Violent Delights¹︎ | D.Dixon

1.04 ➸

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CHAPTER FOUR
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LEONA GRIMES USED TO FANTASIZE about having a family of her own one day. She wanted it all: the perfect husband, the white-picket fence enclosing a beautiful home with a wraparound porch, and a gaggle of children and grandchildren she could call her own. There was a time when she was jealous of her brother. All of that American-dream bullshit she loved had come so easily to him. He'd married his high school sweetheart and had a beautiful baby boy a few years later. Sure, Rick and Lori had their ups and downs, but on the surface it was everything Leona had ever wanted.

But, as she sat around the fire with the other survivors in Shane's group, there was a small part of her that knew she'd never get her dream life. She'd never live out that fantasy. Everything was about survival now, and a wraparound porch was the last thing on her mind as she ran her fingers through her nephews dark hair.

The weight of his head against her chest was almost therapeutic, and she could feel every inhale and exhale he took. In, out. In, out. In, out. She lined up her own breathing with his almost subconsciously, taking in the smell of burning wood, and chuckled to herself when she realized what she'd done. Carl shot her a weird look, not moving his head from her chest, and she shook her head, dismissing it as her simply being the crazy aunt. He smiled softly at her before letting his eyes fall back on the flames as they licked higher into the night, illuminating the faces of everyone sitting around it.

"So, they really bombed the whole thing, huh?" Merle, despite asking Shane the question, let his eyes fall between herself and his brother. They'd all seen the aftermath and the flames that still devoured the dead city. The whole scene was still imprinted in her mind, as was the smell.

Shane, sitting to his right, nodded, his elbows resting on his knees as he folded his hands together. Leona smiled to herself as she looked at him. Lori had told her what had happened with her brother. How Shane had been there when the hospital was overrun, and Rick had died while in his coma. Shane had been the one to step up, to take care of her sister-in-law and her nephew, and Leona wasn't sure that she could ever thank him enough for what he'd done. With her brother gone, they were the only family she had left.

She glanced over the fire at the Dixon's, and she knew that it wasn't true. Sure, they would never be as close to her as Lori, Shane, Carl, or Rick were, but they'd been the only people she could truly rely on since everything went to shit. Merle had taught her how to hunt and what to hunt for, and Daryl had kept her fed and hydrated, even when she didn't realize she needed food or water. The two had taken care of her when she had been more of a drain on resources than anything else, and they'd helped her become part of their little group. She hadn't realized it before, but she trusted the two men.

"So what're we gon' do now?" Daryl spoke up from Merle's other side, and Leona watched as he glanced around the circle at the others. Lori sat on Shane's right side and on Leona's left, and to the right of Leona was a sweet woman named Carol, and her husband, Ed. Next to them was a man named Dale, and two sisters, Amy and Andrea. Next to Andrea was a younger guy named Glenn, who was on Daryl's left.

"Survive." Dale said. Leona's gaze fell on the older gentleman, his fishing hat tilted on his head. The ends of his hair, snow white from age, peeked out from beneath it. "Atlanta is overrun. There is no in or out, not for all of us. Staying here is our best option. To hold out until it can get settled."