8 Months Later
~April~
Breathe.
Oxygen filled her lungs, the smell of freshness engulfing her system. A euphoric serenity fell over her as she stood amongst the greenery. Warm rays of sunshine shone through the foliage of the trees, patterning the ground between the shadows. Her arms raised her weapon slowly, her movements as silent as the uninterrupted day.
Aim.
She tilted her face to meet the sights, her body completely still as she lined up her shot. Her heart drummed at a steady beat, her breathing seemed to slow with time as she lost herself in the moment.
Fire.
Exhaling, she pulled the trigger. The black bolt flew from her crossbow. The hare's ears sprung up at the whistling sound of the arrow, but it was too late for it to even consider moving. The bolt had already imbedded itself in the neck of the small animal, killing it almost instantly. She stood up, her crossbow held in her right hand. She picked up the hare, stuffing it into the bag with the other game she had caught. She slung the sack over her shoulder and began walking back the direction of Greenview.
She thought back on the eight months that had passed since they returned to Greenview. The winter had been long and tedious, testing their resiliance and strengths. The food ran low and they were forced to go in search of supplies for the harsh months. As spring rolled around they had planted many crops to sustain them for the years ahead.
Just a week after returning to Greenview they had found four more people who proved to grow close to the group. While Carl and Lauren were gone, the group had found these people only to lose them again. Abraham Ford, a heavily-musceled bearded ginger man who entertained everyone with his out-of-the-blue witty remarks. Rosita Espinosa, a tanned, strong brunette woman who Lauren had come to like. Eugene Porter, a mullet sporting man who seemed helpless, but held a courage inside that was only waiting to come out. Lastly, Tara Chambler, a dark-haired, kind-hearted woman that seemed to see the better side of most people.
She looked down at her crossbow, a weapon that had been given to her by her only biological family left alive, Daryl Dixon. The weapon was black in colour, smaller and one-handed unlike Daryl's. It clipped onto her gun belt when not in use. He had found the weapon and a quiver of bolts whilst on a raid.
"Dixon's need crossbows," He said, holding out the weapon, along with a quiver of crossbow bolts, "At least ya' will have a lil' somethin' to remind you of yer family. If anythin' happens to me, you'll have somethin' to remember me by."
Lauren smiled at the memory. She had used the crossbow, along with her machete for many months. Her aim had improved impeccably, the weapon proving more than useful in many situations. She felt a connection when she held it, a reminder that she had family, even now. Her machete sat in a sheath on her back, one in which one of the Survivors had made for her from leather they had stripped from a couch.
Leading the Survivors haden't been easy, she had to make hard choices, ration food and supplies, but in the end they had made it through. Sam had helped her along the way, offering a hand when needed. Lauren never saw any of the Survivors as pawns to use in battle, or out in raids with the hope they come back with something useful. She often went herself to make sure it would go alright.
There was moments where she felt like they wouldn't move forward. Particularly when Maggie lost her baby, only a month after finding out she was pregnant. It was difficult to see a future when it had already stopped before it started. Maggie had taken it better than Lauren had thought but it had left its scar. She had Glenn to pull her out of that dark abyss.
She had Carl through everything, thick and thin. He was her anchor, her tether to happiness. She loved him with all of her heart and not even for a second did it lose its feeling. She had many a nightmare when she had lost him, but any time she woke during the night, he was lying right next to her, holding her until she fell back to sleep.
"I thought you'd be out here," Carl's voice jarred her from the grips of her mind and memories. She smiled, missing his presence when she was out, "The raid group will be back soon."
Lauren wrapped her arms around him, breathing in his scent, "I was just hunting. How does hare and rabbit soup sound?"
"Better than beans."
Carl had changed considerably in the past eight months. He had grown a few inches taller, his shoulders seemed wider and his chest bigger. His arms were visibly more muscular, along with the rest of his body. He had kept his hair relatively short, just covering the tops of his ears. Once he removed his bandages, he swapped them for black, bandage-like fabric. He only took it off when he was around Lauren before going to sleep. She loved that he felt most comfortable in himself around her.
Lauren had also changed. She had cut her hair back up until it reached just below her shoulder blades. Her body had toned out more, her curves more sculpted and defined. Her facial structure had changed, her cheeks loosing their childhood chubbiness. Her cheekbones protruded more, her jawline also more visible. She looked older, more experienced.
"How was training today?" Lauren asked, walking alongside Carl on her way back.
"They're coming along well," He remarked, a slight smile on his face, "Shooting straight and their machete and knife skills are improving."
"That's good," Lauren smiled, "How's Judith today?"
"As any two and a half year old child is," Carl laughed, "A demon."
"Well," She chuckled, "Daryl didn't name her Little Ass Kicker for no reason."
"At least she'll have someone to grow up with," Carl said, "Xander will be a nice kid."
"He's like eight months old," Lauren rolled her eyes, "Who knows? Maybe they'll fall in love when they're older."
Carl grumbled and Lauren laughed, "A little protective already are we?"
"No boys till she's thirty," Carl said with fake sincerity and Lauren chuckled, a smile spread across her face.
"Now now," She said with a smirk, placing a hand on his chest, her face inches from his, "Falling in love with me wasn't all bad was it?"
"Definitely not," He mumbeled, his lips closing in on hers. Just before he could kiss her, she placed her index finger between them, a sly smile playing on her lips.
"You'll have to beat me back first," She said hotly, her breath tickling his lips. She abruptly broke away from him, sprinting through the forest, one hand holding her crossbow as it bobbed at her hip. She felt quite ridiculous running through the forest, weapons bouncing. She had her machete on her back along with a quiver of bolts for the crossbow, which sat clipped onto her gun belt on her hip. A handgun sat on the other side, along with a combat knife on her right thigh. Lastly, a small dagger on the inside of her boot.
But life wasn't always about being serious always, she loved to live for the little things.
She didn't make it very far until he caught her. He wrapped his arms around her stomach from behind, lifting her into the air. She squealed, pulling away from him to no avail. He spun her around and captured her lips with his, making her melt against him. She laughed and jumped up, wrapping her legs around him.
"I hate you."
"I love you too."
~•~
When they returned to Greenview, the sun was just beginning to set. The sky seemed to glow with orange light, the purple slowly taking over as the stars began to appear. They could see Sam standing by the front of the hotel, she seemed on-edge as she spoke to a small group of people.
"What's wrong?" Lauren asked as she approached, one of the other people sighed in relief at the sight of their leader and stepped forward.
"We've seen some people while out on a raid today," He explained, an anxious look on his face, "Bad looking people, guns and knives."
"It wouldn't be wise to go anywhere near there again," Lauren said, biting the inside of her lips while she thought, "We can't go after them without knowing anything so the best thing we can do is try to avoid as best we can."
"And wait to be killed?" One of them piped up.
"What do you suggest?" Lauren retorted, her tone sharp, "I can't send people out, not knowing where they are going or who they are dealing with. It would be a suicide mission and I'm not gambling lives here. Any more sightings or anything you come to me straight away. You see anyone, straight back here. Understand?"
He nodded, gulping nervously.
"Now go and get something to eat and a good nights sleep."
The group dispersed and Lauren sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Nicely done," Sam complimented, clapping her hands a few times, "When people are scared they are hard to handle."
"I just hope this isn't anything serious," Lauren frowned, "We've been doing well the last while, little to no deaths or injuries. We have food, supplies. The only bad thing is it makes us a target to everyone else out there. I just hope our numbers outweigh any other group."
Sam nodded and nudged Lauren's arm.
"It'll be okay."
Lauren nodded with a tight smile and stepped into Greenview. She passed people in the lobby, sending short nods and waves as a greeting. She headed straight for the stairs, to the first floor. She passed Sam's room on the way. Her's and Lauren's were the only occupied rooms on the floor due to the deaths of Trevor, Diggy and Ethan. She pushed open the door, throwing her crossbow, machete and gun belt onto a leather armchair before throwing herself dramatically onto the large couch.
"Life is so stressful," She grumbled against the couch, her words incoherent to anyone other than herself.
"Wait?" She lifted her head, her hair pulled askew, she looked behind her and frowned, "Where is my boyfriend?"
She sat on the couch, her hair sticking up in all directions, dirt and specks of blood on her arms. She knew she probably looked like something from a crappy horror film. He soon entered, baring two plates of meat from the deer Daryl had killed the day before and some slices of bread. Her stomach grumbled at the sight of the food.
"Thank you," She said wistfully, eyeing the plates. He smiled and handed her one and grabbed some cutlery from the kitchen part of their apartment-room. He poured her a glass of water and sat down on the couch.
"You sometimes forget to eat when you're frustrated or worried," Carl explained, taking a bite of his bread, "I'm sure it'll all be okay."
"I don't know," Lauren sighed, "I just feel like it could be something more and any decision I make is putting lives at risk."
"You do what you think is right," He said, a comforting smile on his face, "It's all you can do. They know that."
"Thanks Carl," She smiled, "For always being here for me."
"I have nowhere else to be," He joked and she smacked his arm, rolling her eyes. She finished up her food and settled down, kicking off her shoes. He finished, relaxing into the luxury of having a place to live.
He put his arm over her shoulder, puling her into him. She smiled, resting her head on his chest, her legs curled up onto the couch. He kissed the top of her head, his fingers caressing the skin of her arm.
"Don't worry," He soothed, "We'll always get through this, we're survivors."
~•~
*Smiles evilly* If only they know what I have in store for them.
Catch up chap basically, a bit of Larl thrown in there because why not? Some new characters for you guys too, Idk bout you but I love Abraham, one of my fav characters from the show!
Vote and Comment on the first chapter of Forever Broken!!!!