New World (D.Dixon) ~rewritten~

•chapter 10• <rewrite>

*The Farm and New Faces*
< Rewritten Version >
Word Count — 8685
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Alessia's POV

They loaded up the RV, the weight of their purpose heavy in the air. The plan was set—head to the farm, a potential sanctuary where they could regroup and strategize for Sophia's search. It was their best shot at finding her, and the uncertainty gnawed at Alessia's insides. Every minute that passed, every hour they spent with no word, her sister's fate seemed to slip further and further away.

Alessia couldn't stop praying that Carl was okay. He was just a kid—kind, brave, and somehow capable of carrying more weight than most adults. And Sophia... Alessia had no doubt that her sister had a soft spot for him. Maybe even a crush. Kids, she thought, with a bittersweet ache, their innocence slipping away like the world around them. The truth was, she didn't know if she'd ever see Sophia again. The thought of it was almost too much to bear.

Her mom? She had returned to the cold silence she'd adopted after Daryl and Alessia had returned empty-handed from their search the night before. There was no comfort, no understanding between them anymore. Nothing but the hollow, oppressive quiet that came with loss.

Andrea was at her breaking point, lashing out at Dale in the kind of way only someone with too much fear and anger built up could. T-Dog and Glenn had already left, heading for the farm to get T-Dog's arm looked at, though it was hard to tell if they were more concerned about the injury or just desperate for a reprieve from the madness.

Everything felt so out of control. The RV hummed with the vibrations of a world that had shattered, and Alessia couldn't shake the memory of kissing Daryl in the woods. One reckless, heat-filled moment, and then just as quickly, he'd retreated into that cold, distant silence. She had known, deep down, that it meant nothing to him. That it was a distraction. A fleeting thing.

But still, the sting lingered, raw and unwelcome. It was a mess. Her life was a mess, and it felt like it was all unraveling too fast, like there was nothing she could hold onto.

And yet, her thoughts kept circling back to him.

She shouldn't be thinking about Daryl, not now, not with everything on the line. The world was falling apart around them—zombies roamed the earth, and her little sister was still out there, lost and alone. How could she afford the luxury of emotions in the middle of this nightmare?

And yet, her heart betrayed her.

Maybe it was the way Daryl's presence filled the space around him, like he was a force of nature, steady and unyielding. Maybe it was his strength, the way he stood firm against the world's cruelty. Or maybe, just maybe, it was those damn Georgia blues—eyes that seemed to see right through her, disarming and dangerous all at once.

She was in her own head now, spiraling into the kind of thoughts that made her feel both alive and numb all at once. It was the most dangerous place to be, and yet, somehow, it felt like the only refuge she had left.

Her heart—her stupid, betraying heart—craved Daryl. But it also craved safety. It craved the protection from heartbreak, from loss. She wanted to be close to him, but she also feared what would happen if she let herself need him.

The world had already taken so much. Would it take this too?

She looked out the window of the RV, the landscape blurred by the motion, and a cold, hollow truth settled over her. She had no idea what was coming next—only that it would hurt. A lot. There was no avoiding it. No turning back. The world ahead was a nightmare she couldn't wake up from. And somehow, it felt like Daryl, of all people, might be the only one who could understand that.