She's Gonna Beat This World (twd fanfic)

27. Always Alone

I sit next to Carl this time, I'm starting to get tired of being alone. I'm not engaging in the conversations, but I am listening just in case they say something important... not much chance in that. I look over as Sophia and Carol walk towards us, and sit down at our campfire. Ed isn't there, he's probably sulking in his tent. Because of that they don't have to exclude themselves from us. Sophia comes and sits by Carl and I. Jim looks depressed, I guess he was cuffed to a tree for a while today, because he started to get sun stroke or something.
     With a smile Sophia whispers to me, "My mom stood up to my dad." I'm kinda shocked, but I smile. "Really? What'd he do?"
"Nothing... He did nothing! Just yelled at us as we left about how he didn't need us."
"Maybe we won't even need to tell Daryl bout your daddy. He's too scared of Shane," I chuckle quietly. She just smiles, and nods. "Your the bestest friend I've ever had!" She exclaims, "Friend?" She looks at me weird, "Yeah, ya know friends... We are friends, aren't we?" I swallow hard.
"Like you, Carl, and Morale's kids?" "Exactly!" She exclaims excitedly. "Here, I want you to have this," She says handing me a rubber bracelet. On it says 'no one fights alone' if only that were true. I've been doing it my entire life. "Thank you." I say putting on the bracelet with a smile. "I got it when me and my mom went to Atlanta to get away from daddy. I've kept it hidden as a reminder."
"You sure ya don't want it? It seems like it's an important reminder to you?... Wait you and your mom ran from him?" I ask with admiration, it takes a lot to leave somebody like that... like my momma did.
     "For a few weeks, then we went back." She says looking down.
"Why would you wanna go back?"
"I don't really know. Momma says I'll understand when I'm older, but I don't think I will understand," She sighs.
     I want to ask more, but I know how much I hate it when people start putting their nose in my business. So instead I leave it alone, and continue to look at the campfire, and giving Apollo what I don't want to eat.
"Hey where are you going?" I hear someone say. "I gotta pee, Jeez ya try to be discreet around here!" Amy scoffs in a joking manner, to which everyone laughs... except for me of course.
I look over to see Sophia giving me a pointed look, "What?!" She just taps the bracelet she gave me, and raises an eyebrow. I smirk and roll my eyes, and she laughs lightly.
Out of nowhere Apollo stands on all fours, and starts growling viscously. "Apollo whats the matter boy?" I look in the direction he is, and see it, "WALKER!" I yell, but I'm too late. Unsuspecting Amy comes out of the RV at the wrong time. "Do we have any toilet paper?" I'm paralyzed in fear and shock, when I hear her, and others scream... we're surrounded by the dead.
     Amy is screaming in pain, and Andrea is screaming trying to get to her. It's a lost cause she's bit, along with some others. "Get to the RV!" Shane starts yelling. I Scream when a walker comes at me snapping its jaws. I run towards the RV, but things just keep getting in the way.
      I feel something grab my arm, and I scream loud, forgetting all about my weapons. Before it can do me any harm it's knocked down by Apollo. "Apollo!" I call hoping he comes, but he doesn't he just keeps fighting. Remembering my knife, I pull it out. I remember Merle telling me I couldn't reach its brain, but I can now that it's on the ground. I run forward, and stab it through its head, well after a few tries. I didn't expect it to be so hard to stab it, and even when it was actually dead I kept on stabbing just in case. I was crying, and screaming, as well as everyone else in the group.
      I don't know what to do I can't make it to the RV like Shane said to. I'm grabbed by something and I spin around, dropping my knife in the process. "Apollo!" I scream, but he doesn't hear me over the others screaming, and the gunshots... Wait gunshots? Like as in more than just Shane's I hear many guns, but how is that possible? It must mean the others are back. "DARYL! Help me!" I screech, trying to fight off the walker. "MASON!" I vaguely hear, before I hear the quenching sound, and notice the arrow sticking through its head. I can't breathe I'm trying, but I just can't. I crawl out from beneath the corpse and run, but not towards the others, I run into the woods. I can't even think clearly under all the stress, all the blood... all the death.
     I'm running as fast as I can, and I'm wheezing badly. "Mason! Git back here!" I hear, but it feels like a dream, like it isn't even real. Daryl's not here, I'm alone. I hear something behind me, maybe a walker.
     Before I can get away from it, it scoops me up. It's arms holding across my waist, and chest, pulling me into it. "No! I don't Wanna die! Let me go!" I scream, and try to kick it. "Mason! Stop it!" A southern voice yells. And I almost collapse with relief, it's Daryl. "Hey, what's wrong with ya why ya running?" He doesn't yell this time, he's more trying to soothe me. It doesn't work though, I'm so afraid. I open my mouth, and close it a few times, but then the tears just start falling unchecked. I'm shaking, and wheezing even worse than before. "It's ok now, I'm right here. It's me, it's just me."
I can't breathe again, in Daryl's arms I feel trapped, but I don't want him to let me go. He must notice I'm struggling, "Mason, ya gotta calm down, it's over, listen... just listen." He stops for a second, and I notice the gunshots have stopped. The only thing I hear is crying, it helps a little, but I'm still losing air. "Daryl I..." I can't finish my sentence I start hyperventilating. "Hey, hey, hey, come on now, Mason darlin' ya gotta calm down now. I've got ya." He turns me around so I can see his face, I look down. "Mason, look at me" I look up with bloodshot eyes, and blotchy cheeks. "Now ya listen ta me, nothins gonna happen to you, not while I'm 'round." I nod my head, and stop hyperventilating, but I'm not breathing right yet. "Come on Mase, ya gotta breathe." He grabs the side of my head, and pulls my head to his chest, "Listen, ya hear that? Match your breathing to mine." It helps a lot, and in a few minutes it's almost back to normal. "There ya go, we need ta git back to help the others." He puts me down, and we are about to start walking back, I hadn't realized I had made it so far.
     We walk a few feet, but I stop abruptly, I feel like I can't move. Then the tears start again, but they come faster. Before I know it I start to collapse, but Daryl grabs my arms. I can't even stand up, I'm so tired and shaken up. Daryl stops and swoops me up, "Come on, I've got ya." I lay my head on his shoulder, and sob.
We get to his tent, and he sits in Merle's chair, and stands me in front of him. "Listen I'm gonna help take care of this, and your gonna go in the RV to sleep tonight. Just in case, I think it would be better... safer." I'm still crying, just not as hard. "I'd be safer with you," I try, to which he chuckles. "Not while I'm busy. I think ya dropped this." He hands me my knife, only he wipes it on his pant leg first.
"Now come on. Where's your clothes, ya can't go back lookin like that." I look down,
"At the Grimes's tent, across camp." He sighs, obviously not wanting me to see the horrific scene just a few yards away from us. "Come 'ere." He goes into his tent, with me following, and grabs a semi clean t-shirt. "Put this on, hurry up. I'll wait outside."
It's just one of his regular shirts, but it's like a dress on me, so I'm comfortable. I walk out and Daryl nods, "it'll work." And he starts walking, but stops and lifts me up, "Put your head down, and cover your ears. Ya don't need any more night terrors." I do as I'm told, and soon enough we're in the RV. "Go on git in the bed, and don't come out till the sun comes up, and ask first. Ya got it?" I nod and sniffle. "Ya did good kid." I look at him confused,
"But I ran away." He scoffs.
"Ya barely eight, if something like that happens again... ever, ya run." I nod, then gasp, "Where's my dog? Where is he?" I try to get up, but I'm stopped and push back down by a strong arm. "Your dogs fine, now lay down." I do as instructed, and Daryl gets up.
"Daryl?" He sighs and and turns with a stern face, "Mason stop stallin." I sigh, "I'm not. Just... Where's Merle?"
Daryl looks at me for a second. "Gone," He says emotionless, and storms out slamming the door behind him. More tears come down, but I wipe them away, and fall asleep. The only thing I hear is crying, more like sobbing from heartbroken people, that no amount of time can fill the empty void left in their hearts.
I look down at the bracelet Sophia gave me, and get a wry smirk. Whoever made this obviously had no idea of the struggles of life, they probably had one of those 'apple pie lives'. One of those lives where people actually love each other, and can depend on each other... if only they new.