Living Like You're Dead

The sky was a light blue from the sun that was just barely peaking over the horizon. It was still dark on the west side of the house, and Addie felt like a swim in the pond. She thought about how her dream was entirely pointless. Why would friends kill her, and why would Merle be there?

Merle, she did not like him. Why would her brain depict such a thing. Perhaps the book Daryl read to her just messed with her dream.

But Merle. He plagued Addie’s thoughts now, she couldn’t get him out of her head. She took a seat on a large flat rock, her legs were outstretched and she could see blue bruises that looked like hand prints. Then she touched her hand to her stomach…

Something had been growing there at one point. Something she’d never meet; a little girl, or little boy. She hadn’t admitted to herself that she even knew their names. She would’ve called her son Alderic, after her loving grandfather. And her baby girl Amy. She ‘d liked the American name ever since Andrea had told her about her sister. Amy sounded so beautiful… Addie would have liked to have known her.

She thought about her friends from her dream, she vaguely remembered seeing Alex but she couldn’t remember. She could barely remember any of their faces, her life from France has so quickly faded that she felt lost.

She felt a chill curl up her spine, the cold air left goose bumps across her skin.

Walking will warm me, she thought. So Addie began to walk, she began to run even, it warmed her blood quicker. She ran past the pond, she ran past the clearing where she watched Daryl shoot a turkey, she ran with the river, the river running with her, it was relaxing.

Finally the sun was overhead and Addie realized she must be miles from the house. She put her hands to her knees and bent down to take in deep breaths. She stood up and noticed something big behind the brush, a large green truck, as she got closer she realized that it had been the Redfern’s. She was surprised no one thought to bring it back to the house. She continued her cool down process, she walked a few yards from the truck and found their campsite, and an obvious grave.

At least we had the sense to bury them. She stood above the grave and wondered what had happened. She never got a chance to hear the story because of what happened. She said a small prayer over their grave, so that they might rest in peace.

As she turned on her heel, and then she felt it: The cold dead hand that was wrapping aroung her ankle.
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Daryl awoke that morning to find his bed half empty. He had slept in, so he didn’t think much of Addie being gone, but she rarely left without him. Especially since Merle had been here – she had been glued to Daryl’s side. Maybe now that she was gone she felt safe.

However, Daryl cringed at the thought of what Merle now was, a rapist.

He didn’t see her in the kitchen. It was almost noon and everyone was downstairs eating fish. He didn’t see Addie. He also didn’t see anything extra on the counters, she wouldn’t have eaten fish – she was allergic. But no other food remnants were visible.

“Anyone seen Addie this morning?” Daryl asked the group.

Several people had panicked looks on their face, Daryl could tell by their lack of answer that they had assumed she was with him, still in bed.

“We thought-“ Dale started. Daryl was already through the door before he could finish. Crossbow in hand he grabbed several arrows he had cleaned and headed for the pond.