Never Ending (TWD / Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 8

*Madison's POV*

I slowly strode towards the small open grave, a daisy in my hand.
"She never had a mean bone in her body." Carol wept. Tears slipped from my eyes as I placed the flower down in her small grave. The Greene family sobbed over Hershel's late wife and step-son who also now lay in a open grave. Smoke from the remaining cremated bodies saluted my nostrils. I shuffled back away from the grave, hiding my emotions behind Daryl.

"They didn't deserve this. Nobody deserved this." Rick stated, placing a flower in all three graves, before wrapping his arms around Lori and Carl in a tight embrace.

It's times like these when I need my mother. I sighed, in deep thought as to her whereabouts. I prayed she was still alive, even though there is only a slim chance. But it's all about slim chances now.

How I wished this was all a just some nightmare and that I'd wake up from this hell, that everything will be normal. No more dead walking around. Even if the apocalypse did end, nothing will ever be the same, nothing could be the same.
"This is all my fault." I muttered under my breath.
"Maddy, look at me, this isn't your fault, okay?" Daryl gripped onto my arms, his eyes pooling into mine.
I wasn't talking about Sophia...
"I just... I shouldn't have told her to wait there... I should've kept her by my side..." I exhaled deeply, running a hand through my hair.
"Anyone would've done the same Maddy." Daryl stated. 
Maddy?  Nobody except Jaxon calls me Maddy...
I was snapped out of my thoughts when screams erupted within the Greene family. Beth had collapsed onto the dirt, her pupils dilated. Hershel scooped her into his arms, rushing over to the farmhouse. She was in shock. The rest of the group hurried inside, while myself, T-dog and Glenn stayed to bury the bodies.
I penetrated the dirt with my shovel, letting it slip onto the grave. One by one I gradually covered Hershel's wife's grave, placing a small wooden cross at the end. I stepped back, throwing the shovel to the ground, wiping beads of sweat from my forehead. I tied my hair back into a loose ponytail, so it didn't fall into my eyes.
I began walking to the farmhouse, only managing to get as far as the porch before I heard Hershel's voice echoing around the house.
"I want you off my farm by tomorrow morning, you are no longer welcome here, just go! Go!" He commanded.
"Please... You don't know what it's like out there... Please we have no where to go... My wife, she's pregnant... Please..." Rick pleaded.
Lori's pregnant?!
"Hey... Man... Chill." Shane scoffed. Hershel stormed past me, starting up one of his trucks and speeding off into the distance.
"Wait up!" Shane shouted. "I'm pretty sure he's already gone." I scoffed.
"Do you have any idea as to where he went?!" Rick questioned Maggie, pacing up and down.
"After mum died... He turned to drink again, I'm pretty sure he's headed to the bar a few miles up the road.
"Myself, Glenn and Madison will go." Rick stated opening the car door, beckoning for us to follow. I sighed, tucking a revolver into my holster before clambering into the vehicle. Rick sped off, leaving nothing but a dirt cloud behind. The ride was mostly silent, with the occasional small talk.
"Maggie... She said she loved me." Glenn spurted out, looking nervously to the floor.
"You should embrace moments like that, you need someone is this hell, someone to take you away from this shitty situation, even if it is just for a brief moment." Rick smiled, looking at a now smug Glenn through the car mirror. 
I awkwardly tousled my hair, sighing.
After a long silent journey, the abandoned bar finally came into view. Rick hopped out of the truck his revolver raised. Myself and Glenn followed suit, closely behind. Rick bashed down the rear exit, searching the bar for any lurking walkers. Clear.
"Hershel!" Rick shouted. I followed into the rear of the bar, my pistol loaded. "Hershel..." Glenn called nervously, his hands trembling on his rifle.
I sighed with relief when Hershel's figure came into sight, even though he was in a drunken state. Hershel sat slumped over the bar, a glass of whiskey in his hand, his eyes red and puffy from crying.
"Beth's condition has worsened... We need you." Rick stated, reaching his arm out to Hershel, he rejected, swigging his drink.
"You're a good man Rick, I robbed my daughter's from a normal grieving process, I gave them false hope, I told them their mother would come back, that their family would all come back, I even believed it myself, this is my fault." Hershel slurred. Rick sat beside him, brushing his hand over his hair.
"But you can fix this, you can help them now." Rick sighed.
"There's no hope, not anymore, I saw the same expression when you saw Sophia walk out of that barn, hopeless." Hershel stated, refilling his glass of whiskey. Rick pushed the glass away, Hershel's eyes lit ablaze. Before Hershel could retaliate, pounding erupted onto the front door.
"Hello?! I can see you in there, don't mean no harm, just open the door." A mysterious voice called. I raised my gun for protection, the men didn't stop bashing on the door. Rick slowly walked over the the entrance, reluctantly opening the latch, letting the two men flow into the bar.
"Thank you..." The taller man scoffed.
"Names?" Rick questioned, his eyebrows raised, hostile to the men. "I'm Dave and this is Tony." The tall man revealed, Tony glancing up and down my body, I folded my arms awkwardly.
"You got a fine one there." Dave winked at me, Rick smirked falsely.
"Y'all seem pretty well fed, where y'all held up?" Tony asked, buffing himself up.
"My farm." Hershel stated.
"And where is that?" Tony questioned further. Hershel shrugged. Tony exhaled deeply, reaching for his pistol that lay in his pocket. I raised mine in return, Rick and Glenn following suit shortly afterwards. Dave lifted his revolver, aiming it at Hershel. Rick fired, the bullet penetrating Dave's forehead. Tony screamed out, pointing his pistol at Rick. Before Rick could retaliate, I fired twice, both bullets piercing Tony's chest, he yelped out in pain. Rick towered over his weak body, firing one last bullet into his temple, his body now lifeless.
Glenn shivered behind me, his mouth gaped open.
"We better leave." Rick stated, the others moving towards the front doors.
"Tony! Dave! I know you're in there!" A voice boomed from outside, Rick scooted behind a table, while myself, Hershel and Glenn crouched behind the bar.
"Oh my god... Look! Some son of a bitch killed 'em." The voice screamed, realising they had seen their bodies laying on the floor.
Shots erupted through the bar window, the glass shattering over the bar. Glenn fired back and all became silent.
"I think I scared them away." Glenn whispered. The bar doors flung open, several armed men flying in, firing shots at any object that came into sight. I ducked, a shot just skimming over my head. "Go!" Rick shouted between firing shots. I scooted over to the rear exit with Glenn, before darting out of the bar. I ducked behind a dustbin, when I saw the remainder of the other group lurking outside. I looked out onto the horizon, a dozen or so walkers appearing. No, hundreds. "Glenn! Look!" I half whispered, half screamed. "Shit, shit, shit!" Glenn muttered, loading his rifle.
"We gotta go! Walkers!" Another man called, firing up a truck. The rest of their group desperately clambered in. "Wait!" A young man called from the roof, searching for a way down. "Jump in!" The man below shouted, positioning the truck. The boy leaped from the roof attempting to reach the truck, instead deeply impaling his leg on the fence. The boy screamed out in pain, desperately trying to move his leg, only causing himself more agony.
"Sorry, man." The man in the truck sighed, before speeding off into the distance. Hershel and Rick rushed out from the rear, greeted with the horror of the situation. Rick darted over to the boy, examining his situation. The walkers were closing in, we had no time.
"Can we move him?" Rick asked. "In the state he's in, he'll probably lose too much blood or pass out from the pain, plus it'll take time." Hershel stated.
"Well what do you suggest we do?" Rick asked further.
"We out him out of his misery." Hershel simply stated raising his gun.
"No... We move him. Here, help me." Rick tried to pull the boy's leg from the railing, causing him to scream out in pain even further. The boy's face was covered in a dark mask, his eyes barely showing, impossible to identify. Hershel and Glenn helped free the young man, finally, after many painful attempts, tugging his leg free from the fence.
Rick quickly tied his belt around his leg, scooping his still body into his arms. I sprinted over to the truck, desperately trying to start the engine, while the others loaded the boy in the back. Finally the engine started chugging as Glenn hopped into the passenger seat. I firmly put my foot down onto the acceleration pad, speeding us off into the distance, leaving the walkers snarling behind.
"We should remove his mask, that way he'll be able to respire more easily." Hershel stated, I nodded in agreement.
Slowly Hershel peeled his mask away, revealing the identity of the man laying unconscious. I gaped as his identity became clear.

"Jaxon." I stuttered, my hand over my mouth, holding in a gasp.

A/N: So that's the end of chapter 8! I have lots of big plans for this story, many of which I can't put into action until later on. 

-Esme