"Rick?!"
The runner faltered slightly at my cries. The block of wood dropped from my grip as my hands flew up to my mouth.
"Rick!" Came Alex's cry from the house.
I ran up to him and gasped. In his hands lay Carl. And there was blood. Lots of it. Oh my god!
What the hell had happened?
"Sam, please." Rick sobbed. I nodded at his plea and took Carl's legs as we ran as fast as we could towards the house.
"Come on man!" I heard from far behind me, and my head whipped round to see Shane just breaking the treeline. Shane?!
He was running with a hand on the back of Otis' neck. What..?
"Was he bit?" Hershel cried from the house. I looked back to see that we were near the house, and all the inhabitants were rushing towards us, Alex too.
"Shot." Rick yelled, his voice breaking. Wait, is Otis involved in this?
"Rick!" Helena cried from the tent.
"Stay there Helena!" I ordered.
Hershel stopped short and said something to Patricia. She ran off towards the house, everyone else on her heels.
We ran up the stairs to the porch as Hershel cleared the way for us. He ran into the back room and cleared a space. We laid Carl down on the bed there and I stood back as Hershel and Patricia set to work taking his shirt off and assessing his injury.
"I need some space." Hershel said, looking briefly at Rick. Rick ignored him, his eyes locked on his son.
I took Rick by the shoulders and lead him out of the room with considerable effort to the small sitting area outside.
"I need to be with him-"
"No, you need to let Hershel work." I stated calmly, putting my hands on his chest to prevent him from going back into the room.
He looked between me and the door a couple of times before sighing and walking our of the house. I followed him slowly and watched as he sat on the steps, his familiar features trembling and weak with fear.
I'd never seen him like this before. It worried me as he was meant to be the leader and they always appeared strong, but Rick was only human. And that was his son laying and bleeding out in the back room. I didn't blame him. Or think of him any less. I admired him.
I sat down next to him and hugged him close, ignoring the transfer of blood from his clothes to mine. A sobbed occasionally escaped his lips as he gripped me tightly. He let go as Shane and Otis approached.
"Otis, what happened?" I asked as he stood in front of me and panted. He too looked over-emotional and on the edge.
"An accident Sam.. I.." He trailed.
"Sam?" Shane asked as he stepped out from behind Otis.
I looked at him and smiled weakly. He nodded at me, stunned.
"Here." Shane said as he dragged his eyes away from me and leant close to Rick. He reached out his hand and wiped away a few spots of blood that were on Rick's face, Rick letting him as his eyes fluttering closed. I looked between the two guys and the tender moment, utterly speechless, but touched by Shane's sentiment - mostly because it was Shane.
This whole situation was a mess.
Carl's cries could be heard from inside, causing Rick to scramble to his feet and run back inside. I heard Rick's shouting and wailing inside as Shane ran after him.
I got to my feet and looked at Otis who seemed to be on the verge of tears.
"Sam, I never meant for this to happen. He was behind the deer. It must have gone straight through.." He sighed, his voice getting quieter and more broken up as he spoke.
I laid a hand on his shoulder and brought him into a hug.
I pulled back from Otis and he mumbled something about finding Patricia, so I let him go.
The crying carried from the house again, raising goosebumps all over my skin. I ran a hand over my face as I sank back to the steps.
"Sam?" I heard a weak voice say in front of me.
I looked up to see Helena there, her eyes welling and her hands brought right up to her chin. I held out my arms to her and she crawled into my lap. I cradled her in my arms and rocked her, whispering words as soothing as I could muster. I could feel my heart physically breaking.
"Lori. I need Lori." I heard Rick choke from inside.
Lori. I hadn't even thought about her. How would we get to her? she needs to know.
Sighing, I carefully scooped up a sleepy Helena and walked into the house. Alex, Shane and Rick were standing about in the lounge area, the door leading to Carl firmly shut.
I laid Helena on a sofa and stroked her head as her eyes shut. I then walked back over to the guys, a million things running through my head.
There were so many questions I wanted to ask, about the group, the CDC, everything that had happened to them. I knew I couldn't ask them now. The priority was Carl, and rightly so.
Otis walked into the room, followed closely by Maggie. Otis slipped his hat off and kept his eyes low. We waited around in silence for Hershel to emerge, and time seemed to take forever.
Groans and cries from Carl could be heard, and each time Rick's face screwed in agony and he tried to charge back into the room. Shane and I held him back, telling him that Hershel had to do what he could undisturbed.
It was hard for Rick to take, but he obliged. He sat with his head on his hands, his back rising and falling from his heavy breathing. I couldn't take my eyes off him. I don't know if I'll ever understand the pain he's going through. The crushing thoughts that probably plague him.
The door to Carl's temporary operating room opened, and everyone snapped their attention to it.
"How is he?" Rick asked, whipping up to face Hershel with Patricia close behind.
"Not good." Hershel confessed, and Rick gulped hard. I felt a lead weight hit the bottom of my stomach at his words. Carl is just a kid. He's supposed to be alive and kicking.
"The bullet separated into fragrant inside him. I've managed to get one fragment out, but that was only the shallowest and you heard how difficult it was to get. I fear he's got internal bleeding, which means I'm going to need to operate. The problem is I haven't got the right equipment. I need a respirator, among other things." Hershel said calmly, which made my blood boil irrationally. I know he had to stay calm, but it still got to me.
"We'll go get what you need. We'll do what we have to do." Rick gushed, his expression turning desperate.
"The hospital was totally overthrown Hershel. It went up in flames!" Patricia said, her eyes low.
"The high school had a temporary hospital set up. They would have the basics there." Hershel pointed out. Otis shook his head rapidly.
"That place was crawling when I last went past. It'd be a suicide mission." He sighed, his knuckles going white from his grip on his hat.
"I'll go." Shane piped up, and this time Rick shook his head.
"You can't-"
"I'll go with him." I blurted. Shit. Alex put a hand to his face and rubbed harshly, a funny cry escaping his lips. However, Otis shook his head again.
"No. This is my fault. I'll go. I know what this it looks like, anyway." Otis said, looking at Shane for confirmation.
"Okay. We'll need a list." Shane nodded, looking at Hershel with determined eyes.
"Right away." he muttered as he rushed to the kitchen, Shabe and Otis following behind him.
"I want Lori. She needs to know what's happened." Rick sobbed as he sat down. I looked at him as he tried to keep strong. His lower lip quivered.
"Where is she?" Maggie asked, stepping forward to crouch in front of him.
Alex laid a hand on my shoulder before picking up a snoozing Helena and sitting her on his hip as he carries her out of the house. I watched them walk away in in the dying light, quickly followed by a running Maggie.
I looked down at Rick and leant in front of him, hands resting on his knees.
"Do you want me to stay with you?" I asked, his shaky gaze meeting mine. He nodded, and so did I. I sat on the sofa next to him, threading my fingers through his.
Patricia came to stand next to me, having just said goodbye to Otis as he went on his journey with Shane.
The truck pulled away from us, and I felt the heavy weight of what they had to achieve digging into my shoulders. I could only imagine the enormity of how much pressure they both must be feeling.
Maggie had left on horse too, before it got dark, in search of Lori. It felt like she had only been gone an hour or so ago, but I could be totally wrong. Time felt like it had been going so slowly.
We turned back towards the house, and I put my arm around Patricia. She sighed heavily and I half-hugged her.
We all got to the bottom of the porch when unmistakable sound of hoof prints greeted our ears. We span round to see the white horse galloping towards us, two figures on it's back.
The horse rode right up to us, jumping the fences and stopping in front of us. Rick charged forward blindly, his breathing getting heavy again.
Lori slide from its back and threw herself at Rick. They withdrew from the hug and she sobbed a little, repeating about her 'baby'. Ignoring the rest of us, they tore into the house.
I took that as my hint to retire to my tent.
I said goodnight to Hershel and Patricia as I headed towards my tent. There was a faint glimmer of the fire by the tent, and I sighed as I walked towards them.
Alex and Helena were sitting by it, Helena curled up in his lap. I smiled pathetically at the sight. I walked up beside them and sank to the floor. The fire was welcomed as I didn't realise how cold I was as I felt the heat spreading through me.
"Was that Maggie that rode up?" Alex asked after a minute.
"Yeah. Lori was there too." I sighed. " She didn't see me as she ran past. Understandable though - her son was just shot." I muttered crudely.
"Will Carl be alright, Sam?" Helena asked. I took the band out of my hair and sighed.
"I don't know chick." I admitted. "But he's strong." I added as I saw her eyes brimming with tears. She nodded at the last bit and stared towards the house.
"Come on. You need some sleep." I said, standing up and holding out my hand to her.
She took it and stood up groggily. I walked over to the tent and unzipped it, holding it open for her to walk through. She sat on her sleeping bag rubbing her eyes, kicking her shoes off. I opened her sleeping bag for her, which she crawled into and stared up at me with wide eyes as I tucked her in. I stood there for a second before sitting next to her and began stroking her hair gently.
"Don't worry, Helena. Everything will sort itself out. I mean, look at Alex. He had an arrow sticking out of his chest and he's still alive and the same idiot he was before. Carl's with Hershel, and Hershel knows what he's doing. When Shane and Otis get back, Hershel will make everything better." I soothed.
"Really?" She asked optimistically, making my heart melt.
"Really. So if you sleep right through the night, tomorrow when you wake up, Carl could be better. You may even get to see him." I knew it was a long shot, but how do you tell a little kid that her friend could die, just like everyone else she used to know?
She absorbed my words for a while before nodding and settling down. She shivered slightly, so I pulled the duvet over her and tucked her in. She wriggled about comfortably before shutting her eyes and eventually drifting off.
I looked at her as she slept with total innocence before grabbing my dad's jumper and walking outside, hugging it tightly to my chest. I zipped the tent up and pulled the jumper on before settling back next to Alex.
As I sat down he reached his good arm around me and pulled me tightly to him. I leant my head against his shoulder and sighed.
"So how is he looking?" Alex asked, arm still around my shoulders.
"Carl? Awful. I didn't take it all in at first, but thinking back on it, awful. He was pale and blotchy with blood everywhere. His hair was sticking to his forehead where he was swearing and his breathing was way to shallow and quick. He's just a kid..." I sighed, staring distantly into the flames of the fire.
"I know he is." Was all he said, nodding slowly.
As we sat there, the flames started receding, casting a dim glow over everything. The sun seemed a distant memory as the night stretched on. The night seemed like it would never end.
"Sam, do you think the others are okay too?" Alex asked tentatively.
The others. If Lori, Rick and Shane were all doing, well, okay, what about the others? They left as a group, so surely there should still be more of the group. A glimmer of hope sparked me. Something tangible. But that was soon replaced with realisation of how naive I was being. This was a crazy new world. Nothing was safe. Just look at Carl.
"Why not? They all survived when this all kicked off. I just hope they didn't do anything stupid. You know how volatile they all are. One of them setting them all off could have lost someone's life or something. Maybe someone... did. On the way. But why are they back? Surely the CDC wasn't compromised? They have top security measure there, I'm sure of it." I rambled on, totally not thinking about what was coming out of my mouth.
"I thought about all of that too, as soon as there was a second of silence. I wanted to ask Rick or Shane, but I knew I couldn't. I think they all could be okay. How perfect would that be?" Alex gushed, his innocent optimism reminding me of Helena. I was feeling a lot more cynical at heart, but I wasn't going to dampen his spirit. I couldn't.
"Here's hoping your right." I said finally, running my hand through my hair and twiddling a few strands.
We sat in silence as the night moved rapidly on. The moon was high in the sky, but neither of us would be able to sleep that night. Too much was going through our minds.
"Why did you offer to risk your life again?" Alex blurted.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"Why did you offer to go with Shane to get the things for Carl?" He repeated, withdrawing his arm from my shoulders. I sighed. I should've known this was coming.
"Because he couldn't go on his own. And Carl needs them. I couldn't stand back and wait for Shane."
"But you didn't have to volunteer."
"Alex, leave it, Otis took my place, and it was for the best as he knew what up look for. And if it was offered again, I'd go in a heartbeat." I snapped, but immediately felt bad. I know he was worried, but I can't wait around while others risk their lives.
"I'm sorry. I just worry, okay? I don't know what Helena and I would do if something happened to you." He sighed, putting his arm back round me and holding me tightly.
We sat back in relative awkwardness, neither of us talking.
A cry from Carl or Lori would escape the house, sending shivers through me and causing Alex to subconsciously grip me tighter.
"I'm going to get a jumper." Alex said as he unwound his arm from my shoulder. I nodded absently.
He trudged to the tent and crawled in. The place where his arm was keeping me warn had now gone cold and I shivered slightly.
I looked up to the house and saw that the lights were still on and shadows kept pacing past the windows. I shook my head and looked down feeling totally helpless.
The sound of an engine brought my head snapping up and searching for the vehicle.
Surely Shane and Otis weren't that quick? They only left an hour or two ago.
"Alex, get out here!" I hissed.
He stumbled out and looked about with his jumper half on. I jumped up and headed over to the approaching car, Alex close by my side.
The car drew closer and stopped.
Two door opened and people got out. What? That wasn't Otis' truck.
"Who are you?" I called as I stepped into the dying headlights, a false sense of confidence creeping through my veins.
"Sam? Sam?!" The person called in a familiar voice. My breath caught in my throat as I heard my name.
"What? Yeah-"
"T-Dog, it's Sam! And.. And Alex!"
Wait, what?
"T-Dog?" I gasped, my heart rate speeding up.
"Glenn!" Alex shouted from behind me. I felt my smile grow on my face as I stumbled towards the car, launching myself at Glenn. I wrapped my arms around his neck, on the verge of sobbing.
"Sam, you're alive!" Glenn whispered into my ear as he grasped me tightly. I felt tears threatening to well in my eyes as I smiled into his shoulder.
"Nice observation Sherlock. Yeah, we're all okay." I murmured.
I let him go and kissed his cheek. I jogged round to T-Dog who was wrapped in a blanket, and even in the dim light from the house, I could tell he wasn't in any great shape. I stopped short of hugging him.
"What's happened?" I asked as I stepped towards him tentatively.
"Infected cut. Got it after a herd passed. We were told we could get help here.." He muttered, dazed. A herd? A herd of what?
"Yeah, come on, I'll take you to Hershel." Alex said as he walked away from Glenn and threw an arm round T-Dog, guiding him towards the house.
I looked back at Glenn and smiled, wrapping my arm around his waist and walking him up to the house.
Glenn was okay. T-Dog was still alive. Does that mean the other could be okay too? Dale? Daryl? Jim? I sighed.
What a day.
Crazy, eh? ;]
Oh, I was looking back over the past chapters, and I didn't realise how many mistakes I made! So if you read through ALL of that AND carried on with the story, sorry and thank you! You've all got medals in the post, okay? I'll be going back and sorting that ASAP, haha. :)
Let me know your thoughts!
- Loré. X