my angel ➶ ➶ daryl dixon

t h i r t y s e v e n

Aspen's POV:
I sprint out of the cell, right behind Maggie. I look out over into the main dining area and see people running around.

I hurry down the stairs and run into Glenn.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Walkers have invaded the courtyard! A group just left to close the gate and kill the walkers that managed to make it in. I'm going to help them now. Stay here." He hurried off into the courtyard.

I turned around to Maggie. "I'm going to go help them too." She said.

"I'm coming with you."

"No, you're staying here." She grabbed my shoulders and pulled my into a tight, quick embrace. "We can't lose you again."

She sprinted off after Glenn, leaving me alone in the cell block. I could hear the walker moans from here, and people shouting. I couldn't believe that I was left behind, yet again.

I sighed and hobbled back up to my cell. When I was running earlier, the adrenaline numbed my injuries, but I could feel each and every one now. I slowly sat down on my bed and shut my eyes.

—————

I was startled awake by a loud horn blaring through the prison. I sprung up, letting out a yelp. I forgot how injured I was. I managed to make my way down the stairs and look around, but there was still no one in the cell block.

The horn continued to blare though, and it was giving me a headache. I sighed and began to make my way down a hallway. The gate! I had totally forgot about all the commotion before my nap. Did they fix the gate in time or were walkers pouring in by the second?

I hurried my pace, now on alert. I made my way deeper and deeper into the prison. Every corner I expected to come face to face with walkers.

I flashed back to my time in the woods. The walkers closing in on me, their teeth filled with flesh. My flesh. I began to run through the hallways as fast as I could, trying to find someone, anyone.

As I rounded a corner, I slammed into a body. They let out a scream and fell back.

"Carl?" I grabbed the boy and wrapped my arms around him. "Thank god." I sighed.

"Aspen? Are you ok?" He asked, fear in his eyes as I pulled away.

"I am now bud, I am now." I looked behind him as I heard a woman scream. "Lori?"

She turned towards me, her face as pale as a ghost. "Help me!" She screamed and I realized she was in labor.

"Come with me!" I took her arm and wrapped it around my shoulders, carrying most of her body weight. "Carl, watch for the walkers behind us." He nodded sternly.

I made my way down the hallway until I found a door that was open. "This way!" I could hear moans from a herd of walkers that weren't far behind us.

I quickly shut the door behind Carl and made Lori hold on to a pole attached to the wall. "Just breathe for me ok? Just breathe."

I took a shaky breath myself and looked around for anything that could help. Lori let out another scream.

"Okay I'm going to need you to push for me. Can you do that Lori?" She nodded her head and began to push.

"Stop! Stop!" I yelled as blood streamed down her legs. "Something's wrong."

She looked at me with fearful eyes. She knew what was coming. "We have to do a c section." She said, her voice shaking.

"Lori n-no, you'll d-die... I've never done a-anything like this before, and besides we don't have anything to stop your bleeding when we're done." I stammered, looking around frantically for any other option.

"Aspen, look at me." She turned my face with her hands and forced me to meet her gaze. "I'm not going to survive this and that's okay. If I don't do this me and the baby could die and if we do a c section at least the baby will have a chance."

Tears brimmed my eyes as I realized she was right. This is the only option. I turned to Carl and tears were falling rapidly down his face. Lori let out another scream as another contraction came and Carl ran to her, pressing his face to her back.

"Mom please don't go." He sobbed.

She pried his arms off of her and squatted down so she was eye to eye with him. "Carl, you're so strong. You're going to do amazing things in this world. Take care of your new sibling and father for me. You will do great things, I know it."

She muffled a scream and grabbed her stomach. As the contraction passed, she laid down and took a deep breath. "I'm ready." She whispered.

I looked around for anything to use, still in shock as Carl pulled a knife out of his pants and handed it to me. "Here." He said, tears still streaming down his face.

I kneeled next to Lori and looked her in the eyes. "You sure?" She nodded.

I took a deep breath and lifted up her shirt to reveal her belly. Before I had too much time to think, I stuck the knife into her and slowly, but quickly, cut a slit across her abdomen. She screamed as the knife entered her but soon her screams stopped as the blood spilled out onto the floor.

Eventually I had a cut big enough where I could see the baby's head and pulled on it until the baby was out of Lori's stomach. As soon as the baby entered the light, it began to cry and I picked up a jacket and wrapped the baby in it.

I turn towards the door to leave, Carl by my side, until he quickly turned around and ran back to Lori's body.

I don't even have time to turn around before I hear a gunshot go off.

Carl appeared by my side with fresh tears falling as we headed out into the depths of the prison.

—————

He led me down what felt like thousands of corridors, and I wondered how Carl knew where we were going. But eventually I could see sunlight peeking around a corner and knew we were almost outside.

We turned the last corner, and finally I could see a door that lead to an outside courtyard. I could hear Rick yelling about how the group needs to go back into the prison to find the missing people

Rick. He doesn't know about Lori. I'm going to have to tell him that his wife is dead.

Carl slowly pulled the door open and I had to blink many times before my eyes adjusted.

"We need to go-" Rick stopped mid sentence, as the baby began to cry. He sees me and Carl and recognition flashes across his face as he realizes that's his baby. He looks around us, obviously looking for Lori. He begins to run towards us, expecting her to appear in the doorway at any moment.

I begin to shake my head, the tears finally spilling onto my face. Rick stops dead in his tracts and looks between me and Carl frantically. "No... no... no it can't... no please no..." He mumbles, staggering across the courtyard.

"No!" He screams, falling to his knees, sobs rocking his body. "No, no, no." He rolls onto his back, crying out.

I stand there in shock, as tears continue to stream down my face. Recognition hits me. I killed Lori. I look around at the group, and meet a pair of icy blue eyes. And I realize all I want in that moment is for him to hold me. To be in those strong arms...

I take a step towards him and he towards me but I'm stopped short as another pair of not so welcoming arms wrap around me. Thomas is smothering my face into his chest. "Oh no you don't." He whispers, knowing exactly what I was planning on doing. "You're mine."

"Get the hell away from me Thomas!" I scream. I'm so done with him. I don't care what the repercussions are. I just killed a woman and he wants to play games? No way. I tear away from him and run straight into Maggie.

"Can you p-please take the b-baby?" I stutter. She nods quickly, tears of her own sliding down her face.

"Of course Aspen." She pulls me into a quick embrace before taking the baby away from me.

I turn around just in time to be wrapped in another hug. Huge arms pull my head into his shoulder as I breathe in his warm, musky scent. I let out a sigh, sobs racking my body. "Shh. It's gonna be ok." Daryl whispers into my hair. "I've gotcha."