Forest: Lilly walks aimlessly North through the woods, carrying nothing but her own demons along with her.
Lilly wiped the tears from her eyes in time to hear the approaching roamer behind her. Spinning around, she caught the monsters' arm as it reached out for her hair. Pushing the roamer off of her, Lilly stumbled to the ground but pulled herself back up in time to stomp the monsters head into the ground. At first, the skull remained intact and the monster continued to struggle under the weight of Lilly's boot. She mashed down several more times, finally stopping when she felt the roamers' head compress with the smallest of pressure.
"Fuck." She exhaled, catching her breath against a tree. There were several more lurking figures in the trees, but Lilly pushed forward. Crossing over a fallen tree, she kept trudging through the night until there was silence. Though she found momentary peace in the calm, her mind still screamed throughout her body.
You can't be out here alone. You'll get sloppy.
You left with no food, no water, and no weapons. And for what, to spare your pride?
You're losing it Lilly. Don't slip back into the fear again. Go back.
Fuck them. You tried your best to do what's right and they chose to help themselves at every turn.
They turned their back on you back at that Motor Inn. They left with the RV and abandoned you.
You're not a leader. You're just a scared little girl. A worthless shrimp with no respect for the ones who keep you alive.
Lilly soon found herself haunted by the voice of her father. His gruff, barking voice rattled her brain until her vision blurred. She sat down against a tree and closed her eyes. Pressing her bone-thin fingers against her temple, Lilly soothed her raging thoughts long enough to listen out for the dead. The area was quiet, but that would soon change.
They'll die without help. That little girl will die if you can't help.
Lilly, I trust you'll do what's best for us. Lee's voice whispered, adding to her guilt. She opened her eyes and stared across her field of vision. Fractures of the open highway peeked through the highway, and Lilly decided to move closer. Standing up, she crossed over to the road while blocking out her father's griping in the back of her mind.
Four Months Ago
"It's a beautiful view, but we can't keep the crops. Even with the St. Johns' help, they would die out in weeks."
Lilly nodded slowly, though she was hardly paying attention. Her eyes fixated on Lee and Clementine sitting with each other at the other end of the property, and she smiled. There was so much tension in the air, but seeing the two of them glow brightly despite all odds was comforting.
"Are you listening to me, young lady?" Her father snapped, catching her attention. The air was sucked out of her lungs, stifling her thoughts. Soon her father Larry was the only being in existence.
"Yeah, Dad. Sorry, I'm just tired."
"I'm sure you are." Larry scoffed, scratching the length of his beard with a steady hand. "You've been carrying the entire motel on your back for the last month. You're a born leader."
Lilly looked up and forced a plastic smile. Was that supposed to be a compliment, or was he just gloating to keep Kenny out of the leadership role?
"We're a democracy now, Dad. You have to accept that there are other people's opinions."
"Democracy! I don't remember signing a fucking declaration, and I sure as hell won't take orders from that little duo you've let run around the motel. They're like chickens with their heads cut off."
Lilly sighed and looked away. She didn't care for Kenny either, but she knew he was a good enough man to protect his family. Larry prattled on as his voice faded into ambient noise. He didn't care if his daughter was really listening. He just wanted to hear himself talk.
"Lee, hey Lee!" A tough, southern voice called out. It was Kenny, standing at the gate of the dairy farm with his hands raised in the air. Lilly rolled her eyes, looking up at Larry who had also taken notice.
"See what I told you? That hick is gonna get us thrown out on our asses before we even get a good meal in." Larry hissed, kicking a spot of dirt off of the gazebo steps. Lilly sensed her father's thoughts and reached out to grab his hand.
"Don't go down there, Dad." She pleaded weakly, feeling her father's clammy palm tense at the slightest of contact. He huffed and turned his back to Lee and Kenny. His eyes were closed.
"We don't need those two causing problems for the rest of us. I say we tell them to ship out as soon as we go back to the motel."
"Dad, come on." Lilly droned, knowing full well her father made sense, if only a little bit. Kenny had voiced his intentions on leaving since day one.
"Lee is a good man, dad. You have to ease up on him."
Larry's eyes bulged out of his head. When he spoke, his sly voice was compressed into a heated whisper. "A good man? He's a murderer, Lilly. People like that don't change, and I'll be damned if I drop my guard around someone that dangerous."
"How would you feel if you found Mom sleeping with someone? I'm not saying what he did was right, but he isn't a bad man for overreacting."
"You watch your mouth, young lady. Your mother wasn't some skank on the corner looking to marry the first wealthy bozo that fell in her lap. We had standards."
Lilly glared up at her father, who seemed to smile upon getting a rise out of his daughter. "Lee went out of his way to get your heart medication. He even risked his life running back into town to get another bottle for you."
Larry rolled his eyes. "Big fucking whoop." The tension in his shoulders released, and he looked away in angered defeat.
That was the way we always ended our fights. He just couldn't learn to let people in, even his own daughter.
That night in the meat locker, Lee stepped up to try and save him. Even after all the shit my father gave him, he stood by me as I tried to save him.
Lilly stopped, letting her legs sink down to the asphalt road.
"I need to go back." She admitted, feeling the pain in her legs get whisked away by a sudden movement of guilt. She kneeled there for several moments, letting the voices in her mind die out one by one. As she did, a new sound faded in. It was the roamers, catching up to the tired woman.
She stood up, turning around to follow the sound of the dead. They were everywhere, surrounding the road with a collective hunger.
Follow the road back to the diner. They'll be there.
Lilly pushed herself up to move and began speed walking, however a sudden light stopped her in her tracks. Further up the road, a car rumbled towards her. It stopped a ways away as if eyeing the woman. Lilly stopped, her blood running cold.
Fuck. I can't lead it back to the others.
Fighting to not freeze in place, Lilly darted back into the trees without warning. She heard the truck rev to life and speed to where she knelt. As she pushed deeper and deeper, the sound of a truck door slamming was swallowed up by the trees.
"Hey lady!" A younger, male voice cried out. The sound failed to carry far enough, so the man called out again.
"We're not gonna hurt you! Damnit."
"Dude, we're in the middle of a fucking group of the dead things. Just leave her and let's go." A second voice warned from inside the truck.
"We're not leaving someone out here with those things. If we do that, then why the hell did we come out here in the first place?"
"He's not out here, man. We've been looking for days, and we haven't heard a single thing back home. Nate probably took off weeks ago. Get back in the fucking car!"
"No, Nick. You stay in the car. Maybe you can let a woman die out here alone, but I sure as hell can't."
The sound of the dead amplified, matching the intensity of the rumbling engine.
"We came out here to help people, Nick. It's important that we at least try."
There was silence. Both voices knew the woman had put a hefty distance between herself and them, but the man was determined. Leaving Nick and the rumbling truck behind, he trudged into the forest and hoped he was fast enough to catch up.
Hey guys! I hope everyone is staying safe out there. I have one more chapter coming out tonight, but for continuity sake, I'm gonna post it on the extra story so it doesn't mess up the flow. It's not necessarily a chapter, but more like a 'commercial' sort of. I hope you enjoy it!