YEARNING - Daryl Dixon

SIXTEEN.

THE loud boom from outside the prison walls gave Frankie the greatest scare of her life. Her, Lizzie and Mika were left to look after Judith, which Frankie did not mind one bit as she had enjoyed the previous times she looked after the infant with Beth.

Not long after, the loud pops of bullets sounded and Frankie placed Judith in her carrier and turned to Lizzie "Help me carry her, we gotta go!" Lizzie grabbed the handle and helped Frankie lift the carrier as they walked towards the exit of the prison.

Outside was something the girls had never seen before, a tank sitting at the entrance of the courtyard, men with guns and many, many walkers coming through the field.

"Lizzie we gotta go!" Mika shouted in fear, her eyes darting all around them.

Frankie searched for someone that she knew, anyone in the destruction of their former home, "We need to find someone!" Frankie exclaimed with an annoyed sigh at the two girls.

"Frankie!" The girl looked around until she seen Tyreese running towards her, Lizzie, Mika and Judith.

"Tyreese what's happening?" Lizzie asked with a fearful gaze, Tyreese shook his head and unbuckled Judith from her carrier "Let's go, we gotta go." He panted and pushed the girls in front of him and they took off running.

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By now, Tyreese and the girls had gotten far away from the prison, free from the threat of the governors men and the hoard of walkers.

The rustling of branches and a growl halted the four and Tyreese spun around, handing Judith to Lizzie "Stay here, I'll go kill it." He whispered and turned to look at Frankie "You got this Frank?" The girl nodded and pulled out the extra gun that she stole from her Aunt's cell.

She could be in big trouble for that.

"Yes Tyreese, I got this." She smiled up at the burley man and he nodded back, before taking off towards the sound.

From beside the girls, Judith began crying in Lizzie's arms "Lizzie, they are going to hear us!" Mika cried as she stood to Frankie's right, eyes darting around for any sign of a walker.

Frankie's eyes searched the woods desperately as Judith still cried out, "Lizzie!" Mika pleaded before Lizzie placed her hand over the infants mouth.

Judith's cries were muffled and the sound of numerous branches cracking caused Frankie to turn around as a walker appeared in front of Lizzie.

A scream erupted from Lizzie and Mika at the god awful sight and Frankie faced the walker, quickly lifting her arms up and flicking the safety of her handgun off. Just before she could pull the trigger, another gun went off from just beside the girls.

"Carol?" Frankie exclaimed and she flicked the safety of the gun back on, slipping it in her waistband, just like her Aunt Bonnie, before she took off running towards Carol and hugged her waist.

"What are you girls doing out here?" She scolded as her arms settled on Frankie's back before the girl pulled away looking up at the woman "Carol?" Carol's eyes locked on Tyreese and she awkwardly shuffled in her spot as he pulled her in for a hug.

"Where is everyone? I seen the smoke as I was coming back to the prison." Carol mumbled and the pair pulled away from one another.

Tyreese took Judith from Lizzie's arms and Frankie watched her cautiously, Lizzie had been acting weird the last couple days back at the prison, and she looked eerily calm as they stood there.

"I didn't see Aunty Bonnie." Frankie stated and looked up at the adults, they returned her gaze with sympathetic looks and a sigh.

"Come on we need to keep moving, it's too dangerous around here." Carol mumbled and walked off, with the group following her.

Frankie could not help but wonder about her Aunt, she was scared, she didn't see Bonnie leave the prison, or even dead on the floor anywhere which left a bubble of hope in her belly.

Her mind also drifted to Daryl.

The countless conversations they had, just the two of them,  about anything and everything. Her favourite memory was when he and her Aunt were teaching her about the gun, a smile crawling onto her face.

Frankie remembers her and Daryl's conversation while her Aunt was sleeping one day, the memory making her giggle.

"Do you like my Aunt?" The question made Daryl freeze in shock "Why?" he replied and the little girl shrugged "I can tell she likes you, I think you should be boyfriend and girlfriend." Daryl kept quiet at her words at her words "What? I'd love for you to be my uncle, you would be a lot better then her last boyfriend."

Maybe she had said too much, but it was the truth, she loved Daryl like he was her own blood.

The group found a clearing through the trees and noticed a railway "We should follow this for a while." Tyreese stated as he rocked Judith up and down to settle her. "We'll follow this for a few hours, then we'll find somewhere to stay."

Frankie sadly sighed, she missed her Aunt, she missed Daryl and she just wished that they were not on team of the dead, but rather on her team; the living.

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