Little Grimes

fifteen

I grip onto Carl's hand tightly as we run behind Rick. There are walkers surrounding us from every angle. The farm is completely overrun. Gunshots are coming from every direction and I can barely hear the screams of our group trying to escape.

Rick throws open the door of a truck and I quickly get in followed by Carl. I look past Rick to see Hershel still standing with a gun in his hand.

"Rick! Get Hershel!" I yell at him.

Rick turns in the direction my finger is pointing and runs up behind Hershel.

I can't hear what's being said but it takes a couple minutes for Hershel to realize that his home is lost. He looks defeated as him and Rick make their way back to the truck.

Carl is holding onto me tightly and hides his face against my chest as the guys get into the truck. Rick slams on the gas once the truck is in drive, throwing us back against the seat.

Bodies hit the front of the truck as Rick makes his way out of the swarm of dead.

"Where are we going?" I yell to Rick.

"Back to the highway. Hopefully the rest of the group has the same idea," He yells back.

Once we got far enough away from the farm, Carl pulls away from me. I brush his hair out of his face and look out the window. I'm terrified of who made it out.

"We have to go back and find mom," Carl says in his best stern voice.

"We can't."

"But dad-"

"It's not safe!" Hershel agrees with Rick.

"What if the others are stuck back there?" I ask, agreeing with Carl.

"If anyone made it out, they'd meet at the highway just like us," Rick tries to comfort us.

I keep my arms around Carl and hide my face in his hair.

I didn't see Daryl on our way out nor did I see Carol and Sophia. I need Sophia to be okay. I've grown such a strong bond with her.

It feels like a long time before we reached the highway.

"Where are they?" Carl asks, looking straight at Rick with fury in his eyes.

I peek at Rick and see the hurt he's hiding from Carl.

There's a sound of a motorcycle pulling up and two more cars make their way behind us.

We all get out of the truck to be reunited with our loved ones. Daryl shuts off his bike just as my arms wrap around his neck. He catches my weight and grips my waist tightly.

"Are you okay?" I ask against his shoulder.

"Now I am."

I move back a couple inches so I can look at his face. He looks as exhausted as I feel.

He lets go of me to get off his of the bike. I don't let go of him as he does this though.

I never saw myself as clingy before the apocalypse. Right now, I don't want to let this man go. I can feel myself wanting to be around him at all times. I don't want to risk losing him to anything.

Clingy or in love?

I can't say I have ever been in love. Even with Shane, I knew I wasn't in love with him. I've never felt that way for anyway. Not until Daryl Dixon walked into my life and tried to swing at my brother.

"Sophia?" I hear Carol yell, breaking me from my thoughts.

I spin around, looking for the little blonde haired girl. My heart races once I realize I cannot find her.

"Where is she?" I yell anxiously, "did anyone see her?"

"We thought she went after you with Carl," Lori says, wrapping a comforting arm around Carol.

Carol is a mess with sobs and tears running down her cheeks.

I can feel my heart breaking, "I'll go find her."

"The hell you are," Rick says.

"Has anyone seen Andrea or Shane?" T-Dog asks.

"I seen Andrea go down," Beth says, kicking a rock on the ground with her arm around her dad.

"I'll go with Maeve so she's not alone," Daryl says, "you guys stay here."

"I'm not separating from her," Rick denies the offer.

"Ricky, I'll be okay," I tell him.

"That's what I thought last time," He says, shaking his head.

I walk over to my older brother and look up at him, "I need to find Sophia."

He presses his rough hand against my cheek with a worried expression.

We stare at each other for a moment, all of the love between two siblings flowing between us.

Our connection has always been the strongest. Rick always protects me but it is my turn to stand on my own. I stood on my own while Sophia and I were lost. I didn't have a man there to have my back like I will this time.

"Please be careful," Rick says as more as an order.

I nod and close my eyes as his lips press against my forehead.

I move away from the comfort of my brother and hug everyone in the group. Carol thanked Daryl and I multiple times before we took off on Daryl's bike.

We drove back towards the farm in hopes of finding a little girl alive.