*** If you haven't read the my first story The Only Exception, you might not get some of the stuff in this because it's the sequel, but I tried to explain stuff as best as I could for those who haven't read it. And just to let everyone know, this story doesn't follow the Walking Dead's plotline exactly. It has a lot of the same events, but I figured most of you have already seen the show and have seen the same old stuff, so I add a lot of new events and characters that ARENT in the show. Anyways, I hope you enjoy
1- Oats in the Water
Thick heat clouded the woods, sending sweat dripping down my face and nearly every inch of exposed skin. The high noon sun beat down furiously, and I stalked through the woods alone, my eyes peeled and gun ready. I needed to be back before dinner if anybody wanted to eat, and it was all on me. The woods were unfamiliar and dense, green growing wild over everything. I didn't stop to take in its beauty. I had to get to work.
I stopped suddenly when I heard the snap of a twig. I bent down on my knees bent and peered around. Hopefully it was a deer and not a walker. We needed to eat tonight. I needed to bring something back.
We had been on the road for eight months since the farm was overrun. Shane, Dale and Patricia are dead. Lori's pregnant. Abi's sick. Daryl's still gone.
Nothing was okay.
We hid out in old houses from night to night, living off of cat food and expired cans of fruit. We hadn't wandered far from the Greene house, hovering around the outskirts and backwoods of Atlanta. There was no one to hunt, so I had taken over the responsibility, after I got a little more stable because after that night, like everything else, I had changed.
To begin, I chopped my hair off, and it sat just past my shoulders now, tangling every which way. I started carrying a gun on me at all times, no exceptions. I didn't hang out with anyone besides T-Dog and Glenn, and I think everyone was okay with that part. They all looked at me differently now, but I could care less. It got worse after Abi came down with whatever she has now. If she… died, it would be the end of me. I would have nothing left.
I was preparing for that possibility.
There was another crack and I drew my gun up high. On the other side of the small creek a deer ate at a wiry bush, trying to scavenge whatever she could. I cocked the gun quietly, but she heard. Before she could move another step, I sent a bullet through her head. Eight months ago I probably would have started crying at the sight of a dead deer, but nothing could stop my smile right now. It had been at least 4 months since we ate real meat, and I'd been tracking this deer for miles. I ran down the bank, and splashed through the water. I started to climb the muddy creek wall but stopped abruptly.
Talking. I heard talking.
On instinct, I pressed myself against the wall and didn't move a muscle until the voices came within earshot. Their footsteps took no time at all to reach the me.
"Did you hear it? It was definitely a fuckin' gun shot, Taylor." A woman's voice said.
"Yeah, I heard it. How couldn't I?" A man replied.
"Look there!" Said the woman.
My body tensed and I held a breath. They saw me.
"Holy shit, it's a deer." The man said.
The footsteps grew even nearer. "I bet the guy heard us and ran off or somethin'. Lucky for us." He said. "Now help me get this up."
Suddenly I was racing up the wall, not caring if they had weapons. I swung my leg over the side and pounced up, pointing my handgun straight at them.
"Drop the deer." I commanded.
The man held still.
"Drop it!" I said again.
He did and then held his hands up.
"Give me your guns." I said, out of nowhere.
"Whoa, chick, I don't know who you think you are-"
"Just give me your guns and go." I said, my voice not wavering an inch.
The woman stepped closer. "There's no need to do that."
I cocked my gun.
"We isn't givin' you our guns." The man said, slowly.
I turned to point it at the woman when the man jumped me, knocking my gun out of my hands and pinning me to the ground.
"Get off me!"
"Sorry, bitch." The woman said, picking up my gun. "Should we shoot 'er?"
The man looked down at me and then up at her. I spat at him.
"They'll want us to bring her back." He said.
She fingered my gun then kicked at the buck. "I guess you're right. But maybe he'll let us kill her."
The man shook his head. "He wouldn't, you know that."
She shrugged. "But it could be fun to get a nice beatin' on her."
"Fuck you." I said, my voice hoarse and breathy. "Let me go."
He chuckled darkly. "Not a chance in hell, sweetheart.
I felt him wrap my hands up with something and he pulled me to my feet. The moment he did I took of running, my hands still pinned behind my back. I single gunshot sent me to the ground. I hadn't been shot, but the threat had stopped me.
He walked over to me, almost laughing as he pulled me to my feet once again.
"You get the warning?"
I was silent.
"You walk the girl, Venessa. I'll get the deer."
"Why do I have to walk the psycho?" She argued.
"Because you're not strong enough to carry the deer back to camp." He said, handing me off to her. I bit at her face, my teeth snapping millimeters away from her nose, trying to be as psychotic as she probably thought I was. I laughed internally at her scared shitless reaction.
She composed herself and pressed the gun hard in my side.
"Don't try anything."
She looked older than me, maybe 26 or 27. She was short-ish and thin, with bright blue eyes set against glowy olive skin and light brown hair. I was about 90 percent sure she was the pretty bitch everybody hated in high school.
She kept the gun deep in my side as we walked through the woods. The man holding the deer over his shoulders was tall and tan, with short blonde hair. He looked in his late twenties.
"You shoulda reconsidered who you were messin' with." The girl said.
"I don't have any regrets." I said, and then yelped in pain as she dug the gun into my skin.
"Not yet."
I rolled my eyes. "Where are you even taking me? Does your Klan have a torture shack, or what?"
She scoffed and looked to the man. "Did you hear her?"
He looked like he was suppressing a laugh.
She glared back to me. "We aren't a part of the KKK."
"So what is it? A cult? I thought you looked kind of pale. Maybe it's all the blood sacrificing."
She grabbed her face in horror.
"What? Do you not sacrifice it? Ah, you must be a drinker then-"
"Shut up!" She yelled. "We're not in a cult, you stupid bitch."
"Could have fooled me." I said. "They take hostages like this. Sacrifice them to the Devil blah blah, you should know the drill.
I heard the man laughing silently next to her.
"Taylor?" She asked, incredulously.
"You got quite a mouth on you." He said to me.
The girl scowled. "She's just charming."
I shrugged as she pushed me a little. "Keep walking."
"Yes sir." I retorted. She ignored me and we walked farther. It took us nearly ten minutes to get to clearing, and after we crossed it, it took us only five to get close to wherever we were going.
"We're close." The girl said to me, coldly.
"To where?" I asked.
"Our camp, dumb shit."
"Me-ow." I said under my breath. Suddenly she had stopped and her gun was at my throat.
"Say one more thing and I swear I will kill you right here and now." She snapped.
"Do it." I challenged, only because I knew she wouldn't. I knew her kind, because I used to be the same. Giving empty threats, and surviving on the hope of empty promises from the people I trusted most. That was over now.
The man was pulling her back in a matter of seconds. "It's not worth it, Vennessa. Come one."
She gave one more dangerous look at me and pushed me forward. We only had to walk a few more steps before another small clearing came into view, filled with tents and clotheslines and a few trucks. People were roaming around, and a few fires were going. Some of them gave us strange looks or nods as we entered the clearing. I had a feeling I wasn't the only person they'd brought here.
"Home sweet home." The Taylor man said, throwing the deer down on the end of a tailgate. Some people smiled and gathered around when they saw the deer. I watched with them as he hopped on the tailgate next to it, standing to face everybody.
"We got dinner, everybody!" He said. The people cheered and he smiled. "But, we also have an…. out of control captive among us." He said, looking to me.
"Like the others, I advise you to be careful around her until our leaders get back." Everybody followed his gaze. I smiled, sarcastically at them, wishing my hand was free to do a pageant wave.
Someone was probably going to shoot me one of these days for being such a smart ass.
"We will keep her near the north of camp until they tell us what to do with her."
Murmurs and glances filled the crowed of maybe twenty. I was about to say something sarcastic and rude when the Vennessa girl pulled me along.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked.
"The tie tree," she said with a smug smile.
Well, didn't that sound just pleasant.
She took me across the camp, going slowly so everyone could have a good look at their 'out of control' captive. I did my best to put on a good show. I struggled a cursed and spat. They looked at me, disgusted and satisfied that such a lunatic was tied up. It was thoroughly amusing.
We finally stopped at a small tree on the edge of the campsite. It had a metal chain wrapped several times around the trunk with a pair of handcuffs attached to one of the ends.
"What the hell is this?" I asked.
She smiled, her white teeth gleaming. "It's where we tie up piece of shit thieves like you."
"Just think about that when you're eating my kill," I said, matching her fake smile. Her eyes narrowed and she pushed me to the ground. They never left mine as she put the handcuffs tightly around my wrists and took the rope that had previously held them together off, doing everything with more force than necessary.
"What do you want me to call you? Or is dog shit good with you?" She asked.
"Don't call me anything."
"I'll call you dog shit, then."
I rolled my eyes.
"Isabelle." I said. I would have said Arken, but I wasn't in the mood for explaining the last name thing, like I had to do with nearly everyone. Plus she didn't deserve to call me what I went by.
"How pretty," She mocked. "I'm Vennessa, more commonly known as Nes-"
"I don't care." I cut her off. She scowled and then kicked me hard in the thigh. I tried not to look effected.
"Good thing you have me tied to a tree," I said. "I would kick your ass so hard."
She rolled her eyes. "Have fun with that. I'll send our leaders when they get back." She said, kissing the key and shoving it in her back pocket. She walked off, hips swaying.
I was there for the rest of the night.
No one came back to check on me or look at me or say something witty just because I was tied to a tree and they weren't. They kept their distance. I fell asleep with bark digging into my back and mosquito's eating me alive only for a few moments before the group laughing down by the campfire woke me up again.
I gave them a glare they wouldn't ever see. Despite the suffocating heat, uncomfortable position and swelling rage, it wasn't the worst spot I had been in.
Four months earlier, when I was still on my emotional rampage, I ran into a group of men while I was on a run with Glenn. He'd told me to stay away, and I should have listened. I was so lonely and they were the closest thing to amusement I could get. Plus I had been flirting with men for food for months now, and so far it had been a success. I wanted to take my mind off of Abi being sick, and Lori throwing up and him not coming back.
I really thought he'd come back.
"Hey there," the greasy man with a beard had said to me when I approached their group in an empty Wal-Mart, a black tooth showing when he smiled. I flipped my hair back and tried to bat my eyes.
"What's a thing like you doin' wonderin' out here by yourself?" He asked.
"The guy I'm with is getting water from that truck down there. What are you guys up to?"
A man with a blonde beard who looked to be three times my age stepped closer. "Just smokin' some cigs. We live on the inside. Gotta lotta food."
"Got any extra?" I asked, playfully.
"Sure." He winked. "At a price."
I bit down on my lip. "And what would that be?" I expected it to be for me to spend a little time with them, keep them company for just a little while. I might have actually kissed one of them if it came down to it. It was all for the food. It was all for survival.
He exchanged a glace with grease man and nodded for me to follow him. I did, walking in between the two of them. He led me to the men's restroom. There were towels laid out in the middle of the floor and a putrid smell wafted from the stalls. A lit lantern hung from the ceiling. I stood with my as one of the stalls opened and a man walked out, looking like the two I was with. Behind him out came an older woman. She was stuffing a can into her bag and trying to readjust a bra strap. Grease man waited until they were out before moving close to me. He kissed me once, with sour, horrible breath before pulling on my bra strap. "Five minutes for two cans and a bottle of water. Doubles for every ten more minutes."
Oh my God. I had walked straight into a whorehouse.
I stepped away from him. "No- no."
He moved closer to me again, taking my waist in his hands.
"You walked in here, lady. You ain't walkin out."
I pushed him off again and glared. "I thought-"
"You thought what? I was bringin' you in here to give you free food?" They both laughed. "Everything's got a price."
"Well I'm not paying."
"Then you ain't getting no food."
"I don't fucking care. Just let me leave." I said, trying to push past him. He caught me by the arm they way he used to. I jerked away and slapped him out of rage because for a second I thought it actually was him.
Grease man stumbled back and stared at me with such shock and rage I feared for my life at that moment. Then he charged.
He pushed me back against the wall, my head slamming against the white concrete. I screamed out to anyone that could hear me. He threw me to the ground and my head hit again. I heard blonde beard laugh.
In that moment all I wanted was Daryl. I wanted him like a child wants their mother. I wanted him to come save me, like he always did. For him to push the rotten toothed man off of me and threaten to kill blonde beard just because he was laughing at me. I know he would have done it.
Would have.
But not anymore. He had made his choice, and a part of me probably blamed him for not saving me that day. Everything was done now. Everything was final. Everything was in black and white. There was no one looking out for me anymore. Only myself. I knew then, at that exact moment, that all I needed now was to try to survive. No one said anything about trying live.
The last thing I saw was a black-toothed smile.
I woke up in the Wal-Mart parking lot. My clothes were torn and my head was bleeding from somewhere in the back. The pain was searing and hot, half my vision was clouded by white fog. I knew what they had done, those sick bastards. But I had walked in there hadn't I? I had bit my lip, and flipped my hair. I was only flirting to get food, but I walked straight into a trap and I should have known better. I should have listened to Glenn.
I blacked out again right after I saw Glenn running to me.
I beat my head against the trunk of the tree to bring myself to reality, and because I felt so horrible every time that memory flashed through my mind. I was so stupid, so naïve. I wasn't like that anymore.
Or was I? I mean, I was chained to a damn tree. That had to tell me something. I couldn't help but think about Rick and Abi and everybody else in the group. They needed that deer. They needed to eat. And I had failed them because I wanted to be selfish and steal a couple of guns and this stupid group was laughing and cheering while they greedily gobbled down the meat from across camp. I would like to the think the bitch and her sidekick wouldn't have backed off the deer if I hadn't threatened them for their guns. I wanted to believe that this circumstance was inevitable.
But deep down, I knew I had gotten myself into this. Of course I had. I saw the people of the group say their goodnights and head off in separate directions to their tents. They were so arrogant, every last one of them. Eating my food. Eating Abi's food. Ricks. Lori's. Glenn's. Maggie's. Hershel's. Beth's-
"Hey." A deep voice interrupted my thoughts. The man named Taylor was walking toward me, a plastic plate in his hands. I ignored him.
"Thought you'd want something to eat." He tried again.
"That makes sense. Since I'm the one who caught it, after all." I shot at him.
He sat down next to me and I edged myself away from him.
"Isabelle, is it?"
I was silent.
"Look, I can either feed you like a baby, or I can uncuff one of your hands so you can do it yourself." He said. "But if you're thinking about number two, then you better seriously consider the fact that I have a loaded gun."
Like that would stop me.
"I'm not hungry." I said.
He shrugged. "Alright."
I waited for him to leave, but he didn't. "Do you mind?"
"What?"
I gave him the most annoyed look I could muster, hoping he'd take a hint.
Nothing.
"I'd rather be chained to a tree alone, thanks." I said. "And guards aren't supposed to make friends with the inmates."
"I've never heard that one."
"You have now. So… leave."
He stared at me with dark brown eyes. "Are you telling me what to do? At my own camp?"
"You're not the leader."
"Says who?"
I laughed sarcastically. "You would have already killed me if the choice was in your hands."
"I wouldn't." He said.
"Your group would."
He shook his head. "I don't believe that."
"Tell that to your girlfriend."
"Who? Vennessa?" He almost made a gagging noise.
"She that bad?"
He nodded. "Plus she's got something goin' on with one of our leaders. Or maybe both. You never know with her. But her and D share a tent."
"D?"
"Our leader. One of 'em, anyways."
"Oh."
He nodded. "He's a nice man. Has a lotta girlfriends, though." He laughed. "Guess I shouldn't say girlfriends if it only lasts a week. Vennessa's his longest. They've been foolin' around for a few months now."
"Ew." I said.
"I know."
My eyes then narrowed toward him. "If your so against Vennessa, why were you guys so cozy in the woods today?"
He shrugged. "We all gotta get along. Don't mean we can't secretly hate one another."
"I guess that's true."
"Yeah." He said. "You know, Isabelle, you're not so bad when you're calm. Pretty descent, actually."
"It's called a filter."
"Then what have you been keeping in?"
"Well, I've mentally killed you about three times."
He smiled. "Good to hear."
A sudden idea hit me and I knew I'd have to act fast. "You're name… it's Taylor, isn't it?"
He nodded.
"I like that name."
"Thanks. It's my dads-"
"Come here." I said, trying to sound seductive. He stopped.
"Taylor, has anybody ever told you how… absolutely irresistible you are?" I had to force the words out. He was good-looking, I had to admit, but flirting with him was like trying to eat the last piece of pie when you're already so full you can feel the food creeping back up your throat. Not like I had felt that feeling in years, but it was something like that.
I tried to inch myself closer to him but he stood up faster than I could do that.
"If you're trying to get me to unlock you, it's not happening."
I tried to act upset. "Is that all you of me? Is that all you think I want?"
"Yes."
I shrugged. "Leave then."
He didn't. "I'm sorry, I-"
"No, go." I said, dramatically.
I heard him pick up the plate and walk away. I'd get the key from him sooner or later. But now, I needed to sleep.
I woke sometime during the next day, and I could tell it was probably later in the afternoon. The sun hung around the tree tops, threatening to dip down at any moment. I must have really been exhausted.
Immediately I began to think tactfully, trying to devise a plan to lure Taylor over, flirt with him, make him steal the key from Vennassa, then run away. I would get an early start if he'd come by soon, but I didn't see him anywhere.
I sat there thinking about this until the sun rose completely over the trees. I was going to find a way out of this, like I found my way out of everything I got into.
A near by stick caught my eyes. I got my foot over it and scraped the toe of my combat boot against the dirt until the stick got close enough. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but it was better than just sitting around waiting for Taylor. I had to at least try.
I got the stick between my feet and flung it up to my stomach. I bent my torso to try to get the stick in my mouth when a voice caught me off.
"What are you doing?" Vennessa barked. I looked up and saw her storming toward me, a man on her tail. I was assuming it was the leader.
"You better stop that, little lady." He said, getting closer. He was in his late forties, early fifties with gray hair and wife beater. But the most noticeable thing about him was the medal contraption that replaced his hand. It had a short sword at the end.
"Vennassa done told me whatchya did to get yourself tied up," he said once he moved next to me. Vennessa stood on the other side of me, arms crossed.
"That's right," she said.
The man squatted down next me. "You're pretty, little lady. And you got yourself a nice rack. Shame I'm goanna have to kill you."
I glared up at him. "You're not going to kill me."
He chuckled and then slid the blade of his hand lightly across my neck. The metal was cold and sharp.
"We can't have a thief among us." He laughed.
"Then let me go you stupid bastard!" This only made him laugh harder. The metal went further into my skin.
"I don't know what's funnier; your mouth or the fact that you think I have mercy."
"I'm not stupid," I chocked out. "I know you don't have mercy. But I do know you have a soul."
He laughed again. "Wrong."
Vennessa tapped her foot impatiently. "Get this over with before he comes back. He's goanna be here soon. He finds out we killed one of our captives he's going to kill us."
He shrugged. "You're right. Guess we'll just tell 'em we had 'mercy' and let 'er go."
Vennessa giggled. "He'll think I'm a hero. He'll love me even more. Maybe I'll even get lucky tonight."
The man licked his lips and I almost threw up.
"Let me go and I'll never come back. I swear to you." I said.
He looked back down to me. "So now you wanna beg for your life, little lady."
"Not mine. My groups. They need me." I would be ready to die at the moment if it weren't for Abi.
"You shoulda thought about that before you tried to steal from my people."
He swung his blade up, ready to thrash it down against my neck. I closed my eyes only to be greeted by Abi's. She was running through Hershel's field, with Carl in tow. Her auburn braids bounced up and down and gleamed brightly in the sun. Then I saw her again, thin and pale, huddled up in the corner of the abandoned, moldy house were taking shelter in today. She looked around, waiting for me to get home. Crying when I didn't.
"Well, looks like you let them down." The man said, then laughed. My eyes shot open and before I time could pass another second I kicked him hard in the gut, then again between his legs. He yelped and fell back. Anticipating the next move, I swung my leg to the right, knocking Vennessa off her feet. She grunted and before she could move I swept her gun away with my feet. When I turned my head again, the man's knife was in my face.
"You…" he grunted in pain. "Deserve this."
His blade went up and I looked him straight in the eye, not giving him the satisfaction of killing me while I was afraid. I wanted him to know I died fighting.
I wanted Abi to know that I died fighting. I wanted her to do the same.
Never give up, Abilene. Fight until you die. I thought, praying that she could hear me in some way. The man grunted then sent his sword flying down. This was it. This was the end.
"What the hell are you doing?" A mans voice growled from behind. The sword stopped right above my throat and I let out a cry.
The man clenched his eyes closed and pulled his sword away.
"This bitch deserves this. She tried to steal Venneassa and Chris' guns out in the woods then came here and disrespected everyone. And she just jumped us."
The man behind him with a baseball cap and a poncho flung him away.
"Is this true? Did-" He stopped suddenly.
My heart quit beating. Oh my God. I had the sudden and overwhelming urge to throw up. Oh my god.
Oh my God.
The man under the hat stared at me, his mouth slightly hanging open. I didn't need to study his features, like I did with everybody else, because I already knew them like the back of me hand. I had touched every curve, every line. I had felt the rough stubble that still dotted his face and ran my hands through his jagged hair, and stared into his pale eyes until I felt like the universe only revolved around him and I at that exact moment. I'd done it all. I knew it all.
Because the man under the hat was Daryl Dixon.