Something Missing [Daryl Dixon Love Story]

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

The minutes turned to hours and soon the hours turned to days but nothing changed. I sat and watched her waiting for something, anything to indicate she was turning or living but nothing. Soon the days became a week with nothing happening besides the complete ceasing of movement that would otherwise tell me she was still alive. That was the third day. Today was the seventh.

            I found myself in that same spot on the wall watching and waiting. I was expecting something to happen today but what or when exactly I didn’t know. She hasn’t breathed in four days that much I am sure of. Even knowing that, though, I know she isn’t gone. She’s still here.

It’s about the time I become unusually comfortable lying against the rough stone of the small room that I decide it’s time. It’s eerily silent but none of that registers to me. It takes all I have to get to my feet and only stop when I am next to her. No movement. I lower to my knees. Still nothing. My hands momentarily hover in the air. A fleeting thought of: “what if she did turn and has been waiting.” The thought is gone as soon as it had come though. 

            “Emma.” My voice is strong when I speak despite it not having been used in days. “It’s time for you to get up now.” It feels like I am watching the scene unravel from somewhere else. Not expecting anything I pity myself. I’ve finally lost my mind. But much to my surprise and disbelief there is a response.

            She groans and turns glassy eyes on me. For a moment I fear for my life. I’ve seen this too many times to not expect my impending death. I can only watch as my limbs fail to work when I struggle to move away from her. But she speaks. “Hungry.” It isn’t much but it’s enough to make me understand that there is something weird about the situation. She’s clearly dead but she’s talking.

            I want nothing more than to go over to her and touch her but I don’t do a thing. I can’t. My limbs have seemingly ceased to work as I look at her.

            “I need…I need food…” She sits up and I can’t help but stare at the dried on blood that had run down one side of her mouth as she’d died days ago.

            I don’t know what it is but slowly I seem to come back to myself and what she’s saying processes. I reach for her bag that has the food and toss it to her. “There. It’s in there.”

            She pulls out a canned food that has lost its wrapper and pulls the tab open. She uses the lid as a makeshift spoon and scoops some into her mouth only for it to come back out seconds later. “No…not that.”

            I gesture toward the bag. “If you don’t like that find something else, whatever we have is in the bag.”

            She chooses another can but the result is much of the same.

My mind is racing as I try to process everything and find a solution at the same time. But finally, I have an answer. I don’t know why I think it but it’s the only thing that feels reasonable. “Human…that—.” I choke on my words. Thinking it wasn’t easy but actually saying it made it too weird and real on top of everything else. “That’s what you need.”

            The can of her latest attempt clattered to the ground as she looked at me. Horror flashed in her eyes as she looked at me, really looked at me. “No.” She shook her head violently. “Not you.”

            I looked at her in confusion but I soon understood what she was thinking. I shook my head. “No,” I agreed. “Not me. But that’s what you want. You’re one of them without being one of them…”