𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟓𝟔𝟎

𝟏 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝟔 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬, 𝟐 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬

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I was standing by the van, as everyone got ready to go on a run. I still haven't received a job, so Deanna thought it would be a good idea if I tagged along to see how I'd do. Nobody else had so much thought and effort go into a simple job assignment, so this made me worry if she'd even be able to decide after this.

Once everything was loaded up, I hopped into the back, along with Tara Glenn and Noah when loud music started playing. I gave a playful sigh as I sat up against the wall. Despite a little loud and bumpy, the ride wasn't too bad.

We all got out, grabbing out weapons and anything else we needed. The power grid had stopped working, so we went to a warehouse to look for batteries.

I grabbed my gun, loading it and making sure it was ready to fire. I already had my knife, hanging  on my waistband in its sheathe. "Esmé, you'll be with us." Glenn spoke. Even though our group was new, Deanna trusted him. And I guess his opinion too, because he would be the one to tell her what he thought of this being my permanent job. It was me, Noah and Glenn walking to the front. A large fence kept a decent sized group of walkers guarding the front.

So, we had to go in the back. I carried a flashlight in one hand, and a pistol directly below it. Glenn lead us through the warehouse, with the help of Eugene and his knowledge. We came across another group of walkers, stuck behind a chain-linked "wall".  We stood directly across from Eugene and Tara, as she opened the box and Eugene confirmed we found the right battery.

Then, there was a burst of light and a loud sound. I woke up, lying against a shelf with packing peanuts scattered on the ground. I noticed everyone else had started to get up, but I stayed there catching my breath. "He's dead." Nicholas announced, that then caused me to get up and walk over.

I couldn't find my flashlight, so I couldn't find my gun. I reached for my knife and followed Glenn and Noah. I saw Tara laying on the ground, in a pool of blood. "Oh my god." I mumbled, pushing aside boxes and clearing the path to get into the aisle they were in.

Once we could get through I immediately ran over to Tara, placing a finger under her nose to check if she was even breathing, which she was. "She's alive." I announced, giving a sigh of relief. Walkers we now starting to gather around. "Go to the office, we'll get Tara." So, me and Glenn carried Tara to a small office, placing her on a desk. Aiden was actually alive, despite a pole sticking through his chest. His groans were attracting the attention of walkers. 

He was dying, or going to be dead in a matter of minutes. "He's gonna die either way. We need to focus on Tara, she actually has a chance." I say, walking away from the window and towards Tara. "Go, save him." Eugene yelled, completely ignoring my observations. I sighed as they walked out. "Esmé, where's your gun?!" Glenn asked, getting ready to go "rescue" Aiden. "Gone. Lost it when the bomb went off." He looked me up and down, before asking my another question. "Is that Tara's blood?" I follow his gaze, my arm was dripping with blood. I rolled up my sleeve, only to see a large gash where a piece of plastic was digging into my arm. "Stay here with Eugene, we'll get Aiden." He said walking out.

I then ripped the bottom of my shirt off, tying it tightly around my forearm into a makeshift tourniquet. I picked my knife up from the table where I set it down. I prepared to defend Eugene, knowing if anything were to happen he was unable to defend himself. "What happened to your arm?" He asked, still tending to Tara. I bit my lip, my arm now actually starting to hurt. "The explosion." I grunted, still focused on the rest of the groups rescue mission.

I walked over towards the window, the group had walked away, and I struggled to see them. "Help me, We're going to get Tara to safety." He said, clicking his flashlight off. I looked at him for a second, before quickly realizing he was actually serious. "You carry her, I'll cover you." I said, cracking the door and checking if the coast was clear. He lifted Tara over his shoulder, as I ran in front of him, prepared to defend the two. A walked came up beside me, but I ended it before Eugene even had the chance to see it.

I ran back and forth, killing walkers and checking on Eugene until we made it out of the warehouse and towards the van. Eugene set Tara in the back, as I got in the drivers seat and drove towards the back where the hoard was starting to gather around a revolving door near the main entrance. I started banging against the outside of the van, honking the horn, and yelling all while driving. "Play the mixtape!" Eugene called out, still treating Tara. I listened to him, turning the volume up as high as possible. 

It was working, the walkers were starting to follow. I slowly drove around the parking lot, a trail of walkers stumbling around behind us. Nicholas had come out, but Glenn was still in there. "Where the hell is Glenn?!" I yelled out, as he tried to force his way into the front seat. "Doesn't matter, we need to go." He reached for the door, but I locked it. "Eugene, lock the door!" I called out, as I turned the van on. "Is he still stuck in the door?!" I kept my gaze locked on him, making sure he didn't try anything. "We need to go!" I rolled my eyes, when I saw a familiar figure running towards us. It was Glenn.

He jumped on top of Nicholas, pinning him to the ground and repeatedly driving his fists into the side of his face. I got out of the drivers seat, careful to step over Nicholas body. "Where's Noah..?" I ask, realizing Glenn was alone. All he did was shake his head. I immediately felt my eyes fill up with tears, my stomach dropping. 

I got into the passenger seat, trying to make it feel less empty, less like we lost two people. The drive back was quiet. I didn't dare say anything, afraid to make the situation worse. Noah was just a kid, and I could tell his death had something to do with Nicholas.

My ears echoed with my heartbeat, my hands shook with nervousness, and my arm still continued to bleed. 

✦

As soon as we got back, Glenn and Eugene ran for help while I stayed with Tara. She was in a much more critical condition than me, and I knew it would be a little bit before I could get help with my arm. I got the first aid kit, and dumped it out. I got the tweezers, picking out the sharp piece of plastic embedded in my arm. It was a struggle, but I got it out. I immediately cleaned and bandaged it up, just until a professional could look at it.

✦

Pete looked at my arm, cleaned it, put new bandages on, and gave me some to take home. I got back, immediately seeing Carol in the kitchen. I set my bandages on the island, and poured myself a glass of water. "What happened?" I took a sip of water before responding. "Some people just don't know when to stop." I sighed before giving a soft smile and walking over to the couch. I shared the house with Carol and a few other people, so the couch was where I slept. I was thankful though, it was better than anything outside of these walls. Maggie had come over looking for me. Deanna was going to question me but Maggie had decided to wait until the morning because I was about to go to sleep.

I saw her, again. "Emmy, help me!" She screamed. "Don't stand just there!" But it was too late. I knew I couldn't save her. I could save myself, though. So I ran. I ran as fast as I could. But the screams followed me. It rang in my ear like a bell, overpowering the growling walkers all around. They didn't chase me, though. They just watched as I ran. The growls turned into laughs, taunting me as I ran. Eventually I stopped. They surrounded me, but they didn't attack. They just stood there as I tried to run.

✦

It was already eleven' o clock when I woke up. I silently scolded myself as I picked out an outfit and changed. I never slept in this much, and was surprised I did today.  I visited Tara, who was awake but weak.

I brought her some books, leaving them on her nightstand. Then I went to Deanna's house. "So, what happened?" She asked, the video recorder set on a tripod above her. "Well, there was a walker. He had heavy armor on, and a grenade in one of his pockets. Nicholas shot at it. He didn't stop, even though Glenn warned him." I took a sharp breath, shifting my weight nervously. "It exploded, and he ended up stuck to a shelf. They tried to save him, but it was too late." She nodded, "and what about Noah?" I thought for a second. "I don't know. I was in the van with Eugene and Tara. But first Nicholas came out. I thought they were behind him at first, but they weren't. Only Glenn." I looked around.

She nodded and looked at me. I could tell she was sad about the loss of her son, so when she didn't ask anything else I figured she was done. I was walking towards the armory when Glenn stopped me. "Hey Esmé?" I turned around, stopping to talk to him. "Yeah?" "You still wanna go on runs?" He asked, he voice more serious than normal. "Yeah. You thinkin about making that my job?" I respond, sarcasm laced in my voice as I tried to lighten the serious mood. "Yeah. You're ready." He said, not bothering to look back as he walked away. I shrugged as I continued my walk to the armory.

I was happy to finally have a job. A way to actually to something useful with all of my time. Once I arrived at the armory, I checked out a sniper rifle. I wanted to go practice my aim, practice for my new job. I walked to a clearing, not too far away from the main gate.

I shot at the walkers, clearing the small hoard from the field. When I ran out of ammo, which was pretty quick I went back, dropping the gun off at the armory. 

Suddenly, I heard yelling and people running, so obviously I followed. Rick was bloody, fighting Pete. I bit my lip as Jesse tried to separate the two of them but failed. Then Carl tried, but failed. I helped Jesse up, checking her for any cuts. She was fine, and Deanne came over. 

But then Rick pulled out the gun. The gun I stole, the gun he shouldn't have had. Michonne came, punching Rick and knocking him out. He deserved it. If he didn't stop, we would've all been kicked out and forced to live on our own again. 

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