Hush Baby Im here

Chapter 9

"We made it. It's gone" Ricks voice buzzed over the black walky-talky. My stomach sunk. Even though I tried so hard not to have any expectations, I still felt let down. I was excited. Poor Noah. Was his family dead? Where to now? We had no where. No plan. But we always made it.

Carol grasped the walky-talky in her right hand, her knuckles white from clutching it. She hung her head, and so did the rest of the group. Like a dreary black cloud had set over us.

"I'm gonna go look for some water." I said. Standing up from where were sitting on the road. We only had about three bottles left.

"No, don't go alone." Maggie said. Putting her hand out for my help.

I turned, "I'll stay close." I quickly reassured, and stalked off. I wasn't angry. No, I just didn't want Maggie to come with me because she looked worst then she had the other day. Tired. Therefore if we were to run into any walkers. I don't know if I could defend us both.

Every one looked weak due to lack of food and water. And now that we had to keep going, that just made it all worse.

I could feel their eyes bore into my back as I entered the woods slowly, taking out my knife, grasping it's smooth white handle tightly.

I tried to remember anything Daryl taught me about tracking, before I got shot, it was a little harder to recall .

Obviously the ground would be moist if water was near by, would there be more trees?

I didn't even know, I just went in a circle, round the camp, just wanting to lose my mind in something. Until I heard a loud sob. I sprinted fast, leaves whipping my face and body, stinging.

I broke through the last line if trees ready to fight whatever enemy had crossed us now. There laying on the ground was Tireese's dead body. At first I thought he was sleeping, but when I saw the bite on his arm, his eyes already turning a sick shade of purple. I started to cry. Sweat glazed his body and luckily his head already had been, put down.

Sasha stared at him, encased in a hazy dream of shock. First bob, now her brother. She was angry I could see that, but beneath all that fury and rage, she was a little girl so sad about losing her big brother, so terrified about what happened next.

I couldn't sob, or breakdown, but I was so tired of loosing people.

I looked over to Daryl who hung his head, and I knew he some how found a way to blame himself.

Then I turned to Noah, he looked terror stricken, and broken.

We all watched as Sasha dropped her gun, and fell towards the pavement. In body shaking sobs. Maggie and Tara tried to comfort her, but she shoved them away, hugging Tireese's body.

"Hug me back god damn it," I heard her whisper in between breaths and tears "hug me back."

"Please?"

...

I heard father Gabriel speak, but I didn't listen, maybe only Sasha did. We laid Tireese in a cold muddy hole in the ground, covering him with a white sheet and doing our best to give him a funeral.

Then he disappeared, shovel by shovel.

The old wooden cross stood above his grave, his toque placed on top.

Daryl was standing on the other side of the field, and when we started back toward the vehicle I caught up to him.

"Hi." I said.

"Hm?" He responded

"You alright?"

"Yeah."

I stopped him, "Daryl, it's okay to not be alright."

"I know." And then he went on walking.