Survive ( twd carlgrimes)

Chapter 55

MADISON'S POV.

"Nick, he's been taken." Abbie cries.

I fight the urge to throw up.
"Nick!" I call out, stepping over people to race down the steps of the alter.
I barge through the back room.
"I've already checked both rooms." She sniffles.

I ignore her, running to the other room but still, he's nowhere to be seen.
"Well, um, let's not panic, okay? He's probably just gone for a piss." I shrug. I keep my voice calm even though my heart races ahead and my brain is thinking up the worst scenario possible.

I clutch my bow and sling the arrows over my shoulder as I make my way to meet her at the door. The cool morning wind ruffles our clothes. Her hair whips around her face frantically.
She shakes her head. "I've been up for an hour. He was gone before I got up."

I look back at everyone sitting up in their beds, watching us.
"Nick is missing." I tell them.
Something about my words taste funny in my mouth and not because it's something that I absolutely don't want to be true but because part if it doesn't feel true.

I look down to Abbie. "You didn't say missing, did you?"
She shakes her head.
"Why would someone take him? Did you see something?" I ask her.
She shakes her head again. "No but he wouldn't just leave us. Isn't that the only logical excuse." She sniffles again.

It's true, I suppose. I move back quickly to the alter and look at where his bed was. His things are gone and his bed isn't messed up like it should be. There's no sign of struggle.
I frown.
"He must have left."
"He wouldn't leave." Abbie argues.
"Not leave us. Just leave for air or maybe he thought I'd going on a run." I think aloud.
"On his own?" Rick questions.

My chest is heaving up and down as I panic. I'm dizzy, trying to plot how this could have happened. I look over to our weapons only to find some gone. Abbie sees what i'm looking at because she whispers. "Whoever took him also took some of our weapons, ammo and food. What are we gonna do?"

"Who was in watch last night ?" I ask.
Nobody answers.
"Seriously?" Rick questions the group, louder.
"Who was on watch."
Nobody. Great.

I turn to Gabriel. "Was this you?"
He doesn't answer.
"Get your gun, look out the windows and tell me if you see anyone outside." I tell the others.
I turn back to Gabriel and he shakes his head.

I put my mothers knife in my waistband and strap another one to my leg. I keep my bow loaded and turn when I hear Abbie scream my name.
"MADDIEEEE!!!" She runs in.
Everyonee is up in a flash confused about whats going on but ready for a fight as they hear the panic her voice.

I watch as a walker approaches her up the steps. She backs away slowly.
"ABBIE, GET AWAY FROM THERE!" I yell. She sprints toward me and hides behind me as I reload my bow. 
"GRAB YOUR THINGS, WALKERS OUTSIDE." She shouts and everyone runs to get the weapons we have left.

"How many?" Rosie's insists 
"It's herd." Any chance we had of fighting them off disappeared in that short sentence. We pack our shit and hoist it into our backs.

"Eyes pealed people. Walkers aren't the only thing we have to look out for now." Rick calls to the group.
He thinks Nick was taken too.

Everyone grabs what they can and we sprint through the church doors, Abbie close by my side. The doorway is nearly flooded with walkers but Michonne takes most of their heads with her samurai. Abbie shoots an oncoming walker and im surprised by her accuracy.

I quickly take out two walkers and collect my arrows on the way as I run to a clear space, dragging Abbie with me by the shoulder of her sweater.
I feel bullets whizz over my head. The sound is sure to attract more but we don't have much choice.

The group is separated into smaller groups to help pick the walkers off one by one.
Eugine, Abraham, Sasha and Rosita.
Rick, Carl, holding Judith and Michonne.
Glenn, Maggie and Gabriel Etc.

Abbie keeps shooting beside me.
"We need to make our way to Rick. We can't get separated from the group."
She nods. "Okay." She pulls another magnum from her back pocket and clips it onto the gun before aiming and taking down three walkers.

We push our way through to Rick's smaller group. Abbie tucks her gun into the back of her waistband and takes Judith from Carl, allowing him to take out his own gun and fight. He picks them off picker than she can.
"You look in front and behind you at all times. Got it?" Carl instruct her strictly. I stand next to him killing off walkers.

"WE GOTTA MOVE!" Rick booms.
We take off into a sprint through the forest with walkers right on our tails. Abbie runs in front of me with Judith in her arms. We run as a group keeping together and not moving apart. I feel sick.

We are taking sharp corners losing the walkers. I look left and right for any signs of my brother but I see nothing. I begin to feel dizzy and I slow down, I don't think anyone notices when I run into the trees and off of the path everyone else is running on.

I double over and hold onto a tree for support, throwing up and coughing up blood. I quickly clean myself up because nobody can know about this and it certainly can't be the reason I'm left behind. I run faster to make up for lost ground and take a few short cuts through the trees and back on track with everyone else.

I slip into the back of the group, not being noticed. I breath heavily after running so fast.
The group stop to rest when we're far enough away.
Rick snaps and turns quickly on his heels.

He shoves Gabriel against a tree. "What the hell was that? Is this a trap?" He threatens.

"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY BROTHER!" I scream.
"NOTHING. Nothing I swear on the lord above. I didn't do anything" he cries.
"BULLSHIT." I shout.

Abbie ambles towards his, gun out, pointing directly to his forehead, shocking us all.
"I've lost too many years stuck inside that cart. I've never known what the real work is, not really. My world is very different to yours. I've been tortured most of my list so I've picked up a thing or two when it comes to inflicting pain on someone you really don't like. Do you see where I'm going with this?" She asks innocently, pushing her gun into his chest.

The look on her face gives me chills as she casually threatens him.
She pulls my mothers knife out of my waistband and hands it to me as I hold it to his neck, following her lead.
"I won't ask again." She spits.

In that very moment I've realized just how badly I've underestimated her. She's scary as shit when she wants to be.

"I swear, I don't know anything. He pleads.
Abbie laughs a wicked laugh and tuts.
"Wrong answer." I say while pushing the knife slowly into Gabriels shoulder. He screams in pain and Abbie covers his mouth with her hand to muffle the noise so we don't attract unwanted guests.
She hits him in the back of the head with her gun. "Are you nuts ? Do you want those freaks to hear us again?"

"Last chance." She wants, reaching in her top toes to press the gun into his temple.
He starts to pray.
And then she clicks the bullet into the chamber. I watch as my sister decides to go for the kill.

Despite our situation, knowing that either of us would do anything for our brother... I'm not sure who I thought my sister was, but she's not as innocent as I thought. That much is for sure.