The End Of My World

Chapter 37

Chapter 37

That night we all slept in the same house, we mostly slept on the floors of whatever room we could come up with. I was in the kitchen with a mug in my hand. I raise it to my lips and take a sip. The cold water flowing down my throat felt good. I watch as everyone slowly starts to wake. The early morning sun shines through the windows of this house. I feel down my pants toward my shoes and graze a finger over the tip of the dagger lodged in my shoe. I grip my mug again and take another sip. A knock on the front door has everyone up and ready.

The door creaks open and there stands Aaron, a paper in his hand.

"Good morning everyone" He announces, "I see we all decided to have a sleepover" he waits a beat, trying to see if his joke was funny.

It wasn't...

He coughs, and pulls up the paper to his face. "Okay so we have job assignments for you all" he starts, "Rick and Michonne you will be heading over to the weapons house. Daryl you'll be with me, Carol you'll be incharge of making food, Glenn you'll be meeting at the front gate in about an hour, Maggie you'll be working at Deanna's house, Abraham you'll be at construction, Sasha you'll be training to do look out, ummmmm" he pauses, "OH, Eugene you'll be helping with tech, Rosita your going to help with small things around town, ummm, Artemis, I think your headed to the front gate too. So that is your job assignments if you have a problem with them let Deanna know asap" He turns on his heels and walks away. Daryl slowly follows after him quietly complaining about everything and anything.

I walk towards my stuff at the back corner of the living room, I pick up my flashlight and head out of the house towards the front gate. Glenn just barely following behind me. I walk to where I can see the gate, three guys and a woman are standing by this old red rusted truck. This was just great. GREAT!! I walk over to the small bundle of people. When my feet stop right before the group, they all look up to find Glenn and I standing there waiting for them.

"Well hello gorgeous" A man, with short dark hair that looks like a rats nest says. I just roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. "We are here for the supply run" Glenn chimes in. The woman nods, stepping forward. "The names Tara, we are headed out to do a run for mechanical supplies and electrical bits" she explains. Tara was a pretty lady, she has a loose ponytail full of nice brown hair and a rugged beanie hat.

I nod at her and turn towards the car again until I look back up at her, "Do we get our weapons?" I say, "You will once we get out there, we picked up a couple knives and a bow that I presume is yours?" I nod, "When then lets go" another man, with dark short hair says, his hair actually looks well kept. I roll my eyes and jump into the back seat. I sit on the left side by the window with Tara driving, the nice hair guy in the front seat too. Another man with tousled hair and a short figure gets in the back of the truck bed. Glenn sits right next to me and then the rats nest guys sits right next to him. 

Its not long till we are on the move, I just look out the window as we move, a cold expression on my face. Soon we are pulling up and I notice the over grown structure. The building is a large, dilapidated warehouse. Its exterior looks marked by years of neglect, with peeling paint and broken windows. The structure is surrounded by overgrown weeds and debris, hinting at abandonment.

We step out of the car and I am handed my bow and a dagger, like its not a knife and you can see that. ... Dumb bitch.
I moves silently behind the group, my keen eyes scanning every shadow.  Inside, the warehouse is a cavernous space with high, exposed beams and an array of scattered boxes and old equipment. The floor is covered in a thick layer of dust and debris, with occasional puddles of stagnant water. The walls are lined with rusted shelving units and broken machinery. The air is stale and heavy, filled with the scent of rust and decay. The warehouse is a maze of old equipment and discarded boxes. "Alright, we're here for the electronic components. Stick together and keep your eyes peeled." Glenn says. I fall into step beside Glenn, my gaze darting to every corner. The rats' nest man, full of bravado, strides ahead, rifling through boxes with careless abandon. The nice haired man is beside him, more concerned with his gear than the surroundings. The nice haired man and Tara stay close to Glenn, but I keep a careful watch over their six. "Keep an eye on the perimeter. We don't want any surprises." Glenn says to nice hair man. "Got it." he replies.

My instincts are on high alert, my senses tuned to any sign of danger. Suddenly, a low groan pierces the silence. I turn sharply and spot a walker, clad in tattered body armor, shuffling toward them. My heart skips a beat as I notice a grenade strapped to the walker's belt. My voice low, urgent I announce, "Heads up! Grenade on that walker!" Rats nest, undeterred by the warning, takes aim and fires. The shot echoes through the warehouse, but the walker remains standing. The grenade's metal glints in the dim light. Glenn then shouts with wide eyes,  "Aiden, get back!" Ahhhh so thats his name, how did he know that?

Before I can react, a blinding flash of light and a deafening explosion rock the warehouse. I am thrown to the floor, debris raining down around me. Coughing, I scramble to my feet, my heart pounding. Dust clouds the air, and my vision is hazy. "Tara!" Glenn shouts, I spot Tara on the ground, struggling and clutching her side. The nice haired man is at her side, trying to help her. My gaze shifts to Aiden, who's trapped under a heavy metal beam, his screams piercing through the chaos.

"Help me! Get this thing off me!" Aiden pleads, I wait a moment before moving, was he really worth it. I do it anyway, I move to help, but the debris is too heavy. I catch sight of Nicholas, his face pale and terrified, glancing around frantically. The short man screams, "I can't... I can't do it!" the guy bolts, abandoning the group. I exchanges a glance with Glenn, who's trying to lift the beam with the nice hair guy. The noise of the approaching walkers grows louder, and I feel the weight of the situation pressing down on my shoulders. Glenn yells, "We need to get him out!" My muscles strain as I join Glenn and the nice haired man in trying to lift the beam, but it's no use. The walkers are closing in, their groans growing more insistent.

"We have to go! Now!" I shout over the groans of the oncoming walkers. We drag Tara, who's barely conscious, toward the exit. My mind races as I cover our retreat, my bow ready and drawn for any threats. Glenn glances back at Aiden, his face a mix of frustration and sorrow.

We burst out into the daylight, adrenaline still coursing through my veins. I help to support Tara, my eyes scanning the surroundings for any immediate threats. As we make our way back to Alexandria. "Damn it." I comment. I watch as Glenn takes count of the stuff he managed to snag. Not much but it was something.

We stop in front of the gates and wait for them to open. I watch as the nice haired man's fingers turn white on the steering wheel. The truck pulled in and everyone slowly got out. Once my foot stepped outside the door I was pulled to the ground. The nice haired man stood above me his face red and his chest rising and falling with such rapid speed I could have thought he was asthmatic. But as soon as Glenn's door was shut, the nice haired man was on him like a rabid dog. A screaming, rabid dog.

"This is all your fault, you piece of shit" he screamed, "Noah I didn't so anything" Glenn said, scared.

Ok hold on how does he... ya know what imma move on.

I jump to my feet and stride over, Noah has Glenn by the collar and is pushing him up against the metal wall.

"You are the reason he's dead" he screams again. I grab his shoulders. A crowd of people gathers around. I spin Noah so he is off of Glenn, "You know damn well that it wasn't his fault dip shit"

"You know it's your fault too, you BITCH" wow, he just went there. "So you're saying the Aiden's bullet was my fault and that the grenade going off is my fault AND the metal beam is my fault too. That Just seems SOOOOOO LOGICAL DON'T IT" I yell back at him. A hand grabs my wrist and I'm pulled back and away from Noah who is seething with anger. I turn to the person and find Daryl, his big blue eyes look into mine. He continues to pull me until I am back beside the truck. I take my gaze off of him and look towards where Rick and Deanna are. Noah can suck my dick-

"Artemis," Daryl says. My heart stops for a moment. The way he says my name-

"Artemis what the hell happened" Daryl questions.

"I tried to warn this guy called Aiden that the walker had a grenade but he didn't listen and ended up shooting the grenade and making the whole place blow. And Aiden got trapped, and Tara got hurt. Matter of fact she is still sitting in that damn car waiting for medical help" I raise my voice slightly higher. Daryl places a hand on my shoulder, "he's just a piece of shit, he aint worth your energy." he says with a small smirk on his lips, but if you knew Daryl you can tell by the way his eyes sparkle that he had mischief on his mind.

"Fine" I watch as his eyes dart behind me and his smirk turns into a grrrrr face. Now we have angery Daryl ladies and gentlemen.

"ARTEMIS!!!!" Oh shit...