You're Alive

Chapter Twenty-Nine

(Clem's POV)

   Grief swept through the group as we walked on. Lee took longer cause he buried Rocky. Alvie looked just plain miserable. His eyes were blood-shot and his clothes were still stained with her blood.
   A haunted look stayed in his eyes. I couldn't blame him. I regret snapping at Rocky. If that didn't happen, she could still be with us. I glanced over at Alvie. My comforting didn't do much.
   I felt extremely bad for Alvie. I heard what Rocky's last words were to him, "Live for me." When I consulted Alvie, he told me what happened.

   "A walker crawled from behind and almost bit me. Rocky pushed me away and fell in the process. The walker was fast and bit her leg as she was trying to stand. It pulled her down and crawled on her, biting her neck."

(Kenny's POV)

   "The good die young." Such a pathetic saying to think of during the apocalypse. I helped Lee bury Rocky's body when he put a thin layer of dirt over her body. I grabbed her crossbow and arrows, plus her katana Lee grabbed her bag.
   I handed the weapon and arrows to Alvie, thinking he deserved to have them. He started crying again. I couldn't blame him. I cried and couldn't watch when the fatal gunshot silenced the living voice.
   I handed Clem the katana, which she accepted with open arms, her eyes filled with regret and grief.

(Lee's POV)

   As we walked toward the town, the pistol was starting to weigh down my hand, and my heart. I knew a part of our group was now gone. I felt worse. I hated to be the one to give the last shot, but someone had to do it. The names floated in my head of the previous ones. Larry and Duck. And now Rocky was added to the list.
   I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that Rocky was gone now. She kept everyone in good times, especially Alvie. I peered over and looked at him, wondering what he was thinking.

(Alvie's POV)

   I lost a sister. I never had a sister before, but Rocky was like the sister I never had. I hoped we would've survived together, and she could've been adopted and been my official sister.
   We talked about it when the others were not listening. We both agreed to it. Rocky wasn't raised with siblings, but she would've loved it. Her final words rang in my ear as if she yelled them at me.

Live for me.

   I knew I would cherish those words through all my days. Even though she's gone, I know she's watching us from above. Maybe with my mother and father. I sighed as we reached the top of the hill, looking down at the small town.
   A small number of Walkers were in the town as we saw someone alive. The bun was a dead give-away that it was a girl. Using a machete, she killed the closest walker and pulled away her mask.
   She waved in a greeting as she put her machete in it's sheath. A closer look at her as she walked over, she had brown hair and had almond-colored eyes. She looked almost exactly like Rocky. And I knew the others noticed too. She held her hand out to everyone, "Name's Janet. I'm the only survivor 'round here."

"Live for me."