The archer's daughter(TWD)

Might never know

"I'm her boyfriend." I heard. My heart skipped a beat as I recognized carls voice. I opened my eyes and saw Carl, aiming his gun at Matthew.

"You shoot me, she dies too." He said. I tried to move, but his grip around my neck was too strong, and soon enough I found myself unable to breath.

"Let her go now or else."

"Carl...g-go..." I wheezed, struggling to breath. Matthew laughed.

He let me go, throwing my to the ground and walked up to Carl. I heard a body drop to the ground, as another person came running up to me...

Carl.

He fell to his knees beside me. I crawled over to him and hugged him, crying into his shirt.

"I'm so sorry, Melissa..." Carl cried. I shook my head.

"I cheated death three times in a day... I should be sorry... I would of hurt you if I died-" I stopped and began to cry harder.

"He's gone..." I croaked. "Hershel's gone..." I cried. I broke the hug, looking at my shirt and part of my leg that was covered in Hershel's blood. He hugged me again, standing up.

"I know...I'm here now... I won't let that happen to you. I promise..." He whispered. I nodded.

"Where's rick? Dad? Anyone? Oh my god, where's Michone?! Beth? Judith?! Lizzie, mika?! Where's everyone?!" I cried.

"My dad is at a house were staying at, in a coma....Judith is... She's...gone..." He bit his lip.

"What do you mean 'gone?!'" I asked. He didn't answer.

"Carl grimes tell me what happened to your baby sister!" I half shouted.

"She's gone... D-de-" I interrupted him by hugging him.

"I don't think she's dead. She's a fighter, she's your sister" I smiled. I felt him nod. I pulled away from the hug.

"Don't cry, Carl... Please..." I whispered. He cupped my face with his hands.

"I thought I lost you...when-when I saw you so ready to die I..." He trailed off, looking at the trees around us. "And when I heard your cries... I knew it was you. I came running. When I saw that guy up against you, I-I-I lost it... I would have shot him then and there if you wouldn't have died if I did..." He pressed his lips against mine. We pulled away. I looked into his ocean blue eyes.

Then I heard three words I thought I'd never hear him say again.

"I love you."

"I love you too." I whispered.

"Come on... Let's get out of here." He said. I nodded and began to walk.

"Wait." I said. I turned around and ran to where my dad's angel-wing vest was. I held it in my hands and ran back to Carl. We began to walk back to where he was staying.

+++

I sat on the couch, staring at the black leather vest in my hands, my fingers tracing the details in the angel wings. I saw water drop onto the leather. I sniffles and wiped away tears that were forming in my eyes.

I looked at rick, who was lying unconscious on the couch across from me. I stood up, placing the vest over me, and walked over to rick. I kneeled down beside the couch and took his hand.

"Look, rick. You can't leave. Not when we need you the most. You need to stay... For Carl... He needs a father. You are the only thing he has left..." I looked over at a sleeping Carl, who was asleep on the floor beside the couch I was just on.

I looked back at rick. His cuts, bruises, blood and dirt covered face, he basically looks red, black, and blue.

"Rick, please, you need to wake up... I don't know what to do... You're our leader, you need to help the group... Once we find them... Now isn't your time. You have a long life ahead, full of being a badass and killing walkers like there's no tomorrow-" I sighed, thinking about having to spend the rest of my life with the walkers.

"Never mind... Just-just wake up soon. We don't know what to do...we-we...we need you. Stay and be the father Carl needs... You can't leave us while were in such a bad time... A bad place..." I sighed. I wiped away tears and looked back at Carl. He looked so uncomfortable on the floor. I crawled over to him.

"Carl..." I whispered, shaking him. He slowly woke up, looking at me.

"Yea?" He asked, sitting up and stretching.

"Help me set up the pull-out couch. I don't want you sleeping on the floor." I whispered.

"I'm fine, seriously." He said. I shook my head.

"No you're not. Now, come and help me." I chuckled. He stood up.

"It's gonna be kinda difficult to set up the pull-out couch, considering it's not one..." He chuckled. I sighed.

"Just... Sleep on the couch. I'm not getting to sleep anyways." I said, hugging the vest around my small body. Since my dad was very tall, and much bigger than me, the vest went to around mid-thigh... I'm really short for my age, and since I haven't eaten much lately, I'm really skinny.

"Melissa... What's wrong?" Carl asked, grabbing my hand. I slowly took my hand away.

"What isn't anymore..." I mumbled and walked off. I heard Carl sigh and lay down.

I sat down outside in the backyard. I let the tears flow from my eyes.

I miss my dad. I miss Kayla. I miss Judith. I miss my life before this. I miss everything.

Will I ever see my dad again?

Daryl POV

"We should burn it down." Beth smiled. I looked at her.

Were sitting at the window of an old, run-down, abandoned house. I know this kind of house. I lived in one for most of my childhood. The drunk father, the sad mother, the scared kids. I've seen it. I've tried to protect Melissa from it, but sadly her mother turned out to be just like my dad...

Beatings, swearing, crying. But Melissa had it lucky. I was able to save Melissa from her mother... My mother was too scared, worried for more beatings. She died in a house fire when she was asleep... Leaving just me and Merle and our drunk father.

I wish I was able to save Melissa from this... From the governor... From the walkers, from the new life were forced to live in...

Me and Beth are drinking moonshine. This is the first time Beth has ever drank, and I'm pretty sure she's pretty drunk...

"Were gonna need more booze." I said. Her smile grew wider.

We grabbed the bottles of booze and threw them everywhere. We walked outside and lit a stack of money of fire, throwing it into the house. It burned up into flames in seconds.

We stuck up our middle fingers at the house. I don't know why, but Beth was happy with her decision of Burning down the house. We saw walkers and decided to run.

This all just feels wrong... I just let my daughter get kidnapped and possibly killed?! And here I am, holding her crossbow... The crossbow that she used when I went hunting with her on weekends. The crossbow that was always propped up against the wall in the middle of her cell as if it's a trophy, even though it's just an old crossbow I bought for her when she was little. The crossbow that helped her survive until the CDC, where I found her and got to help her survive...

Now she might be dead and I might never know.

Melissa's POV

I looked up from my crying state and saw smoke emerging from behind the trees.

What's going on over there?