𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐎𝐍 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 | 𝐭𝐰𝐝 ¹

38.

   Running away was something Nicole was good at. She always ran from her family. No matter what she always ended up running from the people she loved. She was 14 the first time she ran away, it was for two days with her first hookup. After that, it was with Dylan at the age of 17. They got married by her 18th Birthday. Nicole's whole life consisted of running away.

   This time was no different. Nicole scanned the sleeping faces of her family. Part of her felt so bad for leaving them, but she had to find Cheyanne. It was a damn near impossible task but it was something she had to do. Walker or alive, she would hold to her promise.

   Slowly, Nicole stood from her sitting position. The fire was nothing more than dying embers. She could see the glow across everyone's faces. Nicole began treading away from the ruined building toward their cars as quietly as she could. She didn't want to alert of freak anyone out.

   Her footsteps were quiet and precise; something that she picked up from Daryl. Nicole thought that she'd miss him the most. They were the closest to each other in the group. Nicole reached to cars. She never picked up her bat when she dropped it at the highway.

   No one ever gave it back but she knew that they wouldn't leave a perfectly good weapon lying in the middle of the road. Nicole searched in the Hyundai and found it lying underneath the backseat.

   Nicole sighed in relief as she pulled it from its place. She placed it on her shoulder and shut the door. "What're ya doin'?"

   Nicole jumped and held her bat up, ready to swing at the sudden voice. It was so dark, but she could pick out Daryl's silhouette. "I'm leaving," Nicole whispered as she looked toward the ruins.

   "The hell you are," Daryl spat as he stepped forward. Daryl didn't want her to go. "You aren't gonna go anywhere."

   Nicole scoffed. "Not really your choice, Daryl." Nicole adjusted her bat on her shoulder. This was why she didn't want anyone to wake up, so she could leave in the middle of the night with issues.

   "Why?"

   Nicole's eyes teared up, none fell, but they teared up. "I told her that I would find her, Daryl." Nicole choked on her tears. "I promised her."

   "There's no way to find her, Nik," Daryl spoke softly as he stepped forward. Even in the pitch black, Daryl could see the tears shimmering in her eyes.

   "Daryl, I have to." Nicole felt a tear slip from her left eye. "One of the last things I did was yell at her," Nicole began sobbing. "I should've let her help." Her heart started aching and her lungs began tightening. "If I had, she would still be here."

   Daryl shook his head. "Nik, no. Ya did what any rational parent would do," he muttered, placing his hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault."

   Nicole broke and started crying; she pulled Daryl into a hug. At first, Daryl was stiff but he then loosed and hugged her back. "Daryl, it's my fault." Daryl remained silent, holding her close. He hated affection but with her it was different. They felt safe in each others touch. "I have to find her."

   Daryl pulled away and wiped a tear from her cheek. "What if, ya stay here with us and I help ya search for her and leave signs," he offered, looking dead in her eye. "It's not safe out there on yer own anymore."

   Nicole stared up at him for a few moments. "Please, Nicole. I need ya," Daryl pleaded, gently stroking the side of her face with his thumb. Nicole thought for a moment before nodding.

   "Okay," she whispered. "We'll find her together."

   "Together."

hey y'all. this is the final chapter of common ground and i'm so sad but also excited because this starts up a whole new era of nicole allegro. i'm excited to officially announce that common ground will have a sequel. i'm not gonna reveal the name just yet, but you're gonna love the drastic character development in the next book. hopefully, i will be start posting the sequel by new years. please keep this story in your library because i will eventually edit and i will announce the sequel on... hmm... maybe christmas? as my present to you since i can't give you all individually one :) thank you for sticking through this wild ride of a story. i know it's not the best but you stuck it out and you deserve a massive thank you. also, please participate in my contest. i haven't had any entries yet :/ if there is a problem, please dm me. anyway, please comment and vote. you can still get a shout-out. the final chapters dedications go to MaCat17, @bethanysummers01 and @amxranthine who all added CG to a reading list. thank you all so much for reading. i will be back with a final farewell tomorrow. i love you all. stay safe, make good choices. peaceee -erin