Afraid of Being Alive (Shane Walsh Love Story)

Chapter 12: Time is Running Out

It was still only slightly light outside, so it would be relatively safe to wander a way for only a little. We never got any dead-ones up this far so none of us in the camp were too worried about one of those things stumbling across. The real reason that I wanted to leave for a bit was so that I could make a flower chain for Amy. We were always out on the lookout sitting in the flowers talking with each other and playing with the Cards Against Humanity set that I had created for Zelda and I a year ago or so. The only flowers up on the lookout were now either closed or daisies, so a daisy chain would have to do. I picked a sufficient amount of daisies for the chain and weaved them together to create the flower crown that I would present to Amy in advance as I wasn’t too sure how long these flowers would last without water.

I put the flower crown happily on the top of my head to try it on and giggled as I took it off, looking at my lovely little creation and thinking of Amy’s reaction when she sees it.
All of a sudden, I heard tortured screams from a voice that I knew too well to recognise as being Amy’s.
Startled, I dropped the flower crown onto the floor. Amy’s yell wasn’t the only one I heard. Soon, the noise from the campsite was getting ridiculously loud for someone to have just maybe spilt something or done something equally as clumsy. No, these screams were panic driven.
I bolted back to the camp, abandoning my flower crown and leaving it perfectly woven on the floor.

As soon as I arrived back at the campsite, a terrifying horror awaited me. The campsite was flooded with hysteria, people screaming and worst of all, people being attacked. As I ran into the campsite I saw shots being fired.
“Amy!” I screamed, not being able to locate my friend.
“ZELDA!” I yelled louder this time, now worried for my best friend and practically sister.
“FUCKING HELL! AMY! ZELDA!” I wailed, tears now welling up in my eyes as dead-ones roamed the area, rambling along and sinking their teeth into unfamiliar camp goers.
I decided that I would take cover in the RV to escape the panic. I felt around in my pocket for my handgun but couldn’t feel it anywhere. I knew I had to make a run for it and take my chances.

As I ran over to the RV I saw a blonde woman on her knees holding her arm which had a giant chunk bitten out of it with a dead-one sinking its teeth into the hollow of her neck, tearing out the skin and chewing on it enthusiastically. Blood poured from the area around her collar bone and it couldn’t be stopped. I don’t know how I didn’t notice this in the first place, but I knew who this person was. I saw the blood oozing down her favourite star scattered pale pink top. I saw the stains on her stressed jeans. As she dropped to the floor, still screaming and in agonizing pain, she rolled onto her back and her face was clear. The person who had just been attacked was Amy. Tears began to stream down my face as I watched her dying right in front of me, her body writhing in pain.
“AMY NO!!!!!” I screamed, “FUCK NO NO NO AMY!!! AAAMMMYYYY!!!”
The dead-one refused to stop biting into her and I wanted her suffering to end. I picked up a stick nearby and hurled it at the dead-one, which no doubt drew the things attention right over to me.

ZELDA’S POV

Shane and I ran at what felt like Super-human speed, both of our arms and legs working to their maximum potential. Although the apocalypse had thinned me down drastically, I still had my muscles and was still able to use them.

By the time we had arrived at the campsite, the hysteria had almost ceased. I pulled out my handgun and looked over by the RV where I saw a dead-one converging on Lola.
“NO!” I screamed as I aimed the gun at the dead-one that latched onto my baby girl and fired the shot right through its head. The dead-one had a grip on Lola’s black button up shirt as it fell to the ground, the fact that the dead-one was still holding onto her top causing some of the buttons around her stomach to pop open, the buttons popping right out of their seams due to the dead-ones superior force.

I witnessed a body fallen on the ground, now that the dead-one was well and truly out of the way, I could see Lola kneeling beside it and Andrea rushing straight over. I couldn’t tell who it was from here, but I knew it was one of ours. I also knew that whoever it was wasn’t going to make it.

Shane fired the last few shots that were needed to well and truly eradicate every single dead-one that rambled at the campsite, making it accessible for the two of us that were hidden behind a couple of bushes trying to avoid the madness. As soon as everything was quite, I thrust my hand down to meet Shane’s, giving his hand a big squeeze.
“Oh my god…” I whispered, biting my lip to try and stop myself from crying. “how could this happen?”
“Let’s get out of here.” Hissed Shane as he helped me up from behind the bushes and lead me over to where everyone appeared to be gathered around the dying body by the RV.

As Shane and I approached the body, I saw it’s face come into view, with Andreas head only slightly blocking what I could see. I had enough information by now to see that the dead body belonged to Amy who was still alive but in obviously unbearable pain.
“Oh god! Oh god!” wailed Andrea as she cupped her sisters face in her hands. She then tried to clamp her hands over where her sister was bleeding but she knew it was a lost cause. This was a very touchy sight to see and I didn’t like it one bit.
“Oh god, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do.” Cried Andrea as she brought her hands back up to her sister’s face. I looked over to Lola who was sobbing and on her knees down at Amy’s feet. The sight of the two girls like this brought me to tears as a loud sob escaped my lips.
“Shhhh… Shh, it’s okay.” Breathed Shane as the waterworks came into my play, my tears taking a casual run down my cheeks as he dropped his shotgun on the ground and pulled me into an embrace, his strong hands holding my face kindly into his chest for comfort, “Don’t look baby.”
He'd never called me that before, not like he had a reason to previously, but it was nice to hear him say this. It made me feel wanted; needed. In a world like this, we need little reasons like this to keep going. Out in this horrible world, we weren't living for ourselves anymore: we were living for the sakes of our loved ones.
I could hear Amy crying as her sister continued to weep.
“Oh, Amy.” Sniffled Andrea as she stroked her sisters face.
I could hear Amy gagging and gurgling as though she were choking, but I was too afraid to look at the sight that was no doubt in front of me.
“I don’t know what to do… Amy.” Mumbled Andrea. The loud sound of Lola’s treacherous sobs echoed around the campsite.
I lifted my head and took a peek to see Amy’s hand on Andrea’s face, sliding weakly down until her hand fell back limp onto her body.
"Amy baby, no, stay with me honey." sobbed Andrea.
"Andr-" choked Amy before her eyes fluttered closed and no longer opened. She was gone. Amy was dead.