PROLOGUE – FOR HIM
Doctor Eleanor Stone was ready to die. She was the last Stone. She had killed her undead mother, father, and only ten months ago, her still breathing sister, Abbie Jo. One who used to tell people to never give up, was ready for this life to be over.
It'd been five days since Ellie put anything in her mouth. She had been exiled from her last group, for killing a beloved member who didn't know how to keep his hands to himself. Only an older lady took pity on her, shoving an armful of cans and water bottles at her before she left. For about a half an hour straight, she ran with them in her arms. Nearly three miles away from camp, she dared to stop and catch her breath. Ellie had counted three cans and two water bottles before shoving them in her backpack. Psh, she thought, that'll last me long enough…
But eight long days later, she's been to three different towns, and all of them had been ransacked. It was in the third city when her body decided it would just shut down. Deciding to stop focusing on her dry throat, it decided to make her know that every vein and vessel was deprived of water with a terrible ache. Her brain revolted by not allowing her to walk straight, because it wanted her to know she needed water by making the ground spin. At one point, she could hear the growls and snarls of walkers, but Ellie couldn't open her tired eyes to look at them. She felt like a walker herself, aimlessly walking and stumbling, no idea where she was headed.
Till she got there. Literally ran straight dab into it. A trailer. Not a tractor trailer, or even a detached one, but more closer to a camper. But it was tall enough to keep her from grabby dead hands and out of view to anyone who wanted to harm her… though she didn't know why it mattered. This was going to be her death bed, she knew it. She was going to be one of them, whether she liked it or not.
Something in her got her to pull herself to the top though. Something in her got her to safety. Ellie wasn't sure what or the point of it, but where her feet went, she followed.
She still kept a calender. Well, she did. It was in her backpack, but she hadn't crossed it off in three days. She marked in it for the future, but it was around then she realized she didn't have much of a future left.
So, Ellie didn't know if she laid on top of the trailer for just a few hours or if it was days. She just knew she couldn't move. She just knew she didn't even want to anymore. Her mind had given up and she was just waiting for her body to make the realization.
"This was a bust," a voice echoed in the distance.
"We had to try," came another.
"It was worth a shot." Not even comprehending the voices, she didn't even think about how her heart pounded more at the third voice.
No, it wasn't, it was her body screaming this, not Ellie. She didn't know much of anything anymore.
But the more they spoke, the more the voices sent a spark through out her body. She tried to force herself to breath. She tried to move, but all she had managed was to flop an arm down. The noise it caused wasn't loud, but a noise nonetheless. She heard a growl and then felt something pulling at her arm. However the movement had spent all her energy.
"Hey, look." It was the first voice who said this. It was a younger voice than the rest. It didn't have as deep as vibrato.
A creak and a whoosh. Ellie's arm was free, but she still couldn't move it.
"Are you all right?" The Second Voice called. This one had a strong southern drawl. "ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?"
"Shit." Third Voice suddenly muttered. More creaking and whooshing, and then Second Voice echoed his 'shit'.
Something hit the trailer, causing it to shake. The stimulation allowed her to open her eyes and she turned her head. Black straight, curly blonde, and then an oilly brown… that caused her heart to jump into her throat, but her brain didn't know why. Only her heart did.
With more strength than Ellie knew she had, she flopped to her stomach, and peered over at the three men before her. She saw a gray long sleeve shirt, a dark flannel, and then a vest with angel wings. She knew that vest. Her heart jumped to her brain like a jumpstart. Daryl. It was Daryl Dixon. Daryl and two men, and about twenty walkers.
Ellie was about to die. She wanted to die. She was going to turn into one of them. She knew what she had to do, for him. For him and his, dare she think, friends.
She pulled herself to her knees and gripped the side of the trailer, and pulled herself to the back of it. She repositioned herself on her bottom and then… she jumped.
Her feet hit the pavement first, but didn't have enough strength to support her, so she crumbled to the ground.
"I'm here you bastards!" Ellie cried out, weakly, "Come get me, you sons of bitches!"
Her plan must of worked, because Second Voice yelled, "We gotta go! It's clear!"
But instead of leaving, she heard Daryl say, "Damnit" and then "cover me!"
No, Daryl, she tried to yell. Nononono. But nothing came out.
And soon there was nothing at all.