Broken Wings (Daryl dixon x Reader)

Chapt. 20: Family & Grief

I woke up to the sound of the smoke detectors screaming and my dog barking. I quickly jumped out of my bed and ran to the doorknob to feel it, it was hot. Scared and not knowing how much time I had, I quickly put Autumn's Harness on her. She was facing the door, growling. I then heard the sirens wailing outside my window. 

My window was my only escape, but how was I going to get my sixty-pound dog out of the second-story window? 

I opened the window but to my surprise, a ladder truck was coming towards me. I heard a crash from behind me, I turned seeing the blaze. The fire had gotten through my door. I picked Autumn up and handed her to the fireman. I turned to get her leash off my side table beside my bed, where the fire was heading, I reached for it and felt the fire burn me, I yelped but didn't let that deter me. I had to make sure she stayed safe. I turned and hurried back to the window where a fireman was standing there ready to help me onto the ladder.

I reached the safety of the ground and hooked the leash onto Autumn's harness. I looked around expecting to see my family, but I didn't see any of them. I sat on the edge of the ambulance refusing treatment until I knew my family was okay. My hand hurt and so did my throat but I didn't care, I had to make sure my family was okay.

"Momma? Daddy?!" I screamed and cried.

"Where are they?!" I yelled at a fireman as he was coming out of the house, towards me, removing his oxygen mask from his face.

"How many are in the house?" 

"Four, plus the cat," He only nodded and turned around to head back into my house. It felt like an eternity but it had to be only ten minutes before I saw a fireman carry out my mother and father. They weren't moving why weren't they moving?

They laid them both on the ground and began to push on their chests. I screamed

"Y/N! Wake up! Wake up!" I sat up in the bed breathing heavily and screaming, Maggie was there looking at me worry all over her face. I looked around taking in the room, I wasn't there, I was safe in the Greene's house. I took a breath as I looked at her.

"You were having a nightmare, you were screaming, what happened?"

"It was my parents, the night I lost them, and my whole family." Maggie looked at me her expression softening as she hugged me.

"It's okay, you are safe," She said softly as I cried into her shoulder.

"Its...It has been a long time since...since I had those dreams..." She hushed me pulling back to wipe my tears. 

"Sometimes nightmares just happened, no reason fro em', in your case..." She shook her head, "It's about 5 am, why don't we go ahead and get up? Get you some breakfast?" I nodded as Maggie left the room so I could get dressed in private.

I sighed as I pulled my jeans and t-shirt on, I never understood why I survived the fire, and they didn't. I looked down at the burn scar on my hand. Why did I escape with one burn? And they lost their lives?

I walked into the kitchen, smelling bacon and eggs, I hadn't had farm eggs in a long time, not since I lost my family. I nearly forgotten how much better they tasted than any store-bought eggs. I started slicing up some fruit to take up to Beth, she needed to eat first. 

Maggie put some of the eggs and bacon onto the plate along with the slices of fruit, I smiled at her and took the plate along with a glass of water up to Beth's room.

"Beth?" I said softly opening her door, she was sitting up in her bed staring out the window that was across from her.

"Good morning, brought you some breakfast." She only nodded. I was about to leave but she stopped me.

"How did you do it?"

I looked at her confused and sat down on the edge of the bed, "Do what?"

"Go on after your folks died?" I looked at her for a second.

"I didn't want to, believe me, I didn't I lost everything in that fire, guess your dad told you about that..." Either that or she read the local newspaper, Four Dead in House Fire, Teen Girl and Dog Survived, which Was in the local newspaper for weeks.

"Tyler, he lost his son in that fire too, he kept me going, he gave me a reason to live, even took me in so that I wouldn't have to move to the mountains with my aunt and uncle."

She sighed picking at a grape, "No point, there is no point, we will just be all dead one day anyway, especially now."

"There is a point though Beth, your father and your sister both love you dearly, they would die if they lost you too. What about Jimmy? He loves you." She shrugged.

"Lori has a new baby on the way, won't that be exciting? Having a child to liven things up? Maggie told me you loved to take care of children, said the folks at church loved having you as a babysitter."

"Baby is gonna die too, no proper hospitals." She sighed and put the plate on her nightstand and crawled back underneath the blankets.

I sighed and got up, "Beth, your mother would want you to try to survive this world, there is a reason you are still alive, and I know you don't believe that right now, but you do eventually learn to live with the grief."

I walked out her bedroom door and headed back into the kitchen. The sun was shining through the window. A long time ago I dreamed of getting married and living on a farm like this. Even though it was cheesy, it was what I thought to be peaceful, except now I'm constantly looking over my shoulder wondering if Austin is behind it or if one of the dead is.

"She okay?" Maggie asked serving me my plate.

"Thank you, and I don't know Maggie she is very depressed along with the grief. Maybe your dad can talk to her later today?" Maggie nodded serving herself a plate and there we ate across from each other at the kitchen island. 

Two women both trying to figure out how to survive in this world, one who still has part of her family, and the other trying to figure out how to go on in this new world surrounded by people who just wound up with each other. Maybe this was my new family and maybe they did actually care about me, maybe Austin was really wrong all along.