Kidnapped
"Carl! Hey, Carl... Wake up." I felt someone shaking me. I opened my eyes and saw my dad hovering over me. He let out a breath once I opened my eyes. I sat up and noticed I was sitting in the pews of the church.
"Melissa?!" I asked, panicked. I looked at Daryl and he sighed.
"She's dead, isn't she?" I said, letting a couple tears fall.
"We don't know yet. Could be a coma, could... Not...be." My dad said. I could tell this was hard on him. It was hard on everybody.
"I'm gonna go see her..." I said and stood up. "How long was I out?" I asked, putting on my sheriffs hat.
"About half an hour." My dad said. I nodded and walked into the room Melissa is in. I saw carol already in there, holding Melissa's hand.
"Oh hey, Carl." She said. I didn't respond, just slightly smiled for a second.
"Her heartbeat is normal. Shes defiantly alive." She smiled. I felt like a huge weight has been lifted off of my chest.
"I'll stay in here, you should tell the group. They're all super concerned." I said. She walked out of the room and I sat down on the chair beside Melissa's bed.
"I promise you, I won't leave you. I'll even stay in here all night with you. You're gonna wake up, I know it. This wasn't your fault, and nothing can kill you but a Dixon." I smiled, remembering how her, Daryl and Merle always said that.
"I love you, Melissa."
Melissa's POV
I woke up. I was at my house?
I stood up and noticed I was wearing a plain white dress that went just above my knees, and it had white sleeves.
"Hello? Is anybody here?" I asked. I walked outside and I was greeted by people I never thought I'd see again.
I saw Lori, Hershel, Sophia, Andrea, t-dog, Amanda, shane(?), Patrick, dale, Cory, and everyone I've knows and became friends with since the apocalypse started.
"What are you guys going here?!" I asked.
"The question is what are you doing here?" Amanda asked.
"W-what?" I asked. "I'm I dying? Is that what this is?"
"No, you aren't gonna die. You can't do that to Carl, Kayla, your dad... Everyone in that group loves you." Hershel said.
"I'm sorry, Hershel... I should have saved you! It should have been me, not you... This is all my fault... The group needs you more than me..." I said and cried.
"Your time isn't up yet, sweetie. I wouldn't have made it far, anyways. I only had one leg, I was getting old, anyways." He smiled. I chuckled and looked down at his legs.
"You have your leg back... " I smiled.
"Hun, you need to wake up." Andrea said. I nodded.
"I wish I got to know you better. Maybe next time." T-dog joked. I nodded and smiled, wiping tears away.
"I'm sorry I acted the way I did, Melissa. This world changed people... Don't let it change you." Shane said. I nodded.
Lori came up to me. "Say hi to my boy for me... Tell him I love him. And rick...you're the daughter I've never had, Melissa." She smiled
"What about Judith?" I asked.
"She's still my daughter... I wish I got to meet her... But you're my first daughter." She smiled. I nodded.
"You're my mom that I've never had..." I smiled. She hugged me and walked back with everyone else.
Patrick waved. I chuckled through tears and I waved back.
"You look much better, pat." I smiled through tears. "You didn't deserve this." I cried.
"It's alright. I'm at peace now." He smiled. I sniffled and nodded.
Sophia ran up to me and hugged me. "I miss you, soph..." I said. She chuckled.
"I'll see you soon. But not too soon!" She smiled I nodded.
Dale walked up to me. "You're a good kid, Mel. Never change that." He smiled. Everyone else came and said their goodbyes.
"Now, Melissa, you have to wake up. You still have so long before your time is up. Go on and live. Don't worry about us. Were fine. We love you so much." Lori smiled. I nodded and they began to fade away.
"Wait! No! Don't leave me! Please..." I said.
I bolted up. I had a huge headache and my vision was blurry.
Where am I?
Where's Carl?
I began to worry and unintentionally cried.
"Carl?" I called out. I felt something move beside me. It was dark so I couldn't see. My voice was hoarse and I felt like the room was spinning. I saw Carl sit up.
"Carl!" I cried and wrapped my arms around him. He didn't move for a couple seconds, then hugged me back.
"Melissa..?" He asked. I nodded. His grip around me tightened and I could feel tears coming from his eyes.
"Where are we?" I sniffled.
"You remember the man we saved on that rock?" He asked. I nodded. "Were at his church." He said. I nodded.
"Why are you crying?" He whispered.
"I-I saw your mom... And-and Sophia... And Andrea, and T, I saw them, Carl. Lori said to say hi and that she loves you..." I smiled. I heard him chuckle.
"I have those dreams, too... They're real... I know they are..." He said. I nodded.
I heard the door open and footsteps rush to the bed. I let go of Carl and saw my dad rush over to me. I talked before he could.
"Beth?" I asked. Everyone put their heads down. I nodded.
"We will find her." I said. Kayla hugged me.
"Don't ever do that again, Mel." She said.
"Of course not, Kay." I smiled. Everyone hugged me
"How you feeling?" Maggie asked. I shrugged.
"I have a huge headache and I feel sorta dizzy..." She nodded.
"Can I have some water, please?" Maggie asked nobody in particular. Glenn rushed out and came back in with a bottle of water. Maggie passed it to me and I drank it.
"Here, help me stand up..." I said. Carl hoped off the bed and helped me stand up. I smiled.
"Can I go look around?" I asked.
"Sure, but be careful. You most Likely do have a severe concussion." Maggie said. I nodded and began to walked out of the room.
"Carl, go with her." I heard rick say. I chuckled.
"I'm fine, guys. Really." I said.
"Just incase." Dad said. I rolled my eyes and nodded. I'm still mad at him.
I walked to the front of the church. It wasn't anything too big, just a few pews and an isle. The front had a couple things, a small, long table with an open bible on it, candles were here and there, and there were two or three rooms.
"Hey." I felt carls arm wrap around my waist.
"Hi." I smiled.
"Do you miss soph?" I asked.
"I mean, Sophia was my best friend. Of course I miss her... We all do." He said.
"She seemed so... Happy... In my dream. She said my time hasn't come yet. Carl, she's beautiful. She has long, reddish-brown hair, her smile is just... I don't know what it is about her but she's just... Stunning... She's not afraid anymore. Nobody is. Shane is nice to me, your mother is gorgeous. Amanda... Cory... They're all happy... No worries anymore..." I said. Carl was still hugging me from behind and resting his chin on my shoulder while I was staring at the wall in front of me.
"I really miss them..." He mumbled. I nodded.
"I do too, Carl..." I began to cry. I turned around and hugged him. He stroked my hair and rocked us back and forth.
"It's okay, shhh..." Carl repeated in my hear. I nodded and hugged him tighter.
"I need Merle and Beth... I need them back, Carl... It's killing me not knowing if they're dead or not... If I had the choice, they'd all be with us and we'd still be at the prison. Everyone. Lori, soph, T, Shane... Everyone... But they're not, Carl... I miss them so much..." I mumbled into his chest. He's a lot taller than me.
"Hey, hey, hey... Don't cry, angel" Carl said. I looked at him and smiled.
"I love you, Carl." I whispered.
"I love you, Melissa." Carl whispered back. I smiled and hugged him.
"Aww-" I jumped and looked behind Carl, seeing carol covering Maggie's mouth.
"Ha ha." I narrowed my eyes at them.
"Sorry, you two are just adorable!" Maggie giggled. I rolled my eyes. I grabbed carls arm and brought him outside.
"Use protection!" Glenn yelled.
"Hopefully you are, too!" I yelled back and shut the church doors. Carl was dying of laughter. I've never seen him laugh like this before. I smiled.
I heard something rustling in the woods. I looked at Carl, then back towards the noise. We began to walk towards it, when a walker walked out. I looked at it and stumbled back, silently telling Carl not to kill it by placing a hand on his knife.
I began breathing heavy. This can't be... It can't be who I think it is...
I looked down at the walkers hand and saw it. A big blade on his arm. I screamed and began to cry.
"MERLE!" I cried.
Daryl's POV
I heard a scream come from outside.
"Melissa..." I heard Kayla say.
"MERLE!" I heard her cry. Everyone looked at me. I ran outside and saw Carl holding Melissa back from a walker. I ran up to the walker and was about I stab it, when I saw who it was.
Merle.
I began to cry and stumble back. I dropped my crossbow and grabbed my knife. I launched my knife into his skull over and over again.
I felt Melissa pull me away and I hugged her while we cried.
"He's gone... Daddy he's gone..." She cried. I nodded.
"I know. It's okay, sweetheart... It's okay..." I said, looking at the walker who was Merle beside me.
My big brothers gone...
Melissa's POV
He's gone... My uncle is gone...
I got out of my dad's grasp and crawled over to walker-Merle. I saw down right beside him and cried. He was bloody and skin was peeling off. I looked around for a bite and found one in his neck and one on his stomach.
He was clearly bitten.
I put my hands over the small wound on his stomach and rested my head on my hands, crying.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I mumbled. I looked up after a few moments and I saw everyone giving me and dad sympathetic looks.
"Mel... C'mon... Let's go inside..." My dad said. I shook my head and continued to stare at Merle. My dad sighed and kneeled down beside me. He wiped away tears that were flowing from my eyes.
"We're havin' a funeral for him tomorrow." Dad said. I shook my head.
"He hated funerals. We just gotta put him somewhere.. Maybe in the woods? Or just bury him... I don't know." I sighed. Dad nodded.
"We're burying him..." He said. And with that, he headed back into the church. I never took my eyes off of Merle's corpse. He must have died a while ago, he looks too decayed to have died very recently.
I shook the thoughts out of my head and heard the familiar walker moans coming from the woods. I saw a lone walker come towards me. I grunted and grabbed my knife.
I stood up and charged towards it, stabbing it in the head. It fell to the ground and I went to my knees with it. I stabbed it over, and over, and over again. I let out a frustrated scream and cried, still continuously stabbing it in the head.
"I HATE YOU!" I screamed as if it understood me. "I FUCKING HATE YOU!" I screamed at the anonymous walker. I stabbed it so much that it's face wasn't even visible.
I felt my dad pull me away from the walker.
"YOU KILLED HIM!" I continued to scream and cry. My dad threw the knife that was in my hands on the ground and he turned me around and hugged me. I buried my face in his chest.
I let go and walked up to rick. He started to back away a little. I picked up my knife.
"this is all your fault! If you hasn't cuffed him to a roof he would STILL BE WITH US! He wouldn't be DEAD!" I screamed. Carl ran up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. I didn't bother fighting and I just collapsed into carls arms and cried.
"Let's go inside..." Carl said. I nodded and we walked inside. I sat alone at the back of the church, away from everyone.
Dad walked up to me and pulled something out of his bag. It was a piece of paper with something coloured on it with crayon. I slightly smiled and took it from his, looking at it.
Flashback (5 year old Melissa)
I was sitting at the kitchen table colouring in a picture, while my dad was making supper. Uncle Merle just walked throug the door.
"Uncle Merle!" I squealed and ran up to him, hugging him. He chuckled and hugged me back.
"Hey, baby girl. What's up?" He asked. I ran over to the colouring I made and showed it to him.
"It's a picture of me, you, and daddy!" I smiled. He chuckled and took the paper, showing it to dad.
"Well, looks like we've got an artist over here." Dad smiled I giggled. He took the piece of paper and put it on the fridge.
"How's it look?" Dad looked back at me.
"Perfect!" I beamed. They chuckled and dad went back to supper and uncle Merle sat down at the table.
End of flashback.
I studied the piece of paper in my hands. It's a picture of me, dad and Merle, all in stick figures, standing in front of a lake that we used to all go to in the summer all the time. Is lightly smiled.
"You- you kept it? all this time? Wasn't I only, like, five?" I asked, looking at dad. He smiled.
"Duh." He chuckled. "Why wouldn't I? I kept everything I could." He smiled. I nodded.
"Sometimes I wish we could just go back...to before..." I sighed. My dad nodded.
"Come sit with the group." He changed the subject. I shook my head.
"I'm fine. You go." I said. He sighed and nodded, walking away. I looked at the picture in my hands.
Merle's gone.
The woods are probably infested with walkers by now.
My house is probably gone.
It's all over. Nothing's left. Were all here in a little church in the middle of the apocalypse. All it takes is a herd to come through and tear this church down and kill all of us.
Beth is gone, who knows if she's even alive or not.
I'll never actually be able to grow up normally. Only always on the run and in danger.
I'll never graduate.
I'll never have a wedding or get married.
I'll never learn how to drive and get my licence.
I'll never go to high school.
I'll never go to college.
I'll never grow up normally.
I laid down on the ground and closed my eyes.
~the next day~
Carls POV.
"She hasn't left that corner at all yesterday or today. She hasn't eaten. She hasn't talked. She hasn't even moved more than to just lay down. What are we gonna do..?" Maggie asked.
"We just give her space. She needs to be alone for a while." I said.
"I can't just sit by and watch this happen!" Glenn said.
"She just found her uncle as a walker yesterday!" I raised my voice as if that was gonna make him listen.
"You don't know what you're talking ab-"
"I know exactly what I'm talking about! I spend more time with her than any of you do! She wants to be alone so we are gonna let her grieve alone!" I began to shout.
"Guys, I'm fine..." I heard Melissa say. I turned around and she was walking up to us.
"Melsa!" Judith giggled and reached out for Melissa. She smiled and took Judith from Sasha's arms.
"Hey, Judy!" He smiled. Judith giggled again.
"I know you guys were arguing about me." She said, still looking at Judith. We sighed.
"How?" Maggie asked.
"You guys don't think I can hear y'all yelling?" She chuckled.
"I miss him..." She said. I nodded and hugged her, being careful of Judith. I took Judith from Melissa's arms and handed her to Maggie. She hugged me back.
"I'm gonna go outside." She said. I nodded and she walked outside.
Melissa's POV
I walked outside to clear my mind. I know that they saw me take my gun so hopefully they don't follow me out. I sat down on the ground at the side of the church.
He's really gone. He's not coming back.
I shut my eyes but quickly opened them when I heard a car.
"What?" I mumbled. I saw a black car with a white cross on it. Before I could do anything else, I sharp pain went through my head. I fell to the ground.
Daryl's POV
I heard the sound of tires speeding away. I ran outside and saw a black car with a white cross of the windshield.
"They're the ones who took Beth..." I said.
"Melissa!" Carl screamed. He picked something up. Her gun.
Melissa's POV
{time skip to a few hours later}
I woke up somewhere different. I heard beeping beside me. I turned my head and saw working hospital machines.
"What..?" I mumbled. I looked ahead of me and saw a clock. A working clock.
I stood up and looked around the room. I'm in a hospital room. I walked over to the big window and saw the destroyed city of Atlanta. Everything looked burnt and destroyed.
A while back, when this first started, they dropped bombs in the city. This must be the aftermath of it all.
"HEY! HELLO? IS ANYBODY HERE?" I shouted. Just then, a woman, who was a cop, and a male doctor both walked in.
"I'm dawn. This is dr. Steven Edwards. You're in Grady memorial hospital. We saved you. We're not gonna hurt you." Dawn, the police officer said.
"Where's my people? My group?" I asked.
"You were alone when we found you. Surrounded my walkers. We saved you." Dr. Steven Edwards said.
"Let me go back to my group." I said. She shook her head. We saved you and used our resources to help you so now you have to help us keep this place running. We expect you to do your part here." Dawn said and walked out. Steven nodded and walked out. I looked on the nightstand by the hospital bed and saw my clothes. They were clean.
I put on my clothes and walked out of the room.
I saw a bunch of people doing different things around the hospital. I saw a girl with a blonde ponytail with a braid in it, mopping the floors.
"Beth?!" I almost yelled. She turned around.
"Mel?!" She asked. She ran up to me and hugged me.
"Why are you here?" She asked.
"They kidnapped me..." I said. She gasped.
"I'm sure they're coming for us. Just wait." She said. I nodded.
Carls POV
"WHERE IS SHE?!" Glenn yelled.
"I don't know!" Daryl yelled back.
"W-what do you mean 'you don't know'?" I asked.
"The same car that took Melissa took Beth! I don't know where they went!" Daryl yelled. I sighed and sat down on the ground, holding her gun.
"Who would just take people like that?!" Maggie asked. I shrugged.
"Haven't you got the memo yet? People are worse than the walkers." I replied coldly.
"Dammit..." Dad huffed. Daryl sat down and put his head in his hands.
"Why didn't you follow the car when Beth was taken?!" Maggie asked.
"I did! I tried to follow her, it's just..." He trailed off for a second. "And now they have Melissa and..." He sighed and stood up, hitting his fist against the wall.
"Daryl, calm down..."
"How can I calm down when the two people I care about most are g-" he stopped talking. Everyone just looked at him. He sighed with tears in his eyes and rushed out the doors. We all followed.
We need them back. I need Melissa. Daryl needs both of them. Maggie needs Beth. Kayla needs Melissa. I need Beth.
Kayla has also been very distant lately. Im not sure why. So has Maggie. A lot of people have been for that matter.
Everyone's taking this really hard.
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Another chapter either today or tomorrow ;)