Not That Bad

1~ Anna Sun

ANNA'S POV

Anna has lots of names, and I'm not just talking about her four main ones. She has lots of nicknames too. Sunny, Sunshine, Anna-banana, Sunflower, and more. She don't mind though, she like having lots of names.

She likes to assign people nicknames to call her. Her dad calls me Sunshine, Atlas calls her Anna Marie, and her mom called me Sunflower. Sunflower is her favorite nickname. Lucille draws little sunflowers on my lunch bag for her, or takes her driving to see some. At least she did before the world went to shit as Anna's dad says.

Now a days the Smith family all hang out in the basement hiding from the dangers of the outside world. Lucille stays in bed, taking her medicine to feel better, Negan tries his best to keep his family entertained and happy, Atlas just sits and glares out the window, and Anna tries to make everyone feel better.

Anna tells her mom stories she's made up in her head, and draws her pictures of of them. Sometimes when Lucille's really sick Anna just cuddles with her. Lucille says Anna is like a living medicine for her, and that she make things more sunny.

Today's one of those days. Anna is wrapped around Lucille's side as Negan reads to them. He hates reading, but it's one of Lucille's favorite things so he does it. Anna likes to think that her dad is really good at reading stories. He makes funny voices and faces to match the characters, pulling her deep into the story.

Negan sighs and pauses. "Mama."

Lucille looks at him with a half-smile. "Hmm?"

"This book sucks. It's killing me. I-I-I can't — I can't do it."

Lucille laughs. "You're the one that won't let me watch James Bond."

Anna nods in agreement, and pushes the book towards his face. "Read."

Before Negan can continue they can hear the fence rattling and a monster snarling. Atlas looks over from his spot at the window to Negan. "You gotta take care of it."

Negan scoffs. "Come on. Seriously?"

Atlas nods, Lucille agreeing with him. Anna doesn't want Negan to go, not with the monsters up there, but he does it anyway. He dresses in some homemade armor and heads outside. Lucille follows him a few moments later, despite Anna's protests.

Atlas watches them from the window as Anna cover her ears and closes her eyes. She can still hear the gunshot and the thud of a body despite her attempts to block it out. Lucille and Negan come back in a moment later, blood splattered on Negan's face.

Negan walks to the bathroom while Lucille puts in her movie. Neither speaks an odd tension between them. Lucille sits down beside Anna on the bed as they snuggle close to watch the movie. After a few movies, Negan turns off the generator with plans to turn it back on before bed.

Hours later Anna is awoken by Negan's arms lifting her up and placing her in bed. "Shhh," He whispers as she stirs.

She can hear him climb onto their bed and lie down next to Lucille. He speaks a moment later. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good."

"I got something for you. I found someone's stash." He chuckles. "Now, it's a little bit dried out, but this is gonna help with your nausea."

Anna hears the rustling of a baggie for a second. Then Lucille speaks. "You're having to go further and further every time."

"Well, the generator needs gas, and this place has been picked over. But the bright side is... that I reckon that's exactly what's keeping us safe. There is nothing here that anybody wants."

"You can't keep it up. We need to move. We need other people. Think of the kids, we can't keep them in this basement forever."

"It's just too dangerous out there."

"That's my point."

Negan sighs. "Baby, you have three treatments left. That's it, okay? So we are gonna get your strength up, and then I will put you and the kids in a car and I will take you wherever you want to go — wherever you can dream up. I promise."

"Okay. Okay."

Anna falls asleep quickly once they stop talking. She awakes the next morning to Negan swearing. He's swearing a LOT.

She rubs her eyes and sits up. "Daddy? What's wrong?"

Negan goes quiet, real quiet. Anna's dad is never quiet. She rubs her eyes again and looks at him, her eyes traveling to his hands where he holds a dripping bag of Lucille's medicine. Wait, dripping?

Then she notices the quiet. The kind of quiet when the generator isn't on. Negan must have forgotten before he went to bed. Lucille's medicine has to be cold, but now it's not. Without her medicine she will die.

Anna must have looked real scared cause Negan quickly walks over and picks her up. She's a little old to be picked up but it's okay cause she's real small.

"It's gonna be okay Sunshine. I'm gonna get more medicine for Mama."

"How?"

"Remember that guy and his family came through here a while back? The kid had leukemia, uh, and they were looking for this group of doctors that traveled around in a mobile clinic?"

She nods.

"I sat down with him. He showed me his map. These doctors, take the same route every time, and they make the same stops. I think that I know where they are, and if I leave right now, I can catch them before they move on."

Anna jumps as Lucille speaks up. "They could be dead by now if they even existed to begin with. And then what do you do when you find them? You have nothing to barter with, so just stop."

Negan shakes his head. "I will figure it out." He sets Anna down on the bed and starts throwing things into a bag.

"Stop — Negan! I said stop!"

Negan freezes and looks at Lucille. "I can't.

Negan wakes up Atlas and the pair leave. Lucille and Anna do their best to keep entertained but Anna notices Lucille becomes really tired and sad more and more. Anna never could have guessed what would happen next.

Anna wakes up one morning in the bathroom. Beside her is their food and several water bottles, and Anna's stuffed raccoon  with a note attached.

'My love,

'I'm not getting any better. I can't risk putting you in danger so I've locked you in here. Don't be scared. Dad should come home soon and get you out. I love you my little Sunflower.'

'Love mommy'

Anna gasps and runs to the door and discovers that it's locked. She begins scream and bang on the door with no answer. There's no answer for a long time.

"Lucille?"

Anna perks up hearing Negan's voice. She hears him gasp and start to cry. She bangs on the door and yells. "Daddy! Let me out!"

The door opens to reveal a stunned Atlas. He picks Anna up and covers her eyes. Atlas never holds his sister.

Anna can hear snarling as Atlas carries her out of the room and out of the house.

"Atlas? What's going on? Where's momma?"

He sighs and sets her down on our porch. "Mom's gone."

"Gone? Where'd she go?"

"She's dead Anna. She's not coming back."

For the first time in her life, Atlas hugs her as she cries. They stay like that for a long time. They sit outside for hours before they can smell smoke. Atlas pulls Anna away from the house as the door bursts open. Negan steps out, flames reaching for his back.

They climb into the car and drive. Anna falls asleep, only to wake up to someone moving her to the back seat. Atlas sits beside her and a blonde woman sits in the front seat with Negan. Anna tenses up when she notices the blood coating Negan's face and the bat that sits beside him.

She got real used to the blood and the bat real fast.

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A/N

Welcome! If you were reading Cody's og story or Anna's don't worry, I'm not changing much. Also, should I make longer chapters? I average 1000 to 1500 words currently but I can combine some chapters to make them longer.

Their might some minor changes as I adjust things and change writing style to flow better.