Madison Grimes

50

After running for miles and finding nothing, I decide to go back to camp. This is just ridiculous. I bet he's already back at camp. Once I make it back, Rick pulls me in for a hug.

"Don't you ever do that!" He scolds as he pushes me away from him. I smile.

"Yes dad." I head inside and see Merle sitting next to Daryl, sleeping on his shoulder. Daryl goes to stand but I shake my head and sit on the other side of him next to Belle. "He sure is a good runner." I laugh as I put Belle's head in my lap.

"Always has been." Daryl says as I lay my head on his shoulder and slowly doze off.

I wake up to Belle moving off my lap. I lift my head off of Daryl's shoulder and watch Belle go outside with Aaron. I stand up, leaving a groggy Daryl, and follow the two outside from a far. They stop by the river she'd barely survived the night before. I try to listen but can't hear a thing, once they turn around to come back, I start walking toward them.

"Hey mom!" Belle beams from beside Aaron.

"Hey!" I greet. Aaron sends me a smile. "I was just wanting to meet the boyfriend." I say as they reach me. He smiles at the thought.

"Follow me." We pick up pace into the building. Once we enter, he brings me to a room where a man lays with crunches not too far from him.

"What happened?" Belle asks from beside me.

"Belle!" She looks at me with big eyes. "You can't ask questions like that." I scold. The man just shakes his head.

"It's the apocalypse." He says as he sits up. "When we were running, I twisted it." I nod and extend my hand.

"Madison Grimes."

"Eric Raleigh." He smiles as he shakes my hand.

"Isabelle Dixon." Belle says with a smile as she shakes his hand.

"Aaron!" I hear my brother yell. We all walk out of the room and see him. "Let's get to this place of yours." Aaron sends him a smile.

"You believe in us now?" He looks at me with a small smile.

"If my sister believes in you, then so do I." Before we know it, we all cram into Ricks vehicle. I smush myself in the back truck area with the kids, Daryl, Glenn, Maggie, and Merle.

"Let's get going." Daryl says.

"We're all going to die back here before we even get there." I joke. After about ten minutes, Aaron tells us to leave the vehicle. We do as told and follow him to a tall metal wall.

"How do we get in?" Espinosa asks. Right as she asks that, a man stands tall over the tower with a stick. The stick holds an arrow piece at the end for damage.

"Stop right there!" The man says sternly.

"Son of a dick!" Ford exclaims from behind me.

"Terry, it's Me. It's Aaron and Eric." The man smiles and nods at him. The gate soon starts coming up. Once it's up, the man comes to us.

"Aaron. We were so worried about you guys. We thought that group killed you guys." Terry sends us a shy smile. "No offense." I smile back at him before he gives us a stern look. "Before you enter, we will need to take your weapons." My smile drops. I look around me and notice everyone has their weapons out. When he sees us holding onto our weapons, he speaks up again. "To enter Alexandria, weapons will have to be left at the door."