Hey guys! So originally this chapter was going to be FOUR different parts , hence why it took so long, but after some much needed editing I decided to combine the separate chapters to make a TWO part thing. I want to split the chapters evenly and so I've been taking apart and re-editing ALOT. I didn't want to leave you guys waiting too long because I'm still editing and adding in details to the second part which is why I thought you guys deserved to have this first part now :)

Thank you for your patience with me and again I apologize for all mistakes you may find! Let me know what you guys think in the reviews and what you would like to see happen next!

-ED

PREVIOUSLY

The seconds I stay staring at the dial of the radio feel like hours, hours of searching for help. Each time I pass by a channel calling for help I quickly change it knowing that we're in no position to be saviours. Suddenly a familiar song begins playing on the radio.

Day after day..I get angry and I will say

I leave the dial on the channel soaking in the fact that the last time I had listened to this song was in a very different time, a totally different world. A world of happiness and peace, where my family was as fucked up as ever, I had a loving boyfriend, great friends.

I let the song take me away back to that time, a time where I can pretend none of this shit ever happened.

"Hello? Hello? Is there anybody out there?" The voice cuts through the song and I find my breath catching in my throat at the sudden sound.

Chapter 16: I'm Here

"If there is anyone out there...give me a shout out...tell me if you like this song.." The song continues uninterrupted by the mysterious voice and I'm grateful for the moment of 'silence'.

To say hearing the voice was a shock would be putting it too lightly, sure I've been hearing voices for hours but those weren't like this. The voices from the radio were cries for help, cries that I knew I wasn't able to do anything about and that fact was killing me inside, but this voice was different. It didn't call for help or sound distressed, instead it sounded…lonely, a feeling I was also becoming friendly with.

It made me wonder what would happen if I answered back to the voice, if I let him know I was here..

Don't even think such a thing, Alicia. It is too dangerous.

But Lexa-

No. It is a very bad idea. Cla- *sigh* Elyza and Strand were right before, we need to be smart in this new world. We need to think about our survival even it lies on the sacrifice of others.

I knew she was right but still my fingers itched to bring the radio mic to my lips and announce my presence. Lexa tries to fight me and I feel my whole body go stiff in an attempt to hold her off and on accident I squeeze the mic trigger revealing myself to the boy.

"Hello? Is someone there?" His voice has grown somewhat frantic and the sound causes Lexa to stop her attempts to take control and gives me a chance to catch my breathe. Who would have thought fighting your past self from taking over your body could be such a tough job?

"I'm going to play this song on repeat so that it gets stuck in your head as much as it has in mine." The song ends only to start all over again, "you're welcome."

An out of place wind knocks some of my waves into my face and I lift my head to fix my vision, nervously running my fingers through some of the tangles I find towards my ends. Again I think about calling out and honestly what's stopping me? The guy wasn't asking for help, he was just asking if I liked the song or not.

Alici-

"You're shy, i get it. I mean there's not much point to it now that the world has gone to shit, but yeah I get it." He states with a chuckle.

My lip twitches and I almost let out a nervous chuckle along with him before he continues.

"But please just say something.."

Lexa' voice nags me in the back of my mind and I have to physically shake my head to try and push her back. Slowly my hand raises the mic close to my lips and I let out two soft words, hoping and praying that I wasn't doing something completely and utterly stupid.

"I'm here."

I had moved down below deck as soon as the others had decided to join me upstairs, keeping my new found friend to myself. Elyza did give me a rather strange look when I refused to have breakfast with the group but thankfully dropped the subject when my mother called her to join herself and the other adults upstair, something about discussing future plans.

With everyone out I quickly isolated myself into the room and hopped up onto my bunk, radio held tightly to my chest. I had turned it off in a rush to conceal Finn's voice. Finn my somewhat-friend in the radio.

Immediately I flick the device back on and ask Finn to continue his story.

"Well our boat got knocked around a bit. We were stationed at the nearby marina when everything started and people lost their minds. "

"And this was your brother's boat?" I ask remembering Finn had said something about his brother being the only reason for his survival.

"Yeah it's a pretty shitty little boat but it hold us just fine."

"Is it safe there? Y'know where you are." Finn hadn't really said anything about his location and neither had I, both of us seeming to be cautious enough not to reveal that bit of information.

"I think so," he pauses, "We found this cove. But we don't have any food and these fish aren't exactly biting."

I want to say something, tell him that we had more than enough food to share but I know Mom and probably the whole group would kill me if I said anything. Instead i just let out a hum of agreement.

"So where is it exactly, the area that you're in?"

"I...I um..I don't know if I should say..I'm sorry."

I shake my head in disbelief that I had asked something so stupid because he can't say, realizing he can't exactly see me I bring the mic back up to me.

"No it's fine, I completely understand."

"So. Where were you when it happened?"

My finger clenches on the mic trigger but no words leave my mouth. Suddenly my thoughts are pulled back to my life I used to have before all hell broke loose and I'm at a pause. Everything was so very different right now and after all these bizarre things had happened, from Lexa and Elyza and zombies, I didn't know where to start.

I release my grip on the mic allowing Finn to talk.

"Alicia, are you ok?"

"It's just-" I laugh at where my thoughts had once again taken me, " It's not fair, y'know? It was over before I even knew it started. It was all over."

It's quiet for a moment and I can't help the dread I feel not hearing Finn's response right away. I'm almost begging to hear the boy's voice.

"I'm sorry.."

I rub a shaking hand along my cheek before settling my face against it.

I don't exactly know why I found comfort in this stranger, in his sympathy. I guess I just needed someone to talk to, someone who didn't know my entire life story and wouldn't judge me. I had thought I found that in Elyza but obviously it didn't stick.

Elyza. Elyza. She's all I think about now. I shake my head trying to clear my thoughts of the blonde who was still pissed at me for reasons I'm still not sure of. I always did have a hard time understanding people or at least that is what Matt used to say to me.

Matt..

"Have you lost someone, Finn?" I ask.

Finn and I talked for hours only taking a pause from our conversation when Raven and Elyza appeared in the doorway. Thank God neither Finn and I were talking at the moment, instead we were listening to some ridiculous record Finn had found on his brother's ship and had decided to share with me.

It was mid-song when Elyza burst through the door with a bottle of wine and an already tipsy Raven hanging desperately onto her shoulder, her detached prosthetic leg waving around in her free hand.

"Heeyy Buddy! Long time so nee..I mean no see! Hehehe. Did you hear me E? I said so nee!" Ok maybe more drunk than tipsy.

I register the song coming to an end and immediately my hand searches for the dial to turn down the volume, almost to nothing, so as not to alert my roommates of Finn.

Elyza giggles along with the Latina her face red from either the alcohol or embarrassment for Raven's sake. Raven continues to mumble as Elyza moves her to her bunk but after figuring the girl wouldn't be able up the ladder, she settles her on the bottom bed.

I can't help the smile from appearing on my face as I watch as Elyza attempts to take the prosthetic only to commence in a tug of war with Raven. This only makes Raven laugh harder and more determined to keep her leg out of the blondes reach.

Finally with a sharp tug from Elyza, Raven release her vice grip and Elyza goes tumbling back and hitting her head against the side of my bunk resulting in a loud yelp.

"Pfftt…" My hand flies to cover my mouth, trying not to let out the laugh in the back of my throat at the sight of the blonde bent over and rubbing the back of her head with a grimace.

Elyza throws a glare back at me and that was all it takes for me to lose all control. The laugh that comes out of me surprises not only Elyza but myself as well. Tears build up in my eyes and I rock my body side to side from my position on my back with the radio flat on my stomach.

It's such a funny sight to see that it doesn't even bother me that one or two snorts come out of me. My mind clears when I hear an all too familiar sound following along with me and when I look to my roommate I find that Elyza has also started laughing at her own situation.

"Stop laughing 'Lica!" She says between small bursts of giggles, " It's not funny!"

"Ohhh but it is! I wish I got that on camera, Youtube would just love you Elyza Lex!"

It takes us a few moments to calm down before we find ourselves staring into one another's eyes, a content smile on both of our faces.

I never would have thought I would find the sound of someone's laughter so comforting..and speaking about comfort. I look down to the radio, I basically just left Finn out to dry.

I don't notice Elyza's eyes following mine down to the device and I don't see her suspicious eyes coming back to gaze upon the side of my face. Realization dawns on her face for what she assumes has dampened my mood and she carefully reaches forward startling me when I feel her warm hand on my arm.

"Has anyone come through?" She asks giving my arm a gentle nudge and I just shake my head.

I can only imagine the amount of trouble I would be in if anyone were to find out I was actually having an active conversation with someone, a complete stranger someone at that...

"No one has come through," Elyza gives me a pointed look, "but I'm not giving up hope. Maybe I can- i can help someone, anyone. I just can't imagine letting more people die when I could have helped them."

Elyza drops her head in shame and I realise that she must think I'm still angry about this morning, which is true I am angry but I understand why we had to do what we had to do. I'm about to reach out and tell her this but suddenly her head whips up and I can see that cold look in her eyes, though not as intense as before.

"Alicia, you need to understand. I did not want to leave those people out there and if I could I would have saved them in a heartbeat," I try to interrupt her but she leaves me no room to do so, " Strand is right. We need to be smart about all of this."

"I know, Elyza, and I understand but couldn't we have at least tied their raft to the back of the boat? We could have taken them back to shore." She scoffs and I can feel myself heat up at the action.

"And if they all decided to take over the Abigail ? Then what? They have more bodies than us, as soon as we got close they would have jumped in and just taken over the whole fucking ship. Stop being so naive!"

"Naive?!" I'm baffled by the insult.

Alicia...she didn't mean it lik-

"Yes naive! Listen babe, the whole world isn't butterflies and rainbows anymore. It's dark and it's scary and we need to start treating it as such. There are no heroes just survival. We can't help everyone with hugs and kisses," she spits out the word 'hug' as if just saying it takes so much effort and that when I realise the real problem here , "I'm sorry but that's just how it is now. Survival is our main priority."

Leave it alone. You two were just starting to get back to normal-

"Enough!" It was meant for Lexa but I'm so angry right now that I don't care that Elyza took it to be for her.

"You're still angry about the Chris thing aren't you?" She ashamed by the question for a moment and that when I knew I hit the problem right on the nose, " His mother died, Elyza, shot in the fucking head by his own father! He had no one else to go to and I was there!"

Raven seems to have sobered up from my shouting and is now attempting to get up and leave but the task is challenging enough with her prosthetic still in the blondes hands. I pay no mind to her as I continue my argument.

"I don't regret comforting him and I am sorry that seeing us together hurt your goddamned feeling, but grow the fuck up! I'm not your property and I can do whatever the hell I want without your permission-"

"No! I don't see you as property..I just- Fuck- I don't know I just didn't think.." Her gaze doesn't meet mine but I can hear the absolute regret in her voice and almost instantly I feel my anger begin to settle.

"That's right Elyza you didn't think. Earlier you and I , we- God I was going to kiss you all because for some odd reason you got to me Elyza." She looks up at me and our gazes lock in such an intense stare down. Both of us trying to share all of our emotions through one single look. " From the moment you rode in on your bike you have changed my life and Matt... I finally accepted that having feelings for you wouldn't change how much Matt had meant to me."

I wanted to cry, i wanted to throw myself at Elyza and have her hold me tight against her chest but my body didn't move and neither did Elyza. Both of us can barely look at one another and maybe it was better this way.

I sit up and slowly drop down from the bunk with the radio, my eyes staring anywhere but at those beautiful green orbs. Without a word I move past Elyza, her gaze also avoiding my own as she moves to the side, and I exit the room slowly closing the door behind me. Leaving the room gives me a breath of fresh air and the cloudy haze inside my head begins to clear.

Leaning back on the door, I take a moment to catch my breath and calm down the swirling feelings in my chest. The tears are still there behind my eyes but with every intake of air the aching to cry becomes less and less.

Alicia..

"Please. Lexa. Not now..I just can't handle one of your lectures right now."

...As you wish.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome?" My head swivels to the side at the reply that was clearly not Lexa and I just when I find Nick stading there beside me in the ship's hallway.

Nick has a confused look on his face but it morphs into one of intrigue in a matter of seconds, I'm frozen in my spot until Nick approaches. He seems to let the conversation drop as he passes by with a grin on his face.

"Don't forget to keep scanning the stations, 'Licia." He reminds me as he takes the steps to head up on deck and once again reminded of my friend whom I had left hanging.

Rushing down the hall to find an empty room, I find myself stopped in the doorway of the room that I knew Chris occupied along with his mother. I'm stuck wondering if I should go in and see if he is ok but I decide against it. From what mom and Travis were saying before they were going to be putting her body to rest soon, which meant Nick only had a small amount of time with his mother left and I didn't want to interrupt his time with her.

So I continue on. I make it to Nick's room and cautiously push open the door, Nick only shared this room with Daniel and so I wasn't too surprised to find it empty seeing as the man was majority of the time on deck fishing. Nick's side of the room is extremely obvious due to the scattering of clothes everywhere and the unkempt bed and I throw myself face-first down on the the sheets, placing the radio on the pillow.

As soon as I turn the dial to turn of the volume Finn's voice come through in almost frantic matter.

"-ear to God if anything happened to you- God the one moment I make a friend and she gets eaten by a damned zombie!"

And just like that my mood seems to lighten, just a bit but enough for me to want to continue talking to Finn for as long as I possibly can.

"I wasn't eaten," I pause and I can hear a small whispered 'Thank God', " I'm sorry about that but some of our other members of the group came into the room and-yea.."

"Oh shit. You weren't caught were you?"

"Almost. You remember that girl I told you about, the one who I am having drama with?"

After a small moment of silence Finn replies.

"The one with the weird name, right? The Aussie?"

"Yea," I make myself more comfortable on the bed, " Listen I don't really want to talk about it anymore..can we change the subject?" He agrees and I try to approach a simpler and less uncomfortable conversation, "So where are you guys going to go?"

"Man I don't know, we're thinking Hawaii. It's far but y'know it's Hawaii, coconuts in paradise right?"

We both can't help laughing at how absurd and slightly unrealistic he sounds, but hey it's a way better subject than before. I can just imagine being in Hawaii myself, sunbathing out on the white sandy beaches of Kauai. A fruity umbrella drink in one hand and my phone in the other.

I can imagine Elyza emerging from the cool blue waters of the ocean ahead of me in nothing but a itty bitty white Bikini in slow motion, total Baywatch style yea in slow motion. Water dripping down her flawless skin. A surfboard being carried effortlessly in her tattoo clad arm with that sexy fucking grin on her face that just make sme want to sit on i-

"Hey you still there?"

Oh dear God. What the fuck was that?! My entire body shifts, it's on fire and I can just imagine how flushed I must look right now. My flannel seems to be suffocating me and I tempted to rip the damn material apart or have Elyza do that for me. Okay I really got to get my mind out of the gutter.

Pushing down the intense feeling in my gut I decided to reply to Finn before he thinks I've been attacked again.

"P-paradise, huh? Hahaha" The hitch in my voice and the nervous laughter has me even more embarrassed than before and I can only hope that Finn doesn't notice the change.

"Ha! Yea Paradise. Ain't nobody going to turn there!" I laugh at that and thankfully my thoughts turns to a much cleaner version of 'paradise, " ..but it's too far. Too far for this boat."

My smile drops at his words and I can honestly say that I'm worried about the condition of my new friend. He hasn't told me much and neither have I but the one thing I have gathered is that my status is exceptionally better than Finn's.

"Do you have water?" It is the most important necessities to survival of so I have learned from my binge watching of 'Man Vs. Wild'.

"Yea we got some. We also got some pans out in hopes of catching some rain, cause if not we'll be drinking our own pee."

"Mmm tasty!" I joke and he laughs in reply though i can hear in his voice that this could be an actual possibility for them.

"How bout you? Do you guys have water?"

"Yea we have our own filtration system on the boat, so we're all good." I say without a thought.

"Okay so now that is seriously cool! You must be rich."

"No no. We're just passengers, we don't have money like that."

"So you guys are on like a yacht? Do you guys think you guys can make it to Hawaii?"

I don't know what to say to that and when Finn asks me more questions, my suspicion rises. Could Lexa have been right? Was talking to Finn a bad idea? I feel bad for doubting this stranger who has brought me comfort but then again He really is just that, right? A stranger.

After some hesitant answers on my part, Finn seems to back off of the boat subject and come to something a little unexpected. He tells me about his group a little, something that he seemed to avoid bringing up too much in our conversations.

"It's just me, my brother and his wife now. Just the three of us, everyone else is else is dead and or taken...I even saw it happen to my girlfriend."

Subconsciously my free hand reaches for my forearm and I find myself caressing the ink heart tattooed onto my skin. My heart grows heavy at the thought of Matt and ironically of Elyza too, both factors in the ever complicated matters of my love life.

"I'm sorry." I say because really I can understand the pain of losing the ones you love, with both my Dad and Matt.

There's a soft knock on the cabin door and immediately I say goodbye to Finn and shut off the radio. When I open the door I find a somber looking Nick on the other side.

"We're far enough from civilization and it's deep enough now for us to start Liza's 'services'." He says with a sad smile and then it hits me. We're going to put Liza to rest now.

I didn't think it would be so soon, I thought Chris would have more time to mourn with his mother, but I understand. If we don't do this now it will only be worse later on down the track. I nod my head in acknowledgment, following Nick to the deck.

We pass by Elyza who is only just now exiting the bunk and she follows behind us.

Coming on to deck one could feel the change in atmosphere, although the fresh air is a good change from the stuffiness down below, the deck is filled with this dark energy emerging from the two Manawa males.

Nick, Elyza and I find a seat near the stairs that lead up to the captain's quarters, allowing the Manawa family their privacy as they say goodbye, or rather stare at the white sheet clad body on the table. Mom is next to Travis, clinging on to his hand as he stares down at his ex-wife. He had done the same at Dad' s funeral, when Mom and he were just good work friends but now they stand side by side as lovers.

A brush on my right hand has me glancing at the blonde next to me and slowly I allow her to interlock our fingers, a sign we both take as 'Not everything is fixed, but I still care about you'. Biscuit settles alongside Elyza but not before coming and nuzzling my leg. We stand in silence as the rest of group gather, even Raven seems to have emerged though she still looks as out of it as she did an hour ago.

Seeing as we're all gathered, Travis removes the part of the sheet covering Liza's face and a broken sob comes from a distraught Chris. Travis tries to reach for his son but Chris pushes away from his father's touch and my heart breaks for how disastrous this family has become.

Grief is an ugly beast. Lexa appears on my other side, in the space between Nick and I. Her armor is replaced with a longsleeve mesh top and black jeans. There is no war paint but her hair is still the same, free with intricate braids running through brunette locks. She looks lighter almost a happy glow to her.

Have no fear, Alicia, for now her spirit will be free. The Gods will watch over her as her fight has now ended.

But her family.

She will not leave them. Her spirit will always be pulled to her family when they most need her, but for now you can rest easy knowing that she has accepted her fate and the Gods welcome her into the spirit world.

Travis is talking now going on and on about how family needs to stick together now more than ever but I ignore him focusing more on Liza, I don't even realise I'm walking towards Liza until I am standing there besides Chris. Looking down on her face I can't help the feeling of relief seeing the peaceful expression on the latina's face.

You were right Lexa. She is free now.

Elyza comes up behind me and feel her gaze on the back of my head and soon enough, as if craving human contact, she places a hand on my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. Travis doesn't seem to mind my intrusion, or well Lexa's seeing as she compelled me to walk over here, and wraps up his speech. H looks eagerly to Chris.

"Chris, son, do you want to add anything else."

At the sound of his father's voice, Chris straightens up, his back as stiff as a board. His hands clenching into fist at his side and I can feel the anxiety coming off of him in heavy waves, I have a feeling he is about to do something stupid.

Lexa urges me to take his hand into mine and I do so without pause and almost instantly his shoulders drop and his eyes lock onto mine.

Do you want me to send her off for you, Chris? I hear Lexa whisper in my ear.

"Do you want me to send her off for you, Chris?" I repeat Lexa. His response is slow nod and he drops his head, hiding his face behind the long strands of his hair.

My head feels lighter and my stomach tightens. I don't know what to say or what prayer I'm supposed to give. I had only been to church once in my life and that was for a funeral that I hardly payed attention to because I was too busy crying.

Do not worry, Alicia. I know what to say. There is a prayer a friend of mine had said to me and her words helped to send me off in peace, just repeat after me.

With Lexa's reassurance I allow myself to calm and when my breathing finally slows to a normal pace I begin, repeating word for word what Lexa tells me to and I can feel my own tears building up.

It's short, only a few sentences but from the way Lexa says the prayer there is so much emotion behind them and I can only hope I have as much meaning behind them as she does as she does.

"In peace, may you leave this shore." I can hear a gasp behind me but Lexa's voice drown out the sound.

"In love, may you find the next." Elyza's grip seems to tighten.

"Safe passage on your travel, until our final journey to the ground... May we meet again." The intensity of Lexa's words build inside of me to the point where I want to explode and the rush of emotions flowing through me isn't help : Happiness. Sadness. Satisfaction. Relief. Dread. Love.

The final emotion is the strongest of them all and fills my heart with such warmth that it's too much to bare and all I can do is stand here and cry. It makes me so happy but at the same time it feels as if my heart is ripping apart. Like I'm being robbed of my happiness. But why? Why am I feeling this?

I gasp at the realisation and I shake my head in disbelief over how obvious the answer is to my question. It wasn't me being robbed...well not really. It was Lexa. These emotions I'm feeling, it's all Lexa's. This how she felt about the love of her life, her soulmate.

Yes..they are mine.

I want to cry even more, I want to cry for the loss of Lexa's love. The robbing of her happy ending.

Now is not the time the time to mourn what I had lost. My world ended..but yours has only just started..

She's right. What's done is done but still I can't just forget how much Lexa's feeling have affected me.

Chris latches onto me, the zipper of his grey hoodie digging into the thin material of my shirt and startling me in the process, I allow him to cling to me. As soon as I feel the loss of contact from Elyza, I turn to her. I know we haven't fully resolved our situation so I can only imagine how pissed she must be seeing me once again holding on to Chris but to my surprise she doesn't look angry. I try to read every emotion pouring out through her stare, searching for any sign of jealousy and I can see it there but it's dull compared to the look of sympathy and oddly enough a look of confusion as well.

The smile on her face tells me that she isn't mad at all and when her hand returns to my shoulder for another squeeze I can't help smiling back at her, despite the tears and possible snot dripping down my nose from all this crying.

Movement ahead of me comes from an equally distressed Travis as he and Daniel proceed with this makeshift funeral, tying what I assume to be weights to Liza's feet and with a gentle caress and a final kiss both men gather on one side of the table and lift. The weights drag the corpse of Liza Manawa down the tilted table top and over the edge of the ship into the dark blue ocean with a small splash.

Finally it was over. Liza was at peace.

"Yu gonplei ste odon.."

To Be Continued

DID I add Finn in this story? *BAM* Yea I did! If you watched FTWD please don't spoil anything for those who haven't watched the show (Y'know what I mean) Anyway, if all goes well the next part will be out soon. Till next time.