Rori Rhee has survived this long, been through so many death. Yet she still had Carl, her parents, and the rest of the group. Except, she's slowly losing her family and herself. After Beth's death, it felt like she would never be happy again. Her Au...
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"Aurora. Aurora." I let out a loud groan, my eyes fluttering open.
"Daryl?" I let my eyes fall closed, the bright like becoming too much.
"Think again, princess." Once again, my eyes snapped open and I shot up, looking to the side.
"Dad," I breathed out. "Oh my god."
"Come on, give me a hug," Dad said, holding his arms open. I flung my body into his welcoming arms, hugging him tightly.
"It's good to see you again, Rori." I pulled away from my father, looking up to see three people I recognized very clearly. Grandpa, Lori, and Aunt Beth.
"Hey." My voice cracked as I tried to speak. Without another word, I hugged each of them. "How are you guys."
"We're good, sweetheart," Grandpa smiled. I turned to speak to Lori.
"Lori, your baby is beautiful," I informed her.
"Yes, she is," Lori chuckled. "Judith. A beautiful name."
"Wait, how do you know her name? You're," I trailed off, not sure if I should say the word or not.
"Dead, I know. I can still see everything, you know. You and Carl make a great couple." Lori smiled at me gently, and I returned it before it dawned on me.
"I agree," Aunt Beth nodded.
"If I can see you guys, does that mean I'm-I'm dead?" Fear coursed through me as I awaited an answer. Had I died for dehydration? Or some starvation?
"No, princess. Not yet," Dad told me, stepping closer. He gently pushed a strand of hair out of my face. You're almost home. Just follow the gravel, okay? As soon as you see those walls, just know you're safe. But you have to stay alive."
I nodded slowly. "Okay. Am I about to, uhm, go?"
"You're close but you've got a couple days left. You're dehydrated and starving, you need food and water," Dad said.
"Yeah," I agreed. Dad laid a gently kiss on my forehead, pulling me into another tight hug.
"It's time for you to go back, princess," Dad told me.
"Will I ever see you guys again?" I asked.
"Someday. Hopefully not anytime soon," Aunt Beth said. I nodded.
"I'm not ready to go," I informed them, tears gathering in my eyes.
"You have to," Grandpa told me gently. "Goodbye, Rori."
I squeezed my eyes shot, drawing a picture of their faces in my head. "Bye. I love you. All of you."
I got stuck out here for another two days. No food or water. I abandoned the gravel road in search of housing for the night. The road was long and took me a whole day to get anywhere. I found a hill but didn't have the energy to climb it so I crawled up it. My elbow stung from the gravel digging into it as I climbed the hill.
