Deadman Wonderland
Ch. 1

Dixon's a Dick

"Hey, you alive?"

Something nudged my shoulder, pulling me back to consciousness. I groaned at the weight crushing me, clawing at the ground with my free hand to get myself up.

"Told ya. It's one of 'em."

"Miss?"

I winced, opening one of my eyes a crack to look at the strangers. There were four of them standing by me, two of which were close enough to touch. A tall man wearing a sheriff uniform, a shorter Asian man, a chubby black, and a redneck with his crossbow pointed at my forehead. The latter tightened his grip on his weapon, voice muffled against the metal as he aimed. "Let's shoot this bitch and get movin' before Merle gets too far."
I frowned and licked my lips. "Ugh… Merle... That sexist crack-head bleedin' all over the place?"

The men looked at each other, surprise coloring their features. The sheriff knelt down, giving Mr. Crossbow a look. "Yes. Did you see him?"
I groaned again and tried to change my position. "Yeah. Told 'im to go cauterize his stump, so he kicked me in the head." I hissed as I brushed against the egg-sized bruise on my scalp. "Son of a bitch."
The archer growled, shifting his stance. "That's my brother you're talkin' about!"

"Sorry." I muttered, rolling my eyes. The sheriff sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Did he hurt you?"
I snorted and shook my head. "Nah. Rung my bell, but that's it. You know, I'd probably be a lot more willin' to play 20 questions with ya if you actually removed the furniture crushin' my organs. You know, if ya don't mind."
The redneck narrowed his eyes, finally lowering his weapon. "Watch your tone, girlie."
I narrowed my eyes back at him, using my free hand to brush some hair out of my face. "The name's Deliah, and I'd like to see you stay peachy pleasant after bein' trapped under heavy furniture for a day or two."

He snorted and moved over to help the sheriff. The Asian man took his place, playing with his hat. "I'm Glenn. Sorry, I'm not much help with the heavy lifting."
I shrugged, feeling the weight above me start to shift. "Eh, it don't really matter as long as I get outta here. Nice to meet ya."
Glenn put his hat back on, nodding. "Yeah. How'd that happen anyway?"
I sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "I was scavengin' with my partner when a dead one came out of nowhere. I shoot it in the head, walk over to retrieve the arrow, and suddenly I'm trapped under a cupboard. Guess my partner got eaten or somethin'…"

I trailed off, a ball forming in my throat at the thought. I'd already lost quite a few people, but she definitely took the cake. Bringing her here had been a mistake. Mr. Crossbow spoke up, cutting Glenn off and pulling me from my admittedly morbid thoughts. "You got arrows?"
I nodded and cleared my throat, my left hand curling around my bow. "Yeah, under here. Don't think they're broken."

The men flipped the cabinet over with a grunt, finally freeing me. I sat up with a drawn-out groan, shoving the rotted corpse off of me and inspecting my bow. It had a new scratch on the handle and lovely coating of zombie guts, but the rest was fine. The quiver was still in place, attached to my bow, but a few arrows stuck out of their rungs. I slid them back into place and looked up at my rescue team. They stood in a half-circle around me, the crossbow pointed towards my head again. The sheriff put his hand on it and looked down to me. "Were you bitten?"
I snorted and stood up. "No way in hell. The stiff just acted as a cushion. Well, actually, I'm pretty lucky not to have been stabbed. You know, broken bones and all that. Thanks for gettin' that thing off me."

I scrunched my nose and picked bits of brain matter off of my button-down shirt. Mr. Crossbow snorted and lowered his weapon as the sheriff held out his hand. "I'm Rick. Rick Grimes."
I shook Rick's hand. "Like I said earlier, I'm Deliah. No last name of my own."

I released his hand and went to walk, but my legs had ideas of their own. Glenn caught me by the arm before I could faceplant. "Whoa there. You okay?"
I righted myself with an awkward chuckle, and bent down to grab a backpack from under a nearby desk. "Dandy. We'd better get goin' if you wanna find him."
The archer snorted again and walked off, following the blood trail. "Merle!"
I narrowed my eyes in annoyance. "Oh great, now this one's raisin' hell. Like we didn't have enough as it is. Cállate, pendejo. Damn."
Rick hushed him, right on his heels. "We're not alone here. Remember?"
Our resident redneck scoffed in response. "Screw that. He could be bleeding out. You said so yourself."

"Oh no, what a tragedy that would be."

We walked into a kitchen area a few minutes later, the acrid smell of burnt flesh greeting us. Propane burners littered the stove with a thick leather belt off to the side, a sheen of slowly drying blood covering the whole mess. We all walked over, and Rick picked up a flat metal piece crusted with carbonized flesh. Glenn looked at it, then back at Rick. "What's that burnt stuff?"
Rick pursed his lips and set it back down. "Skin. He cauterized the stump, like she said."
Mr. Crossbow looked down at it, abnormally quiet, then at the sheriff. "Told you he was tough. Nobody can kill Merle but Merle."
Rick turned back to us, giving the burnt skin one last look. "Don't take that on faith. He's lost a lot of blood."
The archer started walking off. "Yeah? Didn't stop him from bustin' out of this death trap."
We followed him to a busted window, Glenn peering through it from behind him. "He left the building? Why the hell would he do that?"
He straightened, moving out of the way for Rick. "Why wouldn't he? He's out there alone as far as he knows, doin' what he's gotta do. Survivin'."

He left, the rest of us staring after him. The last man-who'd been quiet until now-responded, gesturing at the window. "You call that survivin'? Just wandering out in the streets, maybe passin' out? What are his odds out there?"
The archer walked back, glaring at all of us. "No worse than being handcuffed and left to rot by you sorry pricks."
I scowled as his stare turned on me. "Don't drag me into it. I had no part in this."
He snorted, moving closer to me. "That's right. You were too busy taking a nap, just waiting for a geek to come eat your face."
My scowl deepened, hand tightening around my bow. "Sorry to break it to ya, but who'd ya think told yer dear big brother where to go and what to get? Hm? Who told him what to do? Those are my fucking propane cans. I kept him alive and it would do ya well to remember it, puto."
He growled and turned to Rick, getting right in his face. "Tch. That's right, you're the one who couldn't kill him. Ain't so worried about some dumb dead bastard."
Rick stared back, unphased. "What about a thousand dumb dead bastards? Different story?"
The man narrowed his eyes and stepped to the side. "Why don't you take a tally? Do what you want. I'm gonna go get him."
Rick pushed him back towards Glenn. "Daryl, wait."
'Daryl' growled, getting right back in his face. "Get your hand off me! You can't stop me."
Rick stared back at the man, anger bleeding through his words. "I don't blame you. He's family, I get that. I went through hell to find mine. I know exactly how you feel. He can't get far with that injury. We could help you check a few blocks around, but only if we keep a level head."
Daryl swallowed down his temper before answering. "I could do that."
Rick looked over to the last unnamed man, who promptly shook his head. "Only if we get those guns first. I'm not strollin' the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions, okay?"
I clapped a hand on my thigh, looking at my new companions. "Perfect. Let's get goin' then. We ain't got all day."

We walked back to the office area, each settling in our own spot. Glenn and no-name sat on the ground, I sat on a desk in front of them, Daryl on a table to my left, and Rick stood between him and Glenn. I crossed my legs, setting my bow down by them. "So. What's the plan? Other than, ya know, 'don't get bit'."
Rick shrugged, looking down at the smallest group member. "Ask Glenn, he knows the area better than all of us combined."
Our would-be GPS nodded and shoved papers over, leaving a large patch of linoleum. "T-Dog, could you hand me some markers?"
The man handed him a large black marker, and Glenn promptly started drawing squares on ground.

"Funny… Less than a year ago, I would've been arrested for just bein' in here. And now… Heh, no one gives a shit if we draw on the floor with markers. What a wonderful world we live in."

Glenn looked up. "Theses are blocks, and we're over here right now. I'll run and get the bag that's on this street."
Rick shifted his weight, looking down at Glenn. "You're not doing this alone."
Daryl snorted, sitting in a weird position to see. "Even I think it's a bad idea, and I don't even like you much."
Glenn looked up at Rick, twirling his pen. "It's a good idea, okay, if you just hear me out."

Rick crouched to his level, rubbing his face. Glenn pointed down at the map. "If we go out there in a group, we're slow, drawing attention. If I'm alone, I can move fast. Look."
He placed a binder clip on one of the streets. "That's the tank, five blocks from where we are now." A crumpled post-it note. "That's the bag of guns."
He pointed at the street on the other side of the drawn square. "Here's the alley I dragged you into when we first met. That's where Daryl and I will go."
The archer shifted, looking from the crude map to its creator. "Why me?"
Glenn tipped his head in response. "Your crossbow's quieter than his gun."
The two exchanged facial expressions, and Glenn added a bookmark tab packet to the map. "While Daryl waits here in the alley, I run up the street, grab the bag."
Rick frowned at our battlefield plan. "You got us elsewhere?"
Glenn grabbed an eraser and added it a few blocks up from the tank. "You, Deliah, and T-Dog. Right. You'll be in this alley here."
Rick frowned again. "Two blocks away? Why?"
Glenn shook his head, looking up from his art. "I may not be able to come back the same way. Walkers might cut me off. If that happens, I won't go back to Daryl. I'll go forward instead, all the way around to that alley where you guys are. Whichever direction I go, I got you in both places to cover me. And if you get into trouble, she can bail you out without alerting the rest of the geeks. Afterwards, we'll all meet back here."
A second of utter silence passed before Daryl spoke. "Hey kid, what'd you do before all this?"
Glenn frowned at him, completely confused. "Delivered pizzas. Why?"

We all exchanged looks.

"Huh. Well, you know what they say. Learned it from the pizza man."

We left all unnecessary equipment on the desks and followed Glenn. He led us farther into the building, up a ladder and onto a roof. "Watch your steps. You fall, you die."

I quickly found out Glenn and I got along, complimenting my sarcasm with his witty sense of humor. We walked to another roof, then to its edge. Glenn looked down, then positioned himself on the ladder attached to the side of the building. "Here I go…"

Glenn climbed down the bright yellow rungs, frantically checking for deaders. Daryl followed, crossbow in hand as soon as he hit the ground. They ran off to their alley, hugging the walls. I turned to see Rick and T-Dog standing behind me, the latter of which shrugged. "Ladies first."
I rolled my eyes and made my way down. "I am definitely tellin' Glenn and Daryl you called 'em ladies."

I knocked an arrow in place as Rick hit the ground, T-Dog following suit. We ran off to our alley, following the others' example. It was mere seconds before a young man's voice ran out.

"Ayudame!"

Rick turned to us, confusion and fear clear on his face. I nodded and we took off towards the sound without another thought, sprinting as the Hispanic words turned into Glenn's panicked voice. "Get off me. Get off me! Daryl! Daryl! DARYL!"
A door slammed, tires screeched, and the hick's voice followed. "Come back here, you sumbitches!"

We ran into his alley just as he grabbed some teen in a wife-beater and threw him against the wall. Rick ran in-between them, pushing Daryl back. "Whoa whoa whoa. Stop it!"
The archer gestured over the ex-sheriff's head, red in the face. "I'm gonna kick your nuts up in your throat!"

I was taken aback at his anger, though not entirely surprised. Daryl Dixon wasn't exactly the most level-headed of people. The teen started struggling against T-Dog's hand. "Let me go."
Our comrade barely glanced at him, more worried about Daryl. "Chill out. What happened?"
The archer tried to get around Rick, pointing at the teen. "They took Glenn. That little bastard and his little bastard homie friends. I'm gonna stomp your ass!"
I glared at the kid, anger coiling and rising in my stomach. "They what?"
Daryl looked over to me, pure rage emanating from him. "Them fuck-asses nabbed Glenn! Two turned on me and a third grabbed him. They'd better pray I don't get my hand on them!"

My mind went blank, reverting back to its gang instincts. You hurt one of ours, we hurt you. Bad. I dropped my bow and lunged at our hostage, shoving T-Dog out of the way. I snarled, one hand wrapped around his throat while the other repeatedly punched him in the gut. "You. Little. Shit. Eating. Dumb. Ass. Mother. FUCKERS!" My voice dropped to a snarl. "Voy a arrancar sus tripas, puto."

T-Dog grabbed me around the waist, pulling me away from the teen. I growled and clawed at him, to no avail. I snarled, trying to kick the kid now coughing against the wall. "Where the fuck'd you take him?! ¿Dónde está mi amigo, maricón?"
T-Dog shouted over my head, his words taking my anger down a notch. "Guys, guys! We're cut off!"

And indeed, zeds were piling up against the fence, pushing against the flimsy wire mesh. The sight definitely sobered me up. Rick pointed at the buildings behind us, still holding Daryl off. "Get to the lab. Go."

T-Dog let me go and grabbed our hostage by the arm before running. I snagged my bow, Rick grabbed his bag o' guns, and Daryl cocked his crossbow. "Come on. Damn, let's go!"

Rick swiped a hat off the ground and ran, Daryl following suit. We sprinted back to our original building, avoiding the few walkers prowling around. Rick passed me around the last corner, his bag swinging back and forth. I stuck my arm between my bow's handle and strings when we reached the building, making quick work of the first ladder. Daryl reached the platform just as I began the second ladder, stomping his foot. "C'mon! Get your ass movin'!"
I glared down at him, continuing my climb. "I am! The stiffs aren't on our heels anymore. Chill the fuck out."
He started up the ladder, his hands at my heels. "What'd you say, girlie?! I oughta kick your ass!"
I rolled my eyes, skipping rungs to go faster. "Nevermind." My voice dropped to a mutter. "No que se podría golpearme todos modos."

We reached the top soon after and I hoisted myself over the ledge, like one would the edge of a swimming pool. I was about to walk off when I heard a thud and Daryl curse. I looked over the edge to see him hanging by one hand, feet dangling. I grabbed his free hand without a second thought and pulled him up, pushing my foot again the wall for leverage. He finally came over the edge and onto me, knocking me over, the both of us ending up on the ground. I groaned under the weight, glaring at the brown hair next to my face. "You're welcome. Now get off."
He pushed himself up on one arm, eyes narrowed. "You got a problem with me?"
I crossed my arms and scowled back at him. "Well, first off, you're bein' kind of a dick. Just 'cause your brother was a first-class prick, doesn't mean you have to be one too. Make your own choices, man!"
He gritted his teeth in response, glaring down at me. "Who the hell do you think ya are? Ya don't know me, and ya don't know my brother. Why the fuck are ya talkin' like ya know shit?"
I had to swallow back a particularly biting comeback. "Because I've met guys like 'im before. Guys like you. Wasted potential up the ass 'cause ya live in his shadow. Oh and, second, you're kinda still keepin' me from getting' up."

He huffed and got up, going out of my field of vision. I sat up and rubbed my sore shoulder. Only then did I realize my bow wasn't on there anymore. I turned around, searching the ground. "Where's my-"

I stopped mid-sentence when my eyes met Daryl's shoes. I looked up to his hand, or rather, what was in it. He was inspecting my bow, turning over. "Decent weight/equipment ratio." He drew it back, then relaxed. "Don't know why the fuck ya'd choose this, though. Ain't easy to shoot in a tight spot."

I shrugged, getting up. I was glad to see he seemed to have pushed away the whole brother issue for now. "Eh. You take what you can get. I was out huntin' with some buddies when it all went to shit."

He nodded, handing it to me before walking off. I jogged after him, adjusting the weapon on my shoulder. He opened the trap door and lowered himself down. "Don't stay out there too long, Princess."
I scowled at the top of his head. "I oughta jump on you."

I heard his chuckle all the way from the surface, and followed in after him with an almighty roll of my eyes. We walked back to the office space, where Rick, T-Dog, and our hostage were hanging out. Rick turned to us, putting his hat down. "Everything alright?"
I nodded, plopping down on my desk. "We're good. Minor squabble at the ladder, but we're good."
Rick nodded and looked at our hostage, frowning. "Those men you were with, we need to know where they went."
He wiped some blood off of his mouth, looking up at him. "I ain't tellin' you nothing."
T-Dog sighed, shaking his head. "Jesus, man. What the hell happened back there?"
Daryl started pacing, glaring at the teen. "I told you. This little turd and his douchbag friends came out of nowhere and jumped me."
The Latino glanced up at him, crossing his arms. "You're the one who jumped me, puto."
I growled at him, twanging my bow's string in annoyance. "Easy on the insults, cabrón. I still wanna smash your face in."
His eyes flicked to me, twitching at the name. "Screamin' about tryin' to find his brother like it's my damn fault."
Daryl paced at faster rate behind me. "They took Glenn, could've taken Merle too."
The kid looked up, an amused expression on his face. "Merle? What kind of hick name is that? I wouldn't name my dog Merle."

Daryl stopped for a millisecond, and then lunged at the kid, trying to kick his head when Rick grabbed him mid-leap. Our unofficial leader pushed him back, panting with the effort. "Dammit, Daryl. Back off."

The archer looked back at the kid and walked over to Glenn's pack, rummaging through it. He pulled out something wrapped in a blue bandana, undoing the folds. "Wanna see what happened to the last guy that pissed me off?"

He turned and tossed a hand onto the teen's lap. My eyes widened, and I couldn't help but cringe. "Qué chingados… You can't just go around throwing body parts, man. That's just sick."
The kid immediately started screaming, fell off his chair, and scrambled away. Daryl jumped on him, grabbing his throat. "Start with the feet this time."
Rick pulled him off again, getting between the two. "The men you were with took our friend. All we want to do is talk to them; see if we can work something out."
The kid shook his head, arms crossed. "I'm not taking you to them."
Rick sighed and squatted to his level. "We just want to talk. That's it. I don't want to fight unless we absolutely have to."
The teen started at every member of our group, fear and determination mixing in his eyes. "Why would I trust you? Two of your people tried to kill me."
I shook my head and bent down to pick up the blue bandana and Merle's hand. "If I'd tried to kill you, you'd be dead. And would not come back." I wrapped the appendage and put it back in Glenn's backpack before walking over to my own. "C'mere for a sec, kid. I want to show you somethin'. And before you ask, no, I don't have body parts in here."
The teen watched me go about warily. "Why can't you just bring it over here?"
I sighed in annoyance, and undid the straps tying the larger pocket closed. "'Cause I don't feel like it. C'mon, darse prisa."
He got up unsteadily and walked over, making a large circle around Daryl. "What'd you want?"

I opened the bag for him to see, pushing aside cans. Rope, ducktape, and quite a few more interesting objects came to light. I looked over at the kid, my voice low. "No dice nada, comprende? Estos son mis instrumentos, y sé cómo usarlos. Rick y T-Dog no me lo permite cerca de usted, pero puedo fácilmente noquearlos y... heh… encerrarlos en un armario. Mi amigo Daryl aquí, así que no creo que va a objetar. No voy a mirarte matas mi compañero." I straightened, smiling lightly. "So, will you take us? "

The kid's face had completely drained of color. He swallowed nervously and nodded. "Y-Yeah. Just… Promise to talk to G before doing anything."
I smiled sweetly and nodded. "Deal."

The three men behind us stared, dumbfounded. I chuckled and closed my bag. "Well, let's get going!"

We all grabbed our weapons and followed the teen down that damned ladder and through several ground-floor buildings to the outer edge of Atlanta. We managed to avoid most of the zeds, Daryl and I taking out stragglers. The kid stopped behind a busted window, trees and the remainder of a wall hiding us from view. "Here. That's the last place we won't be seen. After this, we go through a couple courtyards and we're at HQ."
I smiled at him, making his back stiffen. "Thanks. Rick, what's our plan?"
Rick pulled out shotgun cartridges, rolling them in his hand. "I don't know. We can't let them get the guns, but we can't leave Glenn either. We need some kind of backup."
T-Dog cocked his scoped shotgun. "I'll do it. I'll take the bag and go post myself by the wall. Keep an eye on you guys."
Rick peered around the tree, shaking a red cartridge. "You sure you're up for this?"
T-Dog nodded, taking a shaky breath. "Yeah."
Rick loaded his gun, the cartridges clicking. "Okay."

T-Dog grabbed the bag of guns, his own in hand, and walked off to his spot. Daryl looked down at our hostage, distaste coloring his tone. "One wrong move, you get an arrow in the ass. Just so you know."
The Latino raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "G's gonna take that arrow out of my ass, and shove it up yours. Just so you know."
Rick looked over, an eyebrow up. "G?"
The kid pursed his lips, rocking from side to side. "Guillermo. He's the man here."
Rick cocked his gun, then looked up at Daryl. "Okay then. Let's go see Guillermo."

He slipped under the broken window, then our hostage, then Daryl, then me. We let the teen walk in front of us, weapons drawn. He led us through the courtyards and up to an old wooden door. Said door opened, and a man stepped out. He looked our hostage over, squinting against the light. "You okay little man?"
The kid shrugged in response, slight panic in his voice. "They're gonna cut off my feet, carnal."
The man looked over to Rick, raising an eyebrow. "Cops do that?"
The kid shook his head. "Not him. This redneck puto here and his psycho girlfriend."
I growled at him, itching to draw my bow. "You're really tryin' to get shot, aren't ya? And I ain't his girlfriend."
He ignored me, continuing his panicked rant. "He cut off some dude's hand, man. He showed it to me."
Daryl shifted his crossbow, eyes narrowing. "Shut up."
Two more guys came out, the fatter one pointing at Daryl. "Hey, that's that vato right there, homes. He shot me in the ass with an arrow. What's up, homes, huh?
The first man put his hand over the guy's gun, pushing it down. "Chill, ese, Chill. Chill."
He turned back to us, raising his eyebrows again. "This true? He wants Miguelito's feet? That's pretty sick, man."
Rick lowered his gun an inch or two. "We were hopin' more for a calm discussion."
The first man looked over to Daryl, then back at Rick. "That hillbilly jumps Felipe's little cousin, beats on him, threatens to cut off his feet, Felipe gets an arrow in the ass, and you want a calm discussion? You fascinate me."
Rick nodded an acknowledgement. "Heat of the moment. Mistakes were made… On both sides."
The man stayed silent for a few seconds, then motioned towards Daryl. "Who's that dude to you anyway? You don't look related."
Rick tipped his head to the side, straightening his gun. "He's one of our group, more or less. I'm sure you have a few like him."
Guillermo looked at me next, raising an eyebrow. "And her?"
Rick looked back at me, then to the other man. "Picked her up in Atlanta about a half hour ago. I'd say she's part of our group too."
Daryl took a step forward, still looking through his crossbow's sight. "You got my brother in there?"
Guillermo shrugged nonchalantly. "Sorry, we're fresh out of white boys. But I've got Asian. You interested?"

I growled quietly. Rick nodded, pointing at Miguel with his shotgun. "I have one of yours, you have one of mine. Sounds like an even trade."
Guillermo cocked his head to the side. "Don't sound even to me."
The boy whined, taking half a step forward. "G. Come on man."
G continued, ignoring him. "My people got attacked. Where's the compensation for their pain and suffering? More to the point, where's my bag of guns?"
Rick raised an eyebrow. "Guns?"
Guillermo nodded, a smug look on his face. "The bag Miguel saw in the street. The bag Felipe and Jorge were going back to get. That bag of guns."

"You're mistaken. " He replied, head tilting to the side. The other man shook his head. "I don't think so."
The ex-sheriff cut him off. "About it bein' yours. It's my bag of guns."
Guillermo took a step back, shaking his head once. "That bag was in the street. Anybody could come around and say it was theirs. I'm supposed to take your word? What's stopping my people from unloading on you right here and now and I take what's mine?"

Daryl shifted his crossbow from Miguel to Guillermo, and I drew my bow. Rick shifted his weight, shotgun on our common target. "You could do that."
He made a point of looking up at where T-Dog was posted, scoped gun visible. "Or not."

"Oye."

Three men appeared on the rooftop, one wearing a paper bag. I growled under my breath. "Glenn. Hijo de puta."
Guillermo looked back down at us. "I see two options. You come back with Miguel and my bag of guns, everybody walks. Or you come back locked and loaded, we'll see which side spills more blood."

Guillermo gave a smug smile and walked back in, his cronies following. The doors closed and silence returned. I swore and shot my arrow into the door, screaming at men behind it. "Besa mi culo, putos!"
Rick put a hand on my shoulder, voice low. "Let it go. Grab your arrow and we'll leave."

I sighed heavily and pulled my arrow out of the thick door. I jammed it back in my quiver, stomping back over to the group. I shoved Miguel forward, not caring if he tripped, cursing under my breath the whole way.

We once again went up that goddamn ladder and walked back to the office. I only noticed T-Dog had joined us when Rick slammed the gun bag onto the table and began rummaging through it. Daryl started pacing again, fists clenched. "Them guns are worth more than gold. Gold won't protect your family or put food on the table. You willin' to give that up for that kid?"
T-Dog piped up from his seat by the blackboard. "If I knew we'd get Glenn back, I might agree. But you think that vato across the way is just gonna hand him over?"
Miguel looked over, clearly offended. "You calling G a liar?"

"Well we ain't calling him a truther, that's for sure."

Daryl stomped over to him, slapping his ear. "Are you a part of this? You wanna hold on to your teeth?"
T-Dog looked from Miguel to Rick. "Question is, do you trust that man's word?"
Daryl took a seat on the windowsill, crossing his arms. "No, question is what are you willing to bet on it? Could be more that guns. Could be your life. Glenn worth that to you?"
Rick clicked his gun in place and put it in its holster. "What little life I have I owe to him. I was nobody to Glenn, just some idiot stuck in a tank. He could've walked away, but he didn't. Neither will I."
Daryl stood up again. "So you're gonna hand the guns over?"
Rick looked up from the bag, a hand on the table. "I didn't say that."
I snorted. "Never compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon."
He looked at Daryl, T-Dog, and I, shaking his head. "There's nothing keeping you three here. You should get out, head back to camp."
T-Dog rubbed his head, frowning. "And tell your family what?"

Daryl and I nodded in agreement, and reached for the table. I grabbed a shotgun, sliding a loaded handgun in my belt. Miguel stood up, only to be pushed back by Daryl. "Come on, this is nuts."
He sat back down, rubbing his head. "Just do like G says."

We ignored him, loading our guns. He whined and looked around the group. "C'mon… Seriously… You're gonna get us killed."
I snapped the barrel back in position, and turned to the teen. "Shut up, will ya? We need the guns to protect our camp, and we're not leaving one of our own behind. End of story."
He snorted and looked out the window. "You've never even been there. Your camp doesn't even know you exist. Why are you doing this?"
I shrugged and cocked my gun. "Don't mean I don't have to protect 'em. These guys saved my life; I owe them. And I take life debts very seriously. You're in a gang, right?"

He nodded uncertainly. I smirked, jerking my chin up. "Then you should've known better than to mess with a girl's familia. Now stand up, we're goin'."

He pulled himself up, mumbling. I turned to dig through my backpack and pulled out two large bands of cloth, stepping towards our hostage. "Actually, hold on a sec. We gotta make it realistic, no?"
Daryl stepped forward, a slight grin on his features. "Yeah. Gotta look the part!"
Rick sighed in defeat and hoisted the bag onto his shoulder. "If it'll keep you guys from guttin' him…"
I grinned and tossed the other band to my colleague. "I'll get his wrists, you gag him."
Daryl looked down at his strip, then back at me. "Why the hell do you get to tie him up?"
I shrugged, my grin turning mischievous. "Because I'm gonna need someone to hold him down while I do my thing. You think you could do that?"

Instead of answering, the archer pounced on Miguel, knocking the kid flat. I chuckled and started tying his wrists. The Latino tried to squirm out from under Daryl, yelling incomprehensible Spanish. I finished the knot and stood up, Daryl pulling the kid to his feet. He let out a half laugh as he forced the second band over the teen's mouth. "You don't like that, eh? Eh?"
I smirked at the sight. "Well I do."

The archer grinned at me and tightened his knot. Rick pulled Miguel away from us, his eyes lingering a second too long for him to pretend he was completely comfortable. "Alright, let's get going."

We walked back through that god-awful city, back to the Vatos' headquarters. Daryl pushed the gagged Miguel forward with his gun, leading our little procession. The doors opened as soon as we reached the courtyard, and Daryl pushed our prisoner in before following. The doors closed behind us, Guillermo and his men surrounding our little group. He looked at Rick's gun, then at the man himself. "I see my guns, but they're not all in the bag."
Rick edged forward, shaking his head a bit. "That's because they're not yours. I thought I mentioned that."
G's fatter henchman leaned over to him. "Let's just shoot these fools right now, ese. Alright? Unload on their asses, ese."

Daryl and I shifted our targets, T-Dog backing up Rick. Guillermo looked around him, his eyes stopping on Rick. "I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of the situation."

"Damn. Wordy bastard, aren't ya?"

Rick lowered his gun, shaking his head. "No, I'm pretty clear."
He cut Miguel's binds off, shoving him forward. "You have your man. I want mine."
Guillermo took a second before responding, walking right up to Rick's face. "I'm gonna chop up your boy. I'm gonna feed him to my dogs. They're the evilest, nastiest man-eating bitches you ever saw. I picked them up from Satan at a yard sale. I told you how it has to be. Are you woefully deaf?"
Rick took a step back, cocking his gun. "No, my hearing's fine. You said come locked and loaded."

The rest of us cocked in unision, G's men following suit. Rick put his barrel in Guillermo's face, the Latino edging back. "Okay then, we're here."

An old woman's voice suddenly rang out above the noise. It cut through the tension like a knife, freezing us in our spots. "Felipe! Felipe!"
'Felipe' turned to the old woman as soon as she appeared, fear clear in his voice. "Abuela, go back with the others- now!"
Daryl spoke up too, his voice slightly muffled by the side of his gun. "Get that old lady out of the line of fire!"
Guillermo looked at the tiny woman behind him. "Abuela, listen to your mijo, okay? This is not the place for you right now."
The old lady kept advancing, ignoring all instructions. "Mr. Gilbert is having trouble breathing. He needs his asthma stuff. Carlito didn't find it. He needs his medicine."
Guillermo looked to his right, back at the woman, back at Rick, then at Felipe. "Felipe, go take care of it, okay? And take your grandma with you. Abuela deje por favor."
The old lady pushed past her grandson. "Who are those men?"

"Abuela, por favor. Deje con me." Felipe pleaded, to no avail. The tiny woman glared up at Rick, shaking her head. "Don't you take him."
Rick lowered his gun, raising an eyebrow. "Ma'am?"

"Felipe's a good boy. He have his trouble but he pull himself together. We need him here." She continued, shuffling forward. Rick looked around the room awkwardly. "Ma'am, I'm not here to arrest your grandson."
The old woman shook her head, confused. "Then what do you want him for?"
Rick took another look around the room. "He's…"
I lowered my gun, finishing his sentence. "Helpin' us find a missin' person. A friend of ours named Glenn. Lo ha visto, señora?"
Both Rick and Daryl gave me a look, and the small woman took a few more steps forward. "The Asian boy? He's with Mr. Gilbert. Come. Come, I show you. He needs his medicine."
She grabbed Rick's hand and began dragging him away. Guillermo sighed in defeat. "Let 'em pass."

Everyone lowered their weapons, and our small group squeezed through the horde of burly Latinos. The old woman led us out of the warehouse, through a courtyard, up a few stairs to a sunny yard, and finally into a bright building that looks suspiciously like an old folks home. Felipe stopped her a few steps into the hall. "Abuela, por favor. Take me to him."

She led him off, Rick following farther behind. He took off his hat, looking at the people we passed. We ended up in a large, theater-like room, where over a dozen elderlies were seated at tables. There was a cluster in the farthest left, Felipe's voice coming from the center. "Nice and easy. Just breathe. Just breathe. Let it out. Just breathe."
Rick looked around him in disbelief. "What the hell is this?"
Glenn looked over, his hat back on his head. "An asthma attack. Couldn't get his breath all of a sudden."
T-Dog spoke up from behind me, frowning. "I thought you were being eaten by dogs, man."

Glenn turned, looking at three tiny Chihuahuas in a leopard-print basket. Rick bent down to be face-to-face with Guillermo. "Could I have a word with you?"

He nodded, and the two stepped aside from the group. I sighed and looked at Glenn, ignoring their side conversation. "Well, since no one will say it, I guess I have to. Good to know you're safe. Even if I seriously want to hit ya upside the head for bein' so relaxed."
Glenn took off his hat and ruffled his hair, looking down. "Thanks… I think."

I sighed and sat in the closest chair, picking dried zombie bits from my clothes. A quick check of my braid made me scrunch up my nose. "Gross. I seriously need a shower."
Glenn sat by me, giving me a half-shy smile. "You can bathe back at camp. Lake water's cold and we only have bar soap, but it works."
T-Dog sat on the other side of me, leaning on his elbows. "Actually, we only got one soap. Period. Couldn't find any in this hellhole."
I shrugged, giving them a half-smile. "Hey, if it works…"
Rick walked over to us, Daryl in tow, effectively ending the conversation. "C'mon. We have some things to discuss with Guillermo here."

We got up and followed him, stopping in front of a door across the hall. We all filtered in after Rick, T-Dog taking the bench. Rick set the troublesome bag down, looking at Guillermo. "What about the rest of your crew?"
G shrugged from his seat on the desk. "The Vatos trickled in to check on their parents, their grandparents. They see how things are and most decide to stay. It's a good thing too. We need the muscle." The man paused. "The people we've encountered since things fell apart, the worst kind- plunderers, the kind that take by force."
Rick shook his head. "That's not who we are."
Guillermo shrugged again. "How was I to know? My people got attacked and you show up with Miguel hostage. Appearances."
T-Dog slouched even further, shaking his head. "Guess the world changed."
Guillermo shook his head at the comment. "No. It's the same as it ever was. The weak get taken. So we do what we can here. The Vatos work on those cars, talk about getting the old people out of the city. Most can't even get to the bathroom by themselves, so that's just a dream." He trailed off. "Still, it keeps the crew busy, and that's worth something. So we barred all the windows, welded all the doors shut except for one entrance. The Vatos, they go out, scavenge what they can to keep us going. We watch the perimeter night and day and we wait. … The people here, they all look to me now. I don't even know why."
Rick finally spoke, his eyes never leaving the other man. "Because they can."
I chuckled, a hand on my hip. "You're a pretty damn good bullshitter, Guillermo. I'll give you that." I shrugged. "Appearances are enough for these folks."

Rick handed him his shotgun, and unzipped the bag. He pulled out several shotguns and a few handguns, setting them on the desk behind G. "Save your ammo and protect these people."

He turned and left without another word, slinging the bag over his shoulder. T-Dog and Daryl followed, and I turned to Guillermo on my way out, a slight smirk on my features. "Oy, Guillermo. Tell those vatos of yours Los Hijos say hello."

He furrowed his brow, but I was already gone. The five of us left the nursing home and made our way back through the warehouse, ignoring the looks from Guillermo's men. Glenn led us through an alternate route, going up on the rooftops instead. We gathered our supplies and took the stairs down, exiting at the rear of the building. We walked out onto the much brighter street, squinting against the sun. Glenn walked besides Rick, a light smile on his face. "Admit it, you only came back to Atlanta for the hat."
Rick chuckled in return. "Don't tell anybody."
Daryl turned around, walking backwards. "You've given away half our guns and ammo."
The other man shook his head. "Not nearly half."
He ignored him, turning around again. "For what? Bunch of old farts who are gonna die off momentarily anyhow? Seriously, how long you think they got?"
Rick looked off to the side, his tone heavy. "How long do any of us?"
I rolled my eyes and retorted in a sing-songy voice. "Every party has a pooper, that's why we invited you. Party-poopeeer, party-poopeeer…."

One of the guys snorted a laugh besides me, the rest grinning slightly. The group stopped and stared at the train tracks in front of us, Glenn speaking up. "Oh my god."
Daryl followed, disbelief coloring his tone. "Where the hell's our van?"
Glenn shook his head, starting to panic. "We left it right there. Who would take it?"
Rick frowned, looking at empty tracks. "Merle."
A few seconds of silence passed before Daryl turned to the rest of us. "He's gonna be takin' some vengeance back to camp."
I sighed, rubbing my face. "Well then we better start walkin'. I don't wanna be in here when it gets dark."
I began walking off, only to be cut off by Daryl's arm. "Where the hell do ya think you're goin'? Camp's that way."
I shrugged and pointed in the direction I was walking. "Maybe, but my truck's over there."
Rick walked up, readjusting his hat. "Truck?"
I looked back at him, nodding. "Yeah. Unless corpsecicles can drive, it should still be there."
Daryl put his arm down, crossing them instead. "What about your partner or whatever. Couldn't he have taken it?"
I shook my head, walking again. "It's a she, and no. Can't drive. She's one of them or she's with your brother. Besides, I have the keys to Big Blue."
I heard Glenn speak behind me, doubt and a good amount of confusion clear in his voice. "Big Blue?"
I chuckled and adjusted my backpack. "You'll see."

We reached my truck a few minutes later, the sky-blue machine gleaming in the setting sun. I unlocked the doors, tossing my backpack on the back seats. "Alright guys, any and all items ya don't want in danger go in here. Can't guarantee it'll be a smooth ride."

Glenn and Rick handed me their bags, and they joined mine in the back. I went around back and undid the gate to the truck bed. "Climb in. The gate's on auto-lock, so just pull it shut when you're all in. Pizza man, you're up front and tell me where to go."

I climbed in the driver's seat, Glenn following suit. I jammed my bow in the side of my seat, within easy reach. I started the truck and checked the others were seated before pulling out of the station with a screech. "See why it's called Big Blue?"
Glenn nodded, hanging on to the dash for dear life. "Yeah… Uh... Does this thing have airbags?"
I laughed and drove onto the nearest road. "Yeah, it's only missin' seatbelts. Whether we're in walker-infested Atlanta or the ghetto, they're a hazard."

Glenn nodded weakly, and pointed out the correct road. About five minutes into the drive, I smiled and patted the steering wheel. "This thing's been through hell. Used to be all rusted and chipped, a really piece of crap. The last owner told me his friend had accidentally blown up the garage. Big Blue was the only thing left."
Glenn looked around the cabin. "Then why'd you buy it?"
I shrugged and grinned. "I was in need of a big sturdy thing, and a mechanic owed me a favor. The color was his revenge. But hey, motherfuckers knew when the party came to town. This thing's carried some serious ass-kickers it its day."
Glenn chuckled. "I bet. Turn left here."

We drove in mostly comfortable silence the rest of the way. That is, until gunshots rang out. Rick grabbed and cocked his gun, knocking on my back windshield. "Oh my god. Go, go! DRIVE!"

Glenn reached in the back seat and pulled out two shotguns, checking the ammo before cocking them, and the rest of the guys did the same with their own. I stepped on the gas, pulling into a full-on battle, more walkers than people prowling around the camp. We all jumped out and started shooting, spreading out in all different directions. I quickly ran out of shells, moving on to my handgun. I threw it to the side when it ran out too, using the heel of the shotgun to bash their brains in. Rick ran straight for his son, the rest of us continuing to eliminate the threat. I was so busy bashing in some poor band geek's brain that I didn't hear the other zed until it was right behind me. I tried to jump away, but it had caught my braid with its thin fingers and yanked me back. I smacked it away with my shotgun and stomped on its face, effectively crushing the weakened bone and destroying the brain.

"Disgusting."

Soon, but not soon enough, the only sound to be heard was panting. I wiped sweat and blood off of my face, looking at the camp survivors. Silence reigned over us as people took in what had just happened. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, people were suddenly hugging and crying into each other's shoulders. I just stood there awkwardly with my shotgun, adrenaline still pumping through my veins, until Daryl came up to me. I raised an eyebrow, silently glad that I didn't have to stand there alone. "You ain't gonna hug me and cry, are ya?"
He snorted, looking at the pitiful scene before us. "No way in hell. But Glenn might."
I chuckled and shook my head, sticking a hand in my back pocket. "As much as I like the kid, not gonna happen. Looks like he's gonna puke."

One woman's wails rose above the rest, a name cutting through the air. Some guy looked around him with wide eyes, blood splattered on his face. "I remember my dream now. I remember why I dug the holes."


A/N:

I LIIIIIIIIVE! I'm back from the dead, but please don't shoot me in the head.

I've been sitting on this for a while, and finally decided to upload it. Yeah. Please don't hate me.
Yes, yes, I do realize my Spanish may be a bit off, but hey. Sue me.

I'll leave you to translate everything by yourself, but feel free to pm me/review if you want me to send them to you, or start putting them down here.

Chapter 2 is done and will be uploaded this weekend!