Nox: Let Daryl and Jude guide us into a world of chapter is a combination of things that are graphic enough to warrant a warning.
Disclaimer: The Walking Dead belongs to Kirkman and AMC.
Warning: Intense Graphic Violence
Brother
"Get everyone outta here," he said, voice low, eyes flashing back and forth. They needed to get out of there, and fast. Turned out, the group weren't no do-goodin' house warmers. They were killers, hunters, raiders.
Monsters.
"Hell if I'm leavin' ya," he said, grippin' his trusty weapon tight. Brown eyes squinted even further at him.
"Forget it. I only trust you to keep everyone safe, beyond the encampment. I'll bring up the rear, keep the guards busy if I have to." He pointed round, showin' the places he meant. Escape points, ones he'd noticed himself.
"I know you can find your way out of here, better than any of us. We need you for that. I can take care of the rest." He gripped Daryl's arm, hard, reassuring them both.
"Trust me."
Daryl grunted, shifted on his feet, but finally nodded. Glenn was good when it came to plans. He'd never argue with that. Daryl never much cared for makin'em, but he sure as hell was good at carryin'em through. "Ain't never trusted no one like you 'fore so count yaself lucky." Glenn smirked.
"You mean a 'Chinaman'?" Daryl grinned back, thinking on all the things that they had been through, on just what that name meant to them.
"Nah, a brother." The surprise on Glenn's face was good enough for him. He clapped him on the shoulder, and turned to go. He'd already agreed to the plan before there was even a discussion.
"Daryl?" he turned back to Glenn, checking to make sure he had his knife, extra arrows, and his supplies. He nodded, waiting for whatever Glenn wanted. The silence that stretched between them suddenly made him nervous. He didn't like the look that crossed Glenn's face, didn't like the way it made him feel.
"Take care of Maggie for me, no matter what happens." He studied him for a moment, didn't like the tigthenin' in his stomach. He could already feel his heart startin' to race with adrenaline.
"Just keep yer ass safe, so I don't hear it from Maggie." He clapped Glenn on the shoulder and stalked away in the dark. "Cos I sure as hell ain't gonna be nobody else's baby daddy."
Glenn chuckled as Daryl hurried off.
"Daryl, do you see that?" Jude shouted over the roar of the engine, and cuttin' off the memory. She was pointin' to somethin' far off, somethin' he couldn't see well enough to make out. He thought it looked like a group of people, but it could just as well 'ave been a herd.
"Can't take the chance Jude," he grunted, eyes still on the road, not turnin' round. "Know that." He felt her squeeze him round the middle, tight. She laid her head against his back and he felt her chest push against his, as she took a deep breath.
He hated havin' ta do that to her. Rippin' apart the hope that maybe, somethin' or someone else was out there, just like they were.
But he knew better. Knew better'n to think that everyone was like them. Once the world went to shit, an' the dead started eatin' people, it was like everyone thought it was okay to just be assholes.
To just start bein' monsters.
"I know," he heard her mumble, "I just…" He rested a hand against hers and squeezed it gently. But no matter how much she may a wanted it to be people, he'd never take that chance. Not never again. They'd made that mistake too many times in the past, an' they'd paid fer it. Paid for it with blood an' sacrifice, an' tears. He weren't gonna take that chance.
He took a breath, and stared out at the empty expanse around him. The rumble of the Bonneville fillin' his ears as he tuned Jude out for a moment.
It was odd, feelin' her small frame against his back instead a hers. He couldn't shake the feelin' it gave him. That he'd lost somethin'. That there was a hole in the middle a his chest. Weren't right. But it didn't matter how he felt 'bout it. Judith was his to protect. She was his now. She came first an' he weren't gonna put her in danger, not for nothin'. There weren't no question about that. He'd already lost enough people, and that was that.
Didn't stop the hole in his chest from tryin' to consume him some days.
But Judith was all he had left. He'd be damned if he couldn't keep her safe.
"I wish we didn't have to be alone," she muttered softly. Damn thing was he felt the same way. Wouldn't never admit it to nobody, but hell if he didn't miss everybody as well. Jude could just say it.
"Best thing for us Jude," he said gruffly, pushin' back those emotions.
She didn't say nothin', just kept her head on his back.
"I know," she finally said.
"But," she said, lookin' up, her eyes findin' that horizon again, seekin' out the group that neither of them knew what was. "But what if theys could help us." She pulled up on his shoulders, making the bike swerve, lookin' for his eyes. She never faltered, not even when the bike tipped dangerously to the side. He couldn't help that he just loved how fearless she was in that moment. How much trust she had in him. It was contagious.
"Whoa girl!" He felt a chuckle slip past him, even though he knew he'd have to crush her hopes.
"What if there are other kids, like me?" Her eyes, lookin' down on him, were so full of hope, he almost said yes. Cos he knew how much she wanted to be round other kids her age, knew how much she needed to talk and play and just be with them.
But he turned back to the road, his gut twistin', and shook his head, no.
"Not this time." Not ever. They wouldn't ever be able to stop for no one, or nothing. As long as it was just him an' her, he would keep on movin', keep goin' passed all the things that could want, crush the dreams that she might have, make her see, learn, that this life was the one she had.
"Run!" Glenn's voice, panicked, stricken, echoed out around the campsite, which was slowly comin' to life. He could hear the voices, the anger, and he knew they were in fuckin' trouble.
He turned to Carl. "Take yer sister," he said passin' little ass kicker off to him, as she started to cry. She weren't yet old enough to walk, and even if she was, she'd be too slow. Carl'd gotten some legs on'im, just like his dad. Still a scrawny ass thing, but he could pull his own weight, and take charge when he was needed. Mostly, he just took care of the group, took care a his sister, and kept to himself.
"Keep tha group movin'," he whispered, pushin' Carl ahead. He nodded, gripped Judith tight.
"Where are you going?" He notched an arrow, and checked for his knife one last time. He looked Carol in the face, and saw the worry clear in her blue eyes. He hated seein' that.
"Glenn's in trouble," he grunted, hopin' he could tell her without sayin' it, just how much. Carol looked back at Maggie, her hands grippin' the bag at her side tight.
She pursed her lips, bitin' the bottom one. She'd been doin' that a lot lately, chewin' her lip raw. He reached out, runnin' his fingers across her jaw, gentle and quick. It was something new, awakening in him. He'd knew it was bold of him to touch her like that, but he didn't want her to worry herself like that.
"I'll be alright," he said softly, brushin' his finger across her lip, pullin' it loose from her teeth. Somethin' flickered across her eyes, but he didn't have no time to wonder at it.
"Gotta go Carol," Carl called, bouncin' Judith on his knee as he crouched to the ground, his machete held in the other hand firmly. Maggie waited behind him, a few bags slung over her shoulders. He could see by the look on her face that she was scared.
Beth waited behind her.
"Here Carl," she said holding her hands out. He passed her Judith, a grateful look passing between the two.
"I'll bring'em back," he said and took off.
He moved through the camp, listenin' to the sound of the voices, as they started to grow louder the closer he moved to the center. He could feel his blood startin' to boil, feelin' lightheaded. Someone was talkin', chantin'. He got that same feelin' he had, when he an' Merle had been at Woodbury, an' the motherfuckin' Governor had set them on each other like some damn Gladiators.
The hairs on the back a his neck stood up, and he moved fast, rounded the corner of a tent, and froze.
Thwack
He stood stunned, unable to do anything. It was like his limbs had locked up on him.
"Maggie!"
Whack
But the sound of Glenn's voice, calling out to the only woman he loved in this screwed up world pushed him to action. It was desperate, and pained, and lost.
"Glenn!"
He rushed forward, the anger and the hatred and the pain buldin' up so quick, he couldn't do nothin' but charge forward.
"Mag-"
Thuck
"Glenn!"
And he stopped, in the middle of a group of 'Saviors'. The goddamn monsters that they'd been running from. The goddamn men who'd taken them, offered them a home, and then pulled the rug right out from under their feet.
"Lucille's a mighty fine woman, ain't she now."
Thuck, Thwack
He couldn't tear his eyes away as that fuckin' sonuvabitch, that motherless prick just kept beatin' on Glenn. And beatin' and beatin' and beatin'. Till there weren't nothin' left a Glenn but skin and bones, and blood and brains.
Glenn. A man he'd come ta trust, to put his life on tha line for. He'd a given up a lot for Glenn. He was a part a the group. He was his friend. He was family.
He was his brother.
And Daryl, he'd never felt this way 'fore, but he wanted to throw up, right then, right there. He wanted to die, he wanted to fuckin' kill somebody, he wanted to make them hurt.
But he turned and ran, he ran, cos there were too many a the Saviors to fight by hisself, and Rick and Michonne weren't back yet, and he'd made a promise to Glenn.
He'd made a promise to keep Maggie safe. And he couldn't do that if he were killed too. So he ran, ran away from his friend, ran away from his brother.
And the feel a turnin' his back on his brother, even if he were dead, twisted his gut like a hot knife drivin' inta him.
And he knew he'd never get the look a Glenn, lyin' there, his brown eyes starin' up at him, outta his mind.
A/N: Things were borrowed. But this is obviously my own interpretation of things.
