Chapter 81
"We are not concerned with what we see, but with what we do not see, because what we see is temporary, while what we do not see is eternal..."
Lina scooped up a handful of dirt and placed it on the pure white sheet, then handed the scoop to Daryl.
lose.
We are constantly losing.
Daryl handed the shovel to Sasha, who couldn't accept this reality. She shoveled up the dirt, trembling as she scattered it, but dared not look in that direction.
She seemed to have lost all her energy, and turned away in a daze.
"Give her some time," Herschel sighed, watching Sasha's retreating figure.
Sasha sat alone under the tree, and everyone watched her from afar. Everyone felt bad about what had happened.
The joyful atmosphere of not long ago feels like a dream.
Rick silently buried Tyrsey, swinging his shovel endlessly by himself. Lina knew he was feeling guilty.
He didn't bring everyone back; he didn't protect everyone.
But it wasn't his fault.
Lina buried her head in her arms, sat on the ground, and looked at the grass beside her.
[Thump—thump—thump—]
The red stood out starkly against the green grass, receding into the distance.
“We’d better check the area for supplies, especially water.” Rick was still at Tyrsey’s grave, so Daryl had to take over and assign tasks to everyone.
“Don’t go too far. Shoot if there’s danger. Water and food…” Daryl said worriedly. When he stood in this position, he seemed to understand where Rick’s 'fatherly' personality came from.
Everyone is watching him, everyone is counting on him.
Carol stayed behind to watch the children, while the others scattered to search for supplies in the surrounding woods.
Although it was difficult, they had to go. Everyone's morale was low, and they couldn't just sit there doing nothing.
"Lina?" Everyone left one after another, but Lina was still sitting there in a daze. Daryl was a little puzzled. He walked up to Lina, but she still didn't move.
Is she spacing out?
Daryl hesitated for a moment, then looked at Carol, who nodded to him.
Daryl picked up his crossbow and, without calling Lina again, quietly walked into the woods.
“I’ll go with you.” Carl handed Judith over to Carol and caught up with her.
Daryl glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "Stay close to me."
Karl adjusted his hat brim and nodded coolly.
Carol held Judith and gently rocked her. She had cried for a long time that afternoon, as if she knew about Tersey's departure.
“I boiled some water for her.” Beth poured the cooled water into Judith’s bottle and handed it to Carol.
"Have some too," Carol said, taking the bottle and glancing at Beth.
"No, I'm fine," Beth managed a weak smile.
Before Carol could say anything more, Beth called Sophia and Dwayne over and gave them some water.
Carol glanced at the water bottle and sighed sadly. It seemed that their water might not last for two more days; they might run out of water tomorrow.
It's so hot... I hope they'll find something in the woods. Carol looked worriedly into the forest.
It was getting dark. Noah and Sasha talked for a while, and then the two of them slowly walked over.
Beth handed the water to Sasha, who took it and sipped it twice.
“He was a good man,” Beth said. “We will all remember him.”
Sasha nodded, her voice choked with emotion, so she didn't want to speak.
The past few months have been like a nightmare.
Several times she thought that maybe when she opened her eyes, she would still be in the car, listening to her dad's boring news broadcast, her mom complaining that she had come back too late from going out with her friends last night, and Tyrese in the passenger seat constantly agreeing with her, while also talking to her dad about the news.
Everything is irreversible.
Everyone returned one by one, having brought back nothing but firewood.
When Daryl returned, Rick had already started a campfire. Everyone gathered around the fire, looking dejected. No one spoke; there was only a silent, somber atmosphere.
Daryl placed the firewood beside the fire and scanned the crowd. Lina was still sitting there, motionless.
Daryl frowned and walked over to Carol. "Has she not moved at all?"
Carol paused for a moment, then looked at Lina. It seemed like there really wasn't one.
“Not even once,” Dwayne said. He had been watching Lina that afternoon, but she ignored him, so he could only sit and watch her.
Daryl nodded and strode toward Lina.
Although he had a lot to say, Daryl ultimately just sat down next to Lina and let out a long sigh.
“After what happened in prison… I know you want to leave,” Daryl said softly, poking the ground with a twig.
"..." Lina remained motionless, as if she were cosplaying The Thinker.
“That won’t make you feel any better. The most important thing is that we, we’re still here.” Daryl threw away the branch and tentatively reached out to hold Lina’s hand.
Lina's fingers twitched as she grasped Daryl's hand.
“Sometimes, I think, I wish I were next,” Lina’s voice was calm but tinged with a hint of heartbreak.
“…I was just thinking, thank goodness you’re still alive,” Daryl said.
“Am I being annoying, dramatic?” Lena looked up at Daryl. “Like Sean said, I’m just a self-important brat who always thinks he’s so great.”
“No, you are not,” Daryl shook his head, firmly denying it. “You, we, we are all remarkable, otherwise we wouldn’t be here now, we would have turned into a pile of rotten flesh long ago.”
“Daryl…” Lina looked at him, hesitant to speak.
Daryl watched Lina quietly, waiting for her to continue.
Lina's words kept circling on her lips, but she didn't say them in the end. Finally, she pouted, opened her arms to Daryl, and asked for a hug, "I'm tired, hold me and I'll sleep."
Daryl knew she had something she hadn't said, but he would wait until she was ready to speak.
Daryl shifted his position, sitting closer to Lina, and wrapped his arms around her, letting her lie on his lap. Lina looked up at Daryl's face.
“Uncle, you seem to have aged quite a bit,” Lina suddenly said.
Daryl glared at her. "Shut up and go to sleep."
He never thought age was a problem for him until he met Lina.
After days of running around, Glenn looked a bit more weathered, while Lena hadn't changed at all. Her slightly dirty appearance made her look even younger, especially like a guilty child who had just finished playing in the mud.
What kind of Asian sorcery is this?
Lina blinked innocently, and before Daryl could get angry, she grabbed his clothes, buried her face in his stomach, and fell into a deep sleep.
Daryl nodded to Rick, who had actually been keeping an eye on Lena the whole time, until Daryl finally managed to appease her.
So much has happened lately that he's become so stressed that he can't comfort Lina. He knows he'll only cause her more anxiety, but thankfully Daryl is there.
Everyone was there, but the atmosphere was noticeably somber, and everyone seemed lost. At this point, he had to make a decision.
Rick pinched the bridge of his nose, sighed, and quickly took another breath. He had to stay calm; he absolutely had to.
"Same as always, everyone takes turns keeping watch. We'll wake up first thing tomorrow morning, pack our things, and head to DC," Rick said. Lina had mentioned there were troops there; maybe there were still [unclear] there?
“Our fuel tanks are almost empty,” Glenn said worriedly.
“Then let’s walk,” Rick said. “We have to keep going. We can’t stop, not now.”
“Maybe we can find a place to stay nearby…” Maggie said hesitantly.
“You’ve all seen it, there are a lot of walkers here, this area isn’t safe,” Rick glanced at Noah. His camp hadn’t just been breached by walkers; many of the walkers were in half-body, with very neat cuts, clearly not eaten by walkers, but cut off by humans.
Many of those zombies even died first and then transformed.
To be able to breach such a camp, the enemy must have a large number of people. He wasn't sure if they were still nearby, so it was best to leave as soon as possible.
“I know everyone is tired,” Rick said, “but we have to find a safe place, and that’s definitely not here.”
“I told you, DC is a great option,” Eugene said quietly.
Abraham didn't even glance at him. He was still a little angry when DC was mentioned, after all, he had genuinely been deceived.
After making sure everyone had accepted the arrangements, Rick sat wearily under a tree, his gaze falling on Carl, who was holding Judith, while Sophia and Dwayne, along with several other children, gathered around and played with Judith.
He will lead everyone to a safe place, where these children will grow up safely and healthily. He will.
Rick closed his eyes wearily.
Lena wasn't sleeping soundly. Daryl looked down at her. It seemed like she was having a nightmare. She was clutching his clothes tightly and mumbling something he couldn't understand, probably in Chinese. She was also covered in cold sweat.
Daryl had no choice but to take his shawl, turn it clean, and wipe it for Lina. He could hardly remember the carefree Lina from the beginning.
She grew increasingly melancholy and sorrowful; though she smiled, Daryl saw the grief in her soul.
But he didn't know what he could do.
Daryl poked Lina's cheek. The soft flesh she used to have had shrunk considerably. She needed to eat and sleep more. If she continued to lose weight like this, she probably wouldn't even need to be a zombie; a gust of wind could blow her away.
food.
Daryl looked irritably into the woods. He hadn't found anything today, which wasn't a good sign, especially since the weather had been getting hotter and hotter lately...
Let's try tomorrow. We'll think of something tomorrow.
Daryl lowered his head and gently stroked Lina's forehead with his fingers, trying to relax her furrowed brow.
I hope she has sweet dreams.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
