Out Of The Darkness Came Her Light
Chapter 4
Anna bolted from the prison in a blind panic, her mind racing even faster than her heart as the reality and enormity of everything that had happened in the last couple of hours sunk in. Daryl was alive, he was here, he loved her, and he wanted to be with her. They were finally going to be together, and they were getting that second chance to start over.
Then the tenuous truth of her new situation hit home, her heart slowing sinking as a sick feeling bubbled in the pit of her stomach and a sudden and overwhelming weakness threatened to buckle her legs from under her. She knew the fleeting happiness she'd felt at being reunited with Daryl, their plans for a future together were nothing but a hopeless dream.
Because Daryl was locked away, he was being beaten and tortured for some reason she wasn't privy to, and it was likely she might never get to see or speak to him again. He was Negan's new play-thing and she knew all too well that Negan could kill him in an instant, without needing any reason except that he could. And her circumstances were no better. Negan owned her, he owned her body, and he owned every one of her actions and thoughts, and knowing there was a possibility of him finding out that she knew Daryl from before, or worse, finding out what they'd just done and said to each other in secret, was enough to force burning bile into her throat, her body doubling over as her whole body retched and heaved in fear.
"Miss? You ain't lookin' too good. You need us to fetch the doc? You want us to get Negan?" Simon asked with concern as he grabbed her forearm and held her steady.
Anna pulled herself together long enough to stand upright and shake the man's hand off her, squinting up at him through the brightness of the sweltering afternoon Georgia sun as her head pounded away painfully. "No. I'm fine," she lied.
"If you don't mind me sayin', Miss. You don't look fine at all. Maybe you need a lung full of fresh air. Did warn you it ain't too fresh down there," he joked, that big wide grin erupting over his face again, making Anna wish she could slap him. He was probably assuming, or more likely hoping she would flounce off and decide never to return.
Then Anna had the thought she could maybe try to take advantage of the concern that other people might show her, too, due to her sudden bout of weakness. So, she made a display of shakily sitting herself down on the top step and speaking in the most pathetic and needy voice she could muster. "On second thoughts, maybe I should let you go to Negan. I don't know if I'm strong enough to make it back on my own and I don't think he'd like it if he saw me passed out in the middle of the compound," she murmured weakly. "If he thinks I should see the doc, I know he'll want to take me himself," she finished, placing her head between her legs and inhaling deeply for effect.
The smug grin on Selleck's face disappeared as he ordered his partner to go find Negan and bring him here now, Anna overhearing him whisper that they'd be fucking dead men if something happened to the blonde on their watch.
Anna sat holding her head, listening as the man walked, almost ran, away, her mind starting to replay over and over the conversations she'd had with Daryl. She realized she hadn't even asked about Rick and the others. It was hazy, but she remembered Carol and Rick and Tyreese and Sasha from the hospital. Daryl must have found them at some point after she'd been taken. Maybe… maybe if they made it out of the prison, then Maggie could have, too, maybe even Carl, Glenn, Judy and Michonne. Perhaps Daryl had gotten separated from Rick and the others again as they headed North, and that was how he'd somehow ended up here in Virginia on his own.
Anna suddenly recalled Negan had told her that he'd taken a 'scrappy little fucker' prisoner that night he'd come back from dealing with the group in the woods. Wait, hadn't Dwight just told her the new guy in the cells hadn't done anything except defend his friends? Oh god, they'd both been referring to Daryl.
Which meant Daryl wasn't alone, he must have been with a group, even if it wasn't their family. She really hoped it was Rick and Carol, Tyreese and Sasha though, that they'd managed to start again somewhere safe… then she remembered, as her heart caught in her throat, and her pulse raced loudly in her ears, that Negan had bludgeoned two men to death that same night, before boasting about kidnapping Daryl.
Please god, no, don't let it have been Rick and Tyreese, she screamed out internally, her body shaking as she really did begin to feel sweaty and feint and breathless … and like her entire world was imploding around her all over again.
As her mouth started to water and her vision blurred, before everything finally faded into complete darkness, she thought she heard fast heavy footsteps, and then two big familiar hands sliding around her back and under her legs, a distant deep voice repeating her name.
Anna knew she must've passed out, and even though she felt disoriented and weak, her mind trying to catch up to what was happening to her body, she could sense herself being hugged tightly against his strong solid chest, bouncing softly as he held her safely and walked her to his rooms. She knew then that Negan had come for her, just like she hoped he would.
"Anna, ya scared the fucking shit outta me, sending that overweight stammering fool to tell me you're sick," Negan chastised her, holding his palm against her cheek as she stared up at him wide eyed from the bed.
"I… I'm sorry. I didn't feel good. I think I passed out…" she mumbled as her mind started to refocus and she shuffled to sit herself up against the headboard.
"No shit ya passed out!" he boomed, grinning at her, widening his shining eyes. "It's my bad. I shouldn't have allowed you to see a place like that. Those kind of things ain't for someone as delicate as you," Negan told her softly. "Not my sweet, sweet, Anna," he cooed lovingly, pressing his smiling lips into hers and tangling his hands into the hair at the back of her head as he held her close for a moment.
"No arguments. You'll stay with me till you're better. Whatever you need, just gotta tell me." Negan held her flushed face between his hands and studied her for a while, narrowing his eyes and jerking his head back as he noticed how puffy and blotchy her skin was, how bloodshot her eyes were. "Anna. Sweetheart. Have you been crying? Did one of those sorry ass deadbeats say something to you… did they upset you in any way? Does Lucille need to have a conversation with someone?" he asked menacingly, but sounding truly worried about her and looking angry enough to explode. Anna knew then that he really would have killed for her. On just her say so. That knowledge was both scary and empowering.
Anna swallowed hard. "No. No-one. I swear. But there is somethin' I need to tell you… the new prisoner. The one you called a scrappy little… yunno?" Anna started, aware he didn't like her cussing under any circumstance, because he thought it 'un-befitting of someone as delicate and innocent as his sweet Anna'.
"What about him? Did he put his dirty fucking hands anywhere near you?" Negan asked through a clenched jaw, his eyes sparking in rage as he gripped the metal headboard above her head almost hard enough to crush it to dust.
"No. No. He didn't do anythin'… he's...you've been hurtin' my brother," she explained, sucking back a real sob as every one of the feelings she'd been trying to tamp down came flooding to the fore. She knew this was it, he either believed her or he didn't. If he didn't he would torture Daryl for the truth of why she would create such a story, then kill them both. But if he did, she was sure now that Negan would release Daryl, and they would finally get that chance at starting over.
Negan dropped his hand from the headboard and cocked his head to the side in disbelief, his eyes flicking around the room as he tried to process what he's just heard. "Him. That insubordinate, redneck piece of shit in that cell, is your brother?" he asked incredulous.
Despite the fact her heart had stopped beating and she was sure she'd gone as pale as a sheet, Anna nodded and lifted her hand to trace her fingertips softly down Negan's cheek to bring his eyes back to hers. "Not brother. Only half-brother. His name is Daryl Dixon. I haven't seen him since before the turn, but it's him. He reminds me so much of daddy," she whimpered, tears now spilling down her face and dripping from her chin as her chest shuddered and her breath stuttered.
"Damn, this is some fucked up shit, Anna," he drawled, scrunching his face up and squeezing his eyes closed in frustration as he remained quiet, his mind churning over every possible consequence of this revelation. It was bizarre and it was sick. He wanted to let out a deep laugh, a laugh that was as ridiculous as this situation. But Anna was fucking serious. She was telling him the truth and he knew it. He'd never been sure how Anna Dixon had survived this long into an apocalypse, she was meek and sweet and soft and pure… and she was honest and true. He was sure she'd never told a fucking lie in her whole life. But whatever she was or wasn't, all he knew was that he loved her more than he'd ever loved anyone and she didn't need to know how to survive, because she had him to take care of her now.
Anna kept silent, just letting her thumb rub softly through his whiskers as her other hand rested on his thigh, her fingers gently massaging and stroking as she waited for a response.
"I suppose you want me to release him?" He asked after an age, leaning in and kissing along Anna's neck as he groaned out, slowly pressing her back down into the mattress. The hand that had been on his thigh accidentally brushed the bulge in his pants as he held himself above her, his moan telling Anna exactly what she needed to know.
Anna nodded as she curled her arms around his neck, not wanting to encourage him further by touching his cock again. "Yes. Please. I don't know what he did, and you know I don't understand these things, I know you only do what you have to to keep us all safe. But except for you he's the only family I have left. He's not a bad man, he just… he didn't have a good start. Daddy told me he left Daryl's mom when Daryl was only tiny, his mom remarried but his step-father was cruel. He beat on him and abused him. Daddy lost contact, he didn't know, and by the time he did it was too late. Daddy had a new wife, he had me, and Daryl was older. But a few years ago, after his mom passed away, Daryl made contact. We got to know each other a bit, he was always nice to me, he even tried to teach me to shoot his crossbow. But then the turn happened and it was chaos for so long, we had to run and I didn't know if Daryl was alive or dead. Then today... I saw him, and it broke my heart. That's why I've been so upset, that's why I passed out." Anna explained her story as best she could, as convincingly and with as much truth and feeling as she could, hoping it was enough.
"If it stops my favorite girl hurting, I'll let him out. I'd never have locked him up if I'd have known who he was, you believe me don't you?" he asked her, sounding truly sorry as his lips kissed softly at her throat and neck, his whiskers scratching her tender flesh before his soft wet tongue was soothing over it. "I love you, Anna Dixon. That means I'll always protect you, and I'll give you anythin' that's in my power to give, it means I'll do anything for you. But don't confuse me wanting to make you happy with me being an idiot. If you lie to me, if you ever try to play me in any way, there will be consequences. I think you already understand that though, don't you sweetheart?" Negan asked in the sweetest but most menacing voice she'd ever heard.
He pulled back to look at her, but all he found was the same loving and faithful expression he always found.
"I understand. But I've never lied to you. Never. It hurts that you think I could do. Why would I tell you something like this if it wasn't true?" She asked innocently as her body vibrated, her breath jack hammered in her chest, and tears ran down her cheeks.
"Shuuushh. Don't fucking cry. Anna, sweetheart. I believe you. I never said I didn't. You're just tired and upset and you've seen some shit you shouldn't have." Negan stroked away the tears from her cheeks and traced his fingers through her damp hair. "Sleep. I'll be back later to check on you. I'll tell Sherry and Sarah they're not required. Indefinitely. I'm gonna give you all the time and attention you deserve after I've hurt you so bad," he told her, his eyes shining brightly, and his dimples catching the light as he gave her what was once a smile that made her heart fill with hope. Now it only made her queasy. It made her want to scream and run and vomit. But she stared up at him through her own glistening blue eyes, sniffing back tears as she grinned at him and nodded her approval of his plan instead.
Anna kept her brightest and most brilliant smile plastered to her face, while behind the mask she was struggling to breathe, she was terrified that everything that had just passed between them was nothing more than the start of one of Negan's twisted games.
Anna couldn't be sure either way though. She thought he'd believed her. He'd acted like he'd believed her. And there really was no reason for her to lie or for him not to believe her. She'd never lied to him, never manipulated him. And while Negan was far from stupid, and as far from being a fool as anyone could be, she was beginning to believe he might one day become her fool. She realized now that she possibly held more power and wielded more influence over Negan than any other person in this compound. In this world.
"Don't go. Lie with me until I'm asleep? Please," Anna asked, feigning frailty and letting her blue orbs burn into his until she knew he wouldn't refuse her.
Negan stripped down to only his t-shirt and jeans and curled up behind her, pulling her body into his and burying his face into her long curls. "God, you still smell so good, sweetheart," he told her, pulling her closer and absorbing her body's shaking until it had stopped altogether.
There was silence for a while as they lay curled up together. Anna had stopped crying and her body had stilled, but her mind was racing with a whole new load of problems and thoughts.
Then her lips were pressing into Daryl's again, her tongue softly sliding alongside his as his arms pulled her into him, stroking up and down her spine, and tugging at the ends of her hair. It felt so real, but she somehow knew it wasn't. Anna was asleep, her tired body taking her mind into slumber, into one place where she and Daryl could be safe, where they'd always been safe. Her dreams.
Daryl was also in the realm of sleep. He had been since before Beth had left his cell. The peaceful silence ringing in his ears was too enticing to ignore, his body too broken and his mind too shattered to stay awake any longer. But the dream he was locked in now wasn't anything like the dreams he'd had of Beth before. They were nothing compared to this, the real thing… the memory of her mouth on his, her breath on his neck, her fingers on his skin, her words in his ear...
Daryl was shocked awake as a cold ice filled gush of water covered what felt like his entire body. His eyes sprung open and he gasped for air as he saw the familiar dark outline of Negan and Lucille stood menacingly in the light of his cell doorway, Dwight skulking away in the distance holding the bucket that had just soaked him through and interrupted his dreams.
"Wakey, wakey, Mr Dixon! Rise and shine! Time to get up and brighten the world with more of your witty repartee," Negan boomed, grinning and laughing as Daryl struggled to get to his knees, wiping hair and water from his eyes.
"A sweet little bird told me to let you out. So, let you out I shall," he announced proudly, bending backwards and grinning manically. "You know who that sweet little bird was?" he asked in a whisper as he walked into the cell and crouched down next to the archer who was now on his hands and knees, panting in both anger and exhaustion. "How about a clue? You need a clue, Dixon?" he asked smugly, his voice increasing in volume and intensity again as he swung Lucille down from his shoulder and balanced her on the floor.
"Anna," Daryl croaked, lifting his head to stare straight into Negan's dark eyes.
"Bingo! We have a winning answer. Now who is Anna exactly? I mean, I know she's my wife, and boy, how lucky am I do be putting the wood to her. She's a fucking wet dream. Almost makes me want to get rid of my other wives," he taunted him. "But you? How the hell does a redneck like you know such a sweet angel?" he asked as he tapped Lucille into the floor and waited.
"She's my half-sister. But you already know that or you wouldn't be here," he mumbled, staring with hatred and anger into the evil bastard's eyes, biting his tongue to stop from doing exactly what Negan wanted, and defending his girl, giving himself away and ruining everything just like he had in the woods.
"Yeah, I do. Guess it's a blessing she took after her momma and not your pa… in regards to looks, I mean. Do you think you look like your pa? Anna thinks you do anyhow. Jesus, just how old did that old bastard have to be when he had Anna. You're goddamn ancient, and she's only how old? Kudos. I think I would've liked my father-in-law, sounds like my kind of man," he mused, more to himself than the man in front of him.
"Nineteen." Daryl gave him the answer anyway. "I'm thirty-eight, and Hershel was fifty-five when Anna was born. He was thirty-six when I was born. If the fucker's still out there he'll be seventy-four. Ya think yer got enough numbers to draw the family tree now?" Daryl asked sarcastically, narrowing his eyes.
"He ain't. Alive I mean. Didn't Anna tell you? Whoops. Guess she didn't. Daddy dearest died, had his fucking head cut off by some one-eyed control freak. Hey, don't shoot, I'm just the messenger!" Negan held up his hands in mock surrender, watching Daryl's face intently, and laughing nastily at him before he stood himself up again.
Daryl didn't have to pretend to be upset, because once the images of that day came flooding back, he felt like sobbing, but he did have to fight to hold back that tidal wave of emotion from reaching his face. He knew Hershel's death wouldn't have affected Daryl, 'Hershel's son', like it had done Daryl, Hershel's friend. "I'm sorry for Anna, but he ain't no loss to me. He was a waste a' space as far as I'm concerned. Left me and mom when I was a kid and didn't give a shit," Daryl explained, his voice and face refusing to give away the sadness and turmoil bubbling away under the surface, or the panic and fear he felt in case his tired muddled mind slipped up, in case something he said didn't match what Anna had told him.
"Let's be clear right from the get go. Anna don't need or want anything from you. I'm letting you out because she's upset, because I don't like it when she's upset. Period. I still want you dead, and you still want me dead. But if you care about your sister at all, you'll tow the line. At least till we can work through this shitstorm. You'll stay here and work for me, you'll be where I can keep both eyes on you. Rick and his people know the world order now, and you will, too," he told him, suddenly and forcefully slamming Lucille into the ground next to him. The sound and sudden unexpectedness of the crack knocking Daryl sideways and onto the floor. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut as his mind returned to that night, curling himself into a ball, as tears stung at his already red and puffy eyes.
"I love your sister, so for her sake," Negan started, leaning over the pitiful form on the ground and bringing his mouth to Daryl's ear. "Actually, it's for your sake, too, you pathetic loser," he whispered as a deep chuckle spilled from his lips and vibrated along Daryl's entire body like an electric shock. "I'm gonna skip the bit where you kneel and vow to serve Negan. To serve us all. But you so much as take a piss without asking, you so much as look at someone the wrong way, and I'll take your fucking hand. I'll take you piece by piece if I have to, and if Anna suffers, it's on you, not me," he finished, standing up and swinging Lucille back over his shoulder as he sauntered out of the cell, his whistling echoing along the silent corridor as he disappeared.
Daryl lay there, staring vacantly into the light and semi-freedom that existed beyond his cell door. He knew his body and mind were in shock right now, that they were shattered and broken, and he wondered if he would ever really recover. If he would ever be the man he was even a week ago. But as he thought of her, his girl, he could feel that tiny spark of hope she'd placed in his heart all that long time ago begin to burst into flame. A proper roaring inferno that was spreading through his body like molten lava, reigniting his fierce determination to survive that he thought he might never feel again.
He knew whatever he had to do now was okay. As long as he could see Anna, talk to her sometimes, look into her eyes and keep seeing the love and longing and happiness he'd seen there only hours ago, then he knew it would be okay. Until the time came that they could run, it would be okay.