Aurora Rhee. She's got the smarts and determination from her father (Glenn), but the sassiness from her mother (Maggie). Due to the apocalypse, she lost her father when she was 10. Even though they were separated, her mother took her back to her gra...
"Who's that, dad?" I asked when we watched a car, RV, and a motorcycle approaches our farm.
"The rest of my group," dad tells me.
"T-dog, go get Rick and Lori," Shane orders. T-dog nodded and ran off only to return with Lori and Rick.
"How is he?" An older man with a sun hat and Hawaiian shirt asked.
"He'll pull through. Thanks to Hershel and his people," Lori said nodded.
"And Shane," Rick added. And Otis. I'm still crushed he didn't return. He was family. "We'd have lost Carl if not for him." Everybody came over to hug the two parents.
"How'd it happen?" Dale asked.
"Hunting accident. That's all. Just a stupid accident," Rick said. Everybody nodded.
"Come on, it's time for Otis's funeral," mom said sadly, pulling me towards where he was buried. I looked back to make sure dad was here, not wanting him to leave.
"I'm here, Rori," dad said when he noticed I was looking at him. I smiled and stopped walking.
"Blessed be god, father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Jeremy stepped forward to add a rock to the pile. I guess it's our way of paying our respect since we didn't have flowers. "Praise be to him, for the gift of our brother Otis. For his span of years, for his abundance of character; Otis, who gave his life to save a child's, now more than ever, our most precious asset. We thank you, god, for the peace he enjoys in your embrace. He died as he lived, in grace. Shane, will you speak for Otis?" Nobody said anything as they awaited Shane's answer.
"I'm not good at it. I'm sorry," Shane replied gruffly.
"You were the last one with him. You shared his final moments. Please. I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning," a crying Patricia said. I leaned into dad sadly. In return, dad wrapped his arms around me.
"Okay," Shane mumbled with his mouth hanging wide open. "We were about done. Almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols by then. I was limping. It was bad. Ankle all swollen up. 'We've got to save the boy.' See, that's what he said. He gave me his backpack. He shoved me ahead. 'Run,' he said. He said, 'I'll take the rear. I'll cover you." And when I looked back...If not for Otis, I'd have never made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. It was Otis. He saved us both. If any death ever had meaning, it was his."
Part of me wanted to believe Shane, but the other part didn't. Otis was a kind man. He really was. But I almost feel like Otis would never do that.
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I stood a little away from Rick's group, helping dad set up tents.
"Are you gonna be sleeping inside with Mom? Or are you gonna sleep outside with your group?" I asked dad.
