WILDFIRE -Beth Greene

Morning's Mourning

Patricia's wails could be heard throughout the house last night when Hershel and Rick sat her down to relay her husband's fate.

It hadn't been in vain, though, the procedure Hershel had done had stabilised the young boy and sobs of an alien kind to that of Patricia's could be heard from the relieved parents.

The house was small and only had so many rooms, so as T-Dog, Rick and Lori took refuge in the guest rooms, Glenn and Gwen had been deemed worthy of the couches, but she didn't really mind. Just before she'd gone to sleep that night, she'd seen a glance of blond hair belonging to a younger girl cross a hallway. The new girl turned and caught sight of Gwen, who found herself sitting up a little straighter, smiling at the stranger.

She's gorgeous Gwen had thought.

A shy smile covered the girls face before she disappeared down the corridor. For the strangest reason, Gwen had almost wanted to follow the girl, but then of course she snapped out of it and realised that was creepy as hell and she fell in to an uncomfortable sleep on top of the Greene's lumpy sofas'.

The next morning is as bright and early as the ones before and Gwen finds herself discovering a pattern that she isn't too fond of. Almost straight away, the group got to work on the farm, shifting rocks to place on Otis' resting place. That's where Gwen was now, tediously lugging bricks into wheelbarrows but it meant a lot to these people so she was happy to do it.

The work was hard and it was starting to have Gwen majorly concerned at how unfit she was during the literal apocalypse but on the plus side, she supposed, the beautiful blond from last night was there too.

Beth was her name, she was Hershel's youngest, not that she knew that cause they'd interacted. God, no. She'd never been able to talk to girls and not even the actual weight of death at any given moment by flesh eating bastards would change that. She did, however, enjoy glancing up at her every few minutes, pretending to examine the view (which, in her case, is still technically true) and she enjoyed it even more when she'd see the girl already looking her way, then immediately pretending she wasn't.

Before she could build herself up a stalker-like persona with the girl, the sound of cars fills the air and Gwen's head snaps to attention. The RV and their other accompanying cars following suit made their way towards them.

Jessie.

The girl in question's eyes look over everyone in sight before they find Gwen, she smiles her biggest smile as the sisters meet half way in an embrace.

"I'm so glad you okay." Gwen whispers into her sister's ear, "No Sophia, I take it?"

Jessie just wordlessly shakes her head, Gwen can see she blames herself for leaving the girl and rushing to Gwen's side when the herd was coming through.

The sisters walk towards the group, still half holding onto each other, "How is he?" Dale asks Rick, who has just emerged from inside the house.

"He'll pull through thanks to Hershel and his people."

"And Shane." Rick adds, "We'd have lost Carl if not for him." The attention of the group then turns to the man, dressed in an oversized shirt and overalls, the sight being somewhat funny, if only Shane wasn't so creepy looking.

Carol steps forward, "We were so worried. How'd it happen?"

"Hunting accident. That's all.... Just a stupid accident."

Before the rest of the group can get properly settled in, they hold a memorial for Oris, each of those who loved him placing a rock on top of his bodiless grave as Hershel recites Christian vowels before he turns to Shane.

"Will you speak for Otis?"

"I'm not good at it. I'm sorry."

"You were the last one with him. You shared his final moments. Please." Patricia asks the man through shaky sobs, "I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning."

Sighing Shane stepped forward, "We were about done. Almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols by then, I was limping, it was bad." Gwen understands mourning and survivors guilt but what she could see in Shane's face as he looks into their faces is not that. Guilt, yes, but for a different reason entirely, Gwen suspects, "Ankles all swollen up," He pauses for too long then, and Gwen sees a flicker of doubt cross Dales face, "'We gotta save the boy' See that's what he said. He gave me his backpack, he shoved me ahead. 'Run' he said. He said 'I'll take the rear, I'll cover you.' And when I looked back...."

He begins to walk toward the grave, "If not for Otis, I'd have never made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too, it was Otis. He saved us both," And Gwen has to admit he's putting on quite the show, she almost doubts herself, "If any death ever had meaning, it was his."

I call bull.

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