Epidemic

Chapter 30

My eyes watched as the screen door bounced shut, as Andrea a entered the cabin. Her figure quickly disappearing into one of the adjacent rooms. In her haste she must have startled Hershel, because soon he was hobbling his way towards the door. His eyes wide when he saw it was me standing on the porch.

"You're back." He stated, almost as if he didn't believe his own eyes.

"Yeah we're back." I sighed, running a hand through my wild hair trying my best to keep it at bay. "Most of us..." My eyes found his, knowing that I should tell him that Shane didn't make it.

"What do you mean most of us?" He questioned, his brow raised. His hand slowly pushing open the screen door, so he could be on the porch with me.

"Shane ain't made it." Daryl called out from behind me, taking the five pairs of glaring eyes off of my focus. "We got overrun, hospital ain't safe. Never was and never will be." He shrugged his shoulders and slowly made his way around the truck to pick up our stuff.

"So this cure Shane was talking about, it wasn't there?" Maggie finally asked the question that was on everyone's mind. A question I didn't feel like answering, mainly because I wasn't feeling up to describing what happened. The other reason was because I didn't want to break their spirits.

This cure was the last string of hope we had. It was a frayed string, something dangerous and untrustworthy but it was a string for us to hold onto in this cruel, relentless world. In all actuality, the string was better left to fray. Not even considered as a option, because now that string is gone and we have nothing to replace it with.

Slowly walking down the porch steps I made my way over to Daryl. Taking my bow and bag from his already full hands. At first he gave me a glaring look, but it soon disappeared knowing I wasn't going to let him carry my shit for me.

"Why don't we let these two go get cleaned up." Merle spoke, before I had time to address Maggie's question. "They smell like shit and I ain't want them stinking up my cabin."

"It will give us time to get the others." Glenn added in from beside Maggie. They shared a slight look which I couldn't quite decipher, before Glenn turned his attention back to us. "Well Rick Mainly."

"That's fine with me, rather only explain this once. Not five hundred times." I shrugged before running up the steps again.

"Gave ye and my baby brother here, the attic." Merle called out, making me stop in mid step to look at him from over my shoulder. I watched as Merle's face pulled into a coy grin, before he jabbed at Daryl's ribs with his elbow. "Know ye two want ye alone time, if ye know what I mean."

Thanks for your consideration Merle, and blurting it out for all to hear. I'm sure it was obvious to people Daryl and I had something between us but we weren't a Maggie and Glenn type of relationship. Where they showed affection for the whole group to see. We kept it to ourselves.

"Thanks Merle." I rolled my eyes and shook my head before waving him off.

Quickly I opened the screen door, and entered the cabin. Leaving the group outside by themselves. They could talk all they wanted, I on the other hand just want some time alone. As my feet carried me down the hall, my eyes roamed the walls glancing at the dusty picture frames. Most of them were of a guy, either standing or kneeling next to a dead animal. A rifle in one hand, the rack of the animal in the other showing off to world. A few pictures had Daryl and Merle in them, who stood along side the mysterious man, but not that many.

The man had a striking resemblance to Daryl, but I wasn't going to bring it up. If Daryl found it necessary to tell me then he would.

Rounding the corner I passed Sophia and Carl playing cards on the floor of the small living room. They both glanced up at me and gave a smile before returning to what they were doing.