(Glenn's POV)
The engine turns over and I begin racking my brain for a way out of this. I'm in a car with no idea where I'm going. Driven by a couple dudes who just beat the crap out of me over a bag of guns. "Just tell us what you want and maybe we can work something out." I try to reason with them. Chloe's head lies heavy in my lap, she still hasn't come to since she hit her head on the dumpster.
"Just shut up." The guy in the white t-shirt, who practically threw her in on top of me, says glaring at me in the rear view mirror.
"My friend, she needs help." I pull the matted hair away from Chloe's face to get a better look at the gash stretching from near the center of her forehead toward her right temple.
"My friend does too thanks to that stupid red neck shootin' him in the ass." The guy in the driver's seat fires back; motioning his head to the man in the passenger seat. The one Chloe was riding like a mechanical bull, he's shifting uncomfortably even after Daryl's arrow was removed. I imagine it still hurts pretty bad.
"We don't want any trouble please just let us go." I start pleading my case again knowing it's useless at this point.
"Not gonna happen, best keep your mouth shut if you want your little girlfriend to live." Another death glare in the mirror.
"Ok." I shrug out of my over shirt, bunching it up and holding it against her forehead to slow the bleeding.
"Head wounds bleed the most. Saw it when I grabbed her, looks superficial." The man in the passenger seat says turning around slightly to get a better look at her.
"Are you a doctor?" I ask.
"Nurse." He shrugs.
"Listen I'm sorry you got shot in the ass but if you just give us a chance to talk to our people-"
"Sorry about your friend." The man in gray cuts me off. "You better hope they're willin' to trade that bag of guns for ya. Otherwise this could get ugly."
"They have one of your men, you have us they'll be willing to trade. They're not bad people." I clear my throat when I hear my own voice become shaky and unsure.
"Neither are we. But we need those guns man."
"Felipe stop talkin' to him. We gotta let Guillermo see what he wants to do about this first."
"Who's Guillermo?" I wonder. No response. I take a deep breath considering my options. There's a very real possibility that Chloe doesn't wake up for a while. In that case I'm gonna be up against at least three armed men by the sounds of it, probably more. I can't leave her behind but I have no idea what to do with unconscious Chloe in a hostage situation. We pull up outside of a brick building the windows are boarded up and there's armed guards at the only open entrance.
"Let's go! Get the girl!" The driver calls to the guy, Felipe, on the opposite side of the car. He swings open the right back door and begins tugging Chloe out by her ankles.
"I've got her." I protest making my way out the door and hoisting her up bridal style.
"She dead?" Another guy about my age steps out of the shadows. He points his pistol toward her head.
"No, she's fine." I say as the man who was driving, steers me forward with his bat at my back.
"She bit?" The guy, Guillermo maybe, turns toward his henchmen.
"No. She was on my back when some crazy prick shot me in the ass. I dropped her. Hit her head. She needs stitches." Felipe tells him.
The leader nods wetting his lips. "Give 'er here."
"No, she stays with me." I square my shoulders as best I can with her weight in my arms.
"Give her to me now. Or I will kill you both." He yanks her out of my arms. "Make sure he ain't got no weapons and then bring 'em up. I'm gonna get her ready for ya." Get her ready?
"Keep your hands off her!" I'm shoved face first into the red brick wall. The first man from the car patting me down none too gently.
"Just relax I done this plenty of times." Felipe smiles and my stomach churns.
"I'm sure you have you sick fuck. Raping girls who can't defend themselves isn't something to be proud of." I spit at him as he pulls me off the wall.
"You are as stupid as look." He laughs. "Come on." He pushes me through the door the first asshole brought Chloe through and then through a set of double doors.
"This was a hospital?" I look around taking in all the people sitting in what looks like a cafeteria turned recreation room.
"Old folks home." He corrects me.
"You worked here?"
"Yeah." He slips past me to the left side of the room. A blue and white striped curtain separates the tiny room behind it from the elderly people.
"What is this place?"
"Exactly what it looks like. Guillermo and I are the only ones who stayed. We try to care for these people as best we can but without those guns we're sittin' ducks. Sometimes people come to visit and when they see what we're doin' for their grandparents and parents they stick around. Which is good because we need the man power." He finally pulls back the curtain. Revealing a cot at the center, Chloe's head resting comfortably against the dingy pillows as the guy, Guillermo, wipes the blood away from her wound. Behind him on a tiny wooden table is a needle, thread, some medical tape and gauze.
"What do ya think?" Guillermo asks Felipe.
"She just needs to be patched up." He sets to work rolling up his sleeves. As he walks around to the opposite side I realize that he hasn't tended to his own wound yet.
"Our people are gonna come looking for us packing some serious heat. If you guys just talk to them I'm sure Rick would give you some of the guns at least." I don't know these people not really but they aren't bad people they've proved that. I don't want them to die.
"It's all or nothin'." Guillermo blows me off.
"You're gonna get yourselves killed." I sigh in frustration. Felipe pushes the needle through the skin at the top of her wound and then the bottom effective stitching them together with practiced fingers.
"Maybe," Guillermo shrugs moving to stand on my left giving Felipe space on the other side of the table, "they don't wanna make the trade we'll just keep you both here. You can make yourselves useful."
"They have Miguel. We can't just leave him, he's blood."
Guillermo mulls this over for a moment as Felipe finished up the stitches on Chloe's head. "She'll be wakin' up soon, I'll go get her some water." He leaves the room without another word. Felipe places a piece of folded gauze on her forehead holding it down with a strip of tape.
"She's real pretty, she your girlfriend or somethin'?" He wonders staring down at her.
"No, just a friend." I smile smoothing down her hair.
"You gay or somethin'."
"I like girls, just not Chloe. Like I said she's my friend, my best friend."
"She got a boyfriend?"
"You're really invested in this." I laugh shaking my head.
"I ain't seen a girl in a long time, 'specailly not one that looks like this. I just wanna know if it's possible."
"It's complicated." I lean back against the far wall. If Chloe ever gets wind that I was giving out information about her and Daryl's not so discrete and oh so disgusting rendezvous she'll kill me with her bare hands.
"We got visitors!" Someone yells. Saved by the bell.
"You, come with me." Guillermo rips back the curtain; grabbing me roughly by the shoulder. Forcing a dirty rag into my mouth as someone pulls a bag over my head. Tying my hands behind my back.
(Daryl's POV)
"You ok little man?" Says the bastard who comes out from behind the rusted metal door. T-Dog is up on top a the buildin' beside us ready to gun every one of these assholes down if things go south. Rick the dick and me are the only one's in this guy, Guillermo's, view.
"This crazy puto says he's gonna cut my feet off." The little punk, we picked up in the alley, snivels like the piece of shit he is.
"Cops do that?" Guillermo cocks his head to the side.
"Not him, the crazy red neck. He cut off some dudes hand, showed it to me."
"Shut up," I growl pointin' my bow at him.
Then the prick that bashed Chloe's head comes out to play, "there he is." He points his pistol at me. "That's the crazy fucker that shot me in the ass."
"Hey, chill. Chill." Guillermo slowly gets the guy to lower his gun. "So is it true?" He looks ta Rick. "He wants Miguel's feet? That's pretty sick man."
"Actually we were hoping more for a calm discussion." Rick says.
"The hillbilly shoots Felipe in the ass, steals our bag a guns and threatens to cut off his little cousin's feet and you want a calm discussion? You fascinate me."
"Heat of the moment. Mistakes were made on both sides." Rick's wastin' his time tryin' to reason with these sons a bitches, we should be goin' in there and takin' what's ours instead a pussy footin' aroun' tryna make friends.
"Who's this guy to you anyway you don't look related." Guillermo waves his hand at me.
"He's one of our group more or less I'm sure you have a few like him."
"You got my brother in there?" I demand. 'Nough fuckin' around, it's time for answers.
"No I'm fresh outta white boys, but I do got a white girl and an Asian. You interested?"
"We have yours, you have ours, sounds like a fair trade to me. Nobody has to get hurt here."
"Doesn't seem fair to me. One of my men for one of yours, that's fair. If you want the girl too it's gonna cost ya." I aim my crossbow at him, ready to end this little bastard and his little bastard friends right now.
"What do you want?" Rick asks, I wanna turn my bow on him, who put this fucker in charge anyway?
"You're gonna come back here in an hour with my man and my bag of guns and then we'll talk."
"You're mistakin'."
"I don't think so." Guillermo licks his lips.
"About the guns bein' yours. I dropped that bag here about a week ago. We just got around to comin' back for it." Rick 'xplains.
"You have an hour. We don't have many girls come through here, she'd be a welcome addition to our group."
"You don't touch her ya sorry son of a bitch!" Rick places restraining hand on my shoulder. I shake him off continuing toward the entrance. "I will come back 'ere locked an' loaded an' make ya wish you were never born if ya put your hands on her!"
"You talk a big game. But what I see is all bark and no bite." Guillermo nods his head toward the roof. Two of these other thugs are danglin' Glenn from the roof of the building.
"Daryl, this is not how we do this. I swear to you I'm gonna get Chloe and Glenn outta there. Let's get back to the store an' talk about this." Rick moves to block me from puttin' an arrow in these guy's heads.
"Ain't nothin to talk about! I'm gon ta get er." Is he deaf, dumb, or just stupid? It don't matter 'cause I ain't taking orders from no one.
"If you go in there now, like this, that is for yourself. Not for Chloe."
"That's my girl in there." I say 'fore I can stop myself.
"I know, if you wanna get her back we need a plan."
"I gotta plan." I grumble under my breath, guttin' each and everyone a these dumb fucks seems like a plan ta me.
"A better plan." He clarifies.
"You better be right." I scoff at him, ta hell with this prick. I turn back the way we came dragging the little Mexican kid with me.
(Chloe's POV)
"Well good morning sunshine." Someone says from above me.
"Five more minutes mom," I groan out trying to be in good spirits despite the pounding in my head.
"No can do, it's time to rise and shine. You've been out for almost two hours." It's Glenn speaking I realize peeling my eyelids open to find him in the dimly lit room.
"Where the hell are we?" I ask trying to sit up, this isn't camp or the department store.
He holds his hand out for me and I take it swinging my legs over the side of the bed. "Those guys that jumped me and Daryl for the guns, they took us. We're in some kind of old folks home."
"Is Daryl ok? The rest of them?" I press my fingers to my temple attempting to get some relief from the drum beating inside my skull.
"Don't," Glenn grabs my wrist, "you've got stitches. Split your head open on the dumpster when you fell off Felipe."
"Felipe? What the hell are you guys chummy now?"
"Not at all," he laughs, "however he is very interested in getting to know you."
"Uck," I gag.
"Look don't shoot the messenger I told him you're not interested."
"Good looking out." I roll my eyes. "Do you mind tell me what the hell is really going on here?"
"They're taking care of a bunch of old people, they needed the bag of guns. They panicked when shit went down and they grabbed us for leverage."
"Well are they gonna let us go before they get killed? Daryl will kill them, Rick won't be able to stop him." I finally manage to get on my feet.
"They're trying to make some kind of trade for us. You're right about Daryl going primal though, Rick barely stopped him in the courtyard."
"They were here?"
"Outside, they dangled me over the edge of the roof."
"Just you?"
"Yeah I...carried you in, made sure nobody touched you all that fun stuff." He shrugs.
"Thank you Glennie." I sigh.
"You'd do it for me so..."
"Hell yeah I would," I smile at him.
"OH NO!" I hear someone yell from behind the striped curtain.
"What the hell is that?" I demand, moving to draw my knife but of course it's gone.
"No idea." Glenn whips open the curtain to reveal all the elderly people huddled around in the center of the room.
"Oh, come, come. Can you help him?" An old man with white hair calls out to Glenn and I.
"What's wrong with him?" I make my way across the room, Glenn just a step behind me to the left.
"He needs his medicine. He has asthma and he can't get his breath all the sudden." The man explains.
"I'm so sorry, I don't...I don't know how to help." I stammer taking a step away from his pleading stare. "Glenn do you know how to-"
"No," he shakes his head averting his gaze to the floor.
My mouth goes dry, this man is about to die right in front of me and there's nothing I can do. Someone grabs me roughly by the shoulder spinning me around to face them.
"Are ya hurt?" Daryl practically growls at me, his eyes dark, nostrils flaring.
"Not really. I mean they gave me a couple stitches." I shrug uncomfortable under his probing eyes.
"That all they did ta ya?" He demands.
"Yes." I say quietly.
"Are ya sure? If they put their hands on you I will put them down."
"Nobody did anything else." I reach out for him but he bats my hand away.
"Ya coulda got yourself killed! What the hell were ya tryin' ta prove back there?" He shouts at me like I'm petulant child.
"I was trying to help you! Help Glenn, save the guns." Now I'm pissed too.
"You're a real piece a work ya know that?" He snarls grabbing my face between his hands and pressing his lips to mine in a chaste kiss. "Ya don't ever do that again. Ya don't ever risk your life for me. Not for anythin' or anybody!"
When he pulls back I stare at him open mouthed for a moment; he yells at me, then he kisses me, and then yells at me again. "You can't be angry at me for taking a stand I'm not here just to sit around and look pretty. I'm here to fight so that's exactly what I did. Exactly what I'm going to do and you can't ask me to just-"
"Ya shouldn't even be here. I didn't need ya, caused more trouble than good."
"I wanna help you." I reply simply, "you get mad when I get hurt because you care about me. Then you get mad at me for making you care. You either gotta let go of the chip on your shoulder or you gotta let go of me. You can't have both."
"I ain't doing this here." Daryl's top lip twitches slightly, I've struck a nerve.
"Then when?" I breathe, getting so close to his face that our noses nearly touch.
"Screw off Peletier. Ain't no uppity bitch is gonna run me. I ain't your husband, I ain't you're boyfriend, and this ain't a damn romance novel. I'll keep the chip on my shoulder, 'least it don't make me chase it 'round actin' like a fuckin' damsel in distress." He storms out of the room.
"Chloe," Rick says coming to a stop beside me on the right. "I can go talk to him." As a peace offering he holds out my knife I lost in the alley.
"You haven't even known him two full days. What makes you think you're qualified to talk to him?" I snatch it from him, returning it to the waiting holster on my hip.
"The way he acted while you were bein' held here... I may not know him as well as you but I know a thing or two." He runs a hand over the slight stubble on his chin.
We finally make our way back to the train tracks; Daryl and Rick taking shots at each other the whole way. Glenn and I are in front of them, away from the bullshit namely Daryl's. T-Dog is behind Rick keeping watch behind us.
"Holy shit." Glenn breathes breaking into a sprint as we round the corner of the over pass. We're standing on the gravel where the box truck should be.
"This is the spot right?" I pant out a second later.
"Yeah." Glenn pulls off his red and white cap to scratch the back of his head.
The sinking feeling in my stomach sends me crouching down with my head between my knees. The throbbing near my temple suddenly becoming unbearable and I think I might faint.
"Here take a drink." Glenn kneels beside me, pulling out the water bottle from his back pack.
"Thanks." I grab it from him, taking a swig.
"What's goin' on up there?" Rick calls out.
"Somebody took the truck!" Glenn sighs as they get closer; coming to stand beside us on the side of the tracks.
"Who would do that?" T-Dog wonders, I hear him pacing behind me; right then left and back again.
"Merle," Daryl offers, "he's gonna be takin' one hell of a grudge back ta camp."
I pull myself back upright.
"We need to get back soon." Rick says. "You good to go Chloe?" He pats me on the shoulder.
"Ya need ta be carried princess?" Daryl sneers catching me behind the knees and sweeping my feet out from under me so I'm bridal style in his arms.
"Fuck you Daryl." I shove at his chest but he tightens his grip on me. "Let me go you fucking asshole. If you don't wanna be anything to me but the guy I used to screw around
with that's fine. But you're sure as shit gonna respect me. You got that?" We stare each other down for a moment, I feel the angry tears prickling behind my eyes but I blink them way as he places me back on my feet. He says nothing, jaw clenched tightly. "I'm so glad we had this talk." I spit at him.
Glenn is a few feet ahead, stopped in his tracks, turned to look at me. "Come on Chlo." He waves me over, l run to him as fast as my legs will carry me. Leaving this day, the city, and Daryl Dixon behind me.
(Carol's POV)
It's quiet tonight. Ed is alone in his tent still sulking about getting what was coming to him. I only wish I could have done it myself, for putting his hands on me, on my girls. But I was always too scared, 'you can't be scared anymore mama. You have to be brave when I'm not around or you'll die. You have to be brave or Sophia will die.' That's the last thing Chloe said to me before she left. She was right, I see that now. We sit around the fire eating the fried fish, Sophia on my left, Lori, Carl and Shane to the right. Andrea and Amy are beside Dale on the opposite side of the fire. It's night time now, they should have been back, it's no more than an hour drive into the city. I put my arm around Sophia keeping her close.
"Hey where are you going?" Andrea asks Amy who's now standing between her sister and Dale.
"I have to pee." Amy replies in exasperation. "Why can't I ever be discreet around here?" We all laugh as she disappears into the RV.
"We should save some fish for Chloe and my dad." Carl says putting some of what's in the pan onto a separate plate.
"Chloe hates fish." Sophia informs him.
"No offense baby but none of us are in any position to be picky about food." Lori reminds her with a wink.
"I guess you're right. She's probably really hungry." Sophia begins picking at her plate of food again.
"We're out of toilet paper!" Amy calls from the RV. Dale sets his plate aside of where he was sitting. She screams then; a blood curdling scream that sends us all jumping up. I turn toward her just in time to see the walker tearing away the skin of her left forearm with it's teeth.
"Mommy!" Sophia cries out. I sweep her up, holding her against me. There's more than one, more than two, a whole group of them; more than I've ever seen. I search the ground for anything I can use as a weapon but they're coming too fast. We get separated from Shane with the gun and one of them is headed straight for us. Without a second thought I reach down, gripping the handle of the cast iron pan we'd just used to cook the fish. 'You have to be brave or Sophia will die.' I run toward Shane's voice swinging the metal at the walker. But before I make it that far I trip over one of the fire logs and the is walker right there; chomping it's rotting teeth at us. "Mommy!" Sophia screams again and I hit the corpse as hard as I can on the side of it's head. I don't stop until it's skull is crushed on the ground at my feet. My heart pounds painfully against my ribs, my ears ringing. Dropping the pan I grab Sophia in my arms once more rushing up toward the RV where what's left of us are standing. The walkers just keep coming! There's no way we can take them all down.
"Shane what do we do?" Lori shouts tugging at the back of his shirt.
Shots are fired from behind the walkers, the guns keep going off; mowing through the dead until I can finally make out who's firing. Rick on the far left and T-Dog on the opposite side. Glenn beside him, Chloe in the center and Daryl on her right side. Her sandy blonde hair flying wild and bloody in her face. Brown eyes wide and focused her mouth set in a permanent frown. An angel with a shot gun, here to save us all.