Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

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My eyes danced with the fire that ravaged our community, blanketing our gardens in the red-orange flames. Everything came crashing down on me all at once; my children were missing, and someone was trying to ruin everything we'd built. My airway seemingly closed off, and my eyes brimmed with tears that threatened to tear through the thick walls I had created. The built-up moisture blurred my vision, and my breathing grew ragged. Warm, gruff hands gripped my face, bringing me back to the here and now. I blinked away the water from my eyes and focused on the person before me. Baby blue eyes penetrated through the fog, squinted in fright and anger.

"June!" I returned to reality and finally heard the frantic screams from members of our community.

"They're gone," I whispered. The fear I felt earlier shot out of me and was replaced by anger. The anger radiating off me resembled the fire that tore through Alexandria. "Sel!" I snapped, jumping into action, "Gather a group and start working on that fire!"

"On it!" She called out and pulled on her shoes, racing out the door and shouting orders at everyone and anyone who came our way.

"Daryl," I turned to the man in front of me, my mouth settling into a tight line, "I need you to help me track down whoever took my kids." Daryl nodded and rushed away, muttering something about his crossbow. I ran towards my room, quickly shrugged on my boots, and grabbed my weapons, determined to find and kill whoever thought it was a good idea to do this to us. Only one person came to mind, one person who could've done this.

"Let's get going," Daryl shouted, his voice vibrating through the house. Checking the chamber of my gun, I shut it closed and let my anger drive me.

~*~

Daryl and I tore through the woods, following the severe indentations in the ground. Whoever did this didn't bother trying to cover up their tracks. I held my sword tightly, trying to maintain my composure despite the raging fury coursing through me like lava. When I find her, I'm going to kill her. Despite my reservations, I opened my home to her, and she thanks me by kidnapping my kids! Daryl held out his hand, stopping me, and pointed a finger forward.

The trees thinned in the distance, revealing a large building. Instantly, I recognized it. During those first few months at Alexandria, I'd gone scavenging to see if we might've missed anything and stumbled upon it. It was an old school, and it was picked clean. It was the perfect place to hide out for a few hours. We approached the building slowly, hoping to gain the upper hand by remaining quiet. The large gray walls were slathered with moss and overgrown brush, serving as a stark reminder of the fall of humanity.

I pressed against the building and risked a peek around the corner. The blackness of the night made it nearly impossible to see anything more than a few feet. Daryl nudged me and slowly made his way to the back of the building. That's a good idea. She'd expect us to come in, guns blazing, through the front. I squinted against the blackness and closely followed as Daryl silently opened the back entrance, dropping into a low crouch. If we're having difficulties seeing, then she has to be, too.

The hallways were pitch black, and if I lifted my hand in front of my face, I could barely make out my hand.

"We're not going to find anything with how dark it is," Daryl muttered, his voice barely audible. I gingerly twisted the nearest doorknob and slowly pushed in, hoping that lady luck would be on our side and provide us with the rising sun.

"Shit," I lowly cursed. The moon hung low, signaling that it would start lowering within an hour or two, "We can't pull out the flashlights; it'll give us away."

"We can't sit here neither," Daryl whispered in return. I bit my lip, trying to weigh our options. Suddenly, a wail penetrated the stillness, making my heart leap into my throat. I know that wail anywhere. Without thinking, I ran towards the door and bolted down the hallway, trying to find the source of my son's cries.