❛ now daryl, daryl was gray. he always seemed to be bitter and emotionless with no other dimensions to himself; his mere presence was the only one. gray was intriguing, almost acting like an acquired taste, but it had the potential to be beautiful t...
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one.
I stared out the window of my room, my mind focused on the people who were still outside in the world suffering and unable to have four walls and a roof over their heads to keep them safe like I did. My eyes were unintentionally fixed on the mess that rested over the barricade: dead bodies littered everywhere, the majority of them slowly melting into the concrete from the sun's heat. The familiar feeling of tears stung my eyes and made me tear my gaze away from the window.
I grabbed the lone picture that sat on top of my dresser. I studied the two happy girls captured in the photo: my sister and I, smiling with our arms wrapped around each other. I fondly remembered the day we took that picture; the leaves were finally turning their autumn colors, the cool breezes sending chills coursing through our bodies. We tossed leaves at each other and were scolded every time we did so, the leaves so crunchy they would crumble in our hair and stick to our clothes. I stood there, wishing I could go back and relive that moment to escape this world.
My sister, Penny, died during the outbreak. When she caught the virus, what was left of our family collapsed. I was completely heartbroken and felt as if I suddenly had no purpose. I had no one to lean on anymore. My dad isolated himself for months, but that was something I was already used to from him; he was never really mentally there. I learned to acclimate, but I struggled knowing that I would never amount to the place that Penny had in his heart. I often think about what life would've been like if we were seen as equals, but that's just a daydream.
Almost every morning I wake up expecting to see Penny sleeping on the floor on a mattress next to my bed, but I'm soon met with the sight of an empty room. If she was still alive, I swear I'd do everything I could to protect her. It would be my job to keep her safe and her mind off the certain things this horrible world has now to offer. She already knew about the biters, but all the other things that could've happened to her were kept a secret. She was too young to know, too innocent. I think that's why she's gone now... the good people never last.
"Aften," a voice called out, snapping me out of my thoughts. I spun around to face the doorway. Andrea stood before me. "Hurry up. He's waiting and getting impatient. You know how he is..."
"Yeah, I'm almost ready." I placed the picture back in its original spot on my dresser.
"Is everything okay? Have you been crying," she questioned after looking me up and down. "Your cheek's wet." Andrea stepped closer to try and get a better look at my face. I quickly wiped a stray tear away.
"I'm fine," I ensured her with a small smile, grabbing my sword and squeezing past her. I hustled out of my apartment building into the blistering Georgia heat. I heard a low chuckle and came to a stop, turning my head towards the sudden noise.
