Highway To Hell

Chapter 22

I wipe sweat from my forehead and take a swig of water. Glenn and I are digging graves in the field. I'm no good with babies, so I wasn't much help inside. I don't hate babies, but they do kind of creep me out. I much prefer interacting with older kids. 

   Axel and Oscar (finally learned their names) walk up to us. Glenn stops digging and gets out of the grave, but I don't stop. 

   "How's the perimeter look?" Glenn asks. We'd had no choice but to get their help. T-Dog is dead, and Carol is missing. We'd become so much weaker in the span of an hour.

   "We got the walkers spread out," Axel says. "Need help?" Glenn doesn't answer, moving to join me again. "Your friends...they were good folks."

   "They were family," Glenn says, sounding offended at the thought of T-Dog, Carol, and Lori being something as simple as friends. 

   "I think I had one friend like that my whole life," Oscar says. "You got a whole group. Sorry you lost them."

   "This shouldn't have happened in the first place," I mutter. 

   "You're right," is the only response Oscar gives. I look up at them and notice Hershel standing at the inner fence. He clearly wants something. Glenn notices him to.  

    He hands his shovel to Axel. "We need two more. Ivy." I bristle slightly at the clear command to come with him, but I tell myself that he's under a lot of stress and isn't trying to be rude. Still, I don't have to listen to him.

   "I'll stay. No point in forcing them in digging our peoples' graves. Let me know if I'm needed." He looks between me and the prisoners hesitantly. "I'll be fine. Go. See what he wants." He looks at me for a moment, before nodding. However, as he goes to walk away, he pauses between Oscar and Axel to whisper something. Axel gulps and Oscar nods, so Glenn continues walking up to the fence. 

   "He seems rather protective of you," Axel comments nervously. 

   "We're all protective of each other," I correct. We continue to dig in silence. I keep an eye on them out of my peripherals. I'll be damned if I got this far just to get taken out by a human man with a shovel. 

   "Hey." I look up to see Glenn standing several feet away. 

   "What's up?" I ask. 

   "I'm going to go check on Rick. You want to come?" His eyes flit to Axel and Oscar, clearly not wanting to leave me completely alone out here with them. 

   I glance at them. "You two okay with handling this?" I ask. 

   "You handle your people," Oscar says. "We can handle this." I nod and climb out of the grave. 

   "Thank you. I appreciate you helping with this," I tell them. 

   "Don't worry about it, little miss," Axel says, smiling. I cringe at the nickname, but let it slide. Dropping the shovel on the ground, I wipe my hands on my pants and follow after Glenn. 

   "What'd Hershel say?" I ask. 

   "Just worried about Rick," Glenn says. 

   "You know I can handle myself," I say. "I've gone toe-to-toe with far stronger creatures than them." 

   "I know that, but we've already lost a third of our people today. I won't risk losing you, too." His tone leaves no room for arguing. "Don't think I didn't see you space out earlier. You almost died, Ivy."

   "I'm fine," I say. 

   "Sure, but only because we got there before a walker made a meal out of you."