Living with the Dead.(twd)

Wicked(216)

MADISON'S POV.

"Now?" I repeat.
She nods then hesitates. "Well, I mean, yes and no. Soon. We need to put a plan together. It will work easier with me in on the loop. It will start with me leaving you tied up loose enough for you to slip out of here at night. The doors are never locked because they don't need to be. So it should be easy for you to get out of here."
"There is one room that isn't." I state.

She nods. "Yeah, there is. But I'm equally as confused there. I don't know what's behind that door. I figure maybe the biters. The patients always come out with bite marks and they're torn to shreds. It's just a guess though." She shrugs.
I nod. "I agree."

"After I got out of the room, what next ?" I ask.
"You go get your green eyed friend."
"Camilla." I tell her.
She nods. "Find Camilla and then find me. If Camilla has the key then we can sneak into Clover's office and disable the generators. They keep the doors locked.... but they also keep this whole building running, so people are gonna notice pretty quickly that something is wrong. We'll have about five minutes to run to the door, open it and get as far away from here as possible."
I frown. "They're not good odds."
"They're our only odds hun."
I bite down on my lip in frustration while I think of alternative options but after a couple minutes I realize that Joyce is right. That is our only option.

"Ok." I agree.
"Ok." She whispers back.
We sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.
"I don't like the thought of rushing into this but we don't know what could happen to any of you in the next few days especially if they find out both of you killed Steve. Even I'm under threat for interrupting their 'experiment'. So we gotta do this quickly and quietly." She informs and I quickly agree.

"I can't wait for Clover to see how bad you fooled her. You're so much smarter than she is, so much more compassionate and loving and nurturing. She doesn't realize how much stronger that makes you."
"Does it though?" She asks.
I smile. "Somebody once told me; love isn't a weakness, it's a strength."
She smiles in return.
"You're right. Which is why I can't come with you." She explains.

My mouth falls open and I stare at her blankly.
"Wha-"
"I've loved all my patients but I had to sit around and watch them all die when they didn't deserve it. So I need to help them, they're not in the right state to just let them go. I'll help them back to reality and when they're ready I'll let them go if that's what they wish. Then, maybe some day we can find each other. When Clover dies I'll take her place. Nobody needs to know."

I shake my head." That doesn't make any sense. That's impossible."
She disagrees. "We'll kill Clover together and we'll kill anybody who tries to stop us. They're won't be many, not many people like her, they're just afraid of her."
"Afraid of her power." I add.
"Exactly."

"Joyce... you could come with us. We can be safe and happy at Alexandria. This isn't your mess to clean up." I whisper, afraid of my voice cracking.
I'm shocked by the sudden emotion I have for this woman. Like a mother or nurturing aunt.
I guess when that one person cares about you even when you're alone, you grow attached. I'm a broken girl but when I see her at the end of the day, I feel a little less broken because she makes me feel safe.

"Please don't leave me." I plead.
She smiles sadly and cups my cheeks.
"You remind me of myself when I was young, only I wasn't as brave." She sighs.
"I'm not brave. I'm scared. I'm scared shitless. Everything about this place scares me. The rooms, the lights, the medicine, the equipment, the people... you're one of the only good things here." I croak.
"I have responsibilities here. And if I die trying, so be it. I know other people who would run this place the right way. I just have a better future in mind that's all. But Clover needs to die and I need to stay. And you need to go home and find you're beautiful baby girl." She whispers.