The Lucky One//twd

032. Let It Burn

Madison's POV

We told Shane in the early morning, while most of the others were still asleep.

It was the only time he wasn't barking orders or pacing around like a man with an axe in his chest. Glenn and Blake stood on either side of me, tight-lipped, pale, and jumpy.

I could barely get the words out.

"There's walkers," I said, "in the barn."

Shane looked up from where he was loading ammo. "You sure?"

"We heard them," Glenn said. "Inside. Chained up. Moving."

Blake nodded grimly. "It's not just noise. We saw one walker look toward the barn — like it knew. Then something inside moved."

Shane stared at us like he was waiting for the punchline. When none came, his hand curled into a fist.

"Hershel knew?"

"Probably," I said. "Why else would he keep it locked tight, covered, guarded?"

Shane started to laugh. Just once. Bitter and hard. "That son of a bitch."

Then he stood up and grabbed his rifle.

⸻

Everything moved fast after that.

Shane told Rick. Rick tried to talk sense into Hershel. Hershel tried to hold his ground — going on about cures, family, how they were still people.

But no one was listening anymore.

By noon, the whole group was circling the barn, weapons drawn, nerves frayed like torn fabric. Maggie stood by the porch, shaking. Hershel was yelling. Rick's jaw was clenched tight as stone. And Shane — Shane was about to burst.

I stood back with Blake and Glenn, behind the fencing. Daryl and Andrea were already pacing in front of the barn doors.

"They're gonna open it," I whispered.

"They have to," Blake murmured. "It's not safe."

"It was never safe," Glenn said.

Then Shane exploded.

"YOU WANNA KEEP 'EM IN THERE?" he screamed, stalking toward the barn with a wild look in his eyes. "THEY'RE DEAD! YOUR FAMILY'S DEAD, HERSHEL!"

"No, they're sick!" Hershel snapped. "There's a difference!"

Shane's voice dropped, furious. "You think this is a damn hospital? You think we're gonna wait around while they tear through our people?"

Rick tried to step in, voice calm. "Shane—"

But Shane wasn't hearing it anymore. Not Rick. Not Hershel. Not anyone.

He marched up to the barn, ripped open the latch, and started yelling again.

"WE SHOOT 'EM! WE END THIS! RIGHT NOW!"

Bang.

He fired a round into the barn.

Bang. Bang.

Each shot was a scream.

Bang.

The door shuddered.

Then it started to move.

The walkers came pouring out like a flood.

Rotted arms. Snapping teeth. Vacant, starving eyes. A blur of horror.

And then — chaos.

Gunfire. Yelling. Blood. The stink of rot. Blake pulled me back as one of the walkers veered too close. Andrea took it down with a clean shot to the head.

One by one, they were taken out.

Rick. Daryl. Shane. Glenn. Even Maggie, crying, fired a shot.

The final body dropped with a wet thud.

Silence fell like ash.

Then the door creaked again.

And everyone froze.

One more walker stumbled out, slow and small.

A girl.

Blonde hair matted with blood and dirt. Skin grayed, thin, limp.

"Sophia," Carol whispered.

And the air broke.

Carol screamed. Rick stepped forward, eyes wide, hands trembling.

Even Shane — loud, angry, bullet-rage Shane — stood frozen.

I couldn't move.

Blake took a step toward me like he thought I might run. Maybe I would have.

Sophia made a low groan.

Rick raised his gun.

And then he fired.

⸻

Later that night, I stood outside the barn, alone. Smoke drifted from the pile of bodies burning nearby. The smell was sharp and sour and final.

Blake found me sitting on the hood of Dale's RV, knees drawn up, staring at nothing.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

I didn't answer.

He climbed up beside me and waited.

"They kept her in there," I finally said. "All this time. Just... locked away."

He nodded.

"She was our hope, Blake. We were looking for her. She was all we talked about. And she was already gone."

"Not gone," he said softly. "Just... already changed."

I looked at him. "So what's the point? If we're all gonna turn into monsters eventually?"

He met my eyes. "Because we haven't yet."

I didn't believe him.

Not then.

But I wanted to.