MADISON'S POV.
Nothing makes sense at first, and I can't concentrate past the irritating ringing in my ears. I struggle to open my eyes to. I desperately want to know where I am, who's with me, what that fucking ringing is !
But I feel paralysed. I try to move my fingers but nothing happens. Fear quickly sets in.
Why can't I move ?!.
What's happened to me?
I can't move or open my eyes or even open my mouth to call for help so instead I focus on my breathing and the sound of my own pulse in my ears. I'm not sure how long I wait here for until the ringing finally, gradually fades to a stop. I feel a tingling in my fingers and now I find that I can move them slightly.
A quickly become aware of a new sound, a beeping sound that matches the pulse in my ears. The sound struggles to keep its rhythm even. I scrunch my eyes and open them slowly, wincing at the bright, blinding light above me. When my eyes adjust to the light I tilt my head to look around.
I reach up instinctively shove the light away from my face I jump when I hear it crash to the ground. I glance at the machine next to my head and groan in annoyance. The beeping still hasn't stopped. My eyes follow the tubes connecting the machine to me and without a second thought I rip them from my arms. The machine wails an annoying flatlining beep. I know better than to knock this one over, that would be a waste. Instead I click every button on it until switches off.
Finally it does and I allow myself to enjoy the silence. I ignore the pain that rips through me as I try to sit up. I pant loudly and look around for help but I'm alone. I feel something on my face. Another tube, under my nose, helping me to breathe. I pull it out and throw it on the ground, frustrated.
I put together that I'm in a hospital bed and when I throw the sheets off me i find myself covered by a blue hospital gown I lift my head to see i'm lying on a bed in a blue hospital gown. I know I should be more concerned about not remembering putting it on or who must have changed my clothes but all I can think about is the pain that aches from every part of my body. Enough pain to make tears spring to my eyes.
Don't cry Madison! Don't cry! You've got this.
Find the others. Find Abbie. Find Carl. Find Maggie. Find Rick. Find them all.
I clutch my abdomen as I swing my legs off the bed and allow them to land me safely on the ground, but the sound that escapes my lips sounds unnatural, something between a cry and a wail of pain, it didn't sound like me.
I try to walk but I'm tangled in more tubes.
"UGH !" I cry, frustrated. I can't take much more of this shit. I look to where i'm hooked up to now. I find two IV's, attached to a pole. Right next to it is a portable table, which holds a little dish with a large syringe, a small knife and other instruments sitting inside it.
I grit my teeth and finally allow myself to cry as I pull both IVs out.
"Abbie!" I try to call but my voice is hoarse and it comes out as a croak.
My legs give out and I thud to the floor and weakly scramble to my hands and knees.
"Help!" I try to shout but it comes out as barely a whisper.
I lift myself to my feet and use the IV pole to help me cross the room.
"Abbie?" I croak.
"Carl?"
Nothing.
Where is everyone? Why am I here alone? Are they even here?
"ABBIE!" I shout a little louder.
"CARL!"
I look to the corner of the room and I see a small camera pointing at me.
"Hey!" I scream at it furiously.
Suddenly the door is busted open. A woman comes in breathless.
I instinctively reach behind me for my bow and arrow but my hands grasp nothing but the air.
"I came as soon as I heard you were awake." The woman pants.
I take a moment to assess if this woman is a treat or not but she isn't holding a weapon. A million questions fling around my head and I struggle what to ask first. Will she even answer my questions?
"Where's my family?" I shout.
"Relax, you're fine. I can explain." She regains her breath.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THEM?" I scream properly now. I back up towards the dish. I subtly pick up the knife and syringe, clutching them both behind my back.
"Who?" She asks.
"My family! Where are they?" I ask.
"Just calm down." Her attitude quickly changing from concerned to hostile. Her face becomes hard and serious and I'm loosing my temper.
"You better tell-"
"Or what?" She retorts.
Thats it! Fuck this shit!
I throw the knife at her and watch as it flies towards her face. She ducks and blocks the knife with her hand. She shrieks in pain and the knife goes right through it. Blood streams down her hand and she clutches it to her chest while glaring at me.
I limp up to her, pushing her out of the way. I limp down an unfamilar hall. Opening doors that i've never seen.
Where the hell am I?
I limp my way towards a large open room with a desk. People fill the room and a man and woman work behind the desk, the soft hum of conversation between people in here is unsettling. This room looks almost like a reception.
The woman behind the desk spots me first.
"Young lady! Get over here. You shouldn't be here." She shouts, earning the attention of everyone in the room. I limp away faster, tightening my grip on the syringe.
A large man steps into view and confidently approches me.
"Miss, you're coming with me." He orders. He grabs my arms and tugs me. I drive the syringe into his neck hard and he recoils away, gaining me time to scramble away. I limp faster but two large men grab me and lift me into mid-air.
"STOP! LET ME GO! LET ME GOOO!" I scream at them.
That's when I see his hat among the crowd. He's the other side of the room and his back is facing me.
I continue to struggle against the two men. They seem to enjoy the fight which makes my stomach hurt all the more.
"CARL!" I scream for him.
His eyes snap toward the sound of my voice. I know he still can't see me along the crowd but he knows it's me and I know that he knows it's me. I sprints towards me, finally making eye contact when he gets closer and I watch hopelessly as he's body slammed to the ground by another bodyguard.
The crowd instantly evacuate, afraid of the commotion, leaving just few of us left in the reception.
"STOP! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" I kick and scream, trying to free myself. The two men drop me from midair to the floor. I can't help the scream that escapes me as I land on my stomach.
I see the woman from before entering the large room clutching her bloody hand.
"LET GO OF ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I scream as one of the guards kneels on my back. Five more people enter the hall to see what the racket was about.
Rick, Maggie, Glenn, Michonne and Abbie.
"ABBIE!" I scream to her.
"MADDIE!" She runs towards me but is stopped by a tall man in her way.
"LET HER GO!" Rick booms.
Everyone's screams stop and every head is turned to Rick.
"Let her go." The woman orders and I feel the weight of the man disappear from on top of me. The other guard offers me a hand to help me up and I slap it away.
"Bastard." I mumble.
The Woman stands in my way.
"My name is Dawn. I'm the one you stabbed in the hand, remember."
"No, you'd think the bloodily hand would've been a nice reminder though." I spit, sarcastically.
My head is whipped to the side with the force of her head and I begin to feel the sting on my cheek.
My family start to shout. I try to make a go at her but i'm pulled away by the two men again.
"I swear to god if you touch me again i'll k-"
"You'll what?" Dawn cuts me off.
"Get that asshole off him." Rick orders Dawn. She waves her hand to the guard and he releases Carl.
"Nobody move." She yells, before Carl can take a step towards me.
But Rick doesn't listen. He comes right up to me, throwing his arms around me within seconds and I hug him back.
"Jesus Mads, you scared the shit out of us. Are you ok?" He whispers.
"Fine." I lie
"Its gonna be ok. We're at the hospital. Remember the one you found, just outside the city." He reminds me.
I rack my brain, trying to think back to before. I nod.
"We have much to discuss. You've been out for almost a week and a half now." Dawn explains.
"A week?" I ask shocked.
"And a half. If I'd known you were this much trouble I'd have induced you into a coma." She jibes.
I huff "and if I knew you were this much of a bitch I would've aimed for your head, not your hand."
"You're already on VERY thin ice Ms.Smith. Don't bite the hand that feeds you, you'd do well to remember that young lady."
The silence that lingers between us is awkward and the hatred I have towards her already grows. I feel like I've been told off by my mother.
"You look awful and you must be in pain so lets get you fixed up. Then we can go through the rules, which by the way, you broke many of them."
"Glad to have been at service." I smirk.
Her nostrils flare and I just grin to piss her off.
"Bring her to the health clinic." She orders the guards.
They start to pull me away.
"Wait, ..." I pull back, struggling towards Abbie and Carl.
"You'll see them later." The guard tells me sternly.
"No! I need to see them now!" I shout.
"I said no!" He warns, shoving me forward.
I gasp and clutch my stomach. The pain ripples through my body.
I look back at everybody especially to my sister and then finally to Carl.
I smile at him to reassure him that I'll be okay.
He nods.