Austin...where is he? It's been a while since I have seen him. Oh, right...he's...dead. Reality finally sinks into my mind as I open my eyes, viewing the dark store filled with tiered, sleeping people. The small light reflecting off the moon is the only source allowing me to see where I'm walking. I step over people, careful not to awake them as they huddle up with their family and friends. I head to the front of the store, my eyes carefully watching the dark figure standing outside of the building.
I open the door softly, careful not to make any noise. I faintly see the figure turn around and face me, standing as if they're rest to attack.
"Oh, Nicole. Sorry, I didn't see ya there.," Saywer's soft voice speaks, filling me with relief. He lets out a sigh, turning back around. I realize what he must be thinking about: Austin. I softly walk up next to him, placing my hand comfortingly on his right arm. I barely can see as he uncrosses his arms, looking over to me in the darkness of the night.
"I'm sorry...I miss him too.," I say as I unexpectedly pull him into a hug. He tenses up for a moment before he realizes what I'm doing. He returns the favor as he too embraces me, locking his arms tightly around my back. Without another word, we pull apart, gazing out in the distance in search of something we know we will never find--safety.
Sawyer and I watch as the sky barely gains light, telling us sunrise was approaching soon. Although the sun is out of sight, I feel relief, for we have survived yet another day.
"You getting hungry?," Sawyer asks, looking over to me with his eager blue eyes.
"You're always thinking about foo-" I am cut off by the screams of people inside of the small shop. "Aw, what now!," I groan as I bolt towards the entrance. The room is still barely lit, the night still clinging on to its last moments of life.
"A herd!," someone screams, pushing their way though the startled crowd of people. I look in shock as I see a group of rotting, flesh devouring walkers breaking in through the back of the store. The screams of the people seem to draw even more; walkers one by one begin to feed in through the front too. Rick and a few others are yelling out directions to evacuate as they kill the walking corpses.
The touch of a hand on my shoulder brings me back into reality as I ten around to see the half rotting away face attempting to steal my flesh for breakfast. I react quickly, kicking its legs so it can fall to the floor. Once it hits the ground, I stomp on its head, remembering the Governor kept most of our weapons.
I race for safety behind the front desk of the shop, using it as shelter from the dead. More light begins to fill the room, allowing me to see Glenn and Maggie clearing the way in the front so they can make an escape route for everyone.
"Crap!," I whisper angrily to myself as I see a walker limp towards me from the entrance of the counter I'm hiding in. I maneuver around it, heading for a hallway in the back of the store as several more have spotted me. Ryan and George stand in the hallway too, fighting off walkers. I gnash my teeth in frustration as I realize I am cornering myself.
"In here!," George yells, directing us into a room as fast as possible. I look around for the light switch as they barricade the door. Once I turn on the lights, I look around to see that we are stuck in a one-person bathroom with nowhere else to go but the load of walkers waiting to devour our flesh.
"Ah dang it!," Ryan yells as he locks the door. "This door isn't going to hold much longer!," he finishes as he continues to hold the door with his body, taking away any hope for survival I carry.
"It sounds like most of them know we are here.," George says solemnly, assisting Ryan with holding the door.
"Good, then they won't hurt my wife.," Ryan says, a sign of giving up breaking through his voice.
"No, we can still make it!," I say, walking up to the door. I help hold it closed, hoping they would go away soon. Damn wood doors won't hold them out. I sigh, pushing my back up against the door as I conserve my strength in case I make it out alive and need it later. I gasp as a hand breaks through the wood of the door to the right of my face. I panic, leaping up so it won't infect me by scratching me. I grab the hand and bend it back, breaking the arm. Once the limb is lifeless, I shove it back through the door, returning to help keep it closed. Crappy wooden doors; they can't even hold a walker.
"Get down!," I hear Ryan scream as he grabs me, shoving me down to the floor. I lay in silence as he shields me with his body as the sound of an explosion fills my ears. Suddenly, it gets all quiet. An annoying ring soon comes to my attention as I see Ryan get off of me. I lay there, looking up as I see the door blown to pieces, along with the walkers. A muffled voice soon comes to my attention as I look up and see a teenager from Woodbury, and Rick standing in the doorway.
Although I hear them drilling me to stand up, I just lay there, the ringing in my ears still clear. I watch as Rick sees me unresponsive so he walks over, bending down to pull me up. He puts my right arm around his shoulder, helping me walk. I see Ryan and George quickly follow behind. I see the teenager more clearly as we head towards the front of the store. I can't quite place his name, but I remember him clearly. He is always trying to blow things up whenever he can. I always thought he was dumb and ignorant, but he just might have saved my life.
"Can you hear me?," Rick says as we exit the building. The sky is even brighter, but not completely. I look over at, his words more clear than they were before.
"Yeah.," I quietly say, standing up by myself to look at him. The ringing slowly does down, filling me with relief as I'm glad I didn't loose my hearing.
"We'll take ya to Hershel in a bit; he's looking over some people now first.," Rick says, walking away from me. I look around to see the people even more tiered and stressed than they were before. Sympathy feels my stomach. None of us deserve to be in a world like this!
Austin soon returns to my mind, my aching body reminding me of the world we live in. Pretty soon I'll end up like Austin--dead. Sooner or later all of us will end up like Austin.
"Hey, how are you doing?," Hershel's welcoming and warm voice speaks as I watch him crutch over to me, his one leg being the only thing allowing him to stand upright. I look up at him, giving him a small and quick smile.
"Yeah, I'm just a little tiered.," I say truthfully. To be honest, I'm more mentally exhausted than anything. Loosing Austin and being kicked out of the prison is just too much to process so quickly.
"Alright, we'll you rest, and let me know if ya need anything.," he says, giving me a smile before he crutches away. I sigh, laying down under the dim skies in the morning air. I wrap my arms around my chest in an attempt to conserve body heat. I am unable to sleep, the suspicion of a walker near by too high. I look around, the shopping center we all rest in slowly growing brighter by the second.
"Hey everyone, listen up," Rick says, speaking up over the small muffled sounds of the crowd. All the cries stop except for the cries of the younger children. I see Carl openly wrapping his arms around sobbing Kenzy, his face seeming more like an adult full of worry for their child. I can tell he really cares about her.
"What are we going to do?," a random voice speaks.
"Yeah!"
"We're going to die out here!," different voices speak, uprising against Rick. It angers me how they seem to blame Rick for this. It's not his fault the Governor happened.
"Hey!," Daryl yells, his deep, intimidating voice gushing the crowd. "First 'f all, yellin' at Rick ain't gonna solve anythin'! It'll only bring more walkers to 's. So I suggest you shut your darn trap and listen up to the man who has had all 'f our backs since the beginnin'!," he finishes, absorbing the crowd into his way of words. Daryl looks over at Rick and nods, stepping back to give him the spotlight. The group of people continues to stay quiet, Daryl's speech controlling their minds.
"Thank ya Daryl," Rick says softly, appreciation detectable in his tone. "Now listen up folks, we need to stick together! The more we drift apart, the more the Governor gets what he wants. And what he wants is for us to fall apart in this world and slowly die off. Now, do we want the Governor to get what he wants?," Rick pauses, waiting for the crowd to reply. The audience stays silent except for the small grunts and shaking of the head.
"But what are we going to do?," a small, calm voice speaks up, bringing Rick's eyes over to them.
"We are going to find somewhere safe. We are going to stick together. We are going to survive.," Rick finishes, using anaphora to draw in the crowd even more. They all cheer softly, not wanting to attract anymore walkers. Without anymore words, Rick looks at the people, motioning his head for them to get up.
"A'ight, lets get the rest 'f the supplies and move out!," Daryl instructs. I see everyone cautiously heading to the store we first rested in. The rest of the walkers in the herd have been blown up, so it remains clear for the time being. I too follow the group, pitching in my part to help carry supplies I possibly can. My duffel bag remains at the prison in the Governor's hands, making me more hateful to that man by the second.
"You okay?," Carol's sweet voice comes up from behind me. I turn around, holding several cans of food in my hands. I nod, giving her a side smile. She continues to carry a cheerful face as she too helps grab as much food as she can carry comfortably. We both head out, holding our share of food. I look around and see everyone holding food, supplies, and anything that can be used as a weapon.
"A'ight, we head for the nearest houses.," Daryl says, his mind blank of expression. He seems to be cold to the idea. Why is that; does he not want to find a house? Ignoring my thoughts, I decide to just listen and follow the crowd. I stay in the back, my pace slower than the rest due to my mind refusing to shut up. I might as well stray completely off course for all my mind cares.
"Hey, you alright?," a teenage girl waves her hand in front of my face, hoping to grasp my attention. I look up, seeing the group several yards ahead of me. I shake my head clear.
"Yeah, thanks.," I say as I rush on up ahead. I see Daryl's eyes full of confusion as he watches me catch up. I shakes his head, turning back around to help lead the group with Rick, killing each lone passing by walker. I roll my eyes, ignoring him. I begin to realize that I can't make any bonds with people. And the ones I have need to disappear. In a world like this, people are going to die, and I can't be making friends only to loose them. An acquaintance is all I'm going to create now with the group. I need to be able to separate myself if I need to.
"Quiet.," Rick states, walking into the nearest neighborhood. We are around a few miles away from the small shopping center, our feet aching from the extra obstacles we have to face. I watch as Rick points hand movements to Daryl and Glenn, instructing them to begin clearing out the stray walkers limping around the street. Daryl take Sawyer, Ryan, and Jenny with him as he heads down the left side of the street. Glenn takes Maggie, George, and a teenager named Trevor on the right side of the street, defeating the flesh-craving walkers.
"In here," Rick says, leading the rest of the group to the nearest house, "c'mon!" We all follow, watching Rick break down the door and beat a walker near the entrance to death. We all enter the two-story house, immediately ending the four walkers' lives on the inside.
"Alright, Carol," Rick says, looking at the baby in her arms, "take everyone upstairs." She nods, taking the sleeping baby up the steps, a giant group of people right behind her. I see concern in Rick's face as he stares out the window. He seems to not be focusing on anything, so I walk over to him.
"What's wrong, Rick?," I say as I break his unfocused stare. I mean, we found a home, we're all together, and we're away from the Governor. I know we lost the prison, but that doesn't mean we can't take it back.
"Nothing. Go make sure everyone doesn't settle down here.," he says, his leader-type voice attempting to make me listen right away.
"Why? Is this place not big enough or something?," I ask, refusing to listen to him. Why does he want to leave?
"Walkers will eventually pass by.," he says, looking at me straight in the eyes, a serious look on his face. His tone tells me he must have experienced this before. I let out a sigh, still refusing to do what he asks.
"Then we'll hide or kill them.," I say, folding my arms. I mean, as long as we stay quiet, we will survive. I watch him look down, letting out a deep breath. He walks passed me, heading up the stares. My look hardens as I see him leave. Although I see where he's coming from, I know we can survive together. He may have been driven out before, but with a larger group, that's going to be harder to do. All we need now is to search for weapons, and we'll regain our strength.
I search the bottom floor while everyone is upstairs settling down. I search the kitchen, pleased as I find a set of butcher knives stashed in a block of wood. I pull out a decently sized steak knife, inspecting the blade. I smile as I know it'll be able to slice up a walker's brain with ease. The only problem is would be that it doesn't have a case. I'll have to be careful carrying it around until I can find a worthy piece of leather to safely store it in.
"Whatcha got there, hun?," I hear a familiar voice speak coming through the entrance of the kitchen. I continue to inspect the blade, gently sliding my finger across the side.
"Just a knife.," I say, smirking. I look at the sharp blade for a few more moment before looking up at the person who spoke to me. I shriek as I see Austin leaned against the counter, giving me his usual smirk as he casually waits for me to react. I place the knife against the counter, closing my eyes. I look back up, feeling relief with a touch of anger as I find him gone. It was just in my head. I sigh as I pick back up the knife, heading into the living room by the entrance of the house.
I open the door quietly, slipping outside of the house. I see Glenn, Daryl, and their groups heading towards me, blood painted all over their bodies. I step aside, allowing them in. Daryl gives me a nod, being the first one to enter the house. Once everyone is inside, I close the door, remaining on the front porch alone. I look to my left, finding an outdoor chair and tables looking out to the neighborhood. I take a seat in one of the three chairs, gazing at the fading sun. We spent a whole day migrating from the shops to here.
I groan as the cold wind brushes against my bare arms, my tee shirt barely giving me protection. I gnash my teeth as I think about my leather jacket which was left at the prison. I hope whoever takes it likes it, and then I hope they get eaten by a walker. That was my mother's jacket. We always fought over the clothes we wanted to wear. I chuckle, looking down as I think about the good memories I carry with my family, but sadly they are gone.
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BOOM. I'm soooo sorry it's been a while since I've uploaded. I've had testing this week and had to study last week. Isn't school just a blast? Well, here ya go! I'm thinking about doing a subplot of Nicole's family next chapter. What do you think! Well anyways, pplllleeeeasseee vote/comment. I love to see comments and suggestions! :) Thanks!!