Ellie Dixon

A New World

It had been a day and a half since any of us had eaten a thing. We'd take shifts staying awake at night to keep watch, but even if you weren't on shift... We all found it hard to sleep. I hadn't slept more than a couple hours since the night Beth died, and that was only a few hours hours because I woke up with a nightmare of Beth's face... Her face after she'd been shot through the chin. Her cold dead eyes were something that would never leave my memory. It had been three weeks since she died in Atlanta. 

We did have vehicles, but we ran outta gas in the middle of nowhere. Trees surrounding each side of the road. My entire body ached as I dragged my sore feet across the never ending concrete road. About two hundred yards behind us, walkers started to follow us... None of us cared enough or had enough energy to kill them... So, we just kept walking.

The sun beat down on us, my bag feeling ten times heavier even though the straps were secured tightly around my waist and chest which should've taken some pressure away from my shoulders. It usually did, but when you're running on no food, no sleep, barely a sip of water... Everything is intensified. 

I was lagging to the back of the group. I seemed to be more tired than everyone else. I noticed my mum and dad walking into the forest after a short conversation with Rick. I heard dad call something back to me and Sophia but I couldn't really hear what. It felt like my body was shutting down on me.

"How're you doing, kiddo?" Tara asked, pulling back from the group to talk to me.

"I'm fine." I answered, quickly. "Are you like... Good?"

"I've never been this hungry, tired or thirsty in my entire life, but I'm okay." Tara responded. "It helps that I actually sleep when it's not my shift, and I eat my portion of food and drink my portion of water."

I glanced up to her. "Good for you?"

"I've seen you, ya know... Dishing out your food to everyone else. Giving Sophia your sips of water, claiming you've had some. I see you sitting awake at night and just staring into the abyss." Tara explained.

"You a stalker before the world ended?" I scoffed.

"I was training to be a cop." Tara answered. "Got nothing else to do these days other than watch."

"And I became your subject of entertainment?" I looked up to her again.

"You're the most interesting person to watch. Care to tell me why you keep giving out your supplies?" Tara asked.

"I get my hours of shut eye, I eat enough and drink enough to stay alive. So, why do you care?" I questioned. "First chance I got, I stuck a gun in your face."

"I see why you did it though... And, I care because like it or not, we're family now." Tara nudged me gently. "Besides, you look like you're gonna pass out at any minute."

I shook my head with a small smile on my lips. "I'm fine... I'm the youngest here, I need the least amount of supplies."

"Doesn't mean you don't need them." Tara pointed out.

We'd all involuntarily slowed down which resulted in the walkers catching up pretty quickly, but they weren't at grabbing distance or running distance yet. "Keep it tight! Ellie, Tara, I'm looking at the two of you at the back!" Rick called to us all. He didn't say it in a harsh or commanding voice, more from a place of concern. I used up my energy talking to Tara, I didn't have anything to say so I just nodded as we tightened up the group, walking closer together.

"Gotcha." Is all Tara could respond with, but only I could hear it.

We approached a bridge. "We'll take them here." Rick announced. "Me, Abraham, Maggie, Sasha, Glenn and Michonne. We work together to just throw them down the side of the bridge. Everyone else, wait over there."