So, Daryl and Hunter had sex. They broke a promise to Rick, uhhhhho. Also, Merle is a tough son of a bitch, we know that from Daryl telling Rick in season one that Merle couldn't die but by his own intention. Hunter is defiantly starting to be more like the men in her life, and taking charge in more situations than maybe she should, so …
"Not too much better, if Daryl hadn't come up when he did, I was seriously thinking that day I found her about raping her." Merle thought honest would be the best policy here. "I didn't for two reasons, she wasn't afraid of that… she knew in my eyes what I was planning, and two I could tell by how she reacted to my touch someone had already."
Rick punched him, hard in the face. Merle swayed, and toppled backwards. Carol shot Rick a dirty look, then they all three laughed. Not because Merle mentioned rape, but because Rick always seemed to solve problems with his fist.
0-0-0
Daryl woke first, hearing Carl or someone move past the bedroom door. Instantly he felt bad, he saw the nakedness of Hunter's back and sighed. "Hunter, we messed up." He whispered to her. "I was supposed to wait until you were 18." He was starting to get used to her touching him, constantly.
Relief flooded her, "I thought for a moment you were going to say it was a mistake." She laughed, sleepily, rolling over. He rested his head on her stomach, his arms around her hips pulling her close.
There was a rapping on the door, and Merle's voice boomed. "I'll let Aaron know you can't come out and play Darlena." Daryl had jerked the blankets over them so fast, it made Hunter giggle. Under the covers he smiled at her. Pushing his fingers to his lips. "I guess you're still asleep then, I'll do you a favor, Darlena." Merle opened the door slightly, reached in and locked the doorknob before closing it back.
Hunter threw the blanket off and closed the curtains on the window, she shimmied off the underwear she had cut the previous night and slipped back on to the bed with him. Daryl laughed, he had never bothered to put his boxers back on. Their scars bore to each other, his mostly on his back and butt, hers stretched across her thighs, torso, back, and breast. As he looked over her skin he noticed more than one place where the knife blade or belt had hit repetitively, leaving the swollen marks like his back. She didn't like others to touch her, much like him, you had to be someone she trusted.
She crawled across the bed to him, he was pressed against the wall, watching her every move. She playfully kissed his chest, teasing his nipples the way he had teased her the night before, she flicked with her tongue, then bit softly. He arched against her, catching her face and dragging her mouth up to his.
She pressed against him, letting him hold her tight. "This isn't wrong." Daryl whispered against her skin, as he kissed her neck. "You and this, its right."
"I love you." The words still caught him by surprise, and he growled into her skin, biting her harder than he meant, making her body jump, and slam against him.
"I need you." He licked over the bite, he had drawn blood, accidently.
"Good." He heard her whisper as she nipped his ear lobe, and kissed him hard, slipping her tongue into his mouth, he copied her moves. He pushed her back onto the bed, he never broke the kiss. Hunter moaned as Daryl moved between her legs, sliding his manhood up and down her wetness, getting as wet as he could, he slipped into her, her hips arching immediately, rocking against him. He growled, pulling at her hips, trying to hold her still. He paused completely, looking at her, waiting for her to calm down, then he started a slow rhythm rocking into her. She pressed her forehead against his shoulder, as he picked up the pace, he sank his mouth down on hers, attempting to muffle both their moans. She was tightening around him again, riding her own orgasm, the contractions inside her gripped him hard, making in move in and out faster, he thrust hard two more times, then tipped over the edge, cumming hard, he dropped exhausted on top of her.
She ran her fingers through his hair, breathing hard. Daryl pushed himself up on his elbows and looked down at her. "We have to get protection, though… can't let anything happen without us wanting it to. So no more until…" His voice trailed off.
She smiled warmly at him, "I understand." She kissed him, he stiffened, but smiled.
He pulled out of her and stood. He slipped his boxers on, and grabbed his clothes. "Going to shower now, ya little minx." He snapped at her, making her laugh.
"Let me know when you get out. I'll be down stairs." Once he was out of the room, she cleaned herself off with dirty clothes she had in the floor. She pulled a clean pair of underwear on, a pair of grey leggings, she slipped a bra on, and pulled a thin long sleeve summer dress over her head. It was soft yellow and white tie-dyed. Hunter pulled on her combat boots once she was dressed, and rolled up her sleeves. She stepped out of her room, and moved down the stairs. Each step hurt a little bit. Being raped so often she had gotten used to sex, but it had been well over a year since anything, and Daryl was wider than she was used to, each step hurt a little. She smiled when she saw Judith, and scooped up her sister, singing to her, "Heyyyy little bluuuuue bird."
Carol snorted. "Glad you're up. Merle is lookin for you."
Hunter nodded and kissed Judith before setting her back down. She slipped out front where she saw Merle working on a small deer. "Hunter, 'mere."
"Hey Merle." She smiled at him.
"I wanna talk to you, you and Daryl be careful… too much of a good thing, and you could end up like Lori." Hunter understood the implication and a shiver ran through her body.
"Merle, when you slip out hunting again, do you think you could…" Her voice trailed off.
"I'll get what you need." He told her, smiling. "Listen I got enough bosses around here, do you think you could let Deanna know I am going on a two day hunting trip. I think I am gonna take Aaron with me." Hunter nodded at him.
Rick was standing not far away, "We have work to do today, we have to plan about the quarry. Hunter, you are coming scouting with us, now."
0-0-0
They spent the next two weeks working on their master plan. Carter groaning every day, the only Alexandrian who was adamant about the plan being bad. But, it made sense to Hunter and she thought Rick was a genius. Moving the herd away from them, twenty miles, made perfect sense. Today she and Eugene were in the store house gathering supplies for dinner. Carol, Maggie, and she took turns cooking for their family Aaron and Eric were coming over to eat with them.
"It's suicide, this plan of his, we have survived fine without him, think of what he did to Pete." Hunter and Eugene shared a look, she pressed her finger to her lips, and Eugene nodded. They inched closer to the door.
"He's right." Hunter recognized Nicholas's voice, and grimaced.
"So what do we do?" It was a woman.
"We kill Rick…" Carter snapped. Eugene gasped, knocking cans off the shelf. Hunter stepped back, pushing her body against the wall.
Carter entered the hallway. "What did you hear?" He snapped at Eugene.
"Nothing…" Eugene tried, but Carter kicked him hard, not seeing Hunter. She loaded her bolt, and pulled back the tension. She was quiet and fast, she had mastered up to one hundred pounds of pressure, now, and smiled to herself. Carter had a gun drawn on Eugene.
"I'll kill you if –" He started
"If what?" Hunter had the crossbow up, bolt inches away from Carter's head. She whistled, and smiled.
"Nothing, little girl, just a misunderstanding." Nicholas started, but paused when Hunter shook her head at him.
"Get up Eugene." Once he was standing and beside her she looked at both of them. "Thinking about killing my dad huh?"
Carter nodded, slowly.
"That's too bad." She gazed past him and both Carter and Nicholas turned in time to see the door knob on the back door jiggle.
Merle opened the back door and looked in on the scene. "Hunter?"
"Merle, these two wanted to overthrow dad because of his plan, how does that make you feel?" Merle wasn't sure if this was permission to be violent or not, but when she nodded, he smiled, slamming his body into both men, knocking them to the floor, hitting Carter in the head with his metal cased arm, and punching Nicholas with the other. "Go on, Eugene." Hunter shoved Eugene, pushing him around the three men and out the back door. "Come on Merle." Hunter grabbed him by the back of his pants, and yanked him up. "Grab his gun." Merle complied, grabbing the gun out of Carter's hand.
Merle paused in the doorway, "Next time I kill you, whether she nods or not."
Carter felt a cold chill run up his spine and Nicholas looked sick.
"We won't be doing anything then." The woman snapped at both men.
0-0-0
There was a large group of both Alexandrians and Rick's family. They were going over the plan and working out how it would go when one of the trucks holding the walker's back toppled off the cliff, walkers tumbled through. "We don't have time to practice, we have to go now…" Rick was barking orders.
Daryl kissed Hunter, "I'll be back, you go with Rick." She nodded, then followed her dad, running after him, Hunter watched Daryl speed off, with Abraham and Sasha beside him in the car.
0-0-0
Things went to hell and they went fast. Rick had managed to fire the flares when needed, with the assistance of Michonne and Morgan, while Hunter and Merle had clanged metal, several of the Walkers destroyed themselves as they ran headlong into the walls they had constructed to keep the herd on path.
The plan started out exactly like Rick wanted, all the Walkers were following Daryl, Sasha, and Abraham, with them in the woods pushing them back towards the herd as they needed, then some of the Alexandrian's started to lose their nerve. "Merle, Hunter, up front, take point, Carter behind them, Michonne, stay spaced out and kill the ones who stray do it quietly."
Hunter had not heard his other orders, because she and Merle had slipped ahead like they were supposed to. Her crossbow over her shoulder, knives drawn. She moved quickly, smashing into walkers, slashing thought their temples, Merle behind her. She heard Carter scream, and turned, so did Merle, Michonne looked at them, then at Rick, who was standing over Carter. Morgan was beside him, "Keep going!" He shouted. "Head back, tell the others what happened." Morgan nodded. Hunter heard gunshots up ahead, instantly the walkers moved in that direction. She knew it was Daryl, he was leading the group.
Merle and Hunter resumed their charge, blindly killing, moving swiftly until they heard the horn. Instantly they stopped and doubled back to Rick. "Glenn, please tell me you have cleared out the tractor supply store."
"Dad…" Hunter's voiced dropping, "Problems." She pointed towards the walkers moving on them.
"Damnit." No response from Glenn made the hairs on Rick's neck stand up. "Merle, Hunter, move" He was pushing everyone towards the woods. "Everyone that is coming from Alexandria. Get back there, I am going to head to the RV, Merle you with me… Hunter." He looked at his daughter. "You get them home. Not everyone will make it."
Hunter nodded, looking at Michonne. With Rick and Merle gone, and them moving through the woods the best they could, Michonne looked at her. "Hunter, go home, get their quickly, you can move through the woods faster than we can."
Hunter nodded, then sprinted ahead. She ran fast, moving as quickly as she could, careful to move past the trees, and watch the stumps. Alexandria was roughly two and a half miles ahead of her, and she needed to get there quickly. As she moved through the woods her only though was on Judith, whoever was blowing the horn meant to hurt them, and she was not about to let anything happen to Judith.
She almost made it all the way without trouble, she slowed down when the truck against the wall came into view. A man was a few feet ahead of her, slicing up a human not a walker. She whistled, low. He turned to look at her, a W on his forehead, before she knew it he was on top of her, they were grappling. She screamed at him, working one of her blades free, and stabbed him hard in his ribs, the man yelped in pain and pulled away from her, she was on top of him, then, bringing her blade down into his left eye before standing. She saw Morgan at the gate, slipping into Alexandria, she moved to follow him. Suddenly the sound of the horn stopped, she cranked her head to the side and saw Spencer killing the driver of the truck, she nodded at him.
Inside it was chaos, there were people with W's swarming around, she saw Carol out of the side of her eyes, branding herself. They shared a look, and Hunter took off in a sprint towards their house, both her knives drawn. The first one she encountered inside the wall was a pretty large sized man, he smiled at her, looking like a dog sizing up a bone. She flashed a smile at him, and took off in a sprint at him, much smaller than him, she knew she couldn't knock him backwards, but she could jar him. She crashed into him, bringing both knives down into his flesh, one blade in his chest and the other in his gut. He snarled at her angry, and slammed her down hard on to the pavement. She grunted, in pain, but remained still when he hovered over her. Slowly she brought her knife across the back of his ankle, blood spilling out, he howled in pain, and stomped down hard on her shoulder blade. She cried out in pain, then heard a gunshot rip across the sky, the man fell, Carl pulled her up, and drug her into the house.
"Where is dad?" Carl asked.
"The plan, we didn't get to do a dry run. Where is Judith?" Hunter asked.
"In there with Enid. Why?"
"It's the wolves, the ones who trapped us in the car…" Hunter explained, she grabbed his hand, and scooped up Judith. "Enid?"
"What the?" Carl and Hunter looked around the room, the window was open. Hunter realized too late that someone else was in the house, she felt the cold blade in her shoulder and yelped. Carl reacted quickly, pulling his own knife and jabbing upward hard, it entered the woman's eye, and she toppled backwards. "Are you ok?"
Hunter sighed, "I will be, let's go, now."
"Carol told me to stay inside." The look Hunter shot him let him know that that was not going to happen.
They moved quickly, Hunter handed Judith to Carl. "Use the gun, I'll use my knives." Carl nodded. Hunter could see the frenzy of people moving, and was fast, bleeding from her shoulder she still moved like a dancer in Carl's opinion, springing on a male, not too much larger than her, and driving her knife into his temple. The man had been stalking Ron who now looked at both Hunter and Carl like the plague.
"Every one of you is a murderer." He nearly screamed. Hunter was irritated, she grabbed him under the arm and with strength she did not know she had, drug him towards his house. To her amazement Jessi had downed one of them in her kitchen, and she was crying. Hunter looked at Carl, and shook her head.
"Jessi." Her voice made Jessi's head snap up. "Hey, how about you get out of the blood, and take Ron, Carl, and Judith up to where Sam is." Jessi nodded, and did what she asked. "Keep the gun ready." Hunter called after them. She slipped both her knives into their cases on her hips, and grabbed the dead man by his wrist, she proceeded to drag him into the yard and on the curve.
The dead were littered everywhere. She, Carol, and Morgan secured the gate and rested against it. She spit in her hand, and wiped the W from Carol's head. Carol looked at her for a long moment. "Is that your blood."
"Yeah, one of them stabbed me."
"Let me see." Morgan moved to pull her shirt over, instinctively Hunter drew her knife and stepped back. Morgan paused, "I only want to help."
Hunter calmed, then looked at him for a moment. "Sorry… I…" She slowly lowered the collar of her shirt to show them. Between collarbone and shoulder joint started the blade and went through her bone, and out the skin of her back, the woman who had stabbed her had done it with such force that the hilt of the blade had broken off completely.
"We need to get you to a doctor." Morgan was worried.
"I can make it to Edwards, if he is alive, if not, Carol will have to do… or that shrink they got working with Edwards." Hunter gruffed.
Carol looked concerned, "Hunter, Morgan, what the hell happened."
"The truck that Rick was worried about, gave way, we went straight to action. No dry run." Morgan explained. The look on Hunter's face said that she was worried.
"They always come back." She choked out before tears stained her face. Carol made no effort to hug her, Morgan understood that much like Daryl there was something behind the flinches. Instead Carol steered her, her hands on her shoulders towards the infirmary.
0-0-0
Everyone who lived in Alexandria had gathered, as night had fallen, for a town meeting. Morgan was sitting on one of the benches, Hunter standing beside him. For the second time in recent memory her left arm was injured, and in a sling. Last time she had been shot. "Hello." She tried to smile at them, since Rick had basically taken them over, it had been chaos. "I know you are all confused, we are too. But let me tell you what I know." Maggie's eyes were intent on her. "We were preparing for the live run, and things were going as planned, but the tractor trailer that dad was worried about toppled over the cliff, and well… suddenly we had to go live that moment." Hunter paused. "Now those people, the ones who came here to hurt us…" She looked at Morgan. "They call themselves the Wolves. They will stay away for a while, but they will be back. Starting tomorrow everyone is going to learn to use the weapons we do have. No questions, you are going to learn to kill walkers, and humans. Is that understood?" There was a wave of whispers around the group, Hunter looked at Deanna.
"Listen to her. We are learning to defend ourselves for real." Deanna snapped. "Rick has showed us multiple times that we are not ready for them, for any danger."
Quiet once more consumed the group. "Are the other's ok?" Maggie sounded so mild in that moment.
Hunter locked eyes with her, and Carol watched intently, "They always come home, Maggie, that is what we do. We always come back to each other." There were no tears this time, Morgan sighed. This little girl was a miniature Rick, with the crazy included.
0-0-0
Hunter was working on the dirt bike Daryl had brought back for her about a week ago. With both Merle and Daryl out, she refused to say gone, it made her feel close to them. With her arm in a sling she was useless to teaching, but had loaned her crossbow to Carl to show some of the men how to operate it. She watched the gate, unmoving for moments on end. Carol watched her, her head leaned against the tree. It had been a long time but Carol had prayed, and hard last night, with Gabriel for everyone's return.
Hunter's head snapped up, drawing her gun with her right hand, she had heard something. Carol watched as Maggie opened the gate. Michonne, and Heath another of Alexandria's recruiter slipped in, both covered in blood and clearly shaken.
"Where is Glenn?" Maggie snapped, worry on her face. Hunter and Carol joined the circle around Michonne.
"He and Nicholas were going to set a grainery on fire, they… we made it back, the fire never started, he always finds you Maggie, don't cry." Michonne paused to hug her. "Is anyone else back."
"Just Morgan and me." Hunter looked at her, interested.
"Your arm…" Michonne didn't need to ask, she realized looking past them, there were bodies piled up in the middle of the road.
"Wolves." Morgan responded to her gaze. "That's what they call themselves. When Rick gets back we will deal with them."
"Let's get you looked at." Carol suggested.
0-0-0
Merle and Rick were working on getting the RV started, it was not having any of it. Merle paused, Rick knew what his body language meant, and he was listening for something. "Get down." Merle ordered him, as soon as they were out of sight Rick heard them, "W fuckers." Merle guessed. Rick peaked out the window, to the driver side mirror and saw several of them circling the van. He and Merle shared a look. Both drew the assault rifles they had hidden on the RV, just in case. Rick pointed his at the driver's side, Merle to the passenger side and they opened fire, rocking the RV. One of the W's made it past the bullets and crawled on the RV, knife drawn, and lunged at Merle. Merle hit him hard with his metal arm. He crippled and Rick shot him in the head.
"Check his pockets." Merle nodded at Rick's command, and found baby food. His heart sank as he handed it to Rick, blood smeared across it.
Rick looked beyond pissed. "We have to move." He told Merle, noticing the Walker's around them. "Let's go."
They both ran, hard, fast, back towards Alexandria which was four miles from the RV, as they ran they killed only the Walker's they had to.
0-0-0
Hunter had the dirt bike running, it was afternoon when she heard the commotion at the gate, "OPEN THE FUCKIN GATE!" Merles voice made her heart almost explode.
"OPEN UP!" Rick's voice boomed.
Hunter and Michonne were at the gate quickly, walker's all around, both women darted into the fray, Michonne with her katana, and Hunter with her knife, smashing into walker's brains as they moved, Merle and Rick slipped in the gate, Merle dragging Hunter.
"Where are the others?" Rick snapped.
Hunter shook her head, "No one else has made it back yet."
"What happened to you?" Merle asked her, looking at her shoulder.
"Michonne sent me back, after you sent Morgan, I made it back in time to keep Judith and Carl from one of the wolves, but she left her blade in my shoulder. Edwards patched me up."
A small argument caught there attention. "You're not going after her, you don't know how to survive." Carl was yelling at Ron. Hunter rubbed her temples.
"She was my girlfriend until you came along and I am not going to let her die." Ron snapped back.
"Enid left during the attack." Hunter explained to her father.
"Attack?" Rick was confused.
"The horn, a group that call themselves the wolves did it, they just wanted to kill us. But Carol, Morgan, and a couple of the rest of us managed to beat them back." Hunter explained.
"And Ron wants to go out after Enid?" Rick asked slowly grasping the situation.
"Yeah." Hunter felt Rick steer her towards the arguing boys.
"Let me sort this out for you both. Hunter is going to track Enid." Hunter's head snapped back to look at Rick, confused.
"WHAT?" Both boys roared.
"Dad she is injured…" Carl started but stopped when he saw Rick's face.
"Hunter can do it, right honey?" Hunter narrowed her eyes at him, then nodded. "Good, let's get your stuff together."
He led her away his arm around her shoulders. "Listen, I can't risk you seriously, but if she is sneaking out and doing it often I want to know where she goes… Track her, but don't stray past the little town." Rick was packing her pack for her. "How much can you move that arm."
Carl had followed them, he watched impatient, as Hunter gingerly removed the sling, and stretched her arm out, wincing as she did so. "About half as good as normal."
"Good, while you are out there, look for signs of the wolves, do not engage." Rick told her, as he fastened a gun belt around her waist, "Draw with your right." She did as he told her, "There is a good girl, practicing I see." He smiled at her.
"I am going with her." Carl told his father.
"No, I need you here." Rick responded.
"So she has to risk her life." Carl asked, exasperated.
"No, she is not risking anything she is scouting. She has been keeping an eye on you and Enid for a while, watching you guys and keeping walkers at bay." Rick told him, irritated at his moment of defiance.
"I know…" Carl's voice dropped off.
"Carl, I will be fine. I am going to take the dirt bike, and one of the assault rifles."
0-0-0
Hunter straddled the dirt bike, her left hand shaky on the grips. "You sure this is a good idea?" Michonne asked.
"Yes, I am, keeping her here wouldn't help her or Daryl, she knows what to do, and she knows how to survive." Rick responded.
Merle looked pissed, he was hovering by her on the bike. "What are you doing?"
"Following orders." Hunter responded, she looked at Merle for a moment.
"Don't go after him, you'll run into the herd from behind." She nodded at him. "Come back, ok?"
"You got it Merle!" She smiled at him, kick started the bike, then roared out of the gate, weaving by the walkers.
0-0-0
Picking up Enid's tracks were easy enough when she already knew where she was going. She parked the bike, and hid it, slipping through the woods, and into the buildings of the grain town. She heard a gunshot, and the snarling as she climbed into the hiding place she knew Enid frequented. The blonde looked up at her, "What do you want?"
"Not much." Hunter breathed, her shoulder hurt. "What was the shot?"
Enid pointed out the window. Hunter lowered herself to look, below walkers were swarming something on the ground by the dumpsters. Hunter shot her a careful look, then started tossing things from the window to draw the walker's away. Night was falling and the clanging noise drew them away slowly. Through the night Hunter tossed things, Enid climbed to the roof as the sun started to rise, Hunter followed her. Below Nicholas's body lay, almost completely eaten by the walkers. She saw a hand emerge, then Glenn's face. "Glenn!" She shouted down, watching his disoriented form.
He looked up at her relieved to see her, "Hunter? Enid?"
"Come on up." Hunter almost shouted.
"No, don't… you go down…" Enid snapped at her.
Hunter had about had it with this little girl. Frustrated Hunter grabbed her by the wrist hard, and moved to pull her down the stairway to where Glenn was. Enid struck her left shoulder, hard, causing Hunter to yelp in pain, Hunter reacted, punching her in the face. Enid fell on her butt, shocked. "We are going back, now get a move on."
At this point Glenn had made it up to them, and looked at both girls. "Why are you out here?"
"Enid slipped off, I was sent after her, and if I have to I will drag her back by her hair." Hunter snapped, her grip on Enid's wrist tightened as she and Glenn moved together.
"What happened?"
"After you left, it all went to hell. Did you hear the horn?" He nodded. "Wolves, they are a group of people, attacked Alexandria. Dad sent Morgan back before that to let them know the truck had fallen." Hunter twisted Enid down the stairway. "Then he and Merle ran off to try to push the herd back where they needed to be. Michonne sent me help. By the time I got back…" She paused, handed Glenn water from her pack, never letting go of Enid's wrist. Enid's nose bleeding. "It was pure chaos. Maggie is ok though, she was when I left. Daryl hadn't made it back yet, but dad, Michonne, Merle, Heath… they are back," Hunter stopped, looked out the shop front window and sighed. "Fucking walkers."
Glenn was beside her, and looking out. Both looked at Enid when they heard a gun cock. Hunter cocked her head to the side, irritated. "Now little girl, don't do something you will regret."
"You're not my mom." Enid snapped at her.
Hunter could feel a headache coming on, her shoulder was throbbing. Glenn reached for the gun, as Hunter landed a solid right hook into Enid's left cheek. The younger blonde yelped surprised, then fell backwards, Hunter on top of her, the gun in her hands now. "Fuck with me little girl, I beg you. I don't see what Carl sees in you…" She snarled.
Glenn hauled her up, then grabbed Enid. "Hunter, stop." Hunter slipped the gun in the back of her pants and nodded. "We need to head back, and your both going with me."
"No argument here." Hunter smiled at him. "Ready? I got a dirt bike we have to pick up."
"Ok, come on Enid."
"I am not going."
"This shit again." Hunter snapped, her eyes narrowed.
"Look, my wife, Maggie, she wouldn't want me to leave you out here." Glenn started.
"I don't know you or your wife." Enid snapped.
Hunter growled, rubbing her nose between her eyes, and sighed. "Doesn't matter." Glenn tried, he took off, but Enid wasn't moving. Hunter was growing impatient. She cocked her head to the side her neck popping. Glenn realized exactly what Hunter was going to do, but couldn't stop her. Hunter brought the butt of the gun down, hard on the side of Enid's head. The girl crumpled immediately. Hunter wiggled her left shoulder, holding it, and groaning.
"Got stabbed." She mumbled to Glenn as she bent down, removed Enid's pack and tossed it to him. She handed him the hand gun, and then pulled Enid's upper body over her right shoulder. Glenn had forgotten how stout Hunter was, Hunter gripped Enid's thighs, pulling her closer, Enid's hands dangling down her back. "Let's move."
Glenn laughed, watching Hunter take each step deliberately. "What you doing?" They had been walking for some time, back to the bike.
"Marking the ground, in case anyone is tracking us." Hunter explained.
"Like the wolves?" Glenn asked.
She looked at him, confused. "They would have killed us already." She huffed, she was in pain, and was not about to keep carrying Enid, but Glenn had lost a lot of blood, scraping his head on the bottom of the dumpster and he was exhausted.
They reached the spot where she had hid the dirt bike and she unceremoniously dropped Enid on the ground. She uncovered the dirt bike, and propped it up. She drug Enid's body over it, with Glenn's help, Enid was straddling the bike, and her feet on the pegs, and her body slumped forwards over the gas tank. The two of them pushed the bike between them, "There are the balloons." Glenn pointed.
The all clear point, with three green balloons. Hunter smiled, sighing to herself. She let go of her part of the dirt bike, Enid was starting to stir. She couldn't go anywhere Hunter had the sparkplugs in her pocket. She grabbed the balloons and tied them to Enid's pack, then grabbed the helium tank. She heard Glenn behind her, "It is ok to be afraid…"
Enid snapped at him, "I am not afraid,"
Hunter looked back at them, then returned to her side of the bike. "We are all orphans, so whatever chip on your shoulders that makes you think you can just come and go, loose it kid, because in this world you need people."
"The world is dying." Enid whispered.
Hunter and Glenn shared a look. "No, the world is just changing. You will die if you don't learn to play by its rules." Glenn answered.
They walked most of the afternoon, until they reached the outskirts of Alexandria, standing on the hill they could see Alexandria below. they could see walkers encompassing the town. "It's worse than when I left." Hunter mused.
0-0-0
Daryl had had a very trying twenty-four hours. His motorcycle and cross bow gone, taken by those two idiots. He had found a truck, whom he guessed was Patti, judging by her license plate, and he was on his way back to the town they were ambushed in. He smiled to himself when he saw 'Dixon' written on a door to one of the factories. He laughed when Sasha and a suited up Abraham joined him in the gas truck. He pointed the front of the truck towards Alexandria, and off they went.
"Where is your crossbow?" Asked Sasha after a few moments.
"Taken, bike too." Daryl rolled his window down.
"By?" Abraham asked, he seemed changed other than his clothes but Daryl wasn't sure how yet.
"A man and a woman, they was running from a group of men… they thought I was some of the men… guess they were bad, anyways they took uhm, but I got this truck, and Hunter and Merle were working on a dirt bike back at Alexandria…" His voice trailed off thinking back to him saying goodbye to her. He had not gotten her on the walkie or Rick.
"They are ok, we would feel it if they were not." Sasha patted his arm, and felt him stiffen under his touch. Instantly she felt bad.
0-0-0
"That's not good." Glenn grumbled as they released the balloons.
"I can draw them away on the dirt bike, you and Enid can get in when the gap opens. You both need medical attention, and we know I can survive a day or two out here, until Daryl or someone comes back, there is only one way in after all." Hunter was rubbing her shoulder, it was risky but it might work.
"Ok." Glenn agreed.
0-0-0
"RICK LOOK ITS GLENN!" Maggie shouted, pointing at the green balloons, she had been on the guard tower watching for him or anyone to come.
Rick looked up and smiled, "It's someone." Deanna was watching the exchange.
Rick had been helping the Alexandrian's reinforce the wall, with more walkers around it was straining fifteen foot structures. The decaying building which stood right outside the gate seemed to sway. Rick's eyes narrowed. "RUN!" He screamed as it crashed forward breaking through the wall.
0-0-0
"OH SHIT!" Hunter screamed watching the building fall, Glenn and her shared a look. "Let's move, you two get the gate open and start killing them, I need to get in on the bike and see if I can turn them away."
Enid froze, Hunter just shook her head, and took off down the hill, the bike floored. Merle saw her crest the hill and threw open the front gate. He was running away from her, towards the bike he had worked on, and was usually a problem for Daryl. He cranked it up, following Hunter.
Rick was screaming at the Alexandrian's and his family to move. Hunter and Merle were on their bikes, shooting at the walkers and drawing them back towards the open gate, rounding them up as they could. "GET INSIDE AND LOCK UP, NOW!" He was ordering them, he took a last look at Hunter as she waved, her and Merle leading several out the front gate.
Those that did not follow Hunter and Merle started grouping up around the house fronts. Michonne, Gabriel, Heath, and Tara were in a garage across from Jessi's house, Rick had managed to get most everyone into Jessi's house, he put Judith, Sam, and Jessi in the closet with Maggie then locked the door. "Carl, Ron, I am going to arm you both, and you are going to shoot to kill."
Ron looked at him, shakily. "Your not my dad."
"Wanna hang in the closet with the babies?" Rick snapped.
Ron shook his head no.
0-0-0
"I'm pregnant." Maggie had whispered to Rick, as they stood on the guard tower that morning. "We figured out right before…" Her voice trailed off.
"Regardless of what happens, I will make sure you live, Maggie." Rick hugged her to him.
Now reflecting on that moment she understood why she was locked with Jessi and the babies in the closet. This was Rick protecting her. She took the safety off her rifle and waited.
0-0-0
Merle knew the moment they were on the road the bike he and Daryl had been working on was not fixed, it skidded to a stop, scraping his leg. Hunter rounded and came back for him, he slipped on the dirt bike behind her, firing to keep them headed towards them.
0-0-0
"Rick… anyone?" Daryl keyed up the walkie talkie as they were headed back towards Alexandria. The road before them open and inviting.
"Help… Help us…" He heard in response.
Daryl knew instantly it was not Rick, or Glenn, but it sounded familiar, like a child. "Must be Mikey, Ron or Sam." Sasha said, looking between Abraham and Daryl.
"Where are you?" Daryl asked, silence followed.
"Let's get home."
0-0-0
Rosita was watching the walkers through the back window, they were milling around the two or three houses that they were hiding in. She looked at Rick, across and sighed. "Rick." She keyed up the radio.
"Rosita." He responded.
"We are going to head to the roof, me and Eugene ok?"
Rick looked at her from the far house and sighed. "Ok, see if you can make it up, and if you do, distract the walkers somehow by shooting off in the other direction."
Rosita nodded, and looked at Eugene. "Come on,"
0-0-0
Merle was amazed at how well Hunter could operate the bike. She was a natural, he wondered if Daryl had been giving her lessons. Merle looked behind them, there was at least two hundred walkers trailing them. He felt for the radio in his pocket and relaxed when he heard Daryl's voice. He was talking to someone. "That's Sam." He heard Hunter say, "They must be in trouble."
"Take the woods back." Merle suggested, knowing the dirt bike could make it through.
"What about you?" She asked, he sighed, and he had not expected her to realize that he was getting off here.
"Got to do something heroic every once in a while, darlin…" Merle's voice trailed off as she stopped the bike, "I'll be home for dinner." He slipped off, she handed him both the assault rifle over his shoulder and her pistol.
"Merle, I love you like a brother, this is stupid." He took both of the guns and nodded.
"Go on now, get home." He took off firing a shot in the air so they would follow him, as she shot into the woods, guiding the bike carefully and slowly over the terrain. Her shoulder was already injured and she did not want to jar herself too much.
He watched her for a brief minute, and smiled. And thought joyfully that the last human he would ever see was the human who had made the most impact in his life, she had reminded him and Daryl both, that what happened to you didn't have to define you. All he had to do was draw them far enough away then slip into the woods and make his way back. He might survive.
0-0-0
"I am doubling back." Daryl heard Hunter's voice on the radio and was confused, why was she away from Alexandria. "I am headed back now, ETA ten minutes."
"Hunter, we are swarmed stay with Merle." They were closer now and Daryl recognized Rick's voice.
"He left me, drawin them away on foot. Heard a call for help." Daryl could make out the wind as it hit the walkie as well as her voice, she was on the dirt bike, he smiled to himself, then the realization that Merle was on foot hit him.
"Hunter, no one here called for help. Me, Rosita, Michonne, and Carol have walkies." Rick's voice was garbled.
"Dad?" It was like Hunter couldn't hear him, but Daryl could, he could hear both sides and was starting to panic.
Daryl almost crashed the truck when he saw Merle in front of him, on foot waving his arms. Daryl tapped the breaks and the truck tipped on its side, barreling towards Merle and the walkers. Daryl kicked through the windshield, hauling Sasha out. Abraham followed.
"Let's make a little fire." Sasha suggested. Merle was almost to them now, a cigarette in his hand as he was running.
"On it." Abraham and Daryl were working together to open the valve on the back of the truck, instantly the gasoline started slipping out. Abraham shed the military jacket he had found and soaked it through with the gasoline, he then motioned for the others to move away. Merle was on them now, his lighter in hand.
Daryl, Sasha, Merle and Abraham ran hard about thirty feet. Then Abraham lit the jacket, and tossed it. "It's not close enough." Sasha screamed.
Merle was running then, before anyone could stop him. He kicked the flaming shirt at the puddle, and regretted it instantly. Flames licked at him, and he fell on his butt, walkers on him.
0-0-0
Hunter was fighting her way through the woods, the bike had died, and she was pushing it along. After knowing that it was none of their people that called for help, she had slowed up. She only had her knife after all, and she was not apt to walk into a trap of any sort. She groaned, with pain, her shoulder hurting bad, and sighed. She and Carl had found a tree house out here a couple days ago, and right now that was what she was looking for. She hid the bike, and climbed shakily into the old tree house. It had been built long ago and there was only one or two solid pieces of wood left, but she was bout eleven feet off the ground, and safe enough for a while in her opinion.
0-0-0
Everyone had pushed to the roof tops of houses, now, except those locked away in Jessi's house. They were shooting the walkers that they could, from the roofs, and any that made it up to the roofs or to the second story windows were killed with blades. Michonne, Heath, Gabriel, and Tara were hiding, stooped in the garage and were hoping to not be seen. Michonne could not see them all making it out alive, and honestly, they needed their strongest back. Merle, Hunter, Daryl, Abraham, and Sasha could much like Carol turn the switch on and off, killing without issue, and then be sweet the next moment. Well, sweet might have been a stretch for Merle, but… Michonne was panicked, thinking about all the ways they were going to die.
0-0-0
Abraham and Daryl were supporting Merle between them with Sasha on point, in front. The fire was a splendid idea, except the part where it jumped to the forest, and now they were running for their lives away from the flames. There was a road between them and Alexandria, the road where Merle and Hunter had separated. They needed to make it to that and hopefully put the fire at bay, there.
0-0-0
Over the wall huge looms of bellowing black smoke scorching the sky. "What the hell?" Rick mumbled watching it balloon.
0-0-0
Hunter could only see the blackening of the sky. For a moment fear and panic rocked her. Confused as to what it could be, she made her way from her hiding spot and back towards the road she and Merle had separated at. Fire meant walkers, but that fire was farther away than the road, and that would mean a clear shot home.
0-0-0
Daryl was relieved to see the black top, they had managed to make it through the smoke, and the flames. He stopped short in his tracks, when he saw a rustling on the other side of the road, maybe ten yards ahead of them.
Sasha drew her gun, but Merle raised his hand to the barrel. "Lower it, smell Daryl, smell"
Daryl breathed in heavy, the scent of vanilla and summer hit his nose. "HUNTER!"
Sasha looked at both brothers and sighed, to her amazement Hunter was pushing her way through the tree line, holding her left shoulder. "Bike gave out on me…" She started, but was stopped when Daryl grabbed both her shoulders hard, and crashed her into a hug, holding her tightly against his frame. She whimpered, her shoulder aching. Abraham and Sasha hoisted Merle between them, and made their way towards where Daryl and Hunter were.
"What happened to you?" Daryl asked, confused when he saw the blood on her.
"I was stabbed, earlier, no big deal. Then dad sent me out after Enid…" Her voice trailed off. "There are walkers in the walls. We have to move, what happened to Merle?"
Daryl was so relieved to have her close, he would have gladly kissed her to oblivion and back. But, there were people around, people they trusted but those kisses he wanted to keep them to himself as long as he could. She remained pressed into the side of him, relieved to see him, and over joyed that Merle was ok. "He lit the fire." Sasha explained watching them.
Everyone had speculated about both their and Merle's past, wondering about the stories that linked up with their scares, seeing Hunter and Daryl relieved to be back together, and so emotionally high from it made Sasha realize that the others were right, they were happy, if only when together. She looked at Abraham and smiled, he nodded to her.
"We lost a lot of daylight, and with the fire, the best bet is through the woods." Abraham said finally, nodding at Hunter. He had a level of respect for Hunter that he never thought he would have for a child, and he was completely ok with it.
0-0-0
"It'll be dark soon." Jessi whispered to Maggie and Jessi. Judith was already asleep with Sam in the small closet.
"I know…" Maggie's voice trailed off. "Get some rest Jessi."
"I'll keep watch, Maggie. You rest." Jessi argued.
0-0-0
Glenn and Enid found shelter in the first house they made it to, and had quickly climbed to the roof. Once there they both laid down flat, hoping it wouldn't raid. "She's crazy." He heard Enid say.
Glenn laughed, "Hunter?"
Enid nodded.
"She's only as crazy as you are wild. She's been through a lot, same as you." Glenn watched as Rosita and Eugene emerged a couple houses down on the roof top.
"I was afraid, earlier." Enid whispered lowly.
"It's okay to be afraid." Glenn responded.
"Hunter wasn't." Enid rasped. Glenn looked at her, and sighed.
"Enid, she was more afraid then either of us were. That is why she acted. Everyone here thinks Rick, Daryl, and her act out of bravery – it's not, its fear, they fear what will come for us next and because of that they act, they work to keep us from being consumed by their fears, logical or not." Glenn was watching the young girl carefully.
"Fear… I survived for days on my own in the wild, after mom and dad and my sister died, days…" She sighed.
"And it was because you were alert to the things around you that made you afraid." Glenn explained to her.
"I just didn't want to die, not then, but for a while after that I did. I wanted nothing more than to be dead with my parents…"
"Orphaned by walkers, it's pretty common these days…" Glenn started, "Pretty sure in that respect I am an orphan too."
"Hunter said she was one." Enid looked confused.
"Rick adopted her, when this all started." Glenn decided that was the best way to go about this. "She belonged to someone else once, but she is his daughter now."
"None of his kids look like alike." Enid whispered.
Glenn frowned but in retrospect she was right, Hunter didn't look like him for obvious reasons, she looked nothing like her siblings, Carl looked like a very young Rick, chiseled and angry, but Judith… Judith didn't look like Carl, Hunter, or Rick. So they lied and told everyone she looked like Lori, really she took after Shane. "Well, Judith looks like her mom." Glenn offered.
Enid nodded. "I don't wanna die anymore."
0-0-0
"The grain town is our best option, for camping." Hunter suggested, she lead them through the fence to the dumpster where Nicholas's body was stretched out. The sun had set a while ago, and she was leading them on memory, following her tracks made earlier. They reached the brick building Enid often retreated to, and she helped pull Merle to the second story. Once inside the cramped house, she closed the windows. Sasha and Abraham offered to take first watch.
Hunter hovered over Merle, pouring water that Enid had left behind on his skin, hoping that he wouldn't scar too much. Daryl sank down, his back against the wall, and watched Hunter care for Merle. The three of them had a unique bond, and it was going well beyond friendship. She adored Merle like and older brother, and defended him even when the other's didn't. He smiled to himself.
"Your turn." He told Hunter, pulling her in front of him, into his lap almost. Sasha looked across the room at them. Together there was no flinching when they touched. Daryl was pulling her shirt collar across to her shoulder. It was blood soaked, and she looked exhausted. Together they looked whole, complete and safe. Sasha looked at Abraham and sighed. His proposition of a relationship earlier fresh in her mind. Something about the ginger headed man made her blood boil, maybe it was their shared break from reality, where both were on the cliff ready to jump… or maybe it was something more. Sasha turned her attention back to the outside world, surveying for walkers or danger. When Sasha turned her head back to Hunter and Daryl, Hunter was asleep, her back to his chest, sitting up, while he applied pressure to her shoulder, he head resting on shoulder, face in his neck. His other arm, pulled around her waist in a protective manner.
Abraham had the utmost respect for Daryl, but seeing him holding the younger girl made him pause. Abraham had never known Daryl to be loving or compassionate, and the hickeys they had saw before attested to the fact, at least to Abraham, that he would be rough and callous even in bed. Abraham sighed, realizing the gentleness between Daryl and Hunter, the innocents and gratitude they had just to be near one another, was what he missed the most from his wife and children. Maybe with Sasha he could find that.
0-0-0
The sun broke through the clouds, and the smoke still held a greyish tent when they woke up. Merle was the first to wake, and laughed when he realized everyone else was asleep. His face and chest hurt, being burned did that to a person he supposed. He had to do a double take when he saw Abraham asleep curled up to Sasha. "End of the world does some weird shit…" He muttered under his breath, looking around he saw Hunter and Daryl. "Darlena wake up."
Daryl's head snapped up, so did Hunters. "You're awake, we can move now." Both Abraham and Sasha were stirring. Daryl stood, pulling Hunter up and sighed, the bleeding from last night had subsided from her shoulder, and it seemed to have started to scab over. Merle was still going to need help moving, so Abraham and Daryl helped him up. Sasha wrapped an arm around Hunters waist, and sighed beating herself up when Hunter stiffened.
"It is ok." Hunter told her smiling. "No big deal, you don't normally touch me is all." Sasha nodded. They made their way outside in the sunlight and for a moment they could pretend everything was ok.
We have bridged into uncharted territory, and I am caught as to what I want to do. I could wait for Sunday's episode or I could read the comic and figure out ideally what could happen next. Stick with me and let's see what happens!