Chapter 10

I couldn't pretend to know what Andrea was feeling. The only time I had ever lost a family member that I was close to was when I was almost four years of age, so I really didn't remember it much. I did know what it felt when I thought I lost Rick, but I didn't and I didn't have to watch him be murdered. I did feel miserable though. Amy was one of my closest friends at this camp. I automatically missed her laugh and smile, how she would always wiggle her eyebrows when I was talking to Daryl, the same man who was my rock during this day.
Andrea didn't move at all from her spot. Everyone around the camp was quiet except for Daryl, Shane, Glenn and Rick who kept on arguing over how they should take care of the dead and where to go next. I just sat down on the picnic bench, holding on to Carl. He was just as shaken up as I was. But I could tell that he was mostly worried about Sophia, for Ed had died too.
I hugged Carl closer to me, planting a kiss on his forehead. "Hey kiddo, I'm going to go check on Andrea."
He nodded and hopped off of my lap, leaving to sit down next to Lori.
I walked up to Amy's dead body. Andrea didn't blink an eye at me. I didn't mind. I crouched down and looked at Amy's pale, bloody face.
"She loved you." I said, looking at Andrea.
She nodded, not saying a word.
"Andrea, there will be a time..."
She nodded again. "I know."
"Do you want me to..."
She shook her head. "No. She was my sister."
"If you need anything, just tell me."
She nodded.
I got up and walked over to Rick. "I'm worried."
"About what?" he asked.
"Andrea. What if Amy comes back and...well...what if she gets bit by walker Amy?"
Rick sighed. "She has her gun. Dale talked to her too. She's...better. Don't worry Katie."
"But Rick..."
He wrapped me in his arms, pulling me tightly toward him, resting his chin on my head. "I can't even imagine what she is feeling, to lose her sister." He pulled apart, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Katie, please don't die."
"It's not like I can help that..."
"Just...Be careful."
I nodded. "I can do that."
Glenn walked over, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "Hate to interrupt this moment, but I need to talk to Katie."
Rick nodded and walked over to Lori and Carl.
"What do you need?" I asked Glenn.
"Daryl. He is being...Daryl. You're the only person in the group that he actually will listen to..."
I bit my lip. "Not all the time..."
"Yeah, but seven-eighths of the time, he does." He looked over at Daryl who was arguing with T-dog. "Please just try."
"Okay. What am I trying to get him to do?"
He glanced over at Daryl again. "He want's to kill Jim."
My eyes widened. "He wants to what?!"
"Jim got bit. He is slowly going through the change. He's in and out of his own mind and it's easy to tell he is hurting. Your brother was taking care of it but Daryl won't calm down about it."
I bit my lip again. "He's bit."
"And irrational."
"Then I don't see the problem."
Glenn looked at me like I was insane. "What?!"
"If Jim is in pain or anything, he should be put out of his misery before he turns or gets worse." I looked over at Daryl. "I'm sorry Glenn, but I agree with Daryl."
"But it's a human life."
I looked over at Jim who didn't look so great. "Exactly Glenn. It's a human life. If this was happening in the hospital he would have pain killers. Instead of pulling the plug, it's a trigger. It's what they used to do to animals all the time."
"Jim isn't an animal."
"I didn't say he was."
Glenn sighed. "I get you don't agree with it, and neither did Dale, but can you at least calm Daryl down before his kills your brother?"
I nodded. "You got it boss." I walked over to Daryl who looked as if he was going to kill someone. "Hey." I said simply.
He just looked at me with an annoyed look. "Here to lecture?"
I shook my head. "Nope. I agree with you."
"Yer brother don't."
"I kinda figured that out quite a bit ago." I took a closer look at him. He looked exhausted and hungry. "Come on. I'll get you something to eat."
He rolled his eyes. "I got two hands."
"And I have some too. You look starving. When is the last time you ate?"
"Yesterday."
I grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the picnic table. "Sit."
He reluctantly followed my directions.
I walked over to the cooler and grabbed two sandwiches and two bottles of water, shut the lid and made my way back to Daryl. I tossed him the water, him catching it with ease.
"Thanks." He mumbled.
I sat down and slid him the sandwich, unwrapping my own. "Of course. What are friends for?"
"Sandwich runs?" He asked, a slight smile playing against his lips.
I rolled my eyes but grinned, smiling for the first time that day. "Taking care of each other." I took a sip of my water, still smiling. "That involves sandwich runs. Keep that in mind."
He gave me a rare Daryl grin, something he didn't do often. "Got it boss."
We finished our sandwiches in silence, not wanting to say anything as Andrea was still leaning over Amy's dead body. Most of us were just waiting for Amy's reanimation.
Things were happening all around us. Rick and Shane were fighting, Rick wanted to go to the CDC, Shane Fort Benning. Some of the dead were being buried. But the most unbelievable thing we saw was Carol. She kept hitting dead Ed in the head with an axe, over and over again. It was not a pretty sight to see and very disturbing, even though how much I hated Ed.
"It's official." Daryl muttered as we were watching the whole scene take place in front of us.
"What is?" I asked, trying to focus on him and not Ed whose brains now covered the axe.
"She's gone from quiet to crazy ones."
"Daryl." I warned.
"I'm tellin' ya; it's the quiet ones ya gotta look after."
I just looked at him in disbelief that he was saying this.
"Do ya know why?"
"I don't wan-" I started.
"It's because ya don't know what's on their minds. The loud one's ya know what they are thinkin'." He took a bite of his second sandwich. "For example, me. I'm pretty sure everyone knows what the hell I'm thinkin'. Now Carol... She's going crazy with that axe, I tell ya."
I chucked my empty water bottle at him. "Jesus! Do you know when stop?"
He shook his head. "If I did and was quite, I'd be crazy."
"First of all, I'm the only person you're not quite around unless your pissed. Second, you are pretty damn crazy."
"Not as crazy as you..." He muttered.
I then picked up his water bottle and chucked at him, him laughing as if it was funny. "Little shit..."
Daryl stopped laughing instantly and looked behind me.
I turned around to see Amy coming back, just not as Amy. Her eyes were yellow, her skin paler than normal. My lip started to tremble as I watched. Sinking my teeth into my lip to get it to stop, a single tear slid down my cheek. I felt arms wrap around me. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer to me, shaking slightly.
Daryl was still watching the scene happen in front of us, but continued to pet my hair.
I felt some tears fall on to his shirt but I didn't remember shedding them. I looked up at Daryl to see him with the same expression as he mostly did, eyes fixated, watching quietly.
He looked down at me. "Just breathe." He whispered.
Andrea whispered something to Amy before pulling the trigger, shooting a bullet through her head. Other than Andrea, I was the closest person to Amy.
Daryl let go of me and took my hand. "Come on." He grabbed my hand and started to lead me down to the water.
"Why did you bring me here?" I asked when we reached the sand, my voice weak.
"So ya can cry." He leaned against the rock. "Kate, I know ya don't like to feel powerless in front of people."
I bit my lip. "I hate it."
He walked over to me, wrapping his arms around me tightly.
And after that, I sobbed. I sobbed for the apocalypse, for the loss of almost everybody I knew, for what Shane almost did, for Amy, Merle and Jim, for everything. I didn't know for how long, but I remember just crying into Daryl's shirt, him holding me to his chest. He was easily the most amazing man I had ever met.