Lone Survivors

Months passed. We avoided large herds of Walkers and scavenged what we could from deserted houses. I actively participated, finally effective at using a knife and killing the undead alongside the other adults in the group. Aside from that, I accompanied Daryl when he went hunting. He didn’t teach me anything, and we didn’t really talk because he was always listening for nearby animals. I just held onto the dead animals and kept an eye out for Walkers. It was always reassuring for the group that Daryl was with someone, just in case any accidents happened. No one wanted to lose him.

Our relationship together had progressed to something I couldn’t really describe. Daryl expressed multiple times his care for me, both verbally and through certain actions, and I knew I cared about him too. But it wasn’t like we were dating or anything. I had stayed in Daryl’s tent after I had moved past losing Andrea, and it wasn’t just for comfort or support. Things had just progressed from there. One time Daryl was reaching over me to turn the dull lamp off, lost his balance a little, and ended up deciding to kiss me. One thing led to another, and soon we were spending a lot of time alone. And that was our relationship: great sex at night, and watching each other’s backs during the day. In a zombie apocalypse, that was wonderful. Whatever type of relationship we were in, it worked. I was the happiest I had ever been since all this crap started.

And everyone seemed to approve. Carol was the only one who became uncomfortable around us once she learned what we were doing, but she appeared to be okay with it now. Sometimes it seemed like we were just another version of Glenn and Maggie, in a way. It wasn’t a big deal.

Hershel taught me some general information about birth and pregnancy. He wanted both of us to be prepared for when the time came, and judging by the size of Lori, the time was going to come pretty soon. We just desperately needed to find a place that was safe enough for her. And we did. Daryl and Rick located a prison, and we all wanted it so bad. It would be perfect.

So we took the yard. One step at a time, I knew we’d get there. It was scary, but we had a formation and a plan, and we took out the Walkers. As we settled down for the night around a fire, I looked up at the huge building. Could it really be ours? A roof over our heads, thick fences to keep those monsters out, a safe place for Lori’s baby… I smiled at the prison. It could be ours, and it would be. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind.