Risen from the Grave

sit tight, i'll be with you soon

A/N: ONE CHAPTER LEFT GUYSSSS which is so weird to think about. I hope that u all have loved reading this story as much as i loved writing it, and that if i do produce a sequel (hint hint) you'll all read it <3 hope you stick around for the final part tomorrow, and enjoy

title from 'Slow Lane'

The shock slowly sunk in as realisation hit me. My eyes started watering and Dad rubbed my shoulder, his eyes wet too. "No... no no no,"I whispered, not wanting to accept it. "No you can't... you can't..." And I broke down crying, crumbling into a ball as best as I could in the driver's seat. Dad drew gentle circles into my back as I sobbed at the reality of losing my last remaining parent.

"You'll be okay, hijo,"he assured me, but it didn't help. All I could think about was how I failed to keep my promise, and I'd lost yet another person. Or, was about to lose one.

"It's not fair,"I sobbed. "It's not fucking fair. You can't die." Dad looked at me pitifully, and I had to start planning in my head how we'd break the news to Julie. "Why does it have to be like this? Why couldn't everyone just get along and support each other? Why do they want to hurt us?"I questioned, crying into my hands.

"I know hijo, I know. Everything's going to be okay though. Just promise me you'll take good care of Julie for me, yeah?" I nodded, leaning into his arm, trembling.

"I promise..."

The journey back felt like it took forever, the knowledge that Dad would be turning soon plaguing my mind. When we finally pulled into the prison, my heart sunk again, remembering how large our group was when we met Alex. "We were actually gonna ask if you wanted to join us,"he offered, flashing Alex a smile. Alex just stared down at him, almost confused.

"How many of you are there?"he asked, making eye contact with Willie, who almost melted.

"Uhm..."he paused for a moment to count. "Eight?" He glanced back at me to confirm, and I quickly added in my head, then nodded. With the addition of Alex and Owen, we made ten. Now, there were only five of us, soon to be four. There was no way we'd be able to take on Ryan and Ben any time soon, and there was no point pretending we could. I pulled up into the gated area in front of our cell block, climbing out with the radios in hand, the crossbow slung around my torso, Dad making his way inside. I quickly followed, and we found Luke, Julie and Willie congregated around one of the tables, a map in front of them. Luke came up and greeted me,

smiling, unaware of the way my heart had just broken.

"We need to talk,"I announced, steering Luke back over to the table and sitting with him, Dad following suit.

"What's up?"Julie asked, looking concerned.

"It's gonna be a lot longer than four weeks before we can take on Ben and Ryan,"I told them.

"There isn't enough of us and we aren't in any state to be fighting. I'm not risking losing any more people." I turned to look at Dad. "And..."I trailed off, not even able to bring myself to say it. Thankfully, Dad finished my job, alerting everyone else of his bite. Julie's face fell faster than mine had, and she immediately stood up and embraced Dad, crying into his shoulder. Willie looked numb, and Luke grabbed my hand, resting his head on my shoulder in support. My world was falling apart, but at least he was there. At least he wasn't leaving me.

Dad didn't want us to see him die, just like Mom didn't. He took himself out, far away, and shot himself. We heart the gunshot, and it felt like someone had shot me, right in the chest, right in the heart. "And then there was four,"Julie whispered, tears staining her cheeks. Willie gently wiped them away, pulling her into a hug. He knew exactly how we felt, he lost his dad too. I turned to Luke for support, letting myself go in his arms, taking in the scent of him, the dirt and grime in his hair somewhat comforting me. I pressed my nose into his shoulder, leaving a large tear mark on his shirt, but he didn't seem to mind.

"I love you,"he muttered into my ear. "I love you so fucking much. Everything's going to be okay." I nodded, sniffing and pulling out of his embrace, holding his hands.

"I'm sorry you have to see me like this,"I said, smiling weakly. He smiled back, wiping away my tears with his gloved hand.

"Don't be. You've seen me like this a million times." I glanced over at Julie, who was crying into Willie's hair, her whole body leaning on his.

"We've got to leave,"I decided. "Now. Do you have any ideas, Willie?" He turned his attention to me, leaving a supportive arm around Julie.

"There's a place up in Oregon that could work. It's a large village that already has walls around it, and it's far enough that Ben and Ryan won't find us,"he whispered, weary of Mitch's presence.

"It'll take a long time but... it'll be worth it." I agreed, and we immediately began packing up, preparing for the journey ahead of us.

Once we were all packed and ready to go, we started loading up our largest vehicle: my van. It had been abandoned when Ryan attacked, but was thankfully still there. We chucked our stuff in there, trash bags of food, water and supplies. Guns, ammo, knives, medication, insulin and more. One trash bag was full of the belongings of people we lost - Dad's family photos, Owen's puzzles and drawings, Caleb's crutch, Reggie's bracelet. Willie had pulled Alex's old hoodie on, claiming it as his own, relishing in the smell of his deceased lover. I shot him a pathetic smile, trying to offer silent support, and he smiled back, returning to the task at hand. Luke was over by his dad's cell, talking to him. I made my way over and pulled him aside saying,"Do you want us to free him?"

"No,"he replied, sternly. "He's done some awful shit. He deserves to die. In fact, I wish I'd never come across him at all." I nodded understandingly, and led him to the van, letting him take shotgun, me climbing into the driver's side and Willie and Julie seating themselves amongst our stuff in the back. We began the long journey up to Oregon, windows down, letting the fresh air fill our lungs, hope dancing around the vehicle. This was a fresh start, away from the awful memories of death, but also away from the lovely memories of the people we met. That prison was where we met Alex and Owen, people who became two of the most important things in my life. The hospital we met Luke and Reggie, Luke being my soulmate and Reggie being Julie's. Even the store down the road from my childhood home where we met Willie and Caleb, who gave us love and support. These people were my family, are my family. I may not be able to avenge them yet, but I promised myself I would, just like I promised Owen. We just need time.