I love having readers enjoying my fics! It's kind of amazing to me really. I hope I can keep on entertaining everybody.
I don't own the Walking Dead etc etc. OC and non canon is mine.
ENJOY!
Valentine left a substantial trail behind her in the early morning hours. They were tracking whatever poor soul crossed them, so they would probably pick up the fresh tracks easily. Secretly she hoped Daryl remembered her tread after those days spent hunting together but wasn't counting on it.
It was in the late afternoon hours when she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. One of them had spotted her from afar. Hoping it was Daryl, Valentine got herself ready to take on the pack of feral men. She hadn't prepared for them to somehow circle in on her though and didn't realize it until it was too late.
"Claimed!" One man shouted as he saw her in the center of their loosely formed circle. Valentine's eyes narrowed even further and she growled, "Try it and I'll shove that rifle up your skank ass."
The men chortled, Joe the loudest as he waved a dismissive had at the others to try and calm the situation down.
"Now boys. Let's be civil. This here filly looks more than capable of handlin' herself." Joe drawled circling around her like a wolf and its prey. "Ain't that right Sugar?"
Valentine sneered, her eyes flashing bright with excitement not fear. Bloodlust rolling through her. She could see Joe really looking at her, his eyes taking in her poised weapons, not a tremor through the sharp blades. Valentine wasn't afraid and even if she was, there was no way she would show it. The recognition of a fellow fan of violence shined behind Joe's lively pitch colored eyes. The man could obviously see the blood soaked hands Valentine wore. Danger radiated out of her in waves, the tension ratcheting up as the silence ticked on.
Joe smirked and announced, "I think we got a feral pussy on our hands boys." The men laughed but stopped as soon as their leader warned, "Bes' keep your hands to ya'selves or risk losin' em."
"Ain't right." The skeevy guy complained, "I claimed 'er."
"Well be my guest Tony but I think you're gonna lose this fucking fight."
Valentine grinned the maniacal smile she used while fighting, the curled lips and pointy teeth. It was disconcerting to most. Her eyes scanned over them just waiting for the men to make a move. When they stayed in place she let her eyes dart to Daryl for a moment before returning to Joe. The man was poised, his bow aimed to the ground but ready to go. His eyes were focused on the dirty bandana hanging around her neck. She knew he was probably pretty worried about what resided underneath it and rightfully so. The wound was throbbing from the exertion of using both arms, not to mention the stiff tension she had been maintaining while preparing for an attack. A cold sweat broke out down her spine and trickled along her temple.
Joe smiled wolfishly and asked, "So Sugar. Whatcha doin' out here all by your lonesome huh?"
"Who says I'm alone?"
The man grinned widely, hooking his thumbs in the dirty denim pockets of jeans, rasping, "Well Darlin' I don't take you as someone who gets along well with others. Am I right?"
Valentine slid on a cocky grin and she sneered, "Smarter than you look."
Joe barked out a laugh and he walked closer to her making her body tense but not shake. He let his calculating gaze roamed over her and he asked, "You a killer girl? Ya look like a killer."
"I do what I have to."
Giving her an appreciative nod he glanced over at the other men and he asked, "You wanna join my merry band of thieves, no strings attached of course. You'll just be one of the guys."
"Joe this is bullshit. We ain't takin' on some cooze if we ain't getting to fuck it."
"Shut the fuck up Dan." Joe barked without taking his eyes off Valentine.
"Not particularly." She deadpanned, her eyes scanning the others. Daryl's posture vibrating with tension yet his face was blank besides a scowl.
"Well that'll be a problem then. See ya join or ya pay the toll for passin' through our woods." Joe grinned, his hand stroking the scraggly grey hair on his chin.
"Your woods Huh?" She stated with narrowed eyes, "Funny thing about this new world, nobody owns shit anymore."
"Well that's where you're wrong Sugar." He informed her, "Now you can pay us… I'm sure Tony there can think of some entertaining ways or you can join us, pull your weight."
Valentine narrowed her eyes and acted as if she were thinking about the proposition. It was exactly what she wanted to happen, her way to get closer to Daryl. Together they could survive, apart they would die. Taking a long moment she rolled her shoulder lazily and ticked her chin in agreement.
"Excellent. Name's Joe." He rasped with a crooked grin, his hand outstretched before letting it fall as she ignored it.
"Good for you." she spoke dryly.
"Ain't too friendly a'right, a'right. Hands off boys, she's one of us. We got a couple rules, we don't lie. Lying is disrespectful. Lie and pay the price, got me?"
She nodded once, her eyes scanning over the other men including Daryl as she listened to the rest of their code.
"You claim it, it's yours."
"Yeah unless Joe decides t'break the fuckin' rules 'n take what ya claimed." Tony snarled earning him a scathing look from Joe.
"Keep talkin' Tony," Joe threatened his beady eyes drilling into the other man, then continued, "We're trackin a man, maybe a group. This man killed one of our own, left him to turn. He's gotta pay the price for that."
Valentine cocked an eyebrow waiting for him to explain despite knowing exactly where it was going. They wanted help murdering someone who was probably just defending themselves against animals.
"So do you got a problem with helping take care of the issue?"
She shrugged and muttered, "Only person I give a shit about is myself."
"Good. S'long as ya follow our code we'll get along just fine." Joe assured her, waving his hand inviting her to walk next to him.
"And as long as these inbred motherfuckers keep they're hands to themselves no one will be gutted taint to tongue."
Joe barked out a gruff laugh and drawled, "Darlin' you got a purdy mouth."
"Keep dreaming." She grumbled, following as they began to hike through the woods. Joe walked along side her but didn't speak for quite awhile. Eventually he chatted with the others and whistled random tunes while chewing on a blade of grass. The man like the sound of his own voice and seemed to enjoy speaking in riddles. Valentine kept catching glimpses of Daryl out of the corner of her eye. She ached to talk to him but knew it wasn't happening anytime soon, not with witnesses. They'd essentially lied already and Valentine knew that was punishable by death having seen the member they'd beat to death the night before.
"So sugar, what's your name?"
"Don't have one." She replied blandly, her eyes scanning their surroundings.
"Oh really? Well, where ya from?"
"All over."
"That right? Whaddya do before all this?"
"Lots of things."
"She kinda sounds like a cop. You a pig girl?" Tony asked with a taunting sneer. Valentine didn't reply only watched the woods, seeing a handful of walkers coming their way. Feeling the need to let them experience what they had coming if they kept fucking with her, she marched directly at the corpses. Moving with ease despite her aching injury Valentine killed two walkers before kicking the third in the chest. The rotting man fell to the ground and she slammed both her blades into the center of its face. Blood splatter in large arcs, some splashing Tony and Harley across the face. She sneered at Tony, "Keep on fuckin' with me, Tony."
Daryl was absolute stunned stupid when they came upon Valentine at the end of the tracks they had been following all morning. He thought he was hallucinating until Joe started talking to her. His eyes were glued onto the red bandana covering her injuries.
His red bandana.
It was like a giant symbol of how he failed her, the bright red wrapping her skin causing flashbacks of her arched bloody neck and raining gunfire.
'Pussy. Ya just fuckin' left her there t'save herself. Goddamn useless asshole.' He mentally beat the fuck out of himself. 'Don't fuckin' deserve her help.'
Because that's what she was doing. Daryl knew Valentine was once again saving his ass.
Merle taunted him from the grave. 'Why dontcha take those heels off and save your own ass for once Darylina?'
Daryl wasn't surprised when Joe invited Valentine to join them, the man was more intelligent than he looked. Joe could see the strength in her, the predator, the survivor. Joe would be an idiot to not take advantage of a weapon like her.
They were following the railroad tracks and the men were chitchatting away about the man they were essentially hunting. "So this yellow bellied fuck cuts and runs like the pussy bitch he is." Harley ranted from the back of the group. The man was getting on his nerves and it was taking everything in Daryl to not punch the fucker in the face. He could see Valentine's lip curled in distaste and stiffness in her shoulders as the man's voice grated on and on.
The sound of clumsy footfalls had Daryl turning to aim at a rotting corpse stumbling his way. Valentine was slicing them down before the others even realized they were there. Daryl shot one before nailing another in the head with his hunting knife.
He noticed the other men watching Valentine flick blood off her blade while continuing on as if she hadn't just killed a bunch of lumbering dead men.
"Bitch knows how to kill shit, that's for sure. Bet she's a fuckin' hellcat in the sack." Dan and Harley leered making Daryl wring the handle of his bow. It would be so easy to just start letting bolts fly but he couldn't risk Valentine like that. She could hold her own obviously but they needed to coordinate their efforts. Daryl decided he would try to get a word with her that evening and maybe they could take care of the men and start searching for their people.
The group followed the train tracks for a while until the sun was getting low and Joe decided they would make camp for the evening. A few of them headed into the woods to look for a good area to settle in and came back with word of a makeshift camping spot. As Daryl stepped into the clearing he noticed the alarm wires and small fire pit in the center. It reminded him of the camps Beth and he had set up while travelling together. The thought made his chest constrict painfully and his jaw tightened. He failed the poor girl and wasn't sure how he would be able to explain it to her father and sister if he ever saw them again.
"What's the sour puss for?" Joe quipped with a dry chuckle, "Look like ya stepped in dog shit while wearin' your favorite boots."
Valentine was eyeing him from across the tiny clearing, her back against a tree trunk. She kept a blade out at all times and her critical gaze on the others. Daryl could tell she wouldn't be taking her guard down at any moment and he was thankful she was so damn aware of the dangerous situation.
"Ain't nothin'." He grunted crouching to get a fire started up. He had caught several squirrels along the way and planned on cooking them quickly. Joe sat nearby and began pulling out a small bag of what looked like trail mix.
"Hey sugar ya want some?" he drawled to Valentine as she stood still, her eyes narrowed.
"No." she replied pulling out her water bottle and sipping. Daryl wanted to give her some of his food but knew it would look suspicious if she told Joe no while saying yes to him.
"What's with the neck?" Harley asked suddenly, making Daryl peer through his hair at the woman squatted next to the tree. She furrowed her brow and muttered, "Nothin'."
"I see gauze under that bandana. Ya bit?" he asked standing up and approaching her slowly. Joe cocked an eyebrow and repeated the question, "You bit Sugar?"
"Do you think I would allow myself to sit around if I was bit?" she asked with a indignant curled lip.
"Maybe you don't have the balls to off yourself." Harley quipped with grin.
"I have more than enough balls." She growled standing up and pulled out her other blade, "Wanna find out?"
"Harley back off. We're just protecting ourselves Sugar." Joe explained a hand up as if pacifying the woman.
Valentine snorted and threatened, "Well I'm no threat unless you fuck with me, so back the fuck off."
"Joe if she's bit and turns while were sleepin' I am gonna be pissed."
"You'll be more than pissed idiot, you'll be fuckin' dead." Tony joked while tossing log into the fire.
"Ain't dyin' like some bitch by a bite wound." Harley growled, his eyes darting to Valentine's tense frame.
"Shut up." Joe barked and ticked his chin to Valentine, "Show us."
"No."
"Show us or we'll make you. Got more than enough hands to hold ya down."
Valentine sneered her lips and growled low and threatening, "You wanna risk losing a few of your guys before you finally subdue me, be my guest but believe me, I will kill a few of you before you touch me. You wanna risk that Joe?"
"No. So show us."
"It's nothing for you to worry about."
Joe stared at her for a long moment and drawled, "We'll keep an eye on you. You start to look feverish and we're putting you down, that clear Sugar?"
"Crystal."
"Now how 'bout we celebrate our new members huh? Dan you still got some of that whiskey?"
"Yeah." He replied pulling out a flask of liquor and handing to Joe. Valentine slid one blade away but kept her other out. Daryl watched the men taking a few gulps from the bottle before it was handed to him. Looking at it closely he sipped it being careful to not take too much. He couldn't refuse it but he wanted to keep his head straight. Valentine surprised him by taking a couple gulps without a wince at the burn. Daryl figured she must be in a lot of pain from her injury to risk drinking around the group of men. It made him grind his teeth in anger at his inability to take care of her properly. He was worried about just how bad her neck wound was and if she had found any medicine to help.
Valentine moved to the perimeter suddenly making Joe call out, "Where ya goin'?"
"Gotta piss." She muttered stepping through the wires and noisemakers. Daryl swallowed a piece of meat and watched her walk into the woods.
"We actually gonna let her travel with us Joe?" Tony asked quietly while chewing on jerky. Joe stroked his beard and spoke low, "Well, if she doesn't like our proclivities we deal with it. For now she's an asset."
Valentine finished using the bathroom and headed back to the group. She was itching to take care of them and leave with Daryl. The longer they traveled together the more likely one of them would step over the line. She was feeling ok at the moment but her neck was definitely making her weaker. The large swath of skin missing had begun to scab, or at least that was what it felt like. The sharp pulling was making her hold back cringes of pain. The little bit of whiskey she had helped take the edge off but it wasn't near enough to make her comfortable. She needed to clean and tend to it but it wasn't something she wanted the others to see. It was a weakness she couldn't expose. It was bad enough they knew she was injured to begin with.
Valentine crouched near a tree and watched the others bed down for the night. Joe seemed to be taking first watch but she wasn't about to close her eyes around them. Even with Daryl there to watch her back she wasn't going to risk it.
"M'takin' watch. Go ahead a sleep Sugar." The older man informed from his perch on a fallen log.
"No thanks." She muttered taking her bag off her shoulders. Her eyes slid to Daryl's and she saw him looking at her through his hair. He was sitting cross-legged, his bow resting in his lap as if waiting to draw on someone. If they could get everyone else sleeping while they took watch the pair might be able to control the situation. Joe didn't seem to be considering sleep anytime soon though so Valentine stayed perched by the tree trunk.
She watched the other four men laying on bedrolls, a couple snoring already. Looking at Daryl again she watched him fiddle with the bow, his hands adjusting the tension. His eyes would periodically dart to her but otherwise he focused on his task.
Night had fallen and left them in mostly dark except for the residual glowing coals still burning and the moonlight above. Valentine pursed her lips and watched as Joe drank more whiskey, his head bobbing slightly. Her eyes went to Daryl and he dipped his chin in acknowledgment, the man seeing a possible opportunity if Joe fell asleep.
Valentine was pretty sure she could take out the two nearest to her before the others awakened. She could slit Harley's throat, which was exposed as he snored away and if she moved fast enough Dan would get a blade in the face. That left Joe, Tony and Billy for Daryl. She tried to work out who he would shoot first and decided Joe would be the best first kill for Daryl and then they could deal with the last two together.
A few hours passed and the opportunity finally presented itself. Joe had been relieved by Tony who sneered at her while taking a seat on top of the fallen tree. He had her in his line of sight but not Daryl. She made eye contact with Daryl and watched him tap his fingers on his bow, the long digits silently showing her what his next move was going to be. Valentine watched as Daryl's fingers slowly folded around the handle of his bow to count down wordlessly.
In a flurry of movement Tony was shot through the head with a bolt as Valentine sliced her hunting knife across Harley's neck, killing him instantly. The next to fall was Dan who Valentine pounced on. The sound of a struggle and the grunting from flesh pounding fists hitting skin filled her ears while she fought the man below her. He grabbed her neck making her scream out in pain. The wound tore open once again, the warm blood rolled down her chest. Valentine shoved her knee into the man's groin while jabbing her knife into his right eye socket. As she yanked it out she spun around to see Joe punching Daryl while Billy held him in a headlock. Running at Joe with her longer machete out Valentine brought the blade up to sink it into his neck but the man turned. Joe brought an arm up to block the machete from hitting his face only to have his arm severed. Valentine felt the blade split flesh and crack bone while the man screamed in terror. Blood gushed from the wound as he stumbled away, the air thick with the taste of copper.
Valentine glanced at Daryl to see him overpowering his captor, his fist landing on the downed man's face.
She turned back to Joe and sneered at him, "I've been following you for a week now Joe." The man was clutching his shorn forearm, his face crumpled in pain. He was pale as the blood left his body, his chest and stomach covered in crimson.
"I saw what you did to the girl two towns ago."
Joe shook his head trying to deny the accusations. "No. M'sorry. Please, just.. I'll go. I'll leave. Please."
Valentine narrowed her eyes and she growled, "She begged too Joe." The angry woman pulled her blade back and sank the edge into the man neck almost severing his head. Blood shot out across the clearing into the fire pit, the low burning coals sizzled, the liquid putting out the last remaining light.
Daryl had taken the man's buck knife, ending him with a wound in the chest. After all was said and done the only sound was the panting breathes of the surviving couple. Swallowing thickly Valentine brought a hand up to her neck, the bandana was wet and clinging to her skin.
"Ya a'right?" Daryl's hoarse voice had Valentine flinching in surprise.
"Yeah. You?" She choked out while putting her blade away.
Daryl grunted and moved towards her, his face mostly shadowed except for the glow from the limited moonlight shining through the thick canopy of tree tops. Valentine's breathing became shallow as she watched him approach, her lip bitten red between her teeth. His wide frame carried a strength and masculinity she couldn't help but be attracted too. Her body was thrumming with adrenaline from both the fight but also the predatory look in his darkened eyes.
Daryl's hand tentatively reached out towards her as if wanting to make sure she was not an illusion. His hand slowly encircled her wrist, rough fingertips causing a shiver to run up her spine. Daryl gave her a gentle tug, pulling her into his broad frame. Valentine wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face into his chest to inhale his scent. It was earthy and wild, pure Daryl. They stood there holding each other, both reveling in the warmth of each other. Her hands were under his leather vest, curled into the fabric of his shirt.
"Thought you were gone." She murmured quietly, her voice surprisingly rough. Her eyes burned painfully as she realized just how fucking scared she'd been of losing Daryl. Blinking through the tears she tried to swallow down the foreign panic.
"I'm here. Not going anywhere." Daryl replied softly, his thick arms tightening even more. She felt his warm breath against her temple, his chapped lips brushing her skin while he spoke.
"Are you ok? Let me see your face." She mumbled into his dirty flannel, pulling back to look up at him. She traced her eyes over the purple bruise blooming around his eye and the split lip and eyebrow. Her hand cupped his jaw, her thumb brushing across his tender cheek. Finally making eye contact she saw the man looking at her with such intensity all the hair on her body stood on end. Daryl's piercing eyes were filled with so many emotions Valentine couldn't pin down one but the most predominant was longing. Dropping her hand to his chest, Valentine felt his heart thundering beneath her palm. It seemed he was having the same overwhelming reaction as her.
Without a word his hands raised to cup her face. Even with bloodied knuckles and calloused thumbs the man's touch was more gentle than Valentine ever expected. She felt her eyes prickle at the sight of his softening expression, his head dipping to meet her parted lips. A gasp hitched out of her chest, the beat of her heart became rapid. Daryl's thumbs brushed sweetly over her cheeks as he kissed and sucked her lips between his. The hot wet moan that crawled out of her was triggered by the slid of his tongue, twirling into her wanton mouth.
Everything was forgotten, their surroundings, their injuries. All that was left was them. Only them.
Nerve endings were popping and sparking across her lithe frame, her arms winding around his neck. Her hands buried into his hair, curling around the dirty locks to pull his mouth harder against hers. Daryl growled deeply as she tugged his hair again.
"Fuuuuck, sweetheart." He moaned quietly, one hand moving to her waist, his fingers gripping her tightly. Valentine groaned at the feeling of his hand raking through her hair, fisting it. Panting heavily through open mouthed passionate kisses Valentine gasped, "Jesus."
Daryl backed Valentine up against a tree, the bark digging in between her shoulder blades. She could barely feel it though because Daryl's mouth was consuming her, his hands gripping her desperately. A deep moan vibrated through her chest as he nipped and sucked her bottom lip into his hot mouth. The world fell away as everything they'd been feeling and hadn't said spilled out in the open. Their mouths broke apart as they gasped out frantic breaths.
Slowly the kisses became tender and chaste, both of them pulling back from the edge of out of control lust. They needed to be more aware but the moment was a long time coming. They had needed to reconnect and finally admit the feelings they had for each other.
Valentine panted slightly, her tongue licking the taste of the intoxicating man from her pink lips. Daryl rested his forehead against her, their eyes watching each other intently.
"Y a'right. Not too much?" He rasped slightly out of breath.
"I'm good Daryl.. Really good now." She answered, a blush reddening her face.
Daryl gave her a tiny grin and he murmured, "Been wantin' t'do that for months."
Smirking she pulled him into another hug whispering, "Thank you for waiting but whenever you wanna do it again, feel free."
Daryl laughed quietly into her hair and rasped, "Good t'know."
They stood here for a moment until Valentine registered the deep throbbing emanating from her neck.
"Fuck." She groaned pulling back to hold the area gently. "I gotta get this cleaned and bandaged again."
"How bad?"
"Pretty fucking bad. I found a half cycle of antibiotics but I'm gonna need a lot more. Some pain meds would be fucking fantastic also."
Daryl grunted and pulled out his knife, putting down the dead men. He then collected their supplies before ticking his head to the woods. "C'mon. There's houses a mile that way."
Valentine pulled on her bag with a grimace and followed the man through the thick trees. She may have been grievously injured, homeless and without supplies but she had Daryl. It was more than enough to make her smile to herself. Well that and the kissing because the more she thought about that, the larger her smirk got. It took awhile to get to but goddamn was that kiss worth the wait.
Valentine followed Daryl towards the low lying rancher. The rotting porch was partially collapsing, a fallen tree crushing it. Moving quickly they cleared the perimeter, circling the property and checking exits. Daryl had them enter through the rear, knocking on the sliding glass door. When nothing arrived he popped the lock and shoved it open. Valentine slide inside after him, their bodies moving along the wall and into the kitchen. He moved them through the whole house finding it clear of threats. They barricaded the doors and closed the curtains.
"Ya ok?" He asked, his concerned eyes focusing on the slightly exposed cotton gauze covering her collarbone and part of her neck. "Lemme clean it."
"No. I'll do it." She spoke quickly, her body constricting anxiously. For some reason exposing the gruesome looking injury was the last thing she wanted to do. She figured as soon as he saw the seriousness of her wound Daryl would be far from attracted to her.
Daryl furrowed his brow and he asked, "Why not? We gotta keep it clean. It's bleedin'. Did it need stitches?"
Valentine cringed at the memories of sewing up her neck and the grotesque skinless patch of skin.
"It's really fucking gross Daryl. There's no way you'll wanna be near me after seeing it. I'll do it."
His eyes grew tense and he reached forward towards her.
"No. Daryl don't."
"Ain't gonna be grossed out and now that I'm thinking' about it, I won't be able t'relax."
Growling Valentine pulled off her bag and got out her first aid supplies.
Daryl got a flashlight and joined her in the bathroom. Taking a deep breath she mumbled, "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Peeling it back carefully she removed the bandana and large padded cotton, the tape sticking and pulling at the inflamed skin. Valentine hissed as the congealed blood tugged at the injury, the stitches stinging in pain.
"Jesus." Daryl gasped out, his hands touching her shoulders gently as she dropped the dirty gauze in the sink. Valentine turned to look in the mirror, her eyes looking for any sign of infection. The missing skin had been replaced with thick stabbing, the wound weeping again from the removal of the bandage and Dan's brutal grasp.
"Oh Sweetheart." He rasped thickly, his large hands holding her cheek gently as he traced his sorrow filled gaze over the open wound. Valentine couldn't make eye contact, muttering "I told you."
Daryl got the first aid supplies prepared, his hands shaking nervously. Valentine chewed her cheek to keep from getting upset.
"Doesn't look infected, just really pissed off." He remarked his hands gently cleaning around the wound and staunching the new bleeding. After a few tense minutes of Daryl tending to her neck finally she was rebandaged.
"Ya hurtin'.
"Yeah. Kinda feels like someone tried to chop my head off." She dead panned, but saw Daryl wasn't in a joking mood.
"M' So fuckin' sorry Val. Jesus." He left the bathroom and began pacing the bedroom, his hand yanking through his hair angrily.
"It wasn't your fault Daryl." She spoke firmly, "You didn't do this and there was no fucking way you would've survived coming for me."
"Didn' even try. I shoulda gone down there. I shoulda fucking shot him."
"Who did?" She asked realizing she hadn't even questioned what happened.
"Carl. He didn't fucking listen to me. Told him not to shoot, prolly caused it to be so damn bad. I should fuckin done it."
"He saved my life Daryl." She told him walking up to his tense frame, her hand resting on his chest, "He was about to kill me, his hand tightened and he started to raise the blade. He would've killed me if Carl hadn't shot him."
Pulling her into his chest Valentine sighed at the feeling of his warm chest against hers, his thick arms coiling around her body. Daryl whispered against her temple, "Ya think they're alive?"
"I know they are." She replied, her eyes burning despite the firmness of her voice. "I know it. We just gotta look."
FINALLY! RIGHT?
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