Finding a Family

The Tunnel

"You've never looked out for me!I dedicated my goddamn life to helping others, and it was because you always treated me like I didn't exist. You were never there for me when I needed you."

Nora looked at her father with tears in her eyes, her hands wringing themselves in her dirty shirt.

He looked at her with contempt,"You think I didn't notice you, didn't know you existed? You were all I saw, and every time I looked at you, it reminded me of her. She died because of you, and I couldn't stand to act like I was okay with that because I'm not. I know that I should have felt some fatherly compassion towards you, but when they pulled you out of her and the doctors gave you to me to hold, I couldn't look at you. All I could see was your mom's dead body on that hospital bed."

Nora exhaled and let the tears that had been aching to be let out were released, dripping down her sweaty face and onto the ground.

"I was a baby! I had no control over what happened to her, and you know it, you just don't want to admit it. And if you really want to go there, need I remind you why I never had a grandmother?"

"Don't you dare!," he seethed,"don't you dare bring that up."

"Dad, I never blamed you for that, okay, the only reason both my mom and yours are dead is genetic, it had nothing to do with us. You're just looking for someone to blame for the guilt you felt for growing up without a mom!And I was the easy choice, because I was the only one left."

While they were both letting out pent up anger and remorse, neither of them heard the biters approaching them.

Nora arrived at the gates with two packs slung over her shoulder, dried blood caked underneath her fingernails.

"Hey," she yelled, her voice cracking. "Hey, let me in!"

When she was preparing to yell again, the doors shifted, and started to slowly show a normal Georgia town. But not apocalypse normal, like the kind of normal where her and her friends would go shopping in a place like this.

People were walking around with ice cream, laughing. Some were riding bikes around the healthy plants in the middle of the road. A mother and father were pushing their newborn around in a stroller.

Nora blinked a few times to try and make this apperation go away, but it stayed. The untouched buildings stayed. The people were still going about their lives.

A man she hadn't even noticed until he was a few feet away from her smiled, "what's your name?"

"Uh, Nora," she let out, still debating whether she was dreaming or not.

"Well, Nora. Welcome to Woodbury."

"Hey,hey, Nora," Glenn lightly shook her shoulder.

She flinched and looked up at the Korean pizza delivery boy, and sat up,rubbing her eyes.

"My watch," she slurred.

"Yeah,my watch just ended. When you're done, it's Abraham's turn."

She stood up and wiped the dirt from her jeans, knowing that there was no point in it, but an old habit that still presented itself at times.Nora started walking over to the tree they were all taking turns sitting at to look over the group, but stopped when Glenn started talking again.