Surviving The New World (Book Six in the Surviving The Walking Dead Series)

Fair Share of Monsters

MICHAELA'S POV

"When is she gonna wake up?" Daryl grumpily asked.

"She fainted, Daryl, she's not in a coma," Enid explained.

"People who faint wake up quickly, she's been out for hours."

"She was exhausted, just let her sleep."

"I can't sleep with y'all yammering," I softly mumbled. A warm hand enveloped mine, I knew it had to be Daryl's.

"See? Told you."

"Babe?" Daryl quietly spoke. My eyes slowly opened and a faint smile crept onto my face as Daryl's blurry figure came into view. I softly blinked until he was a clear figure and smiled even bigger.

"Daryl," I croaked.

"Hey, babe."

"Aaron!" I quickly sat up. "Where's Aaron, how is he?"

"I'm fine," Aaron smiled from the bed across from me. "You scared me, Michaela."

"Scared ya?"

"Scared all of us," Enid explained. "Ezekiel and Alden carried you into camp in the middle of the night, said that you ran into some people. I thought back to last night, the people in the woods.

"No," I whimpered.

"Babe, it's okay."

"NO! IT'S NOT OKAY!"

"Babe, just calm down."

"It's not him, Michaela." Rick spoke up as he entered the tent. Daryl quietly got up and allowed Rick to take a seat beside me. "What were ya doin' last night?"

"I saw a deer and thought I'd kill two birds with one stone," I answered. "B-But somebody took my shot."

"Who?" I thought back for a moment, my brain still in scrambles.

"I-I don't know...I've never met 'er."

"What did ya tell 'er?"

"I can't remember, I just know that I yelled at 'er for comin' too close to our camp and called for backup." Rick gently nodded his head in thought. "Who are they?"

"The woman ya met, her name is Lilly Cull."

"Lilly..." I thought back through my memories. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place it.

"She and her friend were headin' towards Canada when ya stumbled upon each other."

"Why Canada?" Enid asked.

"It's very wooded, full of wildlife, plus everyone knows that walkers are slower in the winter, but we've never seen 'em in sub zero temperatures. It might be safer there and they wanna chance it."

"So, let 'em go," Daryl argued.

"I tried, but the man insists on stayin'."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because of you."

"Me?"

"Ya acted like ya knew 'em and he wants to know why." My heart began to race  as images of the man flashed through my head. "He wants to see ya."

"No," I quickly declined. "I don't wanna see 'em."

"I know, but—"

"I don't wanna see 'em, Rick!" I snapped. "I want 'em out of this camp and miles away from me, ya hear?"

"Michaela—"

"No, Rick, she wants nothin' to do with 'em," Daryl butted in. "He and that Lilly girl can fuckin' leave."