SHELTER | DIXON

|21|

Madison was no stranger to her father being upset with her. They had argued many times as she was growing up, always because of her rebellious tendencies and how angry she was with him over everything that happened between him, Josephine and Annette. There had been plenty of times the two of them raised their voices at each other, but no matter what, even with the arguing, it was always abundantly clear that the father and daughter loved each other.

However, with the way they were screaming at each other at the given moment, it was obvious that this disagreement was different than all the other ones. "My decision is final, Madison Rae!" Hershel shouted over her many protests. "Those people are leaving by the end of the week, and that's that!"

"Those people have been through hell and back trying to find some place safe!" Madison shouted right back at him. "And I've gone through it with them, Dad! They are good people! How could you just turn them away?!"

"Because they are not my responsibility! They can find somewhere else to shore up!"

"No, they can't! Nowhere is safe anymore, don't you see that? Most everywhere is run-down by walkers!"

"Walkers?" Hershel echoed with a scoff. "I wish you wouldn't use that word, Madison. Those are people, sick people, and once someone finds a cure―"

"Oh, for God's sake!" Madison cut her father off in disbelief. "There is no cure, Dad! We've done and went to the CDC looking for one! There's nothing left, nothing!" Her nostrils flared in anger, blue eyes sharp with defiance as she glared him down. "If you make those people leave, you should know that I'll be going with them."

"What?" His expression fell, unable to believe what his little girl had just said. "No. Absolutely not! You're family, Madison, you belong here―"

"Those people out there are family, too!" She exclaimed. Hershel stopped and stared at her, surprised at her words. She heaved a deep breath as she continued. "They are, Daddy. They're my family. After everything I've went through with them..." She shook her head. "I would never forgive you if you sent them out there to risk getting killed by walkers."

The use of that term shook the shock out of Hershel's mind, and his expression sharpened once more. "They're not walkers! They are sick people! They have a chance at being cured just like every other sick person does!"

"How could you know?" Madison demanded. "How could you possibly know?! You've been here on this farm, sheltered away from the world, not seeing how things really are! People who are bitten, they lose their minds until their brain and organs finally shut down. The only thing that keeps them going is the tiny part of their brain that gets them up and moving, and no piece of the person they once were is there anymore!" Hershel's jaw clenched as his daughter shouted at him, desperately trying to make him understand. "They're just a mindless shell after that, only ever wanting one thing, and the only way to put them down is blunt trauma to the brain!"

"What, like you did with Shawn?" Hershel asked her angrily. Madison faltered, her entire face falling as her father threw what had happened with her brother back in her face. "I'm sorry, Madison, but I'm not going to kill Annette and the rest of those sick people out there just because you've lost your damn mind!"

"I didn't kill Shawn!" Madison screamed. Her voice was strained, tears spilling from her eyes. "He was already dead, and he told me to make sure he didn't reanimate! I tried like hell to save him, but I couldn't! Don't you get it?! Annette, Grandpa John, Duncan, Lacey― they're already dead!"

"Shawn could have been saved!" Hershel roared. "Instead, you put a bullet in his head! You killed your own brother! And those people out there, they've turned my little girl into a murderer!"