Matt took the can of dog food, rolling it over in his hands. This was worthless to anyone but Pochi...But at least they had that. He nodded and handed the can to Kiku, who tucked it away in his bag. At least the dog would eat. That had to mean something, but the moral of the group was low, and Matthew could tell. They hadn't been finding a lot of food lately, they'd been moving all winter from house to house, scavenging what they could find. Everyone made sure that Maddie had the most to eat whenever possible, because she was eating for two, and even at the worst of times, no one had lost their humanity enough to suggest she just try to get rid of the baby. Besides, there was nothing they could do about it without any doctors around
( ... )
Once they were far enough away from the oncoming herd, everyone stopped driving and got out of their cars to regroup. They needed another plan, and fast- not just for where they were going to stay for tonight, but the night after that, and the night after that... All this moving around was taking its toll on everyone, especially Maddie... Alfred was no expert on the matter, but he knew she had to be getting close to her due date- she could have the baby any day at this point. And the middle of the woods was not a good place to give birth. Neither was the car
( ... )
Matthew sighed and nodded. "I know... I know we're all tired, but she looks more tired than the rest of us...Not just tired...weary, you know? I don't like it...But what else could we have done up till now?" It was a rhetorical question, since both men knew that they couldn't have done anything different, no matter how much they wanted to
( ... )
Alex took to the fence with her boyfriend and her aunt. She knew the drill by now; they all did. They were the diversion team this time. She pulled out her knife, and then, as loudly as she could manage, shouted, "Hey, over here!" as she banged on the fence. Ren and Fran did the same, and soon, they had a sizable crowd of walkers within reach. As soon as one got close enough to the fence, Alex jabbed her knife through the holes, stabbing each one in the head. This created a bit of a pileup, but the walkers kept coming anyway, tripping over the dead bodies to get to the fresh meat. Alex smirked and rolled her eyes. Really, they made it too easy sometimes
( ... )
Everything fell silent as Maddie started singing, save for Alfred's guitar playing. Recognizing the tune, he immediately sat down and began strumming along, fingers moving along the strings like he hadn't missed a day of practice. And then Alex joined in.
"Every demon wants his pound of flesh, but i like to keep some things to myself... I like to keep my issues drawn, But it's always darkest before the dawn
She smiled at the harmony in their voices- Maddie's voice- light and sweet, mixed with her own slightly deeper, soulful voice. It had been so long since they'd sang together- since they'd been since they'd even been in the mood to sing, for that matter.
"And I've been a fool, and I've been blind. I can never leave the past behind- I can see no way, I can see no way..."
But now here they were, Maddie about to be a mother soon, and despite the father, Alex was excited for the arrival of the baby. It symbolized hope for the group; new life, a new beginning...
"I'm always dragging that horse around. Our love is pastured
( ... )
The two of them singing brought Madeleine even more joy and hope, and dare she admit it, peace? This whole night felt wonderful, their group sitting around an actual camp fire, having eaten actual cooked meat, albeit not much, but some was better than none. They could sleep soundly tonight inside these fences for the first time in months. The sound of singing, the sound of Alfred's guitar, even with the baby moving and kicking, Maddie felt good
( ... )
After Matthew's speech, the mood had darkened considerably. And while no one said anything, Alex could tell that there were some people in the group who had their doubts about this new plan. Maybe not Lars, but even Alfred looked a little wary of his brother's idea. But as she looked across the fire from person to person, she realized that no one else was going to speak up. With a sigh, she patted Ren's hand and then moved it off her lap, standing up so she could go catch up to Matt.
She was only a few steps behind him when she called out a soft "Hey." For a second, it looked like he was going to ignore her, but he slowly turned around, so she continued, trying to be as gentle as possible. She knew that Matthew was under a lot of pressure being the leader, and she didn't want to see him crack. Not again. "Look, I appreciate everything you're doing- we all do..." she started. "But it's been a tough march, and they're exhausted. She's exhausted. Can we just take a few days to enjoy this?"
Matthew should have known this was coming. Maybe he should let them rest, but he looked back at the group, then back at the prison, then back to his cousin. "The baby will be here in a few days, Alex." He kept his voice low, not wanting to alert the others that there may be a disagreement. "We need the infirmary for when Maddie has her baby..."
If Matt was thinking about anyone, it was Madeleine. They had this fenced-in field, sure, but when the time came, he knew there would be screaming, and they didn't need to be out in the open where every walker from miles would hear Maddie giving birth. No, if at all possible, he wanted her to be comfortable. Wanted her to have a safe, clean, environment to have her baby in...
The inner yard the group wanted to clear didn't seem like it had that many walkers in it; maybe a dozen, and they stood at the ready while Andy prepared to open the gate for them. Matthew, Lars, Alex, Ren and Alfred were as ready as they would ever be, and Matt nodded for Andy to pull open the gate. It had to be quick, and the five of them moved into the inner yard with Andy being just as quick to close and secure the gate behind them
( ... )
And just like that, their rank was broken. As Alfred, Matthew and Lars rushed to combat the guard walkers that were further away, Alex and Ren were left to deal with the ones that were closer. Alex brought her machete down hard, but even with all of her strength, it wasn't enough. The plastic on the helmets was just too thick- brute force wasn't doing any good.
She turned to Ren, who didn't seem to be having any better luck than she was. In fact, nobody could seem to pierce the guard walkers' protective armor. But that didn't mean they could stop trying. And so Alex, Ren and Alfred simply fended them off for the time being; punching and kicking them away while Matthew and Lars worked on closing the next gate. The one good thing about this protective armor was that at least these walkers couldn't bite them through it...
A loud metal clanging told her that Matthew and Lars had succeeded, and now all they had to do was clear this area out. Easy... if we could just find a way to kill them. That's when the walker she had
( ... )
The others saw what Alex had done and immediately did the same. It made taking out the other walkers easier. Matthew thought it was a little gruesome, but he was proven wrong when he attacked his own walker. When he tugged the helmet off, the walker's face came with it and Matthew would have hurled if his stomach wasn't still mostly empty. You'd think after dealing with all these zombies all winter he'd be used to it, but there was always something...always something that reminded him that it could be worse
( ... )
Matthew quickly found an entrance and they all reluctantly followed him inside. Alfred brought up the rear, shutting the metal door behind them. He almost wished he hadn't. It was dark in here, with only the light from the windows to illuminate the dingy, concrete space. An eerie silence settled in the room. No moaning or growling though, so that was a good sign. He wondered how long it would last.
It was obvious that Matt wanted to push further into the prison, but they were faced with another gate. This one seemed to be locked. Alex tried tugging on it a few times, but it didn't budge. She looked at her cousins and shrugged. They couldn't go any further without a key... That's when Alfred noticed the guard post, and one look at his brother told him they were thinking the same thing- if the keys were anywhere to be found, that's where they'd be.
He hadn't been gone that long. Only long enough to go down the road to the general store to see what medicine they might have. Walkers were no trouble, and he made a quick entrance, grabbed some Aspirin, then made a quick exit. So why was it that enough time had gone by for Dean to disappear?? He didn't like getting back to their hide out to find he wasn't in where the angel had left him.
He didn't call out, though, just made a quick search of the area, finally finding him outside their fortifications, but at least still inside the building. Was he dead? No, he was breathing. Just curled up in a ball in one of the scruffy blankets they had. He sighed quietly in relief, and shook his head. "What are you doing out here?" he asked.
"I just needed to get some light," he mumbled weakly. With a groan, he pulled himself up into a sitting position. Next thing he knew, pills were being shoved into his mouth. Dean didn't even bother to ask what they were; he just swallowed them like a good patient, gulping them down with the water that Cas gave him. He opened his eyes as he felt something cool pressed against his forehead, and he offered a weak smile- normally, he wouldn't allow this kind of coddling from anyone, but right now he felt too lousy to argue. Getting sick during the apocalypse really was the worst, especially since it was just him and Cas right now. With Dean down for the count, all the work of keeping watch and finding food and supplies fell to Cas, which made him feel a little guilty. Hopefully he would feel better soon...
"So," he started, trying to sound casual. "How is it out there?"
Cas thought about lying to Dean, thought about telling him that it was quiet, that nothing had changed outside, but he couldn't bring himself to lie. Not in this situation. Dean was sick, but he would get better, get stronger, Cas was sure of it.
So instead of lying, he simply said, "We should go in a few days." If Cas was being very specific, he thought they should leave sooner. The walkers were starting to pile up outside, more and more seeming to make their way through the area where Cas and Dean were staying. There was no telling if they would stop and congregate, or just keep ambling through.
Dean shot Cas a look of disbelief, then let out a short laugh. "That bad, huh? We must be surrounded. I'm right, aren't I? They're coming? ... You should go. Alone. I'll hold only you back if I come with you right now. Go find Sammy, make sure, he's ok. I can take care of myself; you know that." He forced a smile, which was immediately broken with a fit of harsh coughing. Once again, he was offered water, but this time he pushed it away. "Go, Cas. I mean it. It's what you should do... You won't though," he added, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. "Good soldier won't leave his post. Screw you."
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"Every demon wants his pound of flesh, but i like to keep some things to myself... I like to keep my issues drawn, But it's always darkest before the dawn
She smiled at the harmony in their voices- Maddie's voice- light and sweet, mixed with her own slightly deeper, soulful voice. It had been so long since they'd sang together- since they'd been since they'd even been in the mood to sing, for that matter.
"And I've been a fool, and I've been blind. I can never leave the past behind- I can see no way, I can see no way..."
But now here they were, Maddie about to be a mother soon, and despite the father, Alex was excited for the arrival of the baby. It symbolized hope for the group; new life, a new beginning...
"I'm always dragging that horse around. Our love is pastured ( ... )
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She was only a few steps behind him when she called out a soft "Hey." For a second, it looked like he was going to ignore her, but he slowly turned around, so she continued, trying to be as gentle as possible. She knew that Matthew was under a lot of pressure being the leader, and she didn't want to see him crack. Not again. "Look, I appreciate everything you're doing- we all do..." she started. "But it's been a tough march, and they're exhausted. She's exhausted. Can we just take a few days to enjoy this?"
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If Matt was thinking about anyone, it was Madeleine. They had this fenced-in field, sure, but when the time came, he knew there would be screaming, and they didn't need to be out in the open where every walker from miles would hear Maddie giving birth. No, if at all possible, he wanted her to be comfortable. Wanted her to have a safe, clean, environment to have her baby in...
"There's no time for a picnic..." He muttered.
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She turned to Ren, who didn't seem to be having any better luck than she was. In fact, nobody could seem to pierce the guard walkers' protective armor. But that didn't mean they could stop trying. And so Alex, Ren and Alfred simply fended them off for the time being; punching and kicking them away while Matthew and Lars worked on closing the next gate. The one good thing about this protective armor was that at least these walkers couldn't bite them through it...
A loud metal clanging told her that Matthew and Lars had succeeded, and now all they had to do was clear this area out. Easy... if we could just find a way to kill them. That's when the walker she had ( ... )
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It was obvious that Matt wanted to push further into the prison, but they were faced with another gate. This one seemed to be locked. Alex tried tugging on it a few times, but it didn't budge. She looked at her cousins and shrugged. They couldn't go any further without a key... That's when Alfred noticed the guard post, and one look at his brother told him they were thinking the same thing- if the keys were anywhere to be found, that's where they'd be.
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He didn't call out, though, just made a quick search of the area, finally finding him outside their fortifications, but at least still inside the building. Was he dead? No, he was breathing. Just curled up in a ball in one of the scruffy blankets they had. He sighed quietly in relief, and shook his head. "What are you doing out here?" he asked.
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"So," he started, trying to sound casual. "How is it out there?"
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So instead of lying, he simply said, "We should go in a few days." If Cas was being very specific, he thought they should leave sooner. The walkers were starting to pile up outside, more and more seeming to make their way through the area where Cas and Dean were staying. There was no telling if they would stop and congregate, or just keep ambling through.
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