Vanessa Taylor, a sassy blue haired, tattooed cosmetologist with a mouth of a sailor was born and raised in Ohio. One summer while she was visiting her sick father, her connecting flight ends in the city getting shut down, leaving her stranded in th...
Panic rushes through my veins, "I forgot which way Rick and Daryl had planned for us to go!" The memories of that council meeting seem to have blocked me from reaching them. Anger at myself soars through my soul. Why the fuck can't I remember? I let out a stream of curses.
"You don't need to worry about that right now." Charlee runs her hands through my hair, trying her best to keep me calm. "Kelly! We need to pull over, there's a bullet in her thigh! The blood is seeping through the bandanna!" Charlee shouts to her twin through the open back window, concern seeps into her tone. I'm lying in her arms, numb to the pain shooting through my leg.
"No, we need to go back. Forget me." I lash out, begging. "We need to help!" The tears begin to build behind my eyes.
"Honey, we can't. There's nothing to go back to." somber tones cut into her voice. "We have to keep moving. Rick told us we need to get you to safety."
"I never told him." I whisper, I bring my hand up to wipe my tears away. Regret burns my heart, shattering my soul. My own blood coats my knuckles like a second skin. "He tried, but I kept fucking running. I fucked up." Now, I have to live with that. Kelly was fucking right. I feel my heart begin to harden at the loss of my family.
"You know, Daryl probably got out. He's tough; just like you. Promise me something, Ness. If you see him, again, hold onto that man with everything you got and tell him what's on your heart."
I nod. "I promise." But the hope on ever crossing his path a second time seems to be out of reach. We wrap our pinkies together, kissing our thumbs, sealing the deal. It's something we always done since we were little. I don't think we'll ever stop. It's the type of promise we can't back out of, or karma will find the one who broke it, reaping its vengeance.
After a few painful minutes, Kelly pulls his truck over. He stalks to the bed, jumping in. I observe how he moves, knowing what he has in mind. He rummages around, finding someone's clothes. "Bite on this." He orders to me. His brown eyes find his sister, "hold her down, she's going to flail." Charlee positions herself on top of me, so I can't move. Kelly takes out his knife, cutting my pants, leaving my wound on display. Attempting to brace myself for what's about to come, I'm still unprepared when his fingers start digging and tearing at me, a blood curdling scream rips out of my throat. The pain wins as I pass out.
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Michonne and I find ourselves in the middle of the yard once it's been cleared of the dead. When she returned from her trip to hunt down the Governor, she sought me out. I always looked forward to our talks while she showed me how to move and wield my sword. She liked to tease me about how I'm so uncoordinated. Daryl sat at the guard tower, watching us with growing interest.
"No luck, I take it." I offer after a few beats of silence.
She brings her katana down, peering over at me, shaking her head. "It's like he's a ghost."
