Survival
Madeline awoke when she was already moving, her feet mechanically operated as her subconscious demanded she keep on her feet, due to suffering a minor concussion on account of the fall from the top of the hill. The morning mist lingered in the air like a thin veil, dew in the grass soaked the back of her tank top and fiery orange rays licked the treetops above as the sun began to crawl lazily into the lavender sky. She chuckled dryly to herself at the everlasting beauty of nature, unchanged while the world had turned to a morbid mass of death and malice. She wasn't stopping her feet as they moved with a mind of their own, instead dumbly staring at where they had taken her. She hadn't the slightest idea, but she just kept moving without a care in the world due to her grogginess. With a hard thump against a tree at the bottom of the slope, she fell backwards and sat there until she came crashing down to earth yet again.
"Argh!" She moaned painfully, clutching her head as bright lights danced across her vision and deep aches stabbed in her chest. She sat there breathing, just focusing on the minimal effort it took for her to keep living at that moment, the opportunity she had at life that was stolen away from millions of others. "C'mon, old girl, you have to keep living…" She sighed, rising to her feet and dusting off dirt that stained her black tank top. Force of habit made her gently wrap her hand around her dog-tags, as if they were an anchor that kept her on the earth and out of the haze her mind had been left in.
She looked forward, her heart nearly stopping as she registered what was in front of her. It was the Prison, the landmark that they were supposed to find once they were a few miles on the outskirts of the town! Joy filled her spirit so much she felt like doing cartwheels until she slapped herself across the face to get a grip on herself. She needed to find the kids, who for all she knew they were still in the woods hiding from a swarm of Walkers… "Or they could be holed up in there" She thought in the back of her mind, a seed of hope taking root in the belief that she could rescue the kids and reunite them with their families. There was a small hole in the Prison's defenses, the chain-link fence had a rip in its links big enough for her to squeeze under, it would be a snug fit but she pondered being able to fit underneath it.
"Okay, be cool; if I'm gonna even make it to the other fence I need to have some kind of a plan…" Madeline said aloud as she examined all the aimless routes the Walkers took, realizing a favorable gap that they were making so she could beeline towards the fenced courtyard. From her distance in the woods it would take her maybe forty-five seconds to reach it, but she had to be absolutely prepared in case of any possible flukes. She checked her tomahawks, assuming she'd use them only on the closest of Walkers for dismemberment, not to kill. It looked like at the checkpoint there was more than likely a lock on the entrance so she'd either have to find a guard or just climb over the fence. Doing a bullet count on her pistol she had five in the barrel and three extra in her pocket. "Hopefully it won't come to that."
Madeline let out a deflating sigh, there was so much that could possibly go wrong and the kids might not even be there. She had to at least try, she resolved, dropping all "Ifs, ands or buts" and as if on God's grace, she was able to spot a guard, shambling on a few feet from being right in front of her.
"Thank you!" She whispered as she shoved her way through the rabbit hole hidden behind some tall grass. Once she made it through she darted out of her hiding spot and with a hard slice lodged her tomahawk into the side of his skull. Three Walkers heard the squish as she yanked the weapon out of the brain but hadn't spotted her because she let the dead Walker shield her from view. He weighed a ton but Madeline's firmly toned muscles kept him upright. She lifted him with her right shoulder, feeling along its ragged security belt for any keys. She tried holding her breath as long as she could; she could already feel the burning odor that secreted from out his mouth, pieces of flesh and meat stuck in between the gaps where teeth had fallen out. With the most beautiful metallic jingle she brushed her fingers along a set of keys and tugged them off the remnants of a belt loop with ease. Madeline held them in her teeth and poked her head out from the side of her undead shield; the gap was quickly closing in as the paths of almost a dozen zombies were starting to intertwine.
"Dammit!" She hissed through her teeth, pocketing them as she dropped the guard and sprinted as fast as she could towards the entrance. Madeline used all she had to keep from shutting her eyes, she roared as she swung her tomahawks at the grappling arms and snapping teeth, jumping over Crawlers and smashing in a few heads with her heel as they waved their decaying limbs at her ankles. As she maneuvered along the dirt road A Walker nearly ripped off a piece of her tank but Madeline reacted before she even knew what was happening. An arm flew off, a hand, she didn't know; she didn't have time to stop and stare at the carnage she laid in her wake. "Go, go, go! Hurry up!" She thought hurriedly, jerking her legs around to fake out a Walker that stood directly in her path, ten feet away from safety, just staring at her with its one good eye. Madeline stared back, frozen as she held her tomahawks shakily in her hands, her mind completely shutting down as the Walkers behind her closed in. The zombie tilted its head and watched her with its cloudy gray eye in a childlike curiosity. Madeline panted in and out, helpless as she watched him advance closer and closer and BAM!
Madeline let out a terrified scream as bits of brain and dry blood splattered onto her face, kick starting her instincts as she hustled towards the fence. She swung wildly and nearly severed a Walker's head clean off with one strike, ultimately she was shoving away Walkers as fear took over and made her most primal instincts take control of her. She hadn't even noticed the fence had been opened until she slammed into something and fell back down on her ass.
Madeline sat on the concrete, feeling the familiar sharp drag on her hands before she erupted in sobs. She covered her eyes in her hands before dropping them away from her in horror. They were sticky with grime and black blood, almost up to her forearms she was caked in the blood of Walkers she slaughtered as she went on her rampage. She hadn't even noticed until then; she just gawked at her hands, stained in that dead liquid and reeking of decay.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now." A voice threatened, followed by the familiar sound of the cock of a gun. Madeline looked up, her crystal blue eyes dilating as she was faced with the barrel pointed straight between her eyes. She focused on the man that stood in front of her, behind the gun, glaring her down with eyes that gave away who he was despite his cruel threat. It felt like they looked at each other for hours before she answered, "Honestly, you'd be doing me a favor."
The clarity of her answer seemed to shock him; he lowered his gun only slightly before asking another question. "Who are you?"
"I'm nobody; I'm just another human being." She said, craning her neck so she could get a better look at the man who was very seriously threatening to kill her. Madeline gave him a small smile, admiring his features from the high of her adrenaline that surged through her veins. The man was fairly tall, slim, with dark wavy brown hair. He had a trace of stubble growing along his jawline and a very masculine face. The glare of the sun made her bring a hand over her eyes, but the movement made the man flinch, and bring up his gun defensively.
"What's your name?" He insisted, inching the gun closer to her face. Madeline frowned, but she took notice of the slight shake his hand gave as he pressed the gun to her forehead.
"Madeline." She stated softly, raising her hands slowly above her head. "I'm going to get up now, and you'll realize I'm not a threat." She added, cautiously rising to her knees as she locked eyes with the man again.
"Not a threat? You killed almost ten Walkers by yourself, storm in here for no good reason and you think you're not a threat?" Another voice hissed. Out of the corner of her eye Madeline could see the man who asked. He was Asian, thin and had what would have been a clean crop of black hair. With the switch in her line of vision she could see there was a decent amount of people here, surely they would know if someone had spotted a few renegade youths.
"I only did it because I'm looking for some kids who were separated from me. Have you seen or heard of any?" She asked hesitantly, looking directly at the man who she assumed was either Korean or Japanese. He shook his head and frowned, seemingly satisfied with her answer.
"Now why would you go on some suicide manhunt for these kids all by yourself is what I want to know." The man with the gun in her face continued, kicking it up so Madeline could stand on her feet. "How do I know you don't have people in those woods looking to take over our territory?"
"You don't." Madeline almost scoffed, folding her hands behind her head and thinking of possible answers she could give. She knew there was no point in lying; they probably wouldn't believe her if she told the truth anyway. "I was supposed to be watching those kids. I gave their parents my word that I would keep them safe. It was me and Ger—" Her voice caught with the mention of Gerard.
"My friend and I," She corrected, swallowing a lump in her throat, "were the only ones left in our group. There used to be almost twelve of us but we were separated by this herd of Walkers and the kids were on our watch while their parents took care of camp. I don't know how many Turned, died, or whatever, but we were supposed to meet up at the town a few miles out. I don't have their kids, how am I supposed to tell them that I lost them?" She pleaded, stray tears falling down her eyes. The man seemed conflicted about his feelings before a voice shouted, "Guys you need to come back inside, my dad's only getting worse!" A woman with wavy brown hair cried, lingering at the iron doorways that lead inside the prison. Madeline heard the man with the gun curse before he ordered her to follow him. He grabbed her by the arm and she was forcefully escorted inside the prison.
Madeline couldn't help but see the irony of her situation, all her life she'd been taught that the law was supposed to be on her side, that there was nothing she ever had to worry about. Now the world had gone to hell, there was absolutely no form of government anywhere in the world, after all the illegal things being an army brat let her walk off scot-free with, and now she was thrown in jail. "Hardy-har-har, karma, very funny…"
First Impressions
"So… the kids you lost… what were their names?" Madeline looked to the side from the corner of her cell and met young Carl Grimes for the first time. After relentless interrogation the leader of the group, Rick, decided to keep her there, prisoner it seemed, until he was convinced that no one was looking for her. She'd been spiraling into depression since, but the appearance of a youthful face made her smile. It reminded her of what Gerard had said before he… died.
"There were three: Rose, Oliver and Gwen." She chimed sadly, her heart heaving with guilt. The longer she stayed in there, the harder it was for her to believe they were still alive. "How's the old man?" She asked curiously, trying to change the subject, lying down on the hard mattress that was held up by a metal beam attached to the wall. She's seen an old man on a gurney on the way in and he seemed like he was pain for a while because she heard his moans. After a while he had stopped, so naturally Madeline began to wonder.
"You mean Hershel? He'll be alright… we, well my dad, saved him from Turning." He confided, sitting Indian-style across from her cell door. Madeline raised her eyebrow questioningly but didn't feel like prying. Kids had a way of telling secrets on their own.
"Well that was real nice of him." She said dully, scratching at the crusted blood that caked her arms. The initial shock was wearing off at a much faster pace now, compared to her three-day illness from the first time she'd killed a Walker, an hour or two recoil after killing ten wasn't too bad.
"Do you want some water?" He asked smoothly, his blue eyes sparkling with interest despite how he tried to play it cool. "Is this kid flirting with me?" Madeline couldn't help but applaud his efforts, "at least this one was nice enough to help me out before he started grabbing my butt…" Bittersweet memories of the first time she gave Gerard a bloody nose for being a pervert made her heart ache with loss. Despite her pain within, Madeline kept on her show and pretended nothing was nonetheless amiss with her.
"I'd appreciate it, thank you." She smiled, genuinely, moving to her door to watch the boy leave and head down the iron stairs. She limply shook the bars in her cell, knowing they wouldn't budge but for the sake of it she gave them a good tug. No such luck. With a bored groan she lay back in her cell and tried to sleep. As she lay there silently she heard the commotion of the group below as they did chores and made good with what they could, just like her old group used to. For a second, she pretended that she was in Zach's old RV, still with her old group, just listening to her iPod, slacking off and drowning out the world…
"I'm back with your water." The boy said lowly so he wouldn't startle her. He came up with a tin bucket half full of water and a plastic cup. He left it against the door and cautiously backed up before sitting back down to watch her. Madeline went and sat down in front of the doors, putting the cup into the bucket and taking a long drink, letting the cool water slide down her parched throat and along the corners of her lips. She wiped the streaks off with her bloodied hand and dunked them in them in the bucket, the clear water gradually turning a smoky red color from the blood, thickening with gunk as Madeline scrubbed dirt from underneath her fingernails.
"You can call me 'Maddie' if you'd like." She offered, wiping her hands on her jeans with a friendly, weary smile on her face.
"Cool, you can call me Carl, I'm only called Carl." He gushed silently, a hint of a blush appearing on his freckled cheeks. He dusted his dark hair from underneath his Sheriff's hat and resumed to lean into their conversation.
"Carl, it is then." Madeline agreed, adjusting the tightness of her bandana. She remembered she had a deck of cards somewhere in her bag so she went back to her bed to get it. After a few seconds of digging she was able to find the dog-eared deck and asked Carl if he knew how to play Speed.
"It's like Uno, right?" He asked, pushing the bucket out of the way so she could cut him his hand. When all the cards were laid out she explained the rules and slowly showed him the hang of it with her arms wriggling through the bars.
"Don't think I can't whoop you at a game of Speed from in here, I'm a total pro at this!" She joked, hustling through the motions as Carl struggled to keep up with her pace.
"Speed!" She cheered, slapping her final card, an Ace, on top of Carl's King. He stared at the six cards still in his hand in amazement, chuckling happily even though he lost. It was a fun game to play. After three more games Carl was pretty decent at the game and he was only behind by four cards.
"You're getting good fast!" Madeline commented contently, not stopping her hands from moving as she operated the cards.
"Thanks, I'm a pretty fast learner." Carl replied, slapping his cards more surely and precisely. After he intercepted one of Madeline moves he was so happy he yelled, "Speed!" before he could stop himself. The two laughed heartily at his mistake but it was a happy one nonetheless.
"Carl?" asked a female voice from downstairs. Carl groaned dejectedly but got up and apologized for having to leave.
"My mom's calling, I gotta go." He muttered, rushing to get downstairs and attend to his mother. He was already halfway down the stairs before Madeline could say "See ya" so she laid back onto her bed, card still on the floor, and tried to get some sleep.
Madeline was startled by the loud clang on her cell. She scrambled to an upright position, her hands reaching for her tomahawks but to no avail. Rick and the guy named Glenn took them and her revolver when they searched her after permitting her to be let inside. "What is it?" She grimaced, her side sore from the hard mattress. The sun was high in the windows above, so it must have been around two or three in the afternoon.
"Rick wants us to go out on a run so I'm here to wake your sorry ass up." A gruff Backwoods accent informed sarcastically. Madeline got up quickly and marched to the door, stepping on the cards she had carefully lain out for her and Carl to play later. Guess it was safe to say that wasn't happening. She sized up the man in front of her; he was tall, slim-built, with stubble along his lips and chin. He was a decent height, had dirty brown hair and deep blue eyes. She didn't say a word, just glared at him bitterly as he unlocked the door and motioned with his head for her to walk in front of him. Not kicking her teenage habit of rebellion she rolled her eyes and shook her head defiantly, begrudgingly obeying his command. She hated going anywhere without her weapons, but if they were going to run errands outside, they had to give her something, right?
The rest of the group was stationed downstairs, five men, including the one behind her and four women. The old man was supposed to be in a cell somewhere, but from where she was she couldn't see him. Madeline straightened her back, folded behind her hands behind her, and was moved into the other cellblock in the prison to debrief with Rick. Trying her best to ignore the alien stares the rest of the group gave her, aside from Carl, who timidly refused to meet her gaze from behind his mother.
The iron bars shut, locking them in the room with leader of their group, who sat facing them on a metal bench, her tomahawks and pistol laid out right in front of her on the table behind him. Not willing to appear rude Madeline tried her best to keep her eyes on him, so not to spook him. The man looked on-edge enough as it was.
"I may not exactly trust you; trust's something you have to earn. So if you want me to even think of letting you go, you do this for me and you make sure there isn't a scratch on Daryl when you two get back. You understand?" Rick gave Madeline an ice-cold sneer, burning anger glowering in his eyes with every word that rolled off of his tongue.
"I got it." She answered simply, her cool gaze meeting his smoldering ignition.
He grunted in response, handing her her tomahawks in one hand and her revolver in the other. From his side he pulled out two battered police walkie-talkies and handed one to Daryl, his auspicious glare holding on Madeline. "If she pulls any kind of stunts, radio in and I'll find her." He warned Daryl, who nodded stiffly.
"C'mon." Rick commanded, gaining the lead towards the exit. Madeline murmured her obedient answer before following the men back into the outside world.
"Don't give me a reason to leave you behind, Little girl, don't think for a second I won't ditch you first chance I get." Daryl said once they were out of earshot from Rick and the prison. Madeline was tempted to retaliate but she bit her tongue, only gripping her tomahawks tighter as they made their way to a lot of vehicles. Madeline's heart began to ram inside her ribs, a ghastly feeling of déjà making bile rise inside her throat. Was this the group that killed Gerard?
"No, can't be…" She whispered to herself, shaking the thought out of her head. Daryl thankfully hadn't heard her, or if he did, he ignored it, much to Madeline's relief, no matter which. Daryl made his way over to a '60s Triumph that on any other time in the world Madeline would have begged to ride. With another dry chuckle she scoffed the idea away and halted in her tracks once Daryl had suddenly turned to face her. He grabbed her chin and pulled her face close to his so he could look her squarely in the eyes. The sudden closeness to Daryl made her head spin, but she fought to keep her eyes open as he nearly crushed her jaw with his palm.
"My bike, my rules; hold on and if you're not on my ass by the time the engine kicks, I'm gone, with or without ya." Madeline nodded quickly and he let her go, throwing a leg over the seat with her jumping on to follow suit. He had the keys in the ignition and with a hard rev the motorcycle roared to life with the most beautiful sounding scream. Madeline wrapped her arms around Daryl's firm waist and held onto him for dear life. Rick was at the gate, running across the yard to have it open and shut before any lingering Walkers could get inside. With an alluring rumble between her legs Madeline fought the eccentric giggles that reverberated across her body.
Daryl drove through and sped on the dirt path, as if he didn't notice every Walker and its mother was shambling their way towards them. Daring a quick look behind her she could see the prison getting smaller and smaller then finally out of view when they had reached the main road. Madeline leaned her head on Daryl's back, which was surprisingly steady for her to lie on. She looked into the deep forest and could only imagine where the kids were, dead, alive, or something worse like in-between. If those people had found them, maybe they took them to the town. She had to know for sure, either it was with their safe return or her blade in their skulls she didn't know. Though she knew in her heart she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Madeline did her best not to think as they drove on in silence for a few minutes, winding down the slim ribbon roads of Georgia. The whipping wind slapped at her hair and smacked her in the face every now and then with falling leaves or dead bugs. Having locked her hands around Daryl's waist she adjusted her weight slightly so she wasn't too hunched over. She thrust herself a little further down the seat so she could relax her arms, only to have her midsection pushing painfully close into his hips and her face smashed against his shoulder blades. "Way to go, Maddie." She thought dumbly, wishing she could tear her hair out with how awkward her situation was. Of course the man driving could care less, he didn't know her, and she wasn't of significance. Madeline was barely old enough to drive a car yet here she was on the back of a motorcycle with some backwoods stranger during the zombie apocalypse. Best not to get too self-aware, she reasoned; things were definitely topsy-turvy nowadays.