ch.17

beside the dying fire

i clicked my gun, getting ready to step down the first step, only to be stopped by glenn.

"melanie..." glenn mumbled, causing me to turn, "don't do this, we're gonna see each other again." i uttered, giving him a reassuring look.

he shook his head, "you can't say that because you don't know. what if we don't? what if this is our last moment together? what if i have to leave this farm without-"

before he could finish, i placed my hands on both sides of his face, placing a passionate kiss on his lips.

he froze, just like the first time we kissed back at the cdc. only this time he wasn't scared to wrap his arms around my waist, pulling me closer.

"melanie, you are my life now." glenn uttered, pulling away while placing a hand on my face.

i gave him a small smile, before totally breaking contact as i rushed down the stairs.

i stopped one last time turning to face him, "see you later, rhee. i love you" i smiled, quickly turning around and taking off near daryl.

i hopped on the back of the bike, grabbing my gun before taking off. "you ready?" daryl asked, causing me to smile, "more than ready"

with that, he took off, revving his bike beside the fence. i aimed to any walker close to me, taking it down in an instant. no more hesitating.

my eyes widened, seeing the barn go up into orange and red flames. "wow" i mumbled, mesmerized by how huge it was.

daryl moved the bike a little more, so we could talk to jimmy who was driving the rv. "yo! must've been rick or shane who started that fire. maybe they're trying to get our back. why don't you circle around?"

jimmy nodded, "got it!"

"let me off, i need to help the others." i stated, earning a dirty look from daryl. "what are you crazy?"

i nodded, "yeah, just a bit" i joked, causing daryl to roll his eyes, "if i don't make it, tell glenn i love him"

daryl scoffed, shaking his head at me, "you're gonna make it, you're a tough son of a bitch. tell him yourself."

i smiled, swinging my leg over the bike, watching him pull away.

i jumped into action, shooting down any walker close to me, slowly making my way back to the house.

my eyes caught a glimpse of maggie and glenn in a car, that was surrounded by walkers, causing my heart to drop.

my body acted on impulse as i started to run to where they were, shooting the walkers around the car, drawing them to me.

"come on! come to me!" i yelled, killing them when as they surrounded. i didn't see the car after that, causing me to head back to the house.

"hershel?" i questioned, making my way to where he was, letting off rounds, "melanie". he huffed out, pulling me bedside him.

"hershel, we need to go." i warned, watching as the walkers got closer.

i jumped in freight, hearing a gunshot go off from behind us, revealing rick and carl. my breathing hitched as i smiled, seeing them come closer.

"have you seen lori?" rick questioned, earning a no from me, "i don't know what happened, rick. they just keep coming. it's like a plague. they're everywhere" hershel panicked, looking to rick.

"we have to go, find mom and the others." rick demanded, raising his gun to shoot walkers as he moved, "it's my farm!" hershel shouted, fighting against rick, only to lose.

"not anymore!" rick sneered, pulling hershel with him as i covered us all the way to the car.

me and hershel hopped into the back, with carl and rick in the front. "go!" we both yelled in unison, and soon the car took off.

my eyes watched through the back window, seeing the farm disappear as we drove. it was almost like everything was happening in slow motion.

i knew glenn had been with maggie, but did they make it out? did they try and wait for us? how many of the others made it? if any. ____________glenns pov

"oh my god. oh my god." maggie mumbled from bedside me as she drove worriedly, getting off and away from the farm.

"okay, let's just- let's just circle back to the highway." i instructed, pointing to where we needed to go.

"did you see my dad? did- did he make it? did you see?" maggie asked, causing me to shake my head no, "i couldn't see anything"

"and beth— i lost beth and melanie." maggie started, causing my heart to drop at the mention of her name, "did melanie make it? she didn't actually go down, right?"

i watched out my window, getting flashes of melanie helping lead the walkers away flooded my view. the view of them surrounding her, and nothing after that.

"i dont- i don't know" i forced out, watching our surroundings as we drove, "we gotta go back there."

i shook my head, "we can't go back, okay? there's nothing to go back to."

"but beth and melanie" maggie stammered, tears flowing down her face as she talked. "i-i- i think she was with lori. "

"what if they didn't make it? what if nobody made it?" maggie panicked, still trying to keep her eyes on the road.

"they made it. they had to. all right, let's just circle around to the highway where we left supplies for sophia." i instructed, only to be shut down, once again.

"no, the herd came from that direction."

"just stop. stop. stop the car." i demanded, waiting as the car came to a stop, "let me drive"

i opened my door, walking to the drivers side, while maggie climbed over the seat.

i placed my hands on the steering wheel, trying to take in everything that had just happened.

"melanie, told me she loved me before she went off with daryl" i mumbled, causing maggie to turn to me, "and?"

"and i- i didn't say it back."

maggie turned looking as me with sorry eyes, "i'm sure she made it. they all did, right?"

i tilted my head, "hopefully." i started, sending her into more tears, "hey, we're alive. we made it. okay? i'm sure they are too."___________melanies pov

when we arrived to the highway, i stepped out of the car, hoping to see some of our group, but instead saw no one.

"wait, where's mom? you said she'd be here." carl started, throwing his hand up at his dad, "w-we gotta go back for her."

i crossed my arms over my chest, sending rick a look. "carl-" rick started, only to be cut off by him, "no. why are we running? what are you doing? it is mom. we need to get her and not be safe a mile away."

"shh. you need to be quiet, all right? please." rick pleaded, holding onto carl's shoulder. "please. it's mom"

rick shook his head, "carl it's-" before rick could finish, carl cut him off again, stomping away.

rick was about to go after him, only to be stopped by hershel. "rick, you've got to get your boy and melanie to safety. i'll wait here for my girls and the others"

i sent a confused look to hershel, stepping into the conversation, "no, i'm not leaving till i know glenns alive. i'll stay and wait with you."

rick shook his head, placing a hand on my shoulder, "we're not splitting up."

"please keep them safe. i'll hide in one of the cars. if a walker gets me, so be it." hershel started, ignoring the fact that i was grown, "i've lost my farm. i've lost my wife and maybe my daughters."

i snapped, "how could you know that? you don't. they're gonna come, they'll be here."

"and you don't know that." hershel retorted, looking at me seriously. "you're a man of god. have some faith" rick grumbled, staring at hershel.

"christ promised the resurrection of the dead. i just thought he had something a little different in mind" hershel uttered, glancing between the two of us.

"we stick together" rick demanded, walking off to find carl.

soon after rick returned, we were motioned to be quiet because of a lone walker that was passing.

"i don't know how much longer we can stay here." hershel stated, looking between me and rick.

"i'm -im not leaving without mom." carl warned, looking up to rick, "so we're just gonna walk away? not knowing if my wife, glenn, your girls are still out there?" rick asked

"you've only got one concern now- just one. keeping them alive." hershel whispered, causing me to roll my eyes.

"i'm not leaving until i know for sure if glenns alive or dead." i insisted, looking between the two.

rick hesitated at my words before kneeling down to carl, "guys, it's not safe here. i'm sorry."

carl gave a nod, tears brimming his eyes as he looked down at his dad. i gave hershel a look of disappointment, hoping this wasn't gonna be the end.

just as we thought we were gonna have to leave, a motorcycle engine revved, turning our attention in that direction.

i met eyes with daryl and carol first, turning to give hershel a smile before running off to where they we parking.

i gave a small nod to daryl as i passed, scanning the crowd to find glenn. seeing mostly everyone, but him.

"oh thank god" lori cried out, dropping to her knees to hold her son and husband. i smiled at the view of them reuniting, knowing carl had found his mom.

"melanie?" i heard a voice say, turning my attention from ricks family to where it came from, seeing glenn.

i let a out a sigh, tears beginning to flow down my face as i ran to him, engulfing him into a huge hug.

"i love you" he breathed out, causing me to pull away so i could look at him. i shook my head, "you don't have to say it just because i said it."

"no. melanie, i love you." he started, placing a hand on my face, "i should've said it a long time ago and it's been true for a long time"

i huffed out a smile, "i love you too."

he smiled, pulling my face to his, placing a light kiss on my lips. after, i rested my head against his for a moment after, soon pulling away fully to see the rest.

"where'd you find everyone?" rick questioned daryl as i moved my hand to glenns, intertwining our fingers.

"well, those guys tail lights zigzagging all over the road— figured he had to be asian, driving like that." daryl joked, causing us to chuckle.

"good one" glenn replied, nodding his head.

"wheres the rest of us?" daryl asked, glancing around the group for answers. "we're the only ones who made it so far." rick responded, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"shane?" lori questioned, earning a no from rick.

"andrea?" me and glenn asked in unison

"she saved me, then i lost her." carol informed, causing me and glenn to look at each other sadly.

"we saw her go down" tdog stated, leaning up against the care door, "patricia?"

beth shook her head, looking up to hershel, "they got her too. took her right from me. i was— i was holdin onto her daddy. she just-"

"what about jimmy? did you see jimmy?" beth asked, wiping her tears away. "he was in the rv, it got overrun."

i removed my head from glenns shoulder, looking to tdog. "you definitely saw andrea?"

"there were walkers everywhere."

"did you see her?" carol questioned urgently, getting no response, "i'm gonna go back." daryl muttered, causing me to step up, "me too"

"no" rick scolded, catching me off guard, "well we can't just leave her." daryl stated, squinting from the sun.

"we don't even know if she's there." lori ruled out, crossing her arms over her chest. "she isn't there. she isn't. she's somewhere else or she's dead."

glenn let out a small scoff, "so we're not even gonna look for her?"

rick shook his head, "we gotta keep moving. there have been walkers crawling all over here."

my eyes wondered, looking off into the woods. i squinted, seeing a huge building in the distance. "rick, look at this." i encouraged, never taking my eyes off the building.

rick walked to where i stood, along with the others. "what is it?" i asked, causing him to turn to me with a small smirk on his face, "that's the prison."

________________________________3/1/2021