Fury (2) - The Walking Dead

Chapter 14

"Sorry!" Maggie whispered as Shane sat up quickly on the sofa.

"Its fine." He said and laid back down. Maggie shut the door gently and came over to him.

"Rough night?" She asked and he nodded.

"I couldn't... I kept seeing it. Its haunting me." He sighed and rubbed his face.

"Its not your fault. Look, I'll be down in the crop fields if you want to talk." She smiled and left Shane on the sofa. He grumbled and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep again but nothing was working.

Huffing, he got up and hobbled into the kitchen. There was a cane near the door which he grabbed and went over to where Maggie was tilling some dirt.

"Need help?" Maggie shook her head.

"You shouldn't be walking around, that ankle still needs to heal." She said and Shane rolled his eyes.

"It feels better than yesterday. And I want to help, what can I do?" He asked. Maggie sighed and handed him a packet of seeds.

"Sprinkle these where I've just tilled, then you can go get Beth and send her to me." She said. Shane did as he asked, it was easy, his ankle was hardly throbbing anymore. When he was done he went to find Beth.

"Maggie wants you." He saw her on the porch. She nodded and walked over.

"You wanted me?" Beth asked when she got to Maggie.

"Shane's in no condition to work and this needs doing if we're going to have food for winter." Beth nodded and began helping.

"It should've been him." Beth threw down the seeds in anger.

"Beth! Whats done is done." Maggie said. She knew Beth liked Chey, but she couldn't go wising death upon others.

"Maggie admit it, she was more use than Shane will ever be, everyone liked her, she was caring and selfless, but also strong and powerful. It seems like Shane isn't even guilty." Beth crossed her arms and sulked.

"I heard him screaming in the night, y'know. Yelling for the walkers to stop. Its affecting him more than he lets on, he's just trying to be strong for the group." Maggie reasoned but Beth wasn't having any of it. She stomped off to the stables.

"Hey Nelly. You understand me don't you?" Beth cooed to the horse. Nelly looked at her with those big brown eyes. Beth smiled. She heard a nicker, it wasn't Nelly's. She turned around, Sol.

"Oh. I'd forgotten you." Beth smiled sadly and walked up to the black horse. She reached out to stroke her, but Sol put her ears back and bared her teeth.

"She's been like this ever since Chey hasn't returned." Maggie's voice echoed through the stables.

"What are we going to do with her?" Beth asked as she watched the horse walk around her stable. She looked miserable, her head hung low.

"We could keep her. She's big and strong, she could pull the plough." Beth thought, but Maggie shook her head.

"She wont cooperate with anyone, not even daddy. Maybe we should just let her loose." Maggie said. Beth sighed and walked back over to Nelly. She put on her bridle which was hanging on the wall and grabbed her western saddle from the tack room. Her eyes landed on Chey's tan jumping saddle. Beth wiped away a tear and brought Nelly out of the stable and mounted her outside. She rode her into the forest, wanting to forget.

She remembered riding around the forest with Chey, they had gotten on so well, Beth always felt left out, she'd never had any real friends. Now the one real friend she thought she had was gone.

Beth was too busy daydreaming she didn't notice Nelly had stopped.

"What wrong girlie?" She asked and petted the chestnut mare. Nelly shook her head up and down and backed up a little.

"Whats wrong?" Beth thought to herself and looked around. She couldn't see anyone, no walkers, nothing. Suddenly, a black snake slithered in front of the horse. Nelly reared up, nearly sending Beth to the ground.

"Whoa!" Beth exclaimed, the horse was too spooked. She began galloping with Beth clinging tightly to her mane. Beth pulled on the reins to try get the mare to slow down, Nelly threw her head in the air, snatching the reins from Beth's hands. Beth was pulled forward from the saddle and fell to the side as Nelly swerved to avoid a tree stump. Beth's head hit the ground with a thump and she was swirled into a pit of darkness.

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"Where's Beth? We can't start the funeral without her." Rick asked Maggie who just came back from planting the seeds.

"She went to ride Nelly, she should be back soon." Maggie shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. Rick looked skeptical but didn't question her. He grabbed a wheelbarrow and started piling rocks into it, they would all put rocks in a pile to pay their respects.

Maggie walked into the kitchen and threw her gloves into the bin. She began washing her hands when she felt someone watching her.

"Are you ready?" Carol asked. Maggie turned to face her with a sad smile.

"It just doesn't seem real, that shes gone. We only knew her for a little time but she was a good person." She looked down to her feet. Carol came closer and wrapped her in a hug, she leant into her touch and they just stayed like that for a while. It was comforting.

"It'll be okay, she's in a better place now." Carol reassured her. Maggie pulled away and nodded, they went to join everyone outside.

"Where's Beth?" Hershel asked when he didn't spot his youngest daughter in the group.

"She went to ride Nelly, she should be back soon." Maggie said and Hershel nodded. They waited for around 10 more minutes, and Beth still hadn't shown up.

"I'll go look for her." Daryl grunted in a gruff voice and slung his crossbow on his back.

"Thank you, she went in that direction." Maggie said and Daryl grunted in response and walked towards the forest.

Hershel began speaking as everyone took it in turns to place their rocks down.

"Chey was a lovely girl who was taken from us so young, she was brave and selfless, she always looked out for others, and put her life on the line to save us." Hershel began.

Everyone stood in silence deciding it was best to embrace their memories with the young, courageous girl.

Thunder rattled the sky as big grey clouds made their way over the horizon.

"Cmon sweetie, we don't want to get rained on." Carol said to Sophia and led her inside the house. Everyone soon followed just as rain began pouring down, covering everyone's emotions.

"What about Daryl and Beth?" Maggie asked in panic as she suddenly remembered her sister was out there.

"Daryl will find her and they will find shelter together, they'll be fine." Hershel tried to convince her and himself, though he didn't know what could happen in this cruel world.

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How was that

Pretty shit tbh i think

Oh well, next chapter will pick up hopefully