𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐘 𝐀𝐑𝐌 , dina

chapter three | hunting trip

THURSDAY MORNING WAS chilly and sunny, a regular winter morning. Y/n woke up that morning and sat on her bed, attempting to finish the journal entry that she started after Tommy left the night before. She should be getting ready to go hunting with Tommy, but this seemed too important to her.

This had to be finished first.

It was yet another entry about Dina. Specifically, she was trying to figure out if she was dating that Jesse guy or not. They acted like friends, but she noticed the way that Jesse looked at Dina. Nothing about it seemed friendly.

She finished writing, soon hearing a knock on the door. "Hey, kiddo! Hurry up and get dressed; it's time to go!" She heard Tommy's voice, followed by another knock. She better hurry up.

Once she got up from her bed, she grabbed her hoodie and pulled it on. She looked at herself in the mirror, letting out a breath. This was the new normal for her now; she had to get used to it. She picked up her backpack and gun. As she looked down at the weapon in her hand, she began to wonder what got her life to this point.

When she imagined being an adult, she never imagined living through an apocalypse. Like most of the world, she thought it was all a work of fiction, an idea created to make people scared. Everyone thought it could only happen in the movies, but this wasn't a scary movie. This was real life.

She still hoped that she would wake up and discover that this was just a nightmare. That was impossible now; she was stuck in this nightmare forever.

She let out one final breath before joining Tommy outside in the cold snow. Once outside, the cold air hit her face, and she noticed the snow on the ground. She loved the snow growing up, but when she found her parents lying in it, any happy memories were replaced with that one. From that moment forward, she never saw snow the same. "Look who finally showed up. I almost left without you." Tommy joked, letting out a chuckle before flashing her a smile. Once Y/n returned the smile, Tommy guided her to the horse stable.

The walk to the stable was silent—a silence that Tommy wasn't used to. He was so used to Maria talking his ear off about anything she could think of. Y/n was different, though; she was quiet and closed off. "You know, kiddo, you can talk to me about anything," Tommy said to break the silence. "I know I'm not your dad, but I care about you."

Y/n nodded in response and looked down at the ground. She looked around at the snow, but all she could see was the blood that surrounded her parents' bodies. That day would forever haunt her and her dreams. "Is everything okay, kiddo?" Tommy asked with a slightly worried tone.

"Yeah, I'm great," Y/n replied with a slight grin. When they reached the stable, Tommy helped her onto the horse before getting on his own. With that, they rode off toward the forest in silence.

She couldn't wait to get home.

For the past couple of hours, they sat in their hidden spot, waiting for animals to show up. Y/n hasn't said a word the whole time they've been there; it was worrisome to Tommy. He wasn't used to this. He didn't know how to help make her more comfortable.

Tommy looked over at the girl sitting next to him, opening his mouth to speak, but Y/n spoke first. "I wanted to thank you for everything," Y/n spoke up and looked over at the man next to her. At that moment, she saw the serious and focused look on his face shift to a softer one; he treated it like he'd never heard those words before. "You didn't have to take me in, but you did, and I appreciate that." She added and flashed him a genuine smile.

Since the outbreak and her parents' deaths, she hasn't genuinely smiled, but Tommy changed that in only a few days. She hadn't been this happy in years, and that was thanks to Tommy. "You don't have to thank me, kiddo. You've been with us for a short time, but we love you like you've been our kid the whole time." Tommy confessed, returning the smile. He meant everything he said, and he was going to do everything he could to show it. "You're special to us, Y/n. You mean so much to us."

Soon enough, their attention was pulled away by the sound of footsteps and clicks. Clickers were close by, everyone hated clickers. They were the worst things to encounter. They might not have gotten anything to bring back, but it was time to go. Realistically, it was time for Y/n to go. "Get back to the horses and get back to Jackson; I'll catch up once I've taken care of these hideous things," Tommy instructed, his voice growing quieter as the clicking sounds got louder.

They were getting closer. If Y/n was going to follow Tommy's instructions, she would have to go now.

She wouldn't be doing that, though.

"What's our plan to take them out?" Y/n asked him in a quiet tone. He just looked at her with a grin, enjoying the moment. To him, it felt like a father-daughter moment.

Tommy motioned for her to keep quiet and stay behind him. Together, they quietly walked through the woods to avoid any infected in the area; they were going to take them out the quiet way. Neither of them could risk getting bitten by an infected. They hid in a bush and Tommy then took his knife out of his pocket and opened it. Y/n did the same.

Tommy let out a breath before holding it again to keep from making any noise that could put them in danger. He snuck up behind the clicker that was by itself, quickly driving his knife into its neck before it could make any more noise.

Y/n was going to copy everything Tommy just did, but was unsuccessful. She went to sneak up on the infected closest to her, but she heard a loud crack. She looked down to see that she had stepped on a stick.

When she looked up, an infected began to charge at her.

Tommy heard the girl's screams, causing him to aim his weapon and take fire, watching as the infected fell to the ground. The gunshots had alerted the others; their location had been exposed. They had to leave now if they wanted to get out of this alive.

"Y/n, get back to Jackson! Now!" Tommy instructed, continuing to shoot off any infected that came close to her. She tried to fight him on it, but she ended up listening to him in the end.

At that moment, she sprinted toward the horses. She quickly climbed onto the horse, riding off to Jackson.

For the last hour, Y/n has sat around Tommy and Maria's house. She patiently and nervously waited for Tommy's return, but he didn't. He was out there somewhere, fighting off the infected when he should have come back with her. Yet he was not there; she worried that Tommy hadn't escaped.

"You don't have to worry about Tommy; he's a survivor, you know." Maria reminded her as she walked out of the kitchen with a cup of hot tea. She sat next to the worried girl on the couch, setting the cup of tea on the coffee table. "Tommy is stronger than you think. He's fine, I promise."

"I know, I just feel bad for leaving him back there," Y/n admitted, soon picking up the cup of tea to take a sip. "I just hope he's not dead or anything."

"Let's change the subject; how's Jackson treating you? Have you made any new friends?"

"Other than Cat, not really. Dina seems cool to be friends with, though."

The minute Maria heard those words, she began to smile. She remembered when she would say that about Tommy, and now, here they are years later, happily married. Maria would be there for many things, especially relationship things.

She was going to continue speaking, but the front door opening caught their attention. They looked over to see Tommy walking in. Without even thinking, Y/n stood up from her seat and ran toward the man she considered a father figure. "I'm so glad you're here; I thought you were dead," Y/n spoke with a tone of relief. She immediately pulled him into a hug, ignoring the fact that his clothes were covered in a mix of animal blood and dirt. "Don't scare me like that again." She added and a tear was beginning to fall down her cheek.

The second he saw that tear, he tightly hugged her back, soon looking at his wife. He had a feeling of joy and love. It hasn't been very long, but he loved Y/n like she was his kid. This moment proved it.

"It's okay, kiddo. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

The two hugged for a little bit longer; Maria even joined in at one point. They looked like a real family.

They are a real family.

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brooke speaks!

i've been working on
this for far too long,
anyway i hope there's
no mistakes!