ISABELLÁ
"RICK AND SHANE AIN'T BACK YET?" Daryl asked as me, Daryl and Glenn walked into the farmhouse.
"No" Lori replies coldly
"We heard a shot" Daryl said frowning a little.
As we were walking back through the woods we heard a shot ring out. After hearing that, we ran all the way back to the farmhouse in fear someone had been hurt.
"Maybe they found Randall" Lori said hopefully.
No hunni, your boyfriend killed him.
"We found him" I said folding my arms.
"Is he back in the shed?" Maggie asked looking between us confused.
"He's a walker... he wasn't bit, his neck was broke" Glenn replied addressing the group.
"So he fought back?" Patricia asked confused.
"The thing is, Shane and Randall's tracks were right on top of each other. And Shane ain't no tracker,so he didn't come up behind him. They were together" Daryl explained to the group.
"Shane lied to us" I added emphasising what he had done.
"Would you get back out there and find them both?" Lori said looking between me and Daryl.
I nodded.
"Ya got it" Daryl said nodding.
We both turned out the house with the group following us. We then stopped as soon as we got outside to see a hoard of walker heading towards us.
"Daryl" I whispered a little frightened.
I had never seen this many walkers together. I've had to deal with 5 at a maximum, I mean there was the walkers in the barn but I didn't have to fight them. This was going to be hard on all of us.
"Patricia, kill the lights" Hershel whisper yelled.
"Maybe they're just passing, like the herd on the highway. Should we just go inside?" Glenn said trying to possibly calm the tension.
"Not unless there's a tunnel downstairs I don't know about. A herd that size would rip the house down" Daryl said addressing the whole group.
Shitting hell.
This meant we had to leave the farm, go back on the road. I needed to stay with this group, I had been out in the open longer than any of them.
"Carl's gone" Lori said running out the house. "He...he was upstairs. I can't find him anywhere"
Must say, I don't think Lori would win the mother of the year. Who takes their eyes off their kid during a fucking apocalypse?
I glared at her. She frowned back me.
"You can go if you want?" Hershel said looking between me and Daryl before cocking his gun.
"You're going to take them all on?" I said looking between Hershel and his family.
"We got our guns. We got our cars" He replied.
"We'll use the cars to draw them away. Killing as many as we can" I said nodding at Hershel
"Serious?" Daryl asked Hershel.
"This is my farm. I'll die here" Hershel said sternly.
"It's a good a night as any" Daryl said shrugging gripping his crossbow tighter. His bicep flexed as he held his crossbow. The contour of his muscles were hypnotic-
Not now Izzy.
I snapped myself out of my thoughts.
•~•~•~•
"C'mon" Daryl said nodding towards his motorbike.
Urm what?
"Huh" I frowned looking at him.
"Ya never been on motorbike?" He mumbled climbing on.
I shook my head.
"Well ya gotta get used to it" he said nodding for me to get on.
Why have I got to get used to it?
I climbed on trying to distance myself from Daryl, I know he's not one for contact. I leaned back l holding onto the back of the bike to stay and keep my balance.
"Hold onto me" he mumbled starting engine the bike and looking back at me "unless you want to fly off the back"
I shuffled closer to him then wrapped right arm round his torso resting my cast on his left thigh. Come to think about it my cast was definitely touching more than just his thigh but I couldn't tell at the time.
I pulled my glock out of its holster and held it in my left hand.
"Ready?" He asked.
"Yeah" I said quietly.
Me and Daryl led the vehicles towards the walkers. Glenn and Maggie were behind us in a car, followed by Jimmy in the RV then T-Dog in the truck.
We came to a holt at a fence between us and the walkers, Daryl flicked down his bike stand with his foot then stood up and began to shoot at walkers while I jumped off the back of the bike, stood next to him and proceeded to shoot. As I did this, I noticed that the barn was on fire. Hopefully Rick or Shane had done this, this would draw the walkers towards it.
I reloaded my gun as more came closer to me and Daryl.
"There's too many" I said as they inched closer to us.
"C'mon" he said climbing back into his bike.
I climbed back on wrapping my arm around him again. This time as we rode the bike I continued to shoot at the walkers that we bypassed.
Daryl came to a stop next to Jimmy in the RV. "Must have been Shane or Rick that started that fire. Would ya circle round?"
"Got it" Jimmy said before taking off in the RV.
Daryl continued to ride round the farm, up and down the line of walker so that I could kill them until it got to the point where I ran out of bullets.
"We've gotta leave" he said turning the the bike away from the walkers and heading back towards the farmhouse.
"We can't just leave. We have no supplies" I shouted over the sound of the chaos.
"We gotta" he said as we rode past our camp.
"No" I said before I jumped off the back of the bike while it was still moving. I stumbled a little when my feet hit the floor before regaining my balance and making a run for camp.
"What are you doing?" Daryl yelled annoyed.
"Just make sure I don't die" I said turning my head back to him and flashing him a grin.
The walkers were yet to reach our camp yet, majority of us never finished setting up our place in the farmhouse so I knew there would still be supplies in here. Daryl still had his tent set up, I ran straight for that. I grabbed the rucksack inside looking what supplies were in it; bandages, bullets, canteen of water - perfect. I grabbed some of Daryl's shirts from off the floor before bundling them into the bag and zipping it up.
Quickly, I rushed out of the tent before coming into contact with a body. It wasn't human. I looked up at it face while it growled and snapped it's teeth at me.
Shit.
I reached down to my sheath, quickly pulling my knife out and slamming it into its head.
I then rushed over to the bottom of my tree grabbing my rucksack which I knew had plenty of supplies in before running through the centre of camp looking to see if there was anything else worth grabbing. I saw 4 canteens full of water, I grabbed them throwing them into one of the rucksacks. As I was about to leave I saw Sophia's doll tossed on the floor. I stood for a couple of seconds debating whether I should go back for it as I could see the walkers getting closer.
I quickly darted towards it, as I ran I pulled out a throwing knife lunching it at the skull of one of the walkers. I crouched down and picked it up only to try and stand up to be pushed back down.
I heard the growl of a walker from on top of me. My left arm was pinned, I tried my hardest to reach for a weapon while holding the walker off me. The rucksacks on my back made this ten times harder as they where holding me up in a difficult position.
Where was Daryl?
Had he left me?
I was trapped. I continuously tried to reach for anything. Nothing.
I gritting my teeth swinging my arm and it's cast into the walkers head. I grunted as this caused a shooting pain through my wrist.
Once the walker was off me I continued swung my arm and my cast at its head. Blood splattered my face as my cast continued to pummel at it.
"Iz" I heard Daryl yell from from behind me.
"Iz, we ain't got all day"
I brought myself too my feet quickly wiping my left hand over my face before picking up both the rucksacks and Sophia's doll off the floor. I then made a run for the bike and hopped on the back. I placed on of the rucksacks on Daryl's lap and wrapped my arm round him holding the rucksack in place.
"GO" I yelled as walkers got closer and I now had no free hands to defend us.
Daryl set off heading towards the road. I noticed all the cars were gone.
"They all got away" I said quietly into Daryl's ear from behind him.
•~•~•~•
Daryl suggest that we go to the intersection where they lost Sophia, he said it would be the best place to find the others.
On our way there was came across Glenn and Maggie in their can and T- Dog, Lori, Beth and Carol in their truck. I was so relieved to see that others had surveyed.
Once we got to the intersection we saw Rick, Hershel and Carl smiling at us.
Daryl pulled the bike up in front of them as they all three of them looked past us at the vehicles pulling up behind us.
"Oh thank god" Lori said running up to Carl and hugging him before giving Rick a hug.
Maggie and Beth both jumped into Hershel's arms while he embraced the both. It was nice seeing the family's reunite.
T-dog came over to be giving me a side hug "didn't know if you'd make it" he said.
"That better me a joke" I said looking up at him and smiling.
After T finished hugging me I went over to Carol and handed her Sophia's doll. "Thank you so much" she said before embracing me. I knew this much be hard for her, seeing these families reunited when that wasn't able to happen to her, especially this been the place where she went missing.
"How'd you find everyone?" Rick asked looking between us all.
"Well,those guys' tail lights zigzagging all over the road...figured he had to be Asian, driving like that" Daryl said letting out a chuckle.
"Good one" Glenn said smiling.
"Where are the rest of us?" I said looking between everyone.
"Andrea saved me, then I lost her" Carol said quietly.
"We saw her go down" T-Dog said.
Shit.
I shook my head. I think it was pretty clear I didn't like her but she didn't deserve to die at all. She was a good member of our group.
"They got Patricia too, took her right in front of me. I was....I was holdin' onto her daddy. She just...What about Jimmy? Did you see Jimmy?" Beth said between cries.
"He was in the RV. It got overrun" Rick replies sympathetically.
•~•~•~•
We decided to head north and stay off the main roads, it was the safest option for the group.
I was riding at the front of the group with Daryl on his motorbike again. And honestly, I can't say I was complaining.
The trunk honks from behind us, Daryl put on his breaks bringing the bike to a stop before turning the engine off. I hopped off the back of his bike and walked over to the truck.
"You out?" Daryl asked from behind me.
"Running on fumes" Rick replied shaking his head.
He was stressed, he thought that all of our lives where in his hands now, and they were I guess. Everyone else began to gather round.
"We can't stay here" Maggie said looking around us.
"We will making a run in the morning for some gas" Rick said.
"Spend the night here?" Carol questioned.
I nodded.
"We will go out and look for firewood" Daryl said gesturing towards me and himself. "How much ammo ya got?" Daryl asked looking at Rick.
"Not enough" he replied.
I turned away from the group and headed back to the motorbike to grab the rucksack. I walked back over to the group while they all watched me and dropped the bags at Rick's feet.
"Ammo, knifes, spare gun, grenades, water and a bit of food, it's all I could grab" I said shrugging.
The group looked at me a little shocked.
"There's enough knifes in there for two each. Everyone needs to use them, we haven't got enough ammo to waste. If you need practice with the knifes I'll help" I said addressing the group.
"You staying with us?" Rick asked a little hopeful.
"Someone's got to keep you alive" I said smiling.
He look at my thankfully. I turned to Daryl giving him a small smile in which he returned.
"What if walkers come through, or another group like Randall's?" Beth asked from beside her father frightened.
"You know I found Randall,right? He had turned,but he wasn't bit" Daryl said frowning.
"Rick what the hell happened?" Lori asked turning to him.
"Shane killed Randall. Just like he always wanted to" I said speaking up "I don't understand how he turned though"
"We are all infected" Rick blurted out.
What?!
"At the CDC,Jenner told me. Whatever it is,we all carry it"
Absolute fucking brilliant.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Carol asked annoyed.
"This wasn't your call to make" Glenn said. I've honestly ever seen him so annoyed.
"I killed Shane" Rick blurted out again.
What is it? Confession night or something? I shall not be participating in that.
"He came at me. He killed Randall to get me into the woods. He planned it. I had...I had no choice. I gave him every chance and he kept leading me further out. He pushed me,and I let him. And after awhile,I knew what he was doing. I didn't stop. I could have,but...I just wanted it over. Acting like I stole you and Carl. I just wanted it over. I wanted him dead. I killed him. He turned. That's how I knew Jenner...Jenner was right. Carl put him down" Rick said tearfully.
Shit man.
Shane definitely deserved this. There was no doubt in my head.
Lori let out a cry while the others stood shocked about what they just heard.
•~•~•~•
We all set up camp for the night in a little clearing at the side of the road.
"We're not safe with him...keeping something like that from us. Why do you need him? He's just gonna pull you both down" carol whispered looking between me and Daryl.
"He's done alright by me" Daryl said.
"He's trying just hardest" I said sympathetically.
"You could lead us better Izzy. We all know you are capable of it" she said pleading.
I shook my head looking down.
"I think we should take our chances" Maggie said to the whole group.
This caused an eruption of bickering amongst the group where Rick finally snapped.
"I'm keeping this group together, alive. I killed my best friend for you people for Christ's sake! You saw what he was like, how he pushed me, how he compromised us, how he threatened us. He gave me no choice. He was my friend,but he came after me" Rick said addressing the group.
I think he did this out of the guilt he felt for killing Shane but also his the group was now turning against him.
Carl's soft sobs echoed through the group.
"Maybe you people are better off without me. Go ahead. Go on,there's the door. You can do better? Let's see how far you get. No takers? Fine. But get one thing straight - you're staying, this isn't a democracy anymore"
I was a little shocked at how far Rick had managed to wedge his head up his own asshole. But here we are.
I guess this is how we are going to live for a while.
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