gone are the days of white picket fence dreams. just another thing of the past. one of the many to be chewed up and spit out. hallowed out and bellied up. if there's one thing this fuckin' world gets an award for it's finding all the nooks and crannies of life and sucking it dry to the core. back when shit used to go wrong before the outbreak tess would shrug her shoulders, offer a half-based smirk, and say 'that's just life.' because it was. life. nothing but a simple word back then. just something they used to live. so quick was she to skip right passed the little moments, forgetting they, too, were a part of the grand ole life, even if they didn't seem worthy enough to be given the luxury. now those little things are all she can see when she closes her eyes. she wouldn't dare to utter as much to a person as far as she could spit now. hell, she'd rather be dead than naive while walking a damn day in these shoes.
“ you ever have a white picket fence? ” small talk is better than silence. except when it feels like your heart is beating its boned cage to shame. six feet from continuing to breathe or choking on your last breath. have enough of those days and they start to feel normal. resists the urge to shrug her shoulders, offer a half-based smirk, and say 'that's just life.' sometimes she does, just for the thrill of it. can't change it so you might as well make it work for ya.
her eyes don't quite meet @careol's. it feels too personal of a question really. nearly kicks herself for asking, but she's learned she can get away with the poking and prodding if she keeps an iron grip on her composure and shit, she's become a real damn master at that. not second nature. first nature. “ first one i've seen fully in tact for miles. ” miles is the nice estimate. days would paint a better picture. maybe weeks. it reminds her to keep her guard up. nothing looks so pretty these days without someone around to keep it up to date. / sc.