𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐍 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 | Beth Greene

four

                                ☆
                      chapter four !

Beth's POV

I WATCH HER GO, leaving me alone with whatever remains of the prison was left. I wipe my eyes and tell myself, "Be brave, do it for daddy," and that nearly makes me cry more. The thought of my poor daddy, how scared he must of been. No stop it, I have to be brave, there's still hope. I take a deep breath and sprint towards the prison like my life depends on it.

Because it does.

I kill a walker that's blocking my way, blood splatting all over me, but it dosent bother me anymore. It used to, and I never thought I'd be the one actually killing them, they are still real people.

But there not, they are something else. So here I am. I don't even think twice about it anymore, I just do it.

It's pitch black in the prison, and as I'm heading towards our cell block, feeling my way through the darkness, screams and cries for help bounce off the prison walls, and I quicken my pace.

I get to the end of the corridor and a horde of walkers come right around the corner. "Where did they even come from?"

I'm panicking a bit now, there's not much time left. I turn around and take a right. I gasp at the scene before me. The whole left side of the corridor has been bombed, and from the sunlight that comes seeping in through the hole I can see that there are boulders blocking the way as well as three dead bodies. They have bombed this area. I recognise one of them, a small girl from the book club run by Carol, or should I say survival club. Her long blonde hair is covering her face and she's lying in a pool of her own blood. My heart aches but I have to keep moving.

Since the boulders are blocking my way and I can't climb over them, I turn around again and take the next turn, I can hear the horde coming closer, I need to hurry. My heart is in my throat as I follow the sound of cries and screams, trying not to trip over the boulders and dead bodies that the bombs have caused.

I can see it, our cell block, it hasn't been attacked yet and I thank my lucky stars.

There's still hope.

I go to open the door leading to the cell block, but the handle snaps off almost immediately so I have to push against it. It takes a minute as it's so heavy but eventually I get it opened and I run up to the gate, going to open it, but it's locked. "No no no no."

I start shaking the gate, trying to get it open. "Help, please could someone open this gate! We need to get to the bus, its going to be leaving soon. Help!!"

I start to think "were not gonna make it," and I shake the gate harder in frustration. "Is there anyone there? Help please!"

Hot tears start to roll down my face and I am crying like a baby. I can't help it and as I wipe them away furiously I hear tiny footsteps from infront of me. I looked up and see a tiny young boy, no more than 3 years old. He's wearing a torn and stained shirt that's much to big for him and he's holding a small, once yellow Teddy bear. He looks at me with innocent eyes.

I smile at him and reach my hand out to him. "Hello, I'm beth, what's your name?"

"Ben."

"Hi Ben, you don't have to be scared, I would never try to hurt you. I need to get in, do you think you'd be able to unlock this door?" I try to sound as calm as possible, so I don't alarm him. I really need this to work.

Just then I hear something else, and I look behind Ben to see a walker coming his way. I'm really panicking now. Ben is looking up at the window, he has his thumb in his mouth and he's now hugging his bear. I want to cry.

I'm not able to keep my calm, "Ben, ben please look at me," I say in a panicky tone. The walker is centimeters away from him now and I'm surprised but so thankful that he hasn't notice it yet.

Out of the corner of my eye I spot the key for this gate, hanging on a hook and I could scream with happiness. "Hey Ben, you see that key over there, the one hanging on the hook. Could you give it to me please?"

He turns his head to look at where I'm talking about, and bobs his head as if to say "yes."

I give him a warm smile, "Thank you." And I sigh with relief, I can feel my shoulders relaxing.

We're going to make it.

I watch him waddle over to go get the key, he uses the hand that he's holding the bear with to grab it, leaving the bear there and he starts to make his way back over to me. The walker is inches away but I'm not worried because he has the key now, all he has to do is give it to me.

I reach my hand out, ready to grab the key, open the gate and kill the walker. Then we can get everyone on the bus and drive to safety, wherever that is.

But suddenly Ben stops.

His little face crinkles and my eyebrows furrow in confusion. He turns around and laughs, presumably noticing he's forgotten his bear before going back to where the key was before to retrieve his bear.

"No Ben, come back! We'll get your bear back in a minute, I just need the key, Ben please-"

But its too late.

As Ben goes to pick up his bear, the walker gets to him first and bites him in the neck. My heart shatters as the young boys screams and cries pierce my ears.

Hot tears stain my cheeks and this time I
don't bother to wipe them away, I just let them fall. My back slides against the gate and I sink to the floor. I pull my knees up to my chest and bury my head in them. I cover my ears to mute the boys sobs, but my hands are so shaky that it only muffles them.

Never have I ever felt so defeated and hopeless in my life. I failed to save everyone and get them on the bus, and now Ben has died and if I had just stayed calm he would have come back to give me the key and he wouldn't be dead. It's all my fault.

I cover my mouth to muffle my sobs and cry into my hands. Ben's sobs for help have come to a halt, he's come to terms that no one is coming to save him. I cry harder.

Suddenly, the door leading to the cell block opens, then closes, then opens again. Someone is pushing up against it, trying to open it but the door is so heavy that whoever it is is struggling to open it.

I dry my eyes with the hem of my shirt and stand up, gun aimed at the door ready for whoever it is.

Suddenly the door bursts open, and the horde of walkers from before comes flooding in towards me. I start to panick and turn around, shaking the gate and hoping by some miracle that it has just magically opened by itself. But of course it hasn't. I don't know what to do.

There's no way I will be able to take all of them out by myself, there's too many and I haven't very many bullets left.
I'm petrified and I have never felt more drained in my life.

Even if I did manage to get these people on the bus, where would we take them? No where is safe anymore. There's no such thing as living anymore, we're just surviving. This is what it's come to.

All hope is lost.

I turn and take one last look at poor Ben, lying there dead, swimming in a pool of his own blood. I take my fore and middle finger, pressing them to my lips and blowing a kiss to him. "I'm sorry," I whisper between the bars of the gate. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

I sink to the floor and cry into my knees, waiting for the walkers to reach me.

And then ...

BANG!