Hey everyone part two now up! Anyone wanna leave me some feed back really would love to know what you think!
As usual I don't own anything from TWD or SOA!
The gentle humming of the old engine in the red Chevy truck seemed to be soothing Peyton something she had never really noticed before driving it, The gentle vibrations of the car were causing her drift off as her new companion Daryl was driving them to the their new refuge. She had tried to ask him questions about what it was like, where it was, who was there but was answered in grunts, shrugs and the occasional yes or no but she had given up asking questions when she realised he wasn't like the other two men they had met, he was of very little words and was certainly a mystery but she didn't care enough to press on. So instead she sleepily rested her head against the seat belt closing her eyes enjoying the silence and the sun shining through the window onto her face before almost immediately falling asleep. Sheri-lee however had been sitting in the middle seat in the back of the Chevy so she could get a perfect view of where she was going, she had already been mentally trying to notice any landmarks or surroundings so she could formulate an escape plan incase this was all too good to be true. If truth be told, if it hadn't been for Peyton almost pleading with her eyes to give the men a shot so they didn't have to keep running and moving on she would of declined their offer and carried on as they had been.
They had been driving for almost forty minutes and the last twenty minutes of that had been silent, Sheri had been trying to track where they might be headed, Peyton had just been sitting up front originally trying to engage in conversation with the long haired archer in the front, so why had they both went quiet? Sheri thought. She leaned forward seeing her blonde friend peacefully sleeping and she instantly kicked the back of the chair hard. "Wake up! What happened to staying alert? We still don't know him," She said pointing at Daryl, "no offence." she said half smiling aiming her last comment it at Daryl.
"Fucks sake Sheri, do you always have to be a bitch! We aint slept in days." Peyton yawned loudly pushing herself back up onto the seat sitting upright, she stretched raising her arms over her head arching her back, her loose black tank top raised ever so slightly over her tanned stomach and letting her long hair fall down around her curves. She felt eyes staring at her but before she could snap at Daryl to keep his eyes on the road and off her, his eyes were already fixated back on the road in front of them, carefully manuring around abandoned cars and walkers that littered the road in front of them. Peyton looked at him and then to Sheri who was sitting in the back of the seat with the smuggest grin possible, ergh she thought at Sheri's smugness and turned back around reaching over into the driving seat pressing the cigarette lighter in the car. She felt Daryl almost flinch when she got within his space, raising her eyebrow at him then went back to her jeans pocket pulling out a box of cigarettes that looked like they had seen better days. She tapped the bottom of the box flipped them over and then pulled out one putting it up her pouted lips reaching back over to the drivers seat ignoring that once again Daryl flinched and lit her cigarette taking a long over due draw from her cigarette savouring every second of it, pursing her lips together she blew out filling the whole front of the truck of smoke. Winding the window down she took the packet offered to Daryl who was just about to take one before noticing the box, "Menthol? Naw i'm good, I aint no faggot." turning back away to face the road again.
Sheri's smug smile got even broader with that comment and was quickly met with Peyton telling her to fuck off as she huffed, he's fucking rude she thought.
"Here have a proper smoke." Sheri said as she handed Daryl one of her normal cigarettes and the car once again fell to silence as they sat and smoked in silence as he drove them down the straight road.
The road they had been driving down started to become familiar to the girls, not the familiar as in it was heading back to Darlingsville but they swore they had travelled this road before, as the road slowly became more and more familiar Peytons neck had become extended looking around craning around to get the best view of her surroundings when Daryl slowly pulled off onto a dirt track following the black SUV Rick and Carl were driving that they had only just caught up with a few moments earlier.
"Oh shit. Fuck this." Peyton said without thinking as she suddenly realised where she was, the look of shock in Sheri's face showed Peyton she too realised where they were.
Daryl however was sat looking confused, "Woman what the fucks wrong with you now," He snapped.
"A prison? Seriously? Thats where you're taking us?" Sheri said leaning forward into the front part of the cab.
"What? How'd you know thats where we were going? And? So what? Its safe we told ya asses back in the wood."
"We've been there before dumb ass, Jesus Christ never would have thought we'd be going back in this place out of choice as well." Peyton bit back at Daryl glaring at him. If he could be rude then so can I she thought.
"Ha, make sense, you definitely look the type. What you do? Kill someone for stealing yer barbie Blondie?" He looked at Peyton while Sheri sat back laughing at the exchange between these two.
"Now why do you just assume it was us in prison? Well, your wrong, it was our old men actually. And if they were here now they would kick your ass for giving us such lip." Peyton said pulling another cigarette out and lighting it.
Daryl just grunted and laughed, "You can laugh all you want Daryl Dixon but my father was the toughest man I know, he didn't exactly keep getting locked up for taking shit from guys like you, suppose it's part and parcel when your part of The Sons..."
"Peyton! Shut up." They both heard Sheri shriek as she once again kicked the back of Peyton's chair.
Daryl was intrigued, The Sons? What the fuck was that? He thought he had these two sussed but obviously there was more to meet the eye. He had slowed the truck down to a slow crawl mirroring the car in front, he looked all round them at all times. He knew cars weren't exactly the quietest of things and the last thing they wanted to do was draw a herd of walkers up to the prison gates but when both cars were confident no human or walker had followed them, Rick stuck his hand out of the car in front signalling them to continue. The protective gates of the prison came into view along with two people running towards them to open them, next came the field of green grass and then their it was the grey stoney walls of the prison Sheri-lee and Peyton knew so well from many years visiting and collecting their fathers in prison. Just like them, their dad's had been best friends and through their love of bikes they had become brothers. They weren't bad men and neither were any of the other men they hung round with, they just lived on the wrong side of the law and followed a different code; they were a brotherhood.
Several minutes passed and finally they felt the car come to a complete stop, Daryl cleared this throat and looked at the woman, "What ya waiting for? Red carpet or summit? I aint carrying ya both inside."
"If you aint carrying us both inside, how about you just gonna carry me then?" Peyton said sticking her tongue out and winked at Daryl leaving him a little dumb founded. Both woman pulled on their packs and stepped outside the vehicles. Surely they had visited this prison once or twice in the past but they had only ever went in the visitors entrance and had never made it past the visiting room. But here they stood in the fields that only a few years ago their fathers would have been in, probably up to no good as usual. Striking up deals with other gangs buying and selling protection until the president of their club got them out on release from prison. Looking around it hadn't been just a green field, they now noticed a large plantation patch which looked to be filled with promising vegetation, just next to one of the large watch tours were huge barrels of water along with solar panels and a small pen that at the moment that looked empty. They were left with their mouths open as they couldn't believe how advanced this group were, sure they had stayed as far away from other humans as possible till now but it hadn't stopped them from occasionally coming across them. Every group they had either met or seen from a safe distance was living the same way they were or they had turned on each other, they even saw one group roasting what looked like a human arm.
Rick beamed slightly when he saw how impressed the woman looked when examining the prison and it made him feel proud of what they had achieved, clearing his throat he called to them to come join him as he would welcome them to everyone. Daryl had already grabbed their bags and put them down at women's feet next to their packs they had had in the car and started making his way inside away from the group of people that were coming down from the prison to meet the new arrivals. They put their packs on their back and picked up their remaining bags and began walking over to everyone, they looked at each other taking a deep breathe and for the first time in what felt like forever it wasn't just them they thought.
"Everyone this is Peyton and Sheri-Lee, they are the woman Michonne and Daryl across two weeks ago."
Two weeks? Two weeks? They were watching us for two weeks? And who the heck was Michonne? Peyton thought.
"We found them about an hour out, near that Walmart Glen was looting a few week back. Now listen up everyone, its been a long day for all of us and probably an even longer day for them so Beth, Maggie do you mind helping our arrivals get settled. And we can all meet for dinner and swap some stories."
Both Peyton and Sheri felt like they were in a zoo or circus with all these faces just stood examining them from top to bottom, some stood their with smiles and caring faces excited to see new survivors but some stood there looking almost in disgust and distrust at the woman. Two of the the more smiley group started walking towards them, "Hey. Maggie." the pretty brunette said extending her hand to shake theirs, "This is my sister Beth, come now follow us." She Said with a welcoming smile.
Maggie had mid length soft wavy brown hair, she had a kind and caring face but like Peyton she had a look that screamed don't mess with me or anyone I care about. She took lead and Peyton and Sheri assumed her to be the older sister, Beth was the opposite to Maggie she had beautiful gold blonde hair and a face of total innocent and a smile that just beamed and was totally infectious. Both were dressed almost identically in jeans, checked shirts and cowboy boots with natural tans that had most likely gotten from the Georgian sun.
They picked up their bags and followed after the sisters entering into 'Cell block C'.
"So here is the rec room if we're planning a run or discussing something as a group we tend to do it in here. Over there is our canteen, kitchen and stock room, we all eat together ration everything and share everything. If either of you are good cooks, let Carol know 'cause I know she could use some help. And this is the cells, unfortunately the bottom row is all taken now but we still have plenty of cells on the top floor, we will take you up let you choose and then take ya both to the showers and get you some clean clothes and get your dirty ones all cleaned up." Maggie instructed as they climbed the stairs to the next floor up. Peyton spotted a pile of mattresses with a small pillow blanket and a small collection of food packets, sleep looked over quizzically at the sisters.
"Who sleeps there?" She asked.
"Oh that would be Daryl, he brought you in didn't he? He doesn't like sleeping in the cells says he would rather sleep on the perch than in a cage." Beth answered and with that they reached the first cell,"Now its up to you if you want to share but we got plenty of space if you want one each." Beth had barely even finished her sentence before Sheri had picked up her bag and began walking to the cell next door. Peyton just shuck her head looking to woman, "She snores anyway." Beth and Maggie laughed and told the girls to get their dirty clothes out their bags and her and Beth would be up with fresh clothes for them and they would take them down to the showers to get themselves all cleaned up.
Peyton stood in her prison room looking around she began to empty her bags making a rather sizeable pile of dirty clothes, and then began emptying her bag of weapons and laying them down on the table, she was sure Rick at one point was gonna ask to see what they had. In the final bag she had few cans and packets of food, water and the last bottle of whiskey they had along with the last few packets of cigarettes left. She took the cigarettes and whiskey out, putting them under her bed and closed up the bag of food. She was planning on giving the food to the group to ration out, thinking it might win some of the less than friendly faces over. When she heard a little tap on the cell door and Maggie popped her head round the corner with some fresh clothes and a pink washing basket, Maggie smiled broadly at the blonde as she filled the washing basket full from the pile of the dirty clothes near the front of the cell then handing over a couple of pairs of underwear, jeans, two black tank tops and and a red checked shirt. "It will take us a day or two to get the clothes all washed but we got quite a bit spare from the runs we've been doing so this should keep you going till we get everything all cleaned and dry." She said handing over the last piece of clean clothing, "Come on follow me I'll take you down to the showers, Beth has already taken Sheri down, there is some shampoo, soap and razors down their too along with some fresh clothes for you to wear tonight and towels also."
"Oh Maggie, erm gee thanks." She said shyly. Peyton followed Maggie out the cell past Daryl's cot and out through the rec room and down a short corridor to the communal showers.
"Clothes are over there, toiletries are already in the shower just leave the towels and dirty clothes you're wearing in the basket in the corner and we will get those washed too. When your both finished meet us up in the canteen and we will get you both fed and you can meet the rest of the group." And with that Maggie smiled at the blonde and walked back to her own cell.
Peyton walked into the shower hearing the sound of running water, "Nice of ya to wait for me Sheri!" She said walking over to the cubicle her friend was showing in.
"Oh hush up will ya! Get a shower I can smell ya from here and you fucking stink!"
"One of these days i'm gonna get sick of your shit and beat ya ass."
"Yeah, Yeah. Ya wouldn't dare. Holy shit! They even have conditioner!" Peyton laughed at her excited friend as she peeled the dirty clothes she had been wearing off, they were caked in mud, walker blood and sweat, Sheri was right she really did stink. Stepping forward into the cubicle next too Sheri, turning the handle of water feeling the cool water pour over her skin, getting a fright when the water began to turn warm. Oh my god, warm fucking water she thought as she let the water cover her. She looked down as the clean water had turned brown from the dirt washing out of her hair and off her tanned skin. She picked up the bottle of shower gel pouring some in her hand and began washing over her skin watching the dirty and dried blood slide away. She next took the Shampoo inhaling the pleasant coconut smell pouring a generous amount into her hands and began massaging it into her scalp and down her long thick hair. Slowly after a few attempts she began to see her merky grey coloured hair disappear as she washed the dirt and blood away and her almost white, platinum blonde began to show itself. Lathering it in conditioner she twisted it into a knot on the top of her head as she massaged soap into her legs and began shaving enjoying the warm water running over her back and shoulders, especially enjoying the water running over her sensitive scar. Washing the last of the conditioner out of her hair she looked down at her clean body feeling normal and feminine for the first time that year, stepping out of the shower she saw Sheri already dressed drying off her long black hair.
"I took the jeans as your ass wasn't gonna fit in them, but they left some shorts you can fit your wide ass into." Sheri mocked Peyton.
"Shut ya hole Sheri!" She bit back throwing the wet towel she had finished drying herself with as she began getting dressed. "Sheri what are you doing? Why do you even still have that make up bag?"
Sheri looked back at Peyton with a playful face, "Bitch come on! It's not just us anymore don't know what hunnies they got hiding away here! Besides its just a little bit of mascara and lip stuff. Come here! I'll do you, I saw the way you were looking at that redneck!" Sheri had already began attacking Peyton with the mascara brush as she had only just finished getting dressed.
Both woman laughed, laughed for the first time like they used too before everything had gone to shit. They tidied up and put their dirty clothes and towels in the corner and left the showers, "Sheri gimme that make up bag I gotta get something from my room so i'll take it up with me and i'll meet you down in the canteen." Sheri handed the make up bag to Peyton and left her alone in the shower block, leaving her to look in the mirror. For the first time in what seemed like forever she actually recognised the person looking back at her, sure her face was thinner and the skin around her eyes was dark from lack of sleep but her tanned face made her retain that healthy look. Her bright green eyes stared back at her looking even more prominent as her white hair was now visible and her already long eyelashes were coated in the thick black mascara. She brushed all the knots out of her hair and took out the cherry lip gloss coating her lips pouting back at herself in the mirror before putting the make up back in the bag and began walking back to the room.
She tossed the make up back on Sheri's beg and walked into hers, the outfit that Sheri had left for her in the shower hadn't left much to the imagination as Peyton was pulling down the short tank top down, she spotted the red checked shirt and pulled that on top of the tank top buttoning it all the way down so her little denim shorts just poked out the bottom of the shirt, She swapped her dirty black boots for her relatively clean white converse, reaching under her bed and pulling out a packet of cigarettes and lighter and began walking out her cell. She almost immediately bumped straight into Daryl who had been moving some stuff around on his perch.
"Watch were 'ya going woman will ya!" He barked at her without even looking at her. "Nice to see your full of the joys of spring! I was actually gonna ask ya if you wanted to join me for a cigarette before dinner but I wont now." She retorted back looking at him with her hip cocked out to the side. He then turned to face her looking up directly at her noticing how different she looked from before.
"You got one of them normal ones? Not a ya menthol shit."
"Pretty sure I just said to you I wasn't gonna ask but considering I forgot something in my cell i'll get your rude ass a smoke, wait there." And with that she wandered back into her cell picking up the bag of food she was gonna give to Rick and slipped into Sheri's cell getting a cigarette for Daryl.
"Here." She said handing him the cigarette as they walked down the stairs together side by side making their way through the rec room and to the entrance of the prison. Daryl watched as she took the cigarette box out her pocket turning it upside down tapping the bottom and then turning it back round pulling out a cigarette, he couldn't help wonder why she did that. He watched as she placed the small white sick in her red shiney lips and lit it using her lighter. Daryl felt him staring at her lips wondering what type of person wore this stuff on their lips in an apocalypse. "What you staring at?" She barked at him.
"Nothing. Just waiting for a light. Look who's fucking rude now." He said turning away from her lighting his own cigarette as she threw the lighter over to him blushing like crazy.
"So whats your story then?" She asked him.
"Don't 'ave one."
"Don't be stupid everyone has one."
"Not me. Can't you go five minutes without yapping on? If i'd known I was gonna get twenty questions I woulda preferred to take my chances with them walkers over there."
"Ergh, be my guest." She replied back thinking how rude he was as she threw her not even half finished cigarette on the floor turning around walking back into the prison towards the smell of food and chatter.
She stood at the entrance of the canteen looking inside not making a noise, examining the scene in front of her, it seemed like Sheri-lee had already won the rest of the group round, Sheri was sat at a table next to Rick, with an african american woman with thick black dreads with a stern face, could this possibly be Michonne who they had mentioned before and next to her was the boy from the woods, Carl. There was a grey haired woman serving out food to everyone, she looked kind and caring and Peyton guessed this must be Carol. Beth and Maggie were sat at a table with an older gentleman which she hoped was their father and not one of their boyfriend. Next to him was an Asian guy who she recognised had given her one of the biggest smiles when her and Sheri had arrived, Maggie kept leaning over and brushing her hand against his, ah so this must me Maggie's boyfriend then, she thought.
She felt the door behind her close and footsteps behind her, it was Daryl. She had felt a bit rude for the previous conversation she had had with him but she didn't know how to take him. He walked by her without so much as a glance as he walked straight over and sat down on a table on his own running his hands through his long brown hair and then began to bite on the corner of his thumb. He looked straight up and thats when he noticed Peyton staring at him, at first she had been glaring at him wondering how someone could be so rude and backwards when she had been nothing but kind, then she had found he glaring change into staring as she noticed his arms once again as he walked by her and then her staring turned into fascination as she noticed the angel wings on the back of his leather jacket and then in those 30 seconds that he had been looking down biting his thumb she had been examining his every mannerism fascinated but not quite sure why. He had looked back her confused and almost angry, she had shuck her head and flushed a bright red once again and began walking her way over to the spare seat with Sheri-lee who was already eating. The grey haired woman who she had guessed right as Carol smiled as she put a plate full of food down in front of her, "You eat up you here and if you want seconds just ask, oh and don't worry about him." She said pointing at Daryl, "Man of few words but he's a good man." She smiled back at Carol thanking her and began tucking into her mashed potato and beans, it was the best thing she had ever tasted in nearly a year and had to stop herself from licking the plate clean. When she had finished eaten she picked the black bag up off from near her feet, "Rick I just wanna thank you for taking us in, I know we didn't give the best first impression and I know its not much but its all the food we have left and I think its best now we share it with the group." She said as she handed the bag over Rick as he thanked them both.
It had been a long day for everyone and one by one people made sort introductions to both woman before excusing themselves heading to bed. It wasn't before long till the only ones who were still up in the canteen had been Sheri-lee and Peyton.
"So P Holt, what you thinking?"
"I thought i'd feel different y'no? I thought I wouldn't trust these people. But they seem good people. We gotta give this a chance, we can't keep running just the two of us anymore."
"Yeah I agree, just we cant let our guard down ever, we gotta keep fighting. I'll always have your back" Sheri-lee said to her best friend pulling her into a tight hug. "Now if you don't mind me, I'm gonna go enjoy me some shut eye, night night sis. Oh and no sneaking off with that redneck," she smirked "oh and don't give me that luck I saw you both eye fucking each other before and I know you were away with him before you finally came for dinner. P Holt you always have worked quick when it comes to guys." She laughed seeing the look of horror on her best friends face before walking out and walking up the stairs to her cell and climbing into her bunk bed and before her head had even hit the pillow she was out like light.
Peyton had ben sitting downstairs in the prison canteen for over half an hour on her own with just her thoughts for company. She hadn't even felt herself fall to sleep sitting at the table until the nightmare started, it started off small she was in a pitch black room she couldn't see anything around her but she felt like the walls were slowly closing in, but also it felt like her chest was closing in too feeling her self unable to breathe, she felt hands grabbing at her all over but they were just grabbing they were grabbing her as if their life depended on her, she didn't wake up till she felt the piercing of her skin as she relived the moment someone had defiled her body with a knife cutting her from ear to chest, branding her as damaged, scared, ugly. She woke up with a gasp and almost a scream, she was drenched covered in cold sweat, she was white as a sheet and her eyes were blood shot red from crying subconsciously, if she had of seen herself there and then she probably would have mistaken herself for a walker.
Still in her trance like state she walked to the front entrance of the prison sitting down at the door trying to catch her breath, it seems a stupid thing to do but she knew it would calm her down as she pulled out a cigarette and placed it in her lips as she started to fumble for a lighter when suddenly a yellow flame appeared in front of her.
"Should really be going to bed." It was Daryl.
"I could say the same thing to you" she mumbled struggling to form a sentence.
"It's my turn to go on watch so I sorta have an excuse, you just obviously don't know whats best for you."
"And you do?"
"I don't care what's best for you. 'Ave just met ya woman and you women are all the same if you ain't moaning, you're demanding summit or another. But I do know you look like you seen a ghost at least before you looked…" he said trailing off.
"Looked what?" She asked.
"Nothing just get to bed will ya, I cant be going on watch keeping an eye out for Walkers while your making noise which will more than likely attracting more of them. Get to bed will ya." He insisted throwing his cigarette away pulling his cross bow over his broad shoulder and then began stomping away to the guard tower.
He's fucking crazy that one she thought then mimicked Sheri saying yeah but so are you. She finished the final draw from her cigarette throwing it away and made her way to her cell, she was going to enjoy this sleep and she was gonna force herself to sleep right the way through to morning, and just like Sheri her head hadn't even hit the pillow and she was completely dead to the world spooning the extra pillow from the top bunk, but her final thought had been, I wonder what Daryl had thought of how I look before and why he got so embarrassed?