Fighting to Survive: The 3rd installment to Daring to Feel

Chapter 7: Empty Handed

We pack up our things and some other supplies we find laying around after the fire dies down, "that car was headed downtown. I say we get up in one of the tall ones, get ourselves a view, see what we see." Daryl flings a backpack around his shoulder.

"We can stay close to the buildings and keep quiet, but sooner or later, we're gonna be drawing 'em." Carol agrees with the plan.

"Sooner or later it is." I comment being the last one out the bedroom door.

We walk through the city, staying close to the corners and making our way around streets like we know the area. Luckily, the roads we take are not littered with walkers, and we take out only the ones directly in our way. Daryl is in the lead, and he stops around a corner. He holds up his hand for us to stop, peaking around. He turns back to us, "all right, we can get up there. There's a bridge."

The snarling sounds of the dead are audible to know there's a decent amount that way, "how many?" I ask as he reaches in one of the bags for something.

"Enough for a distraction" he pulls out a yellow legal pad and a lighter. He lights it up, taking a second for it to burn. He leans forward and tosses it towards some trash. The trash ignites and the fire gets bigger causing enough distraction for us to sneak by. Daryl stays in the lead as we turn the corner to make our way to the sky walk. We turn into the parking garage and a walker greets us. Daryl takes it out his bow and we move on. We get up the to third floor and walk through the sky walk. When we turn down the hallway there are biters laying down in sleeping bags, died sometime in their sleep. The three of us take them out easily, their arms still wrapped in the blankets. A walker or two begin to stir from behind the tent, we all stare at it, wondering if it will get out. The tent stays up and zipped, "some days, I don't know what the hell to think." Daryl comments walking passed it.

"Shouldn't we?" I question as I follow him.

"Naw, don't know how many can be in there.. They'll be fine" he says to me. We get to the other side, the doors chained shut. Daryl holds it open, it's wide enough for us to slide through. Carol goes first, sliding her weapons and bag through. I go after, her taking a hold of my bag and then Daryl is behind me.

"Good thing we skipped breakfast." I smirk to him as he squeezes through. He looks at me with a tired smile and we keep moving.

We walk through the halls, careful to stay quiet. Daryl whistles for us and we go over to the room he just opened. The room is large, looks like an office. I walk in slowly, going over to the window, "how did we get here?" I ask staring at the burned, run down buildings in front of me. My heart sinks at how many people were left behind, bombed to try and contain the disease. What a waste, I think to myself.

"Mm-mm. We just did." Daryl says putting his arm on my shoulder.

"You still haven't asked me what happened." Carol says to us, standing next to us staring out as well, "after I met up with Tyreese, the girls."

I look to Daryl, letting myself rest against him, "yeah, I know what happened." He says back, moving his bow around his other arm, "they ain't here."

I look down, kids in this world and the last are the hardest to lose, "it was worse than that." She replies, still staring out the window.

"The reason I said we get to start over, is because we gotta." He tells her, he tells me.

"The way it was..." I try to add on, not having anything else to say though, the way it was just can't be.

"Yeah." She hums out agreeing.

Daryl moves his bow down now, his body pulling away from me, "you see something?" I ask him.