At the end of the world- A walking dead fanfic, Book 1

4- Come back to me

Daryl had taken the news about his brother about as well as they had expected. He was mad and hostile, but not as blinded by rage as Merle would've been if the roles were reversed. Not that Kyllian noticed much of it because he was too caught up in his own guilt. After both of his parents cursed him out he silently retreated to his.

"Hey, are you okay?" Levi asked.

Kyllian hummed and nodded. He couldn't speak because he was fighting to keep back tears. He was the oldest, he needed to be strong. But Levi poked right through his facade. He could easily tell that his brother was barely keeping it together. His brother that used to beat up his bullies had met his match.

"Are you sure?" Levi tilted his head. "I know mom and dad just yelled at you and stuff, but they're not mad at you. They're just shocked."

"That's not it." His voice began to unravel and shake. He was starting to break.

Levi pushed him from the side. "Dude. I can tell you're not alright. It's just us, could you be honest?"

Kyllian forced him to sit down next to him in the dry dirt. Levi wasn't the innocent boy he needed to protect anymore. Hell, at the moment he seemed to be more in control than Kyllian was.

"I don't know anything." Kyllian stuttered. "Today was the first time one of them got so close to me, and I froze. I froze. How did I make it this far already if my first reaction is to freeze?"

"It's a normal reaction." Levi shrugged. "I learnt about it in biology class."

"Of course you did." He snickered through his tears.

"No, I mean it. There are three reactions someone can have under stress; fight, flight or freeze. Most people freeze, that isn't bad."

"I know you're trying to cheer me up, but it isn't working." He replied. "It doesn't matter that it is a normal reaction. It's going to get me killed all the same."

"We made it this far already." Levi shrugged. "Further than a lot of people did."

"Yeah." He mumbled. "But the mistake I made today, I will never do that again." He didn't say what mistake and Levi couldn't ask before Glenn spoke up.

"So, a bunch of us are going back into Atlanta to get Merle back. I could use someone else with us that's been around the city a couple of times." He explained, building up to the question he wanted to ask. "Do you want to come?"

Kyllian shook his head. It wasn't only his mental state that kept him back from wanting to join. It was his shoulder too. After dislocating it, it always remained sore and weak for a while. "My shoulder isn't where I want it to be yet. I would only hold you guys up and probably make my shoulder worse." His explanation was rational and didn't make him sound like a mumbling idiot.

"I can go." Levi said quickly. "Might not have gone into the city as much as you but I've seen more of it than many of the others."

"Levi, don't be an idiot. You're a child." He bit back.

"I'm old enough to drink beer in Germany."

"We're not in Germany and this isn't about drinking beer. You'll be putting your life on the line." Kyllian shot back.

"You did it in Atlanta. You abandoned us and found Glenn." Levi continued.

Glenn took a step back. Whatever he had started wasn't what he wanted, and he certainly didn't want to be a part of it.

"That was different, Lev." Kyllian sighed. He turned back to Glenn. "If you really want someone else with you, you should ask my dad."

Glenn nodded and hurried off quickly, away from the situation he'd created. That only brought him closer to where Rick and Lori were in a heated argument with each other about Rick leaving and putting himself in danger again.