Daryl's Girl

Chapter 58

Everything around me was black. My muscles ached and my head was spinning. My ears were ringing and I was also finding it heard to breath in the hot air. For a moment, it felt like I was paralysed.

After another second or two I sat up, coughed and slowly opened my eyes. My vision was blurred but as it cleared I saw fire. It was everywhere. Then as my hearing slowly returned and my head stopped spinning, I remembered the explosion. I was lucky to be alive. Maybe being behind the counter meant it stopped the force from the explosion hitting me, but how could I know for sure?

As I stood up, I then remembered that Carl was outside. "Carl!" I yelled and hoped for a reply. Nothing. "Carl!"

"Lily!" I heard him yell back after another minute.

"Carl, are you alright?" I coughed. I could just about see him past the smoke and flames.

"Yeah! What do I do?" He replied.

I had to think quickly. I had to make sure he was safe. "You take the gas and supplies back to the others." Carl didn't say anything and I could still see him standing looking towards the station. "Carl!"

"I'm not leaving you!" He yelled back.

"Yes, you are. I'll find a way out." I replied as the air was getting hotter and the fire surrounded me. "Remember what I said when I agreed you could come with me? I said you do exactly what I say. So you're gonna take the supplies and get the others. Do you understand?"

Once again Carl stood where he was but this time he listened and headed back over to our supplies. I watched as he picked up both bags and had a gas can in each hand before he started heading back towards the camp. The last thing I wanted was for him to be near the station if it blew again. I should've known it was all too easy.

I then began uncontrollably coughing due to the smoke and warm air around me so I looked around for any way I could get out. Nothing. Even if I could get to the door or windows, they were being blocked by both fire and fallen shelving. All I had was the counter and the wall behind me.

My next plan was to search above me for a skylight that I could possibly climb up to. There was one directly above my head and it looked big enough for me to squeeze through. My escape route was above me amd it was the only one I had. The only problem was, the glass was still in tact.

Thinking on my feet I grabbed my gun from my belt and loaded it. I then shot up at the glass, smashing it and covered my face from the falling shards. All I had to do now, was get up there but how? Even if I stood on the counter, I wouldn't be able to reach. I had to find something to stand on.

I put my gun back into my belt and by now the smoke had become so thick I had no choice but to use a stray piece of cloth to cover my nose and mouth. Then I spotted a blown over chair. Maybe if I put it ontop of the counter I might be able to pull myself up. Either way it was the only option I had. The fire had already blocked me in and was getting closer every second.

I quickly picked up the chair and placed it ontop of the counter as the glass in the front windows smashed. I then quickly pulled myself ontop of the counter and stood on the chair where I threw away the cloth. I needed two hands for this next part.

Using all the strength I had I stuck my hands out of the sky light and began to pull myself up. I didn't have very much upper body strength but I think the adrenaline helped and before too long my upper body was out and I began to breath a lot more easily.

With one last push I managed to swing my legs up and crawl out but as I did a piece of broken glass stuck in my leg, just below my knee. I couldn't leave it in there so I ripped a piece off of my shirt and pulled the glass out. I then tied my shirt around the cut and stood up. The only question was, now I was up here, how do I get down?

The first thing I did was to move away from the skylight, stepping carefully on the weak roof and tring to avoid the pain in my leg. I did this by making my way over to the edge of the building where I heard more glass smashing inside and watched as another puff of smoke erupted from the sky light. I think if I was still inside I'd have probably burned to death by now.

All of a sudden, I heard the sound of a car engine getting closer. I looked up to see a truck heading towards me, coming from in the opposite direction to where Carl had gone. It wasn't until I looked more closely I recogniesed who it was.

Merle was standing in the back, next to another man, with a gun pointed in the air. Martinez was in the drivers seat with that psychopathic Governor sitting next to him in the passenger side. I couldn't let them see me. Especially after I stole from them. Who knows what they'd do.

I quickly ducked down, laying flat on my stomach and pulled my gun from my belt. If they saw me they'd more than likely kill me. I mean, when I escaped they tried shooting me so why wouldn't they now?

As I made my way over to the edge, I watched as the truck drove straight passed the station and over to the far side of the car park. I then jumped as I heard a large crash coming from behind me. I looked behind to see that the sky light had now gone and in its place was now smoke and flames. I couldn't stay up here but I couldn't risk them seeing me.

I slid myself as far away from the flames as I could before I then turned back to the truck and continued watching. They'd stopped just to the side of a small grassy area where the unnamed man stepped out. He then walked towards what looked to be a large pit in the ground as the others stayed in the truck.

He stood there for a few seconds, with what I assumed was a note pad in his hands, before he got back into the truck. I them ducked my head down again as they drove back passed the station and back the way they came.

Once I was sure they were gone, I stood up and noticed that the flames had gotten a lot closer and the roof was beginning to cave in on itself. I had to go now. I didn't have time to wait around any longer and risk falling through.

I looked over the side and saw there was nothing I could use to climb down. All there was was a crate of sand bags that use to put over spilt fuel. Then I started to feel my feet sinking into the roof as it began to melt and crumble. I had to jump. I didn't have any other choice.

I put my gun back into my belt and sat down so my feet were dangling over the edge. My best chance would be to dop down onto the sand. It was my only way down. There was no ladder. No nothing. This was it.

I shuffled my way towards the edge and turned around so that I was facing the wall whilst still holding on and using my feet to get as low as I could. After that I just had to drop and let the sand catch me.

All of a sudden, there was another crash inside which startled me and I let go of the roof. I fell down into the sand with a thud. I'd made it. It wasn't a soft landing but I'd made it out of the station and off of the roof. I'd made it alive.