Oh God... oh my God. The words couldn't make the nightmare she was in any less real. Still, she recited them as though such a prayer would change everything; put her above ground in a normal world, training with her father. But no matter how she tried to see the light, blink the dirt from her eyes and find the sun in this endless night... it was hopeless. Her fears consumed her. Her air supply would begin to run low soon enough and she had to be careful as to how much energy she wasted.
"Da..." She whimpered out. "Da, what do I do?" This would've been a perfect time to have her trusted sais. Even her katana. Luckily the boards were weak, easily pulled. But the only problem was the ground that would surely crush her if she didn't play her cards right. Her face scrunched up as tears stung her gaze. "What do I do? I'm so scared." She hissed, clutching the flashlight to her chest.
You know what you gotta do, Leprechaun. Tear shit up.
It wasn't her father's voice, she mused with a confused glare into the lid of the coffin. She shook her head, feeling insanity beginning to creep like a cancer into her brain, infecting her body and spreading a sickening warmth through her body. It calmed her; soothed her.
"Shut up, Beastie. I know what I gotta do." She snapped back.
"Why you askin' then? Get to it."
"Fuck off." She hissed, hating that he was right. She gripped one board that was far off to the right. She managed to wiggle her fingers through the crevice and she began to tug lightly.
"Tug hard enough and it'll come loose. C'mon, don't be a pussy. Tug harder."
"I'm not the fuckin' Hulk, Beastie!" She grit through clenched teeth, turning her head away as a clump of dirt hit her face. She released the board in fear and wiped the grime away.
"Ya act like it enough. C'mon. What're you afraid of, Leprechaun?"
"I dunno. Maybe being buried alive?" Sarcasm seemed to breed well with hatred. She forced away her tears, hating herself in such a scenario. She was petrified enough of being buried alive. Now that she was faced with it, she couldn't even fathom reality. Her chivalrous nature had faded away and all that was left was a scared little girl who just wanted to stay and die.
"Ya're already buried alive. But that's just it, ain't it? You're alive."
Nora paused, considering the mentally fabricated words and the precious source it was coming from. Her face contorted in sorrow and she wept for a long while, beating her fists helplessly against the lid of her rickety coffin.
"C'mon, little lady. Stiffen that upper lip, will yah?"
"I'm so scared, Daryl." She whimpered out, trying her best to find her footing. She was losing hope, finding no reason to live. Andrea and Michonne were goners, she was buried in her own grave, there was no telling if Daryl was even alive and same went for the rest of the group.
"Ain't nobody got nowhere bein' afraid of everything. I believe in ya. Just shoot karma in the ass like I did to Nelson. I'll be with ya th'whole way."
Nora laughed at first, but stopped. Those words. She remembered fading in and out of consciousness when she heard them. At first, she had thought it was just a dream, nothing more.
After an hour or so of pondering, the pieces began to fall into place.
"The prison is located north-east of the horde. It's infested with the dead, but I'm sure we can put it to good use."
Outskirts infested... crossbow... group... Andrea...
"Beastie..." She murmured, her eyes now alight with nearly-forgotten cerulean rays behind new hope. Fresh tears trekked along her cheek in happiness. He was alive. He had to be. He and the group must have taken over the prison. A smile caught her features for the first time in a month.
New life thrived in her chest. Her heart sped and her lungs sucked in air as the happiness overwhelmed her. Something new swelled in her chest and created that ever familiar lump in her throat. That same lump that he had the ability to make disappear with one word of encouragement in her dreams. But now, she welcomed that lump in her throat. She barely even attempted to swallow her feelings on the matter.
He was alive. Her Beastie was alive.
"Y'got it now, Leprechaun. Tear that shit up!"
Back to him. She sniffled back tears again, trying her best not to cry as she reached out and grabbed that same board again, tugging a fraction harder.
"Don't you dare pussy out now. Y'best be comin' back t'me, Leprechaun! PULL!"
And she did. A hard yank forced the board from its spot and she took her opportunity to yank a few more out of place before she could begin crawling her way out of her grave.
Some time passed before Nora's filthy hand emerged from the disturbed ground. She coughed and sputtered as she hoisted her own body up from her hole in the ground. Cerulean hues tossed back momentarily to the burial site, sneering at it in pure triumph.
"That's my girl. Now get that ass movin'."
She almost closed her eyes as the comforting voice invaded her mind, tossing her head back as she soaked in the warmth of the moon above her on this warm Georgia summer night.
"On my way, Beastie." She muttered, feeling reborn as she ignored the searing pain in her body, bolting from the Woodbury cemetery and finding her way back to the Governor's building.
Finding Andrea and Michonne, as unbelievable as it seemed, were not difficult to find. Apparently the Governor liked to keep his victims in controlled locations and... he'd already introduced Nora to the majority of 'em with every escape she attempted.
Finding their weapons was an easy task, just as well as stealing the map with the location of the prison on it.
What wasn't easy, however, was dragging Andrea and Michonne away from surely murdering the Governor in cold blood. It took much convincing, but once it was done, all three women had bolted for the exits, determined to taste the air of freedom once more.
They had been sure to raid a few stores in order to stock up on much needed necessities, almost getting caught by a few guards in the process. But by the time they had stolen one of the vehicles just on the outskirts of Woodbury, they had successfully made it far enough and proceeded the rest of the way on foot in the woods.