Anna did what she could for her own survival, and ended up in an ill-fated relationship with a cannibal.
When a chance at doing something right and earning a little bit of redemption she so craves, she snatches at it.
But with death around every corner and bloody hands clawing down her door, how long can she fight a losing battle?
slight Gareth / OC
ONE:
The group of Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and Bob were kneeling in front of the trough, their blood about to be spilled into it like others before them. The bodies next to Glenn were limp, blood done coming from their throats and down the chute. Their throats were slit as if they were animals.
And, perhaps, in this situation they were only cattle.
The butcher stood at the side with a baseball bat in hand, his assistant next to him. Gareth stood with a clipboard in his hands, in front of the group, checking off things and making sure things were in order.
The group was hunched over the dirty trough, bound and gagged. Glenn was up next, and they started to feel defeat settle into their bones. Bob, at the other end beside Rick, was screaming through his gag, trying to get somebody to listen.
That was when a woman walked through the far door. Everyone turned to the blonde, whose eyes had widened when she entered. Her blue pools of ocean caught Rick's gaze and they stared at each other for a moment before she looked at Gareth.
She had never witnessed how the food came to her plate, and she never did wish to witness it. She ate and bared it, knowing that a disgusted look would put her on the chopping block. Not to mention, if she ever wished to run away—she dared not even think of it.
"Gareth?" came her soft voice through chapped lips, her hands twitching for the knife or gun on her hip; a strike of humanity pulsing through her, but her hands returned to their sides on the instinct of survival.
Her voice sounded broken, weak, questioning. And above all, doubtful.
The group may have never known, as it was only a whisper in Terminus itself. No one announced it, because in this day and age, it didn't need to be announced. Gareth and the unidentified female had been lovers—were still lovers.
It started for her own survival, when at her month mark at Terminus she didn't know if she could take eating humans any longer. She had hoped that Gareth would develop feelings for her and he would let his guard down.
This was not the case, because now, he looked out for her; loved her like a man should. And she would be lying if she said she didn't have her own feelings.
Gareth sighed, "Anna—"
The woman—Anna— raised an eyebrow, her lips forming a frown.
Gareth was about to respond, give her an excuse and send her away, but an explosion interrupted him from doing so.
Anna's head snapped in the direction of the noise, eyes flickering over the windows and finding no explanation.
"Stay here!" Gareth ordered her, before turning to a few others in the room. "Go! Find what's wrong!"
Gareth and the others he had ordered left, leaving the group, the butcher and his assistant, and Anna alone.
Anna bit her lip, eyes squinting in concentration. This act caused Rick to look at her curiously, but his underlying rage forced him to give the others a look.
She did not want these people to die, and now was her chance at some kind of redemption. She felt like an awful person for being a reason people had to die to feed her. Anna felt sick, her stomach churning and threatening to spill her breakfast all over the concrete floor.
Her mind had made a decision, but that didn't stop her heart from hurting. She forced herself to shake it off.
This was the right thing to do.
"Mark," started Anna, drawing the attention from everyone in the room. "I never really liked you."
Her voice sounded so plain, but so threatening. It had a poisonous bite to it, and for a second she looked like a viper ready to strike; her sharp features only adding to the deadliness in her expression. Mark had always made Anna feel uncomfortable, and whenever they spoke it often left a sour taste in her mouth.
Mark only had time to look Anna in the eye before her hand was at her hip. There was a blur after she grabbed her knife and in the next second, Mark was on the ground with a knife between his eyes.
The group stared at the body, then at Anna, mostly in bewilderment.
The assistant dropped his bat and went for the gun in his belt, but Anna was too fast for him. Her own pistol was in her hand and she fired, killing him.
Although Anna had never been great with guns since this whole thing went down, Gareth had been training her. That was probably the only reason she got her target; and it was ironic that it was the very skill that Gareth taught her that killed one of his men.
Anna lowered the gun, placing it back in its holster. She raced over and grabbed her knife from Mark's skull. She looked over at Rick, who had an Alpha-Male aura about him that made Anna assume he was their leader. She stepped closer, cautiously.
The people couldn't have been happy.
"I'm going to cut the binds." Anna told them steadily, her hands slightly raised.
She cut Rick's first, which allowed him to remove his gag, and then she quickly went down the rest of the line. She gazed sadly at the people she could not help, since she had arrived too late.
Rick, now, on his feet got defensive. The three other people-Daryl, Glenn and Bob-went to stand behind him. They stared at her, untrustingly.
"Look," she started, knowing full well she didn't deserve their trust yet; yet she unholstered her gun and handed it over to Rick in a manner of good faith. "I really don't wanna be here; it's wrong what they're doing. I could never leave because they'd catch me. I'll help you if you help me."
Rick frowned, playing with the gun in his hands. Daryl had went to grab the guns Mark and his assistant had, keeping one for himself and handing the other to Glenn.
"You have no reason to trust me." Anna said seriously. "But I can lead you out of here."
"Take us to our weapons and the train car we were in and you have a deal." Rick told her, the gun in his hand going to his side.
"Deal." she affirmed with a nod, shaking Rick's hand.