Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
not ready to say goodbye. ( original scene )
layna had been with her mother ruth and daughter kaia when the outbreak occurred. they were perfectly content with staying in their little cottage until it passed through when walkers smashed their window open and realized this was the world now. they had traveled from place to place for a while, hoping to survive, and it worked. for a while, at least.
ruth had just gotten home from a nasty run. she ran into a few walkers and nearly didn't make it. layna was in her room with her eight-year-old when her mother yelled out saying she was home and was going to rest on the couch for a bit. not wanting to disturb her, she said it was alright and stayed in her room. layna wasn't too concerned until she heard groans from the living room while playing with her daughter.
"mom?" she called out, nervous. the only thing she got in response was more groans. putting her daughter onto the bed with a toy and telling her to stay put, she cautiously stepped out of the room, and into the long hallway. before she could enter the living room, her mother jumped out in front of her. startled, she jumps back putting a hand on her chest, while taking deep breaths with her eyes shut. "oh my god, you scared the shit out of-"
before she could finish her sentence, the older women attacked layna. only now had the girl realized how different her mother looked.
her once soft, tan skin was now a light gray and falling apart. her eyebags that were once almost non-existent were much more prominent than before. her hair was more tangled and messy than it had been. her clothes were ripped and bloody, making a bite mark visible. meaning only one thing. a walker had got her.
taking a shaky breath, she slowly walked backward, leading her mother into the kitchen and grabbing a knife in her left hand. still walking, the girl ran into a counter, causing her to slip and fall onto the hard floor. ruth had gotten closer and closer, and when she was able to, layna pushed her mother away from her with her right forearm to her neck.
"mommy, please." she whimpered. yesterday her mother was perfectly fine. they attempted to teach kaia uno, though it was more layna playing for the girl and herself, that didn't stop the laughs and giggles coming from everyone. now the 49-year-old was grabbing and biting at her daughter on the floor. closing her eyes, she pushed her mom farther away from her, still keeping the weapon tight in her grasp, "please stop."
layna kept begging her mother to stop and come back to her as if she hadn't been bit. as if she hadn't already turned. as if she wasn't already gone.
opening her eyes, she finally realized how close her mother was. they were now only inches apart, and only now had layna gotten a whiff of ruth decaying body. sobbing even harder, she gripped the knife more tightly than before, and slowly raised it.
"i'm sorry mom," she sobbed, "i'm so so sorry. please forgive me."
shoving the knife into her mother's skull, blood splattered across her face, only making her want to sob more. when the body had fallen onto her, she didn't make any effort to move it off of her, not that she had the energy or strength to.
she felt like her heart was being torn apart and stomped on. she'd never felt pain like this before. not when she broke her arm when she was ten, not when her best friend kissed her crush when she was twelve, not when her parent got divorced when she was four, not even when her grandmother passed from cancer when she was fourteen.
shoving her mother's body off, she landed next to her with a thud. ruth and layna were always best friends. when she was little, their favorite season was always fall. they spent most of their days at the pumpkin patch, with big coats on, and red cheeks. and when layna and her friends would get into arguments, ruth would drive them out and talk until layna forgot all about them. she wasn't ready to say goodbye yet.
"mommy?" she heard, making her turn her attention away from her mother, and to the entrance of the kitchen. standing there was her daughter, a confused look on her face.
"kai..." layna mumbled confusedly. she stood up and stumbled over to her daughter and picked her up, almost looking drunk, "how'd you get out sweetheart?"
taking one last look at her mother on the floor, she quickly walked back to the bedroom she shared with her daughter, and placed her on the bed. moving fast, she grabbed her backpack off the floor and packed the very few items she took with her. when the incident happened back at their home, ruth made sure they took as little of things as possible, not wanting the weight of their bags to slow them down.
"mama, what are you doing?" kaia tilted her head, not understanding why her grandmother was napping on the floor, and why her mother, who was covered in blood, was frantically packing her bag.
"um, shit." layna paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to say, "we have to leave, it's not safe here anymore, kai."
"what about grandma?"
"she's gonna stay here and rest while we get to safety, alright baby?" layna wished she didn't have to lie to her daughter, but her priority at the moment was getting out of the house as quickly and safely as possible, and if lying to her daughter to prevent slowing them down and walkers hearing her cries was needed, she would lie about anything.
picking up her daughter's small bag, she packed the few toys that kai insisted they brought, her clothes, and her extra pair of shoes and put in on kaia's back. "alright kai, i need you to stay as quiet as possible when we get outside, can you do that for me?"
"yes, mommy."
"alright, let's go."
layna put her backpack on quickly and turning around so her daughter could hop on her back. when she was all situated, layna slowly opened the bedroom door. she listened for any noises, in case her mother somehow woke up. hearing nothing, she crept into the hallway, putting her daughter's head into her neck when passing the kitchen, and exited the house.
kaia who was now walking on her own, held her mother's hand while they walked along the side of the road they found. they hadn't been walking long, but the two girls were tired. mainly emotionally, but physically as well.
looking up ahead, layna noticed a car slowly stopping a few feet away from them. noticing the car door opening, the girl put her daughter behind her waiting for the people to get out of the car.
making eye contact with the only girl of the group, she loosened her grip on her daughter in shock, "rosita?"
