𝙇𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙢 𝘽𝙤𝙙𝙮 : ̗̀➛ 𝙙.𝙙

𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙡

  : ̗̀➛
      Maggie and I sat on the porch steps, staring out at the dark fields.
      "You two going to sit out here and worry yourselves all night?" Hershel questioned.
     "Yes." We answered in unison. He sighed, heading back into the house. I could not pull my eyes away from those trees. Waiting for a gunshot, a yell, anything that gave me and excuse to go out there. I didn't know why I cared, I didn't know why it made me sick to my stomach to think he could be in danger.
      "Hey," Beth poked her head out the door, "You know sitting out here is just gonna make the time go by slower." She attempted to get us inside, we said nothing. "They're gonna be okay. They were out their by themselves before, remember? Don't keep worrying about them... Please come inside."
      Maggie and I gave each other a look seeing if the other one was going in. I let out a sigh, standing.
      "Okay, Bethy." I gave in, walking in, still not able to take my eyes away from the trees as I stepped into the warmth of the house.

  : ̗̀➛

       "I just don't see why we need to stay inside, I'm a grown woman-" Andrea complained. I sat on the couch, biting my nails.
         "It's safest in here until the boys get back," Lori answered.
         "I should be out there with them. Instead Rick wanted her out there." I knew she was talking about me but I said nothing.
       "Andrea, we need to stay calm and-" Carol started.
      "I don't need you all patronizing me-"
      "Shut the hell up!" I barked, "Don't you ever just shut the hell up?! We have our people out there risking their lives to make sure you are safe and you're in here arguing with a pregnant woman and a woman who just lost her damn child?! Worrying about your own damn ego?! Just shut the hell up!" Everyone stared at me, I shook from nervousness, not from the yelling, but the thought that they still weren't back.
        "Who the hell are you talking to?" Andrea stepped in my face. My stress took over as I stood, nearly touching noses with her.
        "Step. Back."
       "Or what, Delilah? What is your prissy, kumbayah ass gonna do?"
       "Guys-" Maggie started.
        My body shook, my legs felt weak. I could've killed her.
       Without thinking I swung my fist back, connecting it with her nose. Thump! She stumbled back onto the floor. Touching her hand to her bleeding nose she jumped up, lunging at me but was grabbed by T-dog. Hershel and Maggie stepped in front of me, as if to guard me but I could've jumped right over them in that moment. I had so much to let out.
         "I will kill you," Andrea snapped at me as T-dog fought to keep her back.
        "Guys this is not the time or place! Stop it!" Lori scolded us like a mother. I kept my eyes narrowed on Andrea as I sat back down. T-dog dragged her back to her corner.
         "You need to chill the hell out," He told her as he sat her on the floor. I felt her eyes burning into me but I didn't care.
          We all fell silent except for a "What the hell, man." From T-dog. The worry and stress was so thick in the air you could've cut it with a knife.
Bang!
       I shot back up. Everyone froze.
       "That was a gunshot." Loris voice shook.
       "We all need to sit down and stay still," Hershel instructed. All I could feel was my heart pounding and my face tingling.
         "My husband is out there!" Lori snapped.
         "Oh my god." Maggie tugged at her hair. I felt sick. I choked back puke, trying to regulate my breathing as a hundred horrible images flooded my head.
          "We don't know what happened so we need to stay here where it's safe," Hershel replied sternly. I fought every inch of my body to fly out that door straight into those woods.
         "What if someones hurt?" Carol questioned.
        "They know what they're doing, Hershel is right, it's safe in here." T-dog said, but looked terrified himself.
        "Carl!" Lori called up the stairs, "Carl?!" No answer. She ran up the stairs, everyone muttered to themselves before Lori flew back down. "Oh god, He's not inside! Carls not here!" She screamed. Everything blurred around me. That was my go ahead, my excuse. I grabbed my gun from its holster, cocking it back before shooting out the front door.
         "Delilah!" Kay screamed after me but I couldn't stop. I darted across the yard, cold wind hitting my face.
         "Carl?! Daryl?! Glenn?!" I screamed out.
         Rick and Carls figured came into focus, they had their arms wrapped around each other, a smidge of relief hit my body.
          "What was that gunshot? Wheres Daryl?" I gasped for air as I approached them.
         "He's not at the house?" Rick sounded concerned. My stomach lurched, my body felt as if it was going to shut down at those words.
       "No! Oh my god! Oh my god!" I held my chest, thinking my heart was going to stop. Rick placed a hand on my shoulder.
       "Calm down-"
       "Dad.." Carl squeaked. We looked over to his gaze. His eyes we wide with worry. Down the hill, marching right to us, hundreds, if not thousands, of walkers stumbled up the yard, over the fence. I froze. Fear filled my entire body.
       "Come on." Rick whispered, dragging us into the barn. He shut the door, locking them behind us as we climbed up the rafters. Walkers filed up under us, reaching up for us. They pounded on the door, pushing it in. I slid down the wall, curling up. I couldn't take it. I was going to die. Daryl was dead. My sister, Maggie, Hershel, Beth. All of them. Dead. Tears rolled down my cheeks as Rick panicked, breathing heavy as he watched them all fill the fields. The fields I played in as a girl. The home I could really call home. My family, my real family, inside that home.
      "We're gonna die," I whispered, watching the doors break down. "Oh my god... we are all gonna die."
        "Del-" Rick started.
        "You need to get Carl out of here. Oh my god, he's just a kid!" I sobbed. This was it, and I was accepting my death, but the image of everyone being ripped apart...
        "Del!" Carl crouched in front of me, "It's going to be okay! My dad will get us out! He always does! Everyone will be okay!" He said softly. Hearing that, looking at his face, his young, innocent face. I couldn't take it. I couldn't watch that kid die.
        I looked up at Rick, wiping my tears.
        "You two stay up here, I'll be back." I stood, gripping my gun.
         "No! We are all staying right here!" Rick directed.
        "Rick, I can't let you and your boy die here, not now. I'm going to make a beeline. I'm getting to the house and making sure everyone makes it, okay? You need to stay here so I can help."
       Rick rubbed his face as the sound of walkers groaning surrounded us.
       "What if you don't make it?" He asked, "Hershel would never forgive me."
       "I would never forgive myself if I didn't try."
       He looked as if he was debating, looking down at the walkers then to Carl, then to me.
      "Okay. You jump down here. You run, as fast as you possibly can. You don't look back for anything."
        I nodded, standing in the opening of the barn window. I peered out as the dark yard, the house, saying goodbye to it all before jumping down, landing with a hard thud. The air rushed from my body. Walkers grabbed at me. I reached for my gun.
Bang! Bang!
     They dropped. Rick stared down at me, gun smoking. "Go! Go!"
     I jumped to my feet, grabbing up my gun. I sprinted toward the house, weaving and dodging decaying hands grabbing at me. The ground pounded at my feet. The house was so far. My heart thudded, slowly. Hard. I had no breath in my body.
       Everything around me was a blur.