Impregnable {A Walking Dead Fanfiction}

Fourteen

    Ed continued to stand over us, commenting on our work. "Ah come on now, missed a spot." He said, ripping a shirt from my hands and tossing it back into Carol's basket, water splashing in her face. Andrea turned around and glared at him before standing. "Ed, I'll tell you what, if you don't like how your laundry's done you are welcome to pitch in and do it yourself." She said, throwing a wet shirt at him. He caught it and immediately flung it back at her, hitting her in the chest. She stared him down, filled with rage. "Andrea, don't," Amy said, approaching her. "What is your job, Ed?" I asked, he looked at me with dark, angry eyes. "Sitting on your ass all day, telling everyone what they're doing wrong and how you can do it better?" "Sure as hell ain't listenin' to some uppity smart-mouthed bitch, I'll tell you that much. Come on! Let's go." He said, turning to Carol who was cowering over her washing. "I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you, Ed," Andrea said, stepping in between them. "And I say that's none of your f****n' business. Come on now." He said, motioning for Carol to follow him. She stood, looking at him with fear in her eyes. "Carol," Andrea said, turning to her. "Andrea, please..." She said, walking over to him. I took Mabel's hand and began to lead her away, she didn't need to see this. "Hey, don't think I won't knock you on your f****n' face just because you're some college-educated c**t. Now come on before you regret it." I heard Ed say behind me. I bent down and tried to distract Mable. "Why, so she can show up with fresh bruises later, Ed?" Jacqui replied, emotion brewing in her voice. "Yeah, we've seen them." She continued as he laughed. "You're just gonna keep prodding the bull, huh?" 

    I searched the area, looking for Shane. He'd hiked to the mouth of the river with Carl but had heard the commotion, sprinting back towards us. I picked up Mable and hurried out of the way. "You know what, I'm done talking, come on!" Ed said, taking Carol's arm and pulling her towards the trail. Chaos ensued: Andrea stepped in between, Ed began screaming, Carol begged for them to stop. Ed cocked his fist back and swung, hitting Carol in the cheek.

    I tucked Mabel's head into my chest and did my best to keep her from seeing. The screaming continued as Andrea shoved Ed, finally breaking his grip. Carol stumbled backward and Jacqui caught her, leading her away. Shane was closing in. "You go with Hollie!" He huffed at Carl as they approached, I reached out and took his hand, leading him away from the chaos. Carl slowed, turning to see what was happening, but I continued pulling. "Carl turn around!" I said, gritting through the growing pain in my side. We made it to the edge of the woods and I pulled Carl behind a large tree to block his view as footsteps approached quickly behind us. Lori appeared, stopping to catch her breath. I handed Mable to her before peaking from around the tree. Shane was on top of Ed, wailing on him with red fists. The ladies stood around them, screaming for him to stop. I scanned the area before jogging down to the scene, holding my side. "Shane, stop! Get off of him!" I yelled, gripping one of his arms and yanking back. He only staggered for a moment, he was like a wild animal attacking his prey. Andrea had joined me, attempting to pry them apart. I gripped his arm again before he could throw me off, using my legs to kick off the ground. His grip finally broke and we fell backward, Shane landing on top of me. I yelped, releasing him quickly, something seemed to change in his eyes. "Shit, Hollie..." He said, turning to me. "I'm okay," I said, sitting up and wiping the dirt off my hands. Ed lay on the ground sputtering blood into the air, his face unrecognizably swollen. Carol laid on his chest, sobbing and apologizing repeatedly. Shane walked around for a minute with his hands on his head before walking to Ed. I braced myself for another round as he bent down, running to pull him back. "You put your hands to your wife, your little girl, or anybody else in this camp one more time I will not stop next time. Do you hear me?" He said angrily, taking Ed's face in his hand. "DO YOU HEAR ME?" He growled, pushing his face against the ground. "Yes." Ed sputtered, blood spraying my leg.