RULE THE WORLD | D.DIXON

082

I LOVE YOU-082

A few hours passed since the battle between the Saviors and Alexandria happened, hours since Matilda been kneeling next to the grave she and Carl had dug for their brother.

She stared at her brother's lifeless dark brown eyes that seemed to stare back at her, she didn't have the courage to close his eyes. If she closed his eyes, then he's really gone.

She always loved his eyes. Big, doe-like chocolate brown eyes. They always felt like home and if she closes them that piece of home fades.

Gone forever. She will never feel that again.

Her hand clutched the damp earth beneath her, her eyes were puffy, red, and dried with tears. Tears tracks printed on her cheeks as she laid the handful of dirt on her brother.

When she had came back to the group with her brother's body in the arms of Dianne, the world seemed to still. The air became suffocating as her family saw his body.

Violet had collapsed in her sister's arms, sobbing when she saw her boyfriend's copse. Kelly held her baby sister, tightly as Rosie joined them.

Carl had hurried over to his sister, wrapping his arms around her as sobs ripped though his throat. Their father stumbled forwards, taking his son's body out of the woman's arm and sank to the ground, crying as he cuddled Lee's body.

As Carl and Matilda dug the grave, their father held the body before laying his son, gently, on the ground. The group took turns lying handfuls of dirt on their late members body before leaving the Grimes-Dixons alone.

Rick, Carl, Max, and Daryl stayed at the grave for an hour or two before leaving Matilda alone. Daryl crouched down in front of his wife, a hand placed on her cheek before he planted a kiss on her head.

"He was the glue." The frail voice of her baby brother said as he sat on the other side of the grave. "He was the one who kept us together."

"I never gave him a name." Matilda said, a tear ran down her cheek.

"What do you know mean?" Carl asked, lying a handful of dirt on his brother.

Matilda let out a shaky sigh. "The stupid names we have for each other when we were little. Matilda the protector, Carl the defender. I never him a name."

"He didn't want one, Til. He told me." Carl sniffed. "He was glue—he is the glue. The person who kept us together. He was real hero. The real defender and protector."

"He was my responsibility." She said after a moment of silence. "I failed mom. I failed Lee. I was supposed to protect him and I couldn't even do that."

Carl shook his head. "You didn't fail, Matilda. What happened to Lee was out of your control, yes, but you protected him, you protected us. Judy. This far. You protected us so we see to this day. You didn't fail mom or Lee. They would be proud of you."

Matilda's lip wobbled as tears streamed down her face. "I loved him. I love him so much that it hurts. He was—is my best friend. All you are. When you all were born, I vowed to myself that I would sacrifice my life yours. You, Lee, and Judy."

"I know. I love him, too." Carl nodded, looking at his brother's face. "We have to win this for him."

"This is a war, Carl." Tilly swallowed, wiping away her tears. "People are going to die. He was one of them. He asked me what would happen if one of us dies. I told him that if we die, we died fighting for something. For our people, for Alexandria. For our world. He said we're gonna rule the world. And we are. We're going to beat that son of bitch and take the world back."

Matilda grabbed the flowers that sat next her, picked up one of her brother's cold hands and placed them in his hands. She glanced at her baby brother, reaching out her hand and intwined their fingers.

"It's time. I've been holding on, because I wanna to say goodbye. But he needs to rest."

She reached out her free hand and gently closed her brother's eyes. Leaning down, she pressed her cheek against his cold one.

"I love you, Lee."