Time To Grow Up
Chapter 7: Funeral Time
…Cara's POV…
…Next Morning…
Nobody talked, they just worked. Some were moving the bodies and others were digging holes. Mom made me and Sophia sit at the picnic table with Carl. Sophia and Carl are playing War, while I sat back and watched the others work. Well, everyone but Andrea. She was still kneeling over the body of her dead sister, ready to shot anyone who came to close. Lori slowly tried to approach her.
"Andrea," She whispered, "I am so spry. But she's gone. You gotta let us take her. You know, we all cared about her and I promise that we will be as gentle as we can." Shut up, Lori. You aren't helping. I growl mentally.
I looked away from them, letting my eyes drift towards Daryl. He swung the ax over his head and into the head of the Walkers, while Glenn and T-Dog threw their (the Walkers) bodies into the fire. The smell was awful, but it was a quick way of getting rid of all of the bodies. Daryl looked up from his last Walker and saw me watching him. He gave me an awkward wave and went back to work. I got up from my spot, heading towards Andrea. But Rick's voice stopped me.
"She still won't move?" He asks, walking over to Shane, Lori, my mom, and Dale. I frowned.
"She won't even talk to us. She's been there all night. What are we gonna do?" Lori states, glancing over at Andrea. Andrea was clutching Amy's hand.
"We can't just leave Amy like that. We need to deal with it, same as the others." Shane states, trying to convince Rick. He was starting to sound like an asshole again.
"I'll her how it is." Rick replies, trying to act like he wasn't wary of approaching her. As he got closer to her, she raised up her gun and pointed it at him, "Andrea."
"I know how the safety works." She snaps.
"Alright. Okay. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He raised his hand, backing away slowly.
I had to roll my eyes. These people have no tacked at all. I looked away from them and continued my way over to her. I heard my mother gasp as she saw me. I held up my hand, telling her to back off. I kneeled down in front of her and took Amy's empty hand.
"I am sorry, Andrea. Amy didn't deserve to go out like this. She deserved to be here with us, with you." I muttered, trying to hold back tears.
"Amy loved you." She whimpered, not looking at me.
"What?" I ask, looking up in shock.
"She loved you. She loved the way you stood up for yourself and didn't let people talk down to just because you were a kid." I chuckled lightly.
"I loved her too. She told me about boys and dating. I know I am only 12, but the World has ended and my mother never gave me the Talk." Andrea giggled softly.
"I bet she was giggling and blushing, like a Catholic schoolgirl." I looked back down at Amy.
"She was the Big sister that I always wanted."
"And you were the little sister, she never got."
I smiled softly, leaning in to kiss her forehead, "I am gonna miss you Amy, but at least now you get to be with all of the Unicorns and Mermaids that you told me about. I am sad that you are gone, but I am glad that I got to meet you and you are free of this awful world. Goodbye, lovely Am." I got up and leaned over Amy's body to give Andrea a hug. It took her a second, but she hugged me back tightly.
…An Hour Later…
After I left Andrea, I went and grabbed my journal from my tent. I had tucked it into my waist band and climbed the ladder on the RV. I guess the RV roof has become my place. I just come up here to think, write, and even get away from everyone. Well, getting away from everyone isn't really easy because they can just climb up the ladder.
I was writing about Amy and what Andrea told me, when I heard Daryl causing a ruckus next to the RV.
"Y'all can't be serious. Y'all are lettin' her put us all in danger. The dead girl is a fuckin' tickin' time bomb." Daryl hissed, looking between Rick and Shane.
"What do you suggest we do?" Rick asks, crossing his arms.
"Take the shot. Clean," I gasped, "I can hit it in the brain from here." Okay, I have heard enough. I climbed down the ladder, as quickly as I could, "I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance."
"Yeah, but she ain't a damn turkey. She is Andrea's sister and my closest friend!"
"Cara! Language!" Mom scolded, well tried.
"This isn't any of ya business Cara." He spat, glaring down at me.
"It is my business, because she was my friend!" I glare back at him.
"For God sakes, just let her be." Lori yelled, agreeing with me before going to sit down. Daryl scoffed. Walking away. Ass.
…
I am now back on top of the RV, trying to cool down after my spat with Daryl. I sighed what the hell is wrong with him. He had never acted this way with me before and it is starting to get on my nerves. What id T-Dog hadn't lost the key to the handcuffs and Merle was able to make it back to the group? Would Daryl still be acting like this with me or would he have gone back to his old self? I miss the old him, I guess that it could still be within him.
"Wake up, Jimbo. We've got work to do." Daryl said, startling Jim. Daryl headed towards Morales, who was trying to move a body. Daryl leaned over and grabbed the other half of the body.
"Thanks. Thanks" Morales breathed. The two of them dragged the dead camper body over to the burn pit, where Glenn was standing.
"What are you guys doing?" He said, rushing towards them," This is for geeks, not our people. Our people go over there." He pointed over at the pile of familiar faces, some young and others older.
"What's the difference? They're all infected." Morales asked, setting the body down for a second.
"Our people go in that row there. We don't burn them! We bury them." Glenn's eyes harden, but that didn't hide the tears in his voice, "Understand? Our people go in that row over there." He pointed again, harder this time. The other men rolled their eyes and took the body over to the correct pile.
I could see Daryl tense as he sat the body down next to Ed. He was about to explode, I could tell.
"You reap what you sow." Daryl stated.
"You know what? Shut up, man." Morales hollered.
"Y'all left my brother for dead! Ya had this comin'!" Daryl hissed, walking away. No one went after him. I shook my head, whiner. Everyone went back to work and I went back to writing in my journal.
…
"A walker got him! A walker bit Jim!" Jacqui yelled, point at a scared and tired Jim. Everyone flocked around him, well everyone but Andrea and I. She was still stroking her sister's cheek, while I am just too comfortable where I am. I did, however, look up from the nearly filled page to watch was going on. Daryl charged at him, welding the pickax from earlier.
"Show it to us." He demanded, "Show it to us."
"I'm okay. I'm okay." He rambled, trying to back away from everybody. I could feel the panic flying off of him as Daryl got closer to him. I frowned. Poor Jim.
"Easy, Jim." Shane cooed.
"Grab him!" Daryl shouted, glaring at him, "Grab him!" Jim grabbed the shovel that had been at his feet and started to swing it around, not hitting anyone.
"Jim, put it down. Put it down." Shane spoke calmly. T-Dog snuck up behind him and grabbed ahold of him.
"I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay." Jim kept chanting that same line over and over. Daryl leaned forward and lifted Jim's shirt. There on his pale chest was a bloodily bite mark. I gasp, covering my mouth with my hand. No. Not Jim too. Glenn and Daryl looked up at me. I shook my head and climbed down from the RV. I limped (my ankle still hurt from yesterday when Ed pushed me down at the quarry) as quickly as I could towards my tent, trying to get away from the scene playing in front of me.
"I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay." Jim kept ranting as they moved him to the RV, not inside but to a crate in front of the door.
…
For the last twenty minutes, the fetial position has been my best friend. The vice grip that I had on my pillow hadn't loosened, since I grabbed it when I got into my tent. The only thing that I have been able to let go of is the tears I've been holding onto, since I saw the Walker latch itself onto Amy.
The sound of three light taps, startled me from my mourning. I groaned and told him to come in. He was silent, as he unzipped, climbed in, and zipped it back up. He had spoken a word as he headed to me. He scrambled onto my bed, pulling me to him. I cuddled into him, gripping onto his thin shirt.
"ti's npt pais." I mumble into his chest.
"What?"
"It's not fair." I repeat.
"What isn't fair, Cara?" He asks, looking down at me. His eye were filled with concern.
"It isn't fair that Amy died and Jim is on his way. The only good thing that came out of this whole event is that they got my father, but those other good people didn't do anything to deserve this fate. I would trade Shane from Amy and Jim." I closed my eyes, trying to hide the new wave of tears that are threatening to spill,
"You don't mean that."
I nodded my head, "Shane may be a good survivor, but he isn't a good person, Okay, maybe at one point he was, but now not so much. Whereas Amy and Jim were good people. Amy helped me when I had questions about girl stuff, and Jim was nice. And he lost his family to those damn things."
"Oh Cara." Glenn muttered, rubbing my back which lured me to sleep.
…Third Person POV…
The guys, Lori, Carol, and Jacqui were gather around a tree talking about Jim. They kept glancing over at him, trying not to look suspicious. Daryl grunted.
"I say we put a pickaxe in his head and the dead girl's and be done with it." Daryl said, gripping the pickaxe.
"Is that what you'd want, if it were you?" Shane asks, resting his hands on his side.
"Yeah," He nodded, "and I'd thank you while ya did it." Dale shook his head.
"What about Cara. Would you be thanking her? She'd be brokenhearted." Lori asks.
"Leave her out of this! She ain't my kid!" He yelled, throwing his empty hand in the air.
"That isn't important right now, but guy I hate to say it," Dale states, "I never thought I would... but maybe Daryl is right."
"Jim is not a monster, Dale, or some raid dog." Ruck replied.
"I'm not suggesting..."
"He's sick. A sick man. We start down that road, where do we draw the line?" Rick interrupted Dale.
"The line is pretty clear. Zero tolerance for walkers or them to be." Daryl snapped.
"What if we can get him help? I heard the CDC was working on a cure." Rick suggested.
"I heard that too," Shane said looking at him, "heard a lot if things before the world went to hell." Rick shot Shane a look of disbelief.
"What if the CDC is still up and running?" Rick asks.
"Man, that is a stretch right there." Shane argues.
"Why? If there's any government left, any stricture at all, they'd protect the CDC at all costs wouldn't they? I think it's our best shot. Shelter, protection..."
"Okay, Rick." Shane stressed, "you want those things, alright? I do too, okay? Now if they exist, they're at the army base Fort Benning."
"That's 100 miles in the opposite direction.." Lori said, poking her head out a little bit.
"That is right," Shane snapped, "But it's away from the hot zone. Now listen to me. If that place is operational, it'll heavily armed. We'd be safe there." The others in the little group looked between Rick and Shane, not knowing whose side to be on. It was especially hard for Lori, because of Rick being her husband and Shane being the man she turned to when she thought she'd lost Rick.
"The military was on the front lines of this thing. They got overrun. We've all seen that. The CDC is our best choice and Jim's only chance." Rick tried to reason with Shane. Daryl was the first one to look back at Jim, who was sitting on the still sitting on the crate.
"You go looking for aspirin." Daryl stated, "Do what you need to do. Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!" Daryl lunged forward with his pickaxe.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Shane yelled, as Daryl continued towards Jim with this pickaxe swinging. Rick couldn't let Daryl hurt Jim, so he raised his gun and pointed it at him.
"We don't kill the living." Daryl let out a bemused chuckle.
"That's funny coming from the guy who just put a gun to my head."
Everyone was staring between Rick and Daryl, wondering what was going to happen. Daryl hadn't turned his full body towards Rick, just his head. No one saw little Cara step out of her tent, trying to wipe away the sleep that made itself home in her eyes. She caught a glimpse of Rick and Daryl, and froze. What?
…Cara's POV…
"We may disagree on some things, but not on this. You put it down. Go on." Shane ordered, I think Daryl. Daryl said something I couldn't make out. He threw the pickaxe on the ground.
"You people don't know what you are fucking doing!" Daryl screamed, before heading towards his tent. I bit my lip, deciding to follow him.
I had just made it passed the little group, when Rick started to lead Jim into the RV. I shook my head, quickening my pace.
"Daryl!" I yell, pulling at my shirt.
"WHAT?!" He hissed, swinging around to see who had called him. He looked like he was ready for a fight.
"Chill, Dar. It's just me." I teased raising my hands.
"What do ya want Cara?" He sighed.
"I saw the last bit of that fight of yours and I wanted to make sure that you were alright."
He shook his head and smiled a little bit. "I'm fine, Cara. Just pissed that they ain't takin' this shit seriously." He sat down in front of his tent.
I copied him. "I think that they are tryin' to find a way to save Jim's life, but they ain't doing it right."
"Since when did you get so mature?" He chuckled, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
I grinned really big. "I got mature, during the time you were ignoring me."
He sighed again. "I am sorry about that, kid. I just didn't want to feel something if ya died."
"I don't think that is a good enough excuse. Ya gonna get close to someone at some point, it doesn't matter who it is and they are gonna die. You can't keep yourself from caring about the people in this group without actually leaving this group." I cupped his face, "You are like the father I wish I had but never got and I don't want you push me away. So please don't push me away."
He nodded, pulling me into a hug. "I wish I was lucky enough to have a daughter, especially if she woulda turned out like ya." He smiled softly, "Don't ya ever tell any of the other about this, ya got me? I don't want them to that I got soft side." I laughed.
"I got ya, Dar. I won't tell anyone about your soft side and even if I did, I don't think anyone would believe me anyways." He hugged me one more time before standing up.
"I guess I should be getting' back to work, there are dead heads to smash." I gagged.
"That is so gross." I moved away from him, "I am going to start packing up my tent. I don't want to get behind."
"Alright, kid. Ya put yar stuff in my truck, ya'll be ridin' with me." I smiled up at him and nodded. He pushed me towards my tent, which caused me to glare at him, before picking up the pickaxe and heading back over to the dead bodies.
I sigh, pulling open my tent. It doesn't seem real, having to pack up and hit the road. But I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. I just wish that it didn't cost so much. I started folding my clothes and putting them in the duffel bag that I brought when we first left the house. It took a lot of effort, but I got all of the clothes into one bag. I hadn't realized that I had a lot of clothing, but I should have figured that I did have a lot because Glenn always brought me some new stuff when he went into town. Goodness, I've become spoiled since the world ended. Huh? That is new. When I zipped the bag up, I headed to Daryl's truck. I looked around for and saw him about to slam the pickaxe into Ed's head. (Haha Ed's Head... It rhymes... Sorry not sorry.) My mom reached forward, stopping Daryl from doing anything.
"I'll do it. He's my husband." He handed her the pickaxe, shrugging his shoulders. She got a good hold of the axe, swinging it back and slammed it into his head; over and over again. She started to ball after the first blow, but she kept going. I smiled softly, continuing on my way to Daryl's truck.
I tossed my duffel bag into the bed of the truck, tucking it away so that Daryl had space for his things, his bike, and my things. I went back to my tent and packed up the loss items like my journals, books, pens, and pencils. They fit in the pack that Glenn brought me last month. I had to roll my blanket up with my pillow inside to have some room in the little bag the blanket came in, surprisingly it all fit. It took me forever to deflate my air mattress, but I was able to fold it up and wrap it with a couple of wires before slipping it into a bag. I made sure everything was out of my tent, before I started to disassemble my temporary home. Glenn and Dale were walking by when I started to have some issues reaching things and offered to help. That was a blessing, because I am really short. Sophia got our mother's height, whereas I got our father's stubbiness, plus I am 12. I nodded quickly, which caused them to chuckle. With them helping, it got down twice as fast.
They also offered to help me take my stuff to Daryl's truck, but I told them that I had it and I had to check my bags. I had to make sure that all of my knives were a counted for. Which reminds me, I have to get my bat off of the RV roof. I left there after I ran off this morning, when the whole Jim thing happened. I found all of my knives where in their rightful place, so I began to carry my stuff to the truck. This time I had to pass Andrea, who was still sitting with Amy. I bit my lip, holding back tears. It took more energy to toss my tent and other bags in the back than before.
I had turned around when Amy came back to life. I froze when I saw her start to move around and moan. She was pawing at the air, looking for something to grab onto and possibly eat. She had grabbed ahold of Andrea's hair, which got her to sit up. Andrea screamed and I had to cover my mouth with my hand to be able to contain my screams. Andrea kept pulling her face away from her sister's hungry mouth. The other heard Andrea's scream and turned to see what happened. Just like me, they stand there froze. Glenn was able to move to stand next to me. He wrapped his arms around and hide my face in his chest, trying to block my view of the scene playing out in front of me. My screams turned into sobs as Andrea put her gun to her sister's head and pulled the trigger. I could have sworn that she whispered 'I'm sorry' as she did it. She just cradled her sister's body, sobbing.
I pushed Glenn away and took off to find my sister. Moments like that, make me want to grab ahold of Sophia and never let go. She was sitting with Carl, both of them with Lori and my mom. I nearly knocked her off of her feet. I just wrapped my arms around her and squeezed. She stood there, shocked. I sigh.
"I am sorry for not spending enough time with you, Sophia. I'll try and make it up to you, I promise." I whisper in her ear.
"That is okay, Cara. I know that you are different from me and you don't like playing around. We may be twins, but that doesn't mean we are the same person. I mean we don't look alike." She whispered back, giggling a little bit at the end.
"I just don't want to loss you. I don't think I'll be able to handle it. You are my other half, Sophia."
"I agree, Cara."
We hugged for a while longer, before mom and Lori said that we should rest a little before the funeral. We nodded and separated. I went and laid down in Glenn's tent, while Carl and Sophia went to the Grimes tent to rest. Luckily for me, Glenn hasn't had time to take apart his tent. I didn't actually rest any, because of all the noise. I could hear the bodies of the people in our camp be thrown into the back of a truck. I could hear whoever was digging the extra hole hitting rocks as they dug. It was all very distracting.
"I still think it's a mistake to not burn these bodies. It's what we said we'd do, right? Burn 'em all, wasn't that the idea?" I heard Daryl's muffled voice call over to someone.
"At first." Shane replied.
"Then Chinaman gets emotional, sayin' it's not the thing to do, and we just follow him along? These people need to know who is in charge here, and what the rules are." I scoffed. Glenn is Korean not Chinese, Daryl.
"There are no rules." Rick states. Thank God, there is a voice of reason.
"Well, that's a problem," Lori butts in, "We haven't had one minute to hold onto anything of our old selves. We need time to mourn and we need to bury our dead. It's what people do." Well Lori, we can't really be our old selves. We have to move on.
…A little bit later…
We staged a funeral for the people we lost. Dale and Andrea struggled to get Amy's body into the hole that was dug for her. I felt bad for her. I wanted to help, but it looked like she didn't want any help. I just stood back with my sister and watched her struggle, like everyone else. She was sobbing.
"I can do it. I can do it. I can do it!" She snapped at Dale, who was trying to help her out as she tried to wipe away the tears.
After the service, everyone headed back camp from the quarry. Everyone was silent and mourning for the people we've lost. I didn't grieve for many of them, especially my father, but I did grieve for Amy and soon Jim.
…
A/N Hey!
I am sorry that I haven't updated in a while. Again I've been deal with a lot of medical stuff. And I was waiting for more than one review, but I didn't get anything. I am thankful for that one review though! So, I go back to school on August 24. Which is really soon. I don't know how much I'll be updating then.
Thank you, HarukaTaiga, for you comment.
I also wanna thank everyone who has followed and/or favorited this story! You guys are just as amazing.
Try giving me more than one review on this one. It'll make me feel better. :D
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G-V Princess