OUTLIVE.
❝The dead were never the enemy.
It was the living. ❞
THE WALKING DEAD.
DARYL DIXON.
BOOK TWO of the LANCASTER SAGA.
[ SEASONS 4 - 6 ]
*****
*I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters. I simply write to write. Astrid, any addi...
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[ xxxvi. fade to black ]
july 2nd, 2012
➸➸➸
BETH GREENE WAS ALIVE.
Maggie Rhee sat in eager silence in the back of a repurposed firetruck as Abraham Ford sped down the Atlantan city street. Out the tinted window, the rooftop of Grady Memorial Hospital grew taller in the closing distance, and she subconsciously clung tighter to her husband's hand.
In the front cabin of the bright red engine, beside Abraham and Eugene, Rosita maintained a tense watch, searching the skies for threats, while the rest of Maggie's own group huddled in the rear with her. Glenn, Michonne, Tara, Carl, Bailey, little Judith, and Gabriel. They had all abandoned Saint Sarah's Church.
Suddenly, the firetruck screeched to a halt. They had reached their destination. Abraham turned in his seat and grabbed his firearm. "We move quick," He relayed. "Your friends may be in there, but we can't know if they're in trouble until we're on top of them. Let's go."
With those words, all ten survivors descended from the vehicle, the children strategically held back under Tara's care. Maggie, her own rifle poised and steady, walked alongside Glenn as they approached the hospital's main entrance. The exterior was strewn with discarded supplies and the bodies of decomposed walkers. Only two straggling walkers remained upright, one handled easily by Glenn, the other by Michonne.
Maggie pressed onward. The memory of Beth fueled her steps. As they neared ever closer, the elder sister's heart leaped with joy. The front doors of the hospital had swung open, revealing a sight that set her soul alight with anticipation.
The first to emerge from the hospital's dark depths was none other than Rick Grimes himself. Little droplets of blood stained his shirt, revealing signs of a past conflict, but the battle-hardened leader seemed to keep his composure, looking otherwise unharmed. He stood there, just beyond the entrance now, his hands resting at his waist, his head bowed. His lips appeared to be moving, but Maggie could not hear him from this distance.
Later, she would realize it was better that she had not.
Sasha Williams followed Rick out into the light of day. Her head was held high, though her eyes betrayed a profound sadness. Her grip on her weapon was white-knuckled, and as her gaze briefly met Maggie's, she quickly looked away. A cloud of confusion shrouded her as she watched Sasha's odd behavior. Something was wrong.
But then, a ray of light broke through the darkness. Beth stepped from the hospital next.
She was sobbing.
The ear-piercing shrieks ripped coldly through the air. Maggie's initial delight gave way to a cold dread as she watched Beth clamp her trembling hands over her mouth, her very movements a struggle. Then, the young girl's bruised arms dropped entirely, and she let out a full-blown wail.
