Thank you everyone for the favs/follows it means a lot. Sorry this chapter is so short, however, they will get longer later on I promise. Anyways, enjoy reading me trying to channel my inner 40 year old dad in this chapter and I will see you in the next :)

Chapter 2: Sarah


(Joel)

This couldn't be true. It felt as though my heart could burst right through my chest. I barely paid any attention to my old house. Everything looked the same as it had when the outbreak hit. My guitar was laying at the entrance, untouched to the memories of me returning and smashing it to pieces over our carpet. I shook my head and continued up the stairs, gripping the hand railing, ignoring the hanging pictures on the wall. I can't see her through a photo, I need to know she's real.

I went to her room pushing the door open with a swing. Her smell filled my senses, which brought tears to the pricks of my eyes. Her room was the same, with crappy bands and music filled to the rim of her dressers and shelves, posters and pictures crowding her pale pink walls. I walked to her bed, my breath coming out raspy with anxiety and adrenaline. I pulled the covers down slowly and slightly, prepared to see her small blonde head peeking out, but there was nothing. Just an imprint of where she slept.

No! No no no no no! I kneeled down and grabbed her sheets in my hand. She's not here! Where is she?

"Dad?" I heard a little voice say quietly behind me. I let the sheets loose and a tear slipped from my eye. I turned my head around and saw her little body standing in the doorway, a silhouette in the dim light. She yawned and stretched her arms out. I got up shakily and ran to her, picking up her fragile body in my arms, hugging her tightly, swearing to myself I'd never let go. I buried my nose in to her neck, smelling and kissing her sweet skin there, trying not to cry which I know would freak her out. I wrapped my arms around her waist and spun her around once, filled with joy.

"Are you alright?" She asked in to my hair, her small arms wrapped around my neck. It was so weird hearing her voice next to me, I could have passed out then and there. I let go of her, cursing myself for freaking her out, and put her on the ground, her blue eyes staring into mine. Godamnit.

"Yeah, just a long day at work. Th-that's all" I stuttered and stroke her face to make sure she was real. Her skin and hair was as soft as I remembered, which was not much. I had pushed her out of my mind to keep me sane and just being here, with her, brought back a flood of hushed recollection, memories that never truly left me. She smiled slightly at me, causing me to catch my breath in my throat. I struggled to keep my emotions in check looking at her, at her meek smile, a smile I thought I would never see again.

She turned around on her heal and headed out of her room speaking over her shoulder.

"Ellie's acting really strange. When I asked to sleep with her because of my nightmares, she just ran away from me. Can I sleep with you? Just for tonight, I promise" Sarah said and looked back at me rubbing her eyes. My heart ached for the little girl, and how I used to make her sleep alone when she turned 10, to help her with her nightmares. It worked...for a while.

"Of course, honey" I said and held her by her back as we walked to my room. She walked in and jumped on the bed, snuggling into the messy white and green sheets. I sat on the edge of the bed and took of my shoes placing them by the bed side table. The bedside lamp was hot with light and the room faded to black as I switched it off.

I laid down in the bed and pulled the covers over me and Sarah. She snuggled next to my side and used my arm as a pillow. I gazed down at her, the light from the streetlights outside shown through, casting a glow against her pale skin. My hand lightly stroked the blonde locks from her face, and I never let me eyes go away from her, even when I heard Ellie cursing at banging into random things. I didn't sleep much that night, mostly because I didn't want to fall asleep afraid I might not wake up with her in my arms. My eyes started to get heavy around 5:00 a.m. and I fell into a deep sleep with the soothing sound of my dead daughter lightly breathing beside me.


(Ellie)

"Fucking shit!" I cussed quietly as I, yet once again, banged my foot into the white wooden desk.

I almost missed it, but it laid there in plain sight on the surface of the desk. It was a folder. Brown thick paper, holding a small amount of white papers with colorful tabs popping out of the sides. The cover had my name and picture on it, with small writing at the bottom of the page. I picked it up and scanned my eyes over it. It had the basics, my name; Ellie Miller (huh, so that's his last name), 14- lives in Austin Texas- goes to Westlake high school- daughter of Joel Miller and Kristy Miller- Green eyes- Auburn hair. That was it. The rest of the folder was jammed with lines and lines black writing as I skimmed through it.

It was a lot to take in. Being someone completely different, and having this whole life that has been already lived without me even knowing it. I put the folder down and rubbed my temples. I just needed to sleep it off, tomorrow it will be easier to comprehend after the shock wears off and I can think more clearly.

I paced around the room finding out more stuff about myself. My favorite colors were blue and black, I loved to read - especially comic books - (at least that hasn't changed), I liked indie music and I had the physical capability of a peanut. I picked up what looked like an old scrapbook and started shuffling through the pages. I missed my entire life, with Joel and Sarah. We were a family. Pictures of me as a baby, then a toddler, a kid, and finally entering my teenage years. I had thousands of band, books, and TV. Show t-shirts that I took millions of pictures in with different girls and boys. I didn't remember any of this. I didn't know any of these people. I ran through the pages, barely even looking at the pictures I once took when one caught my eye, almost making me shit out my stomach and puke out my lungs.

She was there, right next to me. We were both wearing savage starlight t-shirts, giving a devious smile to the camera, with our arms wrapped around each other. It was her. It was Riley. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't be true. What the fuck is going on? I threw the scrapbook back onto the shelve it had come from and scrambled on to the bed. I wrapped the sheets tightly around my body until I was a snug cocoon and cried. I was so confused. I almost died and now I'm here. I had no idea what to think or what to do. So I just cried and let my frustration fall on to the bed making it wet with an overflow of tears. I soon died down to small huffs and puffs that sounded like hiccups. My face was tight and wet from all the crying and my hands were tired from griping the sheets too tightly. Soon I was engulfed in a deep sleep waiting and dreading for the morning to come. Maybe this was just a dream and all I needed to do was wake up.