Never Ending (TWD / Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 9

*Madison's POV*

"Jaxon..." I stammered in utter disbelief.

"You know him?" Rick asked, his eyebrows furrowed. "He's.." I muttered out. "Go on." Hershel beckoned.

"He's... My brother." I sighed. "Jesus Christ." Glenn scoffed under his breath, receiving a stern look from Hershel.
"Why... Why didn't you tell us you have a brother?" Rick asked in confusion.
"For all I knew,  my mom and my brother we're in Savannah, dead." My eyes began to well, catching me off guard.
"I'm sorry, nobody should have to go through that, alone." Rick sympathised.  Gently I poured a small amount of water onto a Lome handkerchief, I found laying on the car floor, probably belonging to Daryl. Slowly I brought the cool liquid to Jason's face, cleaning any caked, dried, blood and dirt that clung to his face, gently trying to wake him from his unconscious state.
"No use trying, he'll be out for hours. We need to get back to the farm as soon as possible, his leg needs immediate medical attention." Hershel stated.
I sighed, running a hand through my long curls.
What if my mom was still alive too? 
Such miracles don't happen in this hell. The rest of the ride back to the farm was silent. It was awkward. Rick was clearly in deep thought, probably either about Lori or... Jaxon.
Why was he with those bandits? Was he the same Jaxon that left for Savannah?
The apocalypse has changed everyone I just hope for Jaxon, it wasn't for the worst. My life is a mess.
The truck spluttered and clanged, as we pulled up onto the dirt track, outside the porch of the farm. The group gathered round the small truck, their faces filled with concern, clearly oblivious to Jaxon. Slowly I opened my car door, stepping out onto the dusty pathway, then Hershel's opened followed by Rick's. I gently dragged Jaxon's lifeless body from the vehicle, taking on of his arms, while Hershel took the other arm, slowly making our way into the farmhouse. Daryl shot me a look that could only be translated as:
Who the hell is that?
I rolled my eyes back at him, receiving a small smirk from the redneck.
"Who's that? You can't just bring new people here, without any consultation." Shane furrowed his brows, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead.
"I'll explain later, right now he needs immediate medical attention." Rick stated. Gently we placed Jaxon on one of the Greene's beds, rolling his trousers to reveal the extremely large gash on his thigh. I winced at the sight. My little sixteen year old brother was helpless. Hershel cleaned the wound with an alcoholic solution, causing Jaxon to arise from his unconscious state. Jaxon screamed at the top of his lungs, sobbing. I couldn't watch this. This was too much. I jumped out of my seat and ran out, I ran and ran, the tears I had bottled in for so long, streaming. I perched my body on a lone tree, near the edge of the farmland.
"Find your own tree, this one's taken." Daryl scoffed, from the other side of the trunk. I slumped down, trying to wipe my tears away, only sobbing evermore  uncontrollably. The apocalypse had taken its toll.
"Maddy? What happened?" Daryl tried to sooth, wrapping his strong muscular arms around my waist, wiping the tears from my cheeks. I sighed, burying my head in his chest.
"We got attacked at the bar, bandits filled the place, we managed to escape, just before the walkers arrived. On our way out, one of the men impaled his leg on the railing whilst trying to escape. We helped him, released him from the railing, putting him in the truck. He was wearing a mask, so Hershel removed it, so he was able to breathe easier, and..." I sighed, Daryl tightened his grip.
"Go on, it's okay." Daryl gave me a small smile. "It was my younger brother, Jaxon, under that mask. I was in the room while Hershel was cleaning him up, he awoke and started screaming, I just couldn't stay there." I wiped tears away from my eyes.
"Wow." Daryl simply stated, he understood that I didn't want a full conversation right now. Daryl cupped my cheeks, our lips nearly touching. Electricity sparked within my body, I leaned in closer. At the last moment Daryl coughed awkwardly, jumping up from the grass. My heart sank. I  pushed myself upwards, joining him as we headed back to the farmhouse. My eyes were red and puffy, but quite frankly, I didn't care anymore.
"I say we kill him! He's a threat!" Shane shouted. I raised my brows, confused.
"We can't just do that! He's not even bit!" Rick raised his voice.
"You said yourself that he's a bandit!" Shane screwed up his face, his hands resting on his hips. Whispers erupted within the group as myself and Daryl arrived at the gathering.
"How dare you... He's my brother!" I screamed, stepping forward.
"He's also a threat!" Shane stated.
"No. He's. Not. He's. My. Brother. Not. A. Bandit." I overemphasised every word.
"You haven't seen him in eight months, god knows what this apocalypse did to him." Shane scoffed. Anger boiled inside me, I exhaled deeply, clenching my fist.

"It hasn't changed him into a psychotic jerk, like some people around here." I scoffed. 

"You know that how?" Shane cocked his head to the side, shotgun in hand. 

"He's not you." I simply stated.

"Hey, hey... Lets just put Jaxon in the shed for tonight, when he wakes up we can question him, make sure he's not a threat, okay." Rick stepped in.

"I've already told you all many times, Jaxon is not a threat." I spat. 

"It's just a precaution." Rick stated. Knowing I had already lost this battle, I gave in. 
"Fine. I'll carry him." I stated abruptly walking into the farmhouse, Daryl following close behind.
Jaxon was laying lifeless spread out on one of the Greene's beds. His leg was stitched and bound with bandage.
"He's going to be just fine, the limp may never go, but he'll be just fine." Hershel smiled.
Slowly I cradled his body into my arms.
"Do you want any help?" Hershel asked. "I'll be just fine, thanks." I smiled. He was heavy, but I didn't want any help. I gently carried his body outside, my head down, not wanting to meet the burning stares of the group. I stumbled slightly, causing a look of concern from Daryl, but I carried on trudging, until I reached the shed. I gently placed Jaxon upright on the old mattress that had been laid in the shed. 
"I'm sorry Jaxon." I sighed, checking the temperature of his forehead. I stood up, glancing back at Jaxon, before locking the shed and heading back to the farmhouse for dinner. Lori walked up to me.
"I'm sorry... About Jaxon." Lori said, placing her hand on my shoulder.
"Thanks." I muttered before walking into the farmhouse.
I sat down at the long broad table, my head down, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone, although I did notice that Shane was missing. I swirled my food around the plate with a fork, my thoughts not leaving Jaxon. I sighed before leaving the table, heading back to the shed, Rick, Daryl, Glenn and Maggie took this as a chance to leave the table as well. "You asshole!" A voice screamed, followed by a loud thud. A voice I recognised to belong to a jerk named Shane Walsh.
"Please... Stop... I didn't do anything." Another voice cried.
Jaxon.
"Rick!" I screamed, before sprinting towards the shed. It was locked.
Just my luck.
With all my might, I kicked off the lock, revealing a horrifying sight. Jaxon's eye was swollen, his lip burst, Shane shaking him aggressively. I flew forward, tackling Shane to floor. I landed on top of him, I clenched my fist, connecting it to his cheek hard. Repeatedly I connected my fist to his face, until his face resembled a swollen mess, his nose disconnected from its bridge. My knuckles were bleeding, I didn't care. Before I knew it I was being forcefully dragged from Shane, out into the open, where I was dropped onto the dust.
"What the hell Madison?!" Rick shouted, his anger clear in his voice.
"He was beating up my brother, I simply just returned the favour." I stated. By now everyone on the farm had gathered round, their faces gaped.
"Nobody. Hurts. My. Brother." I spat, standing up, brushing down my knees.
"Maddy! You're alive! I can't believe-" I cut him off, embracing him tightly.
"I'm here Jaxon, and I'm never leaving again." I smiled through Shane's glares.

A/N :
I'm so sorry I haven't updated in weeks! I've just been so busy, and I lost motivation for a while. But I'm back with weekly updates... Hopefully! I might upload another chapter today if I finish it in time, as I feel bad for not updating in ages... Well 3 weeks! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Remember to vote and comments are always welcomed! Thank you for reading! 

-Esme