The darkest path, the walking dead

Chapter 15: unstable

I wake up to my tent unzipping and Carl comes into view, I smile and stretch my back and arms, as he sits down in my tent.
"Hey" I yawn, and he smiles.
"Good morning, sorry for waking you" Carl says.
"It's fine" I shrug and stand up.
"You sleep in your clothes? Even your shoes?" Carl asks and I smirk.
"I was in Atlanta if a walker came I ran I didn't bother taking my shoes off." I shrug and it's true I sleep in my clothes for the next day.
"Smart" he smiles. We walk out of the tent and back toward the main camp where everyone is. I can see from here everyone looking at Glenn like he just got there attention and I get the feeling he's going to tell them about the walkers in the barn or loris pregnancy or maybe both. All of a sudden their calm expressions turn to shock and horror and I can tell by loris expression and the way Maggie is watching from the porch that he has just finished telling them about the walkers in the barn.
"What are they talking about?" Carl asks not expecting an answer.
"Glenn just told them that the barns full of walkers" I sigh, Carl stops right in his tracks.
"What?" Carl asks "how do you know?" He asks in horror. Sometimes I forget how mysterious and unpredictable I am until I see people reactions to what I'm saying. 
"I have a reputation for hearing things I'm not supposed to hear" I shrug.
"And you didn't think to tell anyone" Carl say angrily. "What else do I need to know?" Carl ask and I go stiff.
"Don't make me lie to you and say nothing" I swollen.
"Luna tell me" Carl demands.
"Maybe later" I say walking away toward the group "come on this is going to get ugly" I say walking toward the group.
"Come on guys it's not that big of a deal, I've checked the barn so many times there is no away that walkers are getting out of there" I say.
"You knew about this?" Lori yells at me.
"Yeah Lori I know a lot of things, just remember that" I say getting in her face, everyone one but Glenn and Dale look at me in confusion, Lori swallows hard and nods. Shane storms over to the barn and we all follow. Shane slowly walks close to the barn looking through a hole in the side and jumps backwards when a walker presses it's face against the crack, making me laugh a little at Shane's reaction.
"You can not tell me your alright with this?" Shane asks rick.
"I'm not but were guests here it not our land" Rick says and I rolls my eyes.
"Oh god this is our lives man!" Shane grumbles.
"Lower your voice" I snap as I watch multiple walker pile against each other to look at us though the holes.
"We can't just sweep this under the rug." Andrea says.
"It ain't right" someone say but I'm not paying much attention, my attention is on the barn.
"We either gotta go in there we gotta make things right or we just gotta go now we have been talking about fort bennings for a long time" Shane says.
"We can't go!" Rick yells.
"Why rick why?" Shane talks over him.
"Because my daughters still out there" carol says in shock.
"Ok" Shane laughs and my blood boils "I think it's time we all start to just consider the other possibility's" Shane says.
"You think this is funny jackass!" I yell at him and he looks at me with shock.
"Shane we are not leaving Sophia behind" Rick says.
"We are close to finding this girl I just found her dam doll two days ago!" Daryl yells with anger. Shane laughs again.
"You found her doll Daryl that's what you did, you found a doll!" Shane yells.
"What the hell is funny to you?" I say standing on tip toes to get in Shane's face. Shane shoves me harshly in the chest and I know I can't get into a fight with him and win but I know it wouldn't stop me from trying, even before the appoculypes in school I was known for getting into fights I had no hope of winning. I bring my fist up into Shane's big nose and I hear a crack, he the brings his fist up and hits me across the face definitely giving me a black eye, I fall to the ground my eyes already swollen but just as Shane turns to Daryl who yells at him I bring my foot up as hard as I can kicking him in the crotch, he fall to the ground in pain and I smirk even know my eye is killing. Everyone looks at Shane in horror as Carl run to my side and so does Lucas.
"Let me tell you something Daryl if she was alive and she saw you coming with your buck knife and your geek ear around your neck she would run in the opposite direction" Shane says still in pain as he slowly pulls himself to him feet. Daryl lunges at Shane as Lucas and Carl grab my arms and start to pull me backwards into the opposite direction. Rick is trying to brake them up and I don't know why to be honest, Shane's nose is bleeding and it is bent in a weird position. Everyone start to hold them back as they lung at each other but I think this need to happen, I just hope Daryl wins.
"Keep your hand off me" Shane snaps at Lori as he starts to walk away.
"Just let me talk to Hershel let me finger it out" Rick says calmly and I try to roll my eyes but stop because it hurts too much.
"Then what are you going to finger out!" Shane yells stepping towards Rick but Lori stops him.
"we are going to stay and we are going to clear this barn but I have to talk him into it, it is his land" rick say less calmly this time.
"Hershel sees them as people"  dale interrupts, everyone looks at each other for a moment "sick people his wife, his step son are in there" dale finishes.
"You knew?" Rick asks dale and he nods.
"Yesterday I talked to Hershel, I thought we could survive one more night and we did" dale says angrily because of the disgust on Ricks face "I was waiting for this morning to say something but Glenn wanted to be the one" dale sighs.
"He's crazy man, if Hershel thinks these things are alive!" Shane yells and the door starts to rock back. I sit too close to the door for me to be comfortable about it and Carl and Lucas stand closer to it because they stand behind me, for a second I think the door is going to open but it doesn't. I flinch away from the door slightly and Carl and Lucas stand me up and almost carry me away from the door and put me on the ground again. Everyone backs away slightly staring at the door in terror. They all wait and then realise that the door isn't going to open. Shane walks away swearing under his breath.
"Shit are you ok?" Lucas turns to me.
"Are you kidding I just kicked Shane in the balls I'm great" I smirk and Lucas laughs but Carl still looks totally shocked.
"You sure?" Carl asks "because your eye is already swollen" I just nod.
"Give me a hand up?" I ask the boys as they both grab an arm and pull me up.
"You should go see Hershel make sure everything's ok" Carl tells me. I put an arm around both there shoulders and they help me to the house and up the stairs to the porch, I can walk  but I do feel a little dizzy and if they don't mind their help means a lot. Carl knocks on the door. Maggie answers.
"Oh my god what happened to your eye?" Maggie asks in horror.
"Umm" I was about to make up some dumb excuse when Daryl came up behind me.
"Shanes a bloody psychopath, he punched her" Daryl growls.
"I was going to lie and say I fell but thank you anyway Daryl" I sigh and Lucas laughs a little.
"Oh my god I'll get my dad wait in here" Maggie runs up the stairs as we sit in the lounge room.
"Are you ok?" Daryl asks me.
"I would roll my eyes right now if I could actually move my eye without it hurting like crazy so there's your answers" I laugh.
"Holy shit Shane's lost it" Daryl growls.
"Daryl I'm fine honestly" I lie, Daryl nods "And to be fare I punched him first"
"Yeah what the hell with that Luna?" Lucas almost laughs and I simply shrug.
"But even the way he was saying Sophia was dead he had no right" Daryl growls again.
"I hate this house" I sigh trying to change the subject but I can tell all three boy keep sneaking glances of my eye.
"Why?" Lucas asks.
"It reminds me of when you got shot and the away they got the first bullet fragment out when you where awake" a shiver runs down my spine.
"Yeah come to think about it I hate this house too" Lucas laughs and we all sink into a comfortable silence until Hershel walks in.
"So what happened?" Hershel asks checking for a concussion.
"It doesn't really matter and besides you already know I can tell" I smirk at him.
"You are pretty good at reading people I see?" He says and I nod.
"It's a gift" I laugh. I notice Carl is still wildly on edge and so is Daryl but Lucas looks relaxed enough to help me relax.
"So why did Shane hit you?" Hershel asks and I shrug.
"Because I hit him" I smirk a little.
"Then why did you hit him?" Hershel asks.
"Because he said the little girl we are looking for is dead" I say clenching my fists. Hershel doesn't say anything which is fine with me, he gives me a ice pack to put of my eye and then sends me on my way. Lucas goes and helps Lori and Carol cook and Daryl leaves but stays close and I can tell he's eyeing off Shane.
"I can't believe Shane would do something like that" Carl is still in shock.
"It's fine I punched him first" I remind Carl.
"That was not the Shane I used to know" Carl says putting his head in his hands.
"Hey it's ok, I'm fine he was just stressed" I say rubbing his back a little bit, I find it funny because I'm the one who just got punched and I'm comforting him. I look up to see Shane walking over towards us.
"Carl why don't you do see how your dads going?" I ask trying to get him to leave but he looks up and sees Shane, he growls as Shane walks closer.
"Luna I'm" I cut Shane off.
"It's fine Shane, just one thing" I take my gun that I'm not meant to have out of my waist band "if you touch me again I'll blow a hole in your ball" I say checking the bullets in my gun.
"Are you threatening me?" He growls. I smirk.
"How about you wait to see?" I growl and he holds his hands up in serenader as he walks away, Daryl must have seen him come over because Daryl walks past Shane towards Carl and I giving Shane looks that could kill.
"You two ok?" Daryl asks, and I nod.
"What did he say to you?" Daryl asks.
"He said sorry and I said it was fine but I said of he touches me again I'll blow a hole in his balls, then he asked if I was threatening him and I asked him to wait and see" I smirked to Daryl and he laughs the tiniest bit.
"You kid are as tough as nails and I'm starting to think tougher than nails" Daryl says and I laugh. "No I'm serious, Atlanta was bad and you managed to survive on your own for like five months, I know for a fact that no one in this group could have survived a week. Then you got lost and found us again, you then had to hide under a car while you where bleeding when we were on the high way by yourself and then when Sophia got chased you where the first one to go after her with a concussion and no weapons then you get into a fight with Shane" 'Daryl laughs and shakes his head "and I can keep going" he say and I roll my eyes.
"Just because I know how to survive doesn't mean I am as tough as nails" I roll my eyes.
"But the way you survived makes you tough your a fighter Luna" Carl says.
"I should go" Daryl says a little awkwardly. Carl turns to me once Daryl's gone with a sad look on his face.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't see it before, I know that I don't need to protect you now, your a fighter Luna your a survivor and I'm sorry I was treating you like I needed to protect you but I honestly thought that all of it was helping I thought that this group was the best thing for you but I was wrong you are just unhappy here and I'm sorry for not seeing it before, I know you have been trying to tell me that and I'm so so sorry. You are unhappy here and I know you can survive on your own so I get it if you need to leave I was being selfish I didn't see how unhappy you where here and I'm so sorry for that" he says tears filling his eyes.
"Carl I not leaving, not yet anyway" I smile at him but he doesn't smile back.
"I know your waiting to find Sophia" he says looking at the ground.
"No Carl I w-" he cuts me off.
"Even Lucas saw that you didn't want to be here, that's why he let you leave" Carl is angry at him self because of me and I hate it.
"Carl I'm not leaving, not when we find Sophia, not now not tomorrow...I....I think I want to stay" I smile at him as he looks up and I wasn't lying I do want to stay, I think I always knew deep down that I would end up staying and I knew I wanted to.
"Really" Carl smiles and I nod also smiling. I pull him into a hug.
"I should go" I smiled and he nods turning and walking towards his parents. I walk toward the house and knock on the door. Beth answers.
"Hey Beth I was wondering if you found the locket yet?" I ask and she shakes her head.
"Ok just wondering" I say walking away. I kept my eyes on the ground scanning it for the locket, I wonder into the horse stables and check in the stalls. Something shiny in the hay catches  my eyes, I reach down to see a locket, I pick it up and smile. It's gold and in the shape of a heart, I hold it tightly in my hands and I walk back over towards the farm house to see the light on in the kitchen, they must be having lunch. I knock on the door and Hershel answers.
"Are you having problems with your eye?" Hershel asks referring to the swollen and black eye that Shane gave me.
"No I actually found something of Beth's" I say and Hershel nods.
"Beth, Luna's here to see you" Hershel walks away and Beth takes his place.
"Did you find it?" She smiles as I hold it up and place it in her hands.
"Thank you so much where was it?" She asks.
"It was in the horse stables in the hay" I smile as she pulls me into a tight hug.
"Are you going to leave? I mean you said you might and I don't want you to go" Beth says.
"No I think I have decided to stay" I smile as she hugs me again.
"Beth! Your lunch is getting cold" someone calls from inside the house.
"Well I'll talk to you later then" I say walking away and Beth smiles and waves.
I go and get a apple, I don't bother asking because I haven't eaten in a while, I sit and watch Glenn try to talk to Maggie, she's pissed at him I can tell but he must have given some good speech because he walks off and she follows and kisses him. I wait eating and then I see everyone going to the porch and I follow.
"It was one thing sitting here picking daises when we thought it was safe but now we know it ain't" Shane says, he holds the gun bag, oh god this wont end well.
"How about you man you going to protect yours?" Shane tries to hand a gun to Glenn and Glenn takes it looking carefully at Maggie.
"Can you shoot?" Shane asks Maggie.
"can you stop? If you do this my dad will make you leave tonight" Maggie yells at him.
"We have to stay Shane" Carl says.
"What is going on?" Lori asks running out of the house.
"We ain't going anywhere ok?" He says to Carl.
"Now look Hershel is going to understand ok?" Shane says "well he's going to have to" Shane says and now I'm worried about what is going to happen.
"Cause we need to find Sophia am I right?" Shane asks to Carl.
"Don't bribe him!" I yell at Shane. He ignores me and tried to give Carl a gun but Lori stops him, I snatch the gun off Shane but I'm not planing on using it on walker I have a better plan, if things get out of hand with Shane then I will end him.
"Shane stop" I growl at him raising the gun at him but before I could do anything else t-dog interrupts.
"Oh shit" I look up to see rick, Hershel and jimmy coming out if the woods with two walkers on a leash, my jaw drops as they come further out of the woods. Shane is the first to start running followed by me and everyone else follows behind. I can easily keep up with Shane when he's running his fastest and I could run a lot faster.
"Shane back off" Rick say to Shane when we get there.
"Why do your people have guns?" Hershel asks.
"Are you kidding me?!" Shane yells as the walkers try to reach for us. So many unanswered questions.
"You see, you see what your holding on to?" Shane yells.
"I see who I'm holding on to" Hershel says. Holy shit he actually thinks their people.
"Nar man you don't" Shane circles them.
"Come on don't do this we can talk." Rick tells Shane, I can tell Carls eyes are on me and I grip my gun tightly in both hands.
"There's nothing to talk about rick" Shane yells jumping out of a walkers hands as it tried to reach for him.
"These things ain't sick there not people their dead" Shane is still circling them and I am seriously considering shooting him just for some quite.
"You ain't gotta feel something for them because all they do is, they kill, these things right here there the things that killed Amy they killed Odis and their going to kill all of us"
"SHANE SHUT UP" rick shouts.
"Hey Hershel let me ask you something, does a living breathing person walk away from this?" Shane pulls out his gun and fires three shots into the walkers chest and it looks unaffected by it.
"Shane stop it" I yell.
"That's three rounds in the chest, why can they just take that? Why is she still coming?" Shane asks razing his gun again shooting it twice in the chest again.
"Why is she still coming!" Shane taunts firing again in the chest twice.
"Shane enough!" Rick yells.
"Yeah your right man that is enough" Shane walks to the walker shooting it in the head. It falls to the ground dead. This is about to get ugly I can tell already, all Hershel's people look shock but I'm not I expected that.
"I've had enough of risking our life's for a little girl who is gone" Shane shouts, I lung at Shane but Carl grabs me.
"You dick" I say to Shane as I fight against Carls grip.
"Enough living next to a barn of things that are trying to kill us" Shane says stepping towards the barn. "Enough!" He screams "rick it ain't like it was before" he keeps yelling.
"Now if you want to live, you want to survive you gotta fight for it, I'm talking about a fight right here and now" Shane yells running towards the barn, I feel like it all goes into slow motion, rick is screaming at Hershel to take the stick with the walker on it and Shane is opening the barn doors with a pick axe, Hershel isn't taking the stick so I raise my gun and shoot the walker. Rick nods to me and Carl lets me go, I run to the front of the pack next to Shane but still stay away from him and begin to shoot as the first walkers come out of the barn. The sound of gun fire fills the air and it's all I can hear. I just keep shooting as more and more walkers pile out of the barn, I can't even tell if I'm hitting any because of all the gun fire. All the walkers drop to the ground and I sign in relief, we did it. We all wait just in case there is anymore walkers in there, I hear sobs from Maggie and Beth from behind me. I hear more growls and I raise my gun. At first I don't recognise her, she's all dirty and has lost the insistence that once filled her eyes. My breath catches in my throat as Sophia stumbles out of the barn. She flitches at the sun light and I want to run up and hug her but I know it's not her anymore, Sophia's gone. A sob escapes my lips as I stumble towards her, I know it's not Sophia but I promised her I would protect her and I have fail.
"Grab her!" Daryl screams as I stumble towards poor little Sophia. I hear carol sob Sophia's name but that's not Sophia no one grabs me, there all frozen like they haven't noticed me at all I'm only metres away for her when I fall, my knees feel like jelly, Sophia looks at me with the same expression every brain dead thing does, in hunger. I sob on the ground as someone starts pulling me away from Sophia, I don't know who I can't even breath properly.
I sob loudly as I know that I'll never see Sophia again, I know that the promise I made to her is broken and so am I.
"NO SOPHIA" I scream as rick raises his gun at her, the last sound of gun fire goes off and I'm left on the ground cuddling into Carl, he must have been the one who pulled me away. I hear Lucas sob and I know he knows it's over two she's gone and I can't get her back. Carl is crying to but I can't comfort him because I can't even comfort myself. I pull out of Carls grip as I curl up into a ball and rock back and forth. I know that Daryl is comforting carol and that carl is trying to comfort me but I don't know where the rest of the group is I am unaware of my surroundings, I sob into my knees as Carl tries to calm me down but it doesn't work I just keep rocking and sobbing.  I don't even react when I hear screams of terror, all I know is that Carl left me. Before anyone comes back to me I run and I don't stop running until I reach my tent, I hold my gun tightly as I sob on my tent floor. Maybe I should join Sophia we can wait for Carl and Daryl, Lucas and carol there, where ever there is. I should have died not her it should have been me. I'll never see her her dark drown eyes or the cute freckles which seemed to start on her nose and work their way out to her cheeks, I'll never see the way see cuddled her doll when she was scared, she didn't deserve this fate no one does but especially not her. I sob louder than ever as I remember the way she made me promise to alway protect her.
"Sophia I promised to protect you with my life and I failed" I whispered to myself, I promised to protect her with my life and now I owe her my life.