Love and Death (The Walking Dead - TWD)

Lil' Ass Kicker

I woke up with a yawn and rolled over to see Daryl had gone, I got my swords and placed them on my back and went to see where everyone was. I checked in Ashlyn's cell she was gone too and there was no sign of anyone else either. Finally after walking aimlessly I found Carl standing at the doors looking unusually clean.

"Hey, kiddo, where is everyone? And how are you so clean?" I asked
"Didn't anyone tell you? There was an emergency water supply here everyone's taking a shower" he answered
"Really?" I said excited "I have to go get one before it runs out! Catch ya later kid" I said rushing off the realising I had no idea where they were walked back laughing. "Couldn't show me where they are could you, Carl?"

He started giggling and lead me in the direction of the showers. "Thanks, Kid" I said ruffling his hair as he handed me a yellowing towel and ran off to find Lori.

I undressed peeling the horrible dirty clothing off my body, vowing that on the next run I would try my best to find a clothing shop, and stepped into the shower the water felt lovely against my skin, it wasn't hot but warm enough to make it feel nice, simple pleasures in life that were taken for granted so much before.

Eventually my fingers started to go wrinkly and I figured it was time to get out and dry off. Putting my dirty clothes back on I walked out of the shower rooms to find Ashlyn. She was standing at the cell block door with Carl and Beth looking into the courtyard.

"Everything okay you three?" I asked
"Rue!" Ashlyn squealed "I think Rick and Daryl want to go on a run are you going?" She asked
"Probably sweetie I need new clothes, you want me to get some for you guys?" I asked and they nodded
"Please be careful, Rue" Ashlyn said and I nodded back walking off to find Daryl.

I walked up the metal steps heading for the cell we shared and stopped when I heard voices.

"But I still love you, Daryl" Sara said and he made a scoffing noise in response.
"Ya never loved me, yer cheated on me" he retorted
"We broke up, Daryl, I didn't cheat, and letting you go was a big mistake" She told him
"It don't matter now anyway " he replied
"How long have you and that girl been together?"
"'Bout 3 months" he answered which made me smile for two reasons hearing him say we were together kind of made me his girlfriend and secondly he knew how long it had been.
"Do you love her?" There was a pause in the conversation and I didn't quite know how to react to it so I continued walking up the steps.

"Hi Sara, is there something we can do for you?" I asked politely
"Um, no, I was just leaving" she answered
"Hey, wait, we're going on a run soon you want any new clothes?" I asked
"Sure, thanks" she said looking surprised as she continued to walk out the door.
"You okay?" I asked Daryl as I sat on the bed to pull my socks and boots on stashing my knife safely inside.
"Yeah, erm, you got nothing to worry about" he said
"I know, I trust you, who knows maybe we'll be friends soon" I smiled "you ready?"

Daryl, Rick and I got into a small grey car we found in the prison parking lot it still had fuel but took some time to start up probably because it had been sitting there for a while. Rick eventually got it working after a few tries and drove out of the gates and down the road. I didn't know this area and I had no idea where we were going but we carried on down a long stretch of road eventually coming to a row of shops about a half hour drive from the prison.

Rick opened the door to the first shop it was an old warehouse that could have been storing anything we all walked in together and prepared our weapons for any walkers that may be lurking in the shadows. Strangely enough there seemed to be not one walker in sight.

"This feels like a trap" I whispered to Daryl.
"Just stay on guard" he whispered back as we followed Rick into the store. It looked like a small mall with pretty much everything that we needed. We looked around and gathered some supplies Daryl got food, Rick got a few necessities for the baby and I picked some clothes and shoes for myself and the group, including the baby (pinks and blues since we didn't know what the gender would be.) Lori is around 8 months pregnant now although we can't be sure without the scans you would get before the apocalypse.

I was about to go back to Daryl and Rick when I heard a faint sneeze. I paused slowly turning around and seeing nothing I thought maybe I was imagining it and continued walking but yet again I heard a sneeze this time I put my hand on the handle of my sword ready to draw if I needed to I thought about calling Daryl and Rick but decided not to.

I walked towards the sneeze and was about to turn the corner when a man about my age stepped out, he had auburn hair, green eyes and pointed a gun at me.

"Stay there" he said not to me but to someone else around the corner but he looked at me and said "You, hands where I can see them" I did as he said.
"I won't hurt you" I told him "you knew we were here didn't you?" I asked and he nodded "Why were you hiding?" I asked again.
"Protecting my family" he said, "if we hide we avoid conflict then all we have to kill is the freaks, but she sneezed you heard so now I have no choice"
"Ruby?" Daryl called from downstairs and I saw the boys head look around clearly a bit at war with himself.
"It's okay" I said quietly "no one will hurt you or your family, I promise, my friends, they'll ask you a few questions and I have no doubt you'll be able to come back with us"
"Ruby?" Daryl shouted again
"Can I call him up here?" I asked the boy paused for a minute then slowly put his gun down leaving his finger on the trigger just in case but he nodded.
"Daryl, I'm up here" I called "put your crossbow down tell Rick to do the same with his gun" and I slowly put my arms back down to my side.

Daryl and Rick walked up the steps looking a bit confused.
"What's going on?" Daryl asked as he spotted the boy
"It's okay, he was hiding with his family, he didn't want any trouble but one of them sneezed and I heard it" I told him
"How many of you are there?" Rick asked the boy and he motioned around the corner to signal someone else to come out. A girl about 3 years old with long auburn hair stepped out she had the same green eyes as the boy and I guessed they were siblings.
"It's just us" the boy said holding the girls hand as she hid behind his leg sucking her thumb.
"What are your names?" I asked
"Luke" the boy answered "this is my sister, April"
"And you've been staying here?" Rick asked and the boy nodded "Your not safe out here in the open, we've taken residence in a prison, we've cleared a cell block it's safe enough, your welcome to come back with us if you want" he told them.
Luke looked at April then outside at the abandoned parking lot I guess he was weighing his options then finally he agreed grabbing a bag from around the corner before following us out to the car Rick placed a Moses basket and our bags in the boot before driving back towards the prison.

As we drove toward the prison I had a very uncomfortable feeling we drove to the gates hitting walkers out of the way with the bonnet. We got to the gate and a sad faced Glenn opened then, Rick parked the car and walked through the gate carrying his bag and the Moses basket the rest of us followed with our bags.

Maggie came out of cell block B carrying something wrapped in a blanket in her arms with Carl beside her, I was confused because cell block B hadn't been cleared out yet so I didn't understand why they were in there.

"What were Maggie and Carl doing in cell block B?" I asked confused and worried, Glenn ignored my question but answered Rick's hard stare
"Rick, I have something to tell you, there's bad news and good news" he started watching Rick's eyes "the prisoners, Ben and Will, while you were gone they opened cell block B letting the walkers in there out"
"They what? Why?" I asked
"They thought they could take the prison for themselves"
"What about the girl?" Rick asked
"She wasn't part of it she was helping Maggie" Rick nodded and Glenn continued "Ben and Will are dead, Hershel got bit, on the leg, I cut it off and I think I saved him, but Lori" he trailed off pausing in the middle of his sentence
"What about her, is she okay? What about the baby?" Rick asked sounding worried now
"The baby is fine, Carl and Maggie helped with the birth but Lori... I'm sorry, Rick, she didn't make it" Glenn told him sadly. Rick fell to the floor in shock sobbing and Glenn motioned for Maggie and Carl to come over. Carl hugged his Dad and they both cried together then after a while Maggie said
"Rick, do you want to meet your daughter?"
Rick looked up at her then slowly rose to his feet he held out his arms and Maggie placed the baby in his hands. Rick gave a slight smile he stroked a thumb across her head.
"She's a lil' ass kicker" Daryl said as he picked up the Moses basket, Rick's bag and we all walked inside.

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Big story line coming up for Ashlyn and Sara soon!

If you liked this story could you please check out the new sequel I'm writing for The Fault in Our Stars.

Thank you as always for reading :) don't forget to vote and comment lovelies!

- Chloe xx