Phoenix
Author's Notes:
Thank you to those who have taken the time to leave a review and also to those who have made it a favorite and/or are following it. I appreciate it.
Just one little thing that I wanted to quickly mention. Remember the list in the author's notes in Chapter 1? Well, this is where some of it will apply, specifically Item 3: Anything to do with religion or lack thereof. I admittedly have a lack of knowledge in the area as I am not a religious person. I sincerely hope I do not offend anyone. I would never intentionally do that.
Chapter 4
DAY OF RECKONING
Glenn, while disoriented, realized that he was tied with his hands over his head and a gag in his mouth. His head hurt something fierce and he was having a hard time focusing. His shoulders ached from bearing his weight for so long. He couldn't help the groan that escaped around the gag.
There was a man near him that he vaguely recognized as being from the Woodbury group.
"Ah, you're finally awake. This is something that needs to be done while you are conscious. You need to be aware of your crimes and suffer accordingly." The man smiled as Glenn's eyes grew wide. It was then that Glenn noticed not only the gun in the man's hand, but also a flare. It was only then that Glenn realized that there was cloth and other debris around his feet. At that, his heart started to pound harder.
"You are a disciple of Satan. 'For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive.' You were bitten yet you did not succumb to the plague upon the people. You are Satan in disguise. You use trickery to give false hope and sway the people away from true goodness."
Daryl heard a voice and followed it. As he drew closer, he could hear what the man was saying. Daryl continued to approach slowly, taking in the situation. He could see Glenn tied to the cell bars and the pile at his feet.
"Satan disguises himself as the angel of light. He deceives us. You deceive us." At that moment, the man lit the flare. Then he continued his ranting.
Daryl couldn't wait any longer. He stepped out with crossbow raised and confronted him. Glenn's captor paused momentarily.
"Glenn is not working for Satan. Maybe he is God's work." Daryl tried to convince him that he is wrong. He quoted one of the few bible verses he remembered. "Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted."
"No, no, no, no…you're trying to confuse me. Satan has control of him. I have to do this. Got rid of that bitch freak in love with a faggot. It was so easy. She was so stupid. She helped me get him and then I took care of her. She didn't even see it coming. Don't you see? I have a mission. I have to get rid of them." He turned to Daryl.
"You are just as bad. 'If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.' I will cleanse the world of this evil." He tossed the flare on the debris at Glenn's feet and raised gun toward Daryl.
Daryl fired and the man went down with an arrow in the center of his forehead. He ran over and kicked the burning debris away from Glenn and smothered the small fire on the jeans at Glenn's ankle.
By then, Glenn was only upright because his hands were bound to the cell bars above his head. Daryl cut the bindings and gently lowered him to the ground. He heard Glenn moan as his arms were lowered and the blood rushed back into them.
"You're ok now. I have you. You're fine."
"Knew you'd find me..love you," Glenn whispered.
"Love you more."
Glenn lost his battle to remain conscious.
AFTERMATH
Daryl entered the cell block calling for Hershel. He got Glenn to their cell with the entire group right behind him. Daryl gave Hershel a quick list of the injuries that he knew about and then backed away to give Hershel some room.
"What the hell happened?" Rick asked.
Daryl explained what he knew from finding the blood and the glove to getting Glenn back to their cell. Everyone was shocked. Carol is dead? He was going to kill Glenn, and probably Daryl, too? It was almost too much to take in.
As soon as he was done with the story, Daryl turned his attention back to Glenn and Hershel. He knew he needed to allow Hershel access to Glenn although what he wanted most in the world was to be touching him and holding him.
"So, how is he?" Daryl asked anxiously.
"The burn isn't bad. It's just first degree, kind of like a sunburn. His wrists are obviously bruised, but I don't see any other damage to them. I stitched the wound on his head. He also has a concussion. It wouldn't surprise me if his shoulders hurt for a while. Other than that, I won't be able to find out more until he wakes up and I can ask him."
"But he's unconscious. He talked to me a little, was whispering. Why did he pass out? Why isn't he waking up?"
"He's had a lot of trauma in the last few hours. His body needs to rest. He'll wake up when he's ready. We'll keep a close eye on him."
Daryl changed places with Hershel, took Glenn's hand and gently carded his fingers through his hair.
Rick turned to the group which was assembled outside of their cell.
"We need to look for Carol and get…everything cleaned up."
Daryl looked at Rick. "I can't leave him, not yet."
"I understand. I wouldn't ask that of you. We'll take care of it."
"I'll go," T-Dog volunteered.
"I will, too," Maggie added.
Rick nodded to the two and they headed out. They followed Daryl's directions and they found the bloody floor. They were able to locate Carol's body in a room nearby. Finding the cell was easy enough. They were shocked to see it and the reality that he was going to burn Glenn to death.
"Oh, God, he was really going to burn him alive," Maggie said with wide eyes.
"Yeah, looks that way," Rick said softly.
"Man, that's really messed up," T-Dog said, almost unable to believe it himself.
"That about sums it up," Rick replied.
They brought both bodies back with them and placed them outside their cell block. They needed to decide quickly what to do with them.
ADDRESSING WOODBURY
Rick and Hershel confronted the Woodbury group. They explained what happened and they were met with shocked faces.
"We gave you shelter. We brought you back here to protect you and this is how we're repaid; by attacking our people," Rick said, addressing the group.
Everyone denied having any idea of what was going on or anything to do with it.
"I knew he was strange, but I had no idea he would do something like this," Sasha stated. The others agreed.
"I won't allow anything to happen to our people," Rick continued. "I won't allow anything that will put our people in danger. If we feel that is the case, a harsh course of action may need to be taken."
Karen jumped in. "I am truly sorry that this happened! Please don't judge us all by what one person has done. We didn't know. I swear it. We'll do everything we can to make sure our groups can live together. You saved my life and I will do anything to repay that."
"Trust is a major issue here," Hershel said. "It isn't just given freely; you have to earn it. We don't trust any of you right now. Our groups will stay separate until we feel we can."
"We understand," Tyrese said.
DARYL'S REALIZATION
Daryl had Glenn back. That's all that mattered. He was back and safe and here in his arms. Daryl tried to remember when exactly he realized that Glenn was his whole world. It seemed like he always had been.
*flashback*
They had been up since the crack of dawn and had a decent hunt. It already had been a long day and he allowed himself a minute to relax. He saw Glenn and watched while he worked at starting a fire for the night's cooking. He let his mind wander.
He thought of hunting earlier that day. There was the feeling of the softness of Glenn's hair as it caressed his cheek when showing him a particular shot. There was the scent that was clean and outdoors and uniquely Glenn. There was the softness of his skin as he brushed against him. He could feel the press of the developing muscles from the exercise, working with the crossbow and living in this new world.
He knew he was physically attracted, but it wasn't just that. He liked to spend time with Glenn. He liked to listen to his stories and loved his sense of humor. No one had ever made him laugh. It was liberating and it just plain felt good. He needed to make sure Glenn was taking care of himself and that he was safe. He wanted to take care of Glenn and keep him safe. His day didn't start until he saw Glenn and it didn't end until Glenn disappeared into his tent for the night. Daryl knew he would feel better if Glenn was sharing a tent with him, but he didn't think that would happen.
Daryl was pulled from his daydream by a loud clang from somewhere in the camp. It was only then that he realized that he was still starting at Glenn and, to his chagrin, Glenn was staring back intensely. Glenn gave him a knowing look and grin. Daryl could feel himself blush as his heart started to race. Well, crap, now he was sporting a half-boner that he needed to hide.
Yeah, this was more than friendship. He had never been in love before, but he was pretty sure this is what is was supposed to feel like.
The memory brought a smile to Daryl's face. He pulled Glenn tighter against him. Glenn sighed and nuzzled in closer drifting back to sleep. Daryl soon followed.
