CARL'S POV.
Despite the chaos surrounding us, I stare, locked in place.
I stare at her.
I remember once when I was young I played a game of hide and seek with my mom in our back garden. We had this huge tree in our garden and although I was afraid to climb it, I wanted to win the game.
So, I climbed it.
The longer I was up there, the more comfortable I became with the height.
Mom took far longer than I thought she would to find me and so as the long minutes ticked by I began to doze in and out of consciousness, waiting for her to find me.
I slipped and fell ten feet to the ground, landing on my back. It was as if the impact drew every ounce of oxygen from my lungs. The feeling was painful as I tried desperately to remember how to breathe. To inhale, to exhale...to do anything.
That's how I feel now, trying to remember how to breathe, unable to speak or move and her face bounces around my skull along with any logical reason as to why my dead girlfriend stands right in front of me.
"Madison?" I croak.
She smiles sweetly but she looks different. Tired, thinner, distraught.
"Am I dead?"
She steps closer to me, where I kneel on the ground.
"No." She replies.
Her voice sends chills down my spine.
Negan must have killed me. Maybe I'm hallucinating, that's the only reason why she's here. Her voice sounds just as it used to and I wait for her to speak again to temporarily heal my heart only for it to shatter to pieces again.
"How are you here?"
She walks closer to me until she stands above me.
"Because I'm not dead either."
She offers her hand and I hesitate before taking it. I feel her hand, warm and small in mine.
I look back up at her face in confusion.
"Madison?"
Just a second is all it took for her to be torn from my grasp, just like last time.
A savior tackles Madison to the ground and lifts a knife high in the air ready to plunge deep into her gut.
"NOOO!" The sound leaves my lips.
A deep growl erupts from deep within a dogs chest and it swiftly attacks, sinking it's teeth into the saviors throat. The saviors is thrown off Madison and the dog finishes him off. Blood squirts from his wound in an almost comedic fashion.
Madison winces and holds her side as she gets back to her feet. She struggles and I move closer to her but the dog bounces back before me. It growls at me once I step closer to Madison.
"It's okay Fangs, he's family." She murmurs and the dog turns its attention back to her.
The dog uses his snout to help her to her feet and then fetches her bow like a ball.
"Madison?" A voice calls.
Our heads snap at the familiar voice.
She lifts her head and her lips part in shock.
"Negan." The name falls from her full lips.
"How?" He asks, stepping forward.
The dog barks loudly at him and Negan freezes.
I watch him carefully, he holds his arm in pain and he has a small cut just above his left eyebrow but other then that he seems barely hurt.
"Go! People want you dead and I can't be the one to kill you." Madison warns him.
"I want to-"
"GO! NEGAN!..." she lifts her bow and points at his chest.
"Or I'll let the arrow fly."
Negan nods before turning and running away.
"Madison..." dad whispers from behind us.
He's been standing there this whole time.
She runs to him and embraces him but pulls back quickly.
"We don't have time for this. We need to go, find the others and finish what we started." She says.
We nod.
It takes me a second to gather my thoughts.
"Michonne." Her name is barely even a whisper when I say it but dad hears it.
"Lets go." He announces as Madison pulls his arm over her shoulder, assisting him to walk towards the building in the distance. I hold my ribs with one hand and my gun with the other as we run to the building in front of us.
I'm afraid to look at the body on the ground but it should be dad who looks first so I walk in front and search the ground for my friend.
Instead of finding Michonne, I find a woman in her late twenties with blonde hair. Her head is busted open and blood still oozes from the damage. Her face is almost unrecognizable from fresh wounds.
"Carl?" Dad asks.
"It's ... not her." I murmur.
"What?" He calls again.
I turn around and speak more loudly.
"It's not her. That's not Michonne." I shout as I bolt for the door to the building. I lift my gun in front of me to protect against anyone who might still be in there. I rush up the stairs to make it to the rooftop as fast as I can.
"Carl, hold on!" Madison grunts as she struggles to hold dad upright.
I hear the dogs paws tap against the wooden floor below us and it's loud panting.
"Shhh!" I snap at it.
"I wouldn't get on the wrong side of him." Madison warns me.
I look back at the dog and roll my eye.
I turn the last corner and point my gun, waiting for an attack but nothing happens. The dog runs forward and seconds later I hear him bark. I follow the already irritating sound.
He barks at a body.
I freeze.
It's her, I know it is but she's lying face down and I'm afraid to turn her over.
"Dad!" I call.
With shaking hands, I grip her arm and turn her over. Her eye is bruised badly and swollen to the point that her eye is welded shut. Her lip is busted and blood weeps from a wound on her forehead. I take a deep breath at the same time I hear dad and Madison gasp behind me.
I lean down and put my ear to her chest, listening hard.
I hear a faint thump of her heart.
I look up at her face.
"Michonne?"
Seconds pass with no response and then I catch her fingers twitching.
"Is that bitch dead?" She croaks.
I sigh and can't help the laugh that follows.
"Dead? Her body is basically plastered into the ground, three story's down." I assure her.
She attempts a smile. "Good."
"Michonne." Dad calls.
Madison bends to help dad reach the ground safely.
Dad pulls Michonne's head into his lap.
"She'll be okay." Madison whispers.
Michonne frowns, she tries to open her eyes but they're too swollen.
"Who...? Is that..? No." She shakes her head.
Dad laughs weakly. "Madison is alive."
Michonne doesn't respond but I watch as a single tear slips down her face.
"Michonne?" I whisper.
She doesn't respond.
I look at dad and he turns pale, paler then I thought possible.
He shakes her body. "Michonne!" He panics.
"She just passed out." Madison says from a distance.
I turn around and find her bending over the roof top, watching the war below us.
"They need us." She panics.
"Let's go then." I say, getting to my feet.
"We can't leave her." Dad says, holding Michonne close.
"You've been shot dad. You can't go anywhere. You're bleeding. A lot.." I say.
He shakes his head. "I'm fine. I can do this."
"Dad, you can barely walk." I argue.
A screeching behind me makes me turn.
Madison grabs a chair and drags it across the floor, making an awful sound. She places it right at the edge of the roof, overlooking the war. She moves quickly, grabbing dad and dragging him to the roof, all but throwing him into the chair and shoving a machine gun in his face.
"He doesn't need to be able to stand, he just needs to be able to shoot." She says flatly.
She runs to me and grabs my hand, pulling me behind her, down the stairs and out the door, running down the street. She releases my hand and reaches for an arrow to take down the saviors running towards us. I reach for my gun. I shoot two people that got too close for comfort and they dropped like flies, never to take another breath again. I don't have time to think about them until another round of saviors turn the corner and run face into us.
Madison gasps at the same time I freeze.
Suddenly a loud popping sound erupts and bullets fly over our heads. We bend down and watch as each body drops to the ground. When they're all gone I turn around to find that it had been dad who had taken them out from the roof of the building. I watch as he reloads his gun and gives us the all clear.
We run forward into the mass of people, fighting and screaming.
Someone runs past me and my gaze follows.
"Maggie ? Enid?" I look back to Madison who is pulling someone off of Carol.
"When did everybody get here?" I ask, helping Madison.
"Just before I did." She grunts.
We help Carol up and she looks Madison in the eye.
"Wha-"
"There's no time to explain. Keep moving!" Madison yells over her shoulder to her as she runs further into the crowd.
"Madison! Wait!" I call after her.
People cut in front of me, pushing and shoving.
One man steps right out in front of me and pulls a knife out.
Without hesitation I push my gun against his head and hear the loud bang that immediately follows. I stumble back and my ears ring. I didn't realize how close the gun was to my head.
I blink, regaining my vision. I look around frantically.
"Madison ?"
My heart smashes against my already throbbing ribs.
I twist and turn, looking for her but she's gone again.
I freeze.
I feel like tiny bombs have gone off inside my brain but the tremors make my body shake. Sweat drips down my face and I feel my breathing become quicker.
A shrilling shriek alarms at the back of my head.
She's dead ! She's dead ! She's dead!
A blow to my ribs knocks me to the ground.
I lift my gun and point upwards only to realize it's Daryl.
He must have knocked me by accident. There's too much going on to watch our own backs let alone somebody else's.
He looks down.
"Come on, let's go." He ushers me, picking me off the ground.
"But-"
"Go!" He pulls me along.
I follow Daryl and aim my gun. I take down three savors on our way to the gate. It's locked, keeping us inside and forcing us to fight until there's a winner.
"This is going south. We need to do something." Daryl shouts.
I look around desperately for something to help us.
By the gate I notice the small handle with a red button, abandoned on the ground.
I turn to Daryl.
"I have an idea. I need you to hold the fort here. Can you do that?" I ask.
"Whatever it is, get it done."
I nod. "Stay away from the gate."
He frowns but nods.
I scramble to open the gate but it's held shut by someone on the other side. I bend down to grab the small handle with the red button.
I try opening the gate once more before bailing and taking the long way around.
Madison's way.
It takes longer then usual to run around behind the evergreen trees and climb the fence. All the while, my ribs feel like they're tearing into my lungs, making it hard to breathe.
Finally, when I'm on the other side of the fence I run towards Negan's trucks which are mostly abandoned. Only three saviors stand guard from what I can see at a distance. I aim my gun and quickly take them out before they have any idea what's coming next. The job is done quickly and quietly. I wait a few seconds for anyone else to appear but it remains quiet from the outside.
I sneak up to the trucks as quickly as I can. I pass the truck with the empty coffin and force myself not to look at it. Instead, I move to the truck behind and and smile when I find the man I was looking for. Of course he was shaking and practically crying waiting impatiently for his crew to return. I walk up to him and put my gun to the back of his head.
"Eugene." I start.
He freezes and then starts to shake uncontrollably yet again.
"This isn't the 'welcome home' I expected." He replies in his thick accent.
"Sorry, did you want balloons, a cake ?" I snap.
He remains quiet.
"You made it perfectly clear that this isn't your home." I add.
Still, he remains silent.
I reach into my pocket and grab the small handle, shoving it in his face.
The explosives that failed to do their job didn't work because they weren't set up right, we were double crossed, but it's not too late.
"You're gonna help me make those explosives work."
"I can't do that." He shakes his head.
"Well then you're ten seconds away from having a bullet in your head."
"Carl... you know me, you're not gonna shoot m-"
"10...9...8...7..."
"OKAY! OKAY ! Maybe I could turn a blind eye while you figure out how t-"
"6...5...4..."
"He'll kill me."
"3..2...1.."
"OKAY! Okay! I'll help! Just don't tell anyone."
I grab him by the scruff of his neck and shove him forward.
We run to the front of the gates.
I bend and use the barrel of my gun to help dig into the ground.
"What are you doing ?" Eugene asks.
"Moving them. Help, now !" I order.
He squats down and uses his hands to pull the dirt up from the ground.
It takes a while, but eventually we find the explosives and I pick two up and Eugene picks up another.
"Put one in the trucks. It'll cause a huge explosion." I tell him.
He immediately does what he's told.
Then, I give him one of the explosives and we walk in through the gates planting one each just inside the doorway to make a big enough explosion to scare them off and kill some saviors close by.
"Fix them, set them up, do whatever you have to do to get those working." I snap.
"It'll take time."
"Then shut up and get started." I bark.
The longer I stand next to him the more irritated I am by his betrayal.
It takes him fifteen long minutes to set them up and by then the chaos has blossomed into a wild blood bath.
Eugene hands me the small handle connected to all three explosives by a wire.
"Press the red button when you're ready."
I nod.
"Are you going to kill me now?" He asks quietly.
I didn't notice my hand gripping my gun tightly, ready to pull it on him.
It would be easier to kill him now because he's just going to go crawling back to Negan. He'll give him ideas on how to attack us, he'll tell him everything about us, our people, our weapons, our advantages...
But that's not me.
I'm not letting Negan change who I am.
"I hope someday you'll remember who we are and what we're fighting for... but I really hope you remember who you are and what you're fighting for too. Remember who your real family are." I tell him.
He closes his eyes and starts to shake.
"Run. You have about thirty seconds before this shit blows up."
He opens his eyes in shock and then confusion.
"But I-"
"30..29...28...27..."
"I get it, you can count." He mumbles before turning around and running away.
I clutch the little handle and walk as far away from the explosives as I possibly can, until the wire that connects them all is too tight to let me walk any further. Unfortunately, it's not as far as I need to be away. I take a deep breath and prepare myself. I run my finger over the small red button before finally pushing down.
The ground starts to tremble first followed by a catastrophic noise so loud that my ears ring and it's all I can focus on. Large flames spiral high into the air and the heat from them make my skin tingle in a painful way. The explosion knocks me to the ground and I feel the impact of my head hitting the pavement. Then all I see is black. I can still hear the ringing and I know I'm conscious but I feel paralyzed, unable to move.
Slowly, my vision returns and the first thing I see is the flames behind the fence as the trucks set on fire. People are screaming but no longer fighting, in fact, they're scrambling away. The gate itself has been blown straight off the hinges and people are running through the gap. I clutch my ribs and try to move away but I can't. I lie my head back down on the ground and wait for something or someone to find me.
My head throbs and I can feel wetness spread on my forehead. I already know I'm losing blood. I groan. I can barely move and my ribs are making it harder to breathe and the fumes from the flames aren't helping either. My vision spots in places before all I can see is darkness and I let myself fade.
RICK'S POV.
I cover my ears as an explosion is set off and I watch as the flames grow as high as the building I'm sitting in. For a second everyone stops fighting and the smoke starts to spread, making it hard to see anyone or anything and then ruckus erupts and people start sprinting, a desperate getaway.
Who the hell set off those explosions ?
I look behind me and Michonne groans.
My stomach twists as I start to panic.
What do I do ?
Should I crawl down to help the others, watch Michonne, find Carl and Madison or stay where I am and pick off the last of the saviors who have started sprinting for the exit ?
I look back over the roof and shoot a few saviors, watching them fall to the ground.
We're winning.
Whoever set off those explosions knew we needed help.
Now the saviors and the scavengers are running scared.
I catch a glimpse of Maggie and Daryl running towards the gate.
"Hey!" I scream down to them but they don't hear.
I steady my grip on the machine gun and focus through a red dot scope and accurately shoot just beside their feet.
They both jump and look up at me.
I let the gun fall from my hands and motion for them both to come up and help us.
They start to sprint toward us.
In no time at all they're upstairs beside us.
"Maggie! Bring Michonne to the infirmary! Please !" I beg.
"Negan's still out there and he's just getting away!" She argues.
"Maggie, please. We won. They're running scared. We'll get them another day. Negan has to be injured, they have less weapons and people now. We won ! We have to take care of each other now." I plead with her.
She hesitates and for a second I think she's about to turn her back on us but instead she takes a deep breath.
"Of course. Let's wrap this up." She agrees and picks Michonne up and drags her downstairs.
Daryl helps me out of the chair.
"Where's Carl and Madison ?"
Daryl looks at me.
"Madison? She's dead Rick."
"No." I shake my head.
"Rick, you've lost a lot of blood. Your head isn't in the right place." He tells me as he carries me downstairs.
"Where's Carl?" I beg.
"I didn't see him."
My heart sinks and an uncomfortable worry sets in.
"We have to find him." I say.
"We will but we need to get you to the infirmary first. You've lost too much blood."
"I'm not going anywhere until I find my son."
Daryl looks at me with both annoyance and acceptance.
"Fine. The let's make this fast."
He pulls my arm over his shoulder and we limp around the community.
Along the way we find Carol, Enid, Aaron, Beth, Ezekiel and that darn tiger and some of the others too. Maggie meets up with us again later. Twenty minutes pass and we still haven't found him.
"Where is he? Where is he?" I insist.
"Rick, calm down, we'll find him." Carol promises.
"It's getting late. We need to get the gate back up before a herd gets here. We made a lot of noise. Rick needs to get to the infirmary and we need to find any of ours left that's alive but injured. Carl is okay, I know he is. He's a tough kid. And... we need to find Sasha too. She's out there somewhere and I'm not leaving her like that." Maggie explains.
"Okay, let's just all calm down. Let's circle back around by the gate and make sure everybody is gone and board it up for the time being to make sure walkers don't get it. Then we'll bring Rick to the infirmary and sort out what to do after that." Beth suggests.
"No." I snap but everyone nods and agrees.
"Let's go brother." Daryl pulls me toward the gate.
"I need to find him. He's my son."
"We will. You know he's okay. He made it this far he's not gonna die today." Daryl promises me.
We make it to the gate and everything is a mess. It's either blown to pieces or still on fire.
"Guys! Over here !" Enid calls behind us.
I turn and the first thing I see is his hat.
"Carl!" I shout.
He doesn't move.
"Carl!"
I scramble away from Daryl's hold and clamp my hand down on my wound. The touch makes pain spiral through my body and I fall close enough to Carl that I can crawl the rest of the way over to him.
His head is bleeding hard and his hand is covering his chest.
I put my hands on his shoulder and shake him slightly.
"Carl?"
His eyes flutter open.
"Dad?"
"Yeah, it's me." I sigh in relief.
"Where is she?" He asks.
"I don't know." I reply, lifting my head to look around for her.
"Rick! Don't move!" Aaron warns and when I turn around the giant dog that stood by Madison is towering over me with its teeth bared and a snarl ripping from chest.
I gasp.
The dog moves closer and I freeze.
It moves past me and stops at Carl's head. It sniffs and then whines before lifting its head into the air and howling loudly like a wild animal.
"Stupid dog, never thought I'd be so glad to see you." Carl breathes.
The dog lays it's head on his chest and Carl winces but pets it's head.
"Where is she fangs?" He asks the dog.
"I'm right here." A voice echoes from behind us and the group whirls around and there stands Madison covered in blood from head to toe with her bow in her hand.
She breathes a sigh of relief.
"I'm right here."