The End of a Beginning
Maya paced the ground as she saw the truck pulling into the driveway. Hershel, Rick and Glenn clambered out. Rick pulled out a blindfolded man with a bandage around his thigh and held him roughly. Maya swallowed. This can't be good.
Rick and Glenn explained to everyone who gathered who the boy, Randall, was. Hershel had gone to check on Beth once Maggie informed him of her health. Maya had heard enough of Rick's explanation. Enough shit had happened recently and she was already mad.
"Get rid of him! What if his group followed you? We can't protect this place." Maya seethed. Randall was trembling with fear at the tension in the air.
"We don't know anything about his group Maya, they might be able to help us." Rick reminded her gently. Maya scoffed and shook her head.
"Why don't I take him in the barn and ask him a few questions?" A rough voice sounded from behind the group. Daryl had taken to leaning on the tree, observing from a distance. "See what he'll tell me." Maya shook her head in disgust. Yeah right. A few nosebleeds may be involved.
"Just get rid of him." Maya murmured. "I don't have a good feeling about this guy Rick, trust me." And with that, Maya turned away back to the farmhouse.
She walked closer to the farmhouse before Carol stopped her. "Maya? Can I talk to you?" The woman stopped and allowed Carol to catch up to her. "What's your problem with Randall?"
Maya sighed, not surprised someone asked. "His group just up and left him? That's bad in two ways. One; they have no loyalty which means Randall has none either and could sell out his group and we may have a war on our hands because Rick and Shane will probably go looking for them. Two; his group could have used him as bait to follow them back here. Either way, we may have to prepare for a battle."
"Why look at the worst scenario? He could just be an asset?" Carol shrugged her shoulders innocently. Maya shook her head in disagreement.
"If we look for the worst, we won't be disappointed when the result is revealed. Besides, we'll get our answers once Daryl is done with him."
"Do you know if Daryl has held many interrogations?" Carl asked as Maya walked away.
Maya scoffed. "He won't be using his words to get Randall to talk Carol that much I do know."
Maya found Beth in her room with her father. Hershel just finished up and little rhyme as Maya knocked on the door. "Hey butterfly. Are you okay?" Hershel asked Maya as she sat by her sister.
"Just wanted to check in on Beth." Maya smiled down at her smiling sister. "How are you Hershel? I heard the trip to town for rough." Hershel grunted in response. "No matter. You're home now."
"Thank you butterfly, for looking after the family while I was gone." Hershel said, squeezing Beth's small hand. Maya nodded in response. "I must go and see Maggie. She didn't look too thrilled with my return. Excuse me girls." Hershel left the sisters alone.
"Why does Daddy call you butterfly?" Beth asked Maya.
"That's a cute story actually." Maya laughed. "When I was born, a few butterflies landed on my crib and one landed on my face. Instead of crying, I apparently smiled and clapped my hands. Since then, Hershel called me his little butterfly." Beth smiled at Maya's story.
"That's so sweet. Can I ask you one more thing? Maya isn't a Georgia name…where'd it come from? Maya tensed and fiddled with her hair. "You don't have to tell me….sorry if I upset you."
"No it's fine Beth. I'm not upset." Maya sighed and rubbed her face. "My name means "illusion." Mama loved names having meaning. Hershel always said when I was little that I was a sweet little girl on the outside. But in the inside, there was more to me, deep inside. He could see something different in me. Turns out he was right. I'm not so sweet; haven't been in years."
"What does that mean?" Beth asked tentatively.
"I hide what I am because I'm afraid. I'm not you Beth. I'm not the good one. I got in trouble in school, at home, I started it mostly. So I lived up to my name. I'm an illusion. What you see is not what you get."
Beth scoffed and straightened out of bed. "You're wrong." Maya glared at Beth. "You are an illusion, but not in the way you see yourself. You are not what you seem. I look at you and I see pain, years of pain in your eyes. I look at the scars you have and see abuse. I hear the anger in your voice and see the years of frustration of not being heard. I see the work you put in and see the lack of recognition you've received. All of these shows some girl who takes beatings and lets them tear her down and destroy her. But that's not you."
"It is me Beth. I am destroyed." Maya murmured, hanging her head.
"No it's not. That's the illusion. That's what you see. I see a strong woman who saved me, saved her mother, her sister, and herself. She accepted the pain and used it to fight harder. She made the scars to remind herself that she's still breathing. She uses the anger to work harder and fight longer. She uses the frustration to let her voice finally be heard. She took all the devastation in her life and used it to her advantage. She survived." Beth explained, reaching for Maya's hand. She grasped Maya's hand firmly and forced her sister to look at her. "You lived up to your name Maya, in the best possible way."
"How the hell are you eighteen? You're so god damn wise." Maya smiled, squeezing Beth's hands. "Thank you Beth."
"You're welcome. Now go little butterfly. Leave your sister to sleep." Beth smiled, shooing Maya away. Maya smiled and kissed Beth on the forehead.
Back downstairs, Maya saw the group gathering once again. "Shit. Here we go again."
"Hold the fucking phone. Why is this bastard still alive?" Maya shouted, reaching for her pistols. Daryl had found out that Randall watched two young girls being raped as their father watched because of his group. Among other reasons, Maya was pissed at that certain key topic. She drew her pistols and stormed towards Randall in the barn. Dale stepped in her way, rifle raised slightly.
"Can't let you do that darling. I'm sorry." Dale stood rigid in Maya's way. An audible gasp sounded from the group behind Maya.
"You're serious Dale? He's watched men rape girls, murdered people, god knows what else. Get. Out. Of. My. Way." Maya spat at Dale who tried to convince her to put her guns down. Daryl moved behind her and grabbed one of her pistols. "What the…"
"I agree with you angel. We should put him down. But you're out of ammo." Daryl informed her, handing back her pistol. Maya looked so pissed at that point. Ammo was running low in everyone's arsenal, even Daryl was running out of arrows. They had to make a run soon.
"Look. Come sundown tonight, we'll discuss the fate of the boy. Dale if you can persuade others to follow your lead, we'll do it your way. Until then, Randall stays in the barn and no one goes near him." Rick ordered, declaring a few door guards to watch the barn entrance.
Dale left the group angrily and talked to Glenn in a panicked manner. Daryl brushed past Maya and picked up his crossbow. "Hold up Dixon." Daryl glared at the girl. Things weren't smooth sailing with the two since Maya's attempt at getting Daryl back into the group. The two had barley spoken two words to each other all day except for his ammo check on her pistols.
"What do you want?" He grumbled rudely. Maya rolled her eyes ad picked up a nearby bucket of water and towel.
"Get over here and sit your ass down. Those knuckles are bleeding and I don't want them getting infected." Daryl shook his head and tried to turn to leave. "If you don't cooperate I will take you down and force you to comply." Maya shouted over to him.
"You don't do shit." Daryl replied. Suddenly a gravity took him over as he lost his footing and fell to the grass. Maya stood behind him with a huge smirk on his face. "Did you just leg sweep me?"
Maya nodded and offered her hand. "Told you I'd take you down. Now c'mon, I won't ask again." Daryl grumbled and let himself up. He walked with her to the tree stump and sat beside her. She reached for his hands and grasped his knuckles. Daryl narrowed his eyes but relaxed at Maya's touch. Her skin really was soft, surprising due to her abuse and hard labor she'd done.
While she was rubbing his knuckles clean, Daryl took this time to notice how beautiful the young woman really was. Whenever they were together, there was always a distraction for Daryl to not notice her. But now they were peacefully alone.
He noticed how her long hair was a very dark brown, almost black color, which made her green eyes pop even more. Her tan skin balanced her eyes perfectly. She almost looked exotic, not like most Georgia girls. They were skinny and blonde; so not his type. Maya wasn't skinny either which Daryl loved. She had a flat stomach, but her hips curved, she had a nice ass, her legs were muscular, and her arms were toned. Her black tank was just low enough for Daryl to notice how big her breasts were too. At that thought, he felt his cheeks flush and his pants tighten un-expectantly.
"You ok Daryl? You zoned out for a minute there." Maya interrupted his thoughts. She could feel his blue eyes pierce her. He could only nod, feeling his excitement slowly fade with embarrassment. Soon Maya was finished and let the archer up.
"About time." He growled, stretching his hands. Maya rolled her eyes at the man and squeezed the water out of the cloth. "I'll be in camp if you need me." Maya only grunted.
"Maya? Can I talk to you?" Dale asked behind her as Daryl left her. "Why won't you let Randall live?" Maya sighed and repeated the same mantra she explained to Carol earlier. Dale gaped at her in shock. "I can't believe you can be so cruel. You especially should be giving him the benefit of the doubt." Ouch. That stings.
"I did what I had to do to survive, he did it for entertainment. Do not ever compare me to him Dale." Maya spat and turned away from the old man. She spent the rest of the day practicing some defensive moves and her knife skills until the sun began to set.
"This is ridiculous! You're talking like it's already decided!" Dale wailed. Believing Randall was innocent and still a human being, Dale was fighting furiously to help the boy. No one was agreeing with the man and Carol didn't want to contribute to the decision. Another person too good for this world.
"We've been talking all day, wanna go around in circles again?" Daryl mumbled to the older man, twirling his finger in the air. "Another mouth too feed. Too much hassle. We don't trust him."
"This group is broken." Dale mumbled, leaving the farmhouse. The group murmured to themselves for a while longer until a decision was made.
A few hours later, Daryl met up with Maya near the RV. "Hey." He grumbled awkwardly. Maya said nothing but continued to watch the sunset. "My hands are feeling better. I didn't thank you earlier."
"No you didn't. I didn't expect you to." Maya growled back. Daryl rolled his eyes at the girls' attitude. "Anything else Dixon?"
Daryl snorted and grabbed Maya's arm. "Yeah girl. How long are you going to stay mad at me? I'm starting to feel bad." Maya's eyes widened in anger.
"Good! That's what you get for just….just…I don't even remember why I'm mad at you!" She yelled at him. Daryl smirked and shrugged his shoulders.
"Because I'm an asshole. That's why." Maya relaxed at Daryl's wayward apology. She sighed and shrugged her shoulders in turn.
"Apology accepted." Maya smirked.
Glenn's voice interrupted the two suddenly. "Randall's gone! He escaped from the barn somehow! The lock almost looked like it had been force opened from the outside." Glenn explained, out of breath from running. Maya and Daryl exchanged worried looks until Shane burst through the woods.
"This way! He ran this way. He got my gun, he's trying to escape!" Rick came from the farm house and ran over to his friend and handed him another weapon. The pair ran off in Randall's direction quickly.
"Glenn, you and me let's go the other way, maybe cut him off." Daryl said to Glenn, reaching for his crossbow. Glenn took the archers order with a surprised look on his face, as did Maya. Though she looked more hurt than surprised at Daryl's idea. Why Glenn? Why not me?
"You have to stay angel. Hold the fort here until we get back. Keep everyone together and calm." Daryl answered Maya's unspoken question.
Maya nodded reluctantly and headed back for the farmhouse. It's scary how he reads my mind…She walked back towards the farmhouse thinking over Daryl's idea. Not that Glenn couldn't take care of business, but he wasn't a brilliant shot. He could defend himself and Daryl, but Maya was better. Why would Daryl chance his and Glenn's life just to avoid her?
Beth came bounding out of the house towards her sister. "What happened? Where is everyone?" Her little blue eyes looked scared for a moment until Maya ushered her back to the house.
"We stay inside, look the doors, block the windows and wait for the guys to get back. Randall's missing." Maya answered her sister, looking over her shoulder to the woods. "Hopefully they come back."
In the middle of the dense woods, Glenn finally broke the silence. "I could have 'held the fort down' as you say no problem, why did you choose Maya specifically to go back to the farmhouse?" Glenn asked Daryl once they put some distance between themselves and the farm. Daryl didn't look the man in the eye as he answered quietly.
"Her sisters are there, her father, and people trust her there." Daryl half-lied. Glenn looked at him, disbelief in his stare. "Okay fine. Earlier when she was fixin' my hand, I felt something." Glenn stared at him again, more disbelief. "Like…I can't explain it. Somethin' I never felt 'fore."
Glenn nodded his head with a smirk. "It's called 'caring' Daryl. You were extremely scared when she was sick; you wouldn't leave her side after you got back from searching. I mean she almost died. Now you're trying to protect her from Randall. It's normal man. Although I don't appreciate you voting me into this search. She would have your back a lot better than I would. I'm a terrible shot."
Daryl smirked and thought through the man's words. Did he care? What about the excitement though? He had never felt that way around a woman before, especially someone like Maya. She was good.
Suddenly, Glenn caught on to Daryl's words. "Wait? Felt something? Daryl…did a certain part of you just figure out how hot Maya is?" Glenn laughed. Daryl blushed profusely. "I mean. I don't blame you Daryl. Shit, look at Maggie. She's hot too. They're sisters so it makes sense, like almost twins." Daryl still looked uncomfortable. Glenn noticed and changed his tone of voice to something less teasing. "Feeling something for Maya isn't a bad thing Daryl. In this day and age, having someone special is rare."
"She's an angel man. She don't want me. She shouldn't want me." Daryl mumbled. He was always doubting himself, especially when it came to women. Why would a woman like Maya be interested in a man like him? She was everything good, and he just wasn't. She was an angel, he was a devil. Neither matched with one another.
"Let her decide. She ain't the kind to let a good thing go to waste. Besides, she won't like you making that decision for her. She's a pistol with a mind of her own."
"I aint good enough for her though. She deserves someone better…like Rick." Daryl growled, scanning the surrounding greens. It took him a second to realize how stupid that sounded, Glenn caught on too.
"Lori might have something to say about that. Maya's young, she's beautiful, she's feisty, and I have it on good word that she cares about you too." Glenn smiled.
"Maggie ain't good authority, she's her sister. It's in some sibling contract to side with your sister." Daryl grumbled. Glenn sighed, frustrated at the man. Why couldn't Daryl just accept that Maya may actually care about him?
Suddenly the bushes rustled as Randall stumbled towards the men. He was now a walker, so Glenn shot him dead. Daryl felt something was off about this so he knelt down and noticed Randall's neck. "His neck is broken. He wasn't bit."
"So…you're telling me that they can what? Rejuvenate when they die? What the hell?" Glenn asked, keeping his eye on the surrounding forest.
"If that's true, we got a shit load more problems heading our way than we thought." Daryl growled and heard another gunshot ring. "Let's get back to the farm. And your shots are getting better China."
Back at the farm, the group heard both gunshots, causing screams and panic to fill the overcrowded living room. "Maya? What was that?" Lori asked the antsy woman as Maya waited by the window.
"Gun shot." Maya answered brusquely. Stupid bitch. What did she think it was? Everyone was gathered in the living room, worried about Randall. Maya was glued to the window, worry oozing from her. Lori was not letting Maya's attitude slide though.
"No need to get snippy. It was just a question. Your husband ain't the one out there risking his life again." Lori snapped back. Maya turned and glared at the woman. She was so sick of Lori thinking she was the one with the most to lose. She had no idea what people thought of her. They weren't fans of her to say the least.
"No he's not, but people I care about are out there again. Just because I don't have a husband and a boyfriend out there like you do, don't mean I don't get scared." Lori's mouth gaped at her mention of Shane and Rick. "Why don't you go over there and watch your kid for once and worry about the one you got coming." Maya snarled, pointing at Lori's stomach. Lori looked hurt and shocked at Maya's words and retreated back to Carl.
Maya turned around back to the window and narrowed her eyes at two figures in the distance. "I see Daryl and Glenn coming back!" Maya announced. Maggie jumped up to her sister and searched the field for Glenn. The two men came through the door of the house, Glenn running to Maggie. Daryl walked over to Maya and smiled at her.
"Fort is secure. Good thing you came back or they're would have been casualties." Maya whispered, eyeing Lori. "Rick and Shane ain't back yet though."
Daryl placed his hand on Maya's arm and looked around the room. Everyone was scared. "I'll go look for them, I'll be back." He said to Maya when she tried to argue. She pouted and watched him leave again. This was becoming a daily thing; Daryl leaving and Maya left to worry about him.
"Carl's gone!" Lori called out suddenly. "He must have ran when I wasn't looking!" That seemed to be happening a lot recently too.
"And Dale! Where would he go?" Andrea added, looking around the room.
"How can we just lose two people that quickly in a room full of people!?" Maya asked, going back to the window. A dark figure was heading towards the farm. "Oh shit. Everyone get down! Walkers!"
A whole herd must have heard the two gunshots and ran to the farm. Over a hundred forced their way onto the land towards the farm house. The group panicked and ran in different directions, not listening to Maya's orders. Maya grabbed Beth and ran for the door. Grabbing her pistols from her thighs, Maya shot at whatever moved towards them. She saw Hershel defending his land with his shot gun, successfully taking down numbers of walkers.
Beth was screaming for Hershel but and Patricia, but Maya kept pushing her sister to the truck and started the engine for her. Patricia was grabbed by a walker and wouldn't let go of Beth's hand. "Beth let her go!" Maya ordered, pulling Beth to her. Her sister let go of the older woman and watched as she was devoured.
"Get in and go. Don't stop. Head for the highway." Maya whispered to Beth. Grabbing Carol from behind her. "Drive her. If you make it meet at the mile marker down the road and stay there!" Maya told Carol. Beth refused to go without her or Hershel until Maya pushed her and Carol into the truck. "I'll meet you there, I promise. Now go!"
Maya watched the tail lights of the truck disappear from the farm as she killed walkers running towards her. Other vehicles had followed it, but the RV became overrun by walkers. Jimmy…he ran in there. The RV was past saving so she continued to shoot her way through the herd. Her ammo was running dangerously low. She knew they needed to go out on that run, but it was too late now.
Suddenly a crowd of gooks surrounded her, she clicked her pistols but they were out. Shit! She grabbed her knife but there were too many for her to pick off. Her breathing grew heavy as she accepted this as her fate. Well this was it. Was a good fight Maya. Least her sisters and father were safe.
Suddenly an arrow went through the closest gook. No fucking way. "Daryl!" Maya called out. One by one a gook fell, an arrow to each head. The archer stood proudly with his crossbow raised next to his brothers' bike. Maya ran to him and hugged him tightly. "You call me the angel?" She whispered into his ear.
Daryl squeezed her back and motioned for her to get on his bike. "We gotta go. Don't have all night." The pair rode the bike down the highway until they saw the others huddled near the mile marker. Dismounting, Maya ran to Beth.
"Told you I'd be back." She whispered to her crying sister. The only response Beth gave was her sobs in her sisters' chest.
T-Dog, Carol, Rick, Carl, Lori, Hershel, Beth, Maggie, and Glenn all stood around their vehicles. "Andrea?" Rick asked.
"Lost cause. Walkers are everywhere now." Glenn shook his head sadly. He doubted she was still alive after that. She had gotten separated and now…God knows what happened.
"Dale?" Lori asked, clinging to Carl. Daryl looked up and raised his hand sheepishly. Sorry brother. He remembered saying before the shot rang out.
"Had to shoot him. Walker got to him." Daryl mumbled, shifting his weight. Maya grazed his hand in comfort, the pair meeting each other's eyes.
"Patricia was bit. And Jimmy was in the RV. Walkers over ran it instantly." Maggie informed the group. "What about Shane?"
Rick ran on into an emotional rant about killing his best friend for the good of the group and how this was a democracy now. Tears filled his eyes as he crumbled to the ground, Lori embracing him tightly. The group watched as he regained his feet and stared off into the distance, shrugging off his wife. "We need to regroup and find a new home. Anyone disagree can go off and good luck on your own."
Everyone shared a concerned look as no one dared mutter a word of disagreement. Later, Maya and Daryl huddled around Daryl's bike in whispers. "He's losing it. He killed Shane. Not that the man didn't deserve it, but damn." Maya whispered, fitting her useless pistols in their holsters.
"He's done right by me. I'll still follow him. Give him time, he'll cool off." Daryl replied. "This is the end of the beginning angel. A time to start over." Maya crossed her arms and counted her family. All here. All safe. For now.