This Sorrowful Life

Chapter 17

Carol screams out in agony as the walker takes another bite out of her neck.

Daryl takes his crossbow and shoots the walker in the head. But he keeps going.

He starts smashing the handle of the crossbow into the walkers skull. He stops and runs over to Carol, holding her hand.

She keeps screaming. She slows down and starts breathing heavy. She suddenly stops, her chest freezing.

"No..." He whispers. "No...."

A tear runs down my face and I close my eyes and sniffle, trying to hold the tears back. Carol was like a mother to me. She gave me advice and taught me things I needed to know. I'm going to miss her so much.

Carl sees me crying and walks up to me. He touches my shoulder and I turn to him. His eyes have tears in them. I walk into him and wrap my arms around him.

One of his hands are around my back and one is around my neck. I squeeze my arms tighter.

Daryl takes his knife and gently stabs her forehead so that she doesn't come back. I look over at Rick. He moves his head gesturing for Carl and I to come over.

We walk over and he hands us each a shovel.

"You should start to dig a grave for Carol. I'll help you." He tells us.

We both nod. We walk into one of the back yard of one of the houses and begin digging.

"This will be the graveyard" I say, my voice cracking.

Carl stops and looks at me, then looks down at his feat.

"I know..." He says quietly.

Rick joins us. "Glenn, Maggie and Michonne took Daryl's truck and are going to an old Canadian Tire to find some weapons and a specialty tire store down the road, they're going to get some 18 wheeler tires and wood to secure the fences more." Rick tells us.

"Okay." Carl and I say at the same time.

We continue digging as beads of sweat drip off my hair. Carl is sweating even more. It's got to be at least 120 degrees out.

After we finish digging, Carl and I walk into one of the houses we cleared out and take off one of the bedsheets.

We bring it outside and Daryl wraps Carol in it. Rick helps him carry Carol into her grave. Rick puts the dirt back in the grave. Daryl walks away and storms into one of the houses.

"Should we-" I begin.

"No. Let him be." Rick replies.

"Did we clear out all the houses?" Carl asks.

"Yeah, we just need to secure this place." Rick says.

Daryl's truck returns with Maggie, Michonne, and Glenn in it. In the back, there are 2 18 wheeler tires and 8 standard size ones. Maggie walks out carrying a compound bow. She hands it to me.

"I thought, maybe, you would like this?"

My eyes light up. I used to go target shooting with my dad, he used his 22 and I rented a bow. He would bring me to an archery place and I would shoot all day. I'm not trying to brag, but I'm really good with a bow. Plus, it's much quieter than a gun. I reach out and take the bow.

"Thank you so much..." I say, staring at it.

Maggie also hands me some string wax. This is an amazing bow. It has a sting loop, an attached quiver, a peep site and a bow site. "

Want to go hunting?" I ask Carl.

"Uh, sure." He replies.

"We're going hunting." Carl tells Rick.

"Be safe, stay together." Rick tells us.

We both nod and make our way into the woods.