Hollow Heroes [Open to all]

"So...where are we going?" Lydia asked once they were outside of the toystore.

Honestly, if it were up to her, she'd go into another toystore. But she thought that perhaps Mel would prefer going someplace eslse.

" Wherever we want that's how exploring works. Besides once we know the place and maybe have more friends our age hide and seek would be a lot more fun." Mel answered as she walked down the hall of the mall. She wanted to get past the clothing stores and find the more interesting ones like Hot Topic or Spencers because those places had cool stuff.

"Ooh, maybe there's an arcade or something!" Lydia suggested. She then paused a minute. "Do you think an arcade would still, like, be running? Or would all the games and things be shut off?"

Safe, but boring! That's what this place was. If only some of the guys where around. Even Gambit and Kurt who where there seemed to never leave their room! Was better then being out in the cold though.

Then he heard the familiar voice of Mel. His little punching bag. And she was with that other girl. Finally some entertainment.

He silently jumped down from the hanging vent that was on the ceiling, landing softly behind them.

I don't think they would be running. But you two should be. He said with a devious grin.

" Lydia run!" Mel yelled as she grabbed her hand running away from Toad. Getting back to Bebop wouldn't be easy with how Toad moved.

" That creep is gonna so get it one of these days!" She yelled as she ran down a random hall with Lydia in order to lose him. Of course once they lost him getting back would be ten times harder.

"But he was nice earlier this morning! He was trying to help me find Bebop's room when I got lost!" Lydia yelled in response, genuinely confused by the motives of the peculiar mutant.

Lydia was NOT a good runner, and had difficulty keeping up with Mel. If they weren't holding hands she would have lagged way far behind. But because of this she had trouble keeping balance and tripped, slipping and falling towards the ground.

Toad kept easily. He jumped on the wall of the closest store then at the girls. When Lydia went to fall, Toad was quick to grab her and save her from the hard ground.

Don't want to get yourself hurt because of Mel's paranoia do we. He said and with Lydia still in his hold, quickly chased down Mel. Taking large leaps and high jumps.

Having fun yet? He asked Lydia.

" No let her go you fucking asshole!" Mel yelled looking back being forced to run she had no weapons on her and she found out first hand that touching him was a horrible idea. She was a fast runner from years of keeping up with her friends and playing sports but even she couldn't keep away from Toad for long as she raced down the hall.

"Actually...Lydia feels kinda sick..." She replied, feeling a little flustered and confused, as well as startled by all of the jumping.

Was Toad good or bad? She honestly had no earthly idea. Maybe he and Mel just had issues for some reason? Though...he did technically lie to her when trying to make Miss Love sound evil. She was very nice!

Oh. Well. Don't barf on me, please. I'll make this game of chase quick.

Toad followed Mel down the dead end hall and with another high jump, landed on top of Mel.

You didn't even attempt to save your friend. That's horrible! What kind of friend are you!? Toad scolded. He also put Lydia down unharmed.

" Get off me you dick! Last time you touched me you burned my cheek!" She yelled as she struggled to try to get loose. She was starting to shake in fear Toad terrified her and she couldn't get away.

" What the hell did I do to make you target me?!" Mel yelled at him in fear.

Still holding to her, afraid that if he relinquished his hug, she would slip away forever. Maggie had always been strong and determined. It was one of the many things that attracted him to her.But now, she had to put herself first.....



"Maggie, no..... you can't.." He gently reminded her. "You're on bed rest. If you go out there.... you'll injure yourself..." And he placed his hand against her stomach, rubbing gently. A reminder that now another life depended on her....



"I don't want them out there, either. And we will find them, I promise." He told her, meeting her gaze. "Chances are, Daryl's already found them...." And if not, he and Daryl would go out once their friend rested from his second retrieval mission....

But Maggie wasn't listening. Or rather, she was listening, but was ignoring him. She rested a hand on top of his and gave his hand a squeeze. No waiting. We can't expect Daryl to find everyone. It's selfish to stay here and not go out there to find the others. They would do the same for us, for me. I...Stood here instead of looking for you and... She took a few deep breaths trying to hold back her tears.

I'm fine. I've been in this bed for far too long.

Maggie got up and pushed herself out of the bed. She peeled off her night gown, her naked body showing off the goose bumps that where forming because of the cold. She shivered a bit as she made her way to the closet to get into something warmer.

I'll see if someone has a vehicle I can take. and weapons.

She turned to face Glenn. We've gotta stick together, leave no man behind, right?

It was obvious that she was not listening to him. She didn't consider her own health, only the well-being of others. He admired that, and hell.. he was worried, too. He had seen what Negan did to Rick. He had felt that barbed bat shoved in his face only seconds before Rick's demise. He was certain it would he him, but then the tables turned....



Painfully pushing himself up from the bed, Glenn grabbed a blanket and draped over her naked form, trying his best to use his body as a barricade, preventing her from reaching warmer clothes. Gently grasping her shoulders, he met her gaze. "I can't let you do this..."


And he held her gaze, conveying his determination to keep her safe. "When I asked Hershel for his blessing, because I wanted to ask you to marry me.... I promised him. I promised him, I would always protect you. I... I can't let him down. And I can't let you down..." He told her, words slightly shaken with emotion.



"You rest. I will go out there and find Daryl, help him bring the others back."

Maggie shook her head frantically at Glenn. No.You're not going back out there. You just got here. You're safe. You're staying here. YOU'RE STAYING SAFE! She yelled as she started to break down.

She was already feeling tired from just the emotion and standing. But she tried not to show it.

I wont go to far. But it would honestly be a surprise if she even made it to the door. Maggie reached out and wrapped her arms around Glenn pulling him close to her. I can't let anyone else get hurt...Or killed.Not when I can at least try to do something.

It was good to hear that Judith was comfortable with Lilo. Still, he had lost everyone and while he couldn't control that, maybe.. just maybe he could control what happened to his sister. If she was with him, she would be okay. Because he would die before letting anything happen to her. How many other people would make that sacrifice? What if something happened?What if the mall suddenly became overran or attacked and Judith got left behind? He knew how quickly these things could happen, and knew not too many people would bother with protecting a baby they had no attachments to....


He remained quiet as the two discussed the mutant Turtle and his name, not really caring. Even though he was unlike anything Carl had seen before, not much excited him anymore. Though, deep down, maybe he was a little curious. But he cared more about target practice and keeping his skills sharpened, because that's what would save him when the next inevitable attack happened. He would never fall into a false sense of security that most of these people seemed to have. He saw the same thing from the early settlers in Alexandria, and those people were the first to be ripped apart when the tower fell and took down their protective walls...



When Erica made the sling, he offered to take it, not wanting her to be weighed down with a responsibility that wasn't hers. Though, he did trust her. And perhaps it was for all the reasons she had thought before. She was a survivor. She had proven to be kind. He certainly saw a lot of Beth in her, and perhaps that's what he was clinging to...



"I can take it..." He offered, freeing up one hand. "She can get pretty heavy..."

"... not as sorry as I am..." Daryl commented, the emotion obvious in his quiet tone. This was extremely difficult for him. Even more difficult than the loss of his blood brother. Rick had been all the things that Merle wasn't. Rick had been the one to teach him how to trust. Had brought him into the group and made him feel like a valuable part of that. He could already feel himself slipping back into isolation, and wondered where he would go from here....


Hearing her offer, he hesitated for a moment, then gave a small nod. It would certainly be easier to get Rick back....


Back to what? To let him return for only a brief moment. To say goodbye. To break what was left of Carl's already scarred heart....

She was screaming at him, but Glenn understood. She was scared and angry. They had been through so much, and their people were still out there. He wished he could make her consider her own health, but she had never been one to just sit back... but he had to try.


When she pulled him close, his arms slipped around her, pulling her close to him. He nuzzled a kiss against her shoulder, then met her lips, kissing her softly...


Just standing was a painful reminder of his own ordeal and the sudden bout of vertigo caused him to stagger, but he braced himself back against the wall to keep from falling against her. His legs felt shaky, but if she wasn't resting... if he couldn't convince her to stay here....


"If you're going... I'm going with you..." He told her, gaze meeting hers. "I just.... I need to be close to you.. I just got you back..."

She noticed him stumble, she too was fighting to keep herself standing, but was more worried about him. Glenn had just got there, he hadn't had time to rest like she had. She slowly moved him back to the bed and sat him down.

You are a stubborn man, Glenn Rhee. She told him shaking her head in mild amusement. Maggie took a seat next to him and wrapped the blanket around him, sharing the covers and pulling him close.

Do you think the others are even close to here? What are the chances that they would find the mall? She asked as she stared at the closed bedroom door, taking his hand in hers and rubbing his knuckles.

Love made a loud whistle noise and a few moments later another creature like the one Love was riding came trotting out to them. The Felsted pawed at the snow and nudged at Daryl as if it knew he was the one that would be riding it.

Love's ears twitched as she heard a sound in the far off distance. The hounds also heard the sound and gave a low growl.

We should get going. A horde is coming this way.

Lydia watched Mel and Toad with utmost fascination. Toad seemed to be perfectly nice to her, so that obviously meant that this was a Mel-specific thing. But what was it, and why? Neither seemed to be that bad of a person in her own personal opinion. But obviously there was an issue that she just wasn't informed of.

"E-excuse me?" Lydia asked, trying to raise her voice enough that both would hopefully stop and pay her attention. "Could one of you please tell me why you're acting so...so...ehhhh, like this? Because I don't really see a good enough reason for you two to hate each other. And run stround the mall like crazy people! It's...well...immature if you ask me! Both of you are nice people, eh? And...um...I don't want any part of this. Okay?! ... Sorry for outbursting...ehhhh..."

She then buried her face in Shelby. Gosh, Lydia just yelled at people! Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh! What if there WAS a good reason for this? Oh how she wished she could just erase herself from existence right then and there!

Toad was about to lay the smack down on Mel, but when Lydia spoke up he turned to face her, still planted ontop of Mel.

So polite you are. Toad told Lydia with a smile. He finally hopped off of Mel and took Lydia's hand giving it a soft kiss.

Didn't mean to upset you. He then gave Lydia a little spin and took her into a dance. Mel and I go way back. She was very mean to me. Made fun of me. Hurt my feelings. Maybe I took it a little too harshly.

He gave Lydia a small dip and then continued the dance. She's not like you, kind and sweet and graceful. I like you.

Toad finally let Lydia go and bowed to her.

" More like I made a comment about your looks having no idea that you were beyond crazy and then you tried to kill me! Then while here you're stalking me!" Mel yelled as she got up shaken.

" Lydia let's get out of here and away from this creep he's nothing but trouble." She told the other girl.

Lydia was awkward and stiff and terribly confused throughout Toad's short dance. When he let her go, she fell over backwards - landing right on her bottom. She wasn't particularly afraid of him like Mel was. Really, he was just a bit unpredictable. He didn't seem overly mean at all, like what Mel made him out to be. But she didn't find him 100 percent trustworthy either. Oh, how confusing everything always was! Lydia just wanted to go to bed and sleep for a few decades...

"M-Mel... Toad..." She couldn't understand, she just couldn't! Listen to Toad? Listen to Mel? Mel was her friend. Was Toad too? He acted nice, but was he really? What to do, what to say... Lydia was to confuzzled to function! "I don't understand either of you!!!"

And she felt tears forming in her eyes. Baby Lydia was making a return. She stood up, squeezing Shelby very tightly, and bolting in the opposite direction. She had no idea where she was headed. All she knew was that she didn't want anything to do with Toad and Mel's problems right now. She wanted to be alone!

Bebop was just coming around the corner as Lydia ran off and the two ran into each other. The warthog scooped up Lydia and held her close to him. hugging her tightly. What the hell is going on over here? He asked as he headed down the hall.

He couldn't see too well and the hall way wasn't lit up, but he knew that smell. Bebop let out a low growl and Toad quickly leaped away from the scene and out of sight.

We're going back to the room. Let's go. And he left no room for arguing.