Hopeless

Chapter 39

"Hershel's gone." He says slightly out of breath.

"What?" Daryl asks sitting up straighter.

"I went to find him, to make sure Katie's alright but he's no where to be found. No one's seen him since the insedint at the barn. Not even his girls." I try to get up.

"Katie don't, you need to rest." Daryl says.

"I need to go see the girls."

"Look I'll go get Maggie but you have to promise to stay here." I nod and reluctantly lean back against Daryl. A few minutes later Maggie comes in. Her eyes red and puffy from crying.

"Come here." I pull away from Daryl opening my arms to Maggie. She crawls into the bed beside me burying her head in my shoulder, her arms wrapped around my waist. I hold her, rubbing my hand up and down her back. Maggie is always the tough one and it kills me to see her like this. "How's Beth holding up?" I ask her after a few moments. She looks up at me her eyes teary.

"She hasn't spoken a word since daddy went missin" She answers. "She needs him now more than ever and he left" she cries.

"Don't worry, we're going to find him."  Rick says reassuring her. "Glenn and I are taking a ride into town. There's not many other places he could be."

"The bar. Check the bar first." Maggie says quietly.

"Hershel drinks?" Daryl asks almost sounding amused.

"He used to." She answers. "He was a mean drunk until Beth and I came into the picture. We were always his reason to stay sober but after today he lost all hope. I'm sure that's where he went."

"We're going to find him and we're going to bring him back...I promise you that." Rick says before leaving the room. Maggies looks to me.

"Are you okay?" She asks me questioningly.

"Am I okay? Are you okay?" She lowers her head. "God I'm so sorry Maggie. Ya'll were here cleanin' up after Shane's mess and I...I took off. I was so selfish." I grab her hand. "I'm truly sorry." She squeezes my hand.

"We all grieve in our own ways...you lost someone today. You needed space. That isn't selfish Katie, that's human." Shane comes bursting through the door all riled up.

"You knew she was in there didn't you!?" He screams at Maggie. "Didn't you!?" She reels away from him, her body cuddling closer to mine. I jump out of bed placing myself between them.

"Haven't you done enough!?" I scream angrily in his face. I shove him back, further away from Maggie.

"They new!" He growls at me. "They new she was in there and they sat by and let you and your bigheaded brother led the rest of the group chasing after the ghost of a little girl we all knew was dead!"

"Don't you dare!" I say getting in his face. "You ripped those doors open and they were forced to sit there and watch as we slaughtered their family! That little girl, that sweet innocent little child deserved nothing less than our everything! She didn't ask for this, none of asked for any of this! I spent every single day out in those woods spending every ounce of energy I had left searching for that precious baby. Hell we all did. Daryl got shot and had an arrow stabbed through his side in the process." Tears sting my eyes as anger boils inside of me. "And my 'bigheaded brother' he gave us all hope even when he didn't have any himself. I took that little girl into my care. I promised her father I'd keep her safe and that tiny bit of hope that maybe some way some how she was still out there, that's what kept me going. He kept us all going. What the hell have you done?" He stares at me blankly, not regretting a thing. "Hmm?"