Ellie Dixon

That Dreadful Night

We were eating the fish that Andrea and Amy had caught earlier in the day. Ever since yesterday's events, things had been weird. Ed was constantly in his tent like a baby, Jim had sun stroke and was digging a bunch of holes, Jacob hadn't been in trouble at all for nearly drowning Sophia, but I was told to let that go.

We sat around a fire, Sophia, Carol and Jacob sitting with us tonight. I was sitting next to my mum and Sophia. "Do you think daddy's okay?" I looked up to my mum.

"I don't know and I don't care." She responded, before putting some more fish in her mouth.

I looked down. "I'm sure he is." Sophia whispered in my ear causing me to smile at her.

"I've got to ask you, man. It's been driving me crazy." Eliza and Louis' dad spoke up. "That watch."

"What's wrong with my watch?" Dale smiled, looking at the leather-bound watch going around his wrist.

"I see you every day, the same time, winding that thing like a village priest saying mass." He continued with a smile.

"I've wondered this myself." Jacqui smiled.

"I'm missing the point." Dale stated, grinning from ear to ear.

"Unless I've misread the signs, the world seems to have come to an end." Jacqui pointed out. "At least hit a speed bump for a good long while."

"But there's you- everyday. Winding that stupid watch." Eliza and Louis' dad didn't say stupid harshly, he said it in a friendly way and now we were all curious as to what Dale would say.

"Time- it's important to keep track, isn't it? The days at least. Don't you think, Andrea?" Dale turned to her. "Back me up here." She shook her head and took a sip from her bottle of beer. "I like- I like what uhm... A father said to son when he gave him the watch that had been handed down through generations. He said, I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire, which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine, or my fathers before me; I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it for a moment now and then and not spend all your breath trying to conquer it."

"You are so weird." Amy commented and people laughed, with Dale's bright smile, not at him.

"I thought it was sweet." I smiled at the older man.

"At least someone did." Dale smiled back at me.

Amy stood up, so Andrea asked. "Where you going?"

"I have to pee. Jeez, you try to be discreet around here." So, Amy walked off towards the RV. We all laughed at her, even my mother cracked a smile before finishing her beer and then instantly opening another one.

"When do you think your dad will be back?" Sophia asked me.

"Hopefully soon. I'm sure he'll love to come swimming with us in the quarry." I grinned.

"Don't be ridiculous. Your father can't swim. Back before you were born, we went to a pool on a little date, and he almost drown. The lifeguard had to save him and all." My mum laughed, I smiled so brightly, it was very rare my mother laughed or smiled so I enjoyed it while it was happening.

"We're out of toilet paper?" I heard Amy call from the RV. I didn't pay much attention to her; I was more wrapped up in my mother's smile... I didn't pay attention to Amy until I heard that bloodcurdling scream. I turned around in a panic, a walker was gnawing on Amy's arm before she fell to the ground and another one went at her neck.

Everyone started to scream and panic as chaos broke out. Lori picked up Carl, Eliza and Louis were picked up by their parents, Carol picked up Sophia under one arm and Jacob under the other as she was determined to save both her children. "Momma!" I cried; I didn't expect what she did next. She actually picked me up. Both my legs were to her left as she had her left arm under me and her right hand on my back, my arms were wrapped around her tightly as I screwed my eyes shut.

I heard screaming, gun shots, whacking. Shane was yelling for us all to stay close to him. I thought I was going to be okay, and survive, until I felt my back hit the floor. I looked up and there was a walker right above me and my mother was backing away. She'd thrown me to be a distraction to a walker that she wouldn't have been able to fight off. I screamed as it was about to eat my face, until it fell down onto me.

Blood splattered onto me. I tried to push it off, but it was pulled off. I looked up and saw Glenn. He picked me up and I wrapped myself around him as he shot a couple more. After a couple more minutes, the gun shots stopped, the whacking stopped, the screaming turned into crying. "Ellie!" I heard my dad's voice. I looked and he ran over to me. Glenn passed me to him. I hugged my dad tightly as he held onto me. I cried into his shoulder as he squeezed me so tight, I was struggling to breathe. "You're okay." He whispered, but it was more to himself than to me.

"It was gonna get me." I cried.

"No, it wasn't. You're okay, you're safe, I've got you." He said gently, running his hand soothingly up and down my back. "I love you." He whispered.

"Is she alright?" My mum's voice asked, coming over to our side.

"No, stay away from me." I cried, not looking up.

"Why does she need to stay away, princess?" Dad asked me.

"Because she threw me to that thing. She was holding me, and she threw me onto the ground in front of it." I tightened my grip on my father.

"You did what?" Dad hissed at her.

"It was going to get us both. It was me or her. I chose me. You can't tell me you wouldn't do the same thing." I could hear how annoyed my mum was.

"No, I wouldn't. Because I would die for my daughter without a second thought. You stay away from her, you understand me?" Dad's voice was low and scary.

"Or what, Daryl? You've always been too much of a chicken to lay your hands on me, no matter how many times I hit you. So, what you gonna do?" My mum sounded cocky.

"For my daughter? You don't wanna know the lengths I will go too, to keep her safe."