𝙴𝙿𝙸𝚂𝙾𝙳𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚁𝚃𝚈-𝚃𝚆𝙾 - 𝙶𝙴𝚃 𝙾𝚄𝚃!
Axel had been made aware of Oscar's death and he was devastated. Madelyn couldn't help but feel bad for him, despite everything she was going through. She could feel everyone's pity gaze on her but she said nothing.
"Whenever Tomas went off, Oscar always stood up for him, you know?" Axel said to Carol who gave a sympathetic nod. Rick, Hershel and Madelyn joined them. "He was my friend."
"He went out fighting." Rick said.
"He did, Axel. He saved my life, as well as Glenn and Maggie's." Madelyn said, rubbing his shoulder softly.
"So, what now? Do you think the Governor will retaliate?" Beth asked as she approached the group with Judith in her arms.
"Yes." Maggie said.
"Let him try." Glenn said.
"It sounds like he's got a whole town." Carol said.
"He does." Madelyn confirmed.
"That means we're outnumbered and outgunned." Carol said.
"We could use some reinforcement." Hershel said, referring to the group that he said had stumbled upon the prison when they were at Woodbury. Rick and the group went over to see them. There was one woman and three men.
"I'm Tyreese." One of the men said, extending his hand but Rick didn't shake it. Hershel then pointed to the woman.
"Sasha." Hershel said. "Allen, Ben."
"How'd you get in?" Rick asked Tyreese.
"Fire damage to the administrative side of the prison. Walls down." Tyreese said.
"That side's completely overrun with walkers." Rick said. "How'd you get this far?"
"We didn't. We lost our friend, Donna." Tyreese said.
"They were lost in the gyms." Carl said.
"And then you brought them here?" Rick asked.
"He had no choice." Hershel said.
"I'm sorry about your friend." Rick said to Tyreese. "We know what that's like."
"Hershel said you could use some extra hands." Tyreese said. "We're no stranger to hard work. We'll go out and get our own food. Stay out of your hair. You got a problem with another group, we'll help with that too. Anything to contribute."
Madelyn looked at Glenn and he looked back. Madelyn liked the sound of what he was saying. Rick, on the other hand, did not.
"No." Rick said.
"Please." Sasha said. "It's like '10 Little Indians' out there. It's just us now."
"No." Rick said.
"Rick, at least consider what they're saying." Madelyn said.
"We've been through this with Tomas, Andrew." Rick said. "Look what happened."
"Axel and Oscar weren't like that." Carol said.
"And where's Oscar now?" Rick asked, raising his voice. Madelyn tilted her head. Something was up with Rick, something deep. "I can't be responsible."
"You turn us out, you are responsible." Tyreese said.
Hershel called Rick over and tried to convince him to change his mind. Everyone looked at Rick but again he said, "No. No, no, no, no."
"Rick..." Madelyn said.
"Why are you here?" Rick asked, looking at the balcony. There was no-one there. "What do you want from me?"
"Dad?" Carl asked, concerned.
"Why are you....I can't help you." Rick said before turning around to face Tyreese's group. "Get out!" Rick was starting to get a little crazy.
"Rick, calm down." Glenn said.
"G-get out!" Rick yelled like a mad man,
"Whoa, it's all good." Tyreese said, trying to calm Rick down.
"What are you doing?" Carol asked.
"You don't belong here!" Rick yelled. "Get out! Why are you here?!"
"Okay, we'll leave. We're going." Tyreese said before quickly leaving with his group.
🧟♀️ 🧟🧟♀️ 🧟
𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙽𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝙳𝚊𝚢
Daryl sighed as he watched his brother peeing by a tree. The day before hit him hard. Leaving Madelyn was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. It may have seemed like he wanted to, like it was easy for him but course, he didn't want to. Of course it wasn't easy. Daryl loved Madelyn. He picked a ring out for her. He wanted to marry her someday. He wanted to have kids with her someday. He had their entire future planned out in his head. That's how in love with Madelyn he was. He never stopped loving her. He still loved her.
But there was his brother.
His brother had been by his side all his life. He had to leave Merle once before and he didn't intend on leaving him again. Daryl had once made the mistake of picking a girl over his brother and it did not end well. He wasn't going to make that mistake again and sure, he knew Madelyn was the one, he knew she was one of a kind, that she was one of the nicest, kindest and most loving people that was left on the planet but Daryl couldn't leave Merle. He was his brother after all.
Unlike Madelyn, Daryl didn't express his hurt and pain as he walked away from the group and into the forest with his brother. He kept it all in. Merle often teased and picked on Daryl on how he was too emotional and Daryl didn't want to prove him right so he acted as if nothing had affected him, as if he didn't just let the woman he loved with all his heart go. After everything that happened between them, everything that Madelyn had opened up about, everything that Daryl had opened up about, it was all gone.
That broke Daryl.
That same night, whilst Merle was asleep, Daryl turned and tossed but he couldn't sleep. He didn't have Madelyn next to him anymore. It was a foreign feeling. He had gotten so used to having her around. Madelyn had become a huge part of his life without him even knowing it, without Madelyn even knowing it. Daryl still had the engagement ring in his pocket and as he gazed at it, a single tear fell from his eye. Daryl never cried, ever. He believed he was as tough as it came but seeing that ring, seeing all those thoughts and scenarios and feelings he had crammed into this one ring, he couldn't help but crack a little.
The sound of Merle peeing broke Daryl out of his thoughts as he kept watch. "Man, there ain't nothing out here but mosquitos and ants." Daryl said.
"Patience, little brother. Sooner or later a squirrel's bound to scurry across your path." Merle said, still peeing.
"Even so, that ain't much food." Daryl said.
"More than nothing." Merle said.
"Have better luck going back to those houses we passed on the turn off." Daryl said.
"Is that what your new friends taught you? That what your little girlfriend taught you? How to loot for booty?" Merle asked, making Daryl's mind drift back to Madelyn. He hoped she was okay from that gunshot wound.
"Man, we've been out here for hours." Daryl said, trying to change the subject. "Why don't we find a stream? Try our luck with some fish?"
"I think you're just trying to beat me back to that road, man." Merle said. "Get me over to that prison."
"We've got shelter. Food." Daryl mumbled. Of course he wanted to go back. They had barely hunted anything, they were starving. Daryl missed the group, especially Madelyn. It had only been a day since they hadn't seen each other but in his mind, it felt like years. "A pot to piss in might not be a bad idea."
"For you, maybe. Ain't gonna be no damn party for me." Merle said.
"Everyone will get used to each other." Daryl said as he played with his crossbow.
"They're all dead. Makes no difference." Merle said. Even the thought of the group dead, the thought of Madelyn dead shook Daryl to his core.
"How can you be so sure?" Daryl asked.
"Right about now, he's probably hosting a housewarming party, where he's gonna bury what's left of your pals." Merle said, referring to the Governor. "Let's hook some fish."