Don't Leave Me

Chapter Fifteen

It had been eight months since Hershel's farm was overrun. 

I was seven now. I think. It was fall and my birthday was November 12th, 2004.

Lori's belly got big as the baby grew. She told me that she was pregnant on the farm. 

We had to find somewhere safe for her to have her baby. 

Since the farm, I had grown quiet. 

Lori told me that Andrea may not be dead but Rick said that she probably was. 

Glenn took me under his wing since he was the only one who Andrea told about my medicine and my doses since he had to go get more on his runs.

"Hey bud, it's time." Glenn scoops me up over his shoulder, trying to elicit a giggle from me. 

I fold my arms as I hang upside down and Glenn takes me to the car. 

We lost the RV at the farm but my backpack was inside the house and Beth grabbed it.

Glenn placed the little white tablet in my hand and I swallowed it. 

Unlike Amy or Andrea, Glenn didn't make me open my mouth to make sure that I took it. 

"Any pain today?" Glenn questioned. 

Only the pain in my heart. 

"No," I mumble. 

"That's great. That makes it six days, pain-free!" Glenn gives me a large smile. 

I shrug and Glenn's smile falters for a second. 

"Well, let's go back out and continue searching. Maybe you can help me clear a house, work on your aim?" 

Glenn wants me to be able to kill walkers. That's what he called them. 

It made sense. They walked. 

The group was split. 

Half of them wanted to protect me, keep me away from weapons. 

The other half wanted me to protect myself and others. 

What went down in the creek with Daryl stayed a secret. No one knew that I had killed three walkers by myself while protecting Daryl. 

I shrug again and Glenn's face falls before he lights up again. 

"Here. I have something to give you. I wanted to wait until you were older but I think now is the right time." Glenn tells me. "Stay here." 

Glenn returns a few moments later with a bundle of black fabric. 

"Here." 

Glenn takes my hand in his and turns it over, placing the fabric into it. 

I look up at him confused as he urges me to take a look. 

I open the fabric and see a blue handle. 

"It's a flip blade," Glenn tells me. "Push this button here and the blade pops out."

I pick the handle up, turning it over in my hands. 

"It's heavy." I murmur as I inspect it. 

I point it away from me as I push the button. 

A black blade pops out from the handle and my eyes go wide. 

"It's blue. Just like your backpack." Glenn tells me, patting my shoulder. 

No one's trusted me with a knife before, much less a gun like Carl.