Chapter Twenty-Five
Her hair was shorter now. It was to the middle of her neck. Daryl tried to ignore the fact that he had an opinion of it – it looked good on her.
She looked confused, and terrified, even.
"Carrie?" Maggie, next to him, said.
"Yeah, who else would it be?" she retorted. There was that witty comeback.
"Listen – we were just leaving."
"No, wait, where the hell have you been?" Maggie demanded, her voice raising. "It's been months – we were worried sick about you!"
"Highly doubt that," Carrie countered. The man next to her looked very uncomfortable.
"Well, we were!"
"Okay, well I don't know what you want me to do with that information? But you may want to keep your voice down, there are walkers nearby."
Maggie rolled her eyes, stalking towards the motorcycle and Daryl following. The man and Carrie backed away, watching as Daryl got on. Maggie hesitated, and he turned to her.
"You coming?"
"Come back with us," Maggie said, looking at Carrie.
"Oh no. Hell no."
"Why not?"
"Because the argument we just got into just proves my point of there was – and probably still is – way too much drama in that damn group of yours."
"We're in a prison now. Plenty of room to hide away if you don't want to deal with us."
"That doesn't change my answer, Maggie, and I'm not sorry."
"Excuse us," the man said in a deep, accented voice, and pulled Carrie away. Daryl looked at Maggie, who looked at him.
"Oh, what?" she asked.
"What the hell was that?"
"It's Carrie! I miss her – and I'm not the only one. She should be with her own."
Daryl sighed, and didn't argue anymore. He just waited until the heated whispers between the man and Carrie disappeared and they walked back over.
"Fine. We'll go with you."
Maggie nodded. "Just follow us then."
Carrie wasn't sure where they were going. Her heart was racing, dropping with every dip in the road.
Finally, they pulled up to a gate, which was opened and they were let through. Quickly shut behind them.
"You ready to meet the family?" Carrie asked sarcastically as she grabbed her backpack.
"Oh, so they're your family now?" Joel asked. Carrie rolled her eyes, and he laughed at her. She smiled nonetheless. She liked making him laugh.
"Hey – who are you, hands up!"
Carrie put her hands up, as did Joel.
"It's Carrie, Glenn."
Silence. A door shut, and a few moments later, Glenn was standing at the base of the guard tower, gun raised.
"Who's the dude?"
"Joel," Carrie retorted, stepping in front of him. "And he's not leaving without me."
Glenn sighed, put his gun down, and walked over to Carrie.
"I thought you were dead."
"Nope."
"Well, thanks telling me."
"Sorry, the mailman must've lost my postcard."
Glenn smiled and embraced her. Carrie rolled her eyes and accepted it.
"How are you settling?"
Carrie looked up to see Hershel standing there. She managed a smile for him. His hair had grown, and he had a beard now.
"Good, Santa. Didn't know you were a real man – I can explain the summer of '94."
Hershel laughed. "May I?"
"Oh, of course."
He sat down next to her, setting a pair of crutches down by the bunk.
"What happened there?"
"Bit. Rick cut it off."
Carrie nodded. "You want to tell me about all the missing people? Andrea, Carol, Shane, Lori, T-Dog, Dale? And your people? Sorry, I forget their names."
Hershel sighed. "Dead, all of them."
"Oh... wow... God, I-I'm sorry."
Hershel nodded. "Tell me why you left."
"I just... I got tired of it, you know? I got sick of the politics and the drama and the evergrowing list of people I wanted to take out."
"And that's why you're back? To take them out?"
"Yes. I've become a black belt assassin. Watch your back. I don't care if it puts me on the naughty list."
Hershel smiled.
"No, Joel convinced me to come back."
"The man you were with?"
"Yes."
He nodded.
"We're together, if that's going to be your next question."
"It was."
Carrie sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"How... how long ago did Lori die?"
"Earlier today."
"Oh, Jesus. I... wow," Carrie breathed, staring at the ground. Guilt ran through her.
"Is everything okay?"
"The last thing I said to Lori was she couldn't be a good mother if she tried and to go fuck herself," she whispered.
Hershel didn't say anything. Carrie didn't expect him to.
"I um... does Rick know? Th-that I'm here?"
"Doubt it. But there will be people to stick up for you if he has a problem."
"Are you one of those people?"
"I don't know. You still have to explain the summer of '94."
Carrie laughed.
"Damn! I don't have a good explanation!"
Hershel smiled, and Carrie helped him stand and get his bearings. He left, and Carrie sat back down on the bed before Joel came back in.
"I don't think I've gotten this many glares in my whole life."
Carrie rolled her eyes.
"It's just because they don't know you. Trust me – it'll get worse whenever Rick gets back."
"Where is he anyway?" Joel asked, sitting next to her.
"I hear he's going off the rails on the crazy train."
Joel snorted. "You're funny."
"Oh, I know. One of my many attributes," she retorted, kissing his cheek.
"Or flaws, since you try to hard."
"Is that why you always laugh at the initial joke?"
"Yes. So you'll shut up."
"Ah, well, just for that, I get the top bunk. And since you're an old man and can't climb."
Joel rolled his eyes, and Carrie got into the top bunk. Soon, she was asleep.
Yellow lights barely lit the dirt – filled arena, and the citizens of Woodbury slowly filed in, laughing and smiling and filling the makeshift bleachers. Music deafened her, but she didn't mind.
Eventually, it shut off. Delilah could hear the roaring of the crowd for a split second before it started again. The lights turned on, revealing six walkers setting up a circle. Martinez stepped forward, then Merle.
"I'm gonna kick his ass one-handed!" Merle promised, and Delilah rolled her eyes. She couldn't deny her hands were shaking from the adrenaline.
Merle threw the first punch, knocking him down. The two scuffled a bit, Martinez coming dangerously close to the walkers.
Merle went down when Martinez flipped and kicked him in the jaw.
"Good one, Martinez!" Delilah yelled, and he smiled at her. The whistle from the referee. The chains on the walkers were extended, shortening the fighting circle.
Merle pushed Martinez into a walker, but thought twice and decked the walker in the face before pulling him away.
It wasn't like it mattered – it was all staged anyway. The walkers had no teeth.
In the end, it was Martinez who went down, Merle declared the winner.
Martinez was helped out, the walkers chains pulled back, and Delilah stepped forward.
"Oh, come on, now you're throwin' girls at me!" he yelled, and Delilah shrugged her shoulders.
"I may be a chick, but I'll kick your ass, am I right, ladies?!" Delilah declared, her hands raising towards the night sky. Cheers erupted from the crowd.
"You afraid to hit a girl, Merle?" she asked tauntingly. She already knew the answer. They'd talked about this when they knew they'd be fighting – Delilah had told him it was okay. She had taken worse, and it was likely she'd be kicking his ass. She told him to think about it as self defense, and though hesitant, he agreed. Even now, he only answered her with a look.
The fight began with Merle, again, throwing the first punch. Delilah ducked, and brought him down with two arms thrown around his waist and her weight pushed into him.
Delilah stood back up, the cheers making her smile. Merle stood again.
"Alright, that's how it's gonna be then," he said.
"Damn straight."
Merle swung again, and Delilah ducked, skirting around him. She jumped on his back, one arm wrapped around him in a choke hold. Her fist came down on his head once, twice, before he threw himself to the ground, his weight knocking the wind out of her.
The whistle from the referee. Delilah coughing, trying to regain her breath. The walker's chains extended again.
"Come on, Princess, get up!" Merle said tauntingly, using the condescending nickname he'd used since the first week she met him.
"Fuck you," she growled. She swung once, hitting him square in the stomach. He doubled over, giving her a chance to punch him in the jaw.
She didn't expect him to swing back. His hit easily took her to the ground, where she laid in the dirt for a moment as the crowd cheered.
He rolled her over, and it was then that she kicked him. He stumbled back, giving her an opportunity to stand and knee him in the groin.
As he lay on the ground, Delilah straddled him. She grabbed his jaw, making him look at her.
"Is this reminding you of something else?" she asked teasingly.
"Maybe," he answered, his eyes shooting to her chest and then back. She rolled her eyes before she punched him again. Then again, and a third time.
Slowly, she stood. Her foot on his chest, she counted to three with the crowd, and was declared the winner.
Just as planned.
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I hope you have a great day, and I'll talk to you next time. Thanks for reading!
-SparrowEyedGirl