My Favorite Color is Orange 3- TWD

The next few weeks were uneventful, no fleshies, no other people, and especially no food. Jim had never been a heavy eater but even he walked around on an empty tank.

            “We’re not going to die from the biters; we’re going to die from starvation!” Gayle would cry. To which his mother would hit him over the head with a spoon.

            Jim was watching Kevin and Gayle play on an ancient looking tree. The trunk looked twisted and branched off into every direction, providing many limbs to climb on.

            Anna was sitting next to Jim, watching him draw, completely content. Jim had run out of colored pencils- it was a truly sad day. So he was shading, lead was all over his fingertips.

            It was another landscape picture, of the two boys climbing over the tree as if they were monkeys. The center tree and figures were defined while the rest of the landscape was faded.

            “You’ve got lead all over your fingers.” Anna said with a smile, she looked him in the eye. “What happens when you run out of pencils?” she asked him.

            Jim shuddered and winced, over playing it a bit, “Don’t give me nightmares!” he said and dropped his pencil next to him and rubbed his finger on her face, using her as a piece of paper.

            “Jim Wainwright! Did you just write on me!?” Anna said, laughing. “No Ma’am!” Jim said and she glared at him, her smile wide. “Did you just ma’am me!?” she cried.

            “No ma’am!” Jim said and she tackled him, laughing. He was laughing too and, like an true artist, assured that his sketch book was safe before he started to tickle Anna.

            While Jim and Anna were being all cute and weird Kevin was hanging upside down from a tree branch, jeering at his brother. “You can’t reach me! You can’t reach me!” Kevin chorused.

            “Shuddap Kevin! Ah can reach yew! Just lemme think…” Gayle snarled, “Think about what? How you’re gonna fall on your face?” Kevin then held onto his stomach and laughed.

            “No! Ah need ta think about my path of trajeectery!” Gayle said with a glare at him older brother.

            “Trajeectery? Trajeectery!?” Kevin said, laughing harder, “You mean trajectory?” Kevin asked.

            “Whatever! Jack said it!” Gayle said, crossing his arms and looking away from Kevin and the tree.

            “Stop trying ta be like Jack! You’ll never be as cool as ‘im!” Kevin jeered. “Ah’ma tell mom! Yew’re bein mean!” Gayle snapped and Kevin make a fearful, sarcastic, face.

            “Oh no! Not mom!” and then Kevin burst into giggles again. Gayle turned around to run off towards the camp, and to his mother, but he faltered and stopped. His face, that had been flushed red with embarrassment, was now pale white.

            Kevin could see Gayle, but not what Gayle was looking at. “What is it Gayle? B-Biters?” Kevin asked, “It’s a dog- Kevin, Kevin, ah’m scared.”

            Kevin, who had been filled with evil glee, was now empty of everything but fear for his little brother. Kevin swung around and jumped to the lowest branch, reaching his hand out to Gayle.

            “Gayle c’mere! Hurry!” Kevin cried, he looked up and saw what Gayle was frozen in fear from. It was a massive German Shepard. Its fur was ripped away in some spots and in fewer showed its milky white bone. It’s eyes were diluted, yellow, lenses and it had its nose turned in the brother’s direction.

            Kevin waved his arms towards Gayle, who was still standing there transfixed. The dog did a 360, sniffing horridly at the air.

            “Gayle grab my hands yew blasted idiot!” Kevin almost screamed. The same moment Gayle turned to sprint towards his big brother’s arms the dog found what it had been sniffing for. Gayle.

            Gayle was jumping for Kevin’s arms, missing by mere centimeters. Kevin was screaming at Gayle, at the dog, at anything, trying to get attention.

            The dog had reached Gayle. Its teeth were yellowed. It smelled of death. “Reach! C’mon Gayle! Reach!” Kevin screamed and Gayle started whimpering, tears spilling down his face.

            Just as Kevin and Gayle locked hands the dog sunk its teeth into Gayle’s ankle. Gayle cried out in pain and Kevin pulled, trying to get Gayle away from the murderous dog.

            “Give me my brother back!” Kevin cried, his eyes growing itchy and hot, water welling up in them. “Give him back!”

            Gayle kicked at the dog with his free foot and the dog recoiled, barking with a broken voice box. Kevin found the strength to lift Gayle up onto the tree branch next to him. They huddled close to the trunk and Kevin held Gayle on his lap.

            The dog was jumping up at them, almost clipping onto unsuspecting elbows, knees or feet. Kevin looked at Gayle’s ankle and had to hold in tears.

            It looked like a walker bite. Oh god, no. Please, don’t take my brother from me. I’ll give anything… anything…

            “Am I gonna be okay? Kevin?” Gayle asked through tears, Kevin looked his brother in the face. Kevin could not hide his fear and a single tear fell from his eye.

            “Y-You’ll be fine. Gayle. You’ll be-”

            Crack!

            Kevin looked all around from the source of the gunshot.

            Crack!

            The dog below them was hit, the bullet grazing his back, it whimpered.

            Crack!

            Damn, whoever this was was a horrible shot. The dog’s ear was knocked off, but still it jumped after Kevin and Gayle.

            Crack!

            Finally the dog’s skull cracked and made way for a precious bullet. The dog’s corpse teetered over in the grass.

            “Ya’ll okay!?” Anna voice carried to them, sounding worried. She came into view, sprinting towards them, a pistol in one hand and a knife in the other.

            “Anna! Help me! I’m gonna die!” Gayle cried, reaching his arms out towards Anna. Kevin lowered Gayle to Anna.

            Anna sat Gayle next to the dog and checked on his ankle. Her face confirmed what Kevin had feared.

            “Let’s get you to your mother.” Anna said, Kevin picked his brother up and started running as best he could towards the camp. People were wandering out, curious as to why there were shots fired.

            Jim ran up to Anna, who was standing under the tree, looking on after Kevin and Gayle. He slipped the strap of hi sniper rifle around him.

            “What happened? Did w-” “He’s bit.” Anna said plainly, he saw tears fall from her eyes. “Don’t cry…” Jim said walking towards her. She faced him, looking angry, tears boiling at her eyes and running down her face.

            “You think I want to cry?” She spat at him. He closed his mouth and gave her a soft expression. She wiped her eyes aggressively and ran a hand through her hair.

            “Oh I hate this. I hate all of it. Why can’t it just become normal again- ugh I complain too much.” Anna said, pacing, “Gayle is over there, dying and I’m here… being melodramatic.” She said, irritated.

            Jim watched as Anna began to argue with herself. She was obviously conflicted about her feelings. Anna looked to Jim.

            “Let’s go see if they need any help.” She stated bluntly, she reached for his hand and he took it, covering their hand with his free one.

            “Even though nothing bad has happened to you… it doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to feel sad, or angry… Honestly girl, you’re going to be the death of you.” Jim told her and she looked at him for a long moment.

            “You’re going to be the death of me, Jim.” She said, a sad smile on her face. “Now, let’s see if Emma needs any help.”