Tears chilled my face and sweat stuck to my back as I sat on the counter. My legs ached and felt like they were going to fall off. I closed my eyes, and my back trembled as I exhaled. I blacked out. I brought myself back. "I—is Carl gonna die?"
"We're gonna do everything we can, honey, okay?" When the woman finished scanning me for scratches, cuts, or bites, she handed me a glass of water. "My name's Maggie."
My arm shook, and I almost dropped the glass. I held it close to my mouth and felt sick to my stomach. "My mom just died. Carl's gonna die..." My brain didn't register the words that left my mouth.
I pushed myself off the counter when I heard Carl scream from the other room.
The strangers circled around the bed as Carl sobbed in agony.
The old man looked to Shane. "You! Hold him down."
Shane knelt by the side of the bed and held Carl down by his chest. His stomach was opened, and blood sat on top of it. The old man scraped his insides. Carl's cry for help was continuous. I tried to move away from the door, but my legs locked in place. I was conscious, but as good as blacked out, and the scene knocked the wind out of me. Maggie placed her hand on the top of my head, then moved to the bed to help.
"STOP! YOU'RE KILLING HIM!" Rick shouted.
"Rick! Do you want him to live?"
"He needs blood," Maggie said.
"DO IT NOW!" Shane yelled.
The old woman stuck a needle in Rick's arm. Carl went quiet, then fell asleep.
Shane shook his head and tapped Carl's arm. "Wait, what, is he?"
"He just passed out." The old man used a metal tool to pull a tiny bullet fragment out of him. "One down. Five to go."
...................................................................
That night:
The Monopoly board and cards were laid on the table. I pretended like I knew the instructions; but was tired and slow. I leaned my face into my fist. "If we're all gonna die, what's the point?"
"We're not gonna die," Glenn said. "We've lost people. A lot of them. People important to us. But we can't give up. Things are scary now, but we keep fighting, because they didn't get to. Your mom told you to be strong. You've gotta stand by that. We could be the ones to see when things get better."
"Does Andrea even know about Carl?" I asked.
"She knew finding Sophia was important to your mom. That's why she's out there. She knows you're safe. She asked me to keep an eye on you, so that's what I'm gonna do."
...................................................................
The next morning:
I crossed my legs on the chair by the kitchen table, and drank a glass of tea that Patricia, the old woman and accidental shooter's wife made. It was bitter, but the thought of water bored me. The shooter was named Otis. He stepped up and accepted the blame, and went out with Shane the night before to get medical supplies. Shane came back, but a walker attacked Otis on the run. Patricia tried to keep herself busy so she wouldn't go mad.
The front door opened.
"Mallory?"
I didn't respond.
"Mallory, honey?" Andrea walked into the kitchen. "Oh, thank God."
I crossed my arms and wouldn't take my eyes off the table. "So I guess Sophia's more important than me."
"What?"
"My mom just died yesterday. Then my friend got shot, pretty soon after. He could die. He probably will. You didn't maybe wanna be here with me, for that?"
She was silent.
"Don't act like you care about me."
...................................................................
The lamp on the night-stand shone in the dark room. I sat beside Carl's bed and folded my hands on my lap. "You have to get better, Carl. You have to. After all the people that... You were always there, after Phoebe and my dad weren't, when Andrea wasn't. For a while after my mom... The only thing that's always been there was you. I don't have anyone else. We need to fight, I know that. But I can't do that without you."
...................................................................
2 days later:
I dug into the mud with my fingers. The tall grass itched my legs and gave them red spots. Carl sat next to me, and the chickens clucked inside the barn shed behind us. I unwrapped a Mounds bar, and Carl tore a piece off of it.
"Did you think I wasn't gonna make it?" he asked.
"Everything that's happened... it's like my mind's starting to react less and less to stuff. I don't wanna say I've gotten used to things... but maybe I have. I'm never gonna see Phoebe and my dad again, even if they're alive. I know that now. With everyone else, it was quick. It was done. After my aunt, I learned not to even guess about it. But with you, seeing you on the bed, still breathing after you were shot... When Hershel kept trying to save you but couldn't say whether or not it would work... It drove me crazy not knowing. It kept lingering on and on. I knew I couldn't lose you, but waiting to hear whether or not I would... it was hard."
"I never got to tell you that I'm sorry about your mom. I was fine, I am now. We are gonna find your dad and Phoebe. We're gonna find Sophia too. We're gonna stay here. We're your family now."
...................................................................
I laid in the hammock near the tree and was still enough to keep it steady.
Andrea walked over to me. "Sit up. We should be safe here, but in case something comes, you need to be at the right angle."
I ignored her and kept swinging.
"How do you feel about going to gun training with us? Maybe even owning one?" she asked.
I stared into the empty sky that was dark enough not to blind me. "It's necessary. So I will."
"Carl's going with us. He'll protect you," she said, poking fun at me.
...................................................................
The next day:
I sat at the table next to Carl, Rick, and Lori, in front of the big tree. Carol cooked us eggs and sausage over the fire. Andrea sharpened her knife.
Glenn stood in front of us and hesitated. "Um, guys... so..."
We stared at him and waited for him to spit it out.
"The barn is full of walkers."
...................................................................
Shane ran to the porch. He carried a stash of guns, and handed one to each of the adults. Carl and I hurried down the steps.
Lori stepped in front of Shane to stop him. "Rick said no guns, this is not your call. This is not your decision to make."
"Give Mallory a gun. She needs one," Andrea told him.
I took the gun with both hands.
T-Dog looked out into the distance. "Oh, shit."
Hershel, Jimmy, and Rick had walkers attached to poles, and walked them like dogs on a leash. Shane ran towards them. Lori held Carl and I back, while the rest of the adults followed him. Shane yelled at Rick and Hershel, trying to stop the parade. The fighting escalated. Lori, Carl, and I ran towards the group.
"Talk about what, Rick?" Shane said. "These things ain't sick. They're not people. They're dead! Ain't gotta feel nothing for them 'cause all they do, they kill! These things right here, they're the things that killed Amy! That killed Krista! They killed Otis! They're gonna kill all of us." He pulled out his gun. "Hey Hershel man, let me ask you something. Could a living, breathing person, could they walk away from this?" He shot the walker attached to Hershel's pole. The walker swung back, unaffected.
"Stop it!" Rick yelled.
"That's three rounds in the chest. Could someone who's alive, could they just take that? Why is it still coming?" He shot it again. "That's its heart, its lungs. Why is it still coming?!"
I ran to Glenn and Maggie. Maggie looked at the ground, unable to watch. She moved me behind her.
"Shane, enough!" Rick yelled.
"Yeah, you're right, man. That is enough." Shane moved close enough to the walker to shoot it in the head. It finally stopped. "Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's gone! Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us! Now if y'all wanna live, if you wanna survive, you've gotta fight for it! I'm talking about fighting right here, right now." He ran towards the barn and banged against the door with his axe.
"No, Shane. Do not do this, brother! Wait!" Rick yelled. "Please! This is not the way! Please!"
"Don't do it!" Glenn yelled.
"Rick!" Lori yelled.
The door opened, and the walkers fled through. One with blue overalls was the first to walk out. Andrea ran to the front of the barn with her gun, and Daryl and T-Dog followed. The walkers' heads splattered like paint cans.
"Maggie..." Glenn cried.
Maggie cried and gave him a nod. "It's okay."
He ran to help. I got my gun ready and began to follow him.
Maggie grabbed me. "No! Stay here."
The gunshots turned into an explosion. The walkers stopped coming. Shane turned his head to look at Rick. Maggie held onto Hershel's shoulders and cried as he stared in shock.
They aimed their guns again. I recognized Sophia's tennis shoes. She bowed her head, covered her face, then stared at us, scrunching her face and growling. Her eyes were dimmed out. Her skin was pale and brownish from dirt. Blood was speckled on her face and shoulders. Carol ran for her and cried her name, and Daryl caught her. Rick moved closer to her and aimed his gun. Maggie covered my eyes. A gunshot sounded.