Dark, heavy clouds were looming across the sky that morning – making our entire surroundings seem grey & gloomy as we dragged the bodies of our friends out of the camp and towards an untouched plot in our graveyard around the corner – since they were too special to us to just be buried along with the other walkers we'd killed over the months. Harry & Liam were in the process of digging seven holes in the dying grass – while I sat on my old tree stump and carved our friends' names into our best pieces of wood.
Sacrificing our best building supplies wasn't something we usually did...but this time it was different.
These people meant so much to us...and all of a sudden, they were gone.
I felt tears stinging my eyes at the little dedication I was carving into the last piece of wood with a carving knife Liam had found in Greyfort.
R.I.P
Doting parents,
Caring friends,
Loyal Teammates.
You will be remembered forever.
I let out a whimper and threw the carving knife to the ground once I was done with it. I then tossed the wood on top of the pile of nameplates I had already created – burying my face in my hands and fighting back the sobs that were threatening to come out.
"Laura?"
I let out a gasp and looked up immediately – my eyes widening as I saw that Eric had come to the graveyard carrying the baby basket that held the sleeping Lilly.
"Eric, w-what are you doing here..?" I tried my best to hide the shakiness of my voice, "I thought you were picking apples."
"I was," Eric replied softly, "but...Lilly started making noise and I thought she was going to cry...so I wanted to bring her to you & Harry."
"OK. I'll keep her here," I took the carrier from him and set it down next to me, "thank you, honey. But now you can go back inside and keep harvesting, OK?"
Eric didn't move. "But...I want to stay here..."
My eyes widened, and I shook my head. "No...Eric...y-you can't see this..."
"It's OK," Eric bit his lip, "I...I can handle it..."
"Eric-"
"I don't like being in the camp by myself. I...get scared..." he admitted quietly, "I want to stay with you, Laura."
Without any warning he climbed onto my lap and wrapped his arms around my neck – resting his head against my shoulder and sniffling. I bit my lip and draped my arm around his shoulders – keeping the other arm free so that I could use it to reach down and gently rock Lilly's carrier.
"Oh, Eric..." I let out a sigh.
"Love?" Harry came over to me with a worried look on his face, "What's wrong? Is Eric OK?"
"He's just a little lonely," I replied, "he...wants to stay here for a while."
"Oh," Harry bit his lip, "Laura, I don't know if that's-"
"I already tried suggesting otherwise, Haz," I interrupted him, "he won't take no for an answer."
Harry sighed. "I suppose that's understandable..." he crouched down in front of Eric and rubbed his back, "hey...are you OK, sport?"
Eric turned to look at him – and my breath hitched as I realised that he had been quietly crying this whole time. A look of concern immediately washed over Harry's face.
"Oh no," Harry bit his lip and extended his arm, "come here, Eric."
Eric jumped off me to hug Harry next – and Harry wrapped his arms tightly around the distraught ten-year-old while looking up at me worriedly over his shoulder – causing me to return the same expression.
"Harry..." Eric whimpered, "will...w-will my mum & dad be OK..?"
I felt my heart break at his question, and a tear began to slide slowly down my face.
"Yeah, buddy. They're gonna be fine. They'll both be much happier now...and they'll always be watching over you," Harry kissed the side of his head softly, "and they will always love you. Always. Are you hearing this?" He held Eric at an arm's length to look him in the eyes.
Eric sniffled and nodded. "Y-Yes, Harry..." his bottom lip trembled, "but I...I'm gonna miss them..."
"I know, sport," Harry gave him a sympathetic look and pulled him into his arms again, "we're gonna miss them, too."
I let out a quiet sob and watched tearfully as Liam lowered Louis & Hailee's bodies in the first two graves – laying them right beside each other with a forlorn look on his face.
I'll never forget the fresh tearstains on Hailee's face when we discovered her body in her cabin – her eyes wide open and expressing nothing but grief as she laid sprawled out across the floor; the handgun she had used on herself still resting in her palm with her finger still holding the trigger. It was a highly unsettling & grievous sight – but I'm pretty sure most of us suspected it was coming.
After all...who on earth would be able to live with the horrific sight of your child's father dangling from the ceiling? It was a sight that still haunted me up until now.
"Harry," Liam suddenly came up to Harry and crouched down to place a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry, mate, but we have to continue..."
"Yeah. I know," Harry sighed and reluctantly released Eric from his arms, "you stay right here with Laura, OK?"
"OK," Eric whispered before sitting down cross-legged next to Lilly's carrier, "can I rock Lilly's carrier for a while?"
Harry smiled at him. "Of course you can. Thanks, sport. I'll come and take over once we're done."
Eric only nodded and looked down at Lilly with a soft smile on his face – rocking her gently in the carrier and looking as if he'd suddenly forgotten what the rest of us were doing – which was good.
"Are these nameplates done now?" Harry asked me quietly.
I nodded. "All done. I just hope they're OK..." I bit my lip anxiously, "I really tried to do a good job..."
Harry smiled and kissed me on the forehead. "I'm sure they're perfect," he then looked at me, "are you hungry? Do you want anything?"
"Yeah – to stay in bed with you & Lilly for the rest of the day," I said half-jokingly.
Harry chuckled softly. "I want that too, sweetheart. Believe me."
"I do," I smiled at him, "anyway – thanks, but I'm OK. I'm not hungry."
"OK," Harry smiled back at me, "we're nearly done here," he took a deep breath, "it's almost over."
"It's fine. Don't rush," I told him, "they all deserve a proper burial..." I bit my lip as I fought back more tears.
"You're right," Harry sighed, "you sure you don't want to go back into base with the kids?"
I shook my head. "We...should all have the chance to say goodbye...even if it'll be harder for some..." I snuck a worried look at Eric.
"Yeah," Harry sighed again, "alright, love. You three stay here."
"Do you need help...w-with the bodies..?" I asked him softly with a nervous bite of my lip.
Harry shook his head. "I don't want you to. You're better off watching over them," he nodded towards the kids and kissed me again before bending down to retrieve all the nameplates I'd carved and taking them over to Liam.
"Laura..." Eric spoke up again, "are...are mum & dad already in the ground..?"
I took a deep breath and nodded slowly.
"Yes, Eric. They are," I reached down to gently stroke his hair, "right next to each other – like they would've wanted," I then bit my lip, "are you...are you sure you're OK with this, buddy..?"
Eric nodded slowly. "The world is different now...and I have to learn to get used to it...if I want to survive..."
It was an impressive sentence for someone still so young...but I knew he was right.
"You're right," I smiled down softly at him, "you're so brave, Eric. And we're all very proud of you – especially your mum & dad."
Eric gave me a faint smile back. "Thank you, Laura."
He returned his attention back to Lilly – making me smile again as he began to whisper indistinct words to her as she slept. Deciding to leave him be, I looked up and watched anxiously as Harry & Liam lowered the bodies of our dearest friends into each grave.
After a brief conversation between the two, Liam gathered up all the nameplates and began hammering them to skinnier planks of wood to turn them into proper signs while Harry started to fill the graves with the shoveled dirt. I let out a long, deep sigh as Liam finished adding the final touches to my nameplates and began to help Harry out – both their faces looking grievous & solemn as they proceeded to bury our teammates.
It was painful to watch...almost too painful for me to bear – but I would much rather stay here with everyone instead of being alone inside the camp. Not only did I shudder at the very thought of being alone inside while everyone else was out here – but with everything that's happened it's now more important than ever that the rest of us stick together.
After they filled the holes to the brim with dirt, Harry & Liam proceeded to hammer the hand-carved nameplates to each grave – starting with Penny who rested at the far right end of the plots. They went on from there...hammering each name plate to their appointed graves.
Penny Galloway
Mako Tetsuda
Farlan Murai
Niall Horan
Sid McDermott-Tomlinson
Louis Tomlinson
Hailee McDermott.
Behind the graves – lined up with the mid-section of the plots, was the dedication I had carved after making all the nameplates.
R.I.P
Doting parents,
Caring friends,
Loyal Teammates.
You will be remembered forever.
"They're buried now," Eric said in a low voice.
"Yes, Eric. They are," I sighed and got up from the tree stump to sit down beside him and wrap my arms around him in a tight hug, "but they'll be OK."
"W-Will my parents come back, Laura? As...one of the dead people?"
My eyes widened, and I shook my head vigorously. "No, Eric. They won't. You won't ever have to see them like that. I promise."
"Good," Eric lowered his eyes, "because I don't want them...to be like that..."
"No...no of course not," I whispered to him, "and they won't. They're at peace now," I kissed the top of his head and hugged him tighter, "and there's nothing the dead people can do about it."
"Sid's gone too," his voice began to wobble, "he...h-he was my best friend..."
"Oh...I know, honey," I sniffled and my eyes felt wet as I rested my cheek on top of his head, "...I know. But he'll be watching over you too...because he was always protecting you & your parents."
"Hey, buddy," Harry had come over to us with Liam and was now crouching down in front of Eric, "how are you holding up?"
"I'm...I'm OK," Eric bit his lip.
"You sure?"
Eric nodded slowly. "I'm sure, Harry."
"It's time we all said...a proper goodbye..." Liam bit his lip, "are we ready?"
The four of us exchanged looks, and I unsteadily rose to my feet while Eric held on tightly to my leg.
"The baby..." I began to turn to Lilly to lift her out of her carrier.
"It's OK," Harry smiled at me and bent down to pick her up himself, "I've got her."
"You sure you don't mind?" I bit my lip.
Harry chuckled softly. "Since when does a man mind carrying his own daughter?" He asked me with an amused smile.
"I don't know, I just...you just did all that work..." I looked anxiously towards the freshly filled graves.
"I know, but it's fine," Harry assured me, "and besides – I miss my little princess."
I smiled at him and went on to take Eric's hand as we all made it back towards our now-buried friends. We gathered around the graves in silence – with Eric letting out a whimper and his grip on my hand tightening rapidly. Harry let out a shaky sigh and held Lilly close to his chest – obviously for some consolation.
Seeing that none of us could really find the courage to speak first, Liam decided to take the lead.
"...Hey guys," he began softly, "so...here we are. All together again," he sighed and shook his head, "I...guess we'd better get started," he gulped and turned to the rest of us, "anyone else wanna take over?"
"Sure," Harry took a deep breath and stepped forward, "I'm sorry, guys. I'm sorry that we weren't here...but I know that all of you would've fought bravely...right up until the end," he bit his lip, "I'm sorry, Hailee – for what you had to see when we came back...I know you probably wished I'd never asked you to come with us...and I don't blame you. I really don't." Harry lowered his eyes.
"But thank you, Hailee...for helping us with Lilly. To both you and Penny...thank you. We never would've survived those three months in Greyfort without you. We would've gotten hopelessly lost in Greyfort without you, Penny – and for that we owe you our lives. And I promise we'll take care of Lucas...and that we won't eat him," he bit his lip, "Louis...I know you tried your best to protect Eric..."
He briefly looked back at the boy anxiously to make sure his words weren't bothering him, but after seeing that Eric seemed to be listening bravely, Harry hesitantly continued.
"But now...that's our job. And I swear to God, Lou...to both you and Hails...I swear that we will protect him with our lives," he promised, "you did good, mate. You & the others...you all did everything you could to protect our camp...and for that we're forever grateful," he shifted around so that he was holding Lilly in one arm before using his free hand to clasp mine, "and there's nothing I would've wanted more than for all of you to be able to meet my daughter: sweet, precious Lilly...me & Laura's pride & joy," he sighed shakily, "but...what's done is done...although I wish it could've been different," his voice began to wobble a little.
"You've all been an amazing team...and even better friends. Thank you all so, so much. Not a day'll go by when the rest of us won't think of you...and everything you've done for us."
I felt more tears sting my eyes as Harry stopped talking and took a step back while cradling Lilly in his arms – the deflated look on his face breaking my heart completely. Liam seemed to look a little teary-eyed too...and he definitely wasn't ashamed in showing it.
"Good job, Haz..." Liam said shakily before turning to me, "...Laura?"
I bit my lip and released Eric's hand before taking my turn to step forward – kneeling down in front of all the graves and trying to get my head around the sight of them.
"I can't believe you're all gone..." I whispered tearfully, "oh my God...you guys...I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry that I brought up the idea of leaving you all here. If I'd only known what was gonna happen...I would've never even dared to think about it," my bottom lip began to tremble a little, "you guys...you were my best and only friends for so long...and now you're gone..." I looked towards Mako's grave and bit my lip, "Mako...I know we had our differences...b-but you taught me so much. Without you...I wouldn't even know how to shoot a bow. B-But at least...you're with Farlan now...a-and I know how much he really meant to you...e-even if you refused to admit it." I sniffled.
"And Penny...I can't believe what those men did to you. You left us so quickly...and before I could even register it you were gone forever. I'm so sorry, Penny. Maybe if we left you in Greyfort you'd still be alive, b-but...you helped us so much...a-and...and I wanted you to come with us. Who knew that it'd result in your life being taking away from you so suddenly..?" I said breathlessly, "I hope you can forgive me, Penny...I really do..." I let out a whimper, "Niall...I'm sure you were the first one to see those intruders break in. I don't know what happened...but I do know that you always had the sharpest eye. And I know that you would've fought your hardest...putting everyone else before yourself like you always do. So thank you, Niall..."
With a heavy heart, I then slowly turned towards Louis' and Hailee's graves.
"Louis...it was so, so horrible what those intruders did to you. You could...never deserve something as awful as that. You were such a good friend to me...we'd come a long, long way since we first met. But even then...when you pointed that gun to my face I knew that you were just trying to protect everyone – especially your family – and you still did that...right up until you..." my voice trailed away, and I bit hard on my lip and sighed shakily, "and when Hailee saw you like that...she just couldn't take it. You know she would never be able to live with that...b-because she loved you so much. So please...don't be angry at her for leaving Eric here," I reached out for the ten-year-old, and he immediately ran into my arms, "because Harry's right. We'll take care of him. We'll probably never be as good at parenting as you & Hailee were...but we'll certainly try our best. That...we promise you. I promise you. Both of you," I sniffled a little, "bye, guys. We'll miss you all so, so much..."
I heard Eric whimper as I rose to my feet; his hand holding onto mine tightly as we both backed away.
"Looks like that's it..." Liam sniffled and wiped his eyes, "I guess it's my-"
"Wait," Eric spoke up softly, "can...can I say something..?"
We all turned to look at him in astonishment.
"Are you sure, Eric?" Harry asked him carefully.
He nodded. "I want...to talk to my parents. And Sid,"
"OK," I smiled at him softly and encouraged him to take a small step forward, "go ahead, skipper."
Eric nodded again and looked towards his family's graves.
"Uh...h-hi mum...hi dad," he began softly, "I...I really miss you...a-and I miss Sid, too. Y-You were such good parents to me...I don't think any two parents are as amazing, nice, and funny as you...I-I mean...aside from Laura & Harry...b-because they're really good parents to Lilly..." he bit his lip, "dad...I wish you could've met Lilly...Harry & Laura said that...that I could be her big brother...a-and that makes me happy," he smiled softly, "b-but...mum saw her...a-and I hope that she'll tell you all about her...b-because she's really cute. And Sid...I know you would've loved to play with Lilly...and I think that...that she would've liked that too..." he gulped quietly and began to sniffle, "I really wish you were here...I...I miss you so much..." he let out a little whimper, "but...bye. I...I love you."
***
"I can't imagine how awful this must be for poor Eric..." I told Harry sadly as I finished feeding Lilly.
"I know," Harry sighed and helped me clip up my maternity bra before lifting Lilly off my chest and placing her in her baby basket – picking up the carrier and placing it between us so that we could start rocking her to sleep, "but it was very brave of him...wanting to say something to his parents."
"I wish we never left," I said quietly as I began to gently rock the carrier back & forth.
"But we did," Harry told me half-sternly, "please, Laura...stop blaming yourself. It's not good for you. And after all...I don't know how much more we could've possibly done to defend ourselves from all those men. I've told you that before,"
"I know, but..." I bit my lip, "I just...I feel so bad..."
"Laura, the main thing is..." he lifted Lilly from her carrier again to place her in my arms, "that she was far away from it all."
I looked down at the droopy-eyed baby girl, and I let out a sigh. "You're right...you're right. I just...I don't know..."
"And at least she works as a good distraction for what Eric's had to go through," Harry gave me a soft smile, "don't you think?"
I let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah. That's true," I smiled warmly and kissed her soft forehead, "she's a good distraction for all of us...from everything..."
"Exactly," Harry smiled again and shuffled over so that he was sitting next to me instead of opposite me. He then placed his hand under Lilly's head – letting her use his palm as a pillow, "she's so cute. Like, honestly – sometimes I can't even handle how adorable she is..."
"Neither can I," I gently tickled her cheek with my finger, "and she's so chubby," I chuckled again, "I don't want this baby fat to ever go away..."
Lilly cooed softly and stretched out her arms – her tiny hands clinging to and beginning to cuddle Harry's wrist. A loving smile spread across Harry's face as he swiped his thumb across her chubby cheek.
"Someone's getting sleepy," Harry chuckled, "I think it's time to put her back in the carrier."
"Yeah. Good idea," I said with a smile.
We both picked her up and placed her back in her carrier together...watching tenderly as she settled down amongst her blankets and the little toys we always tucked into the carrier with her.
"Sleep tight, my precious girl," Harry whispered to her before kissing her forehead lovingly, "sweet dreams, princess."
A/N: This chapter was a lot of long speeches and stuff, I know. But I just felt as if most of this chapter should be dedicated to everyone saying goodbye to their good friends.
Btw, I need to remind you that this book isn't The Walking Dead. In this book, you can only turn if you die from a zombie bite, not just from dying in any random way. That's just in case someone's wondering why the group isn't coming back when you don't know if everyone was properly shot in the head. Therefore, those who didn't die from a gunshot to the head - such as Louis - aren't coming back, although I doubt you'd want to read about Louis as a zombie anyway.
Speaking of The Walking Dead...for those of you who watch the show, HOLY SHIT how about the Season 7 premiere?!? SO intense, I was at the edge of my seat the whole time!! And I feel so bad for asking this, but is anyone low-key glad that Negan didn't kill Daryl..?
Just me..? Ok :p