Bring Me To Life -A Rick Grimes Love Story-

Save The Last One & Cherokee Rose.

Shaylee.

Rick and I full out sprinted down the stairs, and out the front door where we were met by Lori standing next to two more of Rick's group members who arrived at the farm a few hours ago; A Korean boy named Glenn, and a black man that goes by T-Dog. Daddy was standing by Beth and Maggie a few feet from the others...Rick ran to the front of the group, as I lingered behind. Shane stepped out of the car, with two backpacks in his arms...But...It seemed like he was alone?

Otis...Otis! Where the hell was Otis?! I peered past the limping Shane, and over to Otis' blue pickup truck, but didn't see anyone inside...I searched desperately for the man who had become like a second father to me through the years...But he was nowhere to be found.

"Shane," Rick's raspy voice whispered.

"Carl?" Was Shane's only response. He seemed stunned, like he couldn't believe what had happened to him out there...I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I was waiting to hear about the fate of Otis.

"He's still got a chance."

It was silent for a few moments, before daddy finally spoke up. "Otis?" And there was the question, the question on everyone's minds since Shane stepped out of the car, without Otis...Silence filled the summer air, and I could feel my eyes welling up with tears, as he didn't answer right away...If he was okay, he would've answered right away...

Shane swallowed down hard and shook his head. "No." Rick had then wrapped his arms around Shane, and I let out the tears I was fighting back, they came flowing down my face. I could hear Maggie mumble an 'Oh God.' from right next to me, before she bolted into the house, Glenn following after her. I was choking on my own sobs at this point, watching as Daddy comforted Beth, as I had no one to comfort me.

"We say nothing to Patricia, not till after," Daddy said, the first words anyone spoke since we heard the news. "I need her."

"They kept blocking us at every turn...We had nothing left. We were down to ten rounds..." Shane whispered. "Then he said he'd cover me and that I should keep going...So, that's what I did." I could feel more sobs rock my body as he told us all this...Otis died fighting...Fighting for the boy he didn't even know... "I just kept going...But I looked back and he-I tried...He wanted to make it right."

This could not be happening...No, not another person who meant the absolute world to me gone...This could not be happening. First my stepmom and my stepbrother, now Otis...The man who could make me laugh no matter what was going on in my life...He couldn't be gone...We needed him...Oh, God.

"No." I whispered, my body shaking. I wasn't really sure what was going on around me, before I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my shaking frame, and a sob escaped my body again, as I hugged this person back, and cried into their shirt.

"Shhh, shhh...It's okay, it's gonna be okay." Rick's gentle voice whispered into my ear, I just cried harder once I realized he was comforting me, when he should be in the room with Carl...But, I didn't want him to let go...I needed him right now. Something about him just comforted me to no end...I needed him to feel alright. I didn't care that he had a wife and she was only a few feet away from us.

I could vaguely make out dad saying something to Rick and the others, before footsteps walking away could be heard, but Rick's arms stayed around me, even after I began to calm down. I used my hand to grip his shirt, and pulled him closer to me. His hand was rubbing comforting circles on my back, and I could've stayed like this forever. But, it eventually had to come to an end.