Lottie

The Worst Night Of Their Lives

A few simple days had passed, nothing but potatoes to peel and dishes to wash. It was once again nighttime and Rick and Shane were out looking for something, no one would tell Lottie what it was so her and the others sat quietly around the fire.

Daryl and Lottie had chosen not to tell the group about their relationship, and to instead keep them guessing and answering their questions with only a smile. Though, they did nothing to hide it. Lottie was wearing Daryl's black shirt again, tucked into her black jeans with the sleeves rolled up.

The two of them sat next to each other by the fire, Lottie's head leaning on Daryl's shoulder as they both dozed off occasionally from the warmth of the fire. Everyone smiling at them, knowing but also not knowing their situation.

Lori started frantically looking around, running in and out of the house, in and out of her tent.

"Has anyone seen Carl?" She panicked, almost screaming.

Everyone stood up immediately, realising that no, none of them had seen Carl.

"Do you think he went with Rick?" Hershel asked her, trying to calm her down.

"No, he was with me when Rick left." She panicked.

"Maybe he snuck away and followed him?" Carol said rushing to Lori's side to comfort her.

"Come on, he has to be here somewhere if we all look we will find him." Maggie said, ushering everyone to stand.

Everyone ran in and out of tents, in and out of rooms, in and out of the house, up and down the fields. No sign of Carl.

Suddenly in the distance.

Bang.

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and turned their head out into the darkness over one of the fields, the gunshot still echoing slightly.

"Just one shot?" Lottie looked at Daryl confused.

"Neither Rick or Shane would waste a bullet on just one walker. Carl wouldn't neither." Daryl said, concerned.

They waited, and waited. Silence. Nothing. No one dared to move, not even a muscle.

"There!" Lori shouted "Look! Rick and Carl!"

Out in the distance they all saw them. Rick had Carl by the arm, it looked as if they were sprinting as fast as they possibly could. As if for their lives. Then the group saw it.

"Everybody, get a gun, get to a car now!" Glenn shouted throwing a pistol to Maggie. Everyone retreated into the house, leaving the camp site deserted.

Thousands of walkers slowly emerged from the foggy darkness. A herd that spread as far back as they could see and they just kept coming. All shapes, all sizes. Each silhouette was a symbol of death itself.

Daryl, Lottie, Hershel and few others stood on the porch of the house. Daryl raised his pistol slowly as Lottie pulled hers out of her jeans.

As the walkers roamed closer to the house groaning and reaching for them all, Hershel pulled out a shotgun and started shooting every walker in the face without fail. Daryl stood next to Lottie, she only missed a few shots as it was her first time using a gun.

Glenn and Maggie pulled people from the house, Lori battled, she wanted Carl but Maggie insisted he'd be safe with Rick. Glenn pulled Daryl's motorbike up to the house.

"Dad we need to leave, please, dad!" Maggie screamed at Hershel.

"I was born on this farm, I'll die on this farm!" he shouted back over the walker groans.

"Its as good a night as any." Daryl said still shooting walkers down.

Glenn pulled Maggie away and into another car and drove away as fast as they could.

"Come on, we need to go." Daryl said pulling on Lottie's arm as she shot another walker.

Lottie looked out over the farm, the barn was drowned in fire, a beacon for walkers all over the fields surrounding them. Lori and Beth battled walkers by the cars, Patricia lay half eaten by the side door of the house.

"No, I need to get the walkers away from the cars. I have an idea." Lottie ran into the house leaving Daryl confused.

Lottie returned holding a huge pot from the kitchen and a ladle. Daryl thought she had gone mad for a moment before he realised.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. "You are not sacrificing yourself again do you hear me? You will die this time!" Daryl shouted his eyes full of fear.

Lottie looked at him calmly "I am scared this time, I won't lie." she gulped.

Lottie saw Carol cornered by some walkers, screaming and crying and pleading for help.

"Go and help Carol," Lottie said with a lump in her throat "Take her on your bike, go to the highway. Rick told me to go there if I ever got lost or-or taken again."

Daryl said nothing, he just held onto her arms as tight as he could, fighting back tears but failing.

Lottie pulled him into a hug, she held him tighter than she ever had before. Hershel had moved closer to them, to stop walkers getting to them.

"I love you," She whispered to him "Don't you ever forget that."

"I love you too." Daryl whispered back.

"Lottie!" Hershel shouted as more and more walkers closed in on them "You don't need to do this!"

"I do." She said confidently, though absolutely petrified inside.

She paused for a second and then she leant forward and kissed Daryl on the lips. It was their first kiss, and she knew it might be their last. The world disappeared around them and in that moment it felt like they were the only people on earth.

When she pulled away, Daryl's cheeks were tear-stained and her eyes started to well up again too.

"I'll find you again, I promise," She pulled away from Daryl and walked quickly backwards, hitting the pot loudly and repeatedly with the ladle "I love you! I'll find you, I'll find you!"

"No! I love you too!" Daryl screamed.

Every walker around the house had turned on Lottie, she'd drawn them away from the cars and slowly from the porch. Every disgusting, decaying face turned to her. Slowly, the other walkers followed the ones following Lottie and soon majority of the herd was after her. A few stray walkers roamed about beside the herd. Blood everywhere, guts littering the floor. Hundreds of thousands of footprints,and the walkers just kept coming.

Daryl stepped forward to go after Lottie, Hershel stopped shooting, held onto Daryl's arm and pulled him back.

"If you go after her, you'll die, what happens if she survives, finds us and you're not there?" Hershel said, rushing Daryl. "If you go after her you'll get yourself killed and probably her too."

Daryl watched as Lottie, still banging on the pot, dissappeared behind a sea of death. He longed to run after her, but as the fog descended over her he turned away slowly. Hershel ushered him away from the porch towards his bike.

While making his way towards his bike, Daryl noticed that Carol had survived and had managed to keep the walkers back with rocks and a tree branch, but she was leaning against a tree exhausted.

He hauled her to her feet and they both got onto his bike. Hershel clambered into his truck with Rick and Carl, who had just made their way from the barn up to the house, and speedily drove away.

"Thank you Daryl." Carol said as he rode away from the farm.

"Lottie's last request was for me to help you." He said numbly.

"Last request? What do you mea-"

"She's gone." Daryl interrupted. "She's gone."

It was then that Lottie suddenly stopped hitting the pot. Daryl's heart stopped. He was sure that was the sign that she was completely gone. There was silence. Nothing but the rumble from his bike.

Nothing.