Mute

T E N

"Congratulations?" Glenn asks awkwardly, as I walk past him and Zoey. I look up at him and sigh, nodding my head and walking on, to the barn. Daddy never let me over here and I never knew why. I always found it to be so pretty and peaceful. The barn was old, but in my opinion, it made it much prettier. 

I approached the side of the barn and sat down in the shade, giving from the forest around me. Beautiful but dangerous. 

I open up my notebook and start drawing. A few minutes pass and i end up with haven drawn a sweet little girl. I start adding some colors and the little girl ends up with, light blue eyes, brown hair and a cute, little, white, flowered dress. 

"Want any company?" A ruff southern accent asks, scaring me. I jump and grab my knife, ready to attack; not realizing it was just Daryl. I take a second to study him from down here. I smile and nod, placing my knife in its holder then grabbing his hand and pulling him down; which ended up with me actually yanking and yanking and him not budging, unil he sat down himself. 

"Whatcha doing over here anyway?" Daryl asked, smiling just as big as me. I reach to my side and grab my notebook and hand it to him. He stares at it and smiles slightly before looking up at me. "This is very good, Nicole." Daryl smiled, handing the book back to me. 

"Thanks" I wrote, turning my dry erase board towards him so he could read it. 

"Any---" 

"I'd hate to break up whatever this is, but Rick said hall ass back to the truck." Jace said, coming out of nowhere and looking down at Daryl and i. I nod and stand up, sticking my hand for Daryl to take. 

"Oh and Ri---" Jace didn't get to finish. He was cut off by growls and moans from inside the barn. I jumped not expecting it and stared at the barn confused. Walkers?

"What the hell?" Daryl mumbles quietly and starts looking into the barn, through a crack in the door. Five dirty, cracked, blue, fingers try reaching through and grabbing him, but are stopped by the door in between us.

Jace and Daryl turn towards me, angry looks from both of them. I gave them confused looks, what did I do?! I looked between them, holding my notebook close to my chest. 

"Did you know?" Jace snaps at me, making me want to run and hide but I stay still and shake my head. Jace keeps a harsh glare on me and starts walking off in Rick's direction.

"Nicole..." Daryl sighs and stares me down. 

"I didn't know. Daddy never told me." I write frantically, but try to stay a little neat so he'd at least be able to read it. 

"Ok, let's get back to the group and see what Rick wants." I could see that he didn't believe me. It was written on his face and it made me feel bad. I really didn't know.

*Time skip*

Jace stormed up to the barn, axe in hand; after shouting and fighting with the group. Hershel sat on his knees, staring at his old neighbor, who was finished off by the crazed man. Nicole sat beside him, doing her best to beg him to get up or to even look at her;  but he just ignored her. Since she was mute, it made it a million times harder. 

"Jace, don't do this!" Zoey begged her brother as the group watched, weapons loaded and ready to fire. It was already too late, the barn door swung open with a bang; a couple dozen undead spilled out, craving the flesh of the small group. 

Gun fires went off; bullets ending the undead for the last time, one by one. Beth rushed forward to her mothers side, wanting to be held by her one last time. No one noticed except Nicole, who was now helping their father to the house. She watched as her step-mom's hand grabbed Beth's hair. Beth let out a blood curling scream as Nicole hurriedly shot the woman; a single tear falling down her face.

"Mom! Mom!" Beth cried and screamed, holding onto her mother. 

One more quiet growl came from the barn. Soon followed by a little girl in a blue, rainbow shirt and a bite mark on her shoulder. Carol's cries and shouts for her baby were added to the horrid sight; Daryl holding her back as Rick slowly walked up to the child. 

A single gun shot was heard then silence. 

' "I'll love you till the day i pass on to the other side Nicole." Mother timidly whispered to me, her breath slowly and ragged. She lifted her hand, singing "i love you", me pushing our hands together, forcing back my tears. 

She was diagnosed with breast cancer. I haven't left her side since she was first put in this awful place; the hospital. I stayed, watching and listening to her as she groaned in pain and begged for it to go away, but it never did. 

"Pray with me, Nicole." She whispered, her shaking hand in mine. "Now i lay me down to sleep. I pray the lord my soul to keep, and if i die before i wake, i pray the lord my soul to take." 

Why are you doing this god? Why her? Why are you making her suffer??? 

I ask that myself everyday, she is laying here.' 

"Nicole?" Maggie called out, knocking me back into reality. I noticed I was crying finally, my eyes glancing between the child and the grieving mother. A time ago, I was the griever.