Chapter 1

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I roll over, 'yet another sleepless night.' I think to myself. I used to love to sleep, but after all that's happened it seems I can't even get more than a couple hours, if I'm lucky. I run my hands through my knotted dark ponytail to see if the rest of the group is up yet. I've been with Rick and the rest of the group since Hershel's farmhouse when I saved Daryl from biters. Of all people to have saved, right?

Don't get involved Kendall, run away Kendall," I tell myself. But I can't find it in myself to leave him. I emerge from behind my safety zone and shoot the biter, it falls onto the mysterious man. I wait a moment, neither of them move. I tip-toe over to them and rip the carcass off of him. His head bleeds profusely, he must have hit it off something. He stares up at me, his eyes are blue, similar to the ocean. He has dark brown hair and is very built. He looks as if he wants to say something.
"Are you okay? Who are you?" I ask half expecting an answer. He becomes unconscious. I turn to leave him, but again something inside me refuses. I sigh and check for a pulse. He is alive, I then check for bites. Once I make sure he hasn't been infected I grab his crossbow off of him. It is larger and much heavier than mine. I remove a pistol and a knife from his back pockets slipping it into mine. Grabbing his wrists, I begin to drag the man carefully back to my cabin. It must be quite a sight that a five foot three tall girl is dragging a six foot man through the woods, but I don't think about it too much.
After a grueling half hour or so we are finally back at the cabin. I lay him on his side while I go to unlock the door. He lets out a hushed noise but doesn't move. Once the door is open I drag him inside and quickly shut the door behind us. "Kendall what have you gotten yourself into." I think out loud.

I started in Pennsylvania and had just been making my way down south ever since. After Daryl realized I was alone with no group he insisted I joined his. I wasn't really in the position to say no, and thankfully I didn't decline. Because this group has saved me. We protect each other like family. Sure I've been with people and groups between then and now but this is the only solid group I've been able to put up with. From farmhouse, to a prison, to the streets, even through fake cannibalistic  'sanctuaries' and a sleazy "governor." We've stuck together. We've gained some and lost some of our members, the hardest one for me was Beth. I was closest in age to her. I was barely 20 when we met and now I'm 22 She was the sweetest girl, didn't have a mean bone in her body. She was a different kind of strong and I just found myself able to relate to her. Unlike me, she was an open book with endless stories. She was beautiful.

Daryl emerges from the doors as Maggie smiles. Her smile fades when she sees Beth laying lifeless in Daryl's arms. Daryl is crying out and all I can do is fall to my knees. Glenn engulfs Maggie into a hug. Poor Maggie has lost so much. Her father, her sister. It's incredible how she manages to keep going.

So here I am in a warn down shack with Daryl. My closest friend. Everyone thinks we are 'in love and don't know it' but Daryl isn't the sappy emotional kind. But there is no denying that there is something. We are both outcast, him more so than me though. I'm quiet and timid at first. Shy and awkward, that is, until you get to know me. We've laughed together, cried together, Hell we even kissed but that's a whole other story.

We leave to head north tomorrow, I know what you're thinking. 'Kendall you came down south just to go back up north again?' Trust me I've expressed that to Rick many times. Warning him there's nothing but trouble that way. But NOOOO nobody listens to Kendall. Sheesh.

You see the original plan was to go to Washington DC. Eugene, a newer member of the group, lied to us saying he knew the cure to survive. But for some reason we are STILL headed north. I recommended west but again, nobody listens to Kendall. What a damn shame. We put the last of the supplies into our vehicle which took all day and get ready to sleep. Well, they do. I get ready to spend hours staring into the sky and think.

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