The End

Chapter 16

Hershel was right. The way the world was now, there were bigger things to have on one's mind. As I finally came to the realization that I was being completely ridiculous, I grabbed my backpack and headed downstairs. As I descended the staircase, I saw a few eyes shift my way. Rick was still in the kitchen keeping a close eye outside. I headed to the kitchen. Daryl was by the back door, attempting to clean his crossbow. I was going to have to apologize to him eventually. Although most of the remarks I had exchanged with him, he deserved. I would need to nevertheless. If I was going to stay with them, I had to make peace with them both. I stood against the entrance of the kitchen and crossed my arms. I cleared my throat and Rick turned around.

"I uh...I want to apologize," I started.

"Amelia, you don't have to..." he said.

But I cut him off.

"Rick. Please. I want to apologize for the way I acted and for what I said. The way the world is now, there's no time to hold grudges. We have to stick together in order to survive. I'm glad I found you. I am. Because that means that I don't have to live in this world on my own. I can see that now. Will you forgive me?" I said.

"Of course I will. But there was no need to apologize. I'm not upset about how you acted or what you said. You had every right to say those things. I understand that gaining back my trust is something that you're still gonna need some time getting back," he started.

"Just don't lie to me. Be straightforward and I'll trust you," I said.

He put his hands on his hips.

"Fair enough. You should know then," he responded.

"Know what?" I asked him.

"The virus...we all carry it," he said.

"What? You're kidding right?" I said in disbelief.

"No. It doesn't matter how you die, you come back as a walker," he said.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. We all carried this virus. How could that be?

"How do you know that?" I asked him.

"We met a doctor at the CDC. He said that we all carry it. I didn't believe him at first but then the things that we've been through...and the things we've seen...it's true," he said.

"Shit. You all have been through a lot haven't you?" I asked.

"Yeah. And so have you. Which is exactly why we need to stick together. You're right," he said.

I looked at him. This was it. I had found the rest of my family and that was something I couldn't let go of. It was something that I had to hold on to with all my might.

"Well, looks like you're gonna be stuck with me then," I said.

He smiled and came over to me. He hugged me and I hugged him back. There was some movement outside. We both parted and looked out the window. It was just the wind rustling through the trees. We relaxed. I turned and saw Daryl standing with his crossbow in hand.

"False alarm," Rick said.

Daryl gave a nod and headed back to where he was.

"I should go apologize to him since we're stuck with one another, huh?" I said to Rick.

"It wouldn't hurt," he said.

I sighed and headed to the back door. Daryl was sitting down working with his crossbow again. I slowly made my way to him. He didn't looked up when I came into view.

"So, I'm sorry for the way I acted and what I said to you, Mr. Dixon," I said.

"Ain't like I give a shit," he said.

"Well since I'm staying, I felt I needed to apologize," I said.

"Ain't you a peach," he scoffed.

"Okay. You want to be an asshole about it? Fine. I did what I came to do so there," I said turning to head back to the living room.

What the hell was wrong with that guy? He had a stick up his ass or something. Whatever. I'd do my best to ignore him. The man named T-Dog was looking out one of the glassless windows. Lori was sitting down next to Carl and Carol. Hershel was with his two daughters and Glenn. I knelt down next to Lori.

"How are you feeling?" I asked her.

"I'm good now. But as my belly gets bigger...that'll be something else," she responded.

"How far along are you?" I asked.

"About a month," she replied.

"I wish I had some more food," I said.

"What you had was enough. Believe me. We'll just have to search for more. One day at a time," she said.

"If you don't mind me asking, why does Rick not seem all enthusiastic about being a father again?" I asked her.

She looked up at Rick and then back at me. There was something going on. That look alone spoke volumes.

"He is. He's just, worried we won't find a safe place to have the baby," she said softly.

"We'll find a place," I said reaching for her hand.

"We will," I said again squeezing her hand gently.

She smiled at me and I smiled back. There was some moaning in the distance. I turned to look at Rick.

"There's a herd. We've gotta move," he said.

And without another word, the group grabbed hold of their belongings and we were off. We headed to the cars. We packed our things in the back and squeezed in. I went with Lori, Rick, Carl and T-Dog. Hershel, his girls, Glenn and Carol went in another car and Daryl hopped onto his motorcycle. We took off right as the walkers reached the house. I looked back at that house. I was no longer going to be alone. No more losing my mind with the silence. This wasn't the end. This was a new beginning.