Disclaimer: I only own the stuff I made up. The rest belongs to the rightful owners.
Starring: Madison
Guest starring: Jeremiah, Jake, and Troy Otto, Asher
Synopsis: Madison encounters old faces as she is reunited with her family.
Day 1,065
It has been a little over a day since Madison survived the megatsunami. The water washed all away but left the expected aftermath destruction of Galveston in its wake. Madison was still shaking badly in her knees, but she kept her grip on her blade and looked all over the ruined city of Galveston for her family. No matter how much agony she was in, she was determined to find her family. Just yesterday, she took shelter inside one of the cars that had been flipped on its side and slept through the night in it. She had to crawl out and now, she had to walk on rubble.
Madison: I need water.
She looked around for water, but walkers appeared from out of nowhere and surrounded her. She grabs the closest walker that was advancing towards her and stabs it to death. She did the same for the others, getting tired in the process. One of the walkers tripped over a piece of debris and fell over. It crawled towards the distracted Madison and grabbed her by the foot. She almost lost her balance after having to shove a walker trying to bite into her throat. She shoves the walker away from her neck and looks down at her feet to see a walker grabbing onto her.
Madison: Damn it!
She looks to her left and sees a long piece of iron debris that could be used as a swinging object, but it was jammed into the cement concrete. She tried yanking her foot away from the walker, but its grip was all but undetachable. Instead, she grabs the walker trying to bite her throat by the shoulder, and impales it on the iron rod. The one that tried to bite into her feet nearly bit her. Madison squirms like a worm and kicks the undead monster back. She attacks the monster and stomps on it. She then crouched down to jam her thumbs through its eyes and to the brain. The deceased being rolls over on its side.
Guts spilled out of the walker's stomach and onto Madison's shoes. She turns around and sees the other walker trapped on the iron rod and she let the walker lay there trap while she looked at her own hands and groaned in disgust.
Madison: I still don't understand.
She wipes her hands on her jeans. She reaches into the walker deeper and starts harvesting more viscera and blood. She smears the guts on her body, covering herself in that familiar stench. She was too tired to think of walking into more walkers, so she decided to take the easy way. She was not gonna stay covered in walker guts forever because she knew that she was going to find the SWAT van pretty easily. She couldn't scream, so she whispered out her son, daughter, and grandson's names loudly.
Madison: (Whispering) Nick, Alicia, Jackal, where are you? It's me, Mom and mama's mama.
There was a small herd of walkers on a road flooded with debris. The road looked like the same one that they used to drive to the amusement park. Before the wall of water hit her, Madison saw the SWAT van take off on this road, so she followed it, blending in with the walkers. She spent the last hour limping on the road, with the burning July sun melting her forehead with sweat and blood, making her smell - combined with the dead guts on her torso and stomach - even worse than before, almost to the point where she almost threw up.
Madison: (Whispering) Water...I so desperately need water.
She felt a cramp in her stomach and collapsed to one knee. The walkers ignored her and allowed Madison to clutch her own stomach.
Madison: (Groaning) Ouch. (She rubs her belly tenderly) What the hell is going on? (Then the pain intensified and she almost yelled in pain but kept her mouth sealed) Fuck…
She was dehydrated and her stomach cramps were symptoms. She knew right off the bat that she needed water badly. She was about to object to herself to not let dehydration cloud her objective, but she convinced herself that without water, then she will never accomplish that mission.
Madison: I need water. (She grunted softly as she pressed her feet down into the ground and slowly stood back up whilst continuing to clutch her cramping stomach.)
Madison: Where am I going to find water?
She began walking forward until she suddenly stopped and fell forward on her front. She rolled over and laid down on her back, staring up into the blue cloudy sky and sighed. The pain in her stomach disappeared, but her consciousness was fading away. The walkers did not notice her as she still smelt dead, so Madison was left behind by the walkers, laying on the ground, body feeling numb, and her eyes slowly closing. She sighed and lost consciousness.
As blackness surrounded her, she relaxed. It's been a while since she just allowed herself to fall asleep without being knocked out by physical trauma. Even as she knew that she was sleeping, she made no attempt to wake herself up because it was something that she did not want to do. She needed her energy and she decided to spare by allowing herself to sleep.
She dreamed. She was dreaming of seeing herself standing in a farming environment, she was confused because this farming place didn't ring any bell.
Then she stepped through some fences with thin wires and onto a field with a lot of cow corpses. Soon, however, those cows were turning into people and she recognized all forty of them. They were the Broke Jaw Ranch survivors who perished.
Voice: What a graveyard.
Madison recognized that raspy voice coming from behind her. She slowly turned around and saw Jeremiah Otto standing there with a coffee cup in hand and sipping from it.
Jeremiah: You remember me, right? (Madison reluctantly nodded) You should; if I recall, you were going to kill me but that boy of yours beat you to it.
Madison: What do you want, an apology? I'm not sorry. My new philosophy is killing one to save all and because of that, I feel no remorse for you dying.
Jeremiah: I was expecting you to say something like that. (Takes a long sip and moves towards Madison, stepping over the bodies) You killed me to make peace with the Indians but look at all of this, Madison. All these corpses, people who died because of you. Every single person in this field would still be alive if it weren't for you.
Madison: Your son did this.
Jeremiah: My son, your son did all of this. He saved this place only to kill it. I know the truth because you know the truth. Troy lead the horde to his home and Jake and Nick tried to stop him. It failed because Nick didn't let Jake do what he was supposed to do and he ended up killing both.
Madison: This was all on your son.
Jeremiah: Had your son told the truth, maybe Troy wouldn't have tried to fight against Walker. People like you never take responsibility for their own actions; Nick especially. If you want my advice, then you should get all your dirty work done yourself. Don't be having Nick doing it for you. I know you won't have Alicia do it because she's the mother of my grandson.
Madison: He's not your grandson, he's my grandson. This whole thing is just my own mind trying to place a trick on me so I will feel guilty. (Then she thought about something for a second) Or maybe this is my mind trying to motivate me to wake up and find my own children. You're just here to motivate me, right?
Jeremiah: How about this? Wake up, wipe the guts off your body, let a dead one grab you by the hair, and then you should find your motivation.
Madison closed her eyes and woke up from her dream state. She jumped to a sitting position and instantly cringed upon feeling how cold her body was. She looked around herself and shivered as rain poured from the sky. She was initially against the idea of being wet, but it brought a smile to her face.
Madison: Water.
The guts had washed off of her and the walker herd was already seven miles ahead of her. She rips her jacket off, leaving her arms exposed to the cold from wearing a tank top. She wrapped her jacket around a piece of debris and made the water dripping onto the jacket slide down her sleeve like a slide and into her mouth. She spent the last three minutes quenching her thirst, smiling with joy as she was reminded to never take water for granted.
Madison: Feels like I'm baptized, which I am not.
She regretted not bringing some kind of bottle to carry the water, but she had her hands to catch water and drink. Now that she was hydrated, the pain in her stomach was gone and she was finally given a chance to walk without limping or any walkers in sight. The walker herd was still ahead of her on the road by seven miles.
Madison: If it takes walkers to walk one mile in twenty minutes and they're about seven miles ahead, then I've been asleep for at least two hours and twenty minutes. I should get moving.
She looked at her wristwatch to try and keep track of time. It was only nine o'clock? Time flies quickly in the walker apocalypse. She continued to walk down the road. There was no use in trying to apply a walker's guts. It was no use in trying to run because the road was slippery and she didn't want to slip and fall on her head. Even as she walked, she still slipped in a puddle and she fell forward, hitting her head against the ground but not hard enough.
She winces in pain and rubs the bruise on her forehead. Nothing more than a mild concussion, but still able to get up and start walking. Even though she was trying her hardest to shrug off the pain of her mild concussion, she still felt the effects of the physical trauma because right now, some kind of being was beginning to materialize right in front of her.
When she squinted her eyes and her vision came into focus, she identified that figure as Jake Otto.
Jake: That was quite a fall you took.
Madison: Must be if I'm seeing my daughter's boyfriend.
Jake: I noticed how you didn't say "former boyfriend," which means that you consider me part of your family.
Madison: (Keeps on walking forward with Jake following) You're the father of my grandson, of course, you're family.
Jake: (Follows Madison) Speaking of which, how is my baby boy by the way? He's got my eyes, don't he?
Madison: Yeah he does. (Begins chuckling) He's even got your cheekbones.
Jake: (Laughs in amusement) You sure are taking care of my boy. Teach him the value of art. Teach Jackal that we need something to believe in rather than living or even surviving. Teach him what life was like before the end of the world.
Madison: I will. (Puts her hands to her sides) I mean, after all, he is one of the reasons I still believe in hope. Your son - my grandson - is the future. Everything that I am trying to do, I am trying to do it all for him and nobody else.
Jake: How is Alicia by the way?
Madison's heart melted in her chest upon the mention of her daughter. It almost brought a tear to her eye.
Madison: Alicia, she is doing everything in her power to take care of Jackal. We are doing everything in our power to take care of Jackal.
Jake: Man. (Sighs deeply) I miss Alicia a lot. I reserved a spot for her in Heaven and I even put in a good word for you. Even if you did just savagely kill all those Dragons and let your brother go running off.
Madison: Asher...my brother's name is Asher and he is evil. He killed my daughter, poisoned my friends. I shot him...six times and he was still alive. Him and I got hit by the tsunami. I survived, and I know deep down in my heart that he survived.
Jake: He's like a cockroach.
Madison: More like Michael Myers.
Madison was laughing slightly until she remembered all the pain that Asher caused her. John, June, Wendell, all died as a result of Asher. Those were her friends. She considered them family and he killed them. She was extremely sympathetic with her loss and Jake picked up on this. Jake put a hand on Madison's shoulder in a comforting manner.
Madison: I promise to care of Jackal.
Jake: I know you will; your brother is getting to you.
Madison: I want my brother dead, but he just won't die and my ideas are preventing me from killing. What kind of person am I if I don't execute someone who deserves to die.
Jake: That depends on the reason they are still alive. If you are keeping them alive so they can face justice for their actions, then that makes you a good person. If you are keeping them alive for reasons that will benefit you, then you are a bad person.
Madison: But what am I? Why are you here? What kind of motivation are you trying to give me?
Jake: I see Dad has already visited you. He bribed his way into Heaven by taking on the reincarnation of an eagle. (Chuckles) He's so cute with those feathers on him. Troy, he is up there in Heaven with me.
Madison: What kind of person am I? I am not a good person nor an evil person for my reasons of wanting Asher alive. What kind of person am I? Why are you here? And what kind of motivation are you trying to give me?
Jake: Madison, take a deep breath and calm down. I am here because I am trying to give you a will to live. Finding your family just isn't enough for someone like you. You can make it without your family, but I'm trying to help you understand that no matter what, your family is always going to need you. It's a vicious circle of life. When Nick left you at the community that Strand took you to, he still returned. And when Alicia tried to leave, your enemies just found her and she was reunited with you.
Madison: I guess that runs in the Clark family. I mean, I haven't seen Asher in twenty years and even when I ran all the way to the continental divide with my family, he still managed to find me.
Jake: You see the connection? They all returned to you. Don't you understand? God is trying to tell you that your family needs you, even if they don't want to believe it. You can make it in this world without them, but they would be lost without you. They love their mother and they desperately need you. This apocalypse happened for you, Madison.
Madison: (Shocked) What?
Jake: Highly improbable, but maybe this walker apocalypse happened all because it was time for your family to be united. Before everything went wrong, Nick was a drug addict, Alicia, preferred spending more time with her boyfriend. Your husband committed suicide, your father abused you, and your mother was paralyzed as a result of your father's abuse and she no longer continued visiting you.
Madison: Just shows how broken my family is.
Jake: Your family is not broken. You keep your family alive, you keep your family fighting for another day. This may sound like cold logic, but I know that you are pro-life, which is the primary reason you convinced Alicia to keep Jackal instead of abortion. Because you made that choice, Nick and Alicia now feel like they are indebted to you to keep the future generations alive. They want Jackal alive, but they also wanted you alive so you can witness the life that you created in this world. If it weren't for you, my son would be terminated in Alicia's womb. I am greatly indebted to you for that and I want you to fight to look out for your family. The family that would be broken without you. Refix that broken line and make life livable again. I can't tell you what kind of person you are for keeping Asher alive, but I can tell you what kind of person you would be if you were to find your family and give them a hug.
Madison: What kind of person?
Jake: A mother.
Madison broke down in tears, crying from Jake's words. As Jake faded away from existence, he asked if she could tell Alicia and Jackal that he said hi. Madison promised and made it her mission to reunite with her family. Tears streamed down her cheeks that became mixed with the rainwater. She felt like crying all the emotion that she had kept hidden away since the first day of the apocalypse. Never before has she been so emotional. The last time she remembers crying like this was when she heard of Travis's death. Then, when Nick volunteered to stay behind to blow up the dam, she bawled but refused to show tears when she was in custody with her enemies.
She was all by herself, and there was nobody to witness under her toughy-tough shell, that she was an emotional mother. It was these emotions that made her catch up to the walker herd several miles ahead of her about one hour later, giving her plenty of time to wipe the tears away, and follow behind them but a good distance away from them.
Madison hid behind a boulder. She knew it would be extremely risky if she tried to take one out because they were so huddled up together. But that was the least of her problems because the rain coming from above would definitely wash away her walker scent. She thought of drawing the herd away so she could walk across the road in peace, but how was she going to draw the herd away?
She could just easily go around the herd and up to the front, but a walker herd acts like a mob mentality from her observations. If one is angry, then they all get angry. If one walker growls and chases after a retreating survivor, then the walkers would copy this action and waddle in the same direction.
Madison: What the hell?
She was going to risk going around them, but something stopped her before she could even move an inch. She heard a loud whirring sound. It sounded like a distinct whirring pattern, something that would come from an engine of some sort. She suddenly recognized that sound and her eyes widened as she realized that that sound was a sound that she has never heard in almost three years. She slowly raises her head up and sees a helicopter flying overhead. A helicopter with a huge A painted on the side. Coming from the east and flying in the west, Madison's eyes never left the helicopter and it flew away. The walkers growled seemingly in frustration and waddled after the helicopter. Almost every walker in the herd went after the helicopter in a vain attempt. The four that stuck to the original path, Madison had no trouble in dispatching them with a rock and her knife. She stood still for a second before she looked in the sky for one last time as the helicopter flew into clouds, almost never to be seen again.
Madison began drinking more and more of the rainwater to regain strength. The road was slowly coming up to a hill and she was climbing on her knees and elbow. When she was almost at the top, she looked over her shoulder and saw the great city of Galveston far away and barely in her eye line. The walker herd was also a long way off and no longer a threat, but she no longer saw the helicopter and would forever wonder who was piloting it. When she reached the top, she saw the last thing that she would expect.
Troy Otto perched down on the top of the hill and holding a hand out for Madison to grab.
Troy: Remember me, Maddy?
Madison had no idea what to say. She knew this was another vision because Troy was completely dry until she imagined him soaking wet and his clothes became drenched.
Madison: Troy Otto?
Troy: (Touches his bleeding temple out of amusement as he smiles at Madison) In the literal flesh. (Looks at his bloody fingers) Does this look red enough?
Madison: I guess your the final vision coming to visit me. (Finishes climbing to the top and proceeds walking with Troy following) So you're here to do what? Guilt me? Motivate me through guilt? Guilty pleasure? Are you here because you enjoy being with my presences despite knowing that I hate you?
Troy: You don't hate me, otherwise you wouldn't have done this (points to his bleeding temple). If this proves anything, it proves how much you love.
Madison: Love you, like what? A second son, is that what you are going for?
Troy: I might as well be; not a second son, but a fourth son. Jake, my charming goody-two-shoe of a half-brother, is the father of my nephew and I am basically, Nick and Alicia's brother. So whether you like it, I am part of your family one way or another.
Madison: What could you possibly have to inspire me in any way?
Troy: (Grins) Oh, I have plenty of ways to be of persuasive towards you. You convinced me several times to do stuff that I really wanted to do, but you got through to me nevertheless. I really wanted to slit your throat and murder you, but you convinced me not to. You have awoken a dormant side within me that I thought was long extinct.
Madison: Really, I was just doing what I had to do to survive.
Troy: You are the mother that I have always wanted. My real mother was a FUCKING BITCH AND I'M HAPPY THAT SHE IS DEAD! (Realizes how angry he is getting and calms himself down) My sincerest apologies. I always believed that showing emotion was a sign of weakness, but it was the complete opposite. You are the reason that I did what I did.
Madison: Yes, I let you go and you ran off to assemble an army of walkers. Almost went and indirectly killed Alicia when she was pregnant with Jackal at the time.
Troy: But I gave you a chance. I trust Nick because he is like the brother I've always wanted, but you are the mother that I truly desire and I treasure you. And if I must say, I am happy that it was you who killed me.
Madison: (Repulsed) What?
Troy: Yep. Your little druggie of a son is the brother that I've always wanted, but I never had a chance to experience true love from a mother. Honestly, I would never have wanted to be killed by someone else other than you, Madison.
Madison: What are you trying to get at?
Troy: I'm dead, I know that. My days were always numbered, but despite the fact that I came here to motivate you, I have no idea what to say actually.
Madison: Then you are useless to me and I still feel no remorse for killing you. Why don't you fade away because Jake and Jeremiah were so much better at being inspirational than you ever were or ever going to be, even in the afterlife?
Troy: I was sent here for a specific reason, so I might as well just fulfill it.
Madison: You're not a role model.
Troy: I'm not the role model, you are.
Madison; This again?
Troy: You see, after you whacked me across the head with that hammer you still possess, you inspired people. You inspired Nick to save you on the dam. All you did was whack me twice across the face to kill me, and as a result, you made Nick mad at you, but indirectly lead him to find the strength to sacrifice himself to save you all. Even after all you have done, after three years of traveling with you, all the Dragons you boomed away with one explosion and all the Vultures you fed to your dogs, people still believe in Madison Clark.
Madison: I'm no hero.
Troy: In my eye, I believed, if you hadn't killed me, then you never would've inspired Nick to take action and save you all. You saved my half-nephew because of that. You say that you are no hero, just modesty talking. In my eyes, you are always going to be a monster for what you have done to me and my family, but you will always be the mother that I wanted.
Madison: Please elaborate even more.
Troy: What I am trying to say, Maddy, is because of everything you have done, despite everything you have done, people are going to be inspired by you. You have shot, stabbed, killed, and torched almost one hundred people, but you still made it this far with your family. You taught them no matter what, they would always fight by your side and do what they believe is best for their life and you are their life. I promise, if you were murdered by Asher, then Nick, Alicia, and Jackal, they wouldn't kill Asher, they would do what you want to do with him. They would capture him and then hang him in a community to seal the deal on people not becoming like him.
Madison: How would you know?
Troy: I've spent more than enough time around the Clarks to be able to predict them. When you whacked me across the face with that hammer, I understood why and when I was watching over you from Heaven, I knew that Nick would do what he did. I knew that Alicia would save you. I knew that Strand, Luciana, even those two truckers and that preggo along with that little kid would go after you and your family after you were abducted. You are loud and verbally abusive to your family but they still choose to stick with you because you inspire them, give them hope. Hope is something that is not common these days.
Madison: You really believe that? (She is touched by Troy's words) You really do?
Troy: Of course I do. I've been watching over you for two years and man, you just keep on surprising me in the most predictable ways. And as much as I would love to stay here and chat with you, I must be going. Oh, and Jessica's little baby, she is playing with her mother up here. Up there in Heaven, Jessica named her baby after you. Her full name is Madison Alex Clarke, ironic.
Madison: Did she really name her after me?
Troy: Cross my heart, hope to die.
Madison cast one last glance at the last Otto before he finally faded away from existence. She tried reaching out to grab him by the hand, but he was already floating up into the sky and into Heaven. Madison was actually sad and was feeling extremely remorseful for what she has done to him. She wiped a tear away as she remembered how Troy said that she inspires people and that when she's gone, she will continue to inspire people. This, combined with what Jeremiah and Jake used to motivate her gave her the strength to continue on and look for her family and she had a feeling they were close.
Madison: I promise to find you.
Same time Madison covers herself in guts.
Somewhere back in the city, a hand pulled itself out of an overturned car and dug into the ground. A body was pulling itself out of the wrecked car and rolled over onto his back. The man sighed with exhaustion before it was replaced with laughter. Maniacal laughter.
Asher: Oh, Maddy, did you really think a tsunami was going to murder me? You have so much to learn.
Asher pulls himself back onto his feet and uses his shirt to clean his Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife with his shirt. He used the blade as a mirror to look at his face paint. The black circles around his eye sockets, the black teeth painted on his lips, his red demonic looking face, all remained. Even the saltwater wasn't able to wash away his real face completely. His face paint was smeared across his face so his black face paint around his eyes stretched down his cheek. A simple cosmetic error, something that he was able to fix. He was mostly concerned about the yellow paint with the black snake slits on his eyelids the most.
He started cackling once more as he leaned onto the car.
Asher: Oh, Maddy, I am so going to find you and I am going to kill you. Not in the physical way though, only going to break your spirit and make you just like me.
He stopped laughing when he saw something in the corner of his eye. He crouched down behind the car and peeked over to see a duo of survivors named Vanessa and Harleen looting the debris for supplies.
Asher: Ooh, prey for the snake to eat.
Asher stealthy moves over to the two survivors whilst crouching down. Once he was directly behind both of them, he raises his blade high above his head and stabs the male survivor in the back. Harleen groaned in pain and fell over, dead. Vanessa turned around but Asher already stabbed her in the throat and yanked the blade through her throat, spilling her blood and dropping her.
She was still alive and Asher wasn't planning on killing her just yet. He knew that he did cut through her throat, she was going to die rather slowly and painfully, which would give him more than enough time to do what he plans to do.
Asher: Don't die on me because I want to tell you a story...my story.
Letter Hacks
Madison will have a Michael-Toby relationship with one of the new or already established characters.
The Helicopter group will make an appearance.
A hidden incident in the end of the previous season will come to light this season.
Jim and Althea's relationship will be more defined rather than just sexual.
Madison will hold a cigarette this season.
Asher will have his own subplot but will play a large role in the future as the Bigger Bad.
Madison might meet a 'Troy' like character or a character who is just like her in every way.
Asher is a legendary serial killer known not just in the US, but around the globe.
Dwight will not be crossing over.
Asher has an overall kill count of 160 (including Harleen) after the apocalypse, the same as his IQ.
Madison will constantly be 'flip-flopping' until the very last episode of this season.