Hopeless

Chapter 20

We slowly make our way down the littered highway. Abandoned cars fill the road, leaving narrow spaces for us to travel through. We pass a lone walker, limping toward the road. Sarah gasps.

"Daryl stop! That lady needs help!" She cries, begging Daryl to stop the truck. 

"The hell?" Daryl mumbles, glancing at me.

"She doesn't know." I answer. He turns his head back to the road.

"Why aren't you stopping?!" She squeals. "She's sick!"

"Sweetie....she wasn't sick..." She looks at me, a puzzled look on her face. "Remember that video daddy showed us?" I swallow hard, knowing that she'll never be able to see him again. "The one of the brain?"

"Mhm."

"Well that lady you saw...she..she wasn't sick. Her brain was like the one in the video..do you understand?"

"But..but the lady in the video..she was dead.." She says slowly. "The lady on the road wasn't dead..you left her..." Her eyes fill with tears.

"No, no honey she's dead...we can't help them. They're gone..."

"Like daddy?" She sniffles. My heart aches for her. I nod.

"Yes like daddy, but you have to promise me. You can never go near people like her, no matter what. If they come anywhere near you, you find someone from the group right away. You run, or they will hurt you... do you understand?" She nods slowly. "Pinkie promise." I stick out my little finger.

"I promise." She says as she links her little finger with mine. I go to pull my finger away, but she stops me. "Wait! You have to seal it with a kiss our it doesn't count!" I smile at her and place a small kiss on our linked fingers. She giggles. "My turn. Muah." She makes an exaggerated kissing sound. She drops her hand and cuddles into me. It amazes me that even after everything she's been through, especially today, she still has a smile on her face. She gives me hope, hope that my baby has a chance at a happy life. Even in this world...I can do this. I smile to myself and cuddle her closer. After a few minutes Rick beeps his horn behind us, telling us all to stop. Daryl slows to a stop and we all hop out.

"Stay close ok?" I tell Sarah as we walk toward the rest of the group. She nods.

"We need a plan." Rick says as we all gather together.

"Where we gonna go?" Daryl asks.

"Fort Benning is still an option." Shane offers.

"That hose I put in the RV wasn't an exact fit. I don't think it'll make it that far."

"Anybody got any better ideas?" Shane snaps back. Everyone stays quiet. "That's what I thought." He scoffs. "Look if we wanna make it there before dark we gotta get moving. So stretch, pee, do what you gotta do then we need to get going." Everyone just stares at him.

"Alright you heard the man." Rick says. Everyone disperses back to their own vehicles. Shane grabs my arm, stopping me from getting in the truck. I flinch. He immediately pulls his hand back.

"I-uh...Can we talk?" His voice is soft, gentle...nothing like it was last night. I lift Sarah into the truck.

"I'll be right back. Stay here." She nods. I catch Daryl giving me an "I'm gonna kill him" look. I give him a reassuring look before turning back to Shane. I tense up when Shane places a hand on my back, guiding me away from the truck.

"Katie..I..." His eyes fill with tears. "I'm so sorry...I..there's no excuse for what I did. I don't know what got into me..I...I love you Katie.." He puts his hand up to my cheek but I pull away. A tear slips down his cheek. "Katie please..." He begs. "Talk to me please....there has to be something I can do...I.." I cut him off. Not able to hold in my anger. Tears pour down my cheeks as I lash out at him, punching him in the chest over and over again.