ch.14

pretty much dead already

    glenn hesitantly obeyed, taking off with the others. beth and patricia soon appeared at my side, surprisingly helping.

    "these things ain't sick. they're not people, they're dead. ain't gonna feel nothing for them. cause all they do, they kill!" shane yelled, pacing around the walkers, shouting like a lunatic.

   "they killed amy. they killed otis. they're gonna kill all of us."

    "shane, shut up!" rick screamed, still leading the walker. "hey, hershel man, let me ask you something. could a living breathing person walk away from this?"

    before i knew it, shane was firing rounds, hitting the walker in the chest. i ducked along with the others, hearing ricks screams and pleads for him to stop.

    "why is it still coming?" shane yelled, firing more rounds. "shane, that's enough." rick pleaded some more.

   "yeah, you're right man. that is enough." shane retorted, walking straight up to the walker, shooting it in the head.

    my eyes flickered to glenn, who looked at me worriedly, before walking to where i was. "what are we gonna do?" i asked, my voice shaky from shane's actions.

    "only watch, who knows what he'd do." glenn whispered, keeping his eyes on shane.

    "enough risking our lives for a little girl who's gone! enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us. enough!"

    we all watched as shane bolted to the barn door, removing the lock. shouts and bangs rung through the air, making it the only thing you could hear.

   as shane backed up, walkers started to appear, causing me and glenn to step up, protecting what we had left.

    i aimed, firing at the first walker my eyes found, feeling guilty as i pulled the trigger, not wanting to hurt hershel and his family.

    we fired until they were all lifeless on the ground, only hearing the cries from the greene's.

    another small growl appeared, causing our eyes to flicker from the bodies back to the barn. my heart dropped to my stomach seeing, a small skinny body appear from the barn.

    "sophia? sophia!" carol sobbed, running in her direction, only to be caught by daryl, who wrapped his arms around her, holding her back.

    my life turned into slow motion, seeing the little girl i had promised to protect, in the state of the dead.

    i whimpered, almost falling to the ground, but before i could, a hand wrapped around my waist, holding me up.

    glenn hugged my body tightly, muffling my sobs as i cried against his shoulder. the whimpers becoming even louder hearing the gunshot.

    after i was able to calm myself, i lifted my head to glenn, giving him a nod that i was okay.  he kept me close as we watched beth start to react to the death of her mom.

    "shhh. wait. wait" rick pleaded, trying to hold her back, only to be swatted away. the small blonde whimpered, bending down to her moms body.

   my eyes flashed to glenns, giving him a frown before quickly snapping it back to where she was, hearing her screams of terror.

   the walker latched onto beths body, causing rick and the others to jump into action.

    i ran to her, trying to detach the walkers arms from hers, holding her along with maggie when she was free.

    i cringed, watching andrea put a farming hoe through its head. hershel soon made his way to me, grabbing beth into his arms, while i made my way back to glenn.

    "you're okay? you didn't get bit?" i asked, scanning over his body with my eyes. he shook his head, placing a hand on the small of my back, "come on."

    i  nodded, letting him lead me to where the others started walking, following the greene's. "we've been out combing these woods looking for her and she was in there all along?" shane huffed, storming after hershel.

   "leave us alone!" maggie scolded, sending shane a dirty look. "hey, shane, just stop, man" glenn mumbled, pleading for him to dial down.

   "you knew, and you kept it from us."

   "i didn't know." hershel uttered, clinging to beth, who was still in tears. "thats bullshit. i think y'all knew. why was she there!?"

   "yo-your, otis put those people in the barn. maybe he found her and put her in there before he was killed." hershel suggested, turning around to face him, while me, glenn, and rick watched from beside.

   "you expect me to believe that? do i look like an idiot?" shane retorted, trying to get in hershels face, only to be stopped by rick.

   "i dont care what you believe." hershel started, throwing his hands up in the air, "get him off my land!"

    my eyes widened seeing shane move closer to hershel, causing me to try and pull him back, "shane, don't."

    he ignored me and rick, stepping even closer, "hey. don't touch him!" maggie shouted, slapping him across the face, "haven't you done enough?"

    shane didn't dare say another word to hershel, causing the group to go silent. my eyes watched the greene's enter their house, i lipped maggie sorry, earning a nod before she disappeared into the room.

    glenn tilted his head towards the camp, wanting to leave rick and shane to talk. i nodded, walking by his side to our tent.

    "that was... awful" i mumbled, stepping into our tent, unable to shake the memories of sophia from my mind.

glenn nodded, plopping down on our makeshift bed, "you know, maybe in some way this is for the best. at least we know and now we can move on."

i furrowed my eyebrows, slowly taking a seat next to him, "it feels weird, you know? it meant so much to everyone, finding her. how are we supposed to move on?"

glenn nodded, taking my hand in his to stop me from fiddling with my fingers, "i mean, we've lost others." glenn started, breathing out a chuckle, "this is sophia."

hearing her name made my heart ache, remembering what i had promised her that day back at the old camp.

   "i promise that you will always be safe with me and i'm going to find a way back."

   "glenn, i promised her..." my breathing hitched, causing me to choke on my words as tears started to fall from my eyes.

   i didn't have to finish, glenn already knew, wrapping a hand around my shoulder, pulling me close to his body.

    "shhh, i know." he started, lightly brushing his fingers through my hair, "but you can't blame yourself for this. it'll slowly destroy you and i can't lose you, okay?"

   my blue eyes shifted to his brown ones, slowly nodding my head. he gave me a small smile, brushing the hair out of my face.

    i smiled back before moving in to place a light kiss on his lips, feeling my cheeks instantly heat up.

   our calming moment was soon interrupted by lori, who barged into our tent. me and glenn stood up quickly, trying to act like nothing happened.

   "uh, sorry to interrupt but i need melanie. both collapsed and we can't find hershel." lori informed, sending me a worried look.

   "oh my god, lets go then." i started, moving away from glenn to where lori was, stopping when i reached the door, "you coming?"

   glenn nodded, ushering for me to follow lori, "yeah, let's go."

   we followed lori to beths room where she laid, looking sickly. "what's wrong with her?" maggie asked, staring worriedly at her sister.

    i checked beths pulse before feeling her head,  "she might be in shock, her pulse is weak but rapid and her temp seems low." i informed, looking at maggie.

    "is there anything we can do?" she questioned, causing me to jump into action.

   "we need to elevate her legs, and remove this pillow from under her head." i started, gently removing the pillow from under her head, placing it under her legs, "we should give her and iv, start her on some fluids."

   patricia nodded, leaving to get the supplies while me and maggie stayed with her, "she should be fine, i recommend just being there for her, give her reassurance."

    maggie smiled, taking my hands in hers, "thank you"

    i smiled, looking down at beth, "you guys have been loving and welcome ever since we've arrived, it's the least i could do."

    my eyes shifted around the room, realizing glenn and lori had left. "do you know where the others are?" i questioned, earning a nod from maggie, "follow me."_________

   i followed maggie into what i thought was hershels room, seeing most of the others gathered inside.

   "looks like hershel found an old friend." shane mumbled, throwing a grey flask at rick. "that belonged to my grandfather, gave it to my dad when he died." maggie informed as we walked into the room.

   "i didn't take hershel for a drinker." rick remarked, handing it to maggie while i made my way to where glenn stood.

   "no, he gave it up on the day i was born. he didn't even allow liquor in the house."

    my eyes shifted to rick, hoping he wasn't thinking what i was, "what's the bar in town?"

    bingo.

   "hatlins. he practically lived there in his drinking days." maggie stated, earning a small nod from rick as he walked towards me and glenn.

   "betting that's where i'll find him." rick mumbled, glancing between the two of us. glenn nodded, "i've seen the place. we'll take you"

   "all right, i'll get the truck." rick assured, causing me and glenn to follow, only to be stopped by maggie.

   "n-no" she said hesitantly, stepping in front of us. i glanced at rick and glenn before giving her a confused look, "it's an easy run."

    she shook her head, "i was hoping you'd stay, just in case something would happen with beth."

    i paused looking to rick for an answer, unsure what to say, "stay, me and glenn can handle it. i promise ill bring him back" rick assured, before leaving.

    "be safe, okay? and bring hershel back, his daughter needs him" i asked, earning a nod from glenn, "okay, i'll try."

    i took glenns hand in mine before leaning in to plant a small kiss on his lips, "you be safe too."

   i smiled, giving him a nod as i watched him leave. soon making my way back to beths room.

    i gently sat by her side, brushing the baby hairs out of her face, "hey, beth. we're all worried about you."

   andrea appeared, smiling towards me as me and maggie tucked her in. i moved away from the bed, letting patricia and maggie tend to her while i stood by andrea.

   "it's getting worse, she went from freezing to smoldering hot in minutes." i informed, earning a worriedly look.

   "we need hershel, you could only do so much." she stated, causing me to nod.

    lori soon appeared, pacing the room, looking almost distraught. "would you look in on carl for me?" she asked out of nowhere.

   "of course" andrea nodded, watching her take off once again. i sent andrea a curious face, before running after lori.

   "lori. lori!" i yelled as i rushed down the back door steps, pulling her arm so she would face me.

    she tilted her head, looking almost worriedly at me. "where are you going?" i asked, watching as she checked her pistol.

   "i'm going to bring back rick and hershel." she said blatantly, catching me off guard. "what? rick and glenn just left to find hershel. they'll be fine."

   she shook her head at me turning back around, to head for the car. i rolled my eyes before walking to the car also, getting in the passengers side.

   "melanie, what are you doing?" she questioned, looking at me seriously. i shrugged, "i'm going with you. you're either going with me or you're not going at all."

    she paused before hesitantly nodding, pulling herself in the drivers side. __________

the farm had disappeared a couple minutes prior to now, causing me to feel almost relieved.

"can you hand me the map?" lori questioned, earning a nod as i opened the glove box, retrieving the map.

"i can read you the coordinates, it'll be easier to drive." i suggested, studying the map. she shook her head, "it's okay, i'm good at multitasking."

i shrugged, handing her the map, "suit yourself"

my head rested on the window, admiring the green trees and peaceful skies. finding it oddly weird i hadn't seen any walkers.

my eyes shifted to the front window, in suspicion. the sight caused my eyes to widen as i started to yell, "lori!"

she looked up from the map, noticing the single walker in the street. my warning caused her to swerve, still hitting the walker.

i grabbed the wheel, trying to help her steer, which resulted in us swerving off the road.

i screamed, seeing we were now in mid air. it only lasted for a second, because soon my world went black.

________________________________2/25/2021