Panic's Note: Who's ready for Chapter 2! I know I am! This story is amazingly fun to write and I am extremely glad it was well received by the majority of you. I would like to personally thank each and every one of you who added Against All Odds to your alerts or favorites. It keeps the fire for this story blazing.
I'd also like to give a shout to those of you who left a review. Thank you so much for your kind words and support. You don't know how much they mean to me as a writer. I publish all of this for you guys!
Also for clarification purposes this story is eventual Rick/OC. I'm not deviating away from the pairing. In fact I've already got my story plotted out, so please enjoy the ride.
Now let's continue shall we?
Disclaimer still applies
Chapter 2: Blindfold
Chestnut hair fell in a knotted clump around the woman's face. Her blue eyes strayed away from the blocked road in front of her down to her white knuckles. Her grip on the steering wheel was as tight as she could make it. She was rolling herself into a potential death trap of her own will. She could've easily turned around a mile back and returned to the walker infested grounds of the evacuation site. She could've easily veered off into the woods and waited out this stand. Could she even call it that? Of course this could all just be some sick twisted form of karma. After all she'd done up to this point it'd be ironic that her constant running led her into the path of two armed men clearly at odds with themselves and others, instead of an army of walkers. At this point she wasn't sure which would be the least painful method of dying amongst the two.
She took a deep breath as she eased some of the tension in her grip away from the steering wheel. Her dazed gaze drifted back to the two men waiting for her as the truck came to a slow stop. The brakes screeched through the silence of the wooded roadway. She'd missed her second chance of escape. Instead opting for whatever these two men had in store for her and somehow she couldn't imagine any of it being pleasant. She tore her attention away from them briefly while she unrolled the window to the worn truck. Her arms shaking slightly, which marked the woman's faltering strength. After running from walkers, fighting them off, and gripping the steering wheel for dear life there wasn't much left to spare. Her hands drifted into her lap while she tilted her focus back to the two men. She attempted to regain her composure as the two of them finally made a move to approach her. She tossed one fleeting look at her pistol lying carelessly on the floorboards, but decided against any attempt to grab it. She was already pushing her luck and if it came down to a gun fight she'd ultimately lose.
"We just wanna talk to you, alright?" Rick called out to her, his hand rested lazily against the butt of his pistol while the other was raised in a gesture of peace.
"We don't mean you any trouble. We just gotta ask you a few thing," he reiterated with a raised eyebrow when he didn't receive an immediate response from her. In a way he was asking for her understanding in the current situation. Although, there was no need for the pleasantries given the fact that both men knew they had control over it.
The woman nodded slowly at his request. It wasn't like she had any other choice and at the moment she was too drained to vocalize a reply. She knew it'd come off as weak. If not lifeless given the effort she'd put forth today. It was all so draining on her. There was no rest in this new world though. It seemed that she'd escape one situation just to stumble into another. Granted, the mess she found herself in now was much tighter than any before and quite frankly she was running out of energy to fight back.
"Shane," Rick muttered quietly as he nodded his head towards her car. His partner quickly picked up on the gesture and made his way cautiously around the passenger side of her truck. His gun raised again, but this time in pre-emptive defense.
The drained woman shifted her gaze between the two in confusion as Shane moved to examine the truck. It was clear that neither of them were willing to take any chances with her. Quickly, she let her focus lock on the man who'd asked to speak with her as she did her best to ignore the one now armed and snooping around the side of her car. She hadn't failed to notice the sharp glances he tossed into the passenger side of her tuck or the fact that he was moving around to the bed for further investigation. The rustling of the tarp draped carelessly over her remaining supplies added to the faint noise they were creating on the desolate road.
The one called Rick stared back at her blankly, yet with an alertness that announced his own uncertainties concerning her. His short wavy brown hair catching a few streams of sunlight that drifted through the thick tree branches above. Although, his overall demeanor looked nothing short of damaged. Bruises and cuts lined the man's face as a result of the brawl he'd had not too long ago. His shirt displayed various splotches of blood from man and walker alike. He looked the part of a survivor and a tough one at that.
He didn't offer her any reassurance as his partner continued to dig through her supplies. She tilted her head back towards Shane and frowned. He now had a hold on her crow bar as he swung out of the truck bed with a look of bewilderment plastered to his battered features.
"She ain't a threat to us, man," he stated with confidence. "Unless you consider this a threat," he tossed the crowbar on the ground in amusement as he shook his head. "Only thing I found that could do damage, nothing else." His voice grew lower as he reported his findings to Rick.
"How are you still alive, girl?" He asked her sarcastically, turning himself back around. His gun now holstered at his side while dark brown eyes pierced into hers.
"Luck," she replied with the faintest hint at the statement being more of a question than anything else. The woman shifted slightly in her seat at the man's question. She wasn't sure exactly how to address his outright aggressive and assertive manner.
"You must be one helluva runner then," he observed with a smirk and another shake of his head. The built man moved a little closer to the window and added, "Guess I better count myself lucky that ya didn't try anything back there. I have a feeling things might've ended differently."
The woman bowed her head some at his remark and did her best not tremble at his words. She now had a pretty good idea what this was all about. It made perfect sense actually. In every sense they should be concerned with her flighty reaction to the aftermath of their fighting. Most other survivors would've at least tried to help or so she assumed. Miserably she turned her attention back to them. Shane now had a satisfied smile pulled across his injured face, while the other frowned.
"You know that kid?" Shane asked, his expression shifting back to one much sterner in nature.
"Who?" She answered in confusion.
"Rick," he started, absently nodding back to his partner. "Saw you yell something back to him right before taking those walkers out," his eyes narrowed as he ran a hand over his buzzed hair. "We ain't got time for talkin' games, so just tell us what ya know. And don't lie."
She looked at him a bit dumbfounded as she slowly shook her head. This was insane. How could he possibly think she knew the kid? She had a feeling others might be paranoid, but this one was taking that to the extreme. Of course, she could hardly relate to safeguarding others. Trust was a precious thing seldom seen. Her former band had never truly harnessed that aspect, which made it that much easier to leave them behind.
"I, honest to god, don't know that man." She stated sternly, her voice blunt due to everything she'd witnessed that day. It had drained her of what little energy she had left. This whole encounter shouldn't even have happened, yet here she was in all her glory. Her intelligence lost a mile or so back when she decided to continue on this path to confront these two.
"Bullshit," Shane growled at her, before roughly slamming his knee into the side of her truck door. He swiftly walked away from the truck in an attempt to keep himself from acting too irrationally. "See, Rick! Why do you gotta keep giving these people chances? They ain't doing us any good. She's hiding something! He's hiding something!" He hollered as he gestured angrily back to the Hyundai in a rage. "You're not keeping any of us safe by letting him live, and I'd reckon that the same could be said for that one!" He glared back in her direction with a force that sent the woman's ice blue eyes to the floor of her truck. Oh yes she was definitely in trouble now. "She might not be all that threatening, but if she's here then where are they?" Shane finished, his piercing glare shifting back to his partner.
"I thought we settled this, Shane." Rick finally spoke. His demeanor conveyed his authority over the situation. "We're gonna decide this as a group and that's final." Rick's voice took on a more edgy tone as he reiterated the points he'd made back at the evacuation site. "I ain't about to justify his death given what he said. The kid's desperate to live and he deserves that chance."
"Rick he knows where the farm is." Shane countered bitterly before turning his attention to the woman still sitting silently in the truck. "She knows where the farm is," at this the woman jolted back to reality. The cold truth of what he had implied hit her full force as her eyes frantically searched around her. She had to get out of here, but how? The truck wasn't an option. The second she started the truck she'd have two guns shooting at her and somehow she doubted that either of the men before her had lousy shots. Her focus fell back on the pistol still tossed onto the floorboard beside her. Nervously, she ran the risks of grabbing for it in her head and did her best not to let her emotions play too heavily on her face. Her lack of energy fading as her mortality came into the forefront of her mind. She wasn't ready to die not her and sure as hell not now.
"We aren't discussing this, Shane." Rick shot back with just as much intensity. His hand flexed over the butt of his pistol. It was clear that he still had his doubts about his partner as they stared each other down. It was also clear that the pair hadn't resolved whatever it was that brought them to fight each other earlier.
"You should've let me die back there, man. If it was my life for there's." Shane said, gesturing down the road behind them. "It would've been worth it. Maybe you would've seen just how wrong you are. Shit, you might've even realized that Lori and Carl aren't safe with these people," he paused, demonstrating the small distance with his hands. "That damn close to them"
"I said we aren't discussing this anymore, Shane." Rick bit back, an array of emotions playing across his battered face. "You know I wanna survive just as much as you do," he growled with a pointed glare. "I ain't about to kill either of them for information they may or may not have. That isn't for me to decide. It isn't your call either. We've wasted enough time talkin' circles."
The woman blinked at the sheer power both of the men possessed. Their words and postures alone were enough to convince her otherwise of reaching for the pistol. She shifted in her seat again and shook her head in desperation. Neither of them seemed to care what she told them regarding the boy. Since she said "Run!" to the kid she was associated with him by default, which marked her as an enemy in their eyes. Faltering at the gate probably wasn't helping her case either.
She sank back further into her seat as dark brown eyes shot back in her direction. A part of her had been hoping that they might just forget about her altogether, even though in her own mind the fleeting hope was nothing short of impossible.
"That's fine and dandy, man, but what are you gonna do with her? She can't possibly be connected to Randall. So why don't we just send her on her merry way and act really fucking shocked when she brings that group back to the farm." Shane said, his voice dripping with sarcasm that didn't at all mask the brute force of his statement.
Rick paused for a moment at Shane's statement before nodding his head in defeat. It was obvious that he hadn't really thought about what to do with her as his pale blue eyes shifted back to the truck and came to rest on her. It seemed the venom of his partner's statement didn't quite strike home, which was apparent in Rick's acceptance of the statement.
"We'll take her back with us," he stated bluntly. "Get her blindfolded," he gestured back to the car and what little bits of cloth they'd find within. "Let the group decide the rest. She ain't much of a threat by herself. We might be able to work something out with her." He ended with a sad nod. It wasn't in his nature to hold people hostage without reason, which he had none concerning this woman. For all he knew she could've truly been in the wrong place at the wrong time. In all honesty, he wasn't all too keen on this idea but it had to be done. Shane was right. The risks were too high if they let her continue on.
The woman just sat in a frozen silence. They were going to take her with them and hadn't so much as addressed her since the first brash question. They weren't even giving her a chance to explain herself. This was all happening too fast for her to even try to keep up with it. Yet, there wasn't much she could do. The power of choice had been taken from her the moment she pulled the truck to a stop and rolled down the window.
Silently, both men turned seperate ways as Shane made his way back around the Hyundai in search of a strip of cloth, while Rick solemnly made his way back to the old truck. His eyes drifted along the road as he came to a stop at the truck's window. He finally brought his focus back on the woman and offered her a forced smile. One of which she shot back.
"I'm gonna ask you to come with us." He said with a curt nod. This whole display reflected back on his past life.
"I really- I mean I don't have anyone to report back to. I swear to you on my mother's grave." She flinched at her own word choice, which was poor at best. "Please, just let me go back the way I came. I'll even power through whatever horde you left wondering the streets back there," she stressed, doing her best not to stumble too much over her words. Although the mere thought of going back the way she came caused her body to shake slightly as the fear of the walkers made itself known once again. She was so tired of running. She was so sick of every turn leading back to them. They were a constant reminder of her faults in the new world and her regrets of the old. Things would never be what they were before and that was a bullet she wasn't quite ready to bite yet. "Please, I don't want anything to do with you and your own. I got my own back to watch." She finished hoping beyond hope that her last statement would drive her innocence home.
"No, I'm sorry." Rick said, his voice void of all emotion as he shook his head. "We can't risk it." She just stared back miserably at his response. She knew it had to be done. They couldn't trust her and rightfully so. It still didn't justify what they were about to do. She didn't deserve to be treated as a hostage. She hadn't done anything to wrong either men or place some unforseen threat on their group. The idea of being brought back and presented to a group of wary survivors sent a new spark of fear through the woman.
"I don't wanna fight you. So please don't make this more complicated than it has to be." Rick added, a slight hint of remorse in his tone as Shane approached the truck. Something told her that he truly didn't want to do this. It was the first form of reassurance she'd received from either of them since she'd crossed their path. It was a glimmer of humanity she hadn't seen in over two months.
Rick pulled the old door open. The rusted metal groaned in protest at the movement, which fully exposed the slender woman to the two men. Her last source of safety yanked open in one swift movement. The woman looked helplessly about the truck she'd come to recognize as some twisted sense of home and sighed.
"Well," Rick stated bluntly, gesturing for her to get out of her own accord. This was her chance to fight back if she was going to. In most situations and amongst most survivors she was sure that option would be hastily taken. It was kill or be killed. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to reach for her last true path of escape. Her aim was too poor to even try it and the men were both armed. Something else kept her from acting on impulse though. It was the small part of her that still longed for the society she'd known for twenty nine years. That same society that had been taken from her within a week's time.
She staggered a bit as she climbed from the old truck. Her gaze fixed on the cement as she stood there awkwardly waiting for whatever they were going to do. The thought of running rushed to the forefront of her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. Where would she go if she could make it past these men? Rick lightly gripped her right upper arm and moved her away from the truck towards Shane. The scene looked like any normal prisoner trade off had this happened earlier.
"Wise choice." Shane sighed. The rage from earlier now paled to a weakened annoyance of her.
"Not that there was one," the woman muttered quietly, shaking her head. There was no point in firing back at the two men. It would only make her situation worse. Shane shrugged at her weak comeback that didn't quite make it to his ears. Its strength dying on her lips as the line rolled out in something best interpreted as a dull mumble. Roughly, he brought the torn black piece of cloth over her eyes and tightened it harshly behind her head. She winced as the knotted piece of cloth bit into a wound still lingering alongside her forehead acquired during some run in with walkers
"You been scratched or bit?" Rick asked her cautiously, his grip loosening on her as his free hand tightened around the body of his gun. She shook her head at his question. It was an important one and one that thankfully didn't apply to her. She'd always been quick enough to get by without getting caught.
"Alright, I'll take Randall and her back to the farm." Rick started, nudging the woman to move forwards as he began to guide her towards the Hyundai. "You take the truck and cover my rear. We've been here too long. It's best not to risk another run in with walkers."
"Could've called that one." Shane chuckled darkly with a shake his head, making his way back to the truck. His hand rubbing over his buzzed cut as he hopped into the truck and turned the ignition. He obviously wasn't at all thrilled with having to follow Rick back or drive the piece of shit that the woman had been in. He did a quick once over of the interior of the truck and frowned at the pistol lying clear as day on the floor boards. Now that was something he wasn't expecting to see.
"Well I'll be damned!" He sighed, picking the weapon up and holding it in position.
The door to the Hyundai was shut with a soft click in comparison to the old truck she'd been travelling in for the past few weeks. The interior of the vehicle was much more welcoming than that of the musty old cloth within the Ford. She tilted her head in the direction of Rick climbing into the driver's seat. She had no idea where they were going or what would be on the other side of the blindfold once they got there. She could only hope that the group didn't write her off without giving her time to talk. Although given how these two had handled her she assumed those chances were bleak.
Silence filled the air around the three as they moved swiftly down the road. The Hyundai jumped every so often when Rick couldn't swerve out of the way of some unknown object lying in the road. Of course she had a good guess as to what that could be. Every so often she'd here a muffled whimper in the far back of the vehicle. At least they hadn't tied her up completely, unlike the third passenger.
"I'm sorry about, Shane." Rick said briefly, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "He's had it rough these past few weeks," he stated with a hint of hesitancy in his voice. Once again he was making rationalizations to those around him and himself for Shane's subpar behavior. She shrugged at his excuse not at all sure why he was informing her of his partner's struggle. The silence surrounded them again as the woman continued to sit there blinded to the world. "You got a name?" He asked her as the Hyundai jolted for the fifth time on this dark trip.
"Kyra," she said bluntly, tilting her head towards the sound of his voice.
"I'm Rick," he shot back, with a nod that she couldn't see. His voice held the serious undertones of a man doing his best to figure out just who they'd taken into custody.
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