EIGHTEEN. guilty blood

Crimson red-stained marks on her skin that would haunt her dreams for however long she lived. Tall weeds whipped against the jeans she wore, fallen tears making a home on the lines they imbedded on her cheeks. Broken whispers left her lips, begging for whatever God that was out there to listen to her prayers. Rick held his sons' limp frame against his chest, every so often fixing the grip he held on the boy's bloody body. "How much farther?" Adeline yelled out, breathless pants racking her chest as she pushed through the pain of her ankle and ran alongside her brother with fearful eyes, looking back to the heavyset man her husband dragged through the field.

"Another half-mile that way! He... Talk to Hershel! He'll help your boy." The man yelled out, out of breaths caught in the middle of his guilt-ridden throat. It was clear to the Grimes sister that he despised himself for the thing he had done, but at the moment the only thing she felt towards him was the impenetrable rage that coursed through her.

The farther they ran down the field, the more fear tore through her veins. A white farmhouse came into view, her body stopping abruptly as Rick stumbled towards the ground. In one quick motion, her hands wrapped underneath his armpit and lifted him up, her brother keeping the tight grip he held on Carl steady. "I got you... I got you." Adeline breathed heavily, the two of them taking back off in a rushed sprint.

Reaching her hands out, she curled her fingers around a wooden gate and harshly shoved it open - caramel eyes catching a woman wearing a pink top rush into the house. Soon after, just as the siblings crossed over the worn in terrain and moved towards the steps leading into the home, an elder man slung the screen door open and stepped out onto the porch. Four other people followed him out, including the woman from before. "Was he bit?"

"He was shot... by your man." Adeline gasped out, looking down at her hands covered in her nephews' blood. "I put pressure on the... I tried to... he said find Hershel. Is that you? You have to help us, please. You have to." She begged, switching the direction over her words several times with a set of broken eyes.

The elder, who she guessed was Hershel, nodded his head quickly and led the siblings into his home. "Patrica, I need my full kit. Maggie - painkillers, coagulates, grab everything. Clean towels, sheets, alcohol." He listed, guiding them into a bedroom and slinging the white comforter off of the frame. "In here." He instructed, Rick following through by laying Carl onto the mattress.

"I-I can help. I know what to do, I can help you." Adeline informed, rushing to her nephews' side while rolling the long white sleeves of her shirt up to her elbows. Blood had already made a home on the material, but the feeling of air conditioning brushing against the stained skin cleared her mind as best as it could.

Hershel nodded, moving Carl's body slightly with careful eyes. "If you say so. Apply pressure." He ordered, the woman quickly following through by grabbing one of the pillows from the headboard and sliding the case off of the soft object. Quickly, she folded it several times over before holding it tightly against the gunshot wound on her nephew's stomach. Tears blurred her vision, but with a few harsh blinks, they slid down her cheeks and left a salty trail in their wake.

"Is he alive?" The broken question slipped out of her brother's mouth repeatedly, stepping back and looking at his son who bled out on the white mattress before him. "Is he alive?" His voice trembled, causing Adeline to look up from where she stood over the mattress.

A blonde woman from before handed Hershel a black stethoscope, the man taking it with quick hands and plugging the end pieces into his ears. Pressing the diaphragm against Carl's pale chest, the room fell into a hushed silence as he listened. "I've got a heartbeat. It's faint." He informed, a wave of relief lacing the Grimes siblings' body as Rick nodded shakily and stepped back.

Adeline's stance faltered, a choked sob she had held in breaking loose and causing her grip to loosen. Hands that felt like ice to her warm body pulled her away from the bed, "It's okay. I got him." A short brown haired girl assured with a soft voice. Stumbling back, she ran a bloodied hand over her face and let a trembling breath leave her lips in a state of worry and fear.

"Your names. What're your names?" Hershel questioned, looking between the two broken adults. Taking notice of her brothers' shocked look, Adeline swallowed her cries. "Rick, he's Rick." She informed, eyes staying glued to Carl whose skin was pale as the moon.

"And yours?" The elder retorted, the woman let out a breathless chuckle at her ability to forget how to introduce herself - "Adeline. I'm Adeline." She forced out, feeling the wet substance of blood mixing with tears on her cheek. Hershel nodded, "Rick and Adeline. We're gonna do everything we can, okay? For us to do that, you need to give us some room."

"But I can help... I can-"

"And I have zero doubts about that. But with the state you're in, you liable to make things worse." The doctor was quick to cut her off, his voice full of nothing but harsh truths as Adeline nodded slowly accepted his words.

Backing out of the room, she found herself pushed into a wall with more tears leaving her eyes. The only thing she could notice about herself was the amount of blood marking her skin, and everywhere she looked it was the only thing she saw. Different shades, some of it fading into her skin tone and some of it drying already. The sound of the screen door opening made her turn her head and find her brother make his way out of the home. The wooden floorboards creaked beneath her lost footing, ankle aching with slight pain as she looked around the living room she found herself in.

A blonde teen stumbled into the room, her eyes landing upon a broken and bloodied woman who shifted mindlessly in the room. "Hey, are you okay?" The question pulled Adeline out of her state of shock, head-turning to the girl who looked to her with a worried stare. "I'm Beth." She introduced, stepping forward with a rag held in her hand.

The Grimes girl took notice of the teenage boy looming in the background, a wooden bat gripped tightly in his grasp. Beth looked back at him, "Jimmy- does she look like she's gonna hurt us?" The girl retorted, causing the boy to lower his guard and place the bat back down. Turning back to Adeline, she smiled softly with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry about him... we weren't exactly expecting any new people. Anyways... we have a bathroom right down the hall. I can lend you one of Maggie's shirts, I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Beth offered with a soft tone.

Without giving a wordy answer, Adeline slowly nodded and sent a grateful expression to the teen before she led her to the small bathroom down in the hallway. Beth opened the door for her as she slipped in and avoided touching the white surfaces with her bloodied hands. Adeline shut the door with her foot, curiosity trailing down to the skin stained red. Taking in a deep breath, she stepped in front of the mirror and set eyes on her figure. Tired etched lines in her face - blood marking the side of her left cheek and fading into her hairline.

A shaky breath left her lips, pulling her brunette hair out of the loose bun it found itself in. Allowing the strands to frame her face, Adeline untied the red bandana from her belt loop and twisted the knobs attached to the sink. A rush of cool water fell from the faucet, using her fabric instead of dirtying the white hand towels in the bathroom. Wetting the red material with the cold water, her hands trembled as she looked back into the mirror and rubbed away at the blood staining her face. Droplets mixed with water dripped into the white sink - fading into the drain after the clear water washed over it. Tears mixed with the blood on her face, suppressing a choked sob guided by fear in her throat.

A soft knock sounded from the wooden door next to her, quickly rubbing her crimson-stained hands against the material of her jeans and curling her finger around the knob. Beth stood on the other side with a sympathetic face, a stack of clothes held out in her hand. "We found a pair of jeans, too. Figured you could use them." She informed, carefully extending the clothing towards her.

Adeline nodded slowly, taking the stack in her hands, careful to avoid the wet blood. "I um... thank you." The words left her mouth, voice wavering over a whisper as Beth smiled softly before walking away from the tiled room. Closing the door, she was quick to get a move on in order to get back to Carl. Clearing her mind, she pulled the blood-soaked shirt off of her body and tossed it into the small trashcan by the counter.

Eyeing the plain black tee, she slipped it over her head and stuck her arms through. Luckily enough it was loose, which for Adeline, was always how she preferred her shirts. Unbuckling the sheath for her knives, she laid the nylon straps across the base of the sink - the handles of her knives clinking against the surface. In a careful motion, she slid the bloodied machete out of her belt loop and sat it down inside of the sink alongside her knives. Adeline was quick to pull her belt through the loops and slide the black jeans down her legs - careful to avoid her ankle brace. Grabbing the green cargo pants, she squeezed through the tight fabric and buttoned them. It wasn't long before she had all of her holsters and weapons back on her body, a bloodied bandana tied around the handle of her machete as she slipped back into the living room - the boots she wore padding softly against the wooden floorboards.

Retreating back into the bedroom where her nephew was, she found Shane leaning against a dresser with a face full of worry. Rick sat on the other side of the bed with a pale face - a tube transporting blood attached to his arm. "How is he?" The question left her lips, alerting them of her presence by the door. Her husband turned around quickly, eyes filling with relief as they landed upon his wife. "Rick had to give him blood," Shane informed, his voice rough.

Hershel looked up from his seat by the bed, which gave Adeline the opportunity to see a white bandage draped across Carl's wound - blood already beginning to seep through. His skin was pale and his hair was drenched in sweat, brushed back and away from his forehead. He was unconscious, which relieved her to know he didn't have to feel the pain. "Pressure's stable." The elder informed, detaching the stethoscope from around his neck.

"Lori needs to be here. She doesn't even know what's going on. I've got... I have to go find her, bring her back." Rick stammered over his words, looking to his sister with clouded eyes. Hershel glanced at him, "You can't do that." He denied, motioning towards his arm attached to needles.

"She's his mother. She needs to know what happened. Her son's lying here shot." Adeline watched as her brother raised his voice towards the man who just saved his son. She took a step forward with her arms crossed, "He'll need more blood, Rick. You can't go." She asserted, nearing the man slowly.

Hershel looked to her thankfully from his spot before turning to Shane, "He can't go more than fifty feet from this bed." He informed - receiving a nod of confirmation from the ex cop.

Adeline walked over to her brother, helping him up from the wooden seat. He stumbled forward due to the blood transfer but was caught by his sisters grip - her hands keeping him steady as they made their way out. Entering the living room with Shane behind them, the Grimes sister took notice of a worried Maggie and Otis sitting down in chairs surrounding a coffee table. Adeline sat next to Rick, her husband claiming the spot beside of her with careful eyes. "Thank you, for the clothes." She broke the tense silence, looking at the short haired girl.

Smiling softly, Maggie nodded - "How is the boy?"

"He's stable for now." Shane spoke up, resting his hands against his knees as Rick mindlessly looked around with tear filled eyes. "Lori has to be here, Addy. She has to know." His voice trembled, causing his sister to soften her eyes and look back to him. "I know, Rick. Shane and I will handle it, okay?"

"But you've got to handle your end." Her husband spoke, Rick looking to his best friend with furrowed brows. "Your end is being here for your son. Even if he didn't need your blood to survive, there is no way I'd ever let you walk out that door. Man, I'd break your legs if you tired. I mean, you know that, right?" He continued, raising an eyebrow to the man. Adeline sat back in silence, watching her brother with careful eyes.

Looking down with eyes full of lost hope, Rick ran a hand over his face as Shane proceeded with his words. "If something happened to him and you weren't here... if... if he slipped away while you were gone, you would never forgive yourself for that. And neither would Lori."

Wrapping an arm around her brother, Adeline hugged him tightly as he suppressed his tears from falling. "You're right." Rick admitted, agreeing with his brother in-law. "When was I ever wrong?" Shane retorted, causing a light chuckle to come from the three of them.

"Rick... when you were in that hospital." The Grimes sister finally spoke up, squeezing her brothers arm with glossy eyes. "I never thought that.. I never thought that you were gonna make it out of there. I lost hope, and to be honest with you - I lost myself. But... the strength that Lori had, it was unbelievable. You have to have that.. you gotta dig deep and find it, Rick." Adeline asserted, a shaky breath leaving her lips as her husband placed a hand on her knee. "Carl needs you now more than ever."

Padding his thumb against his wife's knee, Shane looked to Rick with concerned eyes. "You wire yourself tight. You got the hard part - just leave the rest to us, okay? Just leave the rest to us." He consoled, a silence that only lasted severa seconds being broken apart by the door to Carls room opening - Hershel walking out as the three by the wall stood up simultaneously.

"He's out of danger for the moment." He informed, Adelines eyes glued to the blood staining the elders white button up. "But I need to remove those remaining fragments." He twisted a once clean rag in the crevices of his fingers to rid of the crimson stains.

Rick furrowed his eyebrows, cold sweat lacing his pale face. "But how? You saw how he was." He questioned, which sent confusion barreling towards his sister. Apparently, she had missed out on something. And if it dealt with Carl crying in pain - she was glad she wasn't there to see it.

"I know, and that was the shallowest one." Hershel replied, "I need to go deeper to get the others. And there's more, his belly's distended, his pressure is dropping, which means there's internal bleeding." He informed, causing Adeline to take a step back and look to the floorboards that creaked beneath her weight.

"A fragment must have gotten one of the blood vessels." She spoke up, her voice shaky. "You gotta open him up, find the bleeder and stitch it. You can't do that if there's a chance he'll wake up, he has to be put under." The words slipped out of her chapped lips in a hurry, worried eyes lifting up to look at the doctor.

Hershel nodded in agreement, "He wouldn't be able to breathe on his own. Same bad results." he added. Rick shifted on his feet, "What'll it take?" he questioned the two of them, his head tilted to the side.

Before either one of them could speak up - the man who shot the little boy, Otis, stood from his seat and neared them. "You need a respirator. What else?" He inquired.

"The tube that goes with it, extra surgical supplies, drapes, sutures." Hershel listed as Adeline stepped back and looked around the room with curious eyes. "We can save his life." She breathed - the smallest amount of hope coursing through her veins. "We can try." The doctor corrected her, his eyebrows raised.

Otis shook his head, "Nearest hospital went up in flames a month ago." he spoke out - his voice falling quiet as a sudden realization flooded his face. "The high-school."

"What? What high-school would have that?" Adeline questioned, her eyebrows furrowing at the hunter. "They set up a FEMA shelter there. They would have everything we need." Hershel informed, grabbing her attention.

"The place was overrun last time I saw it. You couldn't get near it. Maybe it's better now."

Shane released a breathless chuckle, "Well... I did say leave the rest to me. Is it too late to take that back?" He jokingly spoke, Adeline looking down to her hands as Rick stepped forward - "I hate you going alone."

"Actually, you said leave the rest to us. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that includes me." The Grimes sister spoke up, crossing her arms over her chest and meeting the two pairs of eyes - their mouths open and ready to reject her proposal. "Don't even say no. I know what to look for, I know if I see something and we need it then to get it. You don't, Shane. I'm going." She asserted, shutting the men up with sharpened eyes.

Shaking his head, her husband ran a hand through his hair and let it fall to the back of his neck. "Fine, but you will stick to my side. Doc, can you draw us a map?" He questioned, voice full of reluctance at the idea of letting Adeline go with him. He knew she could take care of herself, but the thought of her getting hurt on his watch made his stomach twist.

"You won't need a map. I'll take you there." Otis interjected, shifting on his feet. "Ain't but five miles."

The blonde woman from before, Patricia, stood behind Hershel with furrowed eyebrows. "Otis, no." She was quick to reject, hands pressed against the doorframe.

Her husband sighed, "Honey, we don't have time for guesswork and I'm responsible. I ain't gonna sit here while these people take this on alone. If it's still overrun, they'll need me. I'll be alright." he beckoned while twisting the cap of his hat around in his hands.

"Are you sure about this?" Shane questioned, looking to the heavyset man.

Otis tore his eyes away from his wife and set them on the man - "Besides her, do you even know what any of the stuff he's talking about looks like? Two sets of hands that know what they're searching for is better than one. I've been a volunteer EMT, I know what it is. We can talk about this till next Sunday or we could just go do it real quick." He implored, causing Adeline to rest her hand on her hips and raise and eyebrow at her husband.

"Alright, I'll take right quick." He agreed, casting his eyes back down to the ground.

"I should thank you." Rick spoke up, glancing to the man who shot his son. Otis shook his head, "Wait till that boy of yours is up and around. Then we'll talk. I'll gather some things." He informed before walking deeper into the house with his wife on his heels.

Maggie stepped up, "Where is she, your wife?" she questioned with curious eyes.

After a quick exchange of information, Adeline found herself trailing down the front porch stairs with her brother and husband following close behind. Otis led them to his blue truck - Hershel and Patrica also coming out of the house to make sure everything was in order. Having left her gun back on the highway with Dale and T-Dog, it left the Grimes sister without a firearm which both comforted and scared her at the same time. "Just get what you need and get out of there." Rick pleaded, curling his fingers around his sisters shoulder.

As he spoke, Shane tossed both his and hers empty backpacks into the bed of the truck. They resembled hiking packs, large enough to fit the supplies they needed and then some. Adeline turned to her brother with a reassuring nod, "We will. You don't have to worry about us." She said in a soothing tone.

"I want you to take this." Rick appealed, holding his infamous python out for his sister to grab. Looking at it with reluctant eyes, she took in a deep breath before curling her fingers around its hilt and sticking it in the empty holster on her belt with ease. "I'll bring it back in good shape." Adeline smiled, pulling her brother into a soft hug.

Wrapping his arms around her, Rick cupped the back of her head before pulling away. Watching as he made his way over to Shane, she popped the passenger door open and slid into the middle seat of the truck. The sharp blade of her machete was pressed against her thigh - but not hard enough to cut through the jeans and reach skin. Her throwing knives that she kept close remained strapped to her leg - their sheath protecting the blade from slicing into her skin. Twisting her ankle - she hopped the pain pill Hershel gave her would kick in before they reached the overrun high-school as the truck shifted and Otis sat into the drivers seat.

Shane followed close after, handing his shotgun to his wife before he slid into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut behind him. Curling her fingers around the black metal - she tucked the gun in between her legs. Her knees pressed against the trucks radio, hoping that a bump wouldn't cause music to start blaring. Otis tucked his gun behind Adelines head, checking to make sure the safety was on before twisting the keys into the ignition and pulling out of the farmhouses yard.

The bright sky had dimmed only slightly, boots digging into the grass beneath her as she made her way up the hill. Adeline was placed, once again, in between Otis and Shane, the three of them climbing up a small hill and taking cover behind several abandoned vehicles surrounding the high school. Placing her back against the metal, she unholstered her brothers python and glanced over to her husband, "Let's look." he whispered.

Peeking over the trunk of a police car, Adelines eyes has the immediate reaction of widening at the sight of dozens of walkers limping aimlessly around the parking lot. Their groans and snarls had become louder when she was confronted with looking at them, a calloused hand curling around her backpack and pulling her back down. "Well, at least they've got nothing compared to the city." Adeline whispered, calming herself down by placing her free hand on her husbands knee.

"Did you see that big mobile medical trailer across the way?" Otis inquires, looking down at the woman who nodded quickly as Shane peeked back up to take a look. Retreating back to cover, he stuck his bewildered eyes onto the pair next to him - "That's where we got to get to?" He questioned in a tone that made his wife stifle a laugh beneath her breath.

With a short discussion, they mapped out their plan and set it into action. After convincing, Shane allowed his wife to separate from them only for a split second to pop the trunk of the police car. Adeline pressed her stained hands against the cars metal, body moving quietly in a crouched position as she neared the drivers door. She had holstered all of her weapons, not wanting to risk dropping Ricks gun and having it go off or a knife to clatter to the concrete and attract walkers their way. Curling her fingers around the handle of the door, she slowly pulled it open and bit her lip whenever it creaked loudly at the action.

Ignoring it, she snuck her hand into the carpeted flooring and pulled the lever attached to the seat. A loud creak emitted from her decision - the hatch on the back of the police car flying open which caused her to wince and silently hurry back to her husband and Otis. Luckily, no walkers had heard the sound and stayed where they belonged as Shane searched the trunk where he found multiple red flares that would help them distract the stalkers surrounding them.

Adeline took one gratefully, unscrewing the plastic cap on it and sparking the tip against the chalk. A red light casted shadows upon her face as roared her arm back and threw the flare into the opposite side of the parking lot, away from the medical trailer. Shane and Otis repeated her actions with their own - throwing enough flares across the lot to cause the walkers to drag their feet over to them. The three they tossed was enough to distract the stalkers, their bodies springing out from behind the cop car and over to the medical trailer where they slipped through the door and out of sight from the walkers.

"His pressure could've dropped by now, we have to hurry." Adeline panted, slipping the backpack off of her arms and throwing in all of the supplies she laid eyes on. Grabbing extra of what they needed, she filled her bag to the brim while the men next to her struggled with finding certain items. After she had finished with her own bag, she strapped it back over her arms and moved to aid her husband with the list he held in his trembling hands.

Finding the specific thing they needed, she smiled widely and grabbed the metal object. "Endotracheal intubator, baby." Adeline let a laugh of relief leave her lips as she slipped the item into her husbands bag. "Attagirl," Shane mumbled - pressing a kiss to the side of her head before sliding his arms through the backpack and moving towards the trailers door. "We good?" He questioned, looking back to Otis who swallowed his words and nodded - his skin drenched with sweat.

Hovering his hand over the metal handle, he pressed down and slowly opened the door. Eyes widened with fear at the sight of the walkers back to where they were, foggy eyes snapping up to the humans who stepped out of the trailer. "Oh shit," Adeline cursed - her hand immediately retreating to her machete as Shane grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the stairs.

"Come on! Stay with me!" His voice ripped through the parking lot, Otis following behind the couple in a rushed run. The heavy bag on her back weighed her down, effects of the pain pill wearing off and the ache settling back into her ankle.

Stalkers rushed after them - their loud snarls and growls echoing around her mind as she ran alongside her husband up a set of stairs. Tearing her wrist out of his grip, she curled her fingers around the handle of her machete and kept it close to comfort herself. Turning a corner, a walker charged towards Shane which resulted in him stumbling back to grab his wife's arm. Adeline stepped out of the way, raiding the machete and bringing it down to slice the monsters face in half. "Oh god... oh my god," She whispered in pure shock, Shane grabbing her forearm and dragging her back into his grasp.

Adeline stumbled into his arms as the three of them were cornered into a set of three doors entering the school. Otis attempted to open them but was only confronted with locks, walkers coming in from both sides. Shane released his wife from his arms and aimed his shotgun - firing two loud shots into the doors. The glass shattered, giving them an entrance into the building. The state of fear caused Adeline to freeze in her steps, in a protective manner he tightly gripped her arms and pushed her into the now open doors.

Her stance faltered as she fell to the ground, machete clattering to the cold tiled floor as her chest heaved up and down and her arms led her to scooting back. Shane and Otis rushed towards the metal grate, sliding the fence like door in front of the busted ones which temporarily kept the walkers away from them.

THEY WERE TRAPPED.