HOME | maggie greene

Three

My eyes flickered open, the large amount of light pouring through the thin curtains waking me. I'd been reluctant to fall asleep in the company of strangers, but the fact I was sleeping in a house and not a car or tent for once gave me an excuse to let my guard down a bit. I felt safer lying beside a wall than a flimsy tent, despite still having my hand cuffed to the pipe running along the floor. As Glenn had ended up babysitting me for the previous day, Shane apparently thought it was a good idea for us to share a bedroom. The house was so huge that Glenn had a double bed to himself, while I was curled up on the sofa bed in the corner of the room. When we first went into our room that night I warned him 'If you snore, I swear to fuck i'll rip your dick off', but that was the least of my worries. I was grateful to finally have some sort of a bed to lie on, even if I was still a prisoner.

I let my eyes adjust to the brightness before scanning the room. My eyes lingered on the door in the corner of the room, left open to expose a toilet and a sink. An actual toilet. I shot upright with excitement, so fast that my handcuffs yanked me backwards a little. I hadn't used a proper toilet in months, squatting in a ditch being the closest thing to it. My bladder began to tighten and ache as the urge to relieve myself became overwhelming. I threw myself back onto the sofa bed and rattled my handcuff against the pipe, "Hello, Glenn! Anyone?" I called out, eyeing the door out towards the corridor which was shut. 

After twenty seconds of thrashing my arm and shouting, I heard footsteps gradually getting closer before the door swung open. 

Maggie entered the room with a tray in her hands, she placed it on the table beside me and sat down on the edge of my bed. I sat up fast, sending a pain through my side - I winced slightly. "Take it easy," Maggie warned me propping up my pillows. She picked the tray up from the table and placed it on my lap, there was a glass of water and a bowl of porridge. I picked up the glass and gulped down all the water in a matter of seconds. Soon after I picked up the spoon and tucked into the porridge. I shovelled the food into my mouth, I hadn't eaten in days and I was prepared to eat anything. "Don't eat too much, you probably haven't eaten in days. Your stomach won't be used to it." Maggie said changing the dressing on my hip. I waited until she had sorted out the wound before leaning forward and breathing heavily. Maggie frowned at me and gently moved the tray off my lap.

"I... I think I'm gonna th-throw up." I gagged, Maggie stood up startled and looked from the handcuff around my wrist to the bathroom.

"I'll get the key off Rick." She panicked dashing out the room. I ran my plan through my head again; make myself sick, go to the bathroom, when she turns her back snatch the keys and make a run for it. I heard footsteps outside the door and shoved my fingers down my throat making me wretch. Maggie darted back into the room and clicked the key into the cuffs, removing them from my wrist and helping me into the bathroom. I knelt down in front of the toilet as the bile rose in my mouth, stinging my throat as I threw it up into the toilet and down my shirt. I felt Maggie pull my matted, dirty hair out of my face and hold it behind me. I appreciated that she was being nice to me, but I didn't understand why. I spat into the toilet one last time and leant back against the wall. Maggie bent down in front of me, wiping my shirt with the white towel in her hands. She smiled sympathetically at me as her father entered the room.

"Maggie, you're needed outside. They're tryin' to get one of the sick people out of the well," Hershel informed his daughter, cleaning the blood off his hands with a cloth. Maggie nodded and left the room, "How are you feeling?" He asked, stepping closer to me.

I slumped back against and wiped my mouth, the taste of vomit stinging in my throat, "I'm covered vomit."

"I know. Later on, when Maggie's back she can help clean you up, sponge bath will do as we're limited to water. And you wouldn't want to sit in a bath of your own dirt. I'll get someone to wash your clothes and we'll get some new ones sorted," Hershel suggested, I nodded, "Rick said he wants to talk to you soon."

Before I even had time to digest the information, the door creaked open and Rick stumbled into the room. 

"I'll get back to Carl," Hershel said to him as he left the room, Rick's eyes wandered the room. He was sweating, a lot. Blood all over him, his hair stuck to his forehead, his eyes seemed glazed over.

"Y-you need to heal. Then maybe." He stared at the wall while his body swayed slightly. He breathed shakily, resting his hands on his belt and biting his lip.

I frowned and shook my head, "When I'm healed - I will leave. You will not stop me, I will not hesitate -"

"You could tell your group, about us," He mumbled. I cocked an eyebrow at him as he finally locked eyes with me. His glare was intense, he was evidently a powerful man and I tried not to show how threatened I felt in his presence. 

I slowly stood up, using the wall for support. "I don't have a group - Rick. I've explained this," I hissed, tilting my head to the side. Rick mirrored me and tilted his head too, now raising a gun in line with my head.

"I can't trust you. None of us can. You could be lying for all we know. I can't risk it," He spat, I bit my lip to stop it trembling - the adrenaline kicking in due to my panic; it reminded me of being shouted at by a teacher in class and trying to hide your humiliation while fighting the urge to burst into tears. 

"They're dead," I sighed, "I could take to the body - his body - but there's no guarantee its still there by now. I don't know what else I can say." I adverted my eyes to the floor, too anxious to meet Rick's glare now, I sounded stupid and desperate and I knew he wouldn't believe me. He was clearly in shock due to what had happened to Carl, I didn't even know if he was paying any attention to me at all.

"We'll see," He said, barely audible over his heavy breathing and clear exhaustion. I nodded slowly, looking back up as he rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. Part of me wanted to ask him if he was okay, but I remained silent - and with that, he left the room without another word.

A/N

oh my god hi. i am so aware that this book hasn't been updated in years - and i was halfway through re-editing it when i stopped writing to focus on my gcse's. well now I'm doing levels and that's been cancelled so i thought what better than to finally post these chapters lol. so here we are. thank you - if anyone's still there.