Lost | Daryl Dixon

24 - The Burden of Action

Third Person POV

"Liz, over here!" Lori yelled out towards her sister-in-law as she and Rick sat front row, waiting on Carl's play to begin. The girl grinned, joining them quickly as she sat down beside them, leaning towards Lori. "You're just in time."

"Good, I was worried I'd missed it," She muttered, glancing around. "I'm not looking forward to when I've gotta do this." Her eyes tread around the hall of bored looking parents, all desperate to not be seen by other parents they hated, or desperate to be seen wearing their PTA pins as a show of pride. Lori grinned, as Rick chuckled.

A chair shifted besides her, as she was joined by Shane - his hair curled and tidied up for once as he threw his arm around his wife, more jovial than usual. "You say that now, but you're gonna be one of those moms making Facebook posts braggin' 'bout what you've done for the school that week." He teased as she pulled a face.

"Precisely why I am not looking forward to it, I'm gonna be insufferable."

"Hey!" Lori feigned insult. "I'm one of those moms."

"And we don't hold it against you, Lo," Elizabeth sniggered as her best friend hit her arm. She yelped, getting a look from some other parents as she ducked her head, snorting at the intrusion they'd caused.

The lights dimmed and the cheap school curtains pulled apart, Carl prime in the centre to play the narrator - because he was the only kid who didn't complain about reading. Elizabeth leaned into Shane, cupping her slowly budding stomach as she whispered away from Lori and Rick's ears as they focused on their son's performance.

"You know," Her lips turned upwards. "You better be one of them dad's who leaves work early and put their kid above all else, I am not suffering through this alone."

He chucked, pulling her closer. She looked so beautiful, and every urge in his mind told him she was his to protect and love. "I promise."

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First Person POV

My ears rung, my eyes blurring as I slowly lowered my pistol down, following the blood to the corpse on the ground - the hair I'd previously ruffled and brushed in our camps now soaked with a mixture of fresh and old blood - charred skin surrounding the penetration wound from the bullet out of the back.

Bright red blood soaked the straw and light mud below; but all I could see was Sophia. Grey skin, destroyed shirt, cuts and tears and bruises across her arms and tearing skin on her face from whatever meal she had managed to get.

And now, the bullet wound I'd put in her.

My hand began shaking, my hearing slowly returning as I heard Carol's gasps and sobs from behind me. I took a staggering step back as I processed the scene in front of me - dozens of walkers, bullet holes decorating Hershel's barn - and yet, still all I could see was Sophia.

Carol's sobs devolved into panic, her breaths quick and uneven - all I could hear. My hands shook more as I took another step back, finally able to turn my head from the girl's corpse as a step alerted behind me; I raised my head to see Shane - staring down at the girl with regret on his features. He looked down at me, seeking my eyes - he looked apologetic, but not enough. Not for this.

I turned from him as quickly as I'd looked at him, glancing back to my family - Rick staring, jaw dropped, and Lori clutching a devastated Carl as she stroked his hair in any form of comfort. Rick's face, whilst haunted - showed one thing directed to me. Gratitude. Gratitude that I was the one who stepped up, that he didn't have to.