ᴍᴇʟᴏᴅɪᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ

Chapter 20: Rest the Dead

Icy water engulfed your body, eliciting chills to slither up your spine. Goosebumps scurried up your arms and legs as your drenched clothes clung to you, uncomfortably sticking to your skin. Your jaw chattered relentlessly and your arms desperately embraced you, seeking any form of warmth. Every hue of colour was drained from your face as a sheen of white blanketed your features. Coughs wracked your chest as your lungs heaved out the water you accidentally swallowed.

"(Y/N), you asshole!" Minnie's voice was gruff as she glowered at you, doubled over due to a coughing fit, her body quivering.

"I'm not sorry." You replied.

"You fucking should be," she sneered, "Brody's dead because you couldn't just take what you were given. I hope you're proud of yourself."

"I'm not," you insisted. "Brody wasn't meant to die."

"Whether she was meant to die or not doesn't change things." She charged toward you, gripping your shoulders, she twisted you, forcing you to watch the ship sail away. "Look what you've done - they're not coming back for me."

Shaking your head, you said, "You weren't originally part of the plan-"

"Fuck your plan, you still did it." Spat Minnie. Covering her face with her hands, she inhaled deeply, calming down, she added, "You don't get it, (Y/N), I can't go back, not after-" She stopped herself, instead trudging into the forest, the sun now having fully set with only the moon to guide you. Glancing back, the boat gleaned specs of yellow as it inched away. Quickly, you trailed after her; she knew the way back, you didn't. You withdrew your knife as you entered the forest, not knowing how many walkers her shouting alerted.

Luckily, Minnie retrieved a lighter from her coat pocket, flicking it twice, it came alight. The fire spread as she held it to a stick, the tip setting aflame as she trekked through the woods with you closely behind, knife at the ready. The eerie silence of the desolate forest evoked discomfort to plague your shoulders, checking behind you every other step. As the fire crackled, you worried the light would attract nearby walkers.

Suddenly, Minnie halted, peering over her shoulder she said, "We can rest here for the night." She jolted her head at two boulders situated beside each other, an array of sticks scattered around them conveniently. Walking over, you collected the wood, piling them atop one another to forge a campfire. Minnie dumped her stick on the pile, causing it to set ablaze. Slumping against the rock you basked in the warmth of the flame, its heat radiating your body. It danced gloriously in the darkness, thriving in the absence of light.

Looking at Minnie her face was vacant, irises of brilliant blue glazed over, the glow of the fire barely twinkling. She hunched into herself, knees desperately hugged into her chest as she longed for warmth. She twiddled with a gun in her left hand. "Is it loaded?" You asked. She nodded. "I appreciate you not trying to shoot me." You sardonically added.

"I'm saving my last bullet for Marlon. If I have a spare, it's going into your skull." She deadpanned.

"Fun." You scoffed sarcastically, silence weaving its way between you once again. Neither of you dared look at the other, evading interaction, simply staring into the fire. Although you wanted to start a conversation, you feared one would enrage Minnie further.

You were surprised when she spoke, "Do you think..." she hesitated to continue. "Do you think Tenn will be happy to see me? I mean, it's been a year."

"Of course he will." You replied quickly.

She then sighed, "He'll ask about Sophie, won't he?"

You slowly shrugged. "Probably?" Truthfully, Sophie's existence slipped your mind, had she only been mentioned to you once. Observing the obvious, it was clear Sophie was no longer alive. Curious, you wondered what happened but bit back the question, understanding the sensitivity. "He draws you a lot."

"Does he, now?" Minnie softly smiled, a cloud of upset hovering above her. "It's strange," she looked at you, "he's thought I was dead this whole time, and.. I haven't been." The surrealness of the situation whirred in her brain, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

You nodded. "It's weird, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Minnie agreed.

Thoughts of your friends at Ericson's floated amidst your mind, bubbling with knowledge of seeing them soon, of returning home. A warm buzz welled in your chest as a smile slithered onto your face as Louis appeared in your mind, however it soon faded as you recalled his relationship with Marlon. "How do you think Louis will react to finding out what Marlon did?"

Minnie huffed in thought. "I'm not sure."

"I hope he takes it well." You wished. "I know it'll be a shock but, I dunno, I just hope he copes well."

Minnie gave you a sceptical stare, "I'm guessing you two are close?"

Cheeks tinting a mild pink, you stated, "You could say that."

"Oh," realised Minnie, "you're that kind of close. I'm not surprised, Louis always wore his heart on his sleeve." You weren't sure if her comment was a dig or a statement. "I'm happy for him though, even if it's you." Nevermind, it was definitely a dig,

"Ok, ouch." You frowned jokingly. "Where was the need?" Minnie scoffed, laughing off her insult.

Once again, a quiet filled the air, situated comfortably between you. Both of you knew you needed rest, but neither trusted the other to sleep with their company. Instead, you sat, relishing in the crackling of the fire, the occasional small talk drifting in and out as you patiently waited for the glow of the sun to shine through.

Staring into your hands, you had forgotten you were holding Brody's necklace. You laid the pendant in the base of your palm, grief washing over you as the gem twinkled in the fire's light. Closing your hand, you held it tight as if it were a sacred artefact. Guilt engulfed you, the weight of Brody's death tugging on your shoulders. You were to blame. You were to blame for her getting shot, you were to blame for taking her life, you were to blame for letting her body drift away. She wouldn't be able to have a proper burial, to be laid to rest, she'd just be another grave with empty possessions and it was your fault. You'd seen countless people die, Brody was the umpteenth, however her death was different, this one was on you.