𝙘𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙮¹ ━ 𝙩𝙬𝙙

iv.

╔═══*.·:·.★ ✦ ★･:･:*═══╗

After a well needed night's sleep, Paola woke up to the sounds of Daryl's motorbike approaching the farm. Lori and Rick had allowed her to stay the night in Carl's room, they could tell how much she'd missed him and it was heartwarming to see her sleeping on her arm on the mattress.

Waking up, she was instantly outside in the stuffy, hot air and stood quietly for Otis' funeral. She stood between Dale and Glenn, who both had their hats in their hands to show respect.

It was obvious the Greene family were grieving the loss of a family member, but Paola couldn't help but say a prayer to her parents, that where ever they are, whoever they're with, that they're safe and that they'll always be by her side.

"Shane, will you speak for Otis?" Hershel asked, holding his bible to his chest.

I'm not good at it. Sorry." Shane whispers, his head had since been shaved and his brown eyes looked jittery.

"You were the last one with him. You shared his last moments," Patricia, Otis' wife cried, "please, i need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning."

Shane could barely look the woman in her eyes, "we were about barely done. Almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols at the end. I was limping, it was bad, ankle all swollen up. 'We gotta save the boy' see thats what he said." Shane's voice broke, he looked as though he was becoming erratic every passing moment. "He gave me his back pack and shoved me ahead. 'Run' he said. He said, 'I'll take the rear, I'll cover you.' And when I looked back..."

Shane moved forward towards the wheelbarrow and the pile of rocks, continuing his story. Paola thought he was different when he came back, changed, and it scared her. Moving back slightly into Glenn and Dale, she tried to make it seem as fluid as possible, but Glenn still felt her change in demeanor as usual.

"If not for Otis, I wouldn't have made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. It was Otis. He saved us both." Shane looked around the group before his light brown eyes settled on Patricia, "if any death ever had meaning, it was his."

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Paola wandered back inside the farmhouse after the funeral, leaving the rest of the group to set up their tents and iron out any problems with hershel. Boring adult stuff.

She knocked on Carl's door and popped her head in without waiting for an answer, "you awake in here, Carl?"

The blue eyes boy smiled at his friend, gulping back a grimace as he pushed himself up on his elbows. This was one of the few times he was able to keep his eyes open. He was glad to see her, he missed her and as much as he loved them, he wanted other company besides his parents. "Paulie!" He grinned a toothy grin and patted the space beside him.

She ran over to him, her ponytail bouncing with every step. She landed on the bed with a grunt and wiggled down the sheets to get comfortable, but not before she gave his the biggest hug she could muster, "you have no idea how much I missed you."

"How scared were you i was gonna die, scale of 1 to 10?" He asks, playfully pushing her away but his injured stomach didn't allow him to do much.

She brought her hand to stroke her chin, humming, "hm, I'd say a 6, but that's because I was scared Glenn was gonna be my only friend."