Our Extinction Event {Daryl Dixon}

The Beginning

When the world ended, Parker was playing baseball with her nephew. It had become a tradition between the two that every Friday after Carl got out of school and Parker finished work, they would play together in the garden while Lori prepared dinner. Every Friday, without fail, Parker would go look for her nephew, arrive at the door of the house dressed in an old T-shirt and a cap with a whistle around her neck, and inform Carl that she was no longer Aunt Parker but The Coach. 

It was something they did to pass the time, because with Rick in the hospital, their minds wandered easily, and trying to distract Carl with bad nicknames and terrible jokes was a good way to keep him from thinking about his father, even if just for a little while. Since Rick was in the hospital, Parker did everything she could to keep the family going. While she worked as a teacher at Carl's school during the week, on the weekends she was at Rick's house, helping Lori with the chores she needed to do and giving her the comfort she needed. She also spent way too much time with Carl because she didn't want him to feel alone. 

Parker adored her nephew. Carl was such an enigmatic and beautiful soul that even being around him made her smile and she would be lying if she said she didn't spoil him every time she spent the weekend with him. Parker loved Carl just as much as Carl loved Parker and they had a bond that rivaled even the one he had with his parents. Dropping to the ground to catch the ball before Carl could call her a loser, Parker lay on the grass for a moment while holding the ball victoriously. Carl ran over to her and quickly dropped onto her stomach, lying on her as they laughed.

"You're so much better than my dad," Carl admitted. "You play like a professional." Parker raised her head and looked at her nephew.

"And that's because I know that if I lose, I'm the one who has to do one hundred push-ups before dinner."

"Dad makes them look easy. You're just weak." Carl said with a huge smile. "You can barely do three." Parker let out a dramatic gasp at his words even though they were true.

"Last time I got four," Parker answered, touching Carl's cheek. "Now, since I have the ball in my hand, I think it's time for someone to embarrass their aunt and prove that he can do not one, not two, but five push-ups. Come on, show me how it's done." Carl got off his aunt and sat down. She tossed the ball to him and he looked down, looking at the ball in his hands.

"I miss my dad." He quietly admitted, rolling the ball around in his hands. Parker sat herself up, crossing her legs.

"Me too. But it will be fine. We'll get through this." She reassured him, squeezing his shoulder. Rick had been in an accident a few weeks ago while he was at work. They had been waiting for a car that had been stolen or something like that and had only anticipated that there were two men. However, there were three of them, and when Rick turned his back on the car for a split second, he ended up getting shot and fell into a coma. When Parker found out, she hadn't left Rick's side for three days, only getting up when Shane told her that Lori and Carl needed her to be there for them instead of getting lost in her head. 

Since that time, she has been supporting her family as best she could. Now, in the present, she was watching Carl attempt one hundred pushups, and when his arms started to shake on the fourth, Parker smiled and poked him in the ribs, knowing how ticklish he was. Carl let out a screech and dropped to the ground, rolling away from his aunt.

"You cheated!" Carl shouted, pointing at Parker.

"I did," Parker replied smugly. "What are you gonna do about it?" She challenged, voice having a taunting tone to it. Carl smiled and jumped on his aunt again.

"I'm going to do this!" Lori went out to the backyard and saw Parker tickling her son in the middle of the grass. She hated doing this, but the emergency broadcasting was enough to call them inside.

"Parker!" Lori shouted. "Carl, can you come in?" She shielded her eyes from the sun as she stared at the two messing around like they were both kids.

"Is dinner ready?" Carl asked hopefully, already getting up.

"No," Lori said, forcing a small smile. "I want you to come in and watch the news." The disappointment was evident on Carl's face when he found out they had to watch the news and not eat dinner.

"News?" Parker asked. "When did you turn sixty, Lori?" Parker teased as she brushed the grass off her pants.

"Just come in." Parker could tell that Lori was trying to keep something under wraps because of Carl. "You're going to want to see this." Lori waved them inside. Even from her tone, Parker could sense that whatever they were about to see on the news was not good. Walking in with Carl, they sat on the living room couch while Lori turned the volume up.

"Reports are coming in that there is currently an epidemic in progress." The reporter announced. "Officials say this disease is unlike any humanity has ever faced. It seems that the dead are being resurrected and scientists around the world don't know what is causing it. The CDC works around the clock to try to find a cure, but for anyone living in a city or elsewhere, Atlanta is the place you want to be. It has been strengthened against this epidemic, and if you want to find a safe haven, that is the place you should go."

"What the hell does that mean?" Parker questioned almost silently. "Are the dead rising? What is this, Dawn of the Dead?" She meant it as a joke but when a video on the screen showed someone being torn apart by other people Parker was quick to cover Carl's eyes.

"I don't know," Lori mumbled, "But we're not going anywhere."

"We can't leave Rick," Parker wouldn't leave her brother. She'd die before letting him get ripped apart by one of those things. "Change the channel," Parker told her, still shocked at the video footage they had shown. Lori did as Parker had asked and the voice of another reporter filled the dead silent room.

"We are receiving reports claiming that the 'dead' being reanimated are incredibly dangerous and that an encounter with one could lead to death. The CDC reports that if a person is bitten or scratched by these things, he or she will experience fever, hallucinations, and delirium. This is fatal for anyone, and we urge anyone watching to get to safety. Cities are the safest option since they have been fortified to protect the inhabitants from this epidemic. If you're near Atlanta, get there ASAP..." Parker felt Carl grab her hand.

"Are we in trouble?" His voice broke slightly, while he watched the news straight ahead.

"Not yet," Parker whispered, squeezing his hand tightly.