Survivor (A Glenn Rhee fanfiction)

Better Angels

Chapter 18: Better Angels

Kadyn's POV

Waking up in Glenn's tent the next morning made me happy, but then I remembered last night, and my happiness quickly deteriorated.

I roll over, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. Glenn is sleeping still. Why is it that I always wake up before him?

I shiver and scoot closer to him, snuggling into his warm chest. I feel his body stirr - I must have woken him up.

"You awake?" I hear him whisper in a raspy morning voice.

"Yeah." I whisper back, playing with the ends of his shirt.

I feel Glenn's lips on the top of my head. "Hey." He whispers, clearing his throat.

"Hey." I say softly, nuzzling his chest.

"Should we get up?" Glenn asks.

"Probably." I reply, yawning.

"Want me to look?" Glenn asks.

"Okay." I shrug, closing my eyes.

Glenn scoots closer to the zipper of the tent and unzips the tiny window part. Then, he closes it and returns to me.

"They're all waking up. We should be good for another five minutes." He whispers, laying back down beside me and pressing a kiss to my cheek.

"Okay." I repeat, stretching my arms above my head.

Glenn drapes his arm across my hips, and I smile a little at him. He returns the small smile.

After a few more minutes of doing nothing but simply murmuring back and forth, I wriggle out of Glenn's grasp and grab my duffel bag.

"I didn't mean to leave this in here." I tell him, unzipping the bag.

"It's okay." Glenn reassures me, and I pull out some clothes to wear. Taupe colored tee shirt. A pair of jeans. I put on my socks and the leather boots Maggie had given me. They were a nice caramel color, and all leather. No fancy buckles or anything. Just neatly laced up the front. Then I pull on my navy blue jacket and my new outfit is complete.

I wait for Glenn to get changed, and then we exit the tent together. The mood floating around the camp is remorseful. No one is talking at all. I look at Glenn sadly.

We eat a small, silent breakfast before everyone gathers in a funeral service for Dale.

I stand next to Glenn, leaning my chin on his shoulder and trying my hardest not to cry as Rick speaks.

"Dale could get under your skin." He says. "He sure got under mine. Cause he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought. How he felt. That kind of honesty is rare, and brave. Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale; he'd be lookin' back at me with that look he had. We've all seen it one time or another."

Glenn lowers his head, and I notice his lip trembling. I slide my hand next to his and hold onto it, resting my forehead on his shoulder.

"I couldn't always read him, but he could read us." Rick continues. "He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us, the truth. Who we really are. In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this group is broken. The best way to honor him is to unbreak it. To set aside our differences and pull together. Stop feeling sorry for ourselves. Take control of our lives. Our safety. Our future. We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong. From now on, we're gonna do it his way. That is how we honor Dale." He finishes, kneeling down beside the grave for a moment.