Haven (on hold)

14

"I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars."

 – Og Mandino

~Aurora's Pov~

"No Shane! Do not do this brother! Wait!" My dad called out as Shane tried opening the barn doors, he was still holding the walker with the snare pole. "Don't do it!" Glenn called out too. "Shane stop!" I yelled too. "Rick!" Mom called out as she held Carl. "Please!" Dad yelled, Shane ignored all of us and kept breaking the locks. "Cmon! We're out here!" Shane yelled and banged on the doors once he opened them. "This is not the way! Please!" Dad yelled. Walkers started coming out of the barn and Shane shot them down, T-Dog, Andrea, Daryl and Glenn joined them in shooting them. Shane shot down the walker dad was holding and Carl ran to him.

"No! " He said as mom held him, I went over to them too, "Stay back." He said looking at me too. "Dad-" "Stay!" He stopped me from saying anything else and went back to the rest. I stayed where I was as the rest kept shooting, taking walkers down. After a while the shooting stopped and we heard low growls, everyone stopped and we waited for it to come out.

When it came out we recognized Sophia.. But she was a walker. I furrowed my eyebrows watching as she slowly started to make her way past the bodies. Her skin was pale, almost gray and she was bloody with a bite mark on her left shoulder. Her eyes were lifeless. I felt chills all over my body watching her like this. I thought of Carl too. How it could have easily been him. "Sophia?- Sophia!" Carol cried and ran towards her. Daryl dropped his gun and grabbed her before she could go any further.

I gasped a little watching her as she made her way over to us. All we heard were Carol's sobs. My dad walked forward and pulled out his gun, pointing it at Sophia's head. She came closer to him and he pulled the trigger making me jump slightly. A tear fell as her body fell to the ground. Daryl kept holding Carol as she cried.

He picked her up, off the ground. "Don't look. Don't look." He repeated and she pushed him away after she got on her feet and ran away crying. All we heard now was Beth's cries growing louder and louder by the second. She went over and made her way to one of the walkers, pulling one off of it. "Ma." she cried and turned her around. The walker reached up and tried grabbing Beth. Everyone ran and tried pulling her away as she screamed and cried. Eventually Andrea killed it and the Greene family started making their way back to the house. Shane and Glenn followed the family back.

"Aurora- 'rora." Dad said jogging to me quickly as the rest walked away too. He put a hand on the side of my head, and I looked at him. "Come here." he said and led me to mom and Carl. "Stay," he said and rushed back to the rest heading back to the house following them. I felt mom hold my hand, I looked down to her to see her looking up at me with a terrified look on her face. "Come here," she said and pulled me down, I sat down next to her and she put a hand on my head and pulled me into her gently, holding both Carl and I. She kissed my head as I looked at Sophia's body on the floor.

~~~

"I thought that i'd find her." Carl said breaking the silence, we were still sitting here, I can't believe she was in there.. "We all did," Mom responded. "I mean me, that i'd be the one." he said, I watched as Andrea put a blanket on top of her body, covering her body. "Like maybe she was hiding somewhere in a cave or a tree. She'd be safe and i'd find her and bring her back.." Carl said looking away from her. I was in shock.. I've never seen someone so young as a walker and us knowing her made me feel even worse. It made me feel sick to my stomach, once again thinking of Carl and how it could've been him.

"He did the right thing.. shooting her like that. I would've done it too." he said. There was a pause, "Dale." Mom asked looking at him. It was like I was having an out of body experience.. It felt like I was watching myself sitting there, looking at Sofia's covered up body. "Yeah," he responded. "Can you take Carl up to the house? I want you to rest." she said to him. "Okay." he said and got up, he headed to the house. A ringing started going off in my ears as the rest started talking. I couldn't hear anything.

I felt a hand on the side of my face, I kept looking at the body. "'rora.. sweetheart." I heard. I felt another hand on my shoulder. "Hey," they appeared in front of me, blocking the view. I blinked a few times and noticed it was my dad. He put his hand on my cheek and brushed it with his thumb. "Cmon," he said and held my hands. He helped me up and I swayed slightly feeling dizzy.

"Whoa- whoa. Whoa." Dad said and pulled me into him quickly. He put a hand on the back of my head holding me close, I held onto him too and released a breath closing my eyes, "Aurora." he said looking down at me. I felt another hand on my back. "What's wrong- What's wrong baby?" I heard mom's voice. "I feel sick.." I said. "Alright, let's get you to camp. Lay down. Get some rest in the tent." Dad said rubbing my back. "No the house," mom said. "She needs air. The tent is better. I got her." Dad said and let me go.

We walked over to the tent and I sat down on his cot. "Here," Dad said and handed me a cup. I drank the water and he sat down next to me. "Do you feel like throwing up?" he asked. I nodded a bit, "I just felt sick.. Daddy- Seeing Sophia.. Like that.." I said not looking at him. He put a hand on the back of my head and pulled me into him. He kissed my head. "I know." He said softly. He pulled away and I looked at him, "Are you okay?" I asked, not knowing how he was feeling after being the one to put Sophia down. He nodded a bit. "Don't worry about me, I want you to get some rest okay?" He asked. I nodded a bit; He nodded too. "See you in a bit." He said and took my cup, placing it on the table and walking out. 

Word Count:1144