I adjusted the hat as Carl walked back over. "Do you want it back?" I asked as I looked at him.
"Wear it for now. I'll take it when we get to a safe place." He nodded to me. "Besides it looks good on you." I smiled lightly before Michonne walked in.
"It'll be dark soon. We need to get out of here fast." Michonne explained to us.
"We're ready." Jessie said walking over to Michonne, Carl, and I who were looking for a good time to go.
"I'll get Judy." Rick said as Gabriel stopped him.
"Rick I want you to know that I won't give up no matter what happens out there." Gabriel nodded.
"I know." Rick replied before he got Judith and gave her to Carl. He held her under the blanket. Rick headed down followed by Carl then me. Michonne stayed in the back.
There were walkers all over. I hadn't had to deal with this many near me before and I was scared. We were all holding hands. I held onto Carl's while he held on to Ricks. He had Judith strapped around him.
Jessie was on my other hand and she was shaking. I didn't look behind me. I just kept moving forward. We might've smelt like walkers but if we made sound, if we did anything too human-like they'd try us for taste.
It was so loud. I could barely hear myself think. They're were so many walkers on the streets.
It was the traffic of nightmares.
We kept walking towards the armory but Rick turned. We got somewhere with no walkers- by the pond.
"New plan. A few flares won't help get the walkers away. We won't go to the armory. We'll head to the quarry and get the vehicles there. We will leave and come back and then decide how we will deal with things from there." He explained.
"Okay but Judith to the quarry and back?" Jessie shook her head lightly.
"I'll take her. I'll keep her safe in my church til you get back from the quarry and get the walkers away." Gabriel said with a nod.
"Can you do this?" Michonne asked Gabriel seriously.
"I'm supposed to." He responded with a nervous but assuring smile. "I have to. I will."
Carl gave Gabriel Judith and he kept her quiet.
"Sam-" Jessie started.
"No." He responded.
"It'll be safer. You have to."
"I'm not leaving you."
"Sam." Jessie said again.
"Mom I'm not." He responded. "I can keep going. I can. Please. Let's just go." He begged her. I would've made him stay. He didn't really accept what was going on. He would be so much safer if he just-
"Fine." Jessie answered him with a nod.
"I'm going to keep her safe." Gabriel told Rick.
"Thank you." Rick nodded as Gabriel walked away to the church.
We started again. I was behind Jessie and next to Carl again. We were walking towards the gate. It was getting dark out which for some reason made the walkers louder. Everyone was really sweaty.
We got to a point and Sam stopped walking right next to a lot of them.
"Sam." Jessie said very quietly. "Come on. Come on. Let's go."
"You can do it." Rick added looking to him as he started crying. I looked where he was. A little boy walker. It must've been his friend.
Everyone was convincing him. Ron told him to look at his mom and go. Rick and Sam told him he could get through it.
He started crying. "I want to." He said as he looked forward and a walker heard him. It started eating his shoulder and next thing I know another is eating his head.
"Sam." Jessie cried still holding on. A lot of them walked over to us as Jessie screamed.
"Jessie. Jessie." Rick kept saying trying to get her to let go so we could keep moving. I looked to Ron who had stared at his mom.
"We have to leave." I said as I pulled on her hand but she wouldn't go. "We have to."
She kept crying looking at him and next thing four of them are eating her and dragging her to the ground. She wouldn't let go of my hand.
"Carl." I said trying to get out of her grip without letting go of his hand. "Rick." I said looking at him.
"Dad." Carl said as he came over. He got his axe and chopped her hand off of me which loosened the grip. I fell down onto Carl and he helped me back up. I heard a gun click and I looked to see Ron pointing it at Rick, his finger on the trigger.
Michonne got behind him and put her Katana through him as two shots went out of his gun. I felt pain on me and then I felt guts on my cheek. I looked at Carl and his eye was gone.
He looked at me and I shook taking small breaths. "Dad." He said before falling down.
"Carl." Rick said as he picked Carl up. I got my knives out. He wasn't dying. Not today.
I hit the ones near him and Rick as Michonne cleared a path to the infirmary.
I gave it everything I had to attack the walkers around us. We saw Aaron in the window and Denise opened the door. I ran in after Rick and sat with him next to Carl.
"It was a handgun. Close range." Michonne said as she closed the door.
I looked at him and my ankle started to hurt. I fell on the ground and looked at it. There was blood. A lot of blood.
"Lyla Rose?" Michonne asked as I looked at my ankle.
"The first shot he made. It's right here. It's in my leg. It's in my leg." I said again as I looked at it. Denise came over.
"Fix him first." I said as she looked at me. "Fix him first!" I said louder as she went over to him.
"Michonne help me hold him to make a suture. Someone else get Lyla Roses foot and take off anything in the way." Denise instructed as Heath came over.
I was in pain but the adrenaline was still pumping so I knew it'd be worse soon.
He helped get my shoe off and push my jeans up to see the bullet still lodged in. The top of my boots stopped the impact only enough so it didn't go through my leg.
"Get me pliers." I said breathing heavily.
"You can't do it yourself!" Michonne said looking at me.
"I have to before it gets worse." I replied as Rick walked out with his axe.
"Rick! Rick!" Michonne yelled but she couldn't move because she was helping Denise.
"Someone get me some Damn pliers please!" I said loudly as Spencer handed me some. I grunted as I looked at the bullet. It was towards my Achilles but right in the muscle and next to the bone.
I took two loud breaths and I pulled it out. Blood started gushing even more. "Stitch it. Sti-" I started before passing out. I woke up not maybe five seconds after and I saw Denise and Aaron on it. I looked around and saw Carl on the gernie.
I then felt the pain.
I screamed. "Stay still. We are almost done. You have to be still." Denise said as I looked at her and I felt people holding me down. I was shaking a lot from the pain.
I was out again.
"Lyla Rose. Hey, Ly." I heard as I opened my eyes. I saw my dad. He was in all white.
"Daddy?" I asked looking at him.
"Remember what happened last, baby?" I saw my mom looking at me.
"I got shot right here." I said as I pointed to my surprisingly healed ankle. "What is this?" I asked looking around.
"You have a choice, Lyla Rose." I saw Beth smiling to me.
"You can stay with us here or you can go back." Noah said as he looked at me too. I was in a bed. A really comfortable bed.
"Where's Carl and Michonne?" I asked looking at my dad.
"They're still alive. They are back there." Mika smiled to me.
"You can choose." Izzie smiled.
"If you stay here, you won't be able to go back." Hershel said looking at me. He was smiling too.
I stood up and looked around. "All of you- are you in my head?"
My dad chuckled. "You were always smart. We are Ly. We're here to help you decide wether you want to keep fighting."
"You are a badass Lyla Rose. I know you'll make it either way." Andrea said as she smiled to me.
I felt a tear fall. "Are you all happy? I miss you all." I said as I looked to my mom and dad. I hugged them lightly. "Some of you are here because of me. I'm so sorry."
"The truth is Lyla Rose, its better now. We are happy here." Bob smiled to me. I smiled back.
"But everyone else. I have to get back to them. They need me." I shook my head lightly. I wanted to be here but I couldn't leave the others behind.
"You were always stubborn like that weren't you?" Hershel chuckled lightly.
"This new family of yours we know you love them." My mom smiled as she held my hand.
"Even the boy." My dad said disapproving but he still smiled. He was giving me a hard time.
"I can't leave them. I need to go back. I don't know if they are safe, but if I leave I know you all still will be. It's better here, but I can't stay." I shook my head crying lightly. "I'm sorry I can't stay."
"Carl. Can you make sure he stays safe?" A woman asked me. She was the woman in the family photo Carl showed me at the prison.
"You're his mom?" I asked looking at her.
She nodded and smiled. "Thank you for helping him." I nodded.
"We knew you probably wouldn't be staying." Beth chuckled lightly.
"We just wanted you to know you could." Tyresse responded with a smile as I noticed a baby in his hands. I walked over to him.
"Is this Andre?" I asked looking at the baby as he smiled putting his hand on my forehead.
"We thought you'd want to see him too." Tyresse nodded as everyone nodded too.
"You'll make it for a long while, Lyla Rose. We know that. Just keep fighting." Andrea said with a nod as I hugged her.
"We love you Ly." My dad smiled to me. "Remember that."
"We are always here honey. We are waiting for you, all of us." My mom answered as I looked around still crying.
"I love you too." I smiled. My mom leaned forward and kissed my forehead.
I closed my eyes and opened them again slowly. I looked to my right and saw Carl. I grabbed his hand. He was still out. I was in so much pain still. My leg was wrapped in something, I don't know what.
I looked to see Rick talking. I couldn't hear what he was saying but he was upset. Everything was in some sort of slow motion. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back down.
I feel asleep again and I woke up again. I saw Michonne next to me. I looked at her. "Hey." I said as she looked at me. "Why are we in the same bed?" I asked as Carl's hand was still on mine.
Michonne chuckled lightly. "You're okay." She smiled as she grabbed my hand. I smiled and let out a quiet laugh. "Denise needed room to help the others who are hurt. Rick and I thought it'd motivate you to get better."
"I had a choice." I said looking at her. My voice was quiet and raspy. She gave me some water before I kept going. "People came to me in a dream. I could choose there or here." I took some breaths. "My parents, Hershel, Beth, Andrea, everyone. Even Andre. He was cute. He looks like you." I smiled to her as she looked at me confused. "I told them I had to come back here. Andre put his hand on my head. I could tell he was happy. He was thankful." I smiled lightly looking at the ceiling.
"What are you talking about?" Michonne asked confused. Her voice was shaky.
I let a few tears escape. "They miss us, but they want us to keep fighting. I wanted to go with them but I couldn't leave you or Carl or Rick. Andrea told me to keep being a badass. My mom and dad they want me to protect everyone. They're happy that I found my family. They all love us and miss us." I sniffed.
Michonne smiled to me as she put her hand on my head. "How did you know it was real?" She asked shaking her head.
"I don't but it felt real." I smiled. "I miss them too." I said as I felt Carl grab my hand. "Carl's mom was there. She wants him to keep being good." I said looking at Carl.
"Everything's gonna get better. We will be okay." I smiled to Michonne before falling back asleep.