she watched the girl break into her arms. They didn't say much after that. Ellie just remained in Stella's arms, crying until she felt completely numb and empty. Stella's arms gave her no comfort. For her, it felt like there was no more comforting feeling left in this world. Even if she would've been given the chance of a moment of peace she knew that it would be taken from her. Nothing lasted forever. No one did.

_____ ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ _____
𝟏𝟖𝟏𝟎 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬
_____ ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ _____

𝐀/𝐍
I didn't proofread this but this is so so sad