A few weeks had gone by since my dad and the others killed the Saviors. Things were…okay. Not much had happened, and everything was going slow, but…it was still going.
I had been spending a lot of time with Denise. She helped me with my anxiety, which lessened the nightmares, and I started eating more. I put on about eight pounds! I felt a lot better and I was definitely happier. My dad didn't have to worry about me as much. Denise also taught me a little bit of medical training. It was pretty interesting.
In return, I taught her how to hold weapons and stab walkers properly.
We're supposed to practice more today, so I'm on my way to her house right now.
The only other thing that's happened is that Carol started dating Tobin, so she moved in with him. Now it's just my dad, Michonne, Daryl, Carl, Judith and I that live in my house.
I saw Glenn and Maggie sitting on their porch while I was walking. I suddenly had a flashback of Glenn apologizing to me for telling my dad about that guy.
Flashback
"I'm sorry, but I was worried about you." He said to me. "We all were."
"It's okay. I'm not mad. Really." I assured him. "He knows about everything. I told him."
"So how is everything?"
"It's okay, I guess." I shrugged.
He was silent for a moment. He looked kind of concerned. "Look, when I brought Enid back here after Nicholas…died, I did it, I saved her because we can do things. That's still who we are. That's still who you are. And you don't have to be afraid."
"I know." I nodded. "I'll be okay. I promise." I smiled at him.
"You know, you still owe me a story." He laughed. "Don't think I forgot."
"Yeah, yeah." I said walking away. I laughed though.
I love Glenn. He's like the big brother I never had.
End Flashback
"Today's lesson will be in the cul-de-sac." I said to Denise when she opened her door.
"Actually can we do something else?"
I gave her a puzzled look.
"After I got out of D.C, I just drove." Denise said to Daryl and I. We found him outside messing with his bike. Denise said she wanted to go on a run with Daryl and I. I wasn't sure about the idea, but I figured I would see what Daryl thought.
"I remember seeing it when I realized I had no idea where I was going." Denise continued, handing Daryl a map. "Edison's Apothecary and Boutique. It's just a little gift shop in a strip mall, but if it's really an apothecary, they had drugs."
"How do you know they still got 'em?" Daryl asked.
"It isn't that far, I just wanna check. And you and Abby aren't out scavenging or pulling shifts."
"We'll go." Daryl nodded.
"I wanted to check. I just wanted to help." Denise said.
"How much time you spend out there?" Daryl asked.
"None."
"Forget it."
"I can ID the meds. I know how to use a machete now. I've seen roamers up close. I'm ready." She tried to assure us.
"You good with this?" Daryl asked me.
I sighed. "I mean…not really."
"I'll go alone if I have to."
"You'll die alone." Daryl said.
"I'm asking you to make sure I don't."
Daryl glanced in my direction.
"I'm not taking her by myself." I put my hands up.
So, the three of us left in a pickup truck. Daryl was driving, of course, and the truck was making these hideous noises the entire way.
"It—the…" Denise started to say something but stopped.
"What?" Daryl asked her.
"Forget it." She said.
"No, what?"
"I think maybe you're disengaging it too soon." Denise said. "I've been driving stick since I was fifteen. Usually beat up trucks, like this. I mean, before—you know, before I left home. My brother taught me, so I just know."
The gears were just grinding away. I don't think he's listening to what she's saying. I silently laughed.
Up ahead, I saw a bunch of trees in the road.
"Daryl." I said.
"Yep." Was all he said before stopping the car and telling Denise to stay here. He and I hopped out of the car to make sure everything was safe.
We saw a walker in the mess and I killed it. I had to move a few branches first though.
"This happened fast." I said to Daryl. "The tree rotted out. It wasn't people."
There was a bag next to him. I laughed when I opened it. It was little bottles of booze.
We went back to the truck after that to get Denise.
"Come on, it's clear." I opened the door for her to get out.
"What'd you find?"
"Bottles of booze. You want some?" I laughed.
"No, thanks." Denise said almost immediately.
"For later, not now. I'm not bringing these to the pantry, I found 'em." I said tucking them in my bag.
"I'm good." Denise said. "They were kind of my parents' thing. Which is why they aren't mine."
"This truck isn't gonna make it past this tree." Daryl said. "Come on, let's walk." He headed towards the woods.
"Hold up." Denise said looking at the map. "Looks like a straight shot if we follow the tracks."
"No." Daryl said. "No tracks, we'll take the road."
"You sure about that? That's twice as far." I said.
"Go whichever way you like. I ain't taking no tracks." With that, he disappeared into the woods.
"We should stay together." Denise said and followed him.
I for one didn't see the harm and walked the tracks. I don't know what his problem is, why he wouldn't just take the quicker way, but I really didn't care. I didn't let it bother me.
It didn't take me long to get to where I needed to be. Daryl and Denise were, of course, not there. I stood there for a while and waited, but there was no sign of them. I can't say I was worried, I wasn't. She's with Daryl, everything's fine. I sat down and waited for them.
"About time." I said when I finally saw them. Daryl ignored me and kept walking.
"I didn't mean to pick him over you back there. It's just…" Denise trailed off.
"You're holding it wrong." I told her, referring to her machete. "Like this." I showed her.
"Thanks." She said. "Who taught you? You know, how to fight?"
I slowed down a bit and didn't answer her right away. "Everyone." I finally said. "Mainly, my dad, but…everyone." I nodded.
We arrived at our destination. Daryl knocked on the door. We didn't hear anything.
"All right, me and her are gonna do this." Daryl said to Denise. "You're gonna stay back, got it?"
"Got it." She said faintly.
Daryl took a crowbar out of his bag and got the door open with it. We briefly checked around inside; no one was there. It smelled awful though. Denise started gagging.
"We gonna find out what ya had for breakfast?" Daryl said.
"Oatmeal." Denise said. "Just so you know."
I shined my flashlight up at the wall. I saw the word PHARMACY.
"Hey." I said.
Daryl began to try and open it with the crowbar.
"You want me to hold your bags, or…?" Denise said.
I walked closer to where Daryl was. He finally got it open. Denise was right! There was still medicine inside! A lot of it!
"If you set 'em on the counter, I can tell you which."
"No, we're gonna take it all." Daryl said hopping over the counter.
"Are you sure?" Denise hesitated.
I threw my bag over. "No, it's fine." I climbed up over the counter.
We heard thumping in another room, which made us pause.
"It's just one." I said.
"Sounds like it's stuck." Daryl added.
We went back to the meds. I looked at a bottle of pills that made me cringe. I remember taking these when I was sick. They made me even more sick. I found a bottle of Percocet. This time I laughed. I used to have all kinds of fun with this stuff. I let out a little giggle.
"What?" Daryl asked pulling me out of my reverie.
I put my serious face back on. "Nothing." I went back to picking out meds.
I picked up a bottle of Lithium next. It gave me a scary thought. However, my thoughts were interrupted when I heard glass breaking. I jumped.
Daryl and I looked out at Denise.
"What are doing?" I asked her. "Are you okay?"
"Nothing." She said emotionless, and walked outside.
Daryl and I shared a look. I knew she wasn't ready to come out here.
We found her outside the store. She was sitting on the ground looking at a keychain that had the name "Dennis" on it. She looked like she had been crying. She looked away when she saw us.
"Hey." Daryl said getting her attention. "You did good finding this place."
She nodded then slowly stood up.
"Hey, I'm sorry, but…look, we tried to tell you you weren't ready. We both did." I said.
"I know." She said sadly.
We went on our way.
"So was he older or younger?" Daryl asked Denise while we were on our way home.
"Older, by six minutes." She answered smiling. "My parents came up with the whole Dennis/Denise thing on one of their benders. Hilarious, right?"
No one answered. Denise continued, "nothing scared him. He was brave. He was angry, too. It's kind of a dangerous combination."
"Sounds like we had the same brother." Daryl said.
I remembered Merle. He was dangerous, but…he was my friend.
When we reached the tracks, Denise and I headed for the road, but Daryl went in the direction of the tracks.
"Hey." I called.
"This way's faster, right?" Daryl said.
I was confused for a second because of the big deal he made earlier about not taking the tracks. I decided to not say anything though. I looked at Denise and she just smiled at me. Then, we both followed Daryl.
We were walking along on the tracks. It reminded me a lot of going to my friend's house. We always walked the tracks. I remember when a train was coming the one time; Ally panicked and started running. I calmly walked off and into the grass, and just laughed at her. I smiled at the memory.
"There's a cooler in there!" Denise called. "Might be something we can use inside."
She was standing next to a wrecked car. I didn't even know she walked away. I should probably stop daydreaming and pay more attention to the task at hand.
"We came for meds and that's what we got." I called. I just wanted to get back home.
"Nah, ain't worth the trouble. Come on." Daryl said. We continued walking.
We heard a thump and then Denise yell. She was back at that car still! We ran over to her. There was a walker on top of her, Daryl tried to kill it, but she stopped him.
Her glasses fell off her face. There was a bit of a struggle, but eventually she killed it. Daryl and I glanced at each other.
She stood up and puked.
"Oh, man." She said. "I threw up on my glasses." I just watched her. She picked them up and put them in her pocket.
I like Denise, but this girl seems like one big problem. She's a pretty good doctor, she doesn't belong out here.
She went over to the cooler and picked up a six pack of soda.
"Hot damn." She said.
"What the hell, Denise?" I asked.
"You could've died right there, you know that?" Daryl scolded.
"Yeah, I know." She said nonchalantly.
"Are you hearing me?" Daryl said again.
"Who gives a shit?" Denise yelled. "You could have died killing those Saviors, but you didn't. You wanna live, you take chances. That's how it works. That's what I did."
"For a couple of damn sodas?" Daryl asked.
"Nope. Just this one." She held up a can of Crush as she walked past us.
Daryl and I exchanged looks. We started walking after her.
"Really, Denise?" I said. "Look I know you're new at this, but…come on that was just dangerous. You could have gotten killed. Like, are you seriously that stupid right now?"
"Are you?" She asked me. I gave her a questioning look. "I mean it. Are you?"
I didn't answer her, she continued, "do you have any clue what that was to me—what this whole thing is to me? See, I have training in this shit. I'm not making it up as I go along, like with the stitches and the surgery and the—" She trailed off.
Neither I nor Daryl said anything.
"I asked you to come with me because you're brave like my brother and sometimes you actually make me feel safe." She said to Daryl. Then, she looked at me. "And I asked you to come along because you're going through some stuff that you won't let on. And I understand it. And because you're stronger than you think, which gives me hope that maybe I can be, too."
I didn't say anything, just put my head down. She's right…
"I could've gone with Tara. I could've told her I loved her, but I didn't…because I was afraid. That's what's stupid. Not coming out here, not facing my shit. And it makes me sick that you guys aren't even trying because you're strong and you're smart and you're both really good people, and if you don't wake…"
Suddenly, we saw an arrow go through Denise's eye!
"Up…and face your…" She fell to ground. Daryl tried to catch her.
I turned fast and held my gun up at the men coming out of the woods. Daryl did as well.
"Drop 'em now!" A guy said.
The man had Eugene! He put him down on his knees. We slowly lowered our guns.
"Well, hell." The guy said looking at Daryl. "You got something to say to me?" I looked from the guy to Daryl. I was so confused. Do they know each other? He had a crossbow. Is that Daryl's?
"No. You don't talk much." The man said. He signaled for two guys to come up and take our weapons.
"Still getting the hang of her." The man said referring to the crossbow. "Kicks like a bitch—"
"I should've done it." Daryl muttered.
"What's that? Seriously, I didn't catch what you said."
"I shoulda killed you." Daryl said.
"Yeah, you probably should've." The man said. "So, here we are. Kind of begs the question, right? Who brought this on who? I get that you'll just have to take my word for this, but…she wasn't even the one I was aiming for."
He was trying to kill Daryl? I gasped.
"Like I said, kicks like a bitch."
I kept looking from the man to Daryl trying to figure out what's going on.
"Look, this isn't how we like to start new business arrangements." The man said.
"What do you even want?" I finally spoke.
"I'm sorry, darlin', I didn't catch your name." He said to me. "I'm D, or Dwight. You can call me either. So…? What's your name?"
I gave him an annoyed look. "Abby. What do you want?" I answered quickly.
"Well, Abby…it's not what I want. It's what you and Daryl are going to do. You're going to let us into your little complex. It looks like it's just beautiful there. And then you're going to let us take whatever and whoever we want…or we blow Eugene's brains out. And then yours. And then his. I hope it doesn't come to that, really. Nobody else has to die. We just try to start with one. You know…maximum impact to get the point across. So what's it gonna be? You tell me."
"You wanna kill someone, you start with our companion hiding over there behind the barrels." Eugene said. "He's a first class a-hole and he deserves it so much more than us three."
What's he talking about? I looked to the barrels, but I didn't see anyone.
"Go check it out?" Dwight said.
One of his men started over to the barrels. I was breathing heavily waiting for what was about to happen. I looked back over when I heard Dwight screaming. Eugene bit his penis! Dwight dropped the crossbow. Then, I heard two gunshots and two of Dwight's men went down! It was Abraham. I ran to where one of them dropped their gun and grabbed it. Then, I ran behind a car and shot at them. I saw Daryl slit one of their throats and take his gun back. There was gunfire everywhere. I saw a man hiding in the bushes about to shoot Abraham, and so, I shot him. Abraham gave me a look afterwards. I just nodded to him. Walkers began coming out of the woods. The gunfire continued until Dwight told his men to fall back. They began running away. Daryl started after them. I looked down and saw that Eugene had been hit.
"Daryl, stop!" I yelled. He ran back grabbing his crossbow in the process and the three of us helped get Eugene to the truck. After we got back to Alexandria and got Eugene to the infirmary where Rosita patched him up, Daryl and I went back to get Denise, so that we could bury her. I looked down at her lifeless body…I didn't cry, I didn't feel sad. I just felt empty.
Daryl and I were in the infirmary. He was just staring out the window. I couldn't tell his expression. Rosita was watching after Eugene. We all looked up when Abraham walked in.
"Rick's coming." He said. "How is he?"
"Bullet just grazed him," Rosita said, "but it's good you got him back when you did. Antibiotics they picked up could save him from an infection. Could save his life. That's what Denise did."
Daryl looked over at Rosita when she said that.
Suddenly, Eugene started coughing.
"You here?" Rosita asked him.
"Present." Eugene answered. "I was not trying to kill you." He said to Abraham. "I was looking for a moment."
"You found it." Abraham said.
I just watched them. They said some other things, but I wasn't listening. I'm just glad he's okay. I wish Denise was okay, too. Now what are we going to do without a doctor?
"I'm gonna go home." I said to no one in particular.
I went straight up to my room and into the bathroom. I filled the tub with hot water and got in. I laid there and stared at the ceiling. Damn, I thought. We lost another one. And just when I thought things were going back to normal. I blanked my mind. I don't know how long I was in there, but I didn't feel like myself when I got out.
I dried myself off and glanced in the mirror. I sighed and put my head down. I picked up a spare razor that I keep on the sink. I stared at it and had a thought…
No, you can't do that. I put it back down and looked at myself in the mirror again. Oh my God. What's wrong with me?
I quickly got dressed and laid on my bed to try and relax. I picked up my bag to get my iPod, and the bottle of pills that I took from the apothecary fell out. I picked them up and stared at the label. LITHIUM.
