Something Missing [Daryl Dixon Love Story]

Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

My foot caught on a tree root and I fell to the ground with my arm out in front of me like I could actually catch myself. My arm gave way and my face hit the dirt. My head was throbbing and my wrist felt like I'd hit it with a sledgehammer. I was panting as I crawled towards a tree but I didn't know how reliable my vision was now. I was seeing double of everything.
I must've reached the real tree because my hand hits something solid as I shakily get to my feet. Now the forest is spinning and I feel like I would throw up any moment.
I close my eyes and put my injured hand to my forehead. I've been in this position before. I had these same injuries. It was my twelfth birthday...or maybe it was my tenth... My father was working for my uncle and mom was on one of her rare days off. She usually slept on her days off since she worked so much but instead of sleeping she was awake and she came to my room.

* * *
"Hey, Em, do you want to go with me to the pumpkin fields and pick out some pumpkins to decorate the porch?" She asked.
I was excited. Mom never used her days off to take me places. I nodded and smiled. "I want a big pumpkin. They are always the best to carve.
She returned my smile. "Of course, kiddo. Let's get your jacket on it's a little chilly outside today." She went over to my closet and pulled out a pink jacket.
I frowned at it. "I want the blue one...to match yours, ya know..."
She smiled again and went to my closet and pulled out my blue jacket that matched hers. She slipped it on me and crouched down in front of me to zip it. I was short for my age.
Okay, ready to go?" She asked, standing up.
My stomach growled and I raised my eyebrows. "I think she's hungry..." I said.
My mom laughed. "We will feed Tina on the way home. We're going to get McDonalds.
"Yes!" I said grinning.
When I was five years old I had an imaginary friend named Tina. We were playing hide and seek one day and I was 'it'. I was having trouble finding her and mom suggested I take a break and drink some orange juice. I didn't know Tina was hiding in my orange juice when I took a drink and swallowed her...that's how she got in my stomach...
When we got to the pumpkin patch it only took me five minutes to spot the biggest pumpkin. I ran over to it despite my mother yelling for me to wait until she got the cart.
When she did reach me she was laughing. "Did you make sure nobody took your special pumpkin?"
I nodded.
We walked all over the patch as I looked for a good pumpkin for mom and dad. We reached the white pumpkins and I stopped walking.
"That one mom! You guys need the big white pumpkin."
She nodded and went over to pick it up.
After we left we went to McDonald's and back home to the little picnic table in our backyard. I watched from the tree next to the table and my mom cleaned out the pumpkins and sketched pictures on a piece of paper and then started cutting them into the pumpkins.
My mom liked art and she was really good at it. She taught a class of adults every Tuesday and Thursday at 7 pm.
After two hours she finished and told me to come inside and take a shower while she warmed up some hot chocolate. I started to climb down but my boot caught in between two branches and I fell. I put my hand out in front of me as I fell towards the ground but there was a loud snap and my arm didn't want to hold me up anymore and I hit my forehead. I began to cry and my mom ran out of the house.
She kneeled beside me and rolled me on my back. "What hurts, Emma?"
With tears streaming down my face I answered. "I fell and hurt my hand and head."
She wrinkled her forehead in concentration and looked at my forehead first. She put her fingers lightly on my forehead. "Does this hurt?" When I shook my head 'no' she pressed lightly. "How about this?"
"A little bit. My hand hurts more."
She put my hand on top of hers. There were bruises already starting a ring around my wrist.
"I think you broke it. Lets go to the doctor and see what he can do."
She helped me into the car and we drove to the hospital. He gave me a brace and he wrapped that with ace wrap. He said I broke it but he didn't put casts on just wrists.
On the way home I was excited having a brace and I wanted to try to climb the tree again but I wasn't allowed.
* * *

Another of my fathers yells jerks me out of my reverie. I ignore the throbbing in my head as I hold my wrist close to me.
As I reach the clearing I see one of the dead things attacking my dad. I pull a knife from my boot and throw it. It finds it's mark in the back of the dead's head.
I go over to my dad and throw my arms around him. "I'm sorry I left you here dad..."

We got home and he stood against the wall next to the stairs. I went into the kitchen and got one of the bottled waters from the cupboard. I took a quick drink then handed it to him. He slid down the wall and took the water. My jaw dropped when I saw the blood. There was a spot of blood spreading under my fathers sleeve. I pulled up his sleeve and looked at it. It looked like he was bitten.

Author's Note: I hope the flashback didn't confuse you...

So, what do you think?

Also, sorry about spelling errors. It's hard typing on mobile.