Chapter 8: Chapter 8: The Road Ahead
<3rd Person Pov>
The air still reeked of smoke and blood.
Most people were in shock, whispering, pacing, or holding loved ones close. Some tended to the dead. Others just sat in silence, staring into the dark.
Itachi stood near the edge of the clearing, wiping blood off his sword with a cloth soaked in river water. But his eyes weren't on the blade.
They were on Amy.
Amy sat alone, legs drawn up, arms wrapped around them. Her eyes stared blankly at the ground, unfocused. Dirt smudged her cheek. There was blood on her jeans.
Footsteps approached, light but certain. She looked up.
Itachi stood in front of her. His expression was unreadable, as always. But something in his eyes had softened.
Without a word, he knelt and held out a small cloth bundle.
Amy blinked, confused. She slowly reached out and unwrapped it.
Inside was a finely carved wooden comb. On the back, etched with careful precision, were the words:
In a world that rots, you remain untouched.
Her breath caught. She stared at it, lips parting slightly.
" Happy birthday " - Itachi said quietly.
Amy looked up at him, stunned.
" How did you— " - She started, but the words faltered.
" Andrea mentioned it, once. " - His voice was low but gentle.
She didn't say anything at first – just looked down at the comb, fingers tightening around it like it might slip away. She stood up and stepped forward.
Her arms wrapped around him in a quiet, trembling hug.
Itachi froze for the briefest moment, then let his hand rest lightly against her back.
" Thank you... " - She whispered into his chest, with tears rolling down her cheek.
He didn't reply, but he didn't pull away either.
And for a while, neither of them moved.
Not far from the fire, Andrea stood with her arms crossed, gaze distant.
She'd been pacing earlier – couldn't sit still – but now her legs just didn't want to move. The weight of everything was settling in. The bodies. The blood. The screams. Maybe it was the adrenaline finally wearing off, or the silence that followed the chaos, but now the memories came rushing back all at once.
But something pulled at her - tugged at the edge of her chest.
Her eyes drifted towards Amy.
She sat alone, knees drawn up tight, staring at the ground like the world had cracked open beneath her.
Andrea felt her gut twist. She started walking. She didn't know what she was going to say, only that she needed to be there for her.
But halfway there, she stopped.
Itachi had emerged from the shadows - moving with that unsettling grace - and was already walking towards Amy.
Andrea froze, halfway between them.
He approached her sister without hesitation. Knelt. Offered something wrapped in cloth.
And then - Amy stood.
She hugged him.
It wasn't just a hug. It was the way Amy clung to him. The way she buried her face in his chest, like she needed to anchor herself to something.
Andrea didn't move. She just watched.
And slowly, her expression softened.
She hadn't seen Amy let someone in like that since before the world ended. Not even her. But now - this quiet, distant boy had reached her in a way no one else had.
Andrea felt... relieved. Grateful, even. Like something fragile inside her had finally unclenched.
She turned away without interrupting.
And for the first time, Andrea didn't feel the need to be the one holding her sister up.
We all gathered in the morning to get rid of the bodies.
There was a small fire going, already burning a few walkers.
I dragged the corpse by the arms, careful not to let the joints tear apart. The stench was the worst part. The kind that stuck in your nose and throat long after you'd walked away.
I turned back for another.
Daryl was a few feet off, hauling a body by the legs. He wasn't looking at me, but I felt his eyes track as I passed.
He didn't look at me when he spoke.
"Them throwin' knives you used last night " - he muttered.
"All in the head. Ain't missed a damn one."
"Wasn't trying to." - Replied simply.
He gave a short grunt. Not friendly. Not impressed. Just listening.
We reached the pit again. Dropped another body in. The fire popped as old blood burned off bone.
"You slammed me back at camp " - he said next, flat.
"Right in front o' everybody."
"You went for Rick. " - I answered simply.
"Wasn't trying to humiliate you " - I said.
"Just had to stop you."
He gave a bitter laugh.
" Yeah, and you stopped me by sittin' on my back with your damn leg on my head. Real polite. "
Didn't speak, just let the corner of my mouth twitch up, barely.
Just enough to say: maybe it was a little bit on purpose.
Daryl blinked, then squinted hard.
" You serious? You smirkin' at me right now? "
I turned back to the body I was dragging.
" Tch... prick " - He muttered under his breath.
Daryl and I dragged the body of a dead camper toward the fire. The skin had gone pale-gray, lips blue, eyes half-open. Still fresh.
Ahead of us, Glenn stepped in our path.
" What are you guys doing? This is for geeks. Our people go over there. "
He pointed to the row of covered bodies under the trees. The ones with names.
Daryl didn't even slow down.
" What's the difference? They're all infected. "
" Our people go in that row over there! " - Glenn snapped. His voice cracked. " We don't burn them. We bury them. Understand? Our people go in that row over there. "
His hand shook as he pointed again.
We changed course. Walked the body away from the fire, toward the edge of the tree line where Morales and a few others were digging graves.
Daryl dropped the body with a dull thud.
" You reap what you sow, " - he muttered.
Morales turned his head.
" You know what? Shut up, man. "
Daryl stepped forward, fists clenched, eyes burning.
" Y'ALL LEFT MY BROTHER FOR DEAD! " - He shouted, voice cracking with fury.
" YOU HAD THIS COMIN'! "
Then he turned, fists clenched, and marched toward the truck.
Without a word, he threw open the tailgate and began loading the bodies of the fallen—the campers, the people we knew.
I watched in silence as he slammed the bed shut, climbed into the driver's seat, and gunned the engine. The truck rumbled down the dirt path, heading towards the clearing where we will bury the bodies.
No one said anything for a long time. Then slowly, people began to move. Some to grab shovels, others to follow on foot.
When we reached the gravesite, Rick and Shane were already there - sleeves rolled, shovels in hand. Sweat soaked through their shirts.
Daryl was leaning against the truck, arms crossed.
Rick looked up as we arrived. His eyes found mine, giving me a slight nod.
As we laid the bodies out, Daryl pushed off the truck and walked over.
" Still think it's a mistake not burnin' these bodies " - He said flatly.
"It's what we said we'd do, right? Burn 'em all. "
Shane straightened up, shovel resting on his shoulder.
" At first. "
Daryl scoffed.
" Then the Chinaman gets all emotional and suddenly we're just takin' orders? These people need to know who the hell's in charge. What the rules are. "
Rick looked up at him.
" There are no rules. "
I stepped forward.
" And that's why the camp's unorganized. No leadership. No safety plans. Half the ones we're burying now ran because they didn't know what else to do. "
Lori, standing nearby with her arms crossed tight, added:
" That's the problem. We haven't had one second to hold onto anything of our old selves. We need time to mourn. We need to bury our dead. It's what people do. "
Daryl glanced over at me with a raised eyebrow but said nothing.
And without another word, the digging continued.
The sun had long dipped below the trees. People sat in a loose circle, quiet. Tired. Grieving.
Rick, Shane, and Dale returned from the gravesite, boots heavy with dirt.
Rick stepped forward.
" I've been thinking... about where we go from here. "
The camp looked up.
" What if there's still help out there? I heard the C.D.C. was working on a cure. If there's any part of the government still standing... they'd protect that place, right? "
Shane frowned, arms folded tight.
" Yeah, I heard that too. Heard a lot of things before the world went to hell. "
" But what if it's still up and running? " - Rick pressed.
" I think it's our best shot. Shelter. Protection. Supplies. "
Shane shook his head.
" Okay, Rick. You want those things - I do too, man, all right? But if they exist, they're at Fort Benning. Not the damn C.D.C. "
Lori's voice cut in quietly:
" That's 100 miles in the opposite direction. "
" Exactly " - Shane said.
" And it's away from the hot zone. If Fort Benning's operational, it'll be armed. Secure. We'd be safe there. "
Rick met his eyes.
" The military was on the front lines of this thing. They got overrun. We've seen that. The C.D.C. might be the only thing left standing. "
Everyone was silent for a moment.
Then I spoke.
"I agree with Rick."
A few heads turned toward me.
" The C.D.C. would've been the last line of defense. If it's gone, that means Fort Benning's already fallen "
" If there's even a chance they're still operational… we should take it. "
Shane didn't look happy - but he didn't argue.
Rick looked across the fire at me.
Then he gave a slow nod - not just agreement, but appreciation. Like he didn't expect support… but was grateful to have it.
Andrea didn't say anything, but her eyes flicked toward me. Quiet. Measured. Maybe just thinking. Maybe more.
Amy, though - she looked at me directly.
No smile this time. Just a small nod.
Simple. Clear.
She agreed.
I held her gaze for a moment… then gave a slight, hesitant nod back.
She trusted me.
And I was leading her straight into danger.
The least I could do… was make sure she stayed alive.
Rick glanced around the circle. Then he spoke.
" So those of you that agree... we leave first thing in the morning. "
The group slowly began to break apart, murmuring quietly. Some drifted toward their tents. Others just sat in silence.
Glenn lingered near the fire, arms crossed, eyes unfocused.
He muttered it more to himself than to anyone else.
" Man... really hope this CDC thing ain't total bullshit. "
" It probably is " - I said.
He let out a short breath. Not quite a laugh. Not quite a sigh.
" Great. Just what I wanted to hear. "
Amy stepped into the firelight beside me, arms hugged around herself.
Then, quietly - trying to sound lighter than she felt.
" Maybe... this time it'll be different. Maybe the CDC's still there. "
Her voice trembled just a little.
Glenn glanced at her, then back at the fire.
"Yeah… that's kinda the theme these days. "
He tried to smile. But it didn't last.
Amy glanced at me, then quickly looked away - like she didn't want to seem scared, but was anyway.
I didn't move. Just listened to the fire crackle.
Tomorrow, we'd roll the dice.
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Author's Note:
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
We've officially reached No. 73 in the Power Rankings — thank you all so much! 🙏
This one was a bit smaller, focusing on the aftermath and setting up our journey to the CDC, where I've got some big things planned.
Honestly, writing Daryl was harder than I expected - getting him to feel like actual Season 1 Daryl took way more effort than I thought.
Please leave a comment if you felt any characters were off, or if something didn't feel quite right.
And if you have questions about future plotlines, character arcs, I'm always happy to talk about it in the comments!
Thanks again for reading!