OUTLIVE.
❝The dead were never the enemy.
It was the living. ❞
THE WALKING DEAD.
DARYL DIXON.
BOOK TWO of the LANCASTER SAGA.
[ SEASONS 4 - 6 ]
*****
*I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters. I simply write to write. Astrid, any addi...
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[ lii. eyes locked with death ]
august 14th, 2012
➸➸➸
BAILEY STRATTON'S SCREAMS SHATTERED the pitch-black night.
Astrid Dixon stood paralyzed, her heart slamming to a halt in her chest as she stared at Carl Grimes. Blood cascaded down his cheek, revealing the gruesome aftermath of a once intact eye now displaced from its socket. Fragments of bone protruded from his skull, causing Astrid to instinctively cover her mouth, fighting the urge to lose control of her stomach.
The rivulets of blood sluggishly traversed Carl's chin, slithering down his fluttering neck to saturate his flannelled shirt. Then his lone eye rolled back into his head, and he crumpled to the ground without a sound.
"Carl!" Astrid choked out, unable to contain herself.
Rick, in an instant, abandoned all thought and caution, and sprinted forward to gather his son into his arms. Michonne moved to protect them, slashing at any walkers that had begun to move on from the Anderson family frenzy, while Astrid turned her attention to her own child. Bailey, still frozen in shock, stared at the vacant space where Carl had collapsed and emitted another gut-wrenching scream.
"Grab her!" Michonne commanded.
Astrid, realizing there was no reaching Bailey in a time such as theirs, swept the twelve-year-old's legs out from under her, and effectively caught her before she hit the ground. Clutching Bailey to her chest, Astrid could feel the reverberations of the child's screams, prompting her to press Bailey's wet face against her shoulder to muffle the sound. Bailey clung desperately, her screams evolving into inconsolable sobs.
And then they were in motion. Astrid, unsure of their destination, followed blindly after Michonne, with Rick struggling to keep up, their children held precariously between them as they ran. Sweat and blood blended, seeping and burning into Astrid's eyes. Yet, she pressed on, knowing that if she paused, even for an instant, resuming the sprint might become impossible.
Stumbling on uneven terrain, trampling over bodies, Astrid propelled herself forward, fending off walkers that attempted to reach for her. Michonne cleared their path as swiftly as she was able, but a growing horde trailed behind. Ahead, a lone building on the edge of the overrun avenue abruptly illuminated with light, unmistakably the infirmary. Its front door swung open, revealing Denise, Aaron, Heath, and Spencer.
"Over here! Quick!" Denise called.
Cutting across the street, Astrid still held Bailey tightly to her chest as she ascended the porch steps, gasping for breath. She flew across the threshold, nearly collapsing to her knees in the process, if not for Aaron's hands to steady her. Rick and Michonne soon followed, and the former's desperate sobs filled the room as he implored someone to save his son.
