Dead On Arrival

Chapter 6

*Dream*
I was sitting on the beach next to Caleb. The hustle and bustle of people echoed around us.

"Hey, beautiful. I've missed you." Caleb spoke, grinning from ear to ear. I snuggled into his shoulder and relished in the sweet, sweet peace that had ended so abruptly when the dead began to walk.

He turned to face me and we both leaned in, when a man's voice coughed.

Startled, I turned to the opposite side of my beach towel, and gasped. There, in the flesh, was my mother, wrapped in Dad's arms.

"Please children, no PDA" said Dad with an obvious smirk in his voice. Mum and I giggled.

Without warning, Dad grinned mischievously and I was lifted into the air by Caleb. I gasped as he flung me over his shoulder and sprinted in the direction of the sea. He ran in up to his waist and threw me in.

When I came up for air, Caleb had half of his face eaten off, and a huge chunk of flesh was ripped from his neck. His eyes were dead and he was sloshing his way through the water towards me. I backed up, tears began streaming down my face. Hands grabbed my shoulders as I was span around, straight into the walker-fied face of my dad. He grappled my arms, digging his nails deep into my skin. A scream ripped from my throat as he shredded the porcelain skin of my forearms.

"Thalia! Wake up!"

Confusion overtook me as I bounded through the water in a desperate attempt of freedom. I was dreaming? I couldn't be. The pain in my arms felt all to real.

"Thalia !"

There it was again. I spun around, trying to locate the source of the shouts. The sky was grey-red and fires littered the shores of the beach. Dead walked along the banks and turned towards me with outstretched arms.

"WAKE UP!"

I spluttered awake as lukewarm water was poured on my face. Carl, Dad and the woman I found to be Carol, was staring down at me, concern written all over there faces. Carl was holding a now empty bottle of water.

I sat up and put my head in my hands. "Get out." I muttered. Everyone exchanged nervous glances.
"I said," my voice gradually getting louder, "GET OUT!" Rick and Carol rushed to the door, clearly understanding that I was in no mood to talk. Carl hovered indecisively, but with a pleading look from me, he sighed and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Dad came and sat down on the edge of my bed. I had to stop tears from rolling down my cheeks. He is fine, I told myself. He is sitting right next to you, just like he wound do when the nightmares plagued you back home. He looked at me and it felt as if he was looking straight into my soul with his icy blue eyes that can be sharp and dangerous, yet calming and comforting. I couldn't stop the tears. They tumbled out of my eyes like raging rivers as he pulled me into his chest and rocked me back and forth, like he always used to do when I was small.

When the rivers thinned into lakes and the lakes dried out, I asked, "What's the time?"

"About three in the morning, by the looks of the sky." He replied, glancing down at me. "You're not gonna be able to fall back to sleep, are ya?" He sighed as I guiltily nodded. That nightmare was worse than usual. I had always had trouble sleeping, so does Dad. I guess it runs in the family. Dad patted my back and got off the bed, stretching.

"You, Mr Daryl Dixon, need to get up yourself to bed. You look like a wreck." I commanded. Dad gave me a sloppy salute, and sloped back to his room. I leapt off of the bed and began to change into some presentable clothes. I sighed. It was going to be a long night.