,,I just wanna be a part of your family."

being a part of a community like Alexandria was great. Right? Well, except for the fact you weren't really part of the community. that's what you thought, at least. You figured you weren't someone one of the others would stick their necks out for. And you had nobody left. but that was alright. You could take care of yourself just fine. Just fine.

there was just some weird tug you felt in your chest, like barbed wire entangled over your vital organ - your lifeline, whenever you saw families. Friends. People who had eachothers backs. you felt there was more to life than just surviving, and yet that's what you were.

the group of Carl, Rick, Judith, Enid, Maggie, Michonne Daryl, Carol, Glenn, etc, etc, always enforced that feeling. You could see it in them, the loyalty - the will to protect. despite the mentality you forced of needing no one, it was still difficult.

it was better in Alexandria, less Walkers to worry about, but there was still that nagging feeling in the back of your mind that there was something missing. That there was this hole in yourself that filtered sand into your lungs and tugged at the barbed wire.

the feeling of loss. the feeling of isolation.

after going out on a run alone - for your own supplies, you came back injured. You were ambushed by walkers, luckily you weren't bit, but you did manage to step on a rotten log which your leg broke through, a piece of wood impaling the back of your calf. you were in too shitty of a situation to slow down, and just got back to running. Now, at Alexandria, the adrenaline had worn off and you couldn't help the limp in your step as you came back through the community.

blood stained your shoes and your pant leg, bleeding through the fabric in a dark crimson. you'd deal with it yourself. Couldn't raise questions, people may suspect infection.

as you shuffled towards your empty house, the limp evident in your step despite trying to conceal it, you grimaced at the sound of a voice.