This was written as a fill for a KinkMeme promt after I found myself stumbling across it, and getting far too excited to not have a go at it, as it merged well with a fic I was currently working on.
I hope you enjoy. Reviews and constructive criticism welcomed! ps. I am English so there may be a few 'English' spellings.
The prompt was: In Terminus, Gareth tells Rick that, as ringleader, he must pick one of the group in the train car to be sacrificed (eaten). Rick of course refuses. Gareth (because that boy has a very maor screw loose, you can see it in his eyes) attempts to convince Rick to choose by beating Daryl, who he can see Rick values, and who has obviously already been beaten. To them it's about enjoyment of causing people pain, both physical and mental, not about just getting food.
Disclaimer: Quite simple, I own nothing. Don't sue!
Chapter One
The heavy train car doors squealed unpleasantly as they were pulled open, daylight flooding the confined space showing the dust dancing in the air. Loud footsteps echoed on the floor as the silhouetted shapes of at least five men, along with their weapons held across strong chests, moved into the early morning light streaming into the darkness.
Stiff bodies that had been laying on the hard floor, or huddled against the side of the train car letting the freezing cold of the metal bite into their skin, shifted at the movement at the entrance of their makeshift prison. Sounds of shuffling could be heard as they made at least some movement to get to their feet, some moving quickly closer to a member of their group and some only making it to their knees or into tight crouches before their limbs protested.
Standing tall and using the sudden influx of light to his advantage, Rick took a moment to scan the people he had come to feel it his duty to protect. He could see quiet anger on Michonne's face as she held on to Carl's shoulder. He was pressed slightly into the woman's chest; Rick grimacing at the childlike movement, one that seemed so out of character for Carl over the past few months, knowing it had to do with the events of the previous day. Rick saw Glenn pull his arms protectively around Maggie, a hardness in his jaw ready to keep the one he loved safe, and the military man, who Glenn had since introduced as Abraham, move in front his own little group. His eyes quickly danced over and saw the new woman, Tara, help Sasha grab onto Bob's arms and help him to stand.
Rick's eyes continued to scan for a second more, searching out the last member of the group, as his eyes fell onto an unusually still Daryl sitting in the corner where the daylight hadn't been able to reach. Usually the first one to be up and ready in a defensive stance when an unknown threat was about, Daryl had been the only one to make no move once the door had opened. Instead, he had remained as he was in the corner of the car, his back flush against the metal behind him, his legs stretched out in front of him and his hands resting at his sides. Rick would have thought him unconscious if not for the fact he could see the man's eyes were open and narrowed, by both distrust and swelling from the beating he took the previous day, staring at the armed men who had invaded their space. Still, there were no signs of him moving. Rick's jaw clenched and he chastised himself at not checking up on the man more throughout their night in captivity, hoping it was just aches that kept the man stationary.
He was so lost in his study of Daryl, Rick hadn't noticed the sixth man walking slowly forward, pushing past the shoulders of the two burliest henchmen, and closer to the centre of the train car. The dark-haired man considered Rick with his eyes for a moment, following his gaze to the prone man in the corner, and smiling to himself before speaking.
"Ringleader!" Rick jumped and drew his eyes to the obvious leader as Gareth's raised voice boomed around the confined space, directed at him. A chuckle escaped the younger man's lips, and Rick didn't miss his brown eyes flick over to the corner of the room again. "Now that I have your attention, it might be a good time for us to have a little chat. Our formal introduction didn't quite go as well as it usually does."
"You let us out of here." The ex-deputy sheriff took a step forward, his hands in the air, and wore the best look of sincerity he could muster. "It was a mistake for us to come here. Let us go and no hard feelings. We've had enough loss with fighting other people, we're not interested in that. We'll just be on our way."
Rick's eyes caught movement in his peripheral vision and his attention shifted as he saw Daryl finally make a move to stand. The beaten hunter had sluggishly pulled himself to his knees, staying there on visibly shaking arms, and Rick was grateful to see Glenn quickly untangle himself from Maggie and go to help him up the rest of the way.
Gareth suddenly let out a harsh burst of laughter, one that seemed too menacing for his slight frame, and it pulled Rick's attention back to their captors. There was something about the way the man held himself that made Rick feel dread seep into his bones. He had that air of calm, an arrogance of being completely and utterly in control, that reminded him too much of The Governor to have him feel anything else.
"Whilst I can see why that is rather appealing to you right now, it really isn't an option here," Gareth answers, holding his arms up in a shrug. "You might have guessed this by now, but all that 'sanctuary for all' bullshit was a bit of a lie. Sorry about that. It's amazing how many people have fallen for it really. You see, this is Terminus. That means it is the end of the line."
Rick's stomach flipped and he felt the others behind him bristle, but held his hand behind him slightly to signal them all to stay quiet, that he would handle this. His mind was formulating a response but before he could managed it the thought process was made redundant.
"I don't think you really understand here, twinkle toes." Rick flinched at the voice behind him as Abraham confidently took the few steps forward, planting his back directly in front of Rick, cutting him off from Gareth. Rick looked across to Glenn with a questioning expression on his face when the military man spoke again. "You see, we ain't your average travellers, and you ain't no Wizard of Oz. We have someone important here, who might well be able to save everything from those un-dead bast.."
Abraham was cut short as with a quick nod of his head, Gareth beckoned one of this henchmen to step forward and ram the butt of his weapon into the large man's nose. Hands flew up to catch the blood that was suddenly gushing and Rick and Michonne had to move quickly to grab the angry man's shoulders before he moved the tackle his attacker.
"Stop it," growled Rick in the taller man's ear, applying enough pressure to his shoulder for the man to take note and step back reluctantly, nursing his wound and giving dirty looks to everyone, including Rick.
"To be honest, GI Joe," Gareth said almost singsong through smiling lips, "I don't really care what story you come up with about how important any of you are. It won't be anything we haven't heard already. People say anything when they beg for their lives."
Something in the way man spoke, deliberately and carefully, told the policeman in Rick that this was a well-educated man. He also guessed from the sizable chip on the relatively young man's shoulder that he most likely came from a privileged family, probably got to go to an Ivy League college and more-than-likely had a free pass on any untoward behaviour. He hated kids like this. Especially so now that he was stood in front of one who not only appeared to be a sociopath, but also had sizable manpower behind him. Shit.
"What do you want from us?" Rick stepped forward once again, putting himself between Gareth and the seething man he could hear pacing behind him, still cursing his bloody nose.
Gareth cocked his head, and seemed to be considering his answer when there was a knock at the entrance to the train car and Mary, the woman who had welcomed Glenn and others into Terminus, appeared. She walked into the space holding a large tray of what looked like some sort of hard bread (the homemade kind when you didn't have any of the nice ingredients at hand) and a large pile of cooked meat. Some pieces looked almost grey, like pork, and others an array of anaemic pinks that just didn't quite look like beef. The smell of cooked food assaulted the confined space and each member of the group subconsciously shifted forward to see what was being brought in, their hunger betraying their instincts.
"I'm going to make this quick, Ringleader," Gareth spoke again, shifting the attention away from the meat, not speaking again until Rick's eyes were on his own. "You need to choose one of your people to give over to us, right now, then the rest of you can be left alone for a few more days."
"Wha...what?" Rick stammered, confused by this piece of information. Movement at the corner of his eyes once again caught his attention and he saw Daryl step forward gingerly, wincing slightly, but putting himself where Rick could see him without having to turn away from Gareth. Rick knew Daryl was doing it out of habit, in case Rick needed to convey any sort of message quickly for Daryl to act on.
"You'll all get water...," Gareth gestures to Mary to place to plate of food on the floor at this feet, "...food. You'll be left alone, for now. We just want one of you to start with."
"Want one of us?" Rick's confusion was growing by the second and he ran his hand over his dishevelled beard, unsure of whether the man intended to harm them or convert someone into one of their group. "What do you mean?"
"I won't lie...," he clucked, that smile playing on his lips again. Rick knew he was getting off on this and hated that he was seemingly playing into his hands. "You won't be seeing them again."
Gareth looked down and nudged the tray of meat towards Rick with his foot, making the plate scrape against the metal, and smiled, flashing impossibly white teeth for the end of the world. The younger man took a deep breath, smelling the cooked flesh beneath him, a look of ecstasy slipping onto his features before his eyes fell pointedly onto the meat before them.
"Well," Gareth's tongue snaked out of his mouth quickly and he sucked on his bottom lip, before continuing, "not exactly."
The realisation hit Rick like the train their current jail used to be a part of as he heard Glenn vocalise the horror of what he was being asked to decide.
"Dude...you eat people?"