traded my life [TWD]

『91』

I keep a hand on my gun as Daniel and I walk down the street. 

"Want some water?" Daniel asks.

I shake my head. He sighs. The tension wasn't full of anger or anything- it was just tension that was tense. 

"That's depressing," he notes.

I look up at the broken down shed-like building. More specifically, the spray paint that was written on the wall.

'Do not go home Brian Heriot'. 'Megan Cool died'. 'We found Ken Jones'. 

My chest feels tight. It was a giant poster.. people looking for friends and family members.

My backpack feels so light compared to Woojin's carrier. It just reminds me again that he's not there.

I still look around for the group members. I still wait for them to say something.

"You all right?" Daniel wonders.

I recall Maggie and I's slight argument, but it only causes my body to hurt more.

Maggie was one of my best friends. We went through hell together, but something beautiful was born from it- our sisterhood.

Woojin's first word was 'Maggie'. He loved her so much. He loved Rick so much. He loved Carl. 

"Fuck," I whisper under my breath.

I hop off the road and walk to the building. I take my knife out and place the tip to the metal. The shriek of the blade on metal is horrid, worse than nails on chalkboard, but I hardly hear it from the emotions swirling in my head.

I takes longer than I would've liked. But, I carve out my name and an X, if only to let the group know that I was on this trail. If they saw it. If they find it.

When I look at Daniel and climb back onto the road, he has his back to me.

"What are you doing?" I ask him.

He turns around and looks me in the eyes. "Well.. you were busy. So, I thought I'd keep watch."

I slide my knife back in it's case. "Let's keep going."

"Are we gonna keep wandering in circles?"

I look at the wall once again. The silver metal didn't show my slices well. I didn't have another way of leaving trails. Maybe if Daryl were here..

"We need supplies," Daniel adds. "Especially if the colonizers try and catch up to us."

I scoff at the name and roll my eyes.

"But, it's your call."

"And how do I not know this is some game of chase? You're just luring me into false security to let those freaks have their way with me?"

"Because I wouldn't let you be calling the shots."

I nod once and return to walking. "Just know that the women in my group and I were gonna 'I Spit on Your Grave' a dirty motherfucker that tested us. Don't think I won't do the same to you."

--

Getting closer to Atlanta was a risk. But, I told Daniel about the group's theory. The walkers were running out of food in the city and migrating in herds. It was true for the most part.. there was barely any walkers around the outskirts of Atlanta.

We hole up in a little shop that had few supplies in it. I roam through the aisles in search of food and water.

"Looking for a makeover?" Daniel teases as he walks over.

"Memory lane," I dismiss and tos the hair dye back on the shelf. "Had purple hair before all this shit happened. End of the world kinda ruined up my hair for good. But, these are all fucked up and no good."

He chuckles and slides his gun in the waistband of his jeans. "I barred the main doors with some shelves. If we need a getaway, I cleared the back door."

"Good. You should get some sleep," I urge.

"So you can Freddy Krueger me?" Daniel scoffs.

"All right, now you're just tossing out references like you're Billy fucking Loomis," I scoff. "And that doesn't even work because Freddy kills in your dreams."

"You started it," he reminds.

"Whatever," I dismiss. "Go to sleep. I won't Krueger you."

"Not to be like.. sexist or anything.. but, you kinda look like shit. I think some beauty sleep would do you some good," he says. "I can take watch while you sleep."

I rest my arms on the shopping cart and look at him.

"I mean.. when was the last time you slept?" he wonders.

Daniel and I met yesterday. We were on the road all night. Before that, I was with Maggie, Sasha, and Bob- fresh escaping the prison. Before that, I had gotten back from the emergency run to get meds.

Four days. I hadn't slept in a straight four days.

The outbreak, helping with the fence, the run, helping pick up the pieces from the flu, burning bodies, being taken, losing Hershel, lost in the prison, escaping with a small group, finding the bus, arguing with Maggie, leaving on my own, caught by the group of men, escaping them with Daniel, running all night so the men didn't find us, and now.. here.

"This place is secure," he says as if he were reading my mind. "You've had it rough. Get some sleep."

I didn't trust anyone outside of the family I'd made. I'd told Rick as much. We had a small disagreement over it just hours before the Governor came back around.

And this.. Daniel.. he was the most wild card I'd met so far at the end of the world.

𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇 𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓈--

i rise from the dead once more

im in a billy loomis/scream brain rot don't look at me and ignore me shh