The Rest of your Life

Chapter 17

"Wait, what about you?"

"I'll be right there." Rick reassured. "Drop the lighter when I say. We'll stop some of them from reaching the house and distract the others, so at least we'll have a chance." Rick must have seen the petrified look on Rory's face as he leant down to her level. "Hey, hey, hey, look at me. You can do this."

Rory took a deep breath and nodded before turning and climbing the wooden ladders. She winced as Rick harshly banged on the wood, shouting to the dead as the opened the doors. He lead them further in before climbing the ladder himself.

"Rory, now!" She dropped the lighter and the reaction was immediate. The barn went up in flames. She clutched onto Ricks arm as he ushered her to the overhang that lead outside.

Rick grabbed the girl as gunshots echoed through the farm once more. He saw the RV and yelled at whoever was driving it to park up. "Put it right there! Come on!"

They both jumped onto the RV before climbing down, Rick first, firing at the approaching walkers. "Come on!" He helped Rory down before they were both running, again. As they ran past the front of the RV, they heard Jimmy screaming. The walkers had gotten him.

"There, head for the woods now, as fast as you can." Rick urged the girl as they dodged walkers left and right.

After a few minutes of running through the woods, they made it out by the house, spotting Hershel still there. Rick shot at a walker that almost made the older man it's dinner.

"Where's Lori? Did you see her or Carl?"

"I don't know what happened, Rick. They just keep coming." Hershel stated. "It's like a plague. They're everywhere."

"Lori, Carl! Did you see them?" Rick stressed, Rory gripping his sleeve tightly.

"No!" Hershel snapped.

"We have to go, Rick." Rory cried, tugging on the man's arm.

"It's my farm!" Hershel argued.

"Not anymore!" Rory ran to the car as Rick dragged Hershel. They climbed in and sped off quickly. Rory whimpering at all of the walkers in their path.

The car was silent, just the quiet rumbling of the engine. Rory sat back in her seat and closed her eyes and fiddled with the necklace around her neck... this couldn't be happening.

•••

It was day by the time they made it back to the highway, back to where they had left supplies for Sophia. Rory dragged herself out of the car sluggishly, and looked around.

"Where's Lori?" She questioned. "You said she'd be here... we gotta go back for her."

"Rory—"

"No. Why are we running? What are you doing? It's.. its Lori... she's-she's mom." Rory stressed. "They already got dad, we need to get her and Carl, and not be safe a mile away."

"Shh. You need to be quiet, alright? Please." Rick uttered, placing a comforting hand on Rory's shoulder.

"Please..." the child pleaded.

"Rory, listen." Rick started, only for Rory to harshly shrug off his hand and storm away. Rory took deep breaths as she leaned against the hood of a car, ignoring the bickering of Rick and Hershel behind her.

She faced the hood of the car and took out one of her knives and began calving shapes into the metal. Anything to not think about her dead dad.

•••

"I don't know how much longer we can stay here." Hershel whispered as the three hid from a walker.

"I... I'm not leaving without Lori or Carl." Rory pressed, looking to Rick.

"So we're just gonna walk away?" Rick hissed to Hershel. "Not knowing if my wife, our children are still out there? How do we live with that?"

"You've only got one concern now... just one..." Hershel started. "Keeping her alive. She doesn't have anyone else left. Nature may be throwing us a curveball, but that law is still true."

Rory felt dread pool in her gut as Rick crouched and looked her in the eyes. "Rory... it's not safe here... I'm sorry. We'll..." Rick trailed off as they heard a sound in the distance.

Rory lifted her head and strained her ears. It was Daryl's motorcycle. Rick stood us as Daryl approached with Carol on his back. Then another car, and another. The three of them ran over to greet the group. Daryl and Rick shook hands as Rory bolted to Lori with a cry.

"Oh, thank god!" The woman exclaimed as Rory slammed into her. She briefly heard Carl reuniting with his father before Rick then came over to Lori.

"Where'd you find everyone?"

"We'll, those guys' tail lights zigzagging all over the road... figured he had to be Asian, driving like that." Daryl joked.

"Good one." Glenn scoffed with a smile.

"Where's the rest of us?" Daryl questioned.

"We're the only ones that made it so far." Rick clarified.

"Shane?" Lori asked. The only response she got was a small cry from the girl latching onto her. She got the message and held the girl tighter. Rick felt his heart tear a little.

"Andrea?" Glenn spoke after a moment of silence, many people looking to the child Lori was holding in pity.

"She saved me, then I lost her." Carol mentioned.

"We saw her go down." T-Dog said grimly.

"Patricia?" Hershel spoke up.

"They got her too." Beth choked out, Maggie holding her tighter as they both hugged their father. "Took her right from me. I was... I was holdin' onto her, daddy. She just... what about Jimmy? Did you see Jimmy?"

Rick nodded before looking to the girl. "He was in tbe RV. It got overrun."

"You definitely saw Andrea?" Carol enquired, looking around for an answer.

"There were walkers everywhere." Lori started, shifting to stand with Rory, the girl refusing to let go.

"Did you see her?" Carol insisted. After a moment of silence, Daryl spoke up.

"I'm gonna go back."

"No." Rick stated.

"We can't just leave her." Daryl accused, holding onto the handles of his vehicle.

"We don't even know if she's there." Lori reasoned softly, rubbing Rory's back.

"She isn't there. She isn't." Rick was quick to say. "She's somewhere else, or she's dead. There's no way to find her."

"So we're not even gonna look for her?" Glenn gaped.

"We gotta keep moving." Rick answered. "There have been walkers crawling all over here."

"I say head east." T-Dog spoke up.

"Stay off the main roads." Daryl nodded while loading his crossbow and walking forwards. "The bigger the road, the more walkers, more assholes like this one. I got him." With that, he shot a bolt in between the things eyes.

After collecting the rations they had left out for Sophia, they began piling into cars. Rory with Rick, Lori and Carl as she refused to stay away from the small family. She didn't want to lose anyone else.

•••
I haven't slept in so long... the insomnia stays winning 🤺🤺

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