IN THE MIDST OF THE HORDE-129
When Jerry opened the door walkers piled in bypassing them as one of their own. Alice couldn't help but to feel scared, her stomach twisted with anxiety as she pressed herself against the wall and Carol. Her hand slowly made her way into the older woman's hand, adding some reassurance that she needed.
Then they started to move, ever so slowly out of the cluster of walkers as her hand gripped onto Bee's, linking the three women together. Once they were out of the room, the four group split off, Alice was sandwiched between Carol, who lead the two girls and Bee, who was behind her.
There was a scream from somewhere in the middle of the horde, but neither of the women could do anything about it. Her blood ran cold, hoping that wasn't one of them, but a Whisperer. The horde suddenly became closer together, leaving not much room for them to shuffle through.
Out of nowhere a whisper attacked Bee, slicing her leg before Carol plunged her knife into the person's stomach. The whisper fell, making the three women quickly hurry away. But the whisper grabbed Bee's foot and stabbed her in the leg, causing the Oceansider scream out in pain.
Alice watched in horror as Bee was taken down by the walkers, she screamed for them to take the bag but Carol dragged Alice with her as they continued to walk through the horde. When they got to an open area in the horde, a Walker with a bag caught their attention.
The Walker was Lydia. The three women moved again, heading towards the group at their safe zone. Daryl go a call on his walkie that the whisperers were making their way into the hospital.
At the wagon, they meet with Marco who helped Luke and Jules set up their devices. Everyone got on the wagon, before loudly music played drawing the horde towards them. Marco drove the wagon leading the horde away from the hospital.
***
Cassie stood next to Rachel, her bow in hand and loaded with an arrow. A whisperer was chopping at the door, making a small hole in the door.
Gabriel came over to them and spoke. "Evacuation started. It's gonna take time getting everybody down. Cassie, I want you go back and stay with the kids."
"No, I'm helping." She said, stubbornly.
Gabriel didn't put up a fight and nodded as Rachel spoke. "We'll give it to them."
Suddenly a make-shift was thrown through the hole, Gabriel grabbed her and Rachel as he yelled. "Move!"
The trio throw themselves to the ground behind a wall as the explosion went off. Cassie stumbled to her feet with the help of Gabriel, and saw two of their people was killed by the explosion.
When it become dark, the evacuation was finished and now it was just Cassie, Judith, Rachel, Scott, and Gabriel in the hospital.
"You all need to go. Now." Gabe says.
"You're not coming." Judith spoke, as her and her sister looked up at their uncle.
"Someone needs to stop them from cutting the rope." Their uncle explained, before kneeling in front of them.
"Does Rosita know?" Cassie asked.
Gabriel gave them a sad smile. "Tell her, 'Eres mi media naranja.'"
Judith titled her head confused. "Half orange?"
"She'll know." Their uncle nodded as the banging continued.
"Jude, Cassie, come on." Scott called for them.
Cassie pressed her lips before wrapping her arms around her uncle, giving a quick hug. She pulled away, he smiled at her as she walked over to the rope.
***
"They're coming! They're coming!" Lydia exclaimed loudly as her and the others archers lined up and shot arrows at them.
"Speed up!" Daryl shouted, causing Marco to get the horse to move faster.
Alice hurried to the front of the wagon, as her and the others protected the horses. Whisperers came out of the woods, one of them heading towards her with a knife in hand. She dodged the swing of their knife, stick her spare underneath the person's arm and used it to flip the whisperers over.
The whisperer landed on their back before a spare head was in their head. Alice pulled out her spare before spinning around and throw it, it soared past Magna's head and into a whisperer who was going to attack Magna from behind.
Magna nodded, tossing back the spare. "Thanks."
"No problem." She replied before she took out another whisperer.
Suddenly the wagon stopped due to a whisperer throwing a hook at the wheel. Daryl shouted from the them to ran, as the whisperers and walkers got closer. Alice run into the woods with the others as rain started to pelt down on them, washing away the guts from their bodies.
"Gabriel, we lost the wagon. You got walkers coming right back at you." Daryl spoke into the walkie.
"They should've evacuated by now." Luke says, looking up at the redneck.
"And they're unprotected. We need to turn that horde around." Jerry spoke.
Magna pipped in. "How?"
"Look, this ain't a good plan, but it's all I got. I say we go back in there, and we hurt the skins. We take them out, one by one. If we don't do this, all our people are gonna die." Daryl explained.
Alice was huddle next to Carol. "What happens after we kill the skins? Do we lead them away?"
"I will." Lydia volunteered.
Daryl shook his head. "No, we'll think of another way."
But Lydia insisted. "I know how. She taught me."
"Hold on, hold on, hold on." Luke held out his hand, stopping the young girl. "Lets say we actually do this, and you lead them to the cliff, there's no wagon to bring them over the edge. I meant, it's suicide."
"It had to be me." Lydia says, forcefully. "I can do it."
"We're gonna deal with this later. Come on. We gotta go. Right now." Daryl says, walking away with the others following.
Alice and others made their way into the horde, her knife in her hand as she shuffled through the crowd of walkers. Coming up behind one of the whisperers, she swiftly thrust the knife the back of the whisperers before kicking in their knee before moving away as the walkers swarmed around the person.
She took out a couple more, doing the same she did to the first one before finding Jerry, who had taken another out. They headed back in the woods to meet with the others.
***
Max made sure his brother was okay, watching him as Carl and Cassie with the leaves. The evacuees took refuge in the woods a bit far from the hospital until morning.
"You gotten bigger the last time I saw you." A familiar voice that he haven't heard in years spoke beside him.
He snapped his head towards the person and his eyes widen. "Maggie. Y-You're back."
Maggie chuckled as the boy throw himself into her arms. "I am."
Max pulled away, smiling. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, Max." The woman replied, her tone of voice was trustful. "Where is—"
"Maxie!" Cassie's voice interrupted them. The due looked towards the eight year old and saw her running towards them. Cassie's smile faded as she saw Maggie. "Who are you?"
Maggie glanced at Max who nodded in confirmation. She looked back down at Cassie, kneeling front of the young girl and held out her hand. "I'm your aunt Maggie. You must be Cassidy."
Cassie's eyes darted up at her brother before looking at the woman. "Max told me stories about you."
"He did? What kind of stories?" The Rhee woman asked, dropping her hand.
"How he used to protect you when you were pregnant and how brave you were—are." The eight year old answered. "Brave like my mom."
Maggie's face weaved a bit at the mention of Matilda before she masked it quickly. "And I've heard you are just as brave like your mom and me."
Max watched with a smile as his sister started to babble about her missions with their dad and aunt Carol. He picked up his brother when Carl trotted over to them and buried his cheek into his shoulder.
Maggie looked at them, a confused expression made it's way on her face. Cassie noticed it and smiled. "That's Carl. Our baby brother."
"He's...how..." The woman stammered as she stood up. "I don't understand."
Max and Cassie made eye contact before the eight year old nodded. Max explained everything to Maggie, but leaving out how his mom and grandpa are still alive and out there somewhere.
Maggie reached out and moved a bit of Carl's curly hair. "He's definitely Daryl's kid, but has her eyes."
"Say hi, C." Max told his brother, who was peeking out at Maggie.
"Hi." Carl whispered, his hazel eyes sparkled a bit at the woman.
"Hi, Carl. I'm your aunt Maggie. How old are you?" Maggie asked, smiling softly at the boy.
Carl held up five fingers. "Five."
"He's turning six in three months." Max muttered to her.
"Wow. You're a big boy. Six is a big number." The woman says as Carl wiggled out of his brother's arms.
"Play?" He asked, grabbing Maggie's hand.
Maggie smiled. "Sure, for a bit."
Max watched as Carl showed Maggie his leaf pile and then started to babble to her about god know's what. Cassie squeezed his hand before making her way over to their aunt and brother, joining in on their conversation.