***This chapter starts out light, but turns dark again in the end.****
Up To The Mountain
I went up to the mountain
Because you asked me to
Up over the clouds
To where the sky was blue
I could see all around me
Everywhere
I could see all around me
Everywhere
Sometimes I feel like
I've never been nothing but tired
And I'll be walking
Till the day I expire
Sometimes I lay down
No more can I do
But then I go on again
Because you ask me to
Some days I look down
Afraid I will fall
And though the sun shines
I see nothing at all
Then I hear your sweet voice, oh
Oh, come and then go, come and then go
Telling me softly
You love me so
The peaceful valley
Just over the mountain
The peaceful valley
Few come to know
I may never get there
Ever in this lifetime
But sooner or later
It's there I will go
Sooner or later
It's there I will go
Daryl awoke a few hours earlier to the sound of Merle's voice filling the house. His brother must have been released early, probably too much of a pain in the ass for them to put up with at the county jail. He was tired after the long emotionally exhausting night and had managed to grab just a few hours worth of sleep knowing his relationship with Trinity had moved to another level and that aspect of his life felt good.
Daryl rolled out of bed and made his way to the living room to face Merle.
"So you couldn't keep your fucking mouth shut long enough to be there for me just one God damn time huh Merle." Daryl challenged.
"Whoa Baby brother. It wasn't my fault. Peletier went to beating on his old lady and I had to defend her honor."
"Since when do you give a fuck what happens to someone besides yourself Merle?"
"I'm trying to turn over a new leaf Darylina, can't have a man beating on a defenseless woman like that. It just ain't right." Merle told him, honesty in his voice for the first time in a long time.
"I fucking needed you the other day Merle. For just once I wanted someone to be there for me. I'm sick of being alone all the fucking time." Daryl told him. Maybe it was because he was exhausted, or the fact that he was an emotional live wire after what his father revealed to him, but Daryl was revealing his true frustrations to his brother.
"Man don't go all girly on me. I honestly couldn't watch Peletier humiliate his woman like that. She's a sweet lady and didn't deserve what he did. I did what I felt I had to do at the time, and at that moment, she needed me more than you did. I'm fucking sorry, but what was I supposed to do. What would you do if someone was beating on your friend Trinity?" Merle questioned.
Daryl thought about what Merle had said, probably more surprised that Merle had stepped up and done the right for the first time in his life. "OK, I get what you're saying."
"Well based on that contraption you have on your arm, I'm assuming everything went well?" Merle said changing he subject.
"Yeah, it hurts like a bitch, but it should heal. They had to re-break my lower arm because they said they found I had broken it before and it healed wrong. Most likely a gift from one of Gene's beatings." He said like it wasn't any big deal.
"I gotta get ready for school." Daryl said dismissing himself from the conversation with his brother.
Daryl jumped in the shower and pulled on some relatively clean clothes. He decided that once he went to work with Jim he would use part of his first paycheck to take Trinity to dinner and to buy himself something decent to wear. He was tired of wearing rags that just made him look like a homeless man. Trinity made him feel like he could be something better if he wanted, and that gave him a glimmer of hope.
He looked at his seventeen-year-old face in the mirror and didn't like what he saw. He had circles under his eyes and remnants of the bruise his father gave him last night, and his arms, neck, and face were covered in scratches from his reckless run in the woods. He was thankful Trinity showed up when she did because he was feeling so desperate he thought about doing the unthinkable. At that point in his life, Daryl had no hope, but maybe his luck was changing now.
Just like the previous day, Daryl met Trinity out in front of their houses and they walked to school together. She brought him a breakfast bar for him to eat.
"Thanks, I appreciate it." He told her.
"How are you doing this morning Daryl?" She asked.
"Better than last night, thanks to you. Merle is back home." He said.
"Good, that makes me feel a little better. Did he tell you why he got in the fight?" She inquired.
"Said he was defending a woman from her asshole husband. I was surprised he would do that, which doesn't sound like Merle. He normally wouldn't give a shit."
"Maybe he is attracted to the woman. You know, Merle is human, and he is capable of feelings." She stated.
"Ha, that would be something. Merle Dixon falling in love. I don't know if that is possible."
"Anything is possible Daryl. I never thought I would have a friend in my life, and now I have you, and that feels good. Right now the only things that seem to make me truly happy are my father, singing, and spending time with you." She told him as she blushed at the last admission.
"I like spending time with you too Trinity. When I get my first paycheck I'm gonna take you out proper and take you somewhere nice for dinner, if your father will allow it." He told her in a hopeful voice.
"Wow, like a real date. I can't wait Daryl. I've never been on a date." She said as she bumped his shoulder with hers.
"Ya think I have? I ain't ever met anyone I wanted to go on a date with, and even if I did I wouldn't have had a way to pay for it. All I want to do since I met you is make you happy, because that makes me happy." Daryl confessed.
"The feeling is mutual Daryl." She said as she reached and took his hand. They walked hand in hand the rest of the way to school.
Once again when they walked into the school together and holding hands, they were greeted with sneers, stares, and whispers. For the first time, neither of them seemed to care what anyone else thought. They headed to their lockers to get their books for the first class and as Daryl shut his locker he suddenly felt himself shoved from behind and pushed up against his locker. Only having one useful arm put him at a disadvantage to defend himself, but he knew who was behind him, it was Shane Walsh.
"You fucking piece of trash. I heard what you did and said to my woman yesterday, and I don't take too kindly to you disrespecting her like that." He said with a threatening voice.
"Fuck you Walsh, I didn't say anything that wasn't true. And it looks like my girl got the best of her. It's about time someone knocked the bitch down a peg. Y'all don't run this school, and you sure as hell don't have any say in what Trinity and me say or do. You will learn to treat her with the respect she deserves." Daryl said in an equally threatening voice. Then he continued, "You think I give a shit what you or your bitch say or do? If you two so much as look at Trinity wrong then I will fuck you up so bad you will only be able to eat through a straw. I'm sick of it and I'm done with dealing with you and the skank."
Shane snapped and once again slammed Daryl into the locker twisting his bad arm at an awkward angle. Daryl couldn't help but cry out in pain. Shane's friend Rick jumped in and pulled Shane off of Daryl. "Shane, lay off, you are gonna hurt him bad, you aren't fighting fair, and you don't want to jeopardize your scholarship with a suspension." Rick said, trying to talk sense into his friend.
Daryl had spoken to Rick Grimes a few times over the past few years. Grimes was a decent enough fellow, but Daryl questioned the friends he associated with. Anyone who voluntarily chose to hang out with Shane Walsh was suspicious in his mind.
Shane hesitantly let go of Daryl, but not before giving him another good shove into the locker and pushing into Trinity with his shoulder, forcing her to lose her balance and fall against the locker. Daryl immediately ran to her side and helped her up, and then proceeded to shove Shane from behind. Shane had crossed a line when he pushed Trinity, and Daryl refused to let him get away with it.
"Walsh" Daryl yelled at him.
Shane turned to face him with a smug look on his face "What now Dixon?"
Without warning, Daryl slammed his fist into Shane's nose, watching as blood began to pour out rapidly. There was no doubt that Daryl had broken his nose by the loud cracks the immediately followed. Shane and everyone else stared at Daryl in disbelief, including Trinity.
Daryl realized he had probably just fucked up his school year with that move. He would most likely be suspended and destroy any shot he had at a scholarship. They weren't even a week into the school year and things were going badly. Daryl didn't say a word, but picked up his backpack and turned and left the school campus. He was done for, and he knew it.
Trinity saw the fear that came over Daryl's face as he walked out of the school without saying anything. She knew that he realized he had crossed a line when he punched Shane, and she felt guilty because she was the cause of his action. Her mind suddenly presented her with an idea.
She turned to Shane, and spoke to him so only he could hear, "You don't DARE say a word to anyone about that, or I will tell them that you hit me when I rejected your advances. Administration will believe me Shane, and you have too much to lose. Do you understand me?"
Shane had no doubt she would do exactly what she said she would do. When did she become such a conniving bitch? Whether it was true or not, the school admins would investigate and it would go on Shane's permanent record, and his chances at getting a decent sport's scholarship would diminish. She had him and he had to admit defeat. "Fine, I won't say anything, but this isn't over by a long shot."
Daryl had made it halfway home when he heard Trinity's voice calling for him. He turned to see the girl out of breath and in a full run to catch up to him.
"Trinity, you gotta go back. You're going to get in trouble for cutting class."
"I don't care Daryl. Shane has been 'handled', you aren't going to get in trouble. I put Shane in his place and he isn't going to say anything. He's pissed, but you're not going to get into trouble. Come on back, we can just make it to classes before they begin."
Daryl followed Trinity and they made it back to school, separating to go their first classes of the day. Daryl had decided to take a woodworking and cabinetry class as one of his electives. Mr. Horvath was the teacher and Daryl liked the man. They had started the week with an assignment to build a storage chest. Daryl had decided that if he liked how it turned out, that he would give it to Trinity as a gift.
The teacher was going around inspecting everyone's work. He knew Daryl had some challenges as a result of the limitations of his left hand. He hadn't set high hopes for Daryl's success, but was pleasantly surprised at what Daryl had accomplished. His angles and joints on the chest were seamless, and Daryl had embellished the woodwork with intricate scrollwork, including a stunning Cherokee rose across the lid of the chest.
"Daryl, this is exquisite. You have a real natural talent for this. I'm not sure that I have ever seen anything quite this intricate. Have you done woodworking before?"
"No Sir, I have not. I just have someone in mind that I want to give this too." He replied.
"Ah, it wouldn't be a certain young lady that I have seen you with recently would it?" Mr. Horvath asked.
"Yes sir. I just want it to look nice for her." Daryl told him, surprised he admitted to the man his intentions.
"Daryl there is a Regional competition next week that I would love to submit your work too, would you be interested? We have a field trip scheduled for that day and I think your entry would definitely put us in the running for a first place finish."
"Really, you think it is that good?" Daryl asked.
"No, I think it is better than that. I have been teaching for over twenty years, and I think this might be the best craftsmanship I have ever seen. Especially since you are managing to do this with only one hand. This is incredible Daryl."
"Thank you sir." Daryl said, a little overwhelmed with the praise. He had been inspired by Trinity to put the effort into the chest, and it wasn't lost on him that she made him a better all around person.
Quinn Murdoch was angry and stuck. She was angry that her husband was allowing her daughter to associate with the dirty redneck next door, and she was stuck because she couldn't do anything about it. Damn him for coming home from that conference early and finding her with her real love, Pastor Philip Blake. He was a real man that understood her better than anyone. He wanted the same things in life she did, and she needed a way to finally get rid of Albert. Unfortunately, Divorce was not an option.
So Quinn derived a plan that was going to kill two birds with one stone. If everything worked the way she had planned, Albert and Daryl would no longer be a threat to her and her daughter. Today was the day she would begin to put her plan in action. Her and Philip would be together soon and that she had no doubt about.
Daryl and Trinity were in biology class when they were both called into the office. Daryl looked at Trinity, "I thought you said Walsh was going to keep his mouth shut."
"He said he would and I can't believe that he is willing to jeopardize himself like this." She hissed.
When they got to the office Merle was waiting for them both. Something was very wrong. The look on Merle's face confirmed that point along with the mere fact that he was at the high school voluntarily.
"You two need to come with me, I will explain in the truck." He told them as they both shared a look of concern on their face.
As Merle began to drive off he began to talk, "Trinity, I don't know how to tell you this, but Gene, he…."
"What Merle, Gene did what?"
"Gene killed your daddy this afternoon. He was drunker than I had ever seen him and mean as a snake. Someone had given him an expensive bottle of Tequila, and our Daddy doesn't handle Tequila well. He started running his mouth about Daryl and you being together. I don't know how he found out, but he completely lost his shit. Daddy was ranting and raving and brought his drunken ass outside and wandered over to Trinity's house and began to beat on the door. Albert answered, and Gene…."
Trinity was shaking and sobbing, "What did he do Merle…what did he do…"
"Trinity, he stabbed your Daddy, over and over and over. No one was at home at your house to stop him, and Gene just completely lost it."
Daryl asked, "And you don't have any idea what triggered this?"
"None. Trinity I'm sorry. They can't find your momma right now, and I didn't want you to walk in on this by yourself." Merle said in a truly concerned voice.
Trinity was crying uncontrollably, and Daryl was trying to console her, but to no avail. They arrived home momentarily and crime scene tape was wrapped around both houses. The coroner was their trying to put together the details of what specifically had happened and Quinn was no where around. Trinity's front porch was covered in blood.
Trinity crossed under the yellow tape and ran to the porch and tried to grab her father's lifeless body. She was stopped immediately by one of the Police officers who then handed her off to Daryl, who had followed her. "No No No No No…"she was screaming, not even registering that Daryl was with her. She collapsed into a heap in his arms, completely overwhelmed with the events that had occurred.
A little while later Quinn was escorted back by a police officer who had located her at the Church. She began to cry "No, Albert, Not my dear husband. How did it happen."
Merle was struck by the lack of sincerity in her voice. Something didn't add up about the events that occurred today and Merle couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. He didn't say anything just yet, but he wasn't going to let it rest until he could figure it out.
Trinity's brother Jonah soon joined Quinn and Trinity. He had been contacted and returned to be with his family upon hearing the news. Trinity looked like a broken china doll, and Daryl looked even worse. Once again, his father had managed to destroy something that was good in his life.
Gene had been apprehended at the Dixon house. He was covered in blood and still held the knife and the bottle of Tequila he had managed to come across. Merle wondered how he would have been able to afford the liquor. Once again, something didn't add up and Merle was beginning to think that Albert's murder was a set up of some sort. But why? What did anyone have to gain by having Albert Murdoch murdered? That was the part that didn't make sense.
Around eight that evening the police removed the tape and both families were allowed to return to their homes. The news of the murder had already made it around town and Albert's Parishioners were streaming steadily over to the Murdoch home. Quinn played the grieving widow perfectly as several of the church members tried to console her and others stepped up to clean the bloody crime scene on the porch.
Daryl was a disaster. He was wracked with guilt over the fact that his father had taken something so dear from Trinity. Daryl felt like he was poison to everyone he was ever involved with, and now because of him the one thing in life that was most dear to him was now broken. There was no way she would want to continue to be his friend. He wouldn't be surprised if she never spoke to him again.
Daryl had given up. Every little glimmer of happiness he ever experienced always ended up destroyed. He was tired of existing and he was tired of fighting his way through life thinking things were going to get better. He found a bottle of cheap liquor stuffed in the back of a cabinet and headed to the woods. He had to escape from this hell.
He began to drink the liquor, the warm liquid starting to soothe his pain. His head began to float and he suddenly felt brave enough to do what he had set out to do. He pulled his knife from his pocket and slashed his wrists as he felt the warm blood pouring down his arms and life began to drain from his seventeen-year-old body. He wouldn't have to fight anymore, no more pain, no more sorrow…he would just slip into an abyss and cease to exist. He pictured Trinity's face as he began to lose consciousness.
Merle was beginning to panic when he couldn't find Daryl. Out of desperation, he went to the Murdoch's house and knocked on the front door. Trinity answered it and immediately knew something was wrong, "Merle, what is it?" She said in a slightly panicked voice.
"I can't find Daryl, was hoping you might know where he is."
Trinity was suddenly overcome with an ominous feeling, "Oh God Merle, we have to find him now."
She ran out the front door with Merle following. She suspected he would go to the woods to the spot by the creek, but he wasn't there. They stumbled through the dark and came to the cabin that Daryl had showed her the other day. As they both entered, they found Daryl lying a pool of his own blood, empty liquor bottle by his side, lifeless.
Trinity screamed out and ran to him, able to find a pulse barely beating in his neck. He was pail and unconscious, but he was still alive. Merle scooped up his little brother and the two of them ran as fast as they could to get Daryl help. Trinity praying in earnest for the first time in a long while, "Please God, don't take him away from me. I love him."
I didn't want to end this chapter at this point, but it was going to get too long if I didn't. Please leave me a review and encourage your friends to read (if you like the story)...I'm not getting much response to this story, but I am getting good reviews.
Sorry I missed updating yesterday, but I hope to get another update this evening.
Take care and have a great day y'all...
Missy
XXOO
