𝐎𝐡, 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚! - 𝘋𝘠𝘊𝘍𝘔 𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘴

Original Chapter 4

On a Road Bound to Nowhere
Part 14

Cut because Girl never makes it back to the Church

Girl crouched beside Gareth's body. She'd already taken her gun and knives back from him, putting them back where they belonged, hidden on her person.

Now she was sifting through his pockets, trying to find the other things he'd taken from her.

She was getting frustrated with her lack of results, groaning inwardly as she sat back on her heels, breath coming out uneven.

She was frustrated at a lot of things. And she was angry too.

Sure Gareth was dead, but so was Bob. He'd gone with Sasha at his side, and Girl hoped to whatever was listening that he'd been at least somewhat peaceful.

She felt some sort of responsibility for his death. She knew that he'd been bitten, and that she hadn't been there when it happened so there was no real way she could have saved him, but she still felt terrible for leaving him with Gareth and his band of cannibals.

He hadn't deserved to die and she felt herself frowning as she thought of him.

"Hey, you okay?"

Girl turned to look at Glenn sitting down beside her.

She shrugged, finally letting the exhaustion she felt take over. She slid away from Gareth's body, leaning her back against a pew. She was struck with a sudden wave of dizziness, putting a hand to her forehead.

"No luck?" Glenn asked, gesturing towards Gareth.

Girl shook her head, frowning as she looked down at her hands. One was wrapped in bandages, her missing finger leaving a bloody patch.

"Mind if I give it a shot?" Glenn asked.

Girl shrugged again, not really caring if Glenn took over. She wanted the photos found. She didn't care how.

"I'll look. But if I find them, you've got to promise that you'll go and rest," Glenn said, holding out a hand as he offered a deal.

Girl nodded, shaking his hand. Glenn took note of her weak grip, aware that she didn't have much energy left.

He moved towards Gareth, almost gagging as he dug around in his pockets. The man was barely cold. It felt- wrong. But one look at Girl reminded him that this man didn't really deserve his courtesy. He searched a few more pockets before his fingers met the corner of a piece of thick paper, no doubt the photos Girl had been looking for.

"Hey, here we go," Glenn said, pulling the papers out. He looked down at them, sitting in his hand. He didn't know what he'd expected, but it almost wasn't this.

The photos were in decent condition, and they showed exactly what Girl had described. One with himself and Susie making pizzas, the other with Susie and her family, standing together and smiling.

Glenn had a sneaking suspicion that the pictures wouldn't actually be him or Susie.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Girl, it was more so that he assumed she'd have just thought that it had been him.

Almost no part of him expected to actually be holding a picture of himself before the end of the world.

If Glenn was being honest, he'd thought Girl looked uncomfortably familiar when he first met her. But they had also met in a darkened train car, where he had been silently hoping for a familiar face for days.

Girl had looked like someone he knew. His first thought had been Susie, but he'd chalked this up to plain old fantasy.

He missed her, sure, she was one of his closest friends. He'd been barely 19 when the world had ended. Susie had been half a week away from 17. They'd met in high school, when they were both taking the same calculus class.

The picture in question was from a year after they met, they'd been 16 and 18 and Susie's brother had invited him over on his birthday. They'd been enlisted to make pizzas since they were what Jake called "experts".

The real story was that they'd been working at Pa Paul's Pizza for a few months and Jake hadn't stopped poking fun at them for it.

Susie became the little sister that Glenn no longer had.

And now she was gone.

It pulled at his heart, but he tried not to dwell on it too much. He knew it would only make him upset.

The only one he'd confided in was Maggie. He'd told her when he'd almost mistaken Girl for Susie. Maggie had told him that he would always see good in things, even if it wasn't really there, and that she loved him for it. She told him that his guess might be right, none of them really knew who Girl was, so there was always a chance.

Glenn had only shaken his head, telling Maggie that the idea had only been a passing fancy. They weren't the same. He was just seeing what he wanted to see.

Of course, Maggie knew all about Susie. The two had spent extensive time talking about the old world, not knowing what else to discuss. They had started flirting like school children, talking about their favorite color and favorite kind of ice cream.

Maggie had shared about her high school and college days, as well as the names of some of her friends, who she insisted were probably long dead.

But Glenn always held out hope.

He wanted so badly to believe that Susie was okay somewhere.

Glenn looked away from the photo, realizing he'd been staring too long. He passed the picture to the girl, feeling sad to see it go, but knowing that it was in good hands.

Girl accepted both pictures, holding them tight to her chest and closing her eyes in relief. She was happy to have them back, but she was also sad to see the look on Glenn's face.

Thinking to herself, she made a split decision and held out the one of Glenn and Susanna.

She felt like he should have it, especially since he was leaving now and she wasn't sure if she'd ever see him again.

"Oh. No, I can't take that. You should- Susie would want you to have it," Glenn said, eyeing Girl up again, a curious look on his face.

Girl frowned, holding the photo out to him still.

"No. Really, it's okay. Keep it. Something to remember me by," Glenn laughed, pushing her hand down to her side.

Girl looked down at the picture, examining the way Glenn smiled in it.

"Hey, maybe when I get back- because I will be back- I can tell you some stories. Maybe jog your memory," Glenn said.

Girl looked up, brows furrowed at his choice of words.

"You look so much like her," Glenn said.

Girl shook her head. No. No way. She didn't. She didn't. She wasn't Susie.

"I've been looking for you. Everyday. Who'd of thought when I found you, you wouldn't remember."

Girl shook her head again, feeling the dizziness take over again, her eyes felt like something was pressing against them, closing in on her brain.

"I know you're her. I'd know her anywhere," Glenn said, "you may not remember yet, but I hope to God you will."

Glenn pulled her in for a hug, setting his head on her shoulder.

Girl hugged him back, eyes wide as his words settled in.

"I know it's you, Susie. And I promise I'll be back to remind you until you remember."