𝑩𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝑺𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒔 | ᵀᵂᴰ

8: It's all my fault

I had my arms wrapped around Daryl's torso as we rode down the open road on Merle's bike. It had only been two days since the CDC blew up. Two days since we lost Jacqui.

We arrived onto a crowded highway. Cars were everywhere. There is no way around. Daryl circled back around.

"See a way through?" Dale asked. He nodded and gestured for Dale to follow him. It was a vehicle graveyard. There were even walkers in cars. Clothes and loose items all over.

The RV engine began to sputter and broke down. Smoke came out of the hood. Daryl stopped the bike and climbed off. He then helped me off it.

"I can do a lot of things on my own, you know?" I told him.

"Not in my eyes." He replied. "Wow."

"I said it. Didn't I say it?" Dale spoke as he climbed out of the RV. "A thousand times. Dead in the water."

"Problem, Dale?" Rick asked. "Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of-" Daryl grabbed something out of the back of an open car window. "Okay, that was dumb." Dale said.

"If you can't find a radiator hose here..." Shane began. "There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find." Daryl said.

"I can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start." T-Dog said.

"Maybe some water." Carol said.

"Or food." Glenn spoke.

"This is a graveyard." Lori said. "I don't know how I feel about this." She told Rick. "Alright, alright, here we go." T-Dog said. "Come on, y'all. Just look around, gather what you can." Shane spoke.

I ran to a car and opened the passenger door. There was a bottle of water on the floor. I opened it and took a sip. As soon as the bottle hit my lips, I spit it out onto the grass. Not water. I dumped the rest out so that way no one else would mistake it for water like I did.

I opened the glove box and found some random paperwork and restaurant napkins.

"Bela." I heard Lori whisper. "Get down. Under the cars." I was confused until I saw the herd of walkers coming closer and closer. I dropped to the ground and hid in front of the car Sophia and Carl were hiding under. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths to prevent another panic attack. I tried to remember the breathing exercise Jacqui did with me at the CDC.

I opened my eyes and saw Sophia climbing out from under the car. The coast isn't clear. A walker saw her and began to go after her. I climbed out from under the car just as two walkers followed her over the barricade and down the hill.

I followed their groans and her whimpers in fear. I saw her blue shirt through the trees and ran towards her. I grabbed her and held her in my eyes.

"Are you okay? Did they get you?" I whispered.

"Shoot them." She said in fear, trying to take the gun on my hip out of its holster. "We can't. The walkers on the road would hear it, and then there wouldn't be just two." I picked her up and ran towards a creek. I jumped down and motioned for her to jump into my arms. She did, and I hid her within an old hollowed out tree.

"Okay, you need to listen to me. You're gonna stay here. Do not move. Do not make a sound. If you see something or hear anything, you do not come out of here. I'm going to drive them away and come back to get you, okay?" "No, no, don't leave me." She begged. "I'll be back. I promise. You're gonna be okay. I'll get you back to your mom." She hid in the tree as the walkers came down into the water.

"¡Oye cabrónes!" Hey, you bastards! I yelled. "¡Ven aquí! ¡Vamos!" Come here! Let's go! "Hijo de perra." Son of bitch.

I wasn't supposed to curse in front of Sophia so I did it in Spanish so she wouldn't understand.