I saw Daryl. Then I saw Beth in his arms. My legs gave way and I collapsed to the ground. My mum was on the floor screaming, my dad crying like so many in the group. But all I could see was her. I just sat on the ground. Tara came up to me, and did Carl, but I couldn't focus on them. I stood up and walked to her. To Beth. I took her from Daryl's arms, and placed her gently on the floor. Then I walked. I walked past the group, past my family. I kept on walking past the truck, past walkers on the road. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I needed to get away from the body. Then I sat on the floor. Tears spilled from my eyes like nothing I had seen before, and I just screamed. Then Tara came running. She held me in her arms as I shook uncontrollably from crying. She kept whispering,
"I'm here, I'm here", but it was of no help. What seemed like years later, I stood up, and looked at her.
"She's gone, isn't she?"
"Yeah, she is baby. I'm sorry."
"Right. Okay."
Then I turned on my heel and walked back to the group. I walked to Beth, and I picked her up, struggling a little. Then I looked to the group.
"Come on. We can't stay here. We need to find a nice place to bury her. Somewhere we will be able to find."
Then I walked with her and carefully put her in the back of the truck. The group had obviously listened to me, as they were all walking to the vehicle.
My dad walked up to me and said,
"You okay?"
"No. But I will be."
He just nodded at me, and went back to my mum, Maggie.
I said to Rick, our driver,
"We need to find a nice field. Somewhere where flowers grow, and sun shines. Okay?"
He smiled at me. "Okay."
After about 30 minutes of driving, we found the perfect place. I jumped out and began digging in a spot in the shade of an old oak tree. Others helped, and soon Daryl and Rick were lowering Beth into the ground. Then I found a Cherokee Rose, and placed it in with her. Then we began filling up the ground. Then I decided I would say something. Someone had to.
"Beth wouldn't want us all to hang around being sad. Remember what she always said? I don't cry anymore. So we don't either". I looked at Eugene.
"Eugene. Do you honestly believe Washington holds the largest possibility of survival?"
"I do."
"And that's not another sick lie?"
"No, it's not a lie."
"Then, if we are all agreed, I think we should continue on the journey to Washington DC. No point in anymore of us dying."
I couldn't help the sad tone of my voice.
We loaded into the truck. A few hours later, we were stopped for the night, in an enclosed back garden. I was sat away from the group, instead I rested against a large oak tree. Carl came and sat by me, but didn't say anything.
"Hey." I said quietly after a few minutes.
"Hey. You okay?"
"Getting there. You?"
"Same."
Then Carl grabbed my cold hands and held them between his. We had been together for 3 months, and things were good. Well, before poor Beth.
"We're going to be okay you know? We're strong enough to beat this."
"I know. But it doesn't stop the pain."
He leant in and our lips met. I kissed him back, then pulled away.
"I love you."
"I love you Mckenzie. And I always will".
I smiled at him. Then I grabbed his hand, pulled him up, and lead him to a weak point in the wall. Then I stood on my tiptoes, and planted a gentle kiss on his lips. He spun me round, pressed me against the wall and kissed me harder. I responded and slid my hand under his shirt, hand on his bare flesh. Then we heard a noise...
----------------------------------------------
A scream echoed from the group fire, gunshots followed. Me and Mckenzie ran from the bushes. Walkers had appeared out of nowhere, and now about 15 of them surrounded us.
"Dad, DAD". I screamed, all around.
"Carl!" He shouted, and I ran for him. I tried to bring Mckenzie with me, but she ran away from me, trying to find her family and Tara.
"Ahhhh!" Screamed Gabriel. A walker was eating his leg.
"No!" I shouted. I shot the walker that was on him. But it was too late. He was bitten. Infected.
Daryl and Glenn lifted him up, and we ran.
----------------------------------------------
Tara
We ran for a long time. When we finally stopped for a minute, horror descended upon the group.
"Where the hell are we gonna go now?" Said Daryl.
"I don't know. But we're together."
"Together ain't good enough man!"
"Shut up, Daryl." Said Rosita.
"What about that school, the one by the church?" Said Mckenzie.
"What about it?" I asked.
"It wasn't in bad shape. We could clear it out, and make a base there?"
"That could work." I said.
"It could."
But we never got the chance to try. Walkers sprang on us from the bushes, and we ran again. This time, we were wild. We ran in different directions. I locked my eyes on Mckenzie and followed her. Just her. I couldn't see Glenn and Maggie so I figured they were in front. Hoped they were in front.
After running for what must of been a mile or so, Mckenzie stopped at a clearing in the woods. It was just me and her.
"We need to find the others!" She said.
"No. It's going to be dark soon. We need to find shelter for the night. No arguing."
"Okay."
We walked to the edge of the woods and on to the main road. We found a house and cleared it.
"Mckenzie, help me push this couch to the door?" I said.
"Sure, hang on."
Then we sat on the floor in silence.
----------------------------------------------
Glenn
Me and Maggie tried to find Mckenzie, but in the chaos of the walkers we had to leave. We had taken shelter in a near by hut, the same one Tyreese and Carol used.
"Glenn, what if she didn't make it out? What if she's-"
"No. She's alive, okay? She is. And we're gonna find her. Okay?"
"Okay. Do you think she's with anyone else?"
"Hopefully Tara. Or Carl."
"Okay. Your right. She's strong."
"She is. Somewhere, she's alive."
----------------------------------------------
Rick
I was lucky. Carl and Judith were with me, as was Michonne and Sasha. But as for everyone else? Who knows.
"Do you...do you think anyone else made it out?" Whispered Michonne to me.
"I don't know. I hope they did. But it doesn't look great."
Then Carl approached me.
"Dad, did you-did you see Mckenzie? Did she get away?" I could see the fear in his eyes.
"I-I don't know son. But if she did, I promise we'll find her. And Tyreese." I said, looking at Sasha.
----------------------------------------------
Daryl.
Me and Carol got out, long with Tyreese. We ran into the city, took shelter in the refuge centre. But nobody dared speak of the others. Who knew what had happened to them. We all just sat still and prayed they would be alive. Somewhere.
----------------------------------------------Mckenzie
"Three months! Three months of looking at nothing. Did anybody get out Tara?"
"I don't know, but we'll keep looking until we know, okay?"
"What if we don't find out Tara? They could all be dead!"
"Don't say that!"
"Why not! We're both thinking it!"
"Look, we got out. Chances are, they did too. And we will find them. All of them. Okay?"
"I just pray your right."
----------------------------------------------
Maggie
We had found everyone 2 months ago. Everyone was reunited, except from Tara and our little girl. We had been out looking everyday, yet nothing was ever found. Until today.
"Glenn, Maggie, is this Mckenzie's?" Shouted Rosita.
We ran to her. It was a ripped jumper, blood stained.
"Yeah...that's her's." I said, tears welling in my eyes.
"She must be around here somewhere!" Shouted Glenn.
"What if she's dead?" Said Carl, crying.
"Don't say that! Don't ever say that!" Shouted Daryl.
----------------------------------------------
Mckenzie
"Did you hear that?" I whispered to Tara, from our hut.
"Yeah."
Then the hut door burst open.
"Look what we have here." Sneered the man.
The took us, and soon we were standing outside a train cart door.
"Walk up the steps and go in." Shouted a man form the roof.
Tara looked at me, and she walked up and opened the door; I followed. We stepped into the darkness and walked to the side. Then, we became aware of the people behind us. We turned back and stepped towards them.
"Rick?" Said Tara.
"Oh my god." I said.
"Mckenzie?!" Said my mom.
"Mom? Dad!" I said.
We ran into each other and collapsed I the ground. Then I grabbed Carl and we held each other. After all the reunions, we looked to Rick.
"They're screwing with the wrong people." He said.
Tara
They came for four of us a few days later.
I was whacked unconscious and I awoke to find myself gagged, and pushed against a metal tub. I saw Mckenzie, Maggie and Michonne all struggling with bounds beside me. There was Maggie, Michonne, me and Mckenzie, then four people we did not know. Then, a bat was smashed against the first persons head, and their throat was cut. This was a blood bath. Literally.
Maggie
I could see Mckenzie, tugging at her bounds. Then the men reached her, and got ready to swing. She looked away from us, and gritted her teeth.
Then a man entered the room.
"No!" He shouted.
"What? Why not?"
"This is the wrong group you idiots! Take them back to the cart!"
Rick
The door opened and Maggie, Mckenzie, Tara and Michonne were shoved through it.
"What happened?"
"They were about to kill us. Then some man came and said we were the wrong group. It was close, Rick." Said Michonne, fear in her eyes.
"Right. Well, it won't happen again.
Mckenzie
I went to the back of the cart, and just sat. That was very close. Too close.
After a short while of silence, Rick said,
"We have to bust outta here soon. Otherwise...they'll kill us all."
"Right. But how exactly do we get out of here?" Asked Dad.
"Next time they come for us. No matter how many of them there are, we have to just fight our way out. Then we sprint for the fence."
"You crazy? That ain't gonna work!" Said Daryl.
"I know its risky. But right now? It's our only hope."
There was silence.
"I take that as meaning we're all agreed?"
We nodded, not wanting to speak.
Daryl
The day we were gonna try and escape was a long time coming.
For two weeks we sat, staring at the walls. Then they came.
"Everyone ready?" I asked.
They nodded.
"Remember the plan. Me, Glenn and Michonne at the front, Maggie and Daryl at the back. Mckenzie and Carl, you stay in the middle okay? We're gonna protect you at all costs." He said, looking around at us all.
We all stood waiting, and the men approached the door.
"Everyone back!" They shouted.
We all looked at each other, and nodded. We might lose people today, and we all knew it.
The door pulled open, and Rick slammed out of it.
Glenn's POV
We swarmed out of the door, but we stayed in our agreed formation.
An alarm began blaring, and soon there were people everywhere. Bullets began to fly, and then I saw it. A grenade.
"Run to the sides!" Screamed Rick.
We scattered, slamming into the ground. They began to surround us, but I could see our people jumping to their feet.
Rick's POV
Our people were now scattered. We were now even more vulnerable.
On my side, me, Daryl, Maggie, Glenn, Tara, Sasha, Carl, Bob and Abraham. On the other, Michonne, Rosita, Mckenzie and Eugene.
Our sides were kept apart by the Alexandrian's shooting at us through the middle.
"We're gonna have to fight our way out!" I said to Daryl, whilst we ducked behind an old car.
"Rick, the others are in serious danger on their own. We need to get back to them!" Said Tara.
Then the snipers on the roof appeared.
"Rick!" Michonne shouted from the other side.
The men were advancing on them.
"Run!" Daryl shouted to them.
Mckenzie's POV
The others had the better fighters, and they had cover. We did not.
"Mckenzie, you take the lead, draw them away. Then Eugene and Rosita, run for the fence. I will get back to the others and lead them to you. We can't travel as a group anymore. We have to scatter."
"So I'm the diversion?" I asked.
Michonne looked at me, concerned.
"Your the fastest on your feet, and smaller, so there's less of you to take aim at."
"Oh great." I said.
Maggie's POV
When we were watching them, I saw Mckenzie suddenly jump from her cover and run. Three men immediately went after her. Then we saw Rosita and Eugene run sideways, for the fence.
"What are they doing!" Tara said.
"I think...I think they're creating a diversion. Mckenzie's dragging the gun men away from Eugene and Rosita so they can get over the fence."
"This could work." Said Rick.
We saw Michonne signal for us to follow her. We sprung from our cover and ran full speed to her. We reached her, but bullets were now flying everywhere.
"We need to get to the fence!" Said Michonne.
"What about Mckenzie?!" I said.
"She knows the plan. We have to go now!"
Rick's POV
The Alexandrian's were gaining on us, so we ran after Eugene and Rosita.
I got Carl and then everyone but Glenn and Maggie over the fence.
"Where's Mckenzie?!" Asked Glenn.
Then she came into view, sprinting full speed towards us. But suddenly, two men appeared out of nowhere, blocking her path.
I saw her skid to a halt, and look up at us, panic in her eyes. The men ran towards her, but she went around them, and ran up the bank.
