All That's Left (The Walking Dead FanFiction)

Chapter 19

Eli scoops me off the ground and we begin making our way back to the house. He holds me close to his chest and I hate the feeling of being this close to him, but I’m too exhausted to argue. All I want to do is go home.

I need to stop this. I need to stop putting myself in situations like these with Eli. I need to tell Daryl or Jonah about Eli and everything he’s done. Jonah might not believe me right away, but I know Daryl would. Daryl would kill him. Am I ready for that? Can I handle another person dying because of me?

My thoughts are racing, making me even more exhausted than I need to be. Trees blur past as Eli carries me home. Despite my eyes wanting to close, I try to focus on the sounds around us, making sure there’s no walkers. I don’t trust Eli and I have no doubt he’d leave me to die if we ended up running into one.

We make it back to the house so quickly that I realize I must have dozed off because there’s no way we could have made it back that fast. Eli sets me on the counter and I feel like I’m reliving what happened a few days ago when Eli made my hands bleed when he knocked me off the counter.

“I’ll go get Jonah,” Eli says before turning to leave.

“And Daryl,” I call after him.

He makes no indication of whether or not he’s heard me and I’m not about to make sure he did.

My cheek starts throbbing; the pain in my foot has traveled up my leg. My lower back aches. And my hands are stinging. My entire body screams at me. I need ibuprofen or something to dull the pain because I’m not sure how much longer I can bare it.

“You all right?” Daryl enters the room with Sam on his hip, Jonah and Becca following close behind.

“Yeah, I just stepped on one of those traps,” I answer.

Jonah removes my shoe, takes my sock off, and begins examining my injured foot.

“Why’s your cheek red?” Daryl asks as he takes a step closer to me.

This is it. I could tell him everything. But I know he’d kill Eli without even thinking twice about it, and Becca’s here – I can’t have her watching while her uncle dies. And Jonah’s here. Daryl would probably end up getting hurt too. The timing isn’t right.

“When I stepped in the trap, I fell.”

Using his fingertips, Daryl gingerly touches the mark on my cheek. I flinch at his touch and he instantly draws his hand away.

“I don’t think it’s broken. I wish we could ice it somehow.” Jonah stands up to meet my eyes.

“The pain will eventually go away though right?” I ask.

He nods. “It should. I’ll get you a few ibuprofen.”

I glance around the room and happen to make eye contact with Becca. She wears this sympathetic expression on her face and her eyes are wide, like she’s trying to tell me something without wanting to speak.

Jonah walks back into the room, giving me a bottle of water and few pills.

“You should get some rest,” Jonah suggests in an authoritative tone. “The body can heal itself faster while asleep.”

Realizing I’ll have to be carried up the stairs and Eli will most likely offer, I instantly try to make that not happen. “Jonah, can you carry me upstairs?”

“Sure.” He slides his hand underneath my knees as I wrap my arms around his neck. He begins carrying me to my room and I feel so much safer with him than Eli. I wish I had asked Daryl but with Sam in his arms it made more sense to ask Jonah.