Lilly Watkins has always been the strong one compared to her twin. That doesn't change when the dead start walking. Taking care of her family during the apocalypse, she never relied on anyone else. When she meets Daryl Dixon, a more temperamental pe...
Rewritten on 8/10/2019. Originally published in Dec 2012. Image above is by me.
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We've been on our own since the beginning of the end. My twin sister and I, along with her mother-in-law, and my niece. There's a special challenge when it comes to keeping the elderly and children alive. Then, there's the challenge of my sister, who has long shut down already. When danger came, I rose up, and she fell.
"We cleaned out the back of the store," Marie says quietly, her satchel full. My niece Ashley has filled her own smaller bag, looking proud of herself. She's only eight, but she's doing better at surviving than Milly, my twin.
"There's not much out here, unfortunately. I'll grab what I can and move on." With one fluid motion, I pull all of the cans from the shelf into my bag. These will get us through the winter hopefully.
The bell over the door tinkles and I fear the worst. The undead has come in and they're usually never alone. I hold up my finger as to 'shush' but made no sound, my knife already out of my boot. I peer around the aisle and notice that it isn't a people-eater; instead, it's a filthy man in plaid. These can be dealt with by using my gun, which I pull out next.
"Drop your weapon, redneck," I threaten, raising my gun to his face.
"Oh shit," an Asian man says as he comes in behind. He immediately raises his hands up in surrender, but the hillbilly in front of him makes no move to surrender.
"Ye ain't goin' to shoot me, girl," he growls out, taking a step closer to me. I take one back, maintaining our distance. "One shot and this place'll be swarmin' with Walkers."
"Daryl, they have a child with them," the other man says, peering to my family behind me. I step in front of his gaze, not allowing him to look on anymore. He could be saying that to show my vulnerability.
"Don't even think 'bout it, Chinaman," Daryl says, glaring at the other man who spoke. I look between them, confused.
"They might need shelter...we can offer that—"
"Fuckin' no. Already got Andrea and her timid sister starting drama everywhere. We don't need any more blonde sisters messin' shit up."
The bell over the door chimes again and we all turn to see a man in a police uniform come in, looking at our standoff. "What's going on?"
"Stay out of it, Officer Friendly."
Officer Friendly already looks like he will not stay out of it as he walks closer to me, his hand held out in a proper greeting. I shake it, too stunned at how normal this feels. "I'm Rick Grimes. The threatening man is Daryl Dixon, and the man with the hat is Glenn Rhee."
"Are you really from China?" my niece makes her appearance by asking.
Glenn shakes his head. "I'm Korean."
I push Ashley back behind me, out of the way. "I'm Lilly Watkins. The little girl was Ashley, and my sister is Milly. Her mother-in-law is Marie Richards. It's been...pleasant, but we need to get going."
"Do you have a group?" Rick asks.
"Yes, over a hundred members. They'll slit your throats too," I say quickly, trying to inch towards the exit.
"She's lyin'."
I glare at the redneck but don't reply, just staring him down.
"I'm asking because I want to offer you shelter at our camp. It's not much but we look out for each other."
Remembering the protest from Daryl earlier, I make my decision. "Alright, that sounds fine. It'll be nice to spite him," I point at the now scowling man, "by going."
Rick stifles a laugh but has us follow him outside before Daryl can say anything. There's a small SUV and a motorcycle parked not very far away. The trunk is completely full along with one seat in the middle. Doing the math, I realize someone will have to ride on the motorcycle, and I don't think it's Rick's or Glenn's.
"Nope, she can ride on the roof," his biting voice rings out as he glares at the officer. I roll my eyes at his theatrics. He acts like a PMSing woman.
"Glenn could ride behind you if you prefer," Officer Friendly replies and I snort. Daryl doesn't say anymore, just getting onto the bike. I shrug, getting on behind him. My hand accidentally uses his crotch as a handle, satisfied when I hear a slight 'oof' from him. It must be scary for the whole male race to be easily taken down by one little spot on their body.
"I wish I hit women," he mutters, turning the vehicle on.
"Oh, kinky. Too bad I'm into people that bathe."
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