Condemned. Sequel to 'Don't Look Back'

Chapter 32

I was pushed out of the room as Denise began immediate surgery. The sounds around me blurred together, as did my vision.

I fell to my knees and stared straight ahead, hearing the sound of a slamming door. I heard Denise call for someone, and they brushed past me, knocking me out whatever kind of mental breakdown I was going into.

"Where'd Rick go?" I asked monotonously.

"Killing rampage with Michonne." Denise frantically called out. My sorrow was replaced with boiling rage, and I grabbed the pistol on my hip, and grabbed the machete that was laying against a bookshelf.

I stormed out of the building, and spun the handle of the blade around in my hand while targeting my first victim. I wasn't sure if I'd get out of this alive, but Carl also might not survive.

The whole night, I slashed and I killed. I killed for my mom, I killed for Sam and Jessie, I killed for Carl. I however, did not kill for Ron, he deserved to be killed and eaten.

Silent tears streamed down my face as I killed walkers, the image of Carl's bleeding face surfacing in my mind. I can't lose him, I've already lost so much in the past twenty four hours.

Hours on end go by, until there are no more walkers in sight. I was covered in blood and guts, but that didn't matter to me right now.

Rick and Michonne walked over to me, and put their hands on my shoulders.

"Let's go see him." Michonne said and helped me over to Denise's workplace.

We opened the door and I rushed in, looking over at Denise, whose hands were covered in blood. I stared at them and blinked, tears coming to my eyes.

"He's ok, he's ok." She said. "He's going to need to recover, but he will be fine." I smiled and turned around to hug Rick and Michonne.

Rick began crying and that caused a few tears of my own to fall. He was going to be ok, and that's all I needed to know. Michonne rubbed my back as I regained my composure.

"How long until he's ok?" I asked with a shaky voice.

"Who knows? It might be two weeks, it might be two months. You don't just bounce back from things like this." She said and I nodded.

"Well then, I'll be here for him." I pulled up a chair and sat down in it.

Hours passed, and still no sign of movement from him. Denise came over to me, and sighed.

"You really should go help the others. It'll take your mind off of this, and that might be what you need."

"But what if he-"

"He's going to be fine. Trust me. I wouldn't give you false hope. Now go help the others." I got to my feet and strolled out of the building, taking one last glance at Carl before I closed the door. The air was muggy and heavy, which happens to be my least favorite type of weather.

"Rayne." I heard someone call for me, and I saw Kaylee running over to me.

"Kaylee." I said as he engulfed me in a hug.

"Thank God you're ok. Rick told me about everything, and I'm so sorry." She said keeping me close.

"I'll be ok, I'll just need some time to adjust to everything." I kept a strong composure for them, knowing they didn't need to see me all broken down and a mess.

"We're gathering bodies right now, we're going to burn the walkers, and bury our own." She said and I nodded, looking at the immense amount of bodies that littered the ground.

I began by pulling one walker over to a pile, and I repeated that step over and over again, all day long, until Rick and Michonne came over to me.

"We found her." Rick told me and I took in a sharp breath of air and nodded.

They led me to the body of my mom, her skin turning purple, her lips blue. Her eyes were closed, and I was thankful for that, I couldn't stand to see them open and lifeless. A few of my tears dropped down onto her cold skin, and I just stared at her.

There was dried blood all over her, meaning the tower fell and caused major injuries.

"She didn't suffer." Michonne whispered to me and I nodded, feeling some type of comfort in that. Her hair was matted with blood, and I couldn't stand to see her this way.

"When will we bury her?" I weakly asked.

"As soon as Daryl gets back. You can write her name on the wall over there when you're ready." Michonne told me and I nodded, backing away from her body.

Hours later, a grave had been dug for her, and Daryl rolled into Alexandria.

"What the hell happened here?" He asked and looked around. I was sitting on the front steps of a house, watching as Rick informed him that Lyla died.

Daryl glanced over to me with watery eyes and I nodded, confirming it to him. He shoved past Rick and disappeared somewhere, only to be seen when we were burying her.

"Heavenly Father, we gather here today to memorialize and remember the life of Lyla Grace." Gabriel started, but I tuned out his speech, staring at the wooden cross which marked her grave.

I was asked if I wanted to say something, and stepped in front of everyone, and took a preparing breath,

"My mom was one of the strongest people I knew. Before this all started, she worked at the CDC in Atlanta, both of us barely able to make payments on the house. Of course she'd tell me not to worry, but it was hard not to when I saw her working every day for little pay." I took a break and wiped my nose.

"After everything went to hell, she changed, and I can't say it was all for the better. But, I'm not holding anything against her, she is my mother, and I can't hold a grudge against her. I knew she loved me with everything she had, and it's a damn shame she had to go this way." I shook my head, and looked down at the grave.

"I love you." I whispered and stood back in the crowd. Daryl was asked if he wanted to say anything, and of course, he said no.

As they were putting dirt over her body, I looked up to the sky, seeing dark orange blend into dark blue. I knew she was up there, watching over me. As was Reese, and my dad. A few stray tears fell freely down my face, as I continued staring off in the distance, saying my final goodbyes.