Survive ( twd carlgrimes)

Chapter 44

CARL'S POV.

We all wait impatiently at the meeting point. Everybody is still clearly on edge and if not finding Bob was making people agitated then the fact that every other group have gotten back except my dad's are setting people overboard.

"We should just go out and find them." Sasha sighs.
Daryl shakes his head.
"No. It's getting late. The last thing we need is to get lost or caught by whoever it is out there. They'll be back, any minute now." He amends.

The note of confidence and certainty in his voice quenches the uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. Daryl's right. There's no need to worry.
"Do you hear that?" Michonne whispers.
I crane my head, listening for what Michonne hears.

The sound of rustling leaves are loud and clear and the sound becomes more intense to the point where I can make out the sound of hurried footsteps coming towards us. My involuntary instinct causes me to lift my gun and point it at the source of sound until I notice it's Dad running around a tree and into view, Nick beside him.

"JESUS!" Maggie yells!
"SHHH!" Dad snaps.
It takes me a second to piece things together but when I look between Dad and Nick I see Madison pale white and covered in her own blood. Her weight supported by dad and Nick but her feet trailing on the ground.
"Someone's after us." Nick panics.

"And you left them a nice trail to come find us." Daryl snaps, lifting Madison's legs from the ground and trying to smoothen out the trail back to the tree they came around.
"There's no time to cover it up. They could be hunting us right now." Dad tells Daryl.

"Did you find Bob?" Sasha interjects.
"Possibly."
"Well then-"
"It's too dangerous Sasha. We need to get Madison back for the church, now!" Michonne orders.
Sasha looks like the decision has been made, she doesn't care about Madison. She cares about Bob.
Tyreese tugs at her arm, removing any chance of her running off.
"We'll find him." He promises once more and they join the rest of the group back towards the church.

I keep pace with everyone else but I can't help glance over at Madison every now and again. I can tell she's in and out of consciousness when her eyes open briefly and then fall closed again with a soft groan falling from her lips.
Dad stopped momentarily with a look of determination as he pulled Madison from Nicks grasp and hoisted her into his arms before taking off running again at a slightly slower speed.

Madison's forehead pumps endless amounts of blood that's matted her hair and is now running down her face, neck and pooling around the collar of her top, dying it crimson red. Beads of sweat pool her forehead too making her hair stick to her face. She frowns and frowns again, her mouth trying to form something comprehensible but failing.
"Hang in there Mads." Dad calls as he puffs hard, keeping his legs running.

"Where is her bow? If she wakes up without that bow by her side I can assure you that she'll be throwing fists." I pant.
"I've got them here." Nick points to the bow and arrows, strapped to his back.
Madison doesn't like people touching her bow at the best of times but I'm sure she'll make an exception today.

A few minutes later the church returns into sight and Glenn reaches the doors first, flinging them open.
"What's going on?" I hear Abbies voice, a note of high pitched paranoia laced into her words.
"Everyone move out of the way!" Carol yells as we race in through the doors.

The gasps and yells are audible as they echo through the church.
"ROSITA!" Maggie screams.
Rosita is at the alter, already swiping everything on the surface to the ground, the sound of metal clinking against he ground rattles in my ears.

Dad quickly places Madison on the alter table and brushes back her hair from her face.
"She was shot at. The bullet skimmed her head." Her explains.
"MADISON!" Abbie screams, tears already in her horror stricken eyes. Her scream is familiar to the one I heard the day we found them in the train cars, only this time the screams are more dreadful than before, filled with agony and desperation.