[Finished] Living Among the Dead

07. Too Far Gone

"Ma?"
I look up from my husbands' grave, a place I've taken to being around as much as possible. I used to go to Tyler when I needed strength, and even with him gone I feel at least a little better when I get the chance to be around him in spirit.
Mason's standing in front of me, brushing his growing hair out of his eyes.
"Yeah?" I ask, attempting to give him a small smile.
He shuffles his feet, glancing at Aaron's wooden headstone before quickly looking back at me, "Carl invited me to hang out with him, can I?"
I too glance at Aaron's grave, my heart aching. The two boys never left each other's side if they could help it. I look back at my only remaining family member and nod, "Of course, Mase. Have fun, alright?"
He nods, giving me a small smile, "Yeah, I will. Love ya."
I stand up and give him a hug, before ruffling his hair. "I love you, too. Come back before it gets dark, I wanna give you a haircut."
He merely nods and runs off towards where Carl seems to be waiting for him.

I finally get up from my place with my loved ones when I'm knocked right back on my ass, the world shakes violently and I wonder if we're having an earth quake before I notice the tank followed by a bunch of vehicles just outside our fences, I stand up and rush to my discarded bow and quiver; sheathing an arrow immediately.
A man who looks around the same age as Rick, with greying brown hair, and an eyepatch over one of his eyes, yells from the tank, "Rick!" I turn to where Rick, Daryl, Carl, Mason, Maggie, Bob, Sasha, Sev and Tyreese are all standing. "Come down here. We need to talk."
I move quickly over to them, making sure to keep my arrow aimed at the man addressing Rick.
"It's not up to me," Rick yells back, before glancing at us around him. "There's a council now. They run this place."
"Is Hershel on the council?" The man yells, and we see one of his people pull the elderly Vetrinarian from a jeep, his hands bound behind his back.
I glance at Maggie; who gasps and places her hand over her mouth, before looking back at the scene in front of me.
"What about Michonne?" The man asks, cockily as another of his people pull Michonne; who is also bound, out of the same vehicle. "She on the council, too?"
"I don't make decisions anymore," Rick yells, as I pull Mason behind my back.
"You're making the decisions today, Rick." Michonne and Hershel are placed on their knees in front of the tank. "Come down here. Let's have that talk."
Rick looks to Daryl, they both exchange very small nods. A sort of silent agreement is understood by the two of them, and I speak up in a hushed tone.
"What are we gonna do?"
Rick looks from me to our boys who have become friends in this prison we now all call a home.
He places his hand on Carl's cheek and reassures him, "We can do this. All right?" Carl nods.
Rick then begins walking out of the gate, Daryl opening and closing it for him.
I walk up behind him, as he rejoins the group, "What's the plan?" I repeat.
Daryl glances at me then addresses us all, "We can't take 'em all on. We'll go through the admin building, through the woods like we planned. We ain't got the numbers no more. When's the last time someone checked the stash on the bus?"
"Day before we hit the Big Spot," Sasha responds, her words coming out rushed. "We were running low on rations then. We're lower now."
"Yeah, we'll manage." Daryl responds, none of us taking our eyes off the men and possibly women Rick is now approaching. "Things go south, everyone heads for that bus. Let everybody know."
Tyreese speaks up, "What if everybody doesn't know when things go bad? How long do we wait?"
"As long as we can," is Daryl's response.
I bend down so I'm eye level with Mason, "You here all that?"
He nods, he keeps the look of fear off his face well for someone so young, but I still see it in his eyes.
"I'm going to get just a little closer, see if I can keep them in my line of fire if things get worst. I need you to stay by Carl's side, alright?"
He nods again, but doesn't say anything.
Carl steps up, "I'll keep him safe, Ma'am."
I nod at him, "I know you will."
I get closer, but still can't seem to manage to hear their words from where I'm at. All I can do is watch.
After a short while of obvious back and forth I hear the stranger yell, "I have a tank. And I'm letting you walk away from here." But then his voice is lowered once more. He's showing off.
Something hard and cold is pressed into my back, and I gasp softly, trying not to move.
"Take this." Its Daryl's voice in my ear, and I feel his breath on the back of my neck. I move my hand back, and take hold of the rifle he's handing me.
"Thanks," I mutter, placing my arrow back in my quiver and store my bow back around my shoulder as well.
As we wait and watch on I notice some of the dead coming from the trees, the people down there notice as well, seeing as a few of them begin aiming their weapons at the dead and shoot, I take note that the leader doesn't seem to have the best aim, it takes him two shots to kill the last of the two dead.
"We got to do something," I turn a little at Carl's words, to see that everyone is aiming their guns as well at this point and Carl seems to be getting antsy.
"Your dad's got it," Daryl says.
"They're talking. We could kill the Governor right now."
"That'd be a mighty hard shot," I pipe in.
"I'm a good shot. I could end this right now."
"Yeah, or you could start some'in' else. You got to trust him."
"Daryl," I warn as I see the leader jump from his tank and take something from one of his people.
"I see it," he grunts back.
I look at Maggie as the leader puts a sword to her father's neck, and notice that she's started crying.
I see Rick start gesturing, and look at Daryl, "The boys right, we should start shooting before this gets any uglier."
Daryl shakes his head once at me, "No, that what you wanna do infront of yer boy? Shoot first?"
I glance at Mason, who's standing a little behind us, before looking back at the scene in front of all of us. "No, but I don't want hi-" I cut myself off as the man takes a swing at Hershel's neck.
Maggie's screams errupt into my ears, and I immediately take a shot, aiming right for the leaders head, I know I miss, proving that the shot is hard to make; so I just start shooting, gunshots ringing in my ears, too loud.
They start to drive, right through the fencing, and we all try our best to shoot, to hit as many men and woman as we can. They fire the tank, and I have to work to stay up. The people surrounding us are beginning to run for cover.
"Carl, please. Take Mason to the bus!" I yell.
I hear Carl yell for him to run, that he'll help.
"Daryl," I say a warning in my voice, as I pull my blade out, noticing the dead surrounding us, praying Mason got to safety. He nods, "I'll cover you." He nods again, before killing one of the dead and using it as a sheild, I follow his lead, and he throws an explosive toward some men and takes them out, and as we run for an exit, he throws another one inside of the tanks barrel, exploding the tank as well.
"Come on!" He yells.
"I've got to find Mason!" I yell back.
He turns around to face me; a serious look on his face as he says, "We've got to go, Anne."
"I can't, I-"
He shakes his head, "We've got to go!"
I look behind me, see the warzone getting worst and worst around us and nod, allowing him to grab my wrist and pull me away.