Keep Moving Forward (Sequel To Redneck Lover)

Chapter 19

*Daryl*

We were all walking back from the food bank. We hit a few snags it had been flooded but we all got out of there and with plenty of food. I smiled to myself just knowing that my family was going to eat. I looked at Adelyne as she walked in the sun her wet hair was pulled into a ponytail exposing her face. She must have felt me staring because she looked at me and smiled.

"What?"

"Nothin"

she shrugged and kept walking and I just gazed at her beauty.
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We had eaten and I was sitting  with Adelyne on a bench curled up with Aiden. We sat there and talked softly and kissed. I looked down at Aiden and Adelyne laid her head on my shoulder.

"We made him" I said.

She smiled and looked up kissing me. I ran my fingers through her hair softly and laid my forehead against hers.

"I love you" she said.

"I love you too. Both of you"

I held Adelyne's hand and just rested my head against hers.

Abraham stood up getting  everyones attention.

"I'd like to propose a toast. I look around this room and I see survivors. Each and every one of you has earned that title.To the survivors"

"Survivors!" we repeated.

"Is that all you want to be? Wake up in the morning, fight the undead pricks, forage for food, go to sleep at night with two eyes open, rinse and repeat? 'Cause you can do that. I mean, you got the strength. You got the skill. Thing is, for you people, for what you can do, that's just surrender. Now, we get Eugene to Washington and he will make the dead die and the living will have this world again. And that is not a bad takeaway for a little road trip."

Aiden started to coo and Adelyne gently rock him calming him down.

"Eugene, what's in DC?" Abraham  asked in front of everyone.

"Infrastructure constructed to withstand pandemics even of this fubar magnitude. That means food, fuel, refuge. Restart" he explained.

"However this plays out, however long it takes for the reset button to kick in, you can be safe there. Safer than you've been since this whole thing started. Come with us. Save the world for those little ones. Save it for yourselves. Save it for the people out there who don't got nothing left to do except survive."

I looked at Aiden. All I wanted was my family safe, I loved them to death more than anyone in this world. The sound of Judith cooing got my attention.

"What was that?" Rick asked.

Everyone chuckled.

"I think she knows what I'm about to say. She's in. If she's in, I'm in. We're in."

We cheered and everyone started to chatter again. I was still with Adelyne when Sasha walked up.

"Hey" she said.

"Hey, what's up Sash?" Adelyne asked.

She smiled nervously.

"I was wondering if I could hold Aiden."

We both chuckled. Adelyne stood up and placed him in Sasha arms and I stood too. When Sasha walked away I ran my hands along Adelyne's arms.

"Hey, uh I'm going to go check on Carol. She snuck off didn't seem like herself. We're close I wanted to see if she was alright. That okay?" I asked.

I seen the look in her eye and I knew she wasn't going to be okay with it.

"Yes, go check on Carol."

I almost raised my eyebrows in surprise. That was easier than I thought.

"Really?"

She nodded.

"Yes Daryl. I'm alright with it."

I kissed her passionately.

"I will come back. I promise, I love you."

"I love you."

I kissed her again kissed my son and left into the night following Carols tracks.
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*Adelyne*

Sasha still had Aiden and looked like she had no intentions of putting him down. I walked along the walls looking at the glass. There was an image of Jesus made in the glass. I don't know if I had ever believed in God. Maybe I believed in something at one point...but not some man up in the sky that fixes  everything. Things don't always work out. I've seen to much suffering to believe that there's a higher power out there anymore.  I stopped when I came to the one table there was a bible and a rosary next to it.

I picked it up the rosary and looked at it, I ran my hands along the beads, it was worn from age.

"Each bead is his name" came a voice.

I turned to see Gabriel. How long had he been standing there? 

"Oh I see."

"Are you religious?" he asked.

I scoffed.

"Maybe I was at one point. I don't know if I believed in God but something..not anymore though too much bad shit happening" I explained.

"Without suffering there'd be no peace."

"When was the last time any of us felt at peace?" I asked him with raised eyebrows.

Gabriel walked closer.

"I don't know, but I do know that maybe believing in something is better than believing in nothing. Would you like to pray?"

I looked down at the rosary in my hand. I chuckled and looked at Gabriel.

"There's only one thing I want to do with these beads...and it doesn't involve Jesus" I said tossing it on the table and walking away.
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