Only own Callie and Wes. I really wish I'd met Norman Reedus. Or a real life Daryl Dixon. He's seriously the hottest guy on television. Love that man! Shout out to the rednecks!
..
Chapter 2: God damn kidnappers
Merle raised the handsaw and placed it against his wrist. The tourniquet had already cut off the blood running to his hand, so I wasn't too awful worried about him bleeding out, as long as we found a way to cauterize the stump.
I almost gagged at the thought. I couldn't imagine losing my right hand, especially having to cut it off myself. There was no way I could ever do something like that to myself.
Merle took a deep breath and his grip tightened on the saw. I couldn't even look away…
On the other side of the door, we heard something that blessedly made Merle pause. The walkers at the door were pulling away and turning around, trying to face some new object of fascination. Their snarls grew louder and more eager.
"Is there someone in there?" I whispered to Merle. He just shrugged. There were soon sounds of zombie heads being crushed in single blows and bodies falling down the stairs. Then, it was silent.
I stepped closer to the door, placing myself in front of Merle, the hammer in my hand. The chain rattled as someone fumbled with it, then there was a snap and the chain was pulled away.
"Merle!" A man shouted as he burst through the door. I moved away once Merle responded with, "Yo, lil' brother!"
The man was holding some bolt cutters and he wasted no time in freeing his brother. I could tell they were related, although Merle was an ugly sumbitch and the new guy had a few more points in the attractive column. He had bright blue eyes that stood out against his pale skin while Merle's weren't nearly so shocking. Both of the Dixons wore shirts with the sleeves cut off and a pair of raggedy jeans.
More people piled through the door and I edged away, holding the hammer and keeping my other hand close to my knife. There was a young Korean guy, a guy dressed as a cop, and a black man who looked like he'd been through a beating.
"Hey gerly, get your tight ass back over here."
I moved towards Merle, watching the others as if they were predators and I was cornered prey. All eyes were on me as if I was an alien with two heads.
"Lil' brother, meet Callie. Remember Wes Baker? She's his niece. Callie, this is my brother Daryl." Daryl and I nodded to each other as our eyes swept over each other. He had a knife at his waist and was holding a crossbow and bolt cutters. I knew he noticed the rifle strapped across my chest, as well as my knife and the hammer, but I didn't know if he realized there was another gun shoved into the waistband of my jeans.
"Let me guess," I said. "That's Officer Friendly?"
Merle grinned. "Yeah it is. The bastard who chained me up to this God damn roof."
The man didn't look pleased. "You know I had no choice, Merle. You'd have gotten us killed." He looked over at me. "My name is Rick Grimes." I just nodded.
"This is T-Dog," Merle supplied. "The nigger who dropped the damn key."
T-Dog was gritting his teeth, making his swollen jaw stand out more. "I chained the door. I came back."
Merle shrugged. "Don't matter if you did. You're the reason I was left up here."
The Korean guy introduced himself. "I'm Glenn. Nice to meet you."
I looked around. "Well, it's been great, but now I gotta go."
Merle frowned. "Where ya runnin' off to, gerly? You can't just run around the streets of Atlanta. Not all alone."
I held his gaze for a minute. "Who says I'm alone?"
His brows drew together before his eyes lit up. "Wes is here?"
I merely shrugged, then moved to head through the door and down the stairs. Rick stepped in front of me and my grip tightened on the hammer in warning. He held up his hands in surrender. "Look, Merle is right. You can't just go off on your own. At least come with us until you get out of the city. We've got a group, and we have weapons."
"At least we will," Glenn corrected.
I looked around at the men before me. "Not that I don't appreciate the offer, 'cause I do, but I'm okay. I don't need anybody else. I've survived this long, must mean I'm good for something."
Daryl was watching me intently. "It'd be easier."
Merle slapped me on the back. "Come on gerly, at least let me see Wes again."
I frowned, knowing he would convince Wes. I finally sighed and nodded, making everyone else look relieved. Except for Daryl. He just kept watching me out of the corner of his eye.
I moved away from the others once they started planning and talking about going after a bag of guns. I figured they hadn't involved me for a reason, and I didn't need to get caught up in a suicide mission. I hadn't lived this long by being stupid.
Glenn walked over once it seemed like they were done with their plan. Daryl and Merle were whispering to each other and Rick and T-Dog were picking up all the tools and putting them in a bag. I'd already given up the hammer.
"So it looks like you'll be in the alley with Merle and Daryl, and Rick and T-Dog will be down the street, waiting."
I looked over at him. "Do you have a death wish? Because this is stupid."
He stared at me for a few seconds. "No one else will do it. And we need those guns."
"One of these days, your quick feet and generosity will get you killed. Or worse." He merely blinked in response. I would have bet money- if it was still worth something more than tinder to start fires- that he'd already come to that conclusion and accepted it.
Rick approached us. "You both ready?" Glenn nodded and I shrugged. I'd be with the Dixon brothers, and I knew that if things went south, they'd tell me to bolt.
We went down the stairs quietly, listening for the classic moans of the undead. We split up and went to our assigned destinations. Glenn looked nervous.
"Hey," I whispered as the brothers glanced around. Glenn turned to me. "If things go bad…" I handed him my handgun. He stared down at it for a long moment as if it was an alien object that would turn and bite him at the first possible chance.
"Thanks." I shrugged.
We gathered near the mouth of the alley, careful to stay behind the dumpster. Glenn took a deep breath, gripped the gun until his knuckles turned white, and sprinted out into the street. Daryl kept his crossbow up and aimed at the street, targeting various walkers in case they got too close to Glenn. Merle and I were crouched behind the dumpster, waiting and holding our silent weapons.
My ears perked up when I heard footsteps hurrying down the alley towards us. Merle caught my eye and I knew he heard it too. I held the knife loosely, waiting until they were almost to the dumpster. At the same time, Merle and I jumped out.
It was a Hispanic kid, about nineteen or so. "Whoa, don't hurt me!" he yelled.
"Shut up!" Merle hissed. "Who are you?"
The kid started yelling, shouting until his voice echoed off the walls. Merle, Daryl, and I all rushed forward in an attempt to hold him still and keep him quiet. We didn't even notice his friends coming up behind us.
I felt a bat to my head before I even knew they were there. I dropped my knife, staggering from the pain even as I twisted around to confront my attacker. There were three guys, and they used bats to bring us down. I fell to my knees and one of the guys kicked me in the stomach, and I fell to my side. The assault didn't let up as he continued to kick me again and again.
Glenn sprinted back into the alley in time to see me coughing up blood. "Run!" I hissed out. He froze in place.
The guys all turned. "There it is! The bag of guns!" They hit Glenn a couple times and managed to wrench the bag away. I saw Daryl raise his crossbow. The arrow pierced one of the guys in the ass, making him scream like a girl. If I wasn't in such extreme pain myself, I would have laughed.
I wrapped an arm around my stomach and struggled to sit up. One of the guys grabbed Glenn and they dragged him out of the alley to a car that pulled up with a screech of tires. "Bastards!" I screamed as Daryl started yelling his own protests. He pulled on the fence to block the walkers.
Rick and T-Dog showed up just then. "What happened?" Rick demanded, cutting off Daryl as he leapt at the kid.
"I'm gonna kick yer nuts into yer throat!" he threatened. "I'm gonna stomp yer face!"
Merle was blocked from getting to the kid by T-Dog, who just looked confused as hell. "Why don't you ask the asshole over there?" I growled as I bent to pick up my knife, moaning in the process as my body was wracked with pain.
Rick looked around. "Where's Glenn?"
Merle looked about ready to spit fire as he wiped blood from his forehead before it could cloud his vision. "Rico Suave here called a couple of his buddies. They snatched the chinaman."
I pointed at the bag. "They were after the guns."
The walkers started gathering at the fence and Rick looked nervous. "Come on, let's get out of here and figure out a plan."
We got out of the alley, to a room that was in a safe part of the building. I glanced nervously up at the sky. I still had a few hours until Wes would leave, but I was getting antsy. If Glenn hadn't been taken, I wouldn't have bothered to stay. But the bastards were going to regret coming after me. Merle shot me a look as I stared at the sun, calculating what time it was. I met his gaze before looking away.
"Where are they?" Rick demanded of the kid.
"I ain't tellin' you nothin'!" he spat back.
"Where the hell is our friend?" I yelled, getting impatient. The kid started muttering in Spanish. I wasn't fluent, but I had paid enough attention in high school to get the gist of it. I punched him in the jaw.
Rick and T-Dog pulled me away from him. "What the hell was that for?" T-Dog demanded.
"I heard something about a whore," was my only response.
"Stupid ass spic and his homies jumped us," Daryl growled as he paced. "Took Glenn. Would've taken the guns too, if they could've."
Merle angrily wiped more blood away from his eyes. "Damn border jumpers," he muttered. "Ain't got no right to take what's ours."
The kid glared. "They weren't your guns!"
Rick took a deep, calming breath. "This isn't working."
I pulled out my hunting knife and studied it. "I guess it's time for plan B." I walked over to the chair the kid was sitting in. In one lightning fast movement, I stabbed the knife into the wood millimeters from his crotch. He yelped and tried to jerk back. I placed my hands on the arms of the chair and bent down to get in his face, trapping him. "Don't screw with me," I hissed. "I want to know where those men are, and you're going to tell me. Now."
He trembled before me, looking as if he was about to piss his pants.
Once again, Rick pulled me away from him. I took my knife with me. The former cop crouched down, hoping to look like he was on the kid's side. "They took our friend. We just want to get him back. Maybe we can work something out."
About 20 minutes later, we were sitting outside of what looked like an abandoned building. "They really here?" Merle demanded.
The kid glared at him. "Yeah, they're here. Y'all ain't gonna get too far though, punto."
Rick was pulling a rifle out of the bag for T-Dog. He checked the scope and handed it over. "You gonna be okay?" T-dog nodded, although he still looked uncertain. I was holding my own rifle, well aware of the plan.
T-Dog and I would climb up on part of the building, using the height to our advantage. Rick and Daryl would go with the kid to the double doors to make the exchange. Merle was going to come with me and T-Dog, hopefully finding a way inside and to Glenn. He was the only one with military training, and we all hoped to hell he'd be able to use it.
"They better be inside," Daryl said in a warning tone. "Or I'm gonna shoot an arrow into yer ass."
The kid snorted. "Yeah, and G is gonna take that arrow and shove it up yours."
Rick frowned. "G?"
"Boss man."
I went with T-Dog and Merle around the side of the building, where we climbed up and settled into position. T-Dog and I looked through our scopes and watched as Rick and Daryl followed the kid to the double doors. Before they'd even opened, Merle was already halfway to that part of the roof.
A man stepped out, and two goonies followed. One was one of the guys who'd attacked us, the one Daryl shot in the ass. We couldn't hear what was being said, but based on body language, the exchange wasn't going to go down.
Rick glanced up at us, showing the leader that he had extra eyes. The man turned, looking unimpressed. "Come on man," I heard T-Dog mutter. "Just make the exchange. Please."
I kept the gun aimed on the boss man, as the kid had put it. He talked a bit more, then pointed up. I pulled away from the scope to glance up. "Shit." Two more guys were up on the roof with a man who was bound with a sack over his head. They yanked it off to reveal a scared looking Glenn. "Double shit."
Merle crept up behind the two guys, careful not to attack while Glenn was so close to the edge. While "G" wasn't looking, I broke position and took off toward Merle, crouching low. The whole plan was about to go to shit.
Merle attacked one guy and while the other turned, I was there in time to slam the butt of my rifle into his temple. It knocked him out almost instantly, and Merle didn't waste any time freeing Glenn. G yelled something in Spanish, and we could hear chaos down below. The door to the roof slammed open and we turned to sprint the way we came, dragging Glenn along with us.
I was tackled before we made it halfway. Merle slowed to a stop. "Go!" I yelled, knowing Glenn was in no shape to fight to free me. Merle nodded and hurried away. It took three guys to restrain me enough for a fourth to bind me, and even then it was a struggle. Wes hadn't raised a sissy.
I glanced at the sky again, cursing under my breath. In a couple of hours, the light would be fading. Wes would make good on his promise. If I didn't get to him by then, I knew I'd never see him again.
The men dragged me down several flights of stairs until we were standing before G and the rest of my group. G's whole group had guns raised at them, but I knew Rick and the others couldn't afford a shootout.
"That was quite the show," G said as he studied me. "But you're not as fast as my boys."
I kept my expression blank. "Just because they're fast doesn't mean they're smart. Sooner or later, I'll escape. And I'll slit everyone's throats as they sleep."
His brows rose. "Bloodthirsty, hm?"
I shrugged. "Let me go and it won't come to that."
I'd always been good at poker, so I knew he couldn't see through my bluff. Even Wes had never figured out my tell. I'd always been a good liar.
G turned to Rick. "You willing to die for this girl, ese? Hand over the guns."
Rick gave a humorless chuckle. "You see, now I can't do that. Because these are my guns. Give us the girl and we'll walk away." I realized they'd already tossed the kid back to his guys. I was the only thing keeping them here.
"Felipe!" an old voice called out. I turned, catching sight of an elderly woman. She weaved through the crowd of men. "Felipe!"
She went up to the man who'd been shot by Daryl. "Get grandma outta the line of fire!" Daryl shouted.
Merle was shifting his weight, oddly uncomfortable. "Look, I don't off old people. Get her outta here."
"Felipe, take her to the back," G said. The woman murmured in Spanish, saying something about a man needing medicine. "Go take care of it!"
"Come on abuela," Felipe said, his voice taking on a different tone as he talked to his grandmother.
She caught sight of all of us. "Who are these people? Why are they here?" She saw Rick. "Don't you take my Felipe. He's a good boy." She glanced over at me. "Mijo! Why is she tied up?"
"They were trying to free me," I told the woman. G glared at me. "Do you know where any scissors are?"
She smiled and touched my elbow, ushering me to follow her. "Yes, come, come. I will take you to the others." I met Rick's eye as I turned and he nodded his approval. G reluctantly let us go.
She led us through a courtyard to another building. As we walked down the hall, we looked around and saw old people everywhere. I exchanged glances with Rick. We had not expected this. We stopped in a larger room, in front of a wheezing man. Felipe went to him with an inhaler and helped him.
Rick looked pissed. "Can I have a word?" They stepped off to the side, talking in hushed tones, as Felipe's grandmother brought me a pair of scissors. Felipe cut me free. It was one of the weirdest situations I'd ever been in, and that's saying a lot.
We followed G to a room down another hall, away from all the elderly people. He explained to us that most of the younger people there were the children and grandchildren of the residents of the former nursing home. The older generations weren't fit enough to travel, so the group of men and women stayed there to protect and care for them.
"Most of the people we've come across are the worst kind. Thieves. Plunderers. We didn't know you were any different. We've had to protect what's left of our resources."
T-Dog looked contemplative. "I guess the world's gone to shit."
"No," G cut in. "The world is the same. The weak get taken. So we do what we can." It was sad, thinking of all these people stranded here by age and weakness. "The vatos go out and scavenge what they can. We watch the perimeter night and day, and we wait. The people here all look to me now. I don't even know why."
I had new respect for G. He'd had to deal with a shit storm, but he was protecting those who couldn't take care of themselves. I no longer held a grudge for anything that had happened.
Rick seemed to agree with me. "Because they can," he said. He handed over his shotgun. He unzipped the bag and pulled out a few more guns and quite a bit of ammo. I even handed over the handgun Glenn had returned to me.
By the time we were leaving the city, it was starting to get dark. I was practically running in my eagerness to get to Wes. "Hold yer horses gerly," Merle murmured. "We'll get to him. He wouldn't leave you behind."
I shot Merle a look. "The end of the world changed him. He doesn't risk his neck for anybody, not even me. I don't blame him."
Daryl frowned over at me. "But you came to the city to save Merle. You didn't even know him."
"And you saved me," Glenn added.
Rick was nodding. "You've been a great asset, and I think you and your uncle would be good additions to our group."
I shrugged off their praise. "Doesn't matter unless we get there before he leaves. If he's gone, I'll do whatever I can to find him." I met Rick's gaze. "And nobody finds Wes when he wants to stay lost."
They all sped up, sensing my urgency. We piled into the van the others had driven to the outskirts of Atlanta. My stomach was in knots, and I could only cross my fingers and pray Wes had broken his word for once in his life, and stayed after dark.
..
Tell me Callie ain't a badass! I love her. Now, who thinks she'll get to Wes in time? Who thinks he's gone for good? Tell me what you guys think and what you want to happen. R&R please! I'd love feedback. I've been thinking about this story quite a while, so I finally just had to upload it. Hopefully I'll be able to continue my other story soon. Check it out if ya want! :) Much love to you all!
