Living Like You're Dead

Adeline's feet didn't move, but yet she was somehow walking down the hallway of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Paris, France. She outstretched her hand to grab onto the walls her nails dug through the paint, leaving claw marks as she moved, her hands were bleeding by the time she was in the doorway. She was compelled to look down, and look upon her dead grandfathers body. His sternum was cracked open, like something ripped through him. His jaw hung low as if it were broken, and his eye were gray and icy from death. They blinked.

Addie woke up. Her head was against the seatbelt of the Jeep. Tears had welled in her eyes as she slept, and she tried not to move so that Daryl wouldn't notice. She casually lifted her sleeve and wiped the wetness from her eyes.

"What ya dreamin' about?"

"Finding the house." she said.

"Oh, a good dream?" he asked.

"The best." she lied.

"You act out things in your sleep." he said casually.

"Huh?" she paused waiting for him to elaborate. He didn't need to speak, instead he held up his arm to show four definite marks from her nails, he was bleeding, and sure enough there was blood under her finger nails too.

"What were ya really dreaming about?" he asked.

"Finding my grandfather." she admitted. "dead."

"Not the best of dreams." he added.

And until the next stop they sat in silence. The RV seemed to be having trouble, there was a slight amount of smoke coming from the hood. Rick and Dale got out and hung their heads in the front hood. Addie moved to exit the vehicle when Daryl grabbed her leg.

"Just wait - it happens all the time." he said. Addie repositioned herself back in the car. Yet Daryl didn't remove his hand. It sat on her knee, he seemed to be pretending to not realize it was there. Addie just took the time to relax, nope actually relaxing wasn't what she needed.

"I have to go to the cabinet..." she said.

"What." he stared blankly.

"I have... to pee." she said blatantly.

"Oh well alright." he let go of her leg, he felt quite awkward now that he had left it there.

"Don't go far!" he yelled after her. Like she was going to go far in this place. Just up a small hill there began a collection of trees. They were almost out of the forest, and soon there would be nothing but farmland.

Addie had relived herself and felt much better. She thought about hurting Daryl's arm and thought she would bring back some bandages for it. She turned to head for the clearing when her foot snagged on a bit of rope. Only it wasn't just rope... it was a net. One that had swept her up in one swoop. It had pulled her upwards by the ankle leaving her head to fall onto the rocks. And she didn't see much before it went black - just an empty forest.

At least she thought it was empty.