Chapter 8
The moment they were left alone, Glenn crawled to Maggie's side. The young couple fell into each other's arms crying. In pain for what they had lost, and also in relief for still being there. "Maggie, Maggie," Glenn kept repeating over and over again as his hands touched every part of his wife he was able to. "Are you alright? Are you in pain?"
Glenn realized then Maggie was indeed hugging him back, but only with one arm. She had yet to let go of Carol's hand, Carol who was slumped forward, overcome with her own grief over all they'd lost that night . The sound of someone shuffling close drew Glenn's eyes away from Carol, only to see Carl awkwardly move behind the older woman. He knelt behind her, his hands lingering over her shoulder for a moment before he slowly brought her towards his chest, wrapping her in his arms as he offered what comfort he could.
"My sweet brave boy," Carol mumbled as she finally raised her eyes from the ground, moving her hand to cradle Carl's cheek. "She would have been so proud of you, I'm so proud of you."
"We're going to get him back," Carol continued, her voice losing all the gentleness she had displayed with Carl. "We're going to make them pay."
"Carol," Rick said, as he staggered to his feet. "Carol."
Carl helped Carol stand up, keeping an arm around her shoulders as they stood side by side looking at Rick. Rick who was there physically, but who had been broken beyond comprehension.
"We need to prepare, we're going to fight back." At her words, she looked at every one of the people around her, at her broken family. "We're going to make them pay for Abe, for Rosita, for whatever they might do to Daryl."
"We can't," Rick murmured, taking a step closer to her, but taking two back as he was met with her icy glare. "They have Daryl, they say they would make me chop him into pieces, I can't do it."
"We're not going to give them a chance to."
"We need to get Maggie to the Hilltop."
"We need to go get ready, we're going to war," Carol hissed. Rick staggered away. If they weren't all in shock, they would believe he was drunk. He was unstable on his feet, stumbling as if he was going to drop at any given moment. Carol gave Carl a look, nodding at him just as he went to catch his father before he face planted.
Michonne gave Carol a knowing look. She was behind her.
"Maggie and Glenn need to get to the Hilltop, that's not negotiable," Carol said, stopping to sniff back a little. She chuckled when she spotted Daryl's red rag on the ground a few feet away from her. She moved quickly, picking it up and using it to dry her tears. "You two need to get there, take the truck he left us, we'll get back on foot."
"We can't… you—" Maggie tried to say between gasps of air.
"I'm not asking Maggie; you need to go there, you need to see the doctor."
"I can't," Maggie sobbed, moving to grab Carol's hands. "You were all out here because of me, they were all here because of me."
"And that is of no importance. We need you healthy, we need that baby to be healthy." Carol smiled at Glenn as he slowly pulled Maggie away from her, giving her a nod over Maggie's head as his wife broke down all over again against his chest.
Carol turned her eyes to the other woman left in their group. "Sasha, I'm—"
"I'll go with them," Sasha said, interrupting Carol before she could say anything. "Just in case." Her eyes moved from Carol to the broken body of the man she had just let into her heart. "I want to take him with me, I…" She gave Carol a sad smile, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.
"Go. We'll let you know what we decide to do. I promise you, he'll get his due." Carol grabbed Sasha's arm softly, giving her a comforting squeeze.
The younger women started pouting, just as she pulled Carol close in a hug. "I'm sorry about Daryl," Sasha whispered to Carol's ear.
"I'm sorry about Abraham," Carol whispered back as she hugged her just as tightly.
The two women shared a sad smile as they broke their hug just before moving towards the bodies. Carol's heart ached as she looked at what was left of Rosita. The young woman had died just as she lived, fucking shit up.
Rick acted like nothing of what they had discussed has actually transpired as he helped them get the two bodies to the back of the pick up truck Glenn, Maggie and Sasha would take to the Hilltop. It was decided they would have to bury Rosita at the Hilltop too, and Carol couldn't help but see the irony in that. The man that hadn't wanted her in life was going to have to be laid to rest for eternity next to her.
Carol could feel her hands shaking as they watched Sasha drive away, Maggie looking back at her through the rear window. They needed Maggie to be okay, their baby meant something they needed now more than ever.
Hope.
They walked in silence back towards Alexandria. Michonne and Carol lead the way, throwing each other knowing looks. She knew she had people behind her, and their 'leader' might not be on board with her plan; but that didn't matter. The time for doing things Rick's way was over, it was their time now and they were going to do things their way.
.-.-.-.
Simon was barely able to move away to avoid Daryl puking all over him as he opened the van's back doors. Instead that honor fell on Dwight, who barely kept from doing the same.
Daryl was pale and shaky, dropping to his knees as Simon hauled him off the truck. "Looks like your new pet isn't house trained yet, boss," Simon called out to Negan as the man got off one of the luxury vans they kept around and walked towards their newest acquisition.
"Tiger here just had a hairball stuck in his throat. Didn't you, you pussy?" Negan sneered, grabbing Daryl by his hair and pulling his head back. Daryl just sneered at the man, trying not to give away how much he hated to be touched by anyone who wasn't Carol.
He could feel as the blood continued to run down his left arm and over his chest. He was losing blood fast, probably why he had gotten motion sickness for the first time in his life. Probably why he wasn't feeling as much need to fight back over the need to sleep.
"Get him checked over by Carson," Negan said to Simon, finally letting go of Daryl's hair, and allowing him to slump over. "I don't want to lose my new pet over some asshat who probably needs to learn a lesson."
Dwight tried not to flinch as he saw the look Negan was sending his way. "D! Get him settled in his cage, give him some catnip and a sandbox… we'll start playing with him after he's seen by the doctor."
"And if you don't play well with others…" Negan turned to look at Simon with a frown, "what is his name?"
"Daryl."
"Nice name." Negan put Lucille under Daryl's chin, not taking the care of not touching his skin with it like he had done for Carol. "If you don't play well with others, Daryl, we will neuter you and I will personally deliver your balls back to Rick on a silver platter."
Chatting amongst themselves, Negan and his henchmen left Daryl on his knees in Dwight's care.
"Move," Dwight sneered as he pushed him with the tip of his boot. Daryl growled at him. "Move!" Daryl flinched away when Dwight hauled him off the ground, helped by a fat man with a cap, and pushed him through a set of previously closed doors.
The inside of the building was as awful as the outside. Dark and cold, it was everything Alexandria wasn't. Daryl closed his eyes as he was pushed along, trying to not think about his home; trying not worry to death as he thought about what had happened to the others. What had happened to Carol.
He knew she was going to come for him. He didn't doubt she was going to barge right in and get him back to her side. Why he didn't have any doubts? Because he would do the exact same thing.
"What are you smiling at, you pussy?!" The fat man— Daryl thought he heard Dwight call him Joey—asked him.
Daryl didn't realize the mere thought of Carol had brought a smile to his face. "I'm thinking about how much I'm going to enjoy killing you all."
Dwight chuckled, shaking his head just as he went to try and slam his crossbow into Daryl's side. Daryl sidestepped him, pushing the crossbow down as he moved and slamming his elbow into Dwight's face; grinning when he heard the sound of his nose breaking.
"Haven't you learned by now, D?" Daryl sneered the nickname Negan had used to call him right in his ear. "You can't take me, boy."
He was expecting more of the Saviors now, and he thrashed around, lashing out as he felt them approach from behind. Someone yelled for the doctor, and Daryl fought with his remaining strength to keep them back. The last thing he remembered before darkness claimed him, was Dwight's bloodied face and the prick of a needle as someone injected him through his pants.
He next woke up naked, the sound of loud music right in his ears. This was definitely not going to be an easy street.
-.-.-.-
The sun was high in the sky by the time the group made it back to the road which led to Alexandria's main gate. They had gotten lucky and found a car which worked halfway through; Rick immediately took the wheel, the need to be in control of something visible on his face.
Carol let him. She moved to the back seat with Carl, pulling the boy to her arms and letting him fall asleep against her. He wasn't a boy anymore, he had proven that that morning. But he would always be Lori's sweet little boy in her eyes, and she would always do anything in her power to protect him in any way she could. If that meant keeping the nightmares away for a few hours, letting him rest as he twisted that gangly body of his in the back seat with her, then that was enough for her.
There was no other sound aside from the one from the air outside as Rick drove, the two women in the car lost in thought. Carol knew Michonne would be on her side; she was a fighter, a survivor. Negan had done what he had set himself up to do, break the men in their group.
He had forgotten about the women though. Men like him always forget about the women.
"We need to start planning the runs. He said he would give us a week, so we need to go and scavenge, be ready for when he comes with his people." Rick looked at Carol in the rearview mirror, she was looking out the window, her left hand running through his son's hair.
He got no answer. He stole a look at Michonne, finding her looking forward, face blank. "We could try and pull out that truck that Jesus caused us to lose, some of the canned stuff might still be usable." No answer.
Rick huffed a weary sigh. "I know you want revenge, but he showed us today we have to comply. They have Daryl, and it would be terribly selfish of us to do something to put him in danger." He looked in the mirror again, only to find Carol's cold look fixed on him.
He slowed down to a stop as he signaled Spencer to open the gate for them. "I'm just saying, we have to follow orders, at least I don't want anything happening to Daryl if we don't." Rick actually turned back, between the two front seats to look Carol in the eyes, "I don't think you would want anything to happen to him either."
"Fuck you, Rick Grimes." Rick was startled at Carol's response, not expecting those words to come out of her mouth. "Fuck what you think I would want," Carol hissed the words, before slowly pushing Carl off her lap as she opened the door and got out.
She closed the door softly, walking away without looking back. She heard a second car door close behind her, and the rushed steps told her Michonne had needed to get away from Rick as much as she did.
"What are we going to do?"
Carol slowed down to wait for the younger woman to catch up, her steps sure as she led them to the armory. "First rule when it comes to dealing with men like Negan… we need to let him think he holds all the cards and that everything is his idea."
-.-.-.
There was a weird taste in his mouth, Daryl noticed as he started to come about. He could feel the bitter taste of his own bile from when he had puked his guts out before he had been drugged. That, together with whatever he had been injected with, gave his mouth a taste of roadkill.
His head was screaming at him as he pushed on the cold hard cement floor to try and get up. His right side throbbed, from his shoulder to his belly and he wondered if he had been beaten badly after they had subdued him. He was trying to focus on even the most mundane thoughts to keep himself from panicking over the fact that he was naked.
It didn't work.
He huddled himself into a corner, hugging his knees to his chest as he tried to cover himself as best as he could. The walls trembled with the vibrations from the music playing at full volume, and Daryl wanted nothing more than to make it stop. They were out to break him, to make him succumb to a madman's will, and so far … they were doing a pretty good job of it. He was completely vulnerable. Even Carol hadn't seen him in such a state of undress and he was closer to her than anyone.
He had barely let her see his back, feeling the need to spare her from realizing the mess that he was, the mess that she was getting into. It was too late though; they both were in too deep for something like his scars to really matter.
If he ever saw her again.
The fucking song stopped for a few seconds before it started all over again. He wanted to crawl into a hole and die. The feeling of his bare skin touching the walls behind him made him want to puke all over again. He tried to breathe in, remembering what he had read in the fucking book he had stolen from the Atlanta shelter.
He needed to center himself, needed to keep his wits about him if he wanted to not be a shadow of a man by the time Carol came for him. He had to keep that in his mind at all times. She was coming. He was going to see her again. He was going to get out of there. He was not going to let anyone keep them from finally doing what they should have been doing for a long time.
His woman was a force of nature, and no one, not even Negan, was going to keep her away from him.
The song started all over, and he shivered as the temperature started to drop. The music was going to stop at some point. Maybe not the first night, but with the volume they were playing it, the building wasn't big enough to keep him far enough away that it wouldn't drive everyone insane.
He felt the gush of cold air as the door was opened for the first time since he had awakened. He could feel their eyes on him, and his skin began to crawl. He just huddled into a smaller ball as he hid his head between his knees. The feeling of something moist hitting him before it bounced to the floor, making him shudder.
The door closed again, and he allowed a few tears to trek down his face. He had to make it, because he had promised her they had to survive. They.
-.-.-
She hadn't crossed words with Rick since she'd told him off. The sun was starting to set in Alexandria, and Michonne had already left to try and talk to Rick. Carol was still in the armory, forging the new weapons inventory for when Negan and his goons came to knock on their door.
Rick might try and play it like he knew what he was doing, but he didn't. Not even close . He was still too traumatized over what had happened to two members of their family.
Negan would come in and find a reason to take everything from them. Because that's what bullies do, they take everything from you, leaving you broken, bitter, and thinking there will never be a way out from under their thumb. The key point here would be to modify the inventory in such a way it was believable. That meant having to at least leave a third of their own guns, and three fourths of what they had taken from them in plain sight.
Michonne was the one in charge of keeping everyone occupied so only the two of them knew about it. Olivia barely knew what the guns were called, she had been able to sneak them from under her nose once. This time around it would be even easier.
"You'll need a good place to hide them."
Carol turned on her heel, the gun she had been cataloguing pointing at the person who had sneaked up on her.
"Rick told us what happened," Gabriel said, his hands up as he watched Carol's gun nervously. "I thought I would find you here."
"Aren't you going to tell me I'm going to hell for this? That we should turn the other cheek and all that?" Carol's voice was devoid of feeling as she turned and continued with her task.
"Life has taught me differently. Your family has taught me differently. What our family have gone through has taught me differently." Gabriel moved so he was standing next to Carol, looking down at the weapons she was sorting through. "We're not perfect, we make mistakes. But we don't kill without a reason. These men do."
"We need a place to hide them, a place they won't think not even for a tenth of a second that could be hiding weapons. Because they're going to come, and they're going to take."
"I think I have an idea…"
-.-.-.
He couldn't think about anything else. The music, the unforgiving coldness, the feel of concrete against his skin was so overwhelming, he couldn't think of anything else . He could see the next day had broken, or had it? He wasn't even sure anymore if he was actually awake, or maybe he was asleep and he was lost in the midst of a nightmare from which there was no escape.
He hadn't realized someone else was in that room until he felt something jar his ribs.. He startled himself into slamming his head against the wall, making his vision swirl — and together with the pounding headache which hadn't left him — made him dry heave more than once.
The door was left open as the person moved away for a moment, but Daryl was so out of it, he didn't even realize he had a shot at escaping. He was barely able to keep himself from puking his stomach out at this point.
"Move!"
Daryl grunted, flinching when Dwight made to grab him by the arm to drag him out. He glared at the blond, hissing at him like a cat when he tried to grab him once more. Dwight laughed at him, putting up his hands as he moved a couple of steps away from him. "Not going to touch you, as long as you fucking move!".
Daryl took a deep breath, before he felt as his 'walls' came up. He walked out behind Dwight, naked for everyone to see; but with his mind far away from what was going on around him. He had learned to do that when he was a kid, back when his father would spend whole afternoons using him as an ashtray, or as a side table. He would do the exact same thing he was doing right then, he was putting a wall between himself and what was happening out there. He was closing himself off to the humiliation and the pain that what was happening to him brought with it.
He remembered having read in his book about what he was doing, what he had learned to do in his childhood. How it wasn't something weird' it was a way of protecting himself back then. It was a way of protecting the thing his Carol seemed so fond of, protecting what made him 'him' from them.
He felt like he could see what was going on from afar as Dwight lead him into the doctor's office. He saw as the Doctor gave Dwight a disapproving look as he saw the state he was in. He saw as the doctor checked his wound, as he cleaned it. He saw as Dwight stole some lollipops from the jar; he saw as he was lead back to his cell.
He saw as he was caged once again.
He finally came back once he was alone again shuddering as he felt the cold of the cell in his own skin once again, the jolt of the music starting up again bringing him back. He crumbled into the ground, a huddled against the corner with his head between his knees. He hid his cries for his mate in his arms as he used the music to drown his sobs. It took him a few hours to cry himself into unconsciousness.
