Gunshots pierced through the air as we ran towards our camp, desperate to get back before Merle got there.
"Oh my God," Rick panicked, freezing.
"Go! Go!" Glenn shouted, picking up speed.
Screaming and shots blasting off spurred us even further, adrenaline pumping in my veins and taking over completely. Terror filled me as I heard familiar voices shouting right before we emerged into our camp. It was complete and utter chaos. Two of the camp girls were lying in front of the RV, one of them bleeding out. Other people were fighting to keep their families safe, bullets flying everywhere.
"Go towards the RV!" Glenn shouted at a survivor, fighting off one of the walkers.
I joined the chaos, drawing my sword and swinging it around. It was like I was in the middle of a dangerous and deadly dance, the silver blade reflecting the little light we had. A little walker snarled, launching itself at a blinded Glenn.
My blade went through its throat, sticking out of its mouth a few inches away from Glenn. Blood splattered on Glenn and I pulled my sword out again. We made eye contact and a quiet understanding passed us before we each fought our own. The chaos that seemed so hard to overcome ended in a few minutes. The moonlight illuminated the silver blade of my sword, blood dripping onto the ground covered by bodies. I wiped it off, sheathing it again. Numbness was all I felt till I heard a low growl from behind me. I turned around in time to get thrown onto the ground by a walker. A branch I picked up was the only thing that went between me and the familiar walker. His black hair and dark brown eyes, his favorite jacket, and the bracelet I had gifted him. My older brother loomed before me, grinning again with the familiar twinkle in his eyes.
"Kay?" I whispered, loosening my grip on the branch.
"Hey kiddo," he greeted me, his hand reaching out to brush my hair away from my cheek.
"I missed you," I sobbed, half of me screaming to hold up the branch against him, to not let him touch me.
"Me too, Lynnie. Me too." His smile grew wistful, sadness pooling in his eyes. "I'm sorry."
"No, no," I shook my head, my voice breaking. A familiar voice screamed my name from afar. "I'm sorry, neomu mianhae, oppa. I thought I could protect Rynnie, I thought I could keep my promise."
"You tried, that's all that matters, my sweet dongsaeng," He grinned, opening his arms to hug me, to welcome me into his warm arms and his familiar scent of sandalwood mixed with a tang of citrus. All I had to do was lower the branch, then I'd be with him again. Free from all these pains and burdens. I started to lower it, but a gunshot sounded and Kay's head snapped to his left, brain matter flying out of the hole. He fell to the ground before me, his eyes blank now.
"No! No!" I screeched, reaching out for my brother, cradling his head, trying to pull him back up into a sitting position, and hugging him with all the strength I could muster. It was as if my subconscious was telling me that I could squeeze life back into his cold body.
"Arlynn! Stop!" A warm hand pulled me away from the walker, prying my hands away as I screeched for him, wailing. Familiar eyes searched my soul, right before he pulled me in, holding me firmly against him as I sobbed. His baseball cap fell to the floor as I shook in his arms, so vulnerable.
"G-Glenn," I fought for breath, trying to regain control of myself but unable to.
"I've got you," he whispered in my ear, rubbing his hand over my back, another arm firmly wrapped around my shoulders. "I've got you."
It was a mantra whispered by him, something that eased me. It was a warmth I felt from him, so different from my brothers and Ben. It was a different type of soothing I felt. I couldn't name it or understand it, but it was what I needed so much at the moment. Footsteps, loads of them, started coming our way and I immediately pushed Glenn away gently, wiping my eyes and removing any possible traces of my breakdown. I glanced back at the walker again and saw it as it was. An ugly walker that simply had dark hair and dark eyes. The rest had been hallucinated. He was not my brother.
"You guys okay?" Rick asked, glancing between me and Glenn.
"Yeah," Glenn answered before I could. "We had a bit of trouble with a walker. She saved me."
I snapped my head towards him, surprised at his comment and half-lie. He didn't feel too comfortable about it, something shown by the slight twitch of his right hand.
"Noona!" Ren screeched from the RV, fighting against Ben who was intent on holding him back. "Let go! Ben! Let go! Noona!"
It seemed as if he succeeded, however, because I soon felt a thump as I got tackled around my waist by the kid. I absentmindedly patted him back, unsure of myself.
"I'm so sorry, noona, I don't know what came over me," I made out from his intangible cries. "I love you, I need you. Don't leave me like hyeong-ah, please." (big brother)
I pat his back, hugging him tighter than before, letting him embrace me. A wail sounded near the RV again and I saw Andrea sobbing over her now dead sister who had been mauled. Silence came over the camp as people quietly took in the events that had just occurred, grieving.
"I remember why I dug those holes now," Jim commented.