The Next World

Chapter 38

When we got to the house, Judith was playing in her crib. I went and kissed her head.

"Want something to eat?" Carl asked.

"Have you eaten?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he replied.

"I'll just have an apple. Not all that hungry," I said.

"You sure?" he asked sounding concerned.

"I am. Carl, you don't have to worry. I'm not okay but I will be. I swear I will be," I said.

As soon as I avenged Denise's death, I would be.

"I'm sorry about Denise. She saved my life. I wish I could have saved hers," he said a little softer.

"Come here," I said opening my arms to him.

He came and embraced me.

"I wish I could have too," I whispered.

Glenn and Maggie walked in once Carl and I parted.

"Amelia, are you okay? We just heard what happened," Maggie said walking up to me.

"Yeah. Just...I wish I could've saved her," I said softly.

She embraced me tightly. Glenn hugged me afterwards.

"How're you doing?" I asked Maggie.

"You're worried about me? I'm not the one who was shot," she retorted.

"It was just a graze. I'm gonna be fine. Now answer my question. Please," I said.

"Better now that I know you're all right," she said.

"I thought we had taken them all out," I said.

"Don't think about that now," Glenn said.

"It's all I can think about," I said.

"Where's Daryl?" he asked.

"Out burying Denise. Because we lost her to those assholes," I said sternly.

They both had worried looks on their faces. I sighed.

"I'm sorry. I'm just...I'm kind of all over the place," I said a bit softer.

"We get it," Glenn said.

"She was a good person," Maggie interjected.

"I just...I can't stop thinking about Tara. Can't even imagine how she's gonna take it. And I told her that I'd look after Denise and then..." I trailed off.

"You don't seriously think that this is your fault do you?" Glenn asked.

"Of course it is. I wasn't able to keep her safe...I had given Tara my word that I'd look after her..." I said.

I then started to think about my brother and my parents. I wasn't able to keep them safe either.

"Amelia, you are not to blame for this. No one is. Tara will understand that," Maggie said.

She hugged me again. I rubbed my face when we parted then headed to the kitchen. I reached for an apple and rinsed it.

"We'll tell her. All of us, we will," Glenn said.

"And we'll make sure she knows that we're there for her. Just like we're here for you," Maggie said.

"Thanks. I'm gonna head upstairs," I said moving past them.

"You sure?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah. I just need a few minutes alone," I said.

They all nodded.

"Love you, Amelia," Carl said coming up to me.

We hugged and I kissed his forehead.

"Love you too, bud," I said.

I went up to my room. My headache and the pain on my arm were almost non-existent. The painkillers were really helping. I had Denise to thank for that. It sucked that I couldn't thank her in person. I lifted my right arm. It was painful but it was bearable. So long as I took those painkillers, I could take down those assholes. I carefully removed my pants and crawled into the bed. I rested on my left shoulder, facing the door. I waited for Daryl to walk in any minute. When he finally did come in, I was in and out of sleep. He laid down next to me.

"How are you?" he asked, his breath smelling of alcohol.

"Have you been drinking?" I retorted looking up at him.

"Yeah," he said.

"Those bottles Rosita found?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said.

"Would you happen to have any with you?" I asked.

He reached into his pocket and handed me one of the bottles. I chugged the whole thing.

"Shit. Can't remember the last time I had hard liquor like that," I said placing the bottle on the drawer next to the bed.

"You didn't answer my question," Daryl said.

"I'm still here I guess," I said moving closer to him.

"Look at me," he said.

I looked up at him. He was distraught. Denise's death affected him just as much as it did me. I placed my hand on his cheek. I kissed him.

"We're gonna get those assholes, right?" I said when we parted.

He was silent.

"I don't want you anywhere near them," he said.

"Fuck that. I want to go first thing in the morning. Rick asked me to rest for the rest of the night. So that's what I'll do. But tomorrow is another day. They don't deserve to live. You gonna come with me or not?" I said.

"This is my fault. I'll go," he said.

I sat up rather quickly which messed with my arm. I winced and placed my hand over the bandage.

"You good?" Daryl asked sitting up with me.

"Yeah. What the hell do you mean this is your fault?" I said.

"I should have killed that asshole. It was my arrow that killed her. None of this shit would have happened if I'd just killed him," he said softer.

"Now, you look at me, Daryl Dixon," I said.

He didn't. I then knocked him down and sat on top of him. He was taken by surprise but it got him to look at me.

"None of this...none of it is on you. We don't know if this same thing would have happened if you had killed him. Which is why we'll do this thing together. I'm ready to kill them, Daryl. All of them. That's what I do know. So you either take me with you or you don't go at all. I'm not letting you go out there with no back up," I said leaning in and placing my hands on his cheeks.

"Why can't you ever listen to what I say?" he retorted.

"Cause what you're asking me to do isn't logical to me. I will never let you go off anywhere without me by your side. We are a team. I'm not ready to let you break that up. You understand me?" I said sternly.

"Come here," he said.

He leaned forward while pulling me closer at the same time. He then kissed me. I laid down next to him and pulled him in tighter. He wrapped his arm around me when we parted. Our foreheads pressed together.

"We're a team," he whispered.

"Yeah. We are," I whispered back.

The both of us were silent after that. We then eventually drifted off to sleep.