T, the Mute, Meets Daryl, the Stupid Redneck (Under Editingon Hiatus)

by Bloody Soul Mate

T knew how to survive long before the dead woke up & the world couldn't take it. Almost eaten by a horde T has to rely on some old tricks to get the group that saved her out of the city. T, a mute, then meets Daryl, the stupid redneck. They've both been though the same stuff. So will they let each other break down the walls they both built or will someone get an arrow to the face?

1. Not the Brightest Crayon (Updated)

Intro

T knew how to survive long before the dead woke up and the world couldn't take it. It took only fourteen days for the government to decide to bomb cities, in T's book they just gave up. T didn't blame them or those who "opted out", they didn't know how to survive. When shit hit the fan, T was with the Jones' and they bugged out, heading to the quarantine zone in Atlanta. They never made it as Ms. Jones got bit and they stayed in some house in a small town after she turned, not able to put her down. T and the remaining Jones' were fine on their own till that stupid Sheriff's Deputy arrived. Morgan convinced T to help him find his family. So T leaves Morgan and Duane the only ones left that care about T. Then after being almost eaten by a horde has to rely on some old tricks to get the group that saved the two out of the city. After all is said and done, T, a mute, then meets Daryl, the stupid redneck. They've both been though the same shit. So will they let each other break down the walls they both built or will someone get an arrow to the face?

I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD OR ITS CHARACTERS. ONLY T AND A FEW OTHERS.

Chapter 1-He's not the Brightest Crayon in the box

****T's POV****

"Daddy! T! I got the sumbitch! I'm gonna smack him dead!" Duane yells outside the house standing over a walker in a hospital gown with a shovel after hitting it, as we run to him after Morgan shoots a Walker that's getting to close for comfort. I take the shovel from him as Morgan asks "He say something? I thought I heard him say something." "He called me Carl." Duane replies. "Son, you know they don't talk." Morgan says and as I check the guy for bites asks him "Hey, mister, what's that bandage for?" "W-What?" the guy asks, so he's not a walker. "What kind of wound?" Morgan asks pointing his gun at the guy and adds "You answer me, damn you…What's your wound? You tell me…Or I will kill you." The guy passes out and I start to drag him towards the house. Morgan takes the guy from me and I pick up the shovel before ushering Duane inside. I do all the locks on the door and start to hammer the boards back on as Morgan takes the guy in a room. I hurry up, not wanting Morgan to hurt the guy more than he already was. After I was done I put the hammer back on the side table and quickly walked in the room just as the guy woke up. 'My timing is not the best.' I think to myself scooting by Duane to get in the room.

****Rick's POV****

I woke up tied on a bed to the sound of footsteps and look around. The kid I thought was Carl is standing at the door with a baseball bat and the kid that was checking me scooted by him and into the room. I heard rubber gloves snap and look to my right. The man who pointed the gun at me and shot that guy, was taking off the gloves in front of a dresser and turned to me as I looked back at the kids. A rough voice said "Got that bandage changed now." I assumed it must be the man's and looked at him as he added "It was pretty rank." The taller kid then walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. The man turned looking at the kid, as he dropped his hand, and asked more to him then me, "What was the wound?" The kid moved his hands in some sort of fashion at the same time as I replied "Gunshot." "Gunshot?" the man asked turning back to the dresser, grabbed a rag, and wiped his hands with it while turning to look at me. "What else? Anything?" he asks looking back at the taller kid. The kid shakes his head as I ask "Gunshot ain't enough?" The man turns and walks up to me and says "Look, I ask and you answer. That's common courtesy, right?"

I don't answer and just look at him causing him to sigh before he leans closer asking "Did. You. Get. Bit? T says you didn't but he didn't look everywhere." I was confused at this point and asked "Bit?" The guy glances at the taller kid, who I now assumed was T, and whispers to me "Bit, chewed, maybe scratched…anything like that?" I look at T, who was now next to the bed, expecting him to say something but he doesn't so I say "No, I got shot. Just shot as far as I know." T starts to move his hand toward me but the man stopped him and did it instead. I moved my head back and he said "Hey, just let me." I let him touch my forehead and he looks at the other kid and says "Feels cool enough. Fever would've killed you by now." and took his hand away only for it to be replaced by a smaller one and more gentle one. "I don't think I have one." I say looking at T who was holding his other hand to his forehead. "Be hard to miss." The man said looking at T after he pulled his hand away from me. T then pulled out a pocket knife and handed it to the man before walking back over to the other kid. The man then held the knife in front of my face and said "Take a moment, look how sharp it is. You try anything, I will kill you with it. And don't you think I won't." before cutting what bonded me to the bed. I rubbed my wrists as the man said "Come on out when you're able." walking over to the two kids and added a "Come on." before walking out of the room. T didn't hesitate to leave but the smaller kid looked at the man then back at me before leaving.

****T's POV****

"We haven't seen another live stranger for a while, so I don't blame Duane for hitting him." I sign to Morgan after leaving the room of the guy. Duane tells me "Thanks." before going in the kitchen to set the table as Morgan and I make dinner. We are just getting ready to sit down when the guy comes in. Morgan has an awkward staring contest with him as Duane looks between them. I walk over to him offering to help him, but he walks into the living room saying "This place-Fred and Cindy Drake's?" Morgan pulls me back over to the table as he tells the guy "We've never met 'em." The guy then says "I've been here. This is their place." walking up to the windows. Morgan just says "It was empty when we got here." But the guy ignores him and goes to pull back one of the rugs. Before he could though Morgan says "Don't do that. They'll see the light. There's more of them out there than usual. I never should've fired that gun today." The guy starts to walk over so Morgan continues "Sound draws them. Now they're all over the street. Stupid, using a gun. But it all happened so fast, I didn't think." Before sitting down. "You shot that man today." The guy says looking at Morgan like he was a murderer. "Man?" Morgan asks in disbelief that someone didn't know what walkers were before Duane says "It weren't no man." I sign "English, please." as Morgan asks "What the hell was that out of your mouth just now?" Duane slowly says "It wasn't a man." looking between me, Morgan, and the guy. Stepping forward the guy accuses "You shot him in the street out front, a man." Morgan just says "Friend, you need glasses. It was a walker. Come on, sit down. Before you fall down." putting some food on the empty plate for the guy.

The guy sits down ready to eat but Duane says "Daddy, blessing." looking at Morgan who looks at the guy and says "Yeah." Morgan put his right hand on mine while Duane grabbed my left and put his right on the table looking back and forth between the guy and his hand. The guy slowly puts his hand in Duane's so Morgan begins the blessing "Lord, we thank thee for this food, thy blessings. And we ask you to watch over us in these crazy days. Amen." Duane says "Amen." as I tap the table twice and the guy just starts eating. Morgan looks at the guy and finally asks "Hey, mister, you even know what's going on?" The guy looks at Morgan and replies "I woke up today in the hospital. Came home and that's all I know." Morgan looks at Duane, then me so I sign "Ask about walkers." Morgan nods and looks at the guy and asks "But you know about the dead people, right?" "Yeah, I saw a lot of that. Out on the loading dock, piled in trucks." He replies looking at each of us. I shake my head as Morgan says "No, not the ones they put down. The ones they didn't, the walkers, like the one I shot today. 'Cause he'd have ripped into you, tried to eat you, taken some flesh at least. Well, I guess if this is the first you're hearing it, I know how it must sound." The guy looks at Morgan and asks, not believing him, "They're out there now? In the street?" Morgan nods and breaths out a "Yeah." before adding looking back and forth between the guy, Duane, and I "They get more active after dark sometimes. Maybe it's the cool air or-hell, maybe it's just me firing that gun today. But we'll be fine as long as we stay quiet. Probably wander off by morning…But listen, one thing I do know, don't you get bit. I saw your bandage and that's what we were afraid of. Bites kills you, the fever burns you out. But then after a while…you come back" The guy is silent so Duane says "Seen it happen." and the guy just looks at us as I place a hand on Duane's shoulder giving it a firm squeeze and gestured to the food.

After we were done eating Duane was laying down going to sleep between me and Morgan. The silence was nice till Morgan asked the guy "Carl-he your son?" 'No, Morgan he just said a random name, of course it's his son.' I thought to myself while reading. The guy looks at Morgan so he adds "Well, you-you said his name today." The guy pauses before saying "He's a little younger, than your boys." I shake my head thinking 'Is he still recovering from waking up to a dead world or is he just stupid?' as Morgan asks "And he's with his mother?" ignoring me. The guy sighs and says "I hope so." and looks away from us. "Dad?" Duane asks, "Hey." Morgan replies, I knew where this was going so I closed by book and looked at the guy, fully and not out of my peripheral vision. "Did you ask him?" Duane asks, Morgan chuckles before asking "Your gunshot-We've got a little be going. My boy says you're a bank robber and T say's you're a cop." The guy chuckles before saying "Yeah, that's me, the deadliest Dillinger. Kapow." Morgan chuckles as I sign "I lost." Before the guy adds "Sheriff's deputy, T's right I am a cop." I jump up signing "I won." and do a little victory dance, mostly to cheer up Duane. The guy and Morgan laugh at me but the good mood was then broken by a car alarm. Duane bolts up and Morgan grabs him as he tells him "Hey, it's okay. Daddy's here. It's nothing. One of them must've bumped a car." motioning for me to look out the window. The guy asks "Are you sure?" starting to get up to join me at the window, and Morgan says "It happened once before. It went on for a few minutes. Get the light Duane." before getting up also to join me at the window. The guy and Morgan turn off the lights as they get nearer, after all the lights were out I pulled the rug back a little more so Morgan and the guy could see out. I go over to the door and look out to peep hole as Morgan states "It's the blue one on the street. The same one as last time. I think we're okay." The guy then asks "That noise, won't it bring more of them?" as Duane sneaks his way over to the window. "Nothing we can do about it now. Just have to wait 'em out till morning." Morgan says just as Jenny comes around a corner. Duane gasps and says "She's here."

Morgan says quickly "Don't look. Get away from the windows." 'Like that's going to work Morgan.' I think to myself watching my old friend, almost mother, start to slowly make her way to the house. And I was right as Morgan says a little louder "I said go. Go on." Duane runs away crying with Morgan going after him and leaves the guy still at the window. While Morgan has Duane cry into a pillow the guy joins me at the door to look out the peep hole at Jenny as she gets closer. 'I know who she was is gone but it seems that she has some memory of the house, though this is just hopeful thinking.' I think to myself walking away from the door but close enough that if she got though somehow I could take her down before she got to the others. When Jenny turns the doorknob the guy stares at it before walking back over to the blankets and sat down. Morgan then starts to explain "She, um…she died in that other room on that bed in there. There was nothing I-I could do about it. That fever, man, her skin gave off a heat like a furnace." He starts crying a little before continuing "I should've-I should've put her down, man. I should've put her down. I know that, but I…You know what? I just didn't have it in me. She's the mother of my child. And I couldn't let T do it she was his best friend." The guy then looked at me and I just shook my head as the doorknob continued to rattle. He then looked at it and just watched it.

After Duane fell asleep, Morgan looked at me as I was now sitting in the hallway with my pocket knife in my hands and said "T….you need to get some sleep." I shook my head and didn't look at him. "You're not related to them are you?" The guy states more than asks suddenly looking at me. I shake my head as Morgan says "No, he's just an old friend and neighbor."

*****Time skip till morning*****

We agree to go with the guy to his house and the police department. The guy is the first out the door and asks "Are we sure they're dead? I have to ask at least one more time." Morgan gives a simple "They dead, except for something in the brain. That's why it's got to be the head." I shut the door behind me, as I'm the last one out, as the guy starts smacking a walker that was in the yard in the head. At this point I think to myself 'He might not be the brightest crayon in the box.' as he ends up hurting his gunshot wound. "Y'all all right?" Morgan asks looking at him and sure enough the guy says "I need a moment." After his moment we walked next door to what was apparently his house and as soon as he walks in he says "They're alive, my wife and son. At least they were when they left." Morgan, not being observant, starts to ask "How can you know? By the look of this place-"But the guy cuts him off by saying "I found empty drawers in the bedroom. They packed some clothes, not a lot, but enough to travel." Morgan not convinced says "You know anybody could've broken in here and stole them clothes, right?" I sign "Pictures." As the guy says "You see the framed photos on the walls? Neither do I. Some random thief take those too, you think?" opening a cabinet he adds "Our photo albums, family pictures, all gone." At this Morgan laughs remembering how Jenny was in the beginning of the outbreak and says "Photo albums." And sits down in a chair then adds "My wife, same thing. There I am packing survival gear, she's grabbing photo alb-" he stops when it gets too hard. So I walk around the house knowing that the conversation was going to the refugee center in Atlanta and the CDC where my brother is assigned, or was assigned. I don't know if he's still there or even alive. I stayed with Morgan and Duane after Jenny died for three reasons: First, all they had to defend themselves was the gun Morgan had, the shovel, and a wooden baseball bat. Second, all I had on me for a "good" weapon was a pocket knife as I had left my bow and my arrows in our hunting cabin. This was fine in this small town, to be able to protect Morgan, Duane, and I, but in the big cities…not so much. Third, I didn't want to be alone if I went to the CDC and found my brother gone, dead, or reanimated.

********TIME SKIP to the Police Department****

We walk into the police department only to find it empty, there wasn't even walkers. I walk around looking for anything useful information wise while the guys take a shower, I'll take one when they're done as I have more "important" things to do right now, it was more me just wanting to explore the station. I find a wall that had pictures and names of the employees. I find the guys picture and read the name "Rick Grimes". I decide to tell that to Morgan later as I continue my search.

****Rick's POV****

Morgan, Duane, and I had just finished our shower when I told Duane where the dressing room was. I turn to Morgan after he's gone and say "Atlanta sounds like a good deal. Safer anyway, people." Morgan looks at me and says "That's where we were headed. T's brother is at the CDC so we were going there. But, things got crazy. Man, you wouldn't believe the panic. Streets weren't fit to be on. And then my….my wife couldn't travel." He looks at the ground and adds "No, not with her hurt, so we had to find a place to lay low. And then after she died, we just stayed hunkered down. I guess we just froze in place." "Plan to move on?" I ask him, he looks at me again and says "Haven't worked up to it yet."

After we were dressed Morgan called for T, for some reason he didn't want to shower with us and opted to look through the files that were in the station. T showed up around a corner and Morgan said "Showers are free if you want." He nodded as he walked into the locker room, he locked the door after closing it. It clicked with me at that moment that T wasn't a he but a she but I decided to ask Morgan to be sure "So, uh, is T…" Knowing where I was going said "Yeah, just don't tell her you know or tell anyone. It's safer for her to be a boy in a world like this." "Okay." I reply as I unlock the armory.

Walking in I say "A lot of it's gone missing." Duane then looks at Morgan and asks "Daddy, can I learn to shoot? I'm old enough. T said that he'd teach me if you didn't want to." "Hell yes you're going to learn. But we've got to do it carefully, teach you to respect the weapon." Morgan says. "That's right. It's not a toy. You pull the trigger you have to mean it. Always remember that, Duane." I say patting him on the shoulder. "Yes sir." He replies looking at me. "Here. Load up." Morgan tells Duane gesturing to the ammo as I pick up a rifle with a scope. When Morgan walks up next to me I say "You take that one. Nothing fancy. The scope's accurate." Gesturing to the other rifle with a scope. A few minutes later of us checking and putting the guns in bags, T is in the hall in front of the armory door signing something to Morgan. He looks around the room till he finds what he was looking for, a baton that someone must have dropped in here and hands it to T. She put it on a belt that she must have found in the station that still had a pistol in it. "That have ammo?" I ask her. She nods and signs something to Morgan and he gives her one bullet. Knowing why there was only one bullet missing from the mag I asked "Who's was it?" not knowing if she knew or not. "Simon McDonald." Morgan translates as she signs what must be letters. "Was he bit?" I ask. She shakes her head and walks away.

We walk out of the station and I say "Conserve your ammo. It goes faster than you think. Especially at target practice." Morgan tells Duane to take their bag of guns and ammo to the car but stops T from following him so I say "Are you sure you won't come along?" Morgan says "A few more days. By then Duane will know how to shoot and I won't be so rusty." T looks at him confused as he says to her "You're going with him." She shakes her head but he says more firmly "Look, your brother is waiting for you. So you're going with him. Your bag is in the car." She nods and goes over to Duane signing to him before getting her bag from the car. I go get a walkie-talkie, turn it on, and hand in to Morgan saying "You've got one battery. I'll turn mine on a few minutes every day at dawn. You get up there, that's how you'll find us." "You think ahead." He says "Can't afford not to. Not anymore." I reply. Starting to walk away he says "Listen, one thing they may not seem like much one at a time, but in a group, all riled up and hungry, man, you watch your ass and her's, she'll do the same for you." "You too." I reply shaking his hand as Duane and T walk toward us. "You're a good man, Rick. I hope you find your wife and son. T we'll meet again someday." Morgan says starting to walk away. T nods and hugs Duane and Morgan before getting in the car so I say to him "Be seeing you, Duane. Take care of your old man." "Yes sir…Take care of T." Duane replies going to walk away till we hear a walker growl. "Leon Basset?" I ask as Morgan hugs Duane to him and as Walker Leon walks to the fence, "I didn't think much of him, careless and dumb, but, I can't leave him like this." I add. "You know they'll hear the shot." Morgan says. "Let's not be here when they show up." I say walking over to walker Leon. I hear Morgan say "Let's go, son. Come on." Behind me before they run to their car they start it just as I shoot Leon in the head.

I run back to my car and go to start it but notice it's already started with the keys in the ignition, the keys I had had in my pocket. I look at T who just shrugs as if to say "What?" As we pull out the drive and go our separate ways Morgan honks goodbye as T turns the siren on for a minute then turns it off. I pull over where I saw the legless walker and told T "I just have to take care of one thing." Before getting out of the car and walking towards the walker. I stand in front of it as I say "I'm sorry this happened to you." Before shooting it in the head. I walk back to the car and start driving.