Things we lost | c.g fanfic [heavily editing bc I suck]

Chapter 15

His footsteps fill my ears as he walks into the room. Lighter then a fully grown mans', but matched with his own hight and build there's not much difference. I don't look up. I don't want too see him. Caden, a boy I've only known for a couple of days now-the boy I've done absolutely nothing to-is the reason I'm here in agonising pain and mentally exhausted instead of with my group.

I want to know what I did to deserve this. Tom and I met only two groups the whole time we were alone, one tried to take our things and it got violent. Very violent. Walkers were thrown into the mix, I... I killed someone. A man. He grabbed me, threw me to the ground and had a knife at my throat. I shot him. A women was hurt when Tom pushed her away from him, she hit her head but it wasn't fatal as far as we knew. We ran after that. Caden wasn't involved in any of that! All the interactions I've had with this boy have been in my home!

"Why are you doing this?" I grunt, struggling with the ropes tied to my wrists and ankles, looking up. My greasy hair impairs my vision, but leaves enough for me to make direct eye contact with him. He holds a strong, wooden baseball bat in his left hand. The Governor got up when he came in, I guess, meaning Caden had the stand in front of me. I scream as he strolls up to me, digs his nails hard into my shoulders and pushes me back against the chair. The wound in my side throbs unbearably, he smirks as I wince; seating himself in front of me.
"Don't act like you don't know, Zoe." Caden speaks evenly, leaning the bat against the chair. His elbows lean on his legs, bringing him forward; unnecessarily close to me. I shake my head, pleading with him silently to let me go.
"I don't," I whisper, my voice catching as terror plagues my mind. "Please, Caden. If you had a shred of decency left on you you'd let me go." He leans back, crossing his legs. He seems taken aback, but I'm not sure by what. He seems to be considering something.

My head hangs, tears spilling out of my eyes. Pain surges through my body as what I can assume to be the wooden bat collides with my shoulder. I can't even scream. I feel the screech rising throughout my stomach, spine, everywhere. I feel physically ill, as if I could be violently sick all of a sudden. Desperately gasping in air as Caden steps forward, pulling my head up by my hair making me look straight into his eyes.
"Don't you talk to me about being a half way decent person, Taylor." The words come out quickly in a sharp whisper. He lets go of my hair, letting my head slam back down violently. He leans back again, unperturbed by my raging agony. "You really don't remember, do you?" I shake my head, no. I register low yelling in the distance, and it seems so does everyone else in the room. My head snaps up instantly, and Caden turns to the Governor.
"Martinez, with me." The governor orders, shoving his gun into a holster that I didn't see before hand. They run out the door leaving me with Caden and another random guy.

"My mother and father were good people, you know." He mused as the door clicked shut. "Made me strong, they did. They're the reason I'm who I am today. You know what? I reckon my father would be especially proud of me at this moment. My mother would've made sure you were already dead." He shook his head, laughing.
"You're sick, Caden." I cough. He stares at me, unfazed, still laughing.
"I was only fourteen when they were killed, too." He grits his teeth. "You were even younger, two years younger. You're fifteen now, you would've been twelve. Christ your brother was eight."
"How...?" Trailing off, trying to fit together everything in my mind. How did he know my age anyway? Or Tom's.
"You killed them. You and your twisted little brother. He killed her and you killed him. My mother and father. He Tom threw her down, she smacked her head and a walker tore her apart. Right in front of me." He spat. I gasp, opening my eyes wide.
"It was your group." I whisper. "The ones that attacked us." He stands up, defensive. Easily towering over me, he screams.
"We were doing what we needed to do to get by! You had no idea what we had been through. If you'd just given us what you had and took your chances this wouldn't be happening! This is your fault." He yelled. Stopping as his voice hushed. "It's your fault my fathers dead! You shot him. You had no remorse, did you?"
"He was going to kill me!" I yelled. I had told no one this before, only Tom knew and he never pressed. I didn't like to talk about it. "I didn't want to do it, I had no choice!"
"But you did, you stupid little girl. You killed them. You both killed them. Tom got what he deserved."
"My brother never deserved to die like that. He didn't mean to kill your mother. He had no idea he did." I yelled. Caden grabbed the front of my shirt in his fist, choking me.
"I followed you since then. That's when I met The Governor. And trust me, he promised you'll get everything coming to you." He let go of my shirt and began what I thought would be the last thing I'd ever feel.
When the door flew open.