Undead

Cross My Heart. (328)

MADISON'S POV.

Kara's screams substitute for the ringing in my ears and pain in my heart as it tenses. I scramble in my hands and knees to pick her up off the grass. Judith stares at Kai with curious and worried eyes but she remains silent, as do I.

"Kai." My voice is weak with fear and it's barely audible.
Finally, he groans and twitches slightly and my body aches as I relax my muscles that were tensed, still as a statue.

I grab Judith's hand and pull her forward with me as I kneel on the ground next to Kai.
"Ugh." He groans.
"I need your help Judith." Murmur as I place my screaming baby in Judith's tiny arms. "She's just a baby, so hold her tightly. Don't drop her. Can you do that for me?" I fumble with Kai's Jacket as I speak, tearing it away from the wound.
"I can do it." She promises.

Finally, the fabric tears away and I swipe gently at the wound, removing traces of blood to see the gun shot better, only to be replaced with more blood.
I take a deep breath as my fingers shake around the wound. I squint, wanting to see better.

It's only then that I realize the bullet wound isn't my main concern, it's the blood seeping from the back of his head. He must have landed pretty harshly on his head. It would explain his lack of consciousness.

"Maddieee." Judith cries and when I look up I find two walkers moving towards us. I quickly wrap and knot Kai's ripped jacket around the wound, creating pressure and minimizing the blood flow as much as possible.

I pick up my bow and stand to my feet, my shaking hands struggle to load the bow. I can't remember when I've been this much of a mess but my baby is outside the gates. And my ... Kai is bleeding out on the ground.
We're not safe.

I lift my bow up high and pull back the loaded string, taking less than a second for my hands to release the arrow into the walkers head. It drops to the ground like dead weight in what seems like the same second.

The other walker gets closer than I want. I race forward, keeping it as far from Judith, Kara and Kai as I can help it. The walker is taller and bulkier than I expect it to be and as I wrestle it, I'm not fully prepared for it to fight back. It towers over me and the pressure of holding up it's weight while its teeth snap at me only inches away make my knees buckle and we both fall to the ground.

"Madison!" I hear Kai groan from behind me.
I grab ahold of the walkers shoulders and try hard to push it off me but it's rotted skin starts to peel and break as I resist against it, my hands tear straight through to it's bones. My arrows are being crushed against my back and it's impossible to reach back and grab them to help me without getting bitten.

"No! Mads!" Kai shout in fear which only makes Judith cry with Kara, making this situation even worse.
Suddenly, the weight is removed and I breathe in fully as I look around the walker has disappointed. I find it lying next to me with somebody's foot nervously standing on it, keeping it in place with a firm grip.

I grab an arrow from behind me and finally drive it into the walkers skull and it immediately stops fighting.
I have no time to relax as I look up to see an unexpected face above me.
"Eugene?" I blink twice, wondering if my eyes were playing tricks.
"Correct." He approves in his thick accent.

Another pair of hands help me to my feet and I look up to see Kai finally on his feet.
I look between Kai and Eugene, I sure who to address first. My eyes land on the gun in between Eugene's shaking hands.
"I'm surprised to see you out here alone." I note.
"I seen Kai fall from the fence. I reckoned wherever he is, you are. I didn't know you had the children with you."
"They weren't safe in there."
"They're no safer out here." He inputs.
"I had to do something, we couldn't just stay there."