"Jake come on!" I yelled as we ran away from the house we'd just spent two days being prisoners in.
"Ahh!" I heard my friend's agonized scream and I saw that one of the men had stabbed him in the shoulder. Without hesitation I raised my gun and shot him right between the eyes.
"Here." I took off my belt and wrapped it tightly around his shoulder which was gushing blood. We ran as fast as we could to the closest vehicle. I threw my hunting knife, shotgun, and bow into the back before helping Jake climb in.
"Keys, keys, keys, keys... Aha!" I found the keys in the visor, started the truck and drove off as fast as I could. "Jake you're gonna have to stay awake." I said as he began to drift off from blood loss.
"Just goin' to sleep." He mumbled lazily and I smacked him on the face to wake him up.
"Wake up!" I yelled as I sped down the road trying to put as much distance as I could between us and those men. I turned down what I thought was a road and I realized too late that it was a driveway to a farmhouse and before I could stop I crashed into the metal fence, smashing my head against the steering wheel.
"Jake wake up!" I could barely feel his pulse as I pressed my finger to his neck.
I was too occupied with trying to help Jake to notice the people that approached the truck until I was ripped out of it by my hair.
"Daryl, calm down!" A man called.
"Get off me!" I yelled and I saw an old man going to the passenger seat, they were taking Jake. "Leave him alone!" I screamed as I finally broke free of the man's hold on me turning around to punch him in the face before I broke off to get Jake.
"Miss, I can help your friend." The old man stopped to talk to me as two other men carried Jake towards the farmhouse. I wasn't feeling very comfortable with all of these men around. "Come inside." He said and not without hesitation, I decided to followed. I felt somewhat comforted when I saw a few women in the camp but I did not let my guard down. Not again.
"Your friend..." The man began.
"Jake." I told him.
"Jake, has lost a lot of blood." He removed my belt and more blood left the wound, he immediately pressed a cloth on it. "Maggie!"
"Yes Daddy?" A woman who was probably my age came into the room.
"I need you to get me some warm water and everything I'll need to stitch this man up." He told her and she nodded before leaving. "My name is Hershel."
"Madison." I went and stood by the window and watched as the asshole who pulled me out of the truck, Daryl, was talking with a few other men. I glared at him as he looked up and saw me.
"Madison do you know what his blood type is?"
"No but I'm O Negative."
"Perfect."
Two blood transfusions later I was sitting in the chair next to Jake's bed drinking some juice. Hershel said that he was able to stabilize him and all we could do now what wait for him to wake up.
Carefully I made my way downstairs and I heard people arguing, "They could be dangerous Rick." A man with a buzz cut said and I rolled my eyes finding it ironic because I have mutual thoughts about them.
"We don't know that Shane." Rick I assume, said back.
"What if they got some big group and they're a decoy to get us all killed." I managed to slip out the door unnoticed and I made my way to the gate where I saw the truck was still settled.
"The fuck you think you're goin'?" Someone grabbed my arm, it was Daryl. I did not answer him. "Answer me." The grip he had on my arm tightened but I continued to stay mute and stare at him.
"Let her go Daryl." The old man on top of the RV said and after a minute he let go and I kept walking toward the truck but I could feel the stupid redneck right on my tail. When I got to the truck I grabbed my bag pulling out a fresh shirt, I quickly changed my shirts feeling uncomfortable since I was being watched. I also felt majorly self conscious because of the bruises that were all over my skin and had no doubt been seen by Daryl.
"What are those from?" He stepped forward and lifted my shirt to examine my stomach in the dim moonlight, I pushed him away and went to grab my weapons from the bed of the truck. I examined the blade of my knife, noting that it needed to be sharpened.
I grabbed the rest of my things and Jake's before going back to the house, I could tell Daryl was angry and annoyed I was ignoring him. I almost felt guilty. Almost.
"Answer our questions!" Shane yelled at me and I ignored him, looking up at Hershel who nodded.
"How about I ask her?" Hershel said to Rick and Shane as they hovered over my position in the chair next to the bed Jake was on. Rick gave Shane a look and pulled him out of the room.
"You'd make everything a lot easier if you just talked." Hershel said softly.
"I know." My eyes stayed on Jake's sleeping figure. He still hadn't woken up. "We don't have a group, it's just us." I looked over at the door. "I don't like Shane." I told Hershel, meeting his eyes briefly before going back to looking at Jake.
"Why don't you talk?"
"I'm talkin' now aren't I?" I joked but I knew what he meant. "Sometimes I have trouble with the filter that's supposed to be between my brain and my mouth. Last time it got us into some trouble." I gestured toward Jake.
"Is he your husband?" Hershel asked.
"Oh god no, he's my brother." I noticed his confused glance. "Step-brother." I smiled at Jake. "But I love him just as much as I would if we were blood." There was a knock at the door and Hershel's youngest daughter Beth came in carrying food.
"I brought this for you." She smiled at me.
"Thank you." I said as she left. "Your daughters are beautiful and polite, you raised them well."
"I tried my best."
"I overheard you talking about not allowing guns on your farm and if you want me to, I'll hand over my shotgun to respect your wishes as long as I'm here."
"I would appreciate that." He used my shoulder as support as he stood. "I need to check on Rick's boy, feel free to take a shower."
"You indicating I smell?" I teased and he chuckled.
"No, just figured you might want one."
"Thank you I appreciate it."
"I'll have Maggie leave some clothes for you by the door." I shut the bedroom door and I heard Hershel talking to Shane and Rick. "That girl seems to have gone through some traumatic experiences and with you yelling at her it's obvious why she doesn't talk to you." He scolded and I smiled.
The hot water raining from the shower head felt like heaven on my skin and I smiled when I was able to shave and properly wash my hair. I wrapped myself in a towel before I stepped out, I saw a pair of shorts and a plaid shirt sitting on the toilet waiting for me.
"Maddie?" I heard Jake rasp out as I dried my hair and I ran to him.
"I'm right here."
"Where are we?"
"Well me being the dumbshit I am crashed us into a farmhouse. The man who owns it is a veterinarian and he stitched you up." I brought a glass of water to him and allowed him to take small sips so he didn't throw up.
"Have they hurt you?" Jake asked worriedly and he sighed in relief when I shook my head.
"I sense that they're all good people for the most part. Got a lot of them pissed off because I haven't been talking to them."
"Why not?"
"Because they last time I said the wrong thing we ended up prisoners and you got stabbed."
"You can't blame your mouth for that. People are sick and it would've happened anyways. I should've protected you."
"Don't you go blaming yourself either. Let's just agree to disagree on whose fault it is. Okay?"
"Okay. Hey Maddie?"
"Yeah?"
"I have to fucking pee." He said and I laughed.
"I'll go get Hershel."
"So your boy's awake?" Shane asked as I was cutting vegetables in the kitchen with Beth, I simply nodded. He groaned, "Why don't you talk? I sure as hell know you can."
"I don't trust you." I said bluntly before putting my knife down and heading outside.
"What reason have we given you not to trust us? Ain't done nothing to do."
"Last people we trusted weren't good people." I told him as I leaned against a tree. He tried talking to me again but I began fascinated in picking the bark off of the tree and he eventually stormed off. "Goodbye Deputy Asshole." I mumbled as I threw the piece of bark I had to the ground.
"You got a mouth on you." Someone chuckled and I saw Daryl walking over with a bunch of squirrels over his shoulder. "That's gonna get you into trouble."
"Already has." I said making him go quiet. "Nice squirrels." I went back to the house and apologized to Beth for leaving before continuing where I left off.
