Status: Complete
Honey, Where's My Arm?
Butterfly's Story
"I dated the same guy, Paul Zawatsky, through all of high school. After graduation, we got engaged, and a year later I got pregnant. After Emily was born, I started training again to be an MMA fighter, and I taught Beginner's Kick-boxing. A few months later, I caught Paul cheating on me-"
"And you moved in here?" Daryl asked.
I shook my head, "Not yet. I had an apartment down the road from the dojo. About a year ago, my dad died and I inherited everything, so Emily and I moved in here. Then, the Friday before the outbreak I dropped Emily off at Paul's house for her to spend the weekend with him. He begged me to take him back that night, but I refused."
"Because he cheated on you?"
"Right. On Sunday, while I was training a woman who had been infected walked into the dojo and attacked my trainer. I grabbed a pair of katanas and, well, needless to say, her head went rolling across the floor. I went straight to Paul's house. When I got there...." I trailed off as the tears started falling from my eyes. Daryl wiped them away and I gave him a weak smile, "When I got there...she was....she was dead. Her body had been torn into pieces. Her blood covered the floor staining the carpet. Paul was standing there covered in her blood. He had been infected."
"Did you kill him?"
I shook my head, "I couldn't bring myself to do it. I ran. I came here and I locked myself in the panic room for about a week. While I was in there I, metaphorically, killed myself. I buried all of my emotions, refusing to feel anything. When I came out of the panic room, I was the only survivor here. There were no news casts on the TV or the radio. There was no one in town who wasn't one of the walking dead. Just me. And until now, I ignored this room as if it wasn't even here."
"What's kept you alive?"
I shrugged, "I'm not sure. The hope that maybe somewhere there's someone developing a cure, and that we'll all be saved from this hell."
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't of kept asking-"
"No," I shook my head slightly, "Don't be sorry. It's about time I stopped pretending." The music box finished it's song and I stood up to pick it back up. I looked down at the Cinderella and Prince Charming figures on it. They looked so happy. I wanted to be happy. I wound it back up, "Cinderella was Emily's favorite princess. She'd dress up like her and we'd dance around the room."
I sat the music box down and the song began to play again. I closed my eyes and imagined Emily with her Cinderella costume on. The two of us twirling around the room, singing. "So this is love. Mmmmmm. So this is love. So this is what makes life divine.....Emily would always tease me because I would forget what came next."
I felt Daryl's hands on my shoulders, "One day everything will be normal again."
I turned to face him. "How do you know?"
He shrugged, "I just do."
He leaned down and pressed his forehead to mine. We stared into each other's eyes for what felt like forever before he started to get closer. Right as our lips were about to touch Rick interrupted, "I'm picking up a radio signal on the walkie talkie. It sounds like Merle."
"And you moved in here?" Daryl asked.
I shook my head, "Not yet. I had an apartment down the road from the dojo. About a year ago, my dad died and I inherited everything, so Emily and I moved in here. Then, the Friday before the outbreak I dropped Emily off at Paul's house for her to spend the weekend with him. He begged me to take him back that night, but I refused."
"Because he cheated on you?"
"Right. On Sunday, while I was training a woman who had been infected walked into the dojo and attacked my trainer. I grabbed a pair of katanas and, well, needless to say, her head went rolling across the floor. I went straight to Paul's house. When I got there...." I trailed off as the tears started falling from my eyes. Daryl wiped them away and I gave him a weak smile, "When I got there...she was....she was dead. Her body had been torn into pieces. Her blood covered the floor staining the carpet. Paul was standing there covered in her blood. He had been infected."
"Did you kill him?"
I shook my head, "I couldn't bring myself to do it. I ran. I came here and I locked myself in the panic room for about a week. While I was in there I, metaphorically, killed myself. I buried all of my emotions, refusing to feel anything. When I came out of the panic room, I was the only survivor here. There were no news casts on the TV or the radio. There was no one in town who wasn't one of the walking dead. Just me. And until now, I ignored this room as if it wasn't even here."
"What's kept you alive?"
I shrugged, "I'm not sure. The hope that maybe somewhere there's someone developing a cure, and that we'll all be saved from this hell."
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't of kept asking-"
"No," I shook my head slightly, "Don't be sorry. It's about time I stopped pretending." The music box finished it's song and I stood up to pick it back up. I looked down at the Cinderella and Prince Charming figures on it. They looked so happy. I wanted to be happy. I wound it back up, "Cinderella was Emily's favorite princess. She'd dress up like her and we'd dance around the room."
I sat the music box down and the song began to play again. I closed my eyes and imagined Emily with her Cinderella costume on. The two of us twirling around the room, singing. "So this is love. Mmmmmm. So this is love. So this is what makes life divine.....Emily would always tease me because I would forget what came next."
I felt Daryl's hands on my shoulders, "One day everything will be normal again."
I turned to face him. "How do you know?"
He shrugged, "I just do."
He leaned down and pressed his forehead to mine. We stared into each other's eyes for what felt like forever before he started to get closer. Right as our lips were about to touch Rick interrupted, "I'm picking up a radio signal on the walkie talkie. It sounds like Merle."