Safe and Sound

Dead and Gone

*SEAN'S POV*

Sophia and I were down by the quarry while Sydney got up to go help catch frogs with Carl and Shane. After a few mintues, they went back to the camp to cook the frogs. Ed, Sophia's dad, came down by the area where the ladies washed the clothes. He started yelling at them, because they were chatting about times before the apocalypse. I held Sophia's hand as Ed yelled at them and grabbed Carol. Jacqui and Andrea stood up for Carol, but then he slapped her.

I heard Sophia whimpering at the sight and I hugged her. Yelling broke out and looked up to see Shane yelling at Ed for abusing his wife and daughter. Shane then started beating Ed and told him not to lay ahand on any of the girls here or he'll kill him. I looked at Sophia and saw bruises on her arms. I soon realized that Ed did that. I wanted to rip him apart for doing that to her. Carol helped Ed back to his tent. I don't get why she loves him even though he puts her through so much abuse.

"I'm so sorry about what he's done to you," I said to her.

She looked down and mumbled, "I just don't want him hurting anybody else." I hugged her again and she hugged back. We got up and walked back to camp. It was almost evening anyways.

At dinner, we sat around the campfire and listened to Dale talk. Sophia and I sat close together with Sydney and Carl who sat closely, too. Sydney had a thing for Carl and I think he has a thing for her, too.

After Dale finished his story there was silence. Then Amy broke it by saying, "You're so weird!" Everyone laughed. Amy was really nice to Carl, Sophia, Sydney, Eliza, Louis, and me. Then she got up and ran to the RV.

"I'm going to get her present," Andrea said and ran to her and Amy's tent to get her sister's birthday gift. When she came back she sat down and hid it behind her back. "I want it to be a surprise."

"Hey, we're out of toi-" Amy called out coming out of the RV and getting cut off. She screamed and the next thing I saw was a chunk missing from her arm and shoulder!

"Amy!" Andrea and I screamed. I got up and ran towards her with Andrea, but Lori pulled me back with Carol, Sophia, and Carl and we ran towards safety. I looked over to where Amy was and watched as one of my best friends bled to death. A whole herd of walkers came through and the men started shooting them. I frantically looked around for my sister. "Where's Sydney?" I yelled. Quickly, I turned around and saw her running from a couple of walkers. "No!" I screamed, but then an arrow went through each of the walker's heads. It was Dad.

While dad and the other men dealt with the walkers, Sydney came towards me and all of us watched in horror as the walkers tried to kill our group. Eliza and Louis -Morales's children- dodged the walkers and ran to their mom with terrified faces.I'm surprised that they made it out, considering they were only around ten.

Once all the walkers were dead, Sydney and I reunited with Dad. He pulled us into a hug. "I thought I lost the two of ya when I saw the damn walkers," he whispered to us, trying not to draw attention of the camp.

"Well, thank saving me from the walkers," Sydney said and he gave a small nod.

"So, what happened in Atlanta?" I asked, curious if they found Uncle Merle, which I assume not since I don't see any new faces.

"We found Merle's, uh, hand. Glenn got kidnapped and so we had to try to get him back, which we did. Pretty much it," he replied in a somewhat sad tone.

"Oh," my sister and I replied in unison.

"Yeah. I need to go help with burnin the bodies, but I promise we can talk later."

I heard the sound of crying and I turned to see Sophia crying with her mom. They stood by the remains of her dad. To be honest, I couldn't believe they could cry over such an douche bag like him. He abused them!

Dad was getting ready to put an axe through his face when Carol intervened. "Let me do it. I was his wife," she reasoned. He nodded and handed her the axe. Each time she swung at his face she sobbed. Each hit represented each time he abused her. Inside, I knew that the final hit was the one she meant to put him down with. As she did this, I comforted Sophia, accompanied by Carl and Sydney.

"Mommy said he deserved this," Sophia whispered to me. "He did deserve this."

I looked at her and nodded. She was right. He deserved the pain. He deserved death. That's not the worst punishment, though.

"No! I'm alright! I'm alright! I'm alright! I'm okay!" Jim -another group member- yelled and Tdog lifted his shirt up, revealing a scratch. A walker scratch.

"I'll take care of this damn problem!" Dad yelled at him, almost swinging an pickaxe at his head.

"We don't kill the living," Mr. Grimes yelled pointing a gun at my dad's head. My eyes widened and I was ready to step in.

"That's pretty funny coming from the man who's holding a gun to my head!"

"Just give him a chance! The CDC might have a cure."

"We're leaving?" I asked, interrupting them.

"Yes, it's not safe here anymore and the CDC is supposed to be safe. Who knows? They might even have a cure for Jim," Mr. Grimes explained.

"Okay."

A few minutes later Amy reanimated. Andrea gave Amy a tearful apology one last time and shot her in the head. I couldn't watch. Amy was too nice. She didn't deserve to be dead and gone.

I walked over to Sophia who was sitting at the quarry for the last time.

"Hey," I said to her.

Her beautiful brown eyes glanced up at me. "Hey Sean," she responded.

"Did you hear that we're all going to the CDC?" I asked. She looked up confused and shook her head no.

"They said it's unsafe here," I explained.

"Oh, okay."

I thought for a while about how we might not live much longer. It took me awhile to get the guts to admit my feelings to her.

"Um, Sophia?"

"Yes?"

"I know we might not live much longer, but I want you to know that I love you so much! Do you think you might love me, too?" I asked nervously.

She just stared at me with her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. It soon transitioned into a smile. "Yes! Of course I love you!" she exclaimed happily.

"Then do you want to be my girlfriend?" I asked, surprised she felt the same.

"Of course I do!" she replied happily and hugged me.

"Sean? Sophia? It's time to go!" I heard Carl call from the camp.

"Okay!" I called back. We ran up the hill and we got into one of the cars.

It's hard to take in such a turn of events. Just twelve hours ago, a bunch of  people at the camp got bit and all but one are dead. Now we're trying to act like nothing even happened?