In a world taken over by walkers, ten-year-old Elodie fights to survive each day. But she's not just any survivor-she's a girl who happens to be hard of hearing. Her older brother Jamie isn't exactly supportive. In fact, he's downright cold, leaving...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
〰
Since the first light of dawn had seeped through the thin fabric of the tent, Elodie lay still in a sleeping bag, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. She felt as though she had barely slept at all, her mind still racing from the events two nights ago.
After her tent had been ruined and Daryl had managed to pull Elodie off Jamie's body, Lori had taken her to her and Rick's tent. It was the only option now; Elodie couldn't sleep in her own tent. They were all cramped up in the small space, Elodie almost pressed against Carl while Rick and Lori huddled together.
Elodie had taken her hearing aids off, shutting out the world around her. She didn't know if any of the Grimes had tried to talk to her, and truthfully, she didn't care. She didn't want to hear their snores, didn't want to hear how they slept while she laid awake. The haunting image of Jamie clouded her mind, keeping her awake all night.
Now, Lori and Rick had left the tent to help bury the bodies, or maybe burn them. Elodie didn't really know. She hoped they were going to bury them all. Even the walkers. They were once people too, until another walker bit them. They deserved to be buried, too, Elodie thought.
Elodie wondered where her mother was. She had gone with Rick's group to get Merle, but Elodie hadn't seen him when everyone got back. She figured she should have seen him, because he always liked to make a scene. But she didn't see him, so that probably meant they didn't manage to bring Merle back. Maybe he died.
Maybe she had missed her mother in the chaos of the previous night, but she hadn't seen her. Even now, in the morning, her mother hadn't come to check on her. To see if she was alright. To comfort her about losing her brother, and a son. Elodie realized no one had even mentioned Catherine's name.
Her mother not being here probably meant she was dead. Just like Merle.
That thought alone made Elodie curl up into a ball, wrap her arms around her knees, and sob into her pillow.
〰
After another few hours, Elodie decided she had to get out of bed. The tent was getting too hot, and she could feel the sun beating down on them. Maybe a bit of fresh air would help cool her down.
She crawled out of the sleeping bag, rubbing her eyes. She knew they must be red and swollen from crying all night. A terrible headache throbbed in her temples, adding to her discomfort. She reached to the side, picked up her hearing aid, and put it on.
Standing up, she opened the tent flap-Rick had purposely left the zipper open-and winced as the bright sunlight hit her face. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the outside light.
The first thing she noticed was the empty space where her tent had been. It had been cleaned up and probably thrown away. It upset Elodie; it held one of the last memories of Jamie. And her doll was probably gone now, too. She scanned the area and saw a group of people standing by the cars, seemingly discussing something. Some had bags packed or placed at their feet. It looked like they were leaving.
