Love's Conquer

The Key

The bright sun cascaded across the trees surrounding the perimeter of the farm's glorious, golden fields. It was a haven; one I could never forget. The fresh wind glided across my skin and through my hair, as the summery smells of wheat warmed my being.

"Daryl! Daryl, come on!" Carl's voice sprung up enthusiastically, as he tugged Daryl by the sleeve of his shirt.

"I'm here kid- quit tuggin' at my shirt, the damn sleeve'll come off." Daryl groaned, but failed to hide his amusement at the youngest Grimes member.

"Wow..." Carl murmured as he caught sight of my work and his eyes lit up. "This is awesome."

"You really think so?" I smiled, as I crouched down beside him to meet his height.

"Yeah! You painted this?" He asked.

"I did," Wrapping an arm around his middle, I watched his senses capture the colours and textures in front of him. "I was actually an art major before I went rouge."

"That's so cool," He praised, turning to face me and grinning from ear to ear.

"That supposed to be me?" Daryl questioned as he walked towards the bench I had been working on. "Damn, it's actually pretty good."

"Well, I figured it best we keep you alive, so I made a dummy version." I joked, only earning an innocent laugh from Carl.

A laugh that could cure all the evil in the world; a laugh so pure...

"Before we get there, we're gonna have to split up—"

"What?" I snuffled, as Dwight's words brought me out of my mind palace of memories. All I wanted to do was remember him. "Why?"

"I- uh-" He sighed, but kept his eyes glued to the road. "-Laura got away before- after I killed a bunch of the Saviors. She saw, and she got away."

Realisation hit me, "Stop the truck. Dwight- stop the damn truck." But he didn't. "Damn it, Dwight!"

Submitting to my partially aggressive orders, he slammed his foot on the break and stopped the truck on the road. Bringing his pained eyes to me, he sighed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"For this exact reason- you can't stop Bella. You have to keep goin'- you're the one person that can end all this." He reasoned.

"If you go back there, they will kill you—"

"And that'll be no more than I deserve." He stated fiercely.

This is who you are.

You save people.

"No, that's not your fate." I pushed sincerely. "I said it before- I'll say it again... you came back. You did horrible things- things that you, and others like Tara, will have to live with for the rest of your lives. But you came back, and I'll be damned if I let you get yourself killed for it."

A moment of silence swept by us, as he sat in deep thought.

"I'm- I'm sorry for Carl."

Holding my gaze to the surroundings outside, I carefully rested a hand on my pocket that held the letters.

"He was a good kid- I'm just real sorry."

"You know, this whole ride I've been thinking... maybe if we turned back, he'd still be alive and I could just stay with him. I- I could- I could just hold him. It's taking everything in me to not make that call." I shook, barely holding back the tears. "I- I hate having to be the one to- the one that—"