meanstreak
rick grimes 𝘹 fem!𝘰𝘤
© WANDARYEN ──── 2024

"Can we — can we hold up a sec?"

I turned to my sister, a small smile tugging on my lips as she hunched forward to rub her leg. "We've only been walking for twenty minutes," I commented.

She blew some blonde strands of hair from her face. "Twenty minutes is starting to feel like hours. I think I twisted my ankle."

"You okay?" Daryl nodded in her direction.

"I just need to sit down."

I turned my gaze to Daryl while he held his crossbow over in my direction. "All right, hold up." He nodded at my sister again and I took his weapon, positioning it over my back like he normally did.

He hunched over in front of Beth, gesturing to his back. "Hop on."

"Are you serious?" She smiled. "Yeah. This is a serious piggyback. Jump up." Beth did as told and jumped onto Daryl's back, his arms wrapping around her legs.

"You're heavier than you look," he grunted, which caused her to laugh softly.

Intuitively, I turned my gaze towards the south — the direction we were walking away from where the prison was originally located.

"What is it?" Daryl's voice carried from ahead of me. "What do you see?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, I was just wondering —" wondering if we were going in the same direction as Rick and Carl or the others. If Maggie and Glenn went this way too — or if we all went in opposite directions, only putting more distance into finding each other again.

"Do you think," I bit down on my lower lip and turned back to Daryl. His gaze shifted from mine to the woods behind me, a small nod of his head. "Yeah — they could be."

I know he was only saying that to reassure me but it lifted some of the heavy weight off my chest.

I followed Daryl, Beth still clinging to his back, as we walked through a large cemetery and towards a large white funeral home.

"Maybe there are people there." Beth nodded towards the building.

"Yeah, if there are, I'll handle them."

I looked over at Daryl with an eyebrow raised, "theres still good people, Daryl." He shrugged, "I dont think the good ones survive."

The building was large, probably about two floors, maybe three. Daryl opened the front door, giving it a bang with his fist then whistled. When nothing shifted or moved, we walked inside once Beth got off his back.

"It's so clean," she pointed out, her eyes wondering throughout the rooms.

I nodded my head agreeing, following Daryl into a room where they cleaned the bodies before putting them inside a casket. "Yeah. Someone's been tending to it. May still be around."

He grabbed a medical wrap and nodded towards my sister. "Let's get that ankle wrapped."

Beth stood by a table, staring down at a corpse that was dressed nicely in a black suit. "Looks like somebody ran out of dolls to dress up." Her gaze lingered between Daryl and I, "It's beautiful. Whoever did this cared. They wanted these people to get a funeral. They remembered these things were people before all this. They didn't let it change them in the end. Don't you think that's beautiful?" Daryl only looked at her before knelling down and wrapping up her sore ankle.

We managed to find a kitchen, opening a set of cabinets that revealed food and water. "Whoa. Peanut butter and jelly, diet soda, and pig's feet. That's a white trash brunch right there." I shrugged my shoulders at Daryl and grabbed a jar of peanutbutter happily. "It all looks good to me."

"No, hold up. Ain't a speck of dust on this." Daryl pointed out.

"So?" Beth grabbed herself a jar of peanutbutter as well.

"That means somebody just put it here." He gestured towards the cabinet. "This is someone's stash. Maybe they're still alive." My eyes narrowed playfully at the man, causing him to sigh. "All right, we'll take some of it and we'll leave the rest."

A smile formed on my lips, crossing my arms over my chest. "I knew it." He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Knew what?"

"It's like I said. There are still good people."

Daryl smirked but rolled his eyes, opening a jar of peanutbutter and sticking his fingers in it to get a scoop before bringing it to his mouth with a happy sigh. "Mm."

Beth scrunched her nose and laughed, "gross."

"Hey, those pig's feet are mine." Daryl pointed to the cabinet before the three of us walked back to the front of the building where caskets were laid out along with a piano which Beth sat at in a hurry.

She opened her mouth and started to sing a song, making a smile form on my lips.

Daryl climbed into one of the casket with a happy sigh while I sat beside Beth at the piano. Her fingers danced around on the keys while I watched closely.

"Thank you for not giving up," she softly spoke before she glanced towards me. "I was starting to get worried."

I shook my head then shrugged my shoulder as I started to press my fingers down on the keys. "I wanted to — honestly. I wasn't in a good mental state." I looked back at my sister. "I'm sorry I made you worry."

Beth smiled then allowed her shoulders to slouch as she dropped her hands to her lap. "It's okay, we all have different ways of coping."

I nodded my head in understanding before resting it along her shoulder, taking one of her hands in mine. "I miss him," I whispered sadly.

Her head tilted against mine and she sighed gently. "Me too."

"I'm gonna leave a thank-you note." Beth smiled, grabbing a piece of paper and pen.

"Why?" Daryl asked, scooping the last bit of peanutbutter onto a spoon.

"For when they come back — If they come back. Even if they're not coming back, I still want to say thanks." I smiled at my sister, sucking on my spoon that had left-over peanutbutter while my arms crossed over my chest.

Daryl hummed at the idea. "Maybe you don't have to leave that. Maybe we stick around here for a while. They come back — we'll just make it work. They may be nuts, but maybe it'll be all right."

Beth looked up at him and grinned. "So you do think there are still good people around." Daryl chuckled but didnt reply.

"What was it that changed your mind?" I nodded my head in his direction.

"You know." He shrugged, making Beth smile and lean in, desperate to hear his answer.

"What?" I softly chuckled, setting the spoon down on the table. "What changed your mind?" I grinned.

A loud bark from a dog came outside — the sudden noise making me flinch while Daryl stood up with a frustrated groan. "Its for you." Daryl spoke towards Beth as we all stood up from the table, following him to the front door. "Damn dog — "

When he opened it wide, a group of walkers charged at the door until he quickly pushed his hands against it, trying to push it shut but the walkers were in the way. His back now pressed against the door, he yelled towards Beth and I as I stood in front of her protectively.

"Beth! Sienna! Run! Run!"

I grabbed Beth's arm and shoved her through the hall. Daryl removed himself from the door and ran behind us as we locked ourselves into the kitchen now.

"Sienna, pry open a window. Get your shit." I quickly opened the window as Beth started to grab the bags and stuff them with our food. "We're not gonna leave you!" She cried out to Daryl.

"Go out. Go up the road. I'll meet you guys there. Go!" He practically shoved us out the window.

Beth was the first to take off as I tried to follow. I was having trouble keeping my straps on my shoulders between my rifle and bag of supplies.

"Beth!" I gasped out of breath, catching a tree as I paused for a moment. "Wait!"

"Sienna!" Daryl called out for me but I didnt stop to have him catch up.

My feet kept moving as I ran up to a road, seeing a pile of Beths bag and trash on the ground. The sound of a car speeding off caught my attention.

My head snapped towards the direction, watching it drive away with smoke coming from the tires. "No," I breathed, picking up my feet again and started chasing after the car. "No!"

"Bring her back!" I screamed out, tears prickling my eyes.

"Sienna, wait!" I heard Daryl call out for me again but I didnt stop. I just kept running.

"Bring her back!" I screamed louder this time — scratching my throat from the force I used to have them hear but the car didn't stop.

The car was completely out of sight and I was forced to collapse onto the ground with a choked sob. Not even the pain of my knees coming in contact with the road was enough to overtake the pain in my chest.

I allowed my body to fall completely limp and lay directly onto the ground while small choked sobs leaving my lips.

Daryl appeared by my side with his hands hovering over my body — an attempt to calm me down and comfort me through the pain.

But I wanted to die.

She was gone. They took her, whoever they are — she was gone and now there was no way of getting her back.