When the dead roam - (Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 45 - Fuck this

Thick red blood coated multiple blankets, the soft cream colour completely replaced with the insides of the dead. The entire room smelt of rotten flesh which escaped the decaying bodies that lay on the stained carpet. It was a scene from a bad horror movie. A horror movie that Louise hated being a part of.

She tugged a clean blanket over herself, slipping her head through the torn hole that Rick had created in the middle. Her fingers grasped the edge of the gap and she tugged at it harshly, forcing the material further apart and giving her more room.

"We need to move" Rick said, adjusting his own blanket. "You, then me"

With a nod of the head, they both began coating each other in guts. Lou scooped up handfuls of intestines and slowly dragged them down Rick's torso, grimacing at the odour that invaded her nose.

"Mom?" Sam's small voice rang out. His entire body was trembling and his eyes were open wide; he was terrified.

Jessie pushed herself away from the floor and moved towards her young son. She placed her hands on his shoulders as she spoke. "You need to listen to me, okay? We aren't safe anymore" she stated, her voice shaking. "Okay, we need to do this so that we can be safe out there. We need to look like the monsters"

Lou tried not to listen. Seeing another mother cradle her young as he sobbed was enough to twist her own heart.

"No" Sam begged. "Please no"

"Yes, honey, we have to go, okay? We have to to, Sam. Honey, just...just pretend you're brave. Okay? Just make it all pretend. Okay, none of this is real" she placed her hands on either side of his face and strokes his skin with her thumbs. "And you're somebody who isn't afraid. Okay?"

He nodded his head and choked back a sob. "Okay..."

Louise couldn't stand it anymore. She stopped helping Rick and stood to her feet, earning a strange look in return. "I'm gonna go get Judith" she mumbled, quickly exiting the room and racing next door to retrieve Rick's baby daughter.

The little girl stood bouncing in her crib, jumping up and down as she used the wooden sides to pull herself up right. Lou smiled at her. Such beauty in an apocalypse was hard to find and yet, the smile on Judith's face was enough to bring a little light to an otherwise dark world.

"Hey sweetheart" she cooed, placing her hand under her shoulder and lifting her into her arms, careful not to drop her as she struggled. "Let's get you somewhere safe, okay?"

She took her back to her father and passed her small frame over, watching Rick's face light up a little as he held his daughter. Lou collected her bag from the floor and hung it over her shoulder, linking her sling with the strap to ensure it didn't fall from her body as they walked. She pushed the handle of an axe through the loop on her jeans until the metal blade connected with the fabric and nodded at Rick.

"Okay" he said, "Everyone ready?"

One by one the group mumbled their replies and slowly followed Sheriff down the stairs. With a loud shove, the couch's were moved and the 'walkers' slowly crossed around them. Lou took two hands in her own as they each linked together. She inserted herself in between Jessie's eldest son, Ron, and Nicole, careful to avoid suspicion from the dead.

"You're okay" Lou whispered to Nicole, squeezing her hand slightly to comfort her as they walked.

When they were outside she realised how under prepared they were. Hundreds of 'walkers' paraded across the grounds of Alexandria, leaving little room between themselves and the exit. Clouds of smoke and dirt still hung in the air and only hindered their view.