All That's Left (The Walking Dead FanFiction)

Chapter 41

After bandaging up Sam's hand, the four of us climb in the car. It's an old four door sedan and I don't know how it still runs. The inside of it smells like blood. The passenger seat is stained red.

I sit in the back seat with Sam and wrap one of the seatbelts around him as Joel drives. I watch the Georgia trees blur by through the window. With every mile marker we pass, I think of how the distance between Daryl and me grows and grows. I look at Sam and wonder how much longer it will take before he forgets about Daryl all together. I think of how lucky he is that he gets to forget. I'll be stuck with memories of him for the rest of my life. I'll never forget.

As we drive, we pass huge farms and it makes me think of when I stayed with Natalie. God, I miss Glenn. Sometimes I wonder how much different my life would be if I had managed to get to the truck Glenn and Maggie were in when that herd of walkers attacked us. I wonder if I'd be dead like Maggie. I wonder if I could have kept Glenn safe, kept him sane after she died.

As much as I miss him, it's no comparison to how much I miss Daryl. I can never get him out of my head. Sam is a constant reminder of him. The pale color of his eyes is exactly the same shade as his father's. The way he smiles is exactly the same as his father's. The shape of his cheeks and the line of his jaw looks more and more like his father's every single day.

We keep driving and I stare out the window. I notice a sign on the side of the road:

CAMP HAVEN

12 MILES AHEAD

ALL SURVIVORS WELCOME

My heart stops.

"Did you see that sign?" I ask as I learn forward, closer to Joel so he can hear me.

He looks at me through the rearview mirror. "For Camp Haven?"

"Yeah that one."

He nods. "We met someone from there right before we ran into you," he explains. "He tried to recruit us to come, but we told him we had other obligations."

"Take me there," I demand.

"What?"

"I don't want to go to D.C. anymore, I want to go to this camp," I respond.

If there's anywhere Daryl would be, he would be at this place. I remember his excitement when we saw signs for the refugee camp that led us to Sasha. We've only been in the car for a half hour, so I know we're not that far from the prison. He could be there. I know he could be there.

"I don't understand," Joel says with a confused expression.

"Sam's father could be there," I answer. "And this place could be safe for him."

He shakes his head. "We need you for this vaccine. The world needs you."

My heart drums in my chest. Is he really not going to let me go?

"Then let me out of the car right now and I'll walk there myself." My voice raises; anger boils in my blood.

"Macy," he lowers his voice, "you don't understand what's at stake here." His knuckles turn white from gripping the steering wheel so tight.

"Stop the car!" I yell.

Sam turns his head to look at me with wide eyes. Ellie cowers in her seat.

"Do you even realize what's at stake here?" his voice explodes within the small car. "People are dying out there! People are losing people they love and you could help stop it!"