Leah Grimes

Chapter 20

I set my head in my knees letting my tears fall freely. My whole family was here one second then gone the next. They were the only people I wanted, my dad he wouldn't be acting anything like Daryl and Carl wouldn't be as naive as Beth. Hell of a birthday. I turned away when I saw Daryl walking up, he was the last person I wanted to see me cry. "Hey." He grunted sitting down beside me. I simply nodded in response trying to wipe my tears away. "What I said. Listen it ain't true kid. I'm just missing them all ya know. And I don't wanna mess up, you're like my family ya know? Rick Carl Judith Maggie Glenn Carol Beth, we're family blood or not." I gave him a small nod, "I miss them so much." He wrapped his arm around me, letting me lean my head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I was a jerk kid." I layed my arms around him, "you really think they're all dead? Gone?." He sighed, "your dads the toughest son of a bitch I know Leah. He had to have made it, and he would've protected Carl and Judith." I appreciated that, "I hope so." Daryl looked down at me, "have some faith, as Beth would say." I bit my lip to keep from laughing. "You think Liam made it?" Daryl took a deep breath, "he was still sick. I have no idea." I nodded, and Daryl whispered, "you were studying that calendar pretty good earlier." I smiled, "I think it's June 26th. My birthday, not that any of that matters." Daryl pulled a chain off his neck, he passed it to me. "Happy birthday kid." I stared at it, "you don't have to give me anything." Daryl shrugged, "just take it. That way if anything happens you can remember what an asshole I was." That made me smile, "thanks Daryl."

Shortly after Beth climbed up sitting across from us. "I know why my dad stopped drinking." I smiled, "you feel sick?" She smiled, "no I feel better then I ever have." Daryl nodded, "so you're a happy drunk?" She looked over at him, "that's okay, some people can be real jerks when they drink." It was obvious she was talking about Daryl, he really hurt me earlier but I loved him. I set my head against his chest allowing myself to finally rest. "You good?" He asked me looking down. "I think so." I closed my eyes for a minute only to feel myself being shaken away almost an hour later. "We're burning it down," Beth smiled. I looked at her confused, and pushed myself off of Daryl. "The shack, we're burning it down." I sat up rubbing my eyed tiredly, "okay," I finally whispered. The three of us grabbed the remaining moonshine spraying it everywhere. Then Daryl lit a match and chucked it down immediately sending flames everywhere. We stood back and watched it burn. Beth raised her middle finger, and me and Daryl did the same shortly after.

We spent the day walking, Beth tried tracking, and as she was going forward her foot got caught in a trap. "Beth," I gasped jumping forward. Daryl quickly killed the walker in front of her while I helped her stand. "Can you walk on it?" I asked. She nodded clearly in pain. "Here," I put her arm around my shoulder stumbling forward. We pushed through a forest stopping when we saw a funeral home ahead. By then I was having trouble holding her up. Daryl sighed and stood in front of Beth. "Hop on." She giggled, "you serious?" He nodded, "it's a serious piggy back." I smiled as she got on, and the three of us made our way into the home. There we found food and drinks that someone had recently put there. After we had taken what we needed, Beth sat at the piano playing a song, while Daryl lay back in a casket. Eventually we sat down enjoying the food we found. "We should leave a thank you note," Beth whispered and I nodded in agreement. Daryl told her that we should maybe stick around here awhile.

A loud bang outside made me jump up. Both Daryl and I went to check out the sound. As soon as he opened the door walkers ran in. "BETH. RUN." Daryl screamed as I began quickly killing the walkers. I started running into the other room tripping and hitting my head hard off of the table we were just eating at. My vision began blurring, and I made my way to the window jumping out. I stuck my arms out in front of me to keep balanced and protected. I was calling beths name over and over and when I heard her call my name back I made out her figure fighting off two or three walkers. I began running but my steps became zigzagged and then it all went black and I collapsed down in front of Beth.