Survive ( twd carlgrimes)

Chapter 93

Madisons pov.
The heat from the five girls in the bed makes me wake. Abbie's head is on my lap while her feet are trailed across Maggies stomach and Maggie's hand is lying on Beths face. I can't help but laugh a little at the mess we are in.
But I can't get the image of suffocating that man out of my head. I still hear his muffled screams. I had to borrow a shirt from the hospital because my clothes were covered in my blood. The shirt is long enough that it reaches mid thigh. The heat is making me sweat so I wiggle my way out trying not to wake Abbie and the others. I walk around for a minute trying to forget the man but eventually I just give up and go to the only person I know can help me. I walk across the hall and open Carl's door. The light creeps through the crack in the door and Carl slowly wakes. He sees me at the door.
"C'mere." He says huskily. His morning voice sounds like angels. I walk over to his bed and he pulls back the covers to let me lie beside him. He glances at my nearly bare legs. The shirt just about covers my but. I feel my cheeks turn red but I ignore them and lie beside him in the bed. He puts the blankets over me and pulls me close with his arm around me and my cheek against his bare chest.
"Carl?" I whisper.
"Mmmhhh" he reponds sleepily.
"I need to ask you something."
"Whats wrong?" He asks more awake now. I hesitate.
"Are you mad at me that I didn't tell you where I was or what I was up to, before?" I whisper.
"No. I understand why you couldn't tell me. Sure I wished you told me but I know why you didn't...... But something tells me thats not what you came here to tell me" he tells me.
My breathing stoped for a second.
"No, it isn't." I admit.
Its silent for a few minutes.
"I killed someone. He seen Beth, he was a wittness that I couldn't chance to let go, he would've told Dawn. We were somewhere we weren't meant to be and he knew it.... So I killed him." I whisper
He's quiet for a minute and i'm afraid he will tell me to leave.
"We've all done things we're not proud of. But this wasn't without reason, Mads. You did this for family." He strokes my hair and kisses my head.
"I love you Carl." I whisper.
"I love you too, more than you know"
I drift to sleep in his arms.

I wake to the door opening with a creek. Michonne steps in and closes the door behind her.
"Care to explain?" She laughs.
Carl struggles for words.
"No, no.. Its not, ...you just... Its not what it looks like." It even makes me laugh nervously. I know Michonne is like his mother and best friend. Lets hope today she's feeling more friendly that motherly or i'm dead.
"Yeah , yeah. I've heard that one before." She laughs.
She walks over and nudges me slightly to make room in the already too small bed. But somehow she manages to squeeze in beside us. Carl groans and I bust out laughing not able to contain my laughter as he tries pushing her out of the bed and she smacks his head.
"So, heres the agenda for today. We tell these people were in charge at this assembly which is on in twenty minutes so get ready. Then we all meet up in Dawns office and decide what to do with her and what to do from there." She fills us in.
"Sounds good." I say getting out of the bed to get ready.
"Ughh, did your trousers jump off Mads?" She teases.
"What? Hey, you know I got new clothes. You were there!" I panic.
"I'm just playin' with ya. I left your clothes, now clean, on the dresser over there." She laughs.
I mumble a thanks and grab the pile of clothes. I pull my trousers on first.
"Well. Im going to go. You two stay safe, if ya know what I mean." She winks. Carl groans.
"Thats it!" He launchs a pillow at her but she closes the door before it hits her and the pillow hits the door and then falls to the ground. He gets out of bed to collect the pillow.
"Your cute when your embarassed." I tease. He rolls his eyes and playfully shoves me. I change my top into my normal clothes and turn when i'm fully clothed and catch Carl starring at me.
"Take a picture sunshine, it'll last longer." I tease.

We make our way down to the canteen for the assembly and Rick has pushed lots of tables together to use as a stage. Dawn stands on it with cuffs around her wrists and Tyreese holding her in place so she won't pounce. In a matter of minutes people flood the room taking seats and looking at the strange setting in front of them. To say you could sence a slight nervous tension between the people would be an understatement. They worried why their leader was cuffed in front of them.
"Good morning! I'm sure your all very confused as to why you were called here. Well i'll make it a little clearer for you. Dawn here, your so called leader, has misinformed you about whats actually going on in the building where you sleep, eat and raise you childern. Worried? You should be." Rick announces catching the audiences attention.
"Hands up here, who thinks a person who lies, tortures, keeps secrets, kills, holds hostages of any age without their peoples concent is not fit to be a leader." He booms. The peoples eyes are wide and frightened. Nobody raises their hands in fear that something will happen to them. Rick and Daryl pull out a gun at the same time and point it to the croud. Several hands shoot up in agreement so that they are not shot. Rick and Daryl put their guns away.
"There's no need for violence if its not needed, but Dawn here doesn't agree. See this girl over here." He announces pointing to me.
"Her name is Madison Smith. Who here has heard of her." He asks and the whole room of people raise their hands.
"Who here thinks shes trouble?"
Again the whole room raises their hands. Ouch!
"She is fifteen and Dawn beat her without mercy over something that anyone here would die for. Family.
I bet you all have heard plenty about her. You have seen her come here first unconscious and then again when she woke from a coma and attacked two of your people maybe more. You seen her come home without two of your people who died on the road which she had left with. You seen her cause a fight between Daryl and some men here just the other day. You seen her cause trouble because thats the person she is. She's reckless and has a nack for getting in trouble. But she's also caring, brave, smart, loving and most of all she's loyal. Thats the real Madison smith. Everything she has done has been for family." He tells them.
"Thats the Madison who you have never seen but has always been there."
All eyes were on me and I couldn't help but move uncomfortably, but if I have everyones attention I might as well use that to my advantage.
I stand to my feet and climb onto the makeshift stage next to Rick.
"So, you have heard of me. I want you to know my story since I got to this hospital. I had pancreatits and Dawn had her people heal me in exchange for our weapons, help and our people. Dawn would have left me for dead if they hadn't agreed. That isn't how a hospital should work. It needs to take in and help as many people as possible. A few weeks later I woke and you all saw what I did but I needed a few more weeks to heal before I got my first job here with my best friend Luke. I was a nurse. My brother died just before I arrived here and when I moarn, I see them. My parents and my brother haunted me for weeks. Dawn and I were allies then and she allowed me to leave with two of your people until we were ambushed by some men and they were killed. When I was with them I learned of something here called the inner circle. Its not something that should sound familar to you because Dawn lied and kept secrets from you. She had a circle of people she trusted who would do her dirty work. A long story short, the forbidden floor beneath us is filled with people locked up in cells, waitng for death. Some guilty of crime others not." I say and people begin to panic and start to the door.
"SIT DOWN!! The floor is guarded as we speak don't try to go down. Anyways back to the story. Soon enough I found a girl there and I got talking even though I wasn't allowed to. I found out her name and realised she was Maggie's sister. I helped her escape and Dawn found out. She beat me until she had the barrel of a gun at my forehead. My family saved me." I say looking at Carl. He smiles.
"So what i'm trying to say is that, this woman isn't a leader. She's a lying killer who will end anyone who gets in the way of what she wants. She uses whoever she wants and I strongly believe that nobody should be used as puppets for somebody elses sick amusement. People like you deserve to have a voice, so you can be heard. And i'm here to give you that voice. Dawn isn't a leader, she's a coward. But Rick is a leader." I say.
"Hands up who doesn't want Dawn as their leader." Rick asks.
Every hand floats up.
"Hands up if you want a new leader." He booms.
Some hands go up.
"Hands up if you want Rick as your leader." I ask.
Every hand goes up.