⚝ Gemini ⚝

꒦ Daryl Dixon - The Walking Dead ꒦

Drabbles: Stay Close Stories: Another Chance (on going) ꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦

꒦ Sam - Death Stranding ꒦

Raindrops

꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬꒷꒦﹋ٜ۪ꥇ໋۬ ꒷꒦

꒦ Requests ꒦

< Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4> I sat on the porch, tea in hand, enjoying the sun that was setting. Lilly was already asleep, she had a busy day. And with that I mean she had a full day of playing with the pigs and with Sam. Those two were inseparable. ‘’Hey’’ Jessie walked onto my porch. I nod my head at her. ‘’Sam's out cold too?’’ I chuckled. She laughed softly, ‘’Yeah, he fell asleep during dinner.’’ ‘’Lilly too.’’ I laughed. Jessie and I became good friends, mainly because our kids, I mean her kid and Lilly, play together all the time. We ate dinner together a lot, mostly when Pete was out in the infirmary, taking care of the people. I once noticed how she would flinch when he was nearby, and I asked about it, but she said it was nothing. I kept a close eye on her. ‘’You want one?’’ I ask her, holding out a cigarette. A bat habit I picked up, but I only smoke in the evening, when Lily’s already in bed. Birds flew by, chirping at one another before settling in a tree to sleep. Jessie took a cigarette, holding it against mine to light it. ‘’We should stop this.’’ she smirked. ‘’When this all ends, I will consider it.’’ I smirked back and we chuckled again. We silently smoked it, enjoying the calmness of the evening. In the distance I saw Pete coming towards us and we quickly hid our cigarettes. No one knows we do this, so it better stays between us. ‘’Jessie. Come home. Now.’’ he demanded. I raised my eyebrow, ‘’Hello my sweet wife, are you ready to come home?’’ I mocked him, earning a side eye from Jessie. ‘’What? It sounds a lot nicer.’’ I shrugged. ‘’Shut your damn mouth. You don’t got to speak until you find yourself a man.’’ Pete eyed me up and down. I rolled my eyes, I have no energy dealing with him. ‘’I’ll see you tomorrow,’’ I hugged Jessie ‘’Be careful.’’ I whispered. She nodded and walked off, towards her home. Pete shot me one glance over his shoulder, but it didn’t phase me. I closed the door behind me and walked upstairs. I had already taken a shower, so I just brushed my teeth and went to bed. I heard a faint sniffle coming from Lilly’s room. I sighed, walking over to her room, opening the door softly. ‘’Sweetheart?’’ I nudged her shoulder a little. She rolled on her back, ‘’what’s wrong?’’ I whispered, wiping the tears off her cheek. ‘’I.. .I miss mommy..’’ My heart swelled. It has been 6 months since we’ve been living here. She still has nightmares. They were rare now but in the first few weeks, she had them every night. She didn’t dare sleep alone and was always by my side. I scooped her up and brought her to my room. I was thinking of going with the scavenger group for a while, hoping to find a stuffed animal of some sort to give to her. She really needs something to hold while she sleeps, to calm her down. ‘’I’m right here love, nothing can hurt you.’’ I told her. I placed her in my bed and I crawled in from the other side, being a big spoon. She curled into me and hugged me. ‘’Mommy Bailey?’’ she sniffled, ‘’’hmm?’’ ‘’we are safe here right?’’ ‘’Yes love, we are.’’ I whispered, pushing a strand of hair from her face and kissing her forehead. ‘’Nothing to be scared off. Remember, our mommy’s send us to each other, so we are not alone.’’ She nodded, squeezing her head in the crook of my neck. I rubbed her back till I heard her breathing slow down and she eventually fell asleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------

I was out with Aiden and Heath, searching for medicine and other supplies. Normally Jessie and I stay in the pantry and I feed the animals too. This time I went out scavenging. I was tired, but I wanted to find that stuffed animal for Lizy, so she could cuddle up with it at night. The leaves crunched under our feet as we made our way over to the big shopping mall. Looking around us, the trees were still green. The sun was still high and warm, it must still be summer. I shift my cap so the sun is not in my face. ‘’Aiden, to your left.’’ I whisper. He nods and looks left, a biter coming towards us. He lets the biter walk in his direction, but doesn’t kill it. ‘’What are you doing?’’ I grit my teeth, ‘’kill it!’’. The biter now has both hands on Aidens shoulders, trying to bite him. Heath just laughs and my anger starts to boil. ‘’What the fuck are you doing?!’’ I now speak up louder, walking towards Aiden and shoving my dagger in the skull of the walker. ‘’I'm just playing around Bails, don’t worry.’’ He chuckled. ‘’You think this is funny?’’ I ball my fists, ‘’I lost my mom to one of those. You either stay away from them or you kill them.’’ I jab my finger in his chest. He slowly grabs my finger, and then my hand. ‘’I’m still alive, don’t worry.’’ He says softly, squeezing my hand. I look down at our hands and back up in his eyes and they soften. ‘’Don’t do it again.’’ I drop my hand out of his. We continue walking and we enter the shopping mall. ‘’There’s a kid store on the first floor.’’ Heath tells me with a smile and I nod, searching for a way up. I find the escalators, it’s broken but I can still walk the steps. Why was Aiden so soft? I mean he’s a nice, good looking guy. You don’t see that anymore these days. I sigh and enter the kid store. My eyes catch a glimpse of fluff and I walk around the isles. A big teddy bear sits there, and looks pretty clean too. I chuckle to myself, Lilly is going to love this. I pull out some rope from my bag and strap the bear to my bag. I walk back down again, looking for Heath and Aiden. ‘’Guys?’’ I whisper. No sound. Where are they? ‘’Heath? Aiden?’’ I try again, a little louder. I hear laughter coming from the dvd store and walk towards it. ‘’There you guys ar- seriously?’’  I cock my eyebrow as I see what they’re looking at. ‘’I thought you both were adults? You look like 16 year old boys, seeing boobs for the first time.’’ I chuckle as I see them watching the covers of some porn dvds.They both turn around, their faces red. I roll my eyes, ‘’Found the medicine?’’ They nod and keep quiet. ‘’Let’s go then?’’ I ask and start to walk away. Once outside the building I take in the fresh air. It smelled like mold and death in there. I wait and wait and they finally come out. Well, Aiden comes out. ‘’Heath?’’ ‘’He wanted to go back home alone.’’ Aiden shrugs his shoulders. I furrow my eyebrows. Why would he want that? ‘’Are you sure?’’ ‘’Yeah, don’t worry about him.’’ He smiles, slinging his arm over my shoulder and we start to walk.

I keep quiet the whole time, not knowing what to say. I look over my shoulder, his hand lazily hanging there. ‘’Aiden, your arm is kinda heavy.’’ I chuckle nervously and grab his hand, trying to get his arm off my shoulders. ‘’Nonsense.’’ He puts his arm back and tucks me in his side. I dare to look at him from the side and he smirks back. ‘’Seriously tho, that bear is weighing me down, I don’t need your arm either.’’ It comes out with no emotion. He looks down at me, smiles and grabs my backpack, slinging it over his shoulder. ‘’Better now?’’ he asks, placing his arm back over my shoulder. I sigh and grab his hand again, pulling it away. I can see him rolling his eyes and he stops. ‘’Why are you being like this?’’ He asks, annoyed. ‘’Like what?’’ ‘’Like you don’t want me.’’ He smirks, setting the backpack on the ground and walks slowly towards me. ‘’Stop.’’ I say, placing my hand on his chest. He grabs both my hands and pins me against a tree, my hands above my head. ‘’It’ll only take a few minutes.’’ Aiden smirks and chuckles deeply, his eyes darkening. He starts to kiss my cheek, leaving wet stains on my skin. ‘’S-stops, please’’ I cry out. ‘’You saw me back there, watching those women on the dvds. I am a man and a man has needs, darling. You won’t leave me hanging, do you?’’ He whispers in my ear and kisses the shell, sucking on my earlobe. He presses his crotch against mine and I can already feel how much he wants me. ‘’Aiden, stop!’’ I yell, trying to get out of his grasp. He only chuckles and loosens his belt with one hand, the other still holding my hands above my head. I try to escape his grip but he only tightens it around my wrists. ‘’Aiden, please.’’ I whimper as he pushes my shirt up, revealing my bra. His eyes are full of lust. ‘’Let me show you that I have seen boobs.’’ He licks his lips. My eyes start to water and my vision becomes blurry. ‘’Stop!’’ I yell, hoping there’s someone near. ‘’Stop talking!’’ He smacks my face. I let out a cry of pain, feeling my cheek burning. Is this really happening? I try to kick but he has me all pinned down against the tree. He unclips my belt and opens my jeans. ‘’HELP!’’ I yell out, but all I get is another smack. I whimper and my vision is getting more blurred and black. I shake and I feel his hand slipping in my jeans. ‘’No… ‘’ I whisper, my lip quivers. I close my eyes, waiting for it to be over, but it never comes.

꒥꒷꒷꒥꒷꒷꒥꒷꒷꒥꒷꒷꒥꒷꒷꒥꒷꒥꒷꒷꒥꒷꒷꒥꒷꒷꒥꒷꒷꒥꒷꒷꒥꒷꒷꒥ < Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3> ‘’Lilly, go ask if you can play with them.’’ I smiled down at her, softly nudging her towards the kids playing outside. ‘’Can I?’’ She asked, her eyes wide. I nodded and she ran off. I chuckled, loving her already, even though she isn’t my own. My gaze followed her, her curls bouncing as she ran towards the kids, they all smiled at her and took her right in. ‘’Bailey?’’ An elder lady asked. Her blonde hair, now starting to slowly get more gray, stood in front of me, blocking my view of Lilly. I furrow my eyebrows, ‘’Yes?’’. She smiled at me, ‘’I’m Deanna, I’m the leader of this community. I’d like to have a little word with you, it’s part of the process of living here.’’ I nodded slowly, ‘’Is it okay for Lilly to keep on playing, or does she need to come with us?’’ I looked behind her, nodding at Lilly. ‘’She can keep playing, I'm sure you know enough about her to answer my questions.’’ I kept silent as Deanna started walking away, wanting me to follow her. ‘’First we’ll make a stop at the supplies. We don’t want people having their weapons in these walls.’’ My eyebrow shot up, ‘’What if the biters get in?’’ ‘’They won’t’’ she assured me. I was hesitant, but unsheathed my dagger, giving it to her. ‘’Any more weapons? Guns?’’ I shook my  head, ‘’That’s all’’ I said as another woman stepped out of the supplies storage. ‘’This is Olivia, she monitors the supplies and weapons.’’ Deanne introduced us. ‘’I keep a list, don’t worry.’’ She smiled. I nodded, still unsure about the place. So far it looks okay. Lilly looks happy. I sighed and followed Deanna. 

‘’Please, sit.’’ I sat down on the couch. The room looked like an office, not the modern offices you knew, but older ones. A wooden table and cabinets filled with books, a rug on the floor, it almost looked.. cozy? ‘’So, I want to introduce myself properly. I am Deanna Monroe, I am the leader, and I live here together with my family. Reg, my husband, is an architect. He built these walls to keep us safe. My oldest son Aiden, is the head of the scavenging group and my youngest son Spencer, patrolls the walls from the church tower. Together with other survivors, we built this place. I mean the walls, the houses were here already. We managed to maintain electricity and water. Together we keep it a clean and safe place to stay.’’ She smiled at me, obviously proud of what they managed to do. ‘’I document our conversation, as part of the transparency of this community. I hope you don’t mind?’’ I noticed the little camera pointed at me. ‘’No, I guess not?’’ I said, still looking around the room. She even had pictures of ,I suppose, her family on the table. ‘’Great, let’s start. How long have you been out there?’’ She began. ‘’Long, I suppose when it all happened, I believe nine months ago?’’ Was I really going to be honest with her? She nodded, ‘’How do you know the little girl?’’ Why does that matter? ‘’We ehm, just met at a little town outside the walls.’’ Stop telling her everything. ‘’What was your previous job?’’ ‘’I’m sorry but why does that matter?’’ I asked, being curious. ‘’It matters a lot, we have jobs here, so I might be able to give you one.’’ ‘’Jobs? Biters are running around and you’re out here doing ‘jobs’?’’ What is this place? ‘’Do you want the little girl to have a safe space with other children to play?’’ She smiled. I clenched my teeth. Of course I do. ‘’I took care of animals.’’  ‘’What is the little one to you? Little sister? Cousin?’’ ‘’I found her on the street, like I said, in a small town just outside these walls. She was with her mom. The woman was turning and I saved her, or she’d be bitten too.’’ I said sternly. ‘’We’re not family, but I treat her as such.’’ I eyed Deanna. She just smiled, ‘’That sounds very lovely, I’m glad you found her. Can I ask about your family?’’ Is she serious? ‘’Dead.’’ Was all I said. I didn’t want to talk about it.  ‘’I know enough.’’ She said, standing up and turning off the camera. ‘’Come with me.’’

We walked around the neighborhood. It was sunny outside and people were enjoying that. Children were playing, elderly people sat together on the porch and families talked outside in the sun. Like nothing happened. Like the world didn’t have a deadly virus that turned you into a brainless monster. ‘’We made a sustainable community. There is a big shopping mall nearby, we get our supplies from there. When we first started, we were with three family’s. Now we have eight. And we’re still growing.’’ She smiled at the people when we walked by. ‘’Our recruiters, Aaron and Eric, drive around searching for people in need. I guess you were one of them.’’ She looked at me. ‘’Aaron saved us. The small town was overrun, we barely escaped.’’ I looked down at the floor. ‘’Good, we need more people.’’ She smiled and placed a hand on my back. ‘’We have a safe environment for family’s. As you see, we have walls, warm water, and electricity. What more do you need?’’ She asked me, smiling. ‘’A good defense team? As you said, the biters won’t come in. But what if it happens? Do you have good enough people that know how to deal with them?’’ My curiosity grew bigger. It all seems too good to be true. ‘’We have a scavenger team that goes out every other day. They’ll know what to do.’’ She kept walking. ------------------------------------------------------------------ ‘’This will be your house.’’ Aaron and I stood in front of a normal family sized house. He handed me the keys, ‘’Go on in, I’ll be right behind you. I need to do one more check before I leave you to rest.’’ He smiled and we both walked in. It was a big house. Even before the apocalypse we didn’t own a house this big. When we still lived together, we had a small flat. My parents weren’t rich and when my dad left my mom, we had to move out to an even smaller flat. Mom would’ve loved this. ‘’Are you okay?’’ Aaron snapped me out of my thoughts. I nodded, ‘’Mom and I were on our way here, because I wanted a safe place for us, but mainly for her. She didn’t make it.’’ ‘’I’m sorry.’’ I shook my head, stopping the tears from falling. ‘’I promised her that I would reach this place, and I did. Along the way I found Lilly, she also lost her mom and I saved her from being bitten. I guess my mom sent me a message to go on and to never give up. And now I will do my best to be the best for Lilly, I want her to grow old and strong.’’ Aaron nodded, ‘’You’ve been doing well and holding up. Not many people are able to do so after losing an important family member.’’ I weakly smiled, ‘’Thank you.’’ Aaron showed me the first floor, there were three bedrooms and a big bathroom. The electricity worked and so did the boiler for the hot water. I can’t wait to step in the shower later. Downstairs we have a big living room with a kitchen. Even the fridge was half stocked with supplies. ‘’You guys really have it good here.’’ I chuckled when I opened a bottle of juice. Aaron laughed, ‘’We do our best to make the most of it. Keeping our heads high and always being a step ahead usually works.’’ I held my bottle up in the air, ‘’Cheers to that.’’ Aaron smiled, ‘’I believe everything works. If you ever need anything, or you have any questions, come find me. Me and Eric live four houses down the right.’’ ‘’Thanks, again. I’ll go find Lilly, she needs to see this.’’ I chuckled and we both stepped out of the house, closing the door behind me. ‘’I’ll see you later, I think?’’ I asked, to which Aaron smiled and nodded.

I walked around the neighborhood on my own. The grass was green and well kept, the pond in the middle was clear, trees were growing well. The animals were well fed and kept clean. It was as if I’m dreaming. This can’t be true, right? How, in an apocalypse, is it possible to have warm water, electricity, well kept people and houses, and even well kept animals. I smiled to myself, letting it sink in. As I walked further into the little town they had, laughter and high shrieks filled my ears. I turned the corner, seeing a set of two swings and a slide. I saw Lilly on one of the swings being pushed by a little blonde boy with a bowl haircut. ‘’Having fun Lilly?’’ I smiled and she nodded eagerly. ‘’Sam is pushing me!’’ She laughed and shrieked when she went higher. I chuckled to myself. She gets to be a child again here. I sat down on a bench near the play park. A blonde woman sat down next to me. ‘’Hi, you must be new here?’’ She smiled warmly, ‘’I’m Jessie.’’ She held out her hand. ‘’Bailey.’’ I smiled. We looked at the kids playing. ‘’Is she yours?’’ She nodded towards Lilly. ‘’Kind of.’’ I smiled, ‘’She lost her mom, got bitten, I was there when her mother turned so I grabbed her before she could get bit too. So yes, I guess you could say she’s under my care now, but I’m not her real mother.’’ ‘’I’m glad you found them before anything bad happened. The boy is mine, Sam.’’ She smiled. ‘’My other son, Ron, is somewhere hanging out with his friends.’’ I nodded. ‘’You know, I used to be a hairdresser. I could give you both a haircut if you want?’’ She smiled. ‘’Maybe later today, if that’s possible. She needs to have shorter hair. I don’t want those curls between the hands of a biter.’’ I shook my head at the thought of her getting grabbed by her hair. ‘’But we’ll take a shower first.’’ I laughed. Jessie nodded, understanding where we came from, needing a shower to wash off all the dirt and sweat.

‘’Lilly, can you come here for a second?’’ I called her. She nodded and ran to me, holding out her hands. I did the same and she ran into my arms. ‘’Hey you.’’ I smiled, hugging her as she fell into my arms. ‘’Having fun?’’ ‘’Yes! Sam pushed me so hard!’’ she chuckled. I’m glad that she found someone around her age. ‘’I want to show you something.’’ I smiled. ‘’But I’m not done playing!’’ her little shoulders hang low. ‘’Sam is going home with me too.’’ Jessie smiled at Lilly. ‘’Home?’’ Lilly asked. I nodded, ‘’That’s what I wanted to show you. We have a big home!’’ My eyes grew big and I tickled her. She shrieked again and nodded, ‘’Bye Sam!’’ she waved and grabbed my hand. ‘’Show me, show me, show me!’’ She was tugging me off the bench. I laughed, ‘’Guess I’ll see you later?’’ I asked Jessie, and she nodded. ‘’Three houses down the left.’’ I smiled and walked towards our house. Lilly was very hyper at this point, jumping up and down, running back and forth. ‘’Do we have a bed? And a TV? What about a couch?’’ I laughed, grabbing her arms. ‘’Come here.’’ I said. I kneeled down and she stood behind me. ‘’Jump.’’ and she did. I held her up by her legs and she wrapped her arms around my neck. I started running and that earned some giggles. Eventually she let go and spread her arms wide. Feeling the breeze I made as I ran. Her blonde curls flying behind her in the wind, her blue eyes shining with joy. ‘’Wheeeee!’’ She yelled and I laughed, we earned some laughs as we ran by some porches where older people sat outside.

‘’We’re here.’’ I sat Lilly down and gave her the key. ‘’Try opening the door.’’ She ran towards the door and tried to put the key in the hole. ‘’Can you help me Bailey, I can’t open it!’’ She sounded frustrated. I stepped closer, ‘’Is it in the correct way?’’. She nodded, showing me how she put in the key. ‘’Okay, try turning to the right.’’ She turned to the left, ‘’The other right.’’ I giggled, grabbing her small hand and turning the key to the right. She opened the door and her face lit up. ‘’This is huge!’’ Her mouth hung open as she looked around. ‘’A tv!’’ She pointed her finger, ‘’And a Couch!’’ She jumped on it. ‘’Hey hey, shoes off.’’ She had just been running in the mud and grass. She nodded and kicked her shoes off and continued jumping. ‘’Let’s go upstairs.’’ I held out my hand and she took it. She followed me upstairs, revealing the 3 bedrooms we had. ‘’Bailey!’’ She shrieked as she saw 3 big beds. ‘’Can I choose?’’ I nodded, ‘’Go ahead sweetheart.’’ I smirked. Her happiness is something I will cherish forever. We’ve only been together for two days now but she’s really growing on me. I’ve always wanted kids, but never found the right guy. I guess now that I have Lizy, I don’t need a guy to have a lovely child with. She’s just amazing, a bundle of joy in this dark rotting world.

‘’This one!’’ she yelled, jumping on the big bed. Her windows were directed to the playground we just had been. ‘’Now I can see if Sam or other children will be there!’’ She giggled. ‘’Someone likes Sam a lot!’’ I chuckled and tickled her. “Do not!’’ she blushed. I narrowed my eyes, ‘’I don’t believe you.’’ ‘’No mom!’’ she yelled back and went silent. She looked down in her lap and whispered ‘’sorry’’. I sat down next to her on the bed and hugged her. ‘’It’s okay. You can call me whatever you want. I miss my mom too.’’ I said, soothing her. ‘’Is.. Mommy Bailey okay?’’ I nodded, ‘’Perfect.’’ Looking out the window, the sun shone on our faces. My eyes started to tear up but I quickly blinked them away. ‘’I have one more surprise.’’ Her eyes lit up, ‘’Follow me.’’ I stood up and walked to the bathroom. We had a shower and a bathtub. ‘’I want to go in the bathtub!’’ She yelled running towards it. I nodded and turned on the hot water, running my hands under the stream. ‘’It’s warm too.’’ I winked at her. ‘’Just wait a little bit, so it fills up enough.’’ She nodded, already taking off her socks. ‘’I’m going to take a shower too, is that okay? We can still see each other.’’ I said, turning on the shower head. ‘’Okay!’’ I underdressed and stepped in the shower. ‘’Omg!’’ I almost jumped up from joy. I watched Lilly wait for the water to fill the tub. ‘’You can join me for a bit, I’ll watch the water in the tub.’’ She nodded eagerly, pulling her shirt over her head and pulling her pants off. Once she was done with everything she stepped in the shower with me. I grabbed a cloth and cleaned her face. A beautiful pale-ish pink came from underneath, she was so greased up that I didn't notice it before. ‘’Look at you! You are so beautiful.’’ I poked her cheeks. I quickly washed her hair and conditioned her curls, so it would be easier to brush through it later on. ‘’Hey..’’ Lilly looked up at me, ‘’the tub is ready.’’ She quickly opened the shower door and stepped in the tub. ‘’Turn the tab off, love.’’ I giggled, I didn’t want to clean up the overflowing water. ‘’Okay!’’ she giggled and made bubbles with the soap she poured in. I felt the excitement fill my body as I saw how much dirt pooled around my feet. ’’Warm water!’’ I yelled, throwing up my hands towards the shower head. ‘’Warm wateeeeer!’’ Lilly threw her hands in the air.

After our bathroom session we put on some fresh clothes and walked down towards Jessie’s house. I rang the bell and an older boy opened the door. ‘’Is Jessie home?’’ I asked, the boy looked us up and down and nodded. ‘’Mom!’’ he yelled towards the living room, ‘’Coming!’’ Jessie was now at the door, letting us in. ‘’That was Ron.’’ she smiled, ‘’You both look so clean!’’ she twirled a curl of Lizy’s hair around her fingers. ‘’I went in the bathtub!’’ she exclaimed. I kneeled down in front of her, ‘’Listen, I love your hair, and I’m sure you do too. But it’s a little too long. I don’t want those monsters grabbing your hair.’’ She nodded, ‘’I like it better out of my face.’’ I smiled, knowing that she understood. Jessie trimmed my hair, so I could still wear a ponytail, and cut off some length of Lilly’s hair where she’s still able to make a bun on top of her haid, so it’s still out of her face.

‘’Can we stay here?’’ Lilly asked as she came running to me. She was looking at the butterflies that were above the flowers. ‘’Do you want to stay here?’’ I ask, looking down at her. She grabbed my hand, ‘’Please, please, please!’’. ‘’Alright then. Only if you behave.’’ I tickled her sides and she ran away. The sun was setting and the cool breeze was hitting my face. The first day in our new community. At first I was careful, not knowing what this all was. But after the shower, the haircut, I feel as new.

< Intro - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2> My shoulders hang low as I trudged the old abandoned highway. The weight of moms death is heavy on my heart. I have been walking for over a week now since I left the car that I found. 'Why?'' you may ask? Simply because the fuel ran out. I drank my last drop of water 3 days ago and I was down to my last muesli bar. The scorning hot sun shone bright above my head as there was nowhere to shelter from it. The stranded cars were hard to open and had barely any supplies in them. I found a cap, which helped against the sun.

I was walking on eggshells, or so it feels like. Constantly looking around, trying not to make any noise as there were biters everywhere. It drained me. Weeks long of tip toeing my way around the world, without any food or water is hard. I refuse to give up. I made a promise to mom, to make it to that place here, in Virginia. It was the only thing that kept me going these past weeks. If not for mom, I would've ended it a long time ago.

The sun was setting and I saw some small houses coming up. Or was I imagining it? Did I get a sun stroke? I walked, and when I say walked I meant shuffled, faster towards a small town on the side of the road. It had houses on either side. Is this real? I lay my hand on the wooden walls of the house. It is real. ''Oh my god'' I sighed out. Tears of joy fell down my cheeks. Focus Bailey, these houses may contain biters. I unsheathed my dagger and held it up as I knocked on the door. No sound. I cracked open the door, still no sound or movement. Moving in, I noticed that the place was a mess. They must have left in a hurry. I lowered my dagger, keeping it ready when I needed it and walked around. I opened the cupboards and found a bottle of water and cans of peaches and beans. I picked up the bottle and took a sip, savoring the rest for later. I opened another cupboard and found a whole sixpack of bottles. ''Fuck it.'' I said and drank the bottle that I already opened. ''Ahh this is so good.'' I moaned.

I walked around the house, searching the place. I didn't find anything else. I was now upstairs, there were beds, sheets, pillows. This is heaven when you walk for weeks on the road, without any good shelter. I couldn't help but smile. I smiled for the first time since mom died. I sat down on one of the beds and sighed so loud. I had a place to stay for a while. After a few moments I stood up and walked over to the window overlooking the small street. I looked around and saw some movement in one of the alleyways. I carefully walked down the stairs and peeked through the door. I didn't see anyone. I fully stepped outside now.

''Mommy?'' I hear. I whip my head around and see a little girl hugging someone that's lying on the ground. ''Mommy wake up, please'' she says again. You could hear how scared she was. I kneel down and keep my eyes on the little girl. She's across the street. Her mother wasn't moving. ''Mommy...'' she started crying. ''Mommy!'' she screams. The hurt is killing me. This little girl is losing her mother way too young. A tear slides down my cheek. ''Mommy! You are awake!'' she says and I look up at her. The woman is indeed moving now. She grabs the little girl by her arm, ''mommy you are hurting me.'' She says and tries to get out of her grip. ''Ouch!'' she says, ''Let go! Let go of me!'' She yells.

I stand up and run over to them. ''Hey, hey hey, look at me.'' I say in a hushed voice. She turned her head to me and those small grey eyes were full of hurt. I hug her, placing my hand on the back of her head. More tears start to find their way on my cheek as I end her mothers life. The little girl wants to turn around but I stop her. ''Mommy send me to help you.'' I say. I stand up, scooping her up with me. She's sitting on my arm now. ''It's okay sweetheart. I'll keep you save.'' I say. At this moment of time, I didn't care. I lost my mom, she just lost hers. It's like she was sent to me, like a sign to keep going. ''You've got me now'' I hug her as I silently cy.

She leans back on my arm and rests her little hand on my cheeks, ''don't cry'' she says and wipes my cheeks. I look at her, blonde curls falling on her back. I nod, and wipe my face with my free hand. ''Mommy was in pain.'' She explains. I nod, ''I could see that. I helped mommy, she's up there now.'' I say and point up to the sky. ''Both our mommy's are there.'' I told her. Her head falls back as she looks up, ''Hi mommy...'' She whispers. A tear escapes her eye and I wipe it away. ''No more crying.'' I say and hold up my pinky, ''Pinky promise?'' I ask. She holds up her small pinky and hooks it around mine. ''Promise.'' She says.

I look up at the sky and smile. ''Thank you.'' I mouth as I walk back to the house I was in. It's safe there, for now. I turn my attention back to the little girl. ''So, how old are you?'' I ask. I could see the gears turning in her head and she held up six fingers. ''Six? Aren't you a big girl!'' I tickled her. She giggles. ''And what is your name?'' I ask. ''Lilly'' she smiles. I nod, ''I am Bailey.'' I smile down at her and hold out my hand, she grabs it and shakes it. ''Nice to meet you'' I smile through the pain. This little girl will now be under my care and I will have to do everything about it to keep her safe.

I barricade the front door and walk into the kitchen, at least, from what's left of it and set Lilly on the counter top. ''Hungry?'' I ask and she nods. I grab a can of peaches and open it for her. ''Careful, the edges might be sharp.'' I tell her as I give her the can. I put a bottle of water beside her so she has something to drink. ''Can I ask where you and mommy were going?'' I ask. ''Mommy wanted to find a safe place to live. One of the monsters grabbed her... Mommy was ill.'' She says and I can feel the sadness. ''I was going to a safe place, do you think that mommy knew that? She waited till I was with you.'' I tell her to reassure her. ''Mommy was smart.'' She smiles.

I nod, ''she indeed was.'' I chuckle. I eat a can of beans and look carefully at her. ''Are you hurt?'' I ask her and she shakes her head. ''No, mommy kept me safe.'' She says and eats another piece of peach. "Good'' I nod. I pick her up and walk over to the couch. I sat her down and I sat next to her. Her blonde curls are tangled and her little face is smudged with dirt. ''Once you're done, shall we go look for a brush and wash cloth?'' I ask her and smile. She nods and eats her peaches. ''Done!'' she says and shows me the empty can. ''Good girl.'' I say and stand up walking to the stairs. ''Come, I need your help finding them.'' I chuckle. I'm really trying to make her happy and include her from now on. She's now relying on me.

Luckily we found a brush and some clothes. To my surprise, the water was still running and it was warm as well. I could wash her face and I brushed her hair. I found hair ties and put her hair in a bun to prevent it from being snatched by biters. ''That's a lot better, isn't it?'' I asked Lilly when I was done with making a bun. She nods and smiles ''Now I can see better!'' She giggles. I chuckle in response.

The sun was setting. We could easily stay here for the night. It's safe and I barricaded the front door. ''So, are you tired?'' I ask the little girl. ''A little...'' She says and yawns. ''Well, we're in luck, as you saw, there are beds. So we can sleep here if you want?'' She nodded eagerly. I picked her up and brought her to one of the beds, throwing her on one of the beds, earning a giggle in response. I took off her shoes and tucked her in. ''I'll be downstairs for a bit, I'll come up soon okay?'' she looks up at me, ''okay''. I ruffle her bun and walk downstairs. Once I sit back down on the couch I sigh. I bring my knees to my chest and rest my head on my knees. I silently cry. I do believe that mom sent her to me, as a sign to keep going. Lilly's heartbreak for her mommy broke me. I kept my cool, but it was so hard to kill her mom.

After an hour or so I walked back upstairs and lay myself down on the king-sized bed. My hands found their way behind my head and I looked up at the ceiling, not daring to sleep in case something happened. ''Bailey?'' My head turns to the doorway, ''I can't sleep'' Lilly says and rubs her eyes. I opened my arm for her. She crawls on bed and lays against me as I wrap my arm around her. I turn on my side and curl around her. ''Try to get some sleep sunshine, I'll keep you save, okay?'' She nods and closes her eyes. Soon her breaths are slow and even. I throw the cover over us and close my eyes too. Within an hour I am asleep.

~~~~~~~~~

''Bailey!'' someone pulls my arm. ''Wake up!'' My eyes fling open and Lilly is tugging my arm in panic. ''What is wrong?!'' I say as she points to the stairs. ''Monsters..." She whispers. I sit up straight, ''Are they inside?'' I whisper. She nods. Fuck. I climb out of bed and walk over to the window. There's a fire escape.

''Stay here, I'll grab your shoes and our bags and we'll leave through the window.'' I tell her as I set her on the bed. I tiptoed to the other room where we left her shoes and bag and looked down the stairs. There's at least seven of the biters inside. How? I barricaded the door? No time to think about that. I quickly ran back to the room where I left Lilly. I hear growls and the stairs are creaking. I whip my head over my shoulder and see two biters coming up the stairs. They must have heard me running.

''Shit'' I whisper. I softly close the door behind me and lock it. I try to stay calm for Lilly, I don't want to scare her. I quickly put on her shoes and put her down on the ground. ''Turn around'' I whisper and she does. I put her backpack on her back.

The door is now moving, the biters walking into it to reach us. I hold my finger up to my lips, indicating to Lilly that she needs to be quiet. She nods but I can see that she's scared. I open up the window and pick her up, placing her outside on the fire escape.

The door bursts open and the two biters march in, walking over to us. ''Bailey!'' Lilly yells. I quickly look down in the alleyway, to my luck there's no biters there. "Go down the steps! I'll be right behind you!'' I say and turn back around. My dagger is already in my hand as one of the biters throws me against the wall. In the corner of my eye I can see Lilly staring at me. ''Go! I promised to keep you save, I'll be there!'' I yell and she nods. I plunge my dagger in the skull of the biter and throw its body to the other one, buying me some time to climb out the window. As I'm trying to go down the stairs, the other biter grips my arm. ''Asshole!'' I yell and put my dagger up his nose, it's body going limp.

I quickly walk down the stairs and find Lilly, hugging her. ''See, you're save.'' I whisper in her ear. Her little arms wrap around my neck and I pick her up, setting her on my hip. ''Let's go.'' I say and lean towards the street. It's full of biters. I curse under my breath. ''We'll have to make a run out of this town.'' I tell Lilly and set her down for a bit. I move my backpack to my chest and kneel down. ''Jump'' I tell Lilly and she jumps. Her legs go through the bands of my backpack and I hold her up, making sure that she's secure. Her hands grip my shoulders, ''Ready?'' I ask over my shoulder. She nods, ''okay, hold tight!'' I say and run onto the street. Heads turning our way as I make a run out of town, dodging every biter that comes close. ''Close your eyes!'' I yell over the growls, she doesn't need to see this.

I feel a tug on my back and notice that a biter is holding on to Lily's bag. I quickly turn around and swipe my dagger in its head. I keep on running and running but the herd is following me on my heels. I'm growing tired. ''Look!'' Lilly yells and I see her pointing forward. My eyes follow her little finger and sure enough there's a car coming our way? I keep running towards it as it slows down. A man gets out, ''Duck!'' he yells and I do as he says. He runs up to us and starts to riffle down the biters. ''Are you hurt? Bitten?'' He asks, saying calm. ''N-no!'' I say. ''Good, come with me!'' he yells above the growls. I don't even think twice as we run back to the car.

''I'm Aaron, we have a save place where you can stay.'' The man says to us. ''Do you mean... 'that' save place in Virginia?'' I ask Aaron. He nods and smiles, pulling away from the herd. ''Oh thank god'' I burst into tears as I hugged Lilly who's sitting in my lap.

Aaron grips my shoulder in a kind way and tells me to relax, as it's a 30 minute drive. ''So who are you?'' Aaron asks. ''I'm Bailey, this is Lilly, we found each other yesterday.'' I try to smile as I think back on how we met. Aaron nods, ''I am Aaron, as you know, and I drive around to see if there's people in need and give them the choice to come back to Alexandria.'' He smiles.

''We're close.'' Aaron nods towards a sign that says 'Alexandria, this way'. ''Do you think his is where our mommy's wanted us to go?'' I ask Lilly as I see high walls and a big gate. ''I think so!'' She giggles as the gate opens.

''You are finally safe. I will let Deanna know that I came back, she'll help you get settled.'' Aaron says and gets out of the car. The gates close behind us and I look around. It's just like a normal neighborhood. People are smiling, children are playing outside. I look down at Lilly, her eyes almost popping out of her head. She looks up at me and smiles, holding up her arms. I hug her tight.

''Raindrops are falling on my head..'' I softly sang to Lou who sat on my arm. I was making diner, Sam would be home soon. Hopefully. Ever since we met, back at Port Knot City, we couldn't stop liking each other. When one of us did something for work, the other would like it though the link cuff.  A year later, we met back up at a Low Roar concert and since than really have been in contact. He stopped being a porter after the conflict he had about Baby Lou. He couldn't step away, just couldn't but the baby in the incinerator. Ever since than we've been hiding from Bridges. We found a spot in the dessert and used holograms to cover up the entrance. 

''But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red'' I hear Sam sing as he enters the hidden house. I smile and turn. ''Look who's home!'' I hold out Lou but quickly hold her back again. ''Sam you look like hell!'' I giggle as I take in his appearance. He's cover in black tar, his face is smudges and his hair a mess. He usually wears his cap but  think that he lost it, again. ''It's not that bad.'' He says, looking down at his clothes. ''Come on..'' I nod towards the shower. ''Dinner will be ready in 20 minutes, you still have time to get clean.'' He nods but quickly kisses my cheek before running away. ''Sam!'' I laugh as I wipe the black tar off my cheek. Lou giggles at the whole situation.

''Sweetheart?'' I hear him yell from the shower. I quickly set Lou down and walk over. ''Yeah?'' I walk in the bathroom, being greeted with an almost naked man. Only a towel is wrapped around his torso. ''What is this about?'' I giggle. He chuckles but gets something out of the pocket of his dirty suit. ''For you, I found this.'' He holds up a necklace, A small lucky clover laying in the palm of his hands. ''Sam, this is so thoughtful. It's so cute, I love it.'' I smile. He mentions for me to turn around. I turn and he puts the necklace on me. Two arms engulf in a hug and I take in the scent of his body wash. ''Thank you, for being here for me and Lou. I don't know what I would've done without you.'' He kisses my cheek once again.

Lou made a sound from the living room and we both looked out the bathroom. ''Come, dinner is almost ready, your child missed you.'' I squeeze his arms as he lets me go. ''Wait.'' He pulls me back by my hand and softly plants a kiss on my forehead. ''I mean it.'' He says, his voice low and rough. I nod, cupping his cheek. ''I know, love.'' I softly kiss his lips. ''I know, and I feel the same towards you. Now put some clothes on, or we won’t have dinner.’’ I chuckle as I walk back to pick up Lou from the ground. I quickly stir our food in the pot.

"Bailey?" Someone tugged at my shoulder. "Hmm?" "Come on sweetheart, we have chores to do." Mom woke me up. "I'm coming, just five more minutes." I turned around. I was getting tired of doing the same chores over and over again, every single day. But they had to be done, or we could be kicked out of this camp. I woke up and walked out of our tent, searching for mom. Now you may think:' Bailey, you're 30 years old and still live with your mom?' And the answer is yes. Yes indeed. But we need each other. After the outbreak happened, I went straight to her home and picked her up. Her body isn't young anymore and someone needs to remind her that. We've been living inside these walls for half a year now, I think. We all got our own tents; mom and I share one.

Our morning begins with looking at the crops, watering them and harvesting them when needed. After that we start our daily routine of washing clothes, including everyone else's. After that we get a little break, so we can take a breather. 'Is that all Bailey?'

No, unfortunately. We also have to make dinner for the whole camp. Every. Single. Day.

But I do all this with love. Because I need my mom to be safe. I need her with me, she's my everything. She raised me alone, and now I take care of her. Easy as that.

"What do we have for dinner?" John, one of the group members asked. "We're making a vegetable soup." Mom smiled kindly. "I hate soup, make something else." He demanded. "But this is all we have right now" mom said, her voice small.

"I don't care!" John raised his voice. Fuck this. "Hey, back off alright?" I glared at him, holding my head high. "What was that missy?" "I said, shut the fuck up!" I began to stand between mom and him. He looked me up and down. "I don't know if you know, but we make dinner here. If you don't like it then that's your problem. Don't eat then. Now fuck off." I could see a vein popping on his head. "You cunt." He said and walked away. I looked behind me, mom was clutching her chest. "Dear, don't smart mouth them. We need this place." She looked down. I gave her a hug. "I know mom, but I won't let them walk over you, you know that." She nodded. I pressed a kiss to her cheek, and we went on with the day.

It's funny how some men think they are better than women? Like I mean, hello? Haven't seen the biters walking around? There's an apocalypse going on? Men are equal. Dicks. Daddy issues much? Yes. My dad was never around. Like I said, mom raised me alone. We lived in an apartment, till I moved out. She always made me food, cleaned my room, did my laundry. She was just the best mom you could have. She was, and still is, my shoulder to cry on, my personal therapist and so much more. I love her.

"She had a big mouth." I look over my shoulder and see John coming towards us with the group leader, Matthew. "Care to explain?" He asked. "He was giving my mother a hard time and I just told him to please be calm, and if he didn't like the soup we made, that it wasn't our problem." I shrugged. Matthew could see right through me.

"We don't tell each other to 'fuck off' here, Bailey, you know that." Ah shit. "It won't happen again, Matthew, she's sorry." My dear mom spoke for me. "This was the last strike, Jenny, I'm sorry. But you both have to leave." I couldn't believe it. "He was harassing my mom for god's sake!" John smirked, "you heard him out." Oh no, no no no. I stormed up to him and gave him a square one in the jaw. "You ruined us. You know that?! All because you thought you were better than us? Well guess what? You'll be dead if I ever find you again. You hear me?!"

The next morning we were thrown out. The big metal doors closed behind us. "Mom, I'm so sorry. I was just standing up for you." "It's alright love, we will find a better group, with kinder people." I love how she held her head high. If there's one person that stayed positive during this whole apocalypse then it's mom. Whatever happens, she never blamed me. She always knew how to keep me going.

We began our journey. We heard that there's this place in Virginia that had walls, houses, warm water even. It would take us weeks to get there, but it was the best for my mom. I don't even know if that place is overrun. It's a big gamble and it's a fifty fifty change that the place is ok. ''Mom, you do want to go see if that place in Virginia is still running?'' ''oh yes dear, it sounded wonderful.'' She smiled up to me. ''But it will take us weeks to get there.'' My voice trailed off. I don't know if she can handle that. ''Bay, we'll see how far we come. I can see the worry in your eyes, but I can be strong. We just have to be smart. We have weapons, well you have weapons, you can protect us. Maybe we even find a car?'' She chuckled, ''we don't know what's coming for us. And we'll never know if we never try, right?'' I nodded and sighed loudly. ''Okey, yes, Okey let's go then.'' I said and hugged her tight. And so we began walking.

The air was thick and the stench of dead and decay was getting worse and worse. The sun was getting warmer and around us the flesh was rotting. We have been walking for a week or so, finding small sheds to hide in overnight. The last shed we went into was not the best one. We woke up with 4 pairs of hands sticking through the holes in the walls. Mom stayed inside while I tactically took them out. ''You can come out!'' I yelled as I wiped my brow. ''Where did they came from?'' she asked and I just shrugged my shoulders. They can come from everywhere nowadays. We began our daily walk to Virginia. ''Here, mom , have some water.'' It wasn't a question. She needs me to remind her to drink water, especially in this heat. She grabbed the bottle from me and took a sip. ''Don't you want anything dear?'' ''Nah mom, I'm good.''

As the day went by, and we walked some miles, we stumbled upon an abandoned school bus. ''Look mom, maybe we can hide in there for tonight.'' I smiled. I was happy to see a vehicle, even though it didn't look like it was turned on. All the doors were still intact so we could close them overnight. Mom was already at the side of the school bus, ''Careful there, there might be walkers around or under it, hell maybe even in the bus.'' I said and carefully walked over, looking around. I bent my knees to look under the bus and there was no one. I did a lap around the bus, and even that was clear. A scream pierced my ears as I ran to the back. ''Mom!'' I yelled. She had mindlessly opened the door and there were two walkers on top of her. I quickly put a knife to their head and pulled them off of her. I kneeled down beside her. ''Mom, please tell me you weren't-'' she held up her arm. A bite mark. ''Honey, I-'' she began to panic. ''No, mom, it's ok. Look, we can but this rag over it and you won't see it anymore.'' I said and wrapped up her arm.

We both know the ending. I don't want to think about it now. It could take a couple of days before the fever starts to set in, she'll slowly lose consciousness and eventually turn. Mom began to sniffle and I turned to her, ''Mom, hey, look at me. You're going to be okey.'' I reassured her. We both know she wouldn't be okay. But we have to keep our head up high, like she always did. I quickly checked in the bus and it was safe. I helped mom up so she could sit on one of the benches. At least this is comfortable for her. ''We can have dinner here, and maybe even sleep on one of the benches.'' I told her and she just nodded. I can already see that she's fading mentally. She is preparing herself for what's to come. I need to do the same, because I'll be lost without her.

We tried to make the most of the night, knowing we had a hard time coming.

Her body was old, old for her age. That might sound crazy, but sometimes, due to lack of self care, your body grows older quicker than your mind. It didn't take days for her.

A day later and I was already preparing myself for what I'll have to do.

She was very sick, coughing up a storm and blood. Her body was weak.

''Hey mom,'' I sat down beside her, ''You know I love you right?'' I said, my eyes brimming with tears. She nodded weakly. ''I... love you... too... dear''.

''Mom, you don't want to turn, do you...'' I asked, breathing heavy. She looked scared. ''.. no..'' her voice was small. I know I had to do it, I just didn't know how. I held her in my arms as we both cried. I'm not ready to say goodbye yet. ''I'll miss you, mom.'' I whispered. ''I'll.. always be.. with you..'' she cried. She slowly put her hand on my cheek. She wiped away the tears. ''You... have to.. make it.. to Virginia.... For me..'' she breathed. I nodded, ''I will mom, I will.'' I hugged her.

I felt her slipping away, her body limp in my hands. Soon she would turn. I wiped my tears. I know what I have to do. ''Why us?'' I asked, looking up at the sky. ''Why did you have to do this!'' My head hung low. I slowly unsheathed my knife, my hands trembling. I had killed enough walkers to know how to do this. Never a human, and never in a million years would I think that I had to put my own mother down.

I held her tight against me, her head laying in my lap. I lay over her, hugging her tightly before sending her to heaven. ''I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, sorry sorry sorry.'' I cried out and fell backwards, hugging my knees...

It's been a week since mom died. I left the bus two days later. I buried her there, it's the least she deserved. I have been feeling numb ever since. I'm alone now. It's still weeks' worth of walking till I reach that place, but its what she wanted. So I kept going. I eventually found a car that could bring me closer, but not close enough. I killed some walkers here and there. Never saw any people.

And so I continued our journey,

A whistle was heard. It took me two seconds to comprehend what had happened. The zombie was inches away from my face. The arrow wedges in the back of its skull, driving through it, was now touching between my brows. The pointy tip, leaving a small cut between them. But I was alive. The person saved me. As I slowly pushed the zombie off of me, the pointy tip of the arrow leaving between my brows, I felt blood. Not a lot, maybe a droplet or two. ‘’You ok?’’ the man had asked. I looked up, two blue eyes looking up at me as he retrieved the arrow. I told him that I was fine, that I had a little scratch between my eyebrows, but that I forgave him, as he saved my life. ‘’Sorry.’’ He said, looking between my brows. ‘’It’s nothing.’’ I replied. He stood up, and turned around to walk away. At first I let him. But I was alone. He looked to be alone. I have zero weapons. He had a crossbow. He looked… nice. I haven't worn makeup in forever.. Anyway, ‘’Wait!’’ I ran after him and grabbed his bicep. He swiftly turned around and yanked his arm out of my hand. ‘’Can… Can I join you?’’ I dared to ask. ‘’No.’’ He grunted, turned back around and started walking again. ‘’You look like you travel alone, as do I! I can cook?’’ I tried. He didn’t stop walking. ‘’I can wash your clothes! Because it looks like you need it..’’ I said the last bit softly. ‘’I can also-’’ He stopped and looked over his shoulder, ‘’Will you stop talking ‘n hurry already?’’. I smiled and set pace in my steps.

‘’I never got your name?’’ I smiled brightly up to the man beside me. ‘’S’ Daryl.’’ Daryl. It suited him. His hair came to his shoulders and was wavy and dirty. Vest covered in mud and blood. Daryl. ‘’My name is y/n.’’ I extended my hand. He didn’t take it. Noted. ‘’Alright.. So Daryl, where are you from?’’ I asked and received a side eye from him. Not a talkative person either. ‘’Georgia.’’ I nodded. ‘’I’m from Tenne-’’ He stopped us. His arm stretched out to stop me from walking, the other hand went to his mouth, indicating to be silent. A soft groan came from my left and I slowly looked. A zombie, struggling to walk, came our way. ‘’Get behind me.’’ He softly shoved me behind him. I almost tripped and gripped his arm, looking up at his face with an apologetic look. I really didn’t mean to fall, so I had to hold on to him. I mean, his arms were pretty big so I could easily hold on, if not two more women could as well. He held on to me a bit longer, making sure I didn't fall. His gaze swiftly looked back to the zombie. ‘’You good?’’ he asked over his  shoulder? I nodded and looked over his shoulder, the zombie closing in. ‘’Watch out!’’ I yell and fall backwards, hurting my elbow on a rock. Daryl quickly kills the zombie and walks over to me. ‘’Clumsy little thing are ya?’’ He smirked, holding out his hand. I grab it and he helps me up. As he helps me up, he pulls on my hand, our chests bumping against each other. ‘’Stay close.’’ He murmurs as he looks down in my eyes. I gulp and nod. ‘’Y-yes, sorry.’’ I softly said as he slowly let go of my hand. He retrieves his arrow and softly slaps my arm with the back of his hand, indicating to follow him.