Ugh, I've been sick for the last week along with attempting to continue to work and drive 2 hrs back and forth every day, life has been miserable but I finally had some time to sit down and get this chapter out to you. So hopefully it came out alright, might be full of an ass ton of grammar mistakes and whatnot, but be patient with me this week lol
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Reviews:
KyraNoelle: Well, Daryl hasn't technically admitted his feelings, you know how Dixon's are lol they'll bounce around the topic and never verbally admit anything but deep down, I know Daryl realizes that Ana has some sort of hold over him. They are too fuckin cute, i can't!
Bri47: Have you ever known Shane not being difficult? lol
mtngirlforever: Really wanted to show Daryl's softer side in this chapter, admitting his wrongs and coming to realize how much Ana means to him. Love this side of him too!
UmiNight Angel Neko: Agreed!
Frankie: OMG RIGHT?!
Guest: I got all your reviews and adored every one of them! Thank you for your deep words and opinions on a few things, which I silently agreed with. There is tons I want to write you, if I had the time to address everything but I wanted to let you know that I read all your reviews and thank you for your support!
greyfox158: Can't promise that Lori won't do some stupid shit in the future but I can promise that I'll be stomping my foot alongside you proudly! P.S. Yes, I do have superpowers lol
NanneroftheWE: SO glad to hear you are enjoying my updates! Hope you continue to enjoy them!
Anyways, hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own the AMC's The Walking Dead or it's characters, just Ana!
Rick's POV...
I had a sinking feeling in my stomach as I hesitantly followed Hershel into the forest, Jimmy close at the older man's side. The man had asked for my help which I wasn't about to shoot down. No, the plan was to appease to Hershel, as best as they could. Ana said it would work so he believed it would.
We walked further, Jimmy now walking ahead of Hershel who stayed just a couple steps in front of me, his eyes flashing around the area like he was on alert for something. Why exactly had he asked me out here and no one else? Naturally, I wouldn't have said no to the man, but the fact that Daryl and Ana were still out there on a wild goose hunt as we approached the midday mark, fed the fire of panic slowly building in my stomach.
I quietly prayed that they were alright, that they were on their way back from wherever they had run off to. I knew it was wrong, but I just wanted to see Ana back, safe and uninjured, that way I may be able to sleep better with everything happening around camp. She kept me grounded, as weird as it sounded. I barely knew her, yet I trusted her more than I did my best friend and wife.
"That's Lou Bush." Hershel's voice cut across my thoughts before I realized we had walked into what looked to be a semi-dried up river bed where Jimmy was now wrestling to get a walker hooked onto a looped cable hanging off a pole he had been carrying. I froze, blinking in confusion and realization that this was what Hershel had asked me out here to 'witness'. He was trying to prove a point, though it was falling on deaf ears right now.
"You knew him?" I asked, attempting to hide my annoyance to what the man was doing as he approached Jimmy to help him, as the younger man went about trying to wrangle another walker that was slowly approaching from across the muddy river.
"Lou as in Louise." He clarified as I turned back to the walker they directed out of the mud, noticing the dress it had on.
"She has a farm up the road. Sweet corn mostly. Worked at Hapman's bar on weekends." Hershel huffed out as the walker tried to make a swipe at him, almost causing the older man to lose his footing and hit the mud had I not reached out in time to grab the pole from him, helping the man from his stumbled perch.
"The man, I don't know him, but the coveralls, I've been to where he worked." Hershel dusted off his pants from where he had stumbled and glanced over at the walkers now caught in Jimmy's wire.
"How many have you killed?" Hershel's next question caught me off guard as I had been in the middle of thinking about how much I had wanted to shoot the walker between the brows as it snarled and tried to reach out at me. Holding the walker at a safe distance, I looked to him with a brow arched, not even sure if he was asking cause he was curious or because he was trying to prove a point.
"Too many to count." I replied instantly, knowing I could not give the man an exact number as I had stopped counting long before. Hershel turned his eyes up to meet mine, an unidentified question lying just beyond his orbs as he adjusted his suspenders.
"Can you stop?" It was like the man was mocking me, us. How did he expect us to stop killing walkers? If we didn't kill them, they'd kill us and there was no way I'd allow that to happen.
"There are people out there who haven't been in their right minds, people who I believe can be restored." Hershel went on, as if he had a liable defense for his beliefs almost sending me snorting at his ignorance, Ana's words running through my head instantly.
Only thing we can do is appease him, even if we don't totally believe in what he does.
He's had his head so far up his ass that I think the only way he'll believe shit coming out of our mouth is if it literally bit him in the ass.
No matter how much we disagree with him, Rick, be gentle.
"You're not talking about the walkers, are you?" I asked hesitantly, trying to cover the edge behind my tone.
"It doesn't matter if you see them as human beings anymore. But if you and your people are going to stay here, that's how you're gonna have to treat them. My farm, my barn, my say." Hershel pressed sternly as my throat tightened, my eyes fighting to narrow and lash out at the ignorant man.
"I know you do not believe what we say about them. The fact that they have killed people of my group, family, friends. If this what gets you to allow us to stay here, even just for a bit more, fine." Rick ignored the terror in his heart as he watched Hershel eye him up curiously before nodding, gesturing for him to head back in the direction they had come in.
Back on the highway...
"I couldn't find the fuckin' keys." She muttered frustrated as they had finally headed back towards the cab of the truck once a path was cleared.
"But ya found a pack of smokes?" He arched an amused brow in her direction, knowing he was pushing her buttons. Sure enough, her hard eyes snapped over to meet his, her hand twitching over the handle of her gun just on her hip.
"I'm half tempted to shoot yer dick off and watch you dance." She hissed as he snorted, fighting back the laugh before turning back to the cab.
"Gotta get this shit back ta camp before the Asian starts messin' with my shit and tools." Daryl muttered under his breath sparking something in her as her eyes snapped wide, realization setting in on her.
"Fuckin' hell." she muttered in realization, tossing her bag onto the drivers seat before running to the back of the truck where they had loaded other stuff. Feeling Daryl run up behind her as she pulled open the back door, with difficulty, and immediately made a reach for the tool bag she had scavenged in a nearby car.
"Really need ya to stop just fuckin' runnin' off, it's gettin' old." Daryl barked over at her as she grabbed the needed stuff, ignoring him once more before running past him and back to the cab of the truck.
"Are ya fuckin' listen to me?!" Daryl screeched as Ana stumbled to climb the stairs into the cab where Daryl followed closely behind.
"Busy, did you say somethin'?" She muttered sarcastically, intentionally pissing him off as she scooted onto the ground, just beside the driver seat already reaching under the dash for what she was looking for. Using the screwdriver she had snatched, she popped off the panel below the steering wheel column, tossing it over her shoulder uncaring.
"I outta...what the fuck are ya doin' now?" Daryl was ready to reel into her about her dismissive attitude to her own safety before he watched her begin to dig under the dashboard, going as far as yanking down a handful of wires.
"What does it look like genius?" She retorted back, narrowing her eyes at the wires before finding the two she needed.
"Ya know how ta hotwire a car?" Daryl blinked in surprise, once again, caught off guard by what the woman was capable of.
"Like I told Glenn, yer faith in me is a little insultin'. Ya forget who I am?" She paused in her search for the wire cutters she had brought up for her and turned to Daryl, smirking at his shocked face before turning back to the two wires in her hand, cutting the insulation from the end of each wire, she quickly shoved the screwdriver into the ignition slot for good measure. Within seconds of cutting the wires, she had them tied off, turning the screwdriver as the truck rumbled to life sending a loud squeal through her as she hopped into the driver's seat, checking everything on the dash.
"Ya scare me, ya know that?" Daryl mocked as she rolled her eyes, turning to him still standing in the doorway.
"So, ya gettin' on yer bike or are ya plannin' to leave her here?" Ana shot back as Daryl looked at her with a scoff, jumping back down on the pavement.
"Ya sure yer okay drivin' this shit? I can drive it, ya know how to ride a bike?" Daryl was obviously worried about the woman 'attempting' to drive a huge truck. It wasn't a semi, but half the size, still too large for her to drive, so he thought.
"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't ya? Me drivin' yer baby. Screw that, I'm driving, I found it." She brushed off his worry easily, adjusting the seat a bit closer to the wheel as Daryl sighed, knowing he was fighting a losing battle with the woman.
"Fine, keep an eye on the road. I'll be 'round." He took one last long look at her before he turned, walking towards the direction of his bike before turning as he heard the sound of the trucks breaks release as it began to slowly move forward. Swinging his leg over his seat, quickly kicking the bike on, his head shot up at the sound of metal upon metal scraping, looking over to see her attempting to turn the beast, though it was obviously brushing heavily against nearby cars.
"Cleared that like a pro!" She yelled out the window with a wave as he rolled his eyes at her theatrics as she soon ran right into another car, knocking it out of the way.
"How about you attempt ta not hit shit when yer drivin'?" He yelled out as she effectively pushed the car out of the way and continued on.
"I don't know what the fuck yer goin' on about? I didn't hit shit!" She shouted back happily, going about honking the horn as she headed on down the road as Daryl shook his head, quickly following her.
Rick knew this was going to end bad. No way he was going to get past his group with a pair of walkers basically on a leash to add to Hershel's growing pile. He had mentioned to Hershel about heading to the barn in the opposite direction, just to stay out of sight, but the man had known what he was doing. This was a test of sorts, how Rick would deal with his situation with Hershel along with how his group would react.
Rick attempted to keep his movements minimal, not wanting to draw the attention of the group near the house. But who was he kidding? It was like god was laughing down on him as he watched Jimmy step in front of the walkers, loudly clapping his hands to lead them. Unfortunately, he didn't only get the attention of the pair of walkers he and Hershel had, but the group who were now running towards him.
"What is that?! What is that?!" Shane yelled as he charged towards who he recognized to be Rick and Hershel, the group not far behind.
"Shane!" Lori screamed, running after the crazy man, knowing he was about to do something stupid.
"What the hell are you doing?" Shane hissed once he got close enough to the trio, his eyes pinned to the obvious walkers snarling from the end of the poles.
"Why do your people have guns?" Hershel barked in defense, both men fighting to keep a hold of the walkers.
"Are you kidding me? You see? You see what they're holding onto?" Shane laughed in disbelief, turning to the group who had been disagreeing with him moments before.
"I see who I'm holding onto." Hershel defended as Shane rolled his eyes, pacing as he shook his head, the rest of the group standing at a distance behind the man, unsure what to do or how to go about doing this.
"No, man, you don't." Shane laughed dryly, shaking his head as Rick eyed the man warily.
"Shane, just let us do this and then we can talk." Rick should have known, no ounce of talking would pull this man down from the ledge of insanity he was dancing on. He should have seen the warnings going on as Shane continued to preach to both groups, waving his gun around. As soon as Lori told Shane to shut up, something snapped in the already spiraling man. Rick stiffened as Shane tilted his head, turning to Hershel.
"Hey, Hershel man, let me ask you something. Could a living breathing person, could they walk away from this?" And just as Rick had known, to prove his point, Shane unloaded three rounds into the chest of Hershel's walker, pointing out the fact that a living person could not walk away from that. Hershel and Rick were screaming at Shane to stop as Shane continued to hit all vital areas effortlessly.
"Shane, enough!" Rick shouted as Shane scoffed.
"Yeah, you're right, man. That is enough." Shane took one more shot, straight into the forehead of the female walker Hershel was wrangling.
Hershel dropped the pipe, his eyes wide with shock as Rick begged both Hershel and Jimmy to take the walker from him so he could do something about Shane. Neither one listened as they watched in horror as Shane broke the barn door open, the steady flow of Hershel's undead family and friends pouring out, only to be gunned down by the group.
Andrea shot the walker Rick had been fighting to hold, tossing it to the ground in defeat before watching as more walkers poured out sending the kids screaming in fright. Rick passed the Greene family, who were now all gathered in horror, an apologetic look before he stepped forward, wanting to protect his family.
There was no way Hershel was going to allow them to stay now.
Ana's POV...
I was surprised how clean the truck cab was, even in the apocalypse. No radio, but the driver had a stash of old 80's rock that I didn't hesitate to put in, humming along with some familiar tunes as I continued to attempt to navigate the truck through tight quarters. Luckily, it was a bit easier to do as I came to realize that the truck was big enough, that if need be, I could simply just push cars a bit further away to make it through.
Thankfully, I hadn't gotten my ass stuck just yet.
I continued to glance back in the mirror, watching as Daryl weaved through cars, his eyes panning back and forth from each side of the road for danger before turning back to the road just as we slipped past the area we lost Sophia.
Turning from the sight of the note left on the car hood for Sophia, my eyes noticed movement ahead, my eyes narrowing on what I knew to be a familiar car. I pressed the breaks slowly, coming to a stop as Daryl's bike grew louder and louder till he was beside me.
"What's up?!" He yelled over the engine of his bike as I watched the car disappear around the bend before I turned back to him.
"Saw a car going in the opposite direction, looked like one of the cars from the farm." I mentioned back in thought as he looked ahead of us, not seeing anything.
"Ya sure?" He asked for clarification as I nodded, turning to look back at the road.
"The only road between us and them is the farm, where else would the car have come from?" I spoke, more to myself as I felt Daryl's eyes pinned to me as I slowly turned to see him staring up at me.
"Losin' light, might wanna hurry before Grimes brings his ass out 'ere, lookin' for ya." Daryl's mood had soured quickly which I instantly picked up on as I rolled my eyes to look back down at him.
"Get yer jock strap out of a bunch, he'd come out 'ere lookin' for the both of us." I hated how much he ignored my words, only believing what he felt, which didn't help anyone or anything.
"Whatever." He muttered, revving his engine as I grabbed the empty can from the cup holder and chucked it out the window, hitting him in the head.
"Get yer head out of yer ass! I kissed you not him!" I attempted to yell at him without blushing, but who was I kidding? Almost as soon as the words left my mouth, I could feel the heat flaring up, starting at my chest and rising up my neck to my face as I felt his eyes turn to look at me.
"R-race ya!" I stumbled over my words embarrassed, my foot slamming on the gas as the truck jerked forward in hast
The truck bounced around the dirt road before I slowed the truck to the stop, allowing Daryl the time to park his bike and open the gate. I passed him a mock salute as I slowly drove past him, attempting not to kick up any dirt or dust before stopping to watch him shut it. He waved at me from the mirror as I waved out the window, a small sign we had made to cut down on us yelling back and forth, I put the truck back into gear and continued down the road towards the house.
I was happy, chipper, which I wasn't used to as I tapped the steering wheel to the beat of the drum solo playing through the truck speakers. Coming around the last turn, the house came into view which sent a wider smile across my face that quickly dropped.
First thing I noticed was everyone gathered beneath a grove of trees just a ways off from the house.
"What the hell..." I whispered, rolling down my window as I had been enjoying the last bit of AC this truck was willing to give. As soon as I stuck my head out the window, the barn came into view, the OPEN barn. My heart dropped. We had missed them gunning down Hershel's family.
"Fuck." I hissed in realization, pushing the gas a bit harder as the revving of the large truck gathered the attention of those huddled beneath the trees. I parked it wherever I could, cutting the engine before skydiving out of the truck to the dirt road. Ignoring Daryl's protests, I ran over, my heart thudding loudly in my chest as a billion different thoughts came running through my head. Did someone get hurt? Did Sophia get hurt? Was this backlash for saving her? Taking her away as soon as I got her? Or maybe someone else got hurt? Bit?
Immediately Glenn and T-Dog were on me with Dale, Rick and Lori gathering behind them. I hugged them, just a bit more relieved that these two were fine.
"What the fuck happened?" I rasped out in worry, my eyes shooting around what group members were present, making sure everyone was alright.
Both Glenn and T-Dog looked at each other in a silent conversation before someone cleared their throat, stopping us from continuing. My eyes panned to Dale just behind Glenn, to Rick who stood a ways away from Lori, an obvious tension between them.
"Ana...we-I...Hershel is giving us till the end of the day to be off his property." Rick hesitantly explained as my eyes widened, though I knew this bit was coming as I noticed Shane missing. I had already known Shane had gone off the deep end that all this shit was his fault.
"Where's Shane?" I was really fighting to keep my anger and rage on the down low, but with the way my body was now vibrating, my hands clenched where Daryl had reached out to grab my elbow, it was obvious.
"Shorty..." T-Dog stepped forward, attempting to calm me as I shrugged his arm off of me, stepping back from both Daryl and him.
"No, fuck no, it was him ,wasn't it? Finally went off the deep end and did what he's been threatening? Where the fuck is he?" I growled, eyeing everyone present.
"You really think you have any right to blame anyone?" A voice fed the fire in my chest as my eyes snapped over to where Lori was standing, arms crossed, her hard eyes on me.
"Oh? Are you saying it's my fault Shane went off the deep end and killed Hershel's family?!" I snapped back unintentionally giving away what I knew Shane had did though no one had said anything. I could feel the shocked and confused eyes baring into me for answers but I ignored them, knowing I had a few choice words for Shane.
"You have no right to say shit to me about anything - I apologize for what I'm about to say Rick, but I can't anymore - You take the cake when it comes to being the most hypocritical person on this planet. And before you start yapping about shit you think is going to save your ass, save it. Everyone here knows your dirty laundry, about you and Shane sleeping together. You know Rick, I walked in on them at the CDC, fighting. I didn't have a cold from the wine, Shane tried to choke me out." I bluntly added, ignoring the fact that this might be too much information for everyone to take in right now, especially with everything happening.
"He even threatened me with a gun to my face at the quarry when I caught onto the shit going on between them. Pretty messed up if you ask me, to think, that someone loses a husband and falls into bed with his best friend just a few weeks later. Everyone really does deal with their loss in different ways." I could feel my body vibrating in irritation as I felt Daryl's warm breath blow across the back of my neck, his own anger caressing my nerves.
"You have no right to say shit to me when you are so busy pointing out the faults in those around you while you're literally sitting on a shit ton of blame for most of it. Stay the fuck away from me." I hadn't realized I had taken a step in Lori's direction till Daryl had all but pulled me back into his chest and away from her. I scoffed, glancing at everyone's shocked faces before I brushed off Daryl and headed back towards the truck.
As much as I wanted to seek out Shane's lousy ass, I couldn't do it in the state I was in right now.
Author's POV...
It took everything in Daryl not to run off and put an arrow through Shane's head. He wanted to kill the man now more than ever but as Ana pushed past him and towards the truck she had been driving, he knew, he couldn't leave her alone. He glared hard, at Rick, silently telling the man he best keep Shane out of sight because nothing was stopping him from killing that man now.
"Rick...are you really going to let her speak to me like that?" Lori innocently asked her husband as they both watched Daryl, T-Dog and Glenn go after the woman that had just told her off.
Rick scoffed, his hands tightly gripping his waist as Ana's words continued to play over and over in his head. Shane had hurt her, again, and from what he could see, no one knew, not even Daryl. Watching as the trio disappeared around the back of the truck where Ana had gone, he slowly turned his eyes to the woman who was standing quietly beside him.
"Are you really going to stand there and act like her words were wrong?" Rick shot back sending Lori gaping in defense.
"They were wrong! How can you believe her over me?" Lori tried to come off as hurt which only pissed Rick off more because he could see her real intentions playing behind her eyes.
"I can believe her over you because she hasn't done anything behind my back, unlike the woman who had vowed to stay faithful, even in death."
Ana didn't want to see anyone right now, hell, she couldn't even find it in her to be present on the farm but she knew, she couldn't just up and leave. Since the barn was now open, things were falling into place. No matter how angry she was at Shane, at Lori, things were coming and she had no intention of missing any more of it.
Marching away from the campsite and back to the truck she had driven here, she swiped the bag on the driver's seat, full of her small findings. Pulling out the box of smokes and miraculously, a lighter she had found, she put the stick of death between her lips and lit it without hesitation. It was a nasty habit she had picked up in high school thanks to her friends, one she hadn't done in years but she didn't care. She needed it, praying maybe it would calm her down a bit.
Tossing the bag back in the cab, she inhaled the familiar taste of nicotine and hummed as she exhaled, the smoke billowing around her as she headed to the back door of the truck, yanking it open as she heard footsteps approaching.
"Shorty." T-Dog approached hesitantly as she put the cigarette back between her lips.
"I don't have the patience right now to talk about all that shit I spilled so do me a favor and just drop it." She muttered, ignoring the pain in her arm as she climbed into the back of the truck just as Daryl came around.
"Holy shit! What is all of this?" T-Dog then asked, noticing the pallets loaded in the back of the truck, thankfully distracted from their previous conversation as Rick joined the group.
"Remembered coming across this truck on the highway back before we lost Sophia. Was hoping it was still there, it was." She ripped one of the still intact manifests off the nearest pallet and turned, handing it to a shocked Rick who took it, reading it out loud.
"Non-perishables?" Rick asked with hope, his eyes shining as he looked to her like she hung the stars in the sky.
Ana couldn't help but smirk proudly, inhaling her cigarette before removing it from her mouth as she nodded.
"Couple pallets of non-perishables, couple pallets of water and a few pallets of donated clothes." Glenn, T-Dog, Rick and now Dale all gasped, murmuring in delight as she slowly turned her eyes to the silent man who was already staring at her with a hard look.
She knew, Daryl was pissed. She had lied to him, she had kept her situation with Shane on the down low and he clearly hated being kept out of that. Ana wasn't stupid, sooner or later, it would have come out and she knew, Daryl wouldn't let this sit. He was going to talk to her, whether she wanted to have this conversation or not. She could tell by the look on his face that it was going to happen now, willingly or not. Sighing, she muttered to the 3 other boys that they should get about sorting through her loot, letting the Greene's pick through it first before she hopped out of the truck into the dirt.
Watching as the 3 climbed into the truck, calling out to the women still at camp before Ana took one look at Daryl, turning to head back down the road, knowing he was following her as he always did.
Once they were at a safe distance from stray ears, Ana didn't hesitate to turn and face an already irate Daryl.
"Let me hear it." She waved him on, knowing it was taking everything in him not to completely snap at her from the grip on his bow.
"Why the fuck didn't ya tell me?" Daryl started off calmly, chewing on his bottom lip, attempting to keep his boiling anger on a leash.
"Because..." Ana really didn't have an excuse aside from stopping Daryl from killing a man before it was his time to go. She knew, no matter how much she hated Shane, there were things that his presence alone put into gear. If he wasn't there, Hershel would have never come to realize the dangers of walkers and sadly enough, Carl probably would have died of the gunshot wound had he not sacrificed Otis.
Daryl glare narrowed further as he took another step towards her, his body heat engulfing her own as she stood her ground.
"That ain't no excuse. Why the fuck didn't ya tell me?!" He bellowed this time, his free hand quickly shooting out to grab her uninjured arm to stop her from making even the slightest attempt away from him. Ana sighed, not flinching at his loud voice as she had been expecting him to react as such as soon as the man found out.
"I took care of it, that's why. I ain't some damsel, Daryl. I appreciate ya helpin' me when you can but there are times when I'd like to deal with my own shit, my own way. I know ya feel the same way so don't give me some feminist bullshit excuse. I ain't like the other girls here, I can hold my own." Ana tried to appease to his softer side, hesitantly taking a step closer to the man, her torso now flushed with his heaving chest as his grip on her arm loosened enough to lightly caress her arm and up to her shoulder where his hand dipped into the crevice her neck and shoulder met in.
Daryl didn't say anything for a few moments, only silently staring at her, his hand resting on the side of her neck as she stood unmoving against him. She knew, it was taking all the power he could muster not to leave her side and peg Shane to the nearest surface. As strange as it sounded, it wasn't time for Shane to die just yet. There were things still in work that he needed to do and then when the time was right, she wanted the pleasure of watching that man's eyes roll for the last time.
"I'm alright, I made him choke on his balls and told Lori to take a fuckin' hike. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself from time to time..." She continued to promise, trying to calm Daryl down before someone began yelling their names from the house.
Daryl's hand dropped to her waist, turning to glance over at Rick gesturing for them to come over frantically.
Something was wrong.
That's where I'm gonna end this chapter lol we all know what comes next so I wanted that to begin the next update, whenever I get it up. I just want to take this time to thank you all for being so patient with me and my new schedule at work. Not sure what I'd do had everyone gone and given up on me lol
Oh! And just one thing, I'll be out of town starting October 30th and won't be back till after November 8th, so I'm planning on posting on the 29th and then won't be able to post till after the 8th when I get back so if I don't post between that week or two, you know why!
Until next time~