The darkest days

10

I eventually sit down on a log when I know that Daryl is cooled down enough to actually talk

rationally.

I pat the empty spot next to me and he sits down hesitantly.

"I'm not the plague."

I say quietly as he scoffs and looks away for a bit."What happened to Merle?"

I asked as I looked at him for an answer,He shrugged and looked down.

"Don' know.He got cuffed to a pipe on a roof in Atlanta and left there.Went looking for 'im but

i only found his damn hand."

He said in a gruff voice.

"What hap-"

I cut him off before he could say her name.

"I-I-....I lost her when it first started,I was in the mall with her getting new shoes before she

started secon-"

I couldn't go on as I thought about how much pain she was probably in if she got bit.

I hang my head low,biting my lip to keep the tears down.

"I lost her."

I say softly as I look back up into the green scenery."I heard her calling out mommy and I

couldn't find her Daryl.

She may not have been my real child.....But I raised her."

I say looking over to him and I see his body hunched over.

"Jesus Cece."

He says softly as he still hunches over and sighs softly."She was screaming my name out and I

couldn't help her whatsoever."

I said getting choked up."I have nightmares about it Daryl!"

I yell out as I hold myself a little,He turns to me and hesitantly envelopes me in a hug."Shh."

He soothes as I grasp onto him.

he freezes and inches away from me.

"I can't do this." He says and he stands up and starts to walk away.

I whimper and i hold myself as tight as possible.

"No,Not again....nonononono."I start shaking and I curl up.

This isn't happening.

I start to calm myself down and I tie my hair up with my ribbon.I walk back

to the farm and I see Daryl with a saddle walking towards the stables with Carol on his tail.

I sit down at the fire and take out my rubix cube,book and Glasses.

"Whatcha doing there?"

I hear a old voice say to me from behind,"Reading and solving a puzzle."

I state back quietly.

I start working on my rubix cube and starting my book."The great Gatsby,My favorite."

Hershel,says from beside me.

I shrug a little and finish my rubix cube in a blink.

"Want to mix it up for me?"I say handing it to him with a shy smile."Sure."

He says with a humble glow."So you like puzzles,huh?" he asks as he scrambles the colors up

and hands it back to me.

"I wanted to be an engineer. But instead I went to med school and became a paramedic."

I say as I start to put the colors back together."This,"

I say handing it back to him "Calms me down,I have high anxiety,Ran out of meds last week."

I say on a frown as I adjust my glasses."Well your welcome to come into the home when ever

you'd like,I have plenty of

Puzzle books I've never finished laying around."He says with a warm tone,"Thank you."I say

looking up at his old figure and nodding my head.