Chapter Three: To The Victor The Spoils
'Blood is thicker than ignorance
Blood is richer than oil
But love is what's truly significant
To the victor the spoils
To the kids who can toil
To the kids who can work
Know that nothing's worth shit 'til it's difficult
And nothing don't heal 'til it hurts'
To The Victor The Spoils – Kate Tempest
The ground beneath him was cold. The air around him was thick with apprehension. His shoulder burned, causing shivers to cascade through his body as he felt the slickness of blood covered his grubby body. The pain was unbearable, and he breathed as deeply as he could to try and take his mind away from the searing pain that exuded through him. He felt defeated. He had been overpowered, with his crossbow now in the hands of a man named Dwight.
"Take a damn look!" Negan hollered at Rosita who looked anywhere but at the blood-soaked baseball bat that had just bludgeoned the man who she had loved and who had broken her heart. Anger seemed to pulse throughout Daryl as the man continued to berate Rosita with the bat in her face.
He found himself lunging for Negan, his fist connecting with the man's jaw. As soon as he was up and at Negan, his men had swarmed him and threw him to the ground, pushing his wounded shoulder further into the dirt.
"Oh, no," Negan began. "That? Oh, my! That is a no-no."
Negan paced around in front of them. He continued. "The whole thing – not one bit of that shit flies here. Do you want me to do it? Right here. No… No, you don't kill them not until you try a little. And anyway, that's now how it works."
He pointed Lucille towards the remaining survivors, at him especially. A smirk played on his mouth. "Now, I already told you people – first one's free, then – what'd I say? I said I would shut that shit down! No exceptions. Now, I don't know what kind of lying assholes you've been dealing with but I'm a man of my word. First impressions are important."
He paced a little, his footing calculated and his mind racing as he looked into everyone's eyes. "I need you to know me. So back to it!"
Daryl woke in the darkness and laid there, blinking. His breathing was erratic, his heart thumped against his rib cage and for a moment he believed it would burst through his chest and roll onto the ground. He continued to lay there mostly out of fear before he pulled himself out of the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress. Droplets of sweat dripped down onto the wooden floor and he tried to calm his breathing.
The pain in his shoulder was the first thing to return to him, and he closed his eyes as it began to throb. He laid a calloused hand upon it, and felt the familiar stickiness of blood upon his skin. He found strength in his legs and traipsed to the bathroom where he closed the door behind though there was no one in the house with him. The stitches had been pulled, and the wound was now open and bleeding. He could not shake the feeling of being suffocated, like roots of a tree wrapping itself around his throat and lungs and each time he inhaled, desperate for a breath, it would tighten around them and squeeze the life out of him.
The cool night welcomed him as he exited the house, the feeling of anxiety easing somewhat. His eyes moved to the watch tower where Michonne was keeping watch. His feet began moving towards her, and at the sound of his boots upon the ground, she glanced down at him. Her brows furrowed as she took in the strained expression on his face. She beckoned for him to join her and felt relief wash over her as he climbed up slowly.
Daryl took a seat on the plastic stool and watched as Michonne gave one last look around at the street outside the wall. She placed the binoculars on the ground next to her as she took a seat.
"You look shitty," she commented.
"I know."
Michonne bit her lip. "How are you holding up?"
Daryl shrugged. Since they returned, Daryl found that all conversations were strained. No one knew what to say to each other anymore. No one wanted to talk about what happened, but to talk about anything else other than that felt wrong. There was no doubt he had let Glenn down. He had let them all down.
"It isn't your fault," Michonne spoke, sensing his mind wavering.
"So, everyone keeps tellin' me," Daryl muttered.
"But you don't believe it," Michonne whispered.
"I dreamt about it again," he muttered.
"That's normal," Michonne replied. "We all dream about it."
Daryl fell silent as he pondered her words. It felt like he was going through a secret battle, alone and segregated. Everyone was dealing with it in their own way, but he wondered if it was better to talk about it or continue going down different roads that all led to the same destination.
"Don't dwell on what happened. No one blames you. What happened was horrific and tragic, but it wasn't your fault. You can't keep that guilt when it's not yours."
Daryl nodded, fragile from the unwelcome emotion. Michonne's shift ended and Father Gabriel took her place. Both her and Daryl walked back to their individual houses, where she laid a friendly hand upon his arm. She offered him a genuine smile, one that spoke volumes to him, and they parted ways.
He slipped into bed and as he closed his eyes, sleep welcomed him with open arms. Except, as soon as his breathing became laboured and he fell into a deep slumber, he was confronted with the same nightmare as if it had been waiting for him to return.
"I just popped your skull so hard, your eyeball just popped out, and it is gross as shit!"
It was a couple of hours later and Carl and Enid were lost in the woods. Emotions had been running high in Alexandria, and Enid had found a similar comfort to Daryl. The woods were quiet and peaceful, and her mind was able to focus on something other than the great loss felt within Alexandria. Not only had Glenn died, but Maggie had found salvation at Hilltop. Enid felt like she had been left behind, and even though it was not that way, she could not help but feel forgotten.
"I can't be behind that wall, Carl," Enid sobbed. "I see him everywhere."
Carl remained quiet as he allowed Enid to cry it out. She had been holding it in for so long, that he found himself wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into an embrace. Sadness racked through her body and he stroked her hair gently.
They remained there for some time, holding each other.
A small collection of whistles surrounded them suddenly, and Enid froze in Carl's arms. Carl held her close and cast a protective gaze towards where the whistles were coming from. Like wolves creeping out of the shadows, Carl watched as three men dressed head to toe in black sloped out of the woods. He did not recognise them but he knew instantly who they belonged to.
"We are Negan," they recited routinely, circling around them.
Large knives were in their hands, and Carl could see the malicious grins upon their faces. He held Enid close to him and pulled out his own gun and pointed it at them.
"Hey, kid," one of them called out to him. He was a bearded man, with long brown hair tied back. A scar was embedded into the skin of his face, a jagged silvery line carved from his forehead along the bridge of his nose and down his cheek. "I'm hoping that's a toy gun, for your sake and the girl's."
Carl stood his ground, aiming the gun at the men individually. He stayed silent. One of them – a tall bald man – lunged for him menacingly, taunting him. Carl's finger pulled the trigger instinctively, and a bullet penetrated the man's head.
"Kid… you're gonna pay for that," the bearded man seethed, but his threat never came. A large dog came out from the bushes from behind Carl and Enid and charged towards the other man. A loud shriek escaped the man as the dog clamped down on his throat and he fell backwards onto the hard ground.
The two kids were unaware of the hooded woman coming out of the bushes and coming up from behind them, until she had passed them. They watched as the bearded man's eyes widened.
"He's been looking for you," he seethed. "He's going to find you and kill you."
The woman remained silent. She pulled out a knife, and flung in the man's direction. The sharp blade implanted itself in the man's eye, and as a scream escaped him, she shot him dead. Silence filled the woods then, and Carl and Enid could do nothing except stare at the three dead Saviour's.
It was then that she turned around, and pulled down her hood. Her eyes were narrowed and worry flashed in them. She observed the kids. A girl with long brown hair, tears staining her face, her eyes solemn. A boy with dark brown hair, a sheriff's hat upon his head and a bandage covering one eye.
She clicked her tongue, and the dog removed his teeth from the man's neck and came to sit by her feet. Blood dribbled from his mouth and landed in droplets upon the ground. She moved towards the dead men splayed out, and pulled the knife out of the man's eye and impaled it into the brain of the man her dog took down.
She returned to her standing position, a hand stroking the dog's head.
"I'm Enid," Enid introduced herself. The woman stared at her for some time, causing Enid to become uncomfortable and look away. "This is Carl."
The woman nodded but did not introduce herself to them. "This is Bones," she said, patting the dog on the head. "Why are you out here alone?"
"We've lost people," Enid found herself saying, though it did not truly answer the woman's question.
"What's your name?" Carl asked, pointing his gun at her. The woman looked from him to the gun and back again.
"You ain't going to pull the trigger," was all she said.
"Oh, yeah?" Carl pushed.
"I just have to give Bones the command and he'll rip you apart," the woman stated. "And you don't want that."
Carl's gun continued to be aimed at her before he thought better of it and placed it back in his back pocket. The woman nodded.
"Violet," the woman said, introducing herself.
"Are you with a group?" Carl asked. The woman shook her head, and moved back towards the dead men. She pulled them up, her eyes meeting their dead ones. Violet let go of their bodies, where they crumbled back down on the ground. She took off her backpack and found her notebook.
Carl and Enid watched as she scribbled furiously on a page.
"Have you been with a group?" Carl asked. The woman stopped writing and looked at him.
"You ask a lot of questions," she commented, closing her notebook and placing it back in her bag. "But yes, I was."
"How long have you been out here?" Enid asked.
Violet was quiet for a second. "A long time."
"Are you hungry?" Enid inquired. "We can give you some food. In return for saving us."
Violet thought for a moment before she nodded. Her stomach growled and she hoped that neither one of them had heard it. They trudged back to Alexandria, with Enid and Carl leading the way. Violet and Bones walked behind them. A feeling of uncertainty washed over Violet as she stared at the backs of the two kids. She glanced down towards Bones who seemed to share her doubt.
As they moved out from the clearing, Violet could see a large wall blocking the rest of the road. Abandoned cars lined the pavements outside the barricades. A figure could be seen over the wall, binoculars in hand and a rifle stacked against the barrier. They were watching her through the binoculars, before they called out for someone.
The gate was pulled back, and Violet was able to see the emptiness of the compound. A man, dressed in a shirt and jeans, came into view. His bright blue eyes met her brown ones, and she noticed the holster attached to his hip. His eyes moved from hers and went over to the boy. Enid and Carl entered the compound, just as her and Bones came to a stop.
Enid was the first to turn around, then Carl and the curly haired man. Enid beckoned her in but Violet remained where she was.
"Dad," Carl began. "This is Violet. And Bones."
The man identified as Carl's father watched her. His eyes scanned over her. His eyes recognised her.
"She saved us from some Saviours," Enid finished.
"How many walkers have you killed?" Rick asked the woman, stepping forward. Bones reacted, and Violet clicked her tongue. The dog settled down at her command.
"Not enough."
"How many people have you killed?"
"Countless."
Rick nodded. "Why?"
"I have to."
Author's Note: Hi! Thank you for reading. This is my first Walking Dead fanfiction, I really hope you like it. Please let me know what you think!