Impregnable {A Walking Dead Fanfiction}

Thirty-One

    It all happened in slow motion. Rick cried out and sprinted over to his son, who lay motionless on the ground. The rest of us aimed at the man who had come into view across the woods. The man dropped his gun onto the forest floor, raising his hands above his head. "I'm sorry! I didn't see him...I..." The man said frantically, walking over towards us. "YOU SHOT MY BOY!" Rick roared, sobbing over Carl's body. I kneeled down next to Rick and placed two fingers on Carl's neck. "I feel a heartbeat," I said, looking over at Rick. "I have someone who can help, back at the farm!" The man said, pacing around frantically. "His name's Hershel, he can..." "Shut up and get us to him, dammit!" Shane snarled "It's that way." The man said, pointing away from our camp. 

    Rick picked up Carl and began sprinting at full speed in the direction that the man had pointed. My feet slammed into the ground and my heart pounded as we followed behind. I didn't even think about the man we had left in the dust, we had to save Carl. "Come on, man," Shane said to Rick as he gasped for air. Daryl, like always, was running at the front of the group. My chest burned as I pushed myself harder, we needed to get there before Rick to explain what had happened. Daryl and I burst through the trees and began barreling down a driveway toward a beautiful white farmhouse. I saw a woman with short hair quickly duck into the house from the front porch. "What are you doing here?" She growled in a thick Georgian accent, pushing the screen door open with her shotgun's barrel. "One of your friends shot my friend's son. He said Hershel could help him!" I said breathlessly, putting my hands in the air. Her expression softened as she watched the others approach, but she didn't lower her gun. "He's only twelve and he's dying, please!" I said. "Maggie let them in!" The man yelled, far behind us. She lowered her gun and moved to the side reluctantly, her eyes continued to burn holes in us.

    She stepped to the side, letting Rick run past us and into the house, before stepping back to block the doorway. "Shoes off." She said, staring at us. I didn't protest, sliding down the wall and unlacing my boots. I walked barefoot into the old house and was greeted by a young girl with blonde hair and frantic eyes. She led me to the room where Rick sat over Carl motionless as the rest of the people rushed to help. I stopped in the doorway, the small room was too crowded for another person. Along with Rick and Carl, there was an older man and a middle-aged woman. "He needs an IV." The older man said, and the woman sprung into action. "Sir, what's your name?" The older man asked, Rick sat motionless, not answering. "Rick Grimes, the boy's Carl," I answered. He hadn't noticed I was in the doorway and looked up at me for a second before going back to work. "Well, Rick, I'm Hershel, and you're going to need to give us some space. We're going to do everything we can do for your boy." He said, After a minute of Rick not moving, Shane stepped inside, thanking Hershel before taking Rick's arm and pulling him to his feet. 

    Rick began to sob as soon as the door latched, falling into Shane's arms. "Come on, not here. Let's go outside." I said, helping Shane as Rick shifted his weight lethargically. He stumbled forward, throwing all of his weight on me. I fell backward, reaching out and grabbing a chair behind me to keep both of us from falling as Shane tightened his grip. Between the two of us, we got him out onto the porch and sat down on a bench. Shane sat on one side of him and I sat on the other. Rick slumped to his side, crying inconsolably into Shane's shoulder. Shane took a handkerchief out of his pocket and began to wipe Rick's son's blood from his face and hands. "Is he dead?" The man who'd shot Carl asked, finally approaching the porch. "They're in there working on him now. All I know is I felt a heartbeat in the woods." I said. Rick moaned, shifting his weight next to me. "Your friend, Andrea, is going back to tell the others in your group. She has our address." The man said, wiping sweat off his forehead and walking inside. "I'm sorry I pointed a gun at you, we haven't seen anyone out here in months." The woman with short hair said as the man from the woods rushed inside. "I'm Maggie Greene." She said. "Hollie DiAngelo," I said, shaking her hand before turning my attention back to Rick. 

    "What's his blood type? He needs blood." Hershel asked, opening the screen door. "A-positive, same as mine." Rick breathed. "Alright then, come on, we need you," Hershel said as Shane stepped past him onto the porch, offering his hand to help Rick up. He reached out and grabbed Shane's hand, standing slowly while his knees shook. Shane reached out to support Rick as he walked, but he pushed Shane's arm away. "I'm fine, guys," Rick said unconvincingly, trudging into the house. I followed behind him, making eye contact with Shane while a wave of panic began to surge through me. "Come on, be strong." He said after I'd hesitated for a moment, taking my hand and leading me inside.  

    The room Carl was staying in was much less crowded now so both Shane and I could fit inside. Carl lay unconscious on the bed, his skin paler than I'd ever seen. Rick sat down on a wicker rocking chair and stuck his arm out without hesitation. The older woman opened an alcohol wipe and rubbed it over Rick's arm. "How did this happen?" Hershel asked. "I shot a doe and he was right behind it. It went straight through and hit him. I didn't even see him." The man from the woods said, standing in the doorway. "Lori doesn't know," Rick whispered. He kept repeating those three words over and over until he was nearly yelling. The older lady pulled away and looked at him. I glanced over at Carl, half-expecting him to wake in the chaos to comfort his father. "Rick!" Shane yelled, breaking his trance. "You have to stay calm, Carl needs blood," I said, kneeling down. "Hollie, she doesn't know," Rick said hopelessly, throwing his head back and sobbing.  I took his hand in both of mine, rubbing the back of his hand with my thumb. "Andrea went back to tell her. They have to pack everything and meet us here. She knows, Rick, and she's coming. Right now you need to focus on doing what you can to save your boy." I said, looking at his eyes as he stared into the distance. "I'll run back through the woods and get her myself if I have to, as soon as you finish. You have to relax your arm." 

    The woman placed a bandage over Rick's arm, and then we walked out into the living room. I sat down on one of the couches, Rick sat down beside me and rested his head on my shoulder. After what seemed like an eternity of sitting in silence, Maggie opened the door and called Rick into the room. I shifted to let him up, and then Shane slid over next to me. I put my head on Shane's shoulder, trying to catch my breath for a moment. 

    We heard Carl screaming, Rick yelling, and more commotion. He's awake. The door swung open again. "Daddy's taking out the bullet, we need you to hold him down," Maggie said, running back into the room. We got up quickly, rushing inside. Carl was writhing in pain and desperately trying to escape. He was screaming louder than I thought possible, the sound making my ears ring. "Son, I need you to hold him down. Hollie, you keep his arms steady." Hershel said. I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, taking both of Carl's hands in mine, pressing them against the bed. Maggie sat on the opposite side of the bed, doing her best to help me. "You're being so brave, bud. I know you can do this." I said, staring into his frantic eyes. "You're gonna feel so much better once he's done, and you get this big comfy bed all to yourself," I said, positioning myself so Carl couldn't see the man digging around for metal inside of him. He screamed, biting into his tongue. I looked over at Rick, who was sitting next to me and looking almost more pale than Carl. Hershel removed a piece of metal from the hole in Carl's stomach, holding it up for inspection. "One down, five to go."