The Summer of 2013
Granger was still on top of her, his body still holding her down as he panted against the back of her neck. Laying face down, the mattress wet beneath her eyes, Carrie stayed still and quiet as if playing dead would make him leave her alone. He was still pressed inside her, finally done after his second go at her, but still inside her nonetheless. Not wanting to arouse him again, she resisted the instinctual need to make him pull out of her body, and instead focused on staying still. Satiated, he lay heavily on top of her, trapping her beneath him like she had been trapped for three days now.
Something got his attention, and he raised his head off her shoulder for a moment. With a long and content sigh, he finally pulled out and rolled off her, Carrie's body filling with relief. Only inches to her left was the silk robe belonging to the original owner of the house they occupied. Laying there naked and vulnerable, she found the courage to sit up and reach for it. Uncomfortably aware of the way he stared at her, she got to her feet and pulled the gown on, covering the body that didn't feel like it belonged to her anymore.
"Where are you going?"
Closing her eyes, Carrie's shoulders sagged as she realised he wasn't finished after all.
"Georgia," he moaned, the fake name she had given him smoothly rolling off his tongue. He patted the bed beside him, looking at her expectantly. "Come lay down with me."
Steeling herself, she looked at him over her shoulder, her stomach turning as she watched him stroking himself. She glanced across the room and looked at his gun on the bedside table, its mere presence all he needed to keep her in line. Unlike she and her group, this man and the others were properly armed. Three days ago the only thing that stopped these men shooting them all on the spot was the offer she had made them, a desperate attempt to make sure they all stayed alive. Knowing it was she who got herself into this mess, she resigned herself to what she had to do. Pulling the hem of the gown as far down as it would go, she lay down on the bed and turned her back on Granger.
When he rolled over and placed his hand on her leg, Carrie kept her body relaxed. If he felt her cringing at his touch he would be mad. As she expected him to, he dragged his hands over her body at his leisure, but she quickly tuned him out, closing her eyes and letting her mind drift to someplace else. Christmas decorations in Manhattan, the Thanksgiving Day parade and summers at the beach…the one time she had tried to cook for Logan and had set their kitchen on fire. That had been one of the better days in their marriage, the two of them sitting on the fire escape eating last minute take out food while the fire department checked the damage. She had been so naive that day, never suspecting that her husband was having his second affair.
"Georgia...on my mind," Granger sang lowly, his breath hot on the back of her neck. Moving his hand from between her legs, he slid it under the satin robe and dragged it up her side. "I've got…sweet Georgia on my mind."
He was getting the words to the song wrong, a mistake that angered her more than it normally would. Pulling the robe tighter across her front, Carrie pinned her arm to her side to deter his hand from reaching her breast, and she heard his annoyed intake of breath. Against her will her body tensed, anticipating what he was going to do. The top of her breast was still throbbing from where he had bitten her, the pain echoed by the bite shaped bruise on the inside of her thigh.
"What's the problem?" he asked lowly, his voice tinged with contempt.
Taking a deep breath, Carrie steeled herself before answering. She had to stand up for herself…she had done frequently over the last few days, saying no to some things they had demanded of her. "I said you could have sex with me...not that you could hurt me."
A mocking laugh rumbled in his chest, his hand pushing her arm aside so that he could squeeze her breast anyway. "Come on, Georgia...I was just playing."
"You nearly made me bleed."
"A good man should," he insisted, pressing his teeth into the back of her shoulder.
She didn't have the opportunity to flinch away from him. A moment later he pushed her onto her front again, holding her down as he lifted the robe up to expose her lower half. Not giving him the satisfaction of her fear, Carrie just closed her eyes, knowing it was the best option. While ever he was in there with her, he wasn't out there with the others, taking advantage of them too. With h head turned just enough to hear, she felt her heart skip a beat when she realised she hadn't heard the sound of a foil packet tearing. She opened her eyes and pushed herself up onto her elbows, looking at him over her shoulder. Her suspicions had been right.
"Wait," she told him, her voice more stronger than she felt. "Condom."
Laughing at her again, Granger just shook his head. "There are none left."
"There are one hundred and forty boxes in the basement," she snapped at him. Fearful, she wriggled underneath him and managed to clench her legs together. "There was a coupon!"
"I don't like them."
"But I told you-"
"Like I believe an uptight bitch like you has the clap," he jeered, not believing the lie she had told them three days ago. "You wouldn't give it up enough to catch anything."
"I do," she insisted, sticking to her lie no matter what. She couldn't let him have sex with her without a condom, unable to bear the thought of what she could catch, or even worse, falling pregnant to him. "You have to-"
"Just stop talking," he growled, pushing her legs apart again.
Fighting to protect herself however she could, Carrie launched herself back against him and took him by surprise. With a spectacular shout Granger fell off the bed, and he tumbled to the floor naked and furious. Readjusting the robe, Carrie scrambled to the head of the bed, dragging the sheet up and over herself as if it would protect her. With a furious growl he launched himself at her, using his weight to pin her down.
"No!" she shouted loudly, making herself clear. "Use a condom, or I'm saying no!"
"Georgia. We had an agreement," he growled, his hand coming up and sliding around her neck. "You don't get to say no."
Going still beneath him, she looked him in the eye, her resolve strong. "Yes, I do. Use a condom, or you can get yourself off...I don't care which."
A long moment of silence passed, Carrie looking him in the eye as he glared at her. He clenched his hand around her neck, making her struggle even though she could still draw a little breath. "Luckily for you, I'm not in the mood anymore," he snarled, though he made the point of stretching himself out and bearing all of his weight upon her. "Now you listen closely, because this is important."
When she didn't immediately respond, he tightened his hand around her neck until she nodded as best she could. Her lower jaw trembling as she tried to keep it together, she sought comfort by closing her eyes.
"All bets are off."
Finished with her, he released her throat and then used the centre of her chest to push himself up. Spitting on her, he ensured he dug his knees and elbows in anywhere he could as he got up. Laying deathly still, she listened as he pulled on his trousers and opened the door, his abrupt departure shocking her. As she lay immobile, it took a few moments for it to dawn on her that he was gone. Slowly sitting up, she used the sheet to wipe his saliva off her face, flinching as she aggravated her black eye. Releasing the breath she had been holding, tears began pouring down her cheeks as she let herself crumble in privacy. A few cathartic sobs escaped her lips before she forced herself to stop. She couldn't display any kind of weakness, or else their whole agreement would be in jeopardy.
Needing to wash her face, she readjusted the satin robe and moved to the edge of the bed, freezing when she saw what had been left on the bedside table. The gold handgun, messily spray painted by its owner, sat inconspicuously on the bedside table, taunting her. She had hardly handled a gun since that awful night when a stray shot from her weapon had struck Wade, the man who had saved her in Atlanta. Thoughts of killing herself had crossed her mind many times since the outbreak, and they crossed her mind again today…but only for a moment. She couldn't opt out and leave her group behind, not when what she was doing was the only thing that was keeping them safe.
Another thought crossed her mind too, that of taking the gun and simply filling Granger's head with bullets, but that thought disappeared as quickly as it had come. Even if she did manage to successfully get him under her control, she still had three other men to contend with, and they too were armed. Getting to her feet instead, she took her bottle of water and headed to the en suite bathroom, flinching a little as she began walking. It was sore between her legs, though this came as no surprise. She closed the bathroom door and then vigorously brushed her teeth until she felt marginally cleaner. Trying to conserve the water as much as she could, she tipped it into her hand and washed her tear stained face. There would be no point in trying to clean herself up any further than that, not if someone else was coming to take their turn with her.
Though she didn't want to, Carrie raised her head and observed her reflection in the mirror. It was somewhat surprising to see herself staring back, part of her having expected to see someone else. It sure felt that anyway, that she had become someone else during the last few days, but her reflection still brought her a flicker of comfort. Though her pale skin only illuminated the black eye the man Victor had given her, she still recognised herself in her reflection. While the blue eyes looking back at her were not as bright as normal, she found her reflection didn't look quite as broken down as she felt inside. It gave her enough confidence to hold her head high, to endure what she had to for the sake of her group.
With that in mind, Carrie returned to the bedroom and straightened up the sheets, covering the wet patch on the left hand side in the hopes of avoiding it when someone else came in for her. Feeling hopeful, she wondered if it might be Ross who came in next, the long delay indicating that it might be him. He alone was the decent one among the group that had attacked Carrie's, and she often asked herself what he was doing with them. The first time he had been allowed in to have sex with her, he had turned away from where she sat naked on the bed, looking only to toss the robe at her and tell her to put it on. An hour later after sitting in silence, he had abruptly asked if she was capable of making herself cry. Confused, she had shaken her head negatively. It was then that he hit her across the cheek, the force of his strength knocking her over. Tears of shock had fallen then, giving him the evidence he needed to deceive the others.
He wouldn't sleep with her, but he wouldn't tell the others that either.
Taking a long drink of water to ease her headache, she breathed deeply as she tried to mentally prepare herself for what was coming next. If it was Ross, she would be fine. If it was Seth or Victor she would be…trying not to think about it too much, she peered at the golden gun Granger had left behind, frowning as she pondered his parting words.
"All bets are off."
Given his distaste for losing, Carrie hardly believed that he was giving up. He wouldn't let her win the argument they had...he wouldn't let a woman call the shots. Wondering exactly what he meant by those words, she thought about the deal they had reached, the agreement that they wouldn't harm the others and that they'd only do what she consented to. It was their sick way of making what they did less like sexual coercion, and more like a transaction. Increasingly worried, she hunted around in the dim room for a pair of clean underwear. Pulling them on, she ran her fingers through her hair and tied the robe around herself, wishing that it covered just a little more of her legs.
Stepping out of the bedroom that had been her prison for the last three days, she quietly slipped across the hallway and descended the staircase, her footsteps light and undetected. Feeling as though she were a child sneaking out of bed, she looked around for any sign of Granger, Victor or Seth, both glad they weren't there, and worried about where they might be. She found Sue and Tim in the living room, listening to the broadcasts from Terminus that had been tempting them for so many weeks now. They looked up at her as she entered the living room, their eyes wide with surprise. She had made only one appearance since the new group attacked, and her sudden arrival today must have taken them by surprise. To her horror, Tim immediately stood up and came to her, and she could tell he was trying to hide something.
"Carrie," he whispered, blocking her from the next doorway. He gave a grimace, cradling the broken arm that had been courtesy of Seth. A timid, older man, Tim hadn't been able to do much to protect their group. "What are you doing out here?"
Though she knew he didn't mean it the way she took it, she felt a sting of betrayal. "Jesus, Tim. You sound like one of them." Still worried, she looked through the front window and saw that Jenna was on watch out on the porch, which accounted for her whereabouts. Sue and Tim were right in front of her, and that left... "Where's Shannon?"
Sue stood up suddenly, coming closer so that she could whisper. "Carrie...I tried to convince them not to, but he said that-"
"He said what?" she whispered, suspecting she was talking about Granger.
Looking highly uncomfortable, Sue carefully chose her words. "Granger and Victor…they said you came to an agreement about Shannon."
Feeling the blood drain from her face, Carrie looked at Sue in horror, unable to believe what she had just heard. She didn't need clarification, she didn't need them to spell out what Granger's twisted mind had come up with as a way to punish her. Shoving Tim out of her way, Carrie raced through the living room and burst into the quaint kitchen, the hollow door loudly hitting the wall behind it. Her sudden arrival startled the three people inside, none more so than thirteen year old Shannon. While Granger watched on, Shannon was crouched on her knees in front of Victor's open jeans, but upon seeing Carrie she launched herself back to her feet with a mixture of relief and fear.
"What the fuck are you doing?" she screamed, bursting forward and grasping a handful of Shannon's shirt. Wrenching her away, she practically dragged Shannon back across the kitchen to stand behind her. She turned to Granger and Victor. "I did not agree to this!"
Victor just laughed, having made quite vocal protests the day she made him agree to stay away from Shannon. But despite their former agreement, he made no effort to hide what he had been trying to coax a thirteen year old into doing for him. Pushing himself up, he sat on the kitchen counter, swinging his legs and looking over at Granger.
"I did say all bets are off," Granger shrugged nonchalantly.
Infuriated, Carrie roughly lead Shannon over to the door. "Go on watch with Jenna."
"She's gotta learn how to please me one day!" Victor laughed.
"Carrie," Shannon whispered urgently, grabbing her arm. "It's alright...You shouldn't have to do it all, I know what to - "
"Go on watch, now!" Though she shouldn't be, for surely she couldn't expect Shannon to have any comprehension of what she was saying, she was furious with her for even making such a suggestion. "Do as you're told."
As Shannon left with an anguished look back, Carrie breathed a sigh of relief, counting every step Shannon took as a success. Filled with loathing, she looked at the two men over her shoulder, sickened by the way they were laughing merrily. Completely unashamed, Granger just shrugged his shoulders at her.
"We need to talk," she said firmly. Folding her arms, she squared herself and began to stand her ground. She was far from confident, horribly aware of how much stronger and more powerful they were, but she didn't have let them know that. "Now."
They laughed again, Granger shaking his head to himself as he gestured for Victor to give them a few moments. Doing as he was told, Victor slid down from the bench and fixed his jeans, smiling at her as he walked past.
"I'll wait for her," he said as he began to leave. "I'll teach her everything she needs to know."
Clenching her jaw, Carrie refused to rise to his torments, knowing he was only trying to unsettle her. Instead she focused her energies on staring Granger down, wishing she had the power to rattle him, even just a little. Just like every other time, he smiled and shrugged his shoulders at her.
"What can I say?" he pondered, sliding off the bench and crossing the kitchen towards her. "Shannon is more Victor's type than mine. She's too young…ain't even got tits yet."
Carrie felt a strange moment of clarity, a flash of conviction before she found herself attacking Granger in a crazed frenzy. Releasing everything that had been pent up for days, for the months before that too, she started hitting him, a deal seated madness taking over as she kicked and shoved him. She could hear herself screaming at him, could hear the sound of smashing china as she tried and failed to hit him with a plate, and then a glass. Despite her mediocre attack, it was a relief to feel, her violent reaction providing the cathartic release that unfortunately only lasted seconds. Still laughing, Granger overpowered her with great ease, using her own momentum against her. In seconds he had her pinned to the kitchen floor, letting her keep kicking and scratching for as long as he saw fit. He grinned down at her in pride, pleased that she was fighting him, that he was getting the desired reactions.
"What? Done already, Georgia?" he asked, disappointed when she went still. "Huh? Answer me."
Closing her eyes, Carrie gave a short nod. "I'm done."
With a long sigh he pushed himself up to his feet, taking her by the arm and pulling her up too. As though she were his lover and not his victim, he straightened up her robe and then brushed the hair off her face, though she wasn't stupid enough to mistake this for acts of care. There was a pause as the dust settled, and though a mournful howl of anguish wanted burst out of her throat, Carrie quashed it down before she could do any more damage to the little power she held.
"You were supposed to leave two days ago," she finally managed to say, her voice tight and heavy.
"And the dead are supposed to stay dead," he replied factually.
"We have an agreement." She clenched her jaw as he slipped his hand underneath the robe and caressed the back of her thigh. "When are you leaving?"
Sliding his hand up to caress the curve of her ass, he smirked as he leant down and whispered into her ear. "When I'm finished." As if to further his words, he pinched her harshly, the gesture not at all like the playful pinch a lover might give. "Go on, back upstairs. Don't forget…if you're not up there taking care of us, we'll just find it elsewhere. Understand?"
"Yes," she said, knowing he expected an answer.
Her skin throbbed where he had pinched her, the discomfort echoed down into the bruise on her inner thigh. Resigned to her fate, she quietly left the kitchen before any more could be said. Exhausted, both emotionally and physically, she wanted nothing more than to curl up somewhere dark and just sleep. The fight was gone from her…she'd expended it all. Entering the living room, she looked through the front window and made sure she could see Shannon sitting by Jenna's side, and only then did she head towards the staircase.
"Carrie," Sue whispered apologetically, rushing to catch her. "Carrie, wait."
Ignoring her apologies, she brushed past Sue and Tim, too drained to even tell them what cowards they were. Readjusting the robe around her, she quietly headed back upstairs, passing Ross and Seth who were descending. She avoided eye contact with both of them, but as she expected Seth reached out and grabbed her elbow as she tried to pass.
"I'll be up there soon," he said, as if she actually needed reminding.
Ignoring what he said, she wrenched her elbow out of his hand and continued up the stairs, feeling a small bout of hope as she heard Ross telling him to pull his head in, to leave her alone. When she reached her room she left the door slightly ajar before sinking down onto the bed. Pulling the sheets up and over herself, she closed her eyes and tried to get some rest, trying to soothe the ache in the pit of her stomach. Three days ago she had been thinking about how safe they felt in this neighbourhood, how lucky they had been to find the enormous food source thanks to one lady's coupon addiction...she realised now that she had tempted fate.
She knew what she should have done three days ago, that she should have killed these men the moment she realised they were a threat to her group's safety. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it, to outright kill someone. While she'd done it before, once by accident and twice out of mercy, the notion of simply gunning those men down where they stood just wasn't something she could see herself doing. Three days later, having naively believed that letting each of them take what they wanted from her would be enough, she was questioning whether or not she was doing the right thing.
There was quiet chatter from downstairs, an unusual occurrence for the last three days. The house that was normally filled with as much laughter as they could manage, largely thanks to Shannon's antics, had been almost silent since the arrival of the new group, knowing that any aggravation would only hurt Carrie. But now there were tones of conversation, and Carrie couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about. Sue and Tim had been listening to the Terminus broadcast when she was down there earlier…were they making plans for that? Jenna had been quite vocal in not wanting to go, but Carrie was the opposite…as soon as she could convince the others, she'd be setting off for Terminus and never looking back.
Her ears pricked up again as she heard Shannon's name come up in conversation, her heart fluttering in fear. Praying that it was just Tim and Sue talking about her, Carrie swallowed heavily, still horrified by what Victor had almost convinced the teenager to do for him. He had absolutely no shame for what he was doing to Carrie, but until now she thought he'd draw the line at actually taking advantage of Shannon…sickened by the thought, she wondered how on earth she was going o let this man touch her again now that she knew the type of thoughts that went through his head.
Hearing the front door open again, Carrie felt a flicker of worry. Getting up, she quickly slipped through the bedroom door and into the hallway, crouching down so that she could get the right angle. From her vantage point, she just managed to see the top of Jenna's head as she reentered the house, leaving Shannon alone on watch. Annoyed by the new display of stupidity, for surely Jenna knew what had almost happened to the poor girl, Carrie wondered what to do, whether she should go downstairs and intervene. Just as she decided to go back into her room, she heard the heavy footsteps of Victor as he strutted through the living room. Hesitating, she waited for him to come to the staircase and look up at her, smirking as he said something to try and rile her up for another argument.
But to her horror he didn't come for the staircase. Instead, she saw the top of his head as he approached the front door, and she had no doubt about why he was going outside. She waited just a second for one of her group members to say something, for them to stop him going outside and being alone with Shannon…but they didn't. Furious with the cowardice shown by people she trusted, Carrie saw red for a second time, and everything she had been through since the outbreak came to a peak inside of her. She was the only one who was going to do anything…the only one who understood what was at stake for Shannon, and she had to do something about it.
"Victor!" she shouted angrily, launching herself to her feet. Racing down the stairs, she grabbed a porcelain knick knack from the corner shelf and held it tightly. The moment he came into her sights she threw it at him, satisfied when it shattered across his face, a streak of blood appearing on his cheek.
He growled like an animal wounded, his face twisting in fury as he raised his hand to his cheek and felt the blood there. "You stupid bitch!" he yelled at her, Seth suddenly appearing out of nowhere and grabbing him as he lunged. Stopped by the arm around his chest, Victor's fury drained away into laughter, and seconds later he was smiling at Carrie as though in admiration. "Oh, just you wait, Bitch…it's on now," he taunted her, shrugging Seth off and flexing his shoulders.
As though on instinct, his right hand drifted towards the holster on his hip, and Carrie saw the precise moment when he went to wrap his hand around his gun. He faltered a little, his brow pinching as he turned and looked at his empty holster, confused. Suddenly realising where he had left his gun, he gave a feral yell and lunged for her again, stopped only by Seth who didn't yet understand.
Carrie bolted back to the first floor, she too realising where the gun was. Knowing she had started something that had to be finished, she made a split second about what way it was going to go down. When these men had arrived on her doorstep three days ago, their guns drawn and their eyes alight with intent to kill, Carrie had stood down. Her group had a gun, but she couldn't bear the thought of killing anyone. She knew that's how some people had to survive these days, but until now she'd largely avoided the worst of what the outbreak had done to humanity. She'd killed three people already; two from mercy, and one by accident…she didn't want that number to grow.
Now though, the situation had come to a head, and she knew she had to do it. The deal had gone bad from the very beginning, and while at first she thought she could cope, she knew she couldn't do it any more. Not like this…not if they were going to hurt Shannon too. Not protecting Shannon would mean that everything she had been through; the humiliation, the degradation…it would be for nothing.
Hearing someone in hot pursuit, Carrie sprinted across the bedroom and practically fell upon the gun, knowing that it was loaded. Pausing only long enough to turn off the safety switch, she wheeled around and pointed it at the person who had chased her up the stairs. She fired three times and Seth fell where he stood, his hand clutching his stomach as his gun went flying back. Carrie watched it's arc as it disappeared out of sight, loudly clattering down the wooden staircase.
Stepping over Seth, Carrie flew down the stairs, feeling a surge of justified power as she saw Victor scrambling to grab the falling gun. She fired at him and missed spectacularly, but the gunshot was enough to make him stop. Hearing Sue screaming, Carrie took a deep breath and slowly descended the stairs, pointing Victor's own weapon at him. There was a mad scramble of doors opening and people bursting in, and while she was dimly aware that Granger and Ross had both appeared, their guns pointed at her threateningly, she didn't care. Indulging herself, she looked at the expression of fear on Victor's face, wondering how many times he had seen that on hers.
Glancing up for a moment, she took note of the two guns pointed at her, indifferent to their presence. Instead she looked for Shannon…she stood in the very corner behind Jenna and Tim, who for once were actually doing their part to protect her. Turning back to Victor now, she told him to get down on his knees, feeling immensely satisfied when he slowly did as he was told. He looked at her with a mixed expression of pride and fear.
"I knew you were fiery, Georgia," he said, taunting her with the fake name she had given him.
"That's not my name," she smiled, pleased to see a flash of annoyance cross Victor's face. They didn't like it when she defied them.
"What are you going to do then, huh?" Granger laughed next. "You got my gun, sure…you got two others pointed at you too."
Knowing he was right, Carrie turned her attention back to the aforementioned weapons, trying to figure out how she was going to get out of this. She couldn't use her body to her advantage this time, but she didn't need it. Her co-workers had always laughed that she could talk other people into anything, a talent that was often advantageous in the world of business and advertising.
"Ross," she said quietly, looking him in the eye as she considered her words. "You haven't hurt me yet."
Ross shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting over to Granger and Victor. They didn't know he wouldn't have sex with her, that the hours in which he spent alone with her were spent in silence. But there was no use hiding it now, not when it had come to this.
"You haven't hurt me yet," she reminded him, appealing to his rational side. "Please don't start now, Ross…please."
He looked at her long and hard, but Carrie knew what he was going to do, perhaps even before he did. Despite his association with the other men, she trusted him…he was different, and he wanted nothing to do with the agreement that had been made three days ago. Finally, he let out a slow breath and turned his rifle on Granger instead, the other man's eyes widening comically.
"Ross. What the fuck?" he growled.
"Put it down," Ross told him, one of the rare times Carrie actually heard him speak. "Don't be an idiot."
Carrie waited until Granger reluctantly lowered the gun he had pointed at her, feeling her heart fill with elation when he finally did. Watching as he lowered it to the ground and took a step back, she turned her attention to Victor instead. Moving closer, for this was a shot she didn't want to miss, she held the gun in one hand and killed him. His head jerked back as though she had kicked him, his body crumbling down to the floor with a thud. The bullet hole in the centre of his forehead assured her he wouldn't be getting up again.
Everything after that happened as though in a dream. Trusting Ross to keep his gun on Granger, she told him to kneel, and again she enjoyed the look of fear on his face. Looking at him now, she thought about what he had done to her, the violence he had inflicted. Moving behind him, she searched him for any hidden weapons and then took out the cable ties he kept in the back pocket. Looking at the marks around each of her wrists, she thought about when he had restrained her the previous day, the way he pulled the cable ties so tight that her hands went numb…he wouldn't let her out of them for over an hour, and she could still feel the agony of the circulation returning. Feeling an intense satisfaction, she tied his hands behind his back, wrenching the plastic restraints as tight as she could.
"Aren't you going to kill me?" he asked dejectedly, his eyes focused on Victor's corpse a few feet away.
Carrie paused, considering this. "No, I'm not going to kill you," she decided. Flexing her hand around his gun, she considered her many options, her mind continually bringing her back to one idea in particular. Given everything Granger had done to her, it seemed rather fitting. "I think I can do better. Get up."
"Carrie?" Jenna said tentatively. "You should just-"
"Shannon," she began, cutting Jenna off. She grasped Granger's arm as she tossed his keys to the teen. "You're driving."
"Where are we going?"
"Out. Take that gun, that one over there."
"What the hell are you doing?" Tim hissed at her. "Carrie, you can't leave us with him!" he whispered, gesturing to Ross.
"You can trust him," she said with certainty, looking at Ross as she said this.
Never speaking when a gesture was enough, Ross nodded, lowering his rifle and offering it to Jenna to carry. He looked at Carrie abjectly, but she neither needed nor wanted his apologies. She turned to Sue, Tim and Jenna again, still disgusted by their poor efforts to protect Shannon.
"I shot him in the stomach," she said bluntly, indicating to Seth who lay upstairs. "Do something useful for once and make sure he doesn't reanimate."
Grabbing a cushion so that Shannon could see over the steering wheel, Carrie lead Granger out of the house, the golden gun pressed against his side as they walked. Needing only a brief, whispered conversation about where to go, Shannon took the driver's seat of the pick up truck and started the engine while Carrie shoved Granger into the back tray and climbed up after him. Fixing some cable ties around his ankles, she made sure they were painfully tight before sitting back on her heels and looking at him. His face was expressionless, his lack of emotion frustrating her. While she had tried and failed to hide her emotions from him, he was far more adept.
She hadn't bothered getting properly dressed before they left, and she was clad only in her underwear and the short satin robe she had worn for days. Grateful that it was a hot summer's day, Carrie unwound the sash from the robe and let it flutter open. Not caring that she exposed herself to him again, for this time he couldn't touch her, she wound the sash around his head to cover his eyes, tying it in a firm knot. Satisfied that he wouldn't be able to see where they were going, she situated herself on the other side of the tray where she would be able to hold on, holding the gun just in case he was stupid enough to try something.
She hammered her fist against the cabin of the truck, telling Shannon that she was ready. Sparing her group one last look, Carrie hung on as Shannon started off down the road, already a competent driver at only thirteen. They found no trouble as they drove through the neighbourhood, Shannon carefully swerving around any Biters that they came towards. In a few minutes they had reached the main road, Shannon putting her foot on the gas to get them to their destination as quickly as possible.
Feeling the summer breeze whipping through her hair, Carrie took a chance and dragged her eyes away from Granger. Titling her head, she stopped clutching the robe to her chest and let it go, allowing the hot Georgia sun to kiss her skin. Despite having a career that was largely office based, Carrie was happiest when she was outside in the sun, enjoying everything it had to offer. Freed from the dark prison of her bedroom, the sun was all that much better now that she knew her ordeal was over. Though she had added two more to the number of people she had killed, bringing her total to five, she felt entirely justified, and she knew she would sleep easily that night.
They travelled north for an hour, Granger behaving himself and moving only to lay down. He didn't complain about the bindings on his wrists and ankles, knowing that he had done the same thing to her the previous day. By the time the pick up started slowing down as they approached their destination, Carrie was relaxed and happy once more, feeling the weight of her burden lifted off her shoulders. Focusing, she tentatively stood up in the back of the pick up and looked forward, shielding her eyes against the wind. Looking around the familiar streets, she started feeling nervous, knowing what it was they they would find here soon. Having scavenged though this town a month ago, Carrie knew exactly where there would be Walkers, that the effort of going uphill meant they generally congregated at the bottom of the steep hills.
As Shannon began to slow down again, Carrie peered around the side of the pick up to make sure that the windows were closed, that she'd be safe in there. Satisfied, she watched their progress through the town, keeping watch of Granger from the corner of her eye. Just as he had this entire journey, he behaved himself, either resigned to his fate or waiting before he made his move. A few minutes later they were almost there, and so Carrie shuffled across the back of the pick up, the gun still pointed at him as she reached for his feet. She clumsily cut the cable ties around his ankles, glad to see his sigh of relief that indicated he had been suffering. Just as she was considering how to cut the ties around his hands without exposing herself to his attack, she felt the truck slowing down to a crawl.
Not willing to risk getting too close enough to cut his hands out of the cable ties, Carrie put the knife aside and roughly yanked off the sash she had tied around his eyes. Leaping back from him, still frightened that he might make some attempt on her, she smiled as he blinked in confusion, squinting uncomfortably against the light. As they reached the bottom of the hill the Biters there began to come towards them, and so she stood up and braced herself against the cabin. Quickly glancing around, Carrie was pleased to see that the bottom of the hill was abundant in Biters, that she was going to get exactly what she wanted.
Granger began to grit his teeth, a seething expression crossing his face as he realised his fate. "Don't you think this is a little inhumane?" he growled. "Huh?" he shouted at her, trying to stand up.
"Don't even think about it," she told him, pointing the gun not at his head, but his leg. "A bullet to the knee will only make this harder for you."
His upper lip curling furiously, Granger let out a slew of expletives, making her quite relieved that Shannon couldn't hear what he was saying. She took everything he had to say, every degrading insult he threw at her, because she knew this was the end of it all.
"Are you done now?"
On his knees, Granger panted as he leant away from the side of the pick up's tray, trying to avoid the Biter that was reaching for him. With their speed as slow as it was many more were catching up with them, which only suited Carrie's purpose even better.
"You should have just shot me. Could have saved all this gas."
"Shooting you would be satisfying," she admitted. "But I would rather have sex with you ten times over, than be torn apart by Biters. So this is your parting gift to me."
"Are you even going to untie my hands?" he asked, trying to bargain with her.
She shook her head. "No. I only untied your feet because I want to see you run," she said plainly, already beginning to feel the immense satisfaction she sought. "I want to watch these Biters take you down."
There was a long pause, Granger staring up at her with possibly the most vile look she had ever received. With great pleasure, she dismissively waved her hand at him, ushering him to get out.
"Go on," she prompted loudly. "Go!"
To his credit, Granger didn't hesitate a moment longer. Resolutely determined to fight his fate, he awkwardly scrambled to his feet, contemplating the gun she held. With gritted teeth he turned his back on her, clumsily kicking at a few of the Biters. His hands still cable tied behind his back meant he struggled to keep his balance, and he wobbled precariously as he kicked at the Biters again, trying to clear a space where he could jump down. Holding on to the roof of the cabin, Carrie watched as he teetered with momentary hesitation, and she resisted the urge to give him a shove. All she needed was to watch.
Granger didn't look back. Taking a chance he leapt off the back of the pick up, his inability to balance meaning he tumbled straight onto the ground. A little sluggish to react, the Biters nearest him slowly turned back for him, the volume of their snarls increasing with excitement as they began lunging for him. Holding her breath, Carrie watched as they converged on him, pleased to see him get up and make a run for it. He stumbled and fell again, and as the Biters closed in she struggled to get a decent look.
"Carrie," Shannon called from inside the cabin, struggling to make herself be heard without putting the window down. "Carrie, can we go now?"
Ignoring her for now, Carrie watched as a couple of the Biters fell back, oblivious to those that were surrounding the pick up. Granger was back on his feet again, and she could just make out the sight of blood on his cheek. He charged at a few of them, knocking them over as he made another run for it. He hollered in satisfaction, turning back to Carrie to gloat. Unperturbed, she just shrugged her shoulders. There were plenty more Biters closing in, and she quite happily kept watching as he kicked them, struggling to keep up as more and more converged on him.
"Carrie!" Shannon was shouting, pounding on the window to get her attention. "Carrie, please! We have to go, please!"
Clenching her teeth in frustration, Carrie forced herself to stop ignoring Shannon. She had a responsibility to the teenager, and she'd already endangered her life enough by bringing her along in the first place. She hesitated a little longer, needing to see Granger go down, to watch the Biters tearing apart as he howled the way she had wanted to for the last three days. But unable to ignore Shannon's panic, Carrie pounded her fist on the roof in agreement, quickly hanging on for dear life. Shannon hit the gas, ramming the pick up against the Biters that surrounded the front. Desperately still trying to watch, Carrie caught a glimpse of Granger as he tried to outrun the Biters, hopefully preparing herself for the moment he went down.
But her hope was short lived, and before she could see any more Shannon violently turned the pick up to the right, obscuring Carrie's view. Looking over the top of the roof, Carrie watched in relief as Shannon hastily surged through the Biters and found a clear path, hitting the gas again and sending them flying. Taking the absolute last opportunity, Carrie desperately looked for Granger, but had to resign herself to missing it. There weren't even any agonising howls for her to revel in, not with the way Shannon was tearing through the streets. But it was over now, and so she was forced to be content with what she had done.
When they were gone from the town and back on the open road, Carrie lay down and spread her limbs out like she was a star, parting her robe and making sure the sun could reach all parts of her skin. Immense relief washed over her, her heart swelling with the comfort of knowing that she was safe again, that it was done with. Finally doing what she ought to have done three days ago, she had liberated herself…she had done that, no one else had. They were all dead now, Granger suffering the fate she couldn't bear the thought of enduring herself…it was over now.
"Holy fuck," Granger said in awe, grinning menacingly. "Well if it ain't little Miss Georgia from the state of Georgia."
Her heart pounding in her throat, Carrie's lips moved in silent argument, her voice failing her. Rendered speechless, it felt as though her whole body was made of lead, that she was fixed to the spot where she lay for the rest of eternity. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak. All she could do was lay there in shock, letting him laugh at her.
"Aren't you going to say hello to me?" he asked, tilting his head as he looked at her.
She tried to answer him, she really did, because she knew what would happen if she didn't. Violence was his first solution for disobedience, but no matter the threat against her she couldn't form the words. Her fingernails dug into the palm of her hand as she tried to breathe properly, trying to remember how that worked. Granger was coming towards her now, smirking as he pulled back the slide on his gun and let it snap forward.
Panicking, Carrie scrambled backwards to get away from him, and her shoulder bumped into one of the work benches in her haste. A box of tiny screws fell and scattered across the floor, Granger laughing as he stumbled on a few of them. In her haste Carrie did not think through what she was doing, and she quickly backed herself right into the corner, leaving her with no place to go, no way to protect herself. In the back of her mind her instincts were telling her to draw one of her guns, defend herself. But paralysed with fear, she did nothing as Granger came and towered over her on the ground. His gun was raised now, pointed square between her eyes as he looked at her. Looking immensely pleased with himself, he slowly began lowering it, drawing a line down her chin and then between her breasts before moving even lower.
Pointing it at her crotch now, Granger smiled. "It's loaded this time."
Against her will a low moan rumbled in her throat, involuntarily remembering the way he had terrorised her, the way he enjoyed her fear. The first time he had sex with her back at the couponer's house, he had pushed the tip of his gun between her legs and threatened to pull the trigger. When he actually did she had screamed before realising that the gun wasn't loaded, that she was okay. Next time it will be loaded. Looking at the gun pointed at her now, Carrie stayed deathly still, not wanting to give him any reason to follow through with his threat to shoot her.
"Step away from her."
She had never been so relieved to hear Rick's voice, and her shoulders sagged in relief upon seeing him. She watched his silhouette moving through the garage, and stepped into the light. He held the M4 ready to fire, his gaze fixed firmly on Granger.
"Oh hey," Granger said, turning around and looking at Rick. He gave him a confident smile, demonstrating that he wasn't perturbed by his arrival. "The name's Granger…you must be Rick?"
"Step away from her, now," Rick growled, coming closer. His finger was poised on the trigger, his expression one that indicated he shouldn't be messed with.
Looking back at Carrie, Granger gave a long sigh of exasperation. "Not exactly the reunion I was hoping for," he commented.
Unexpectedly, he crouched down in front of her, his close proximity making Carrie moan in fear. She wanted to get away from him, to pull her legs up to her chest, but the threat of his gun pointed at her crotch kept her as still as possible. Rick was shouting now, his finger poised on the trigger as he came closer again, but Granger seemed unconcerned.
"Shoot me now, asshole," he growled, looking at Rick over his shoulder. "A rifle like that…that bullet will go straight through me and into her. Isn't that right?"
There was a long pause, Carrie's eyes fixed firmly on Granger, watching him, waiting for any indication that he was going to shoot. Her heart was pounding so hard it hurt, her breaths coming in short, panicked gasps no matter how hard she tried to keep it together. As the silence stretched on she wished she could see Rick properly, that she could know what he was doing, how he was going to get them out of this.
"Good, we have an understanding. Now back the fuck up," Granger instructed him, wasting no time. "Back up, now!"
Carrie waited for Rick to do something, for him to make his move. But when a brief moment of silence passed, the only thing she heard was the sound of a single footstep.
"Further," Granger told him. "More…more."
Rick took two more steps back and then stopped, ignoring Granger when he prompted him again. Giving a long sigh, Granger turned back to Carrie and gave her a wry smile. "I'll give him this much credit…he's almost as obedient as you."
Before she could react to this, Granger grasped the front of her jacket and roughly pulled her up off the floor. Completely non-resistant, Carrie did her best to stand up, her boot slipping on the floor and making her stumble. She caught sight of Rick as she stood, and just as she made to go over to him Granger tugged her back. Revulsion swelled in her stomach as slid his arm around her waist and pulled her against him, using her as a human shield. But despite this, instincts kicked in on her behalf, and she found herself raising her hands in the air when instructed.
"Now there, that's better," Granger declared, slipping his hand under her shirt and touching her stomach. "Shoot me now. I dare you."
Still holding the M4 ready, Rick blankly stared at Granger, taking a few moments to gauge the threat as the dust settled. The two men sized one another up while Carrie struggled to catch her breath, her heart racing as she tried to ignore the way Granger was touching her, the way he pressed himself against her back. She looked over at Rick, silently begging him to do something. Shoot him, she thought to herself. Please…shoot him! But Rick did nothing of the sort. His eyes flicked between Carrie and Granger before he seemed to pause, his brow furrowing as he titled his head to the side and peered at something behind her. Beginning to look worried, Rick suddenly did something entirely unexpected.
He moved his finger off the trigger.
A/N Thank you for the reviews guys, they're so encouraging to read and I enjoy them so much. And a big thank you to all those who have favourited this story and have it on their alerts.
By the way, angie b...message me walkerwalkerchick outlook . com (no spaces)