Survive ( twd carlgrimes)

Chapter 76

MADISONS POV.

I stare at him dumbfounded before I push myself out of my chair and fling myself into his arms, hugging him. The pain that causes quickly melts away in his arms. I haven't seen him in years and I certainly never expected him to survive all this. He swings me around in a three-sixty twirl.

I wince at the pain in my abdomen.
He reaches toward it, touching my hand. "I'm so sorry- I didn't mean-"
I shut him up with another hug.
"How are- how did you-when..." too many questions fling out of my mouth and I don't even manage to form one correctly.
"How are you here?" I attempt again.
He shakes his head, unable to explain.
"It's a very long story."

Luke continues to stare at me and I can't break his gaze, it's like a trance that I'm caught in.
How is he here? How is this possible?

"Sorry, I just...I can't believe you're here. I mean... I don't understand." Luke stutters.
I break my gaze when I feel Carl pulls me to his side. When I look up at Carl his face is hard, unimpressed.
I allow him to support my weight as I lean into him. Standing has already becoming tiring.

"Is someone going to fill us in on what the hell is going on?" Carl demands.
Maggie looks between the three of us with a strange expression in her face, I can't quite place it.
"Oh, yeah, sorry. I, uh- this is Luke. He was my neighbor, he's from home, lived directly across the street and he was my best friend."
'Was my best friend'. The taste of those words in my mouth are sour to me, but the truth is we don't know each other anymore. It takes me a moment to digest that and suddenly some of the excitement I felt only a moment ago fades. I'm not the same girl he used to know and if he's made it this far too, with no sign of his family in sight, I'd place my bets and say he's not the same person either.

I break my gaze again and look to Maggie. "Our mothers were best friends so we spent everyday together, more or less lived together. We were born around the same time too."
"I'm three days older." He boasts.
"And he won't let that go, still!" I smile.
"Shared a crib?" Maggie asks strangely, questioning us but watching Carl.
"Yup." Luke smiles politely.
"Sorry I should've introduced myself." He extends his hand towards Maggie and she shakes it. "I'm Maggie"
"Times have changed. I'm sure you have too Madison. There are things we don't know about each other or maybe even things we don't trust each other on after all this time but for now, any friends of hers are friends of mine." He amends staring compassionately at Maggie and Carl.

He turns to extend his hand to Carl.
I notice that he hesitates a moment before shaking his hand.
"Carl." He introduces himself.

He pauses for a moment. "Are you still the girl I used to know?"
How could I be? I want to shake my head.
"Are you still the guy I used to know?"
He stays quiet, answering with his silence.

"If you've made it this far, nobody could be the same person they were in the beginning."
He nods his head in agreement. "Then I should look forward to meeting you again. I have so many questions."

He continues to stare at me, just like he has been but the trance that it holds on me begins to feel uncomfortable when I know Carl and Maggie are standing right next to me.

"Why are you staring like that?"
"Glad I'm not the only one who noticed." Carl interjects.
"I, I just never thought I'd see you again. I'm in shock. I mean, Mads, you were ... you were dead."
"Dead?"
"One day, you just vanished. Your entire family. The cops were all over your house. They could never find you, any of you. Eventually the case got drawn out and it was put on hold."
I stare at him in horror.

I watch him read my expression. "...but obviously that's not what happened. So what did happen?"
"I was taken. We all were."
"Taken?" I can see the color drain from his face.
"By who? Bastards! I swear, I'll k-" He growls.
"Already taken care of." Carl speaks coldly.
I shrug. I don't want to talk about it.
"I, I'm sorry. After all that time you were missing I just presumed that you were dead."