Murphy paused at the gates of the school and waited while Sasha pulled the gate open for them. He sped past her with a wave and careened the Armada to a stop just outside the doors.
"God damn, Murph." Daryl grumbled as he was thrown into the dash.
"Ye shoul' wear yer seatbelt." Murphy laughed as he hopped out of the truck. He and Daryl walked into the school and straight to the cafeteria where he was sure the women would be.
"Where the fuck are they?" Daryl wondered when they found it empty. Murphy shrugged and they walked the hall, peeking into bedrooms. They stopped at the lounge and both men laughed when they saw the women on the couches. Andrea and Aerin were sleeping on the couch, legs twined around each other. Maggie was stretched out on the floor, her head on a pillow she had obviously stolen from the couch. Carol was curled up in a recliner that Hershel usually sat in, a small trash can cradled in her hands. Daryl went straight to her and felt her head.
"I'm fine." Carol murmured, her voice weak. She batted his hands away.
"You're pukin', Carol." Daryl frowned.
"It happens." She slowly sat up and set the trashcan on the floor next to the chair. "What's going on? Is everyone ok?"
"Everyone's fine." Daryl held his hand out and pulled her out of the chair and into his arms.
"Is he dead?" She asked, her head against his chest.
"Yeah. Merle got him." Daryl ran his hand through her hair. Over her shoulder, he saw Murphy waking Aerin and Andrea. Both girls were slow to rise, obviously sick as well.
"Did ye lasses eat some bad food?" Murphy asked, his worried gaze stuck on Aerin's flushed face.
"I think so." She nodded. "What's going on? Where's Conn?"
"He's fine. He's with Merle at tha Governor's town." Murphy said.
"Merle's ok?" Andrea asked.
"Everyone's ok." Daryl sighed, his eye catching Maggie's from the floor. "Glenn too. We need you guys to come with us if you want to save those folks."
"Right now?" Maggie asked in a weak voice and rolled over to sit up.
"Aye. Things are tense over there. Ye lasses need ta get there ta set tha people at ease." Murphy said, pulling Aerin and Andrea up off the couch.
"It's gonna take us a few minutes to get ready." Andrea said. She stretched and wavered on her feet.
"What in the hell have you guys been up to while we were gone?" Daryl asked, watching them all with suspicious eyes.
"It's that time of the month, Daryl." Maggie glared, holding her hand up to him. He frowned as he pulled her to her feet.
"Jesus, Maggie. I don't want to know that shit." He sent Carol one last look before he stalked out of the room. Murphy eyed them all and left the room to find Hershel. He figured the old man needed to be filled in on what had happened, as well as be aware that he and Beth were gonna be watching the kids. The girls hurried as best they could and Murphy and Daryl were both impatient when they finally showed up outside. Daryl took Carol and Maggie in one of the trucks and Aerin and Andrea got into the Armada with Murphy. Not one word was said in either vehicle as they flew down the roads to the Governor's town. Murphy and Daryl were intent on getting back there and the girls were concentrating on not throwing up all over the cars. They were all grateful when they stopped in front of the town.
"Worst trip ever." Andrea said as she slid out of the backseat.
"You're telling me." Aerin sagged against the side of the Armada as she worked to gain her balance. "This is bullshit."
"Get it together." Andrea hissed and the two straightened and strode over to the wall. Merle saw Andrea coming and hurried down the steps.
"What the fuck's wrong with you?" He asked, his brow furrowed as he took in Andrea's pale face. "You sick?"
"I'm fine." She sighed, her arms going around him. "Just hold me for a second."
"You shoulda stayed at the school if you're sick." Merle said, his hands brushing her hair back from her face.
"I'm needed here." She said. "I just missed you. I'm glad you're ok."
"Me too." Merle said. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. Conner brushed past them and pulled Aerin into his arms. Murphy was behind her, apparently holding her up.
"Lass, ye alrigh'?" Conn asked. His arms pulled her tight against him.
"Just not feeling the greatest today, Conn. I'll be ok." She buried her face in his neck.
"Where's Glenn?" Maggie asked, looking at the unfamiliar faces for her boyfriend.
"He's inside, talking to a few of the people." T said, walking forward and taking her hand to help her up the stairs. Maggie stepped over the wall and down into the town, her eyes scanning the crowd for Glenn. An instant glare came across her face when she saw an Asian girl standing extremely close to him.
"Who is that tramp all over my man?" Maggie hissed to T.
"You know, I'm not sure." T said, kind of scared of the ferocious look on Maggie's face. "The guy he's talking to is named Milton. He's a scientist or something."
"C'mon, T." Maggie took his arm and she stalked over to Glenn, T struggling to keep up with her.
"Maggie, you're here." Glenn brushed the stranger's hand off of his arm and wrapped his arms around Maggie. He kissed her and frowned down at her. "Are you still sick?"
"Who's your friend, Glenn?" She asked, still glaring.
"This is Milton. He's a scientist." Glenn turned them to the frail looking man. He had blond hair and wore glasses with his khaki's and button down shirt. "Milton, this is Maggie. She's my girlfriend."
"Hello, Maggie." Milton smiled at her.
"Hello, Milton. It's a pleasure to meet you." Maggie sent the man a weak smile and turned to the Asian girl. "And who's this?"
"This is Annie." Glenn said. He could tell that Maggie was pissed about the girl.
"Annie, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your paws off of my man in the future." Maggie growled at the girl and was rewarded when she nodded and ran off.
"Maggie, really?" Glenn sighed and raked his hand through his hair.
"Guys, we're gonna meet with a few of the townspeople over in the town hall. You coming?" Andrea asked as the rest of their group walked by.
"Yeah." Maggie nodded and they joined everyone else in the lobby of what she assumed used to be the courthouse, although it looked nothing like any courthouse she had ever seen before.
"Where's the Governor?" An older woman called out. She hadn't been outside to see his dead body apparently.
"Your Governor is dead. I shot him." Merle said with a smirk.
"Jesus, Merle." Andrea rolled her eyes. "Listen up, people. The Governor was a bad man. He spent his days outside of your walls looting and killing innocent people. He had to go, for the good of everyone."
"He took care of us! What are we supposed to do now?"
"Our group has a safe place. It's fortified against the walkers and we have supplies. We are here to offer sanctuary to whomever here would like to join us." Aerin said, standing next to Andrea. She could feel Murphy and Conner behind her, standing elbow to elbow with Merle on one side and Daryl on the other.
"We know that most of you are innocent and just got caught up in the crazy plans of a madman. We don't hold that against you. It's hard to survive in this new world we find ourselves in and for most of you, the Governor's plans were sound. Safe harbor, electricity, food, and medical aid are what we all want." Carol said, her eyes seeking out several people.
"How do we know your men won't kill us like they did the men outside?"
"Our men do what it takes to keep us safe. We can guarantee your safety as long as you do not aim to hurt us." Maggie said.
"We willna force ye ta join us." Conner spoke up. "If ye choose ta go on yer own, ye will be given supplies and a weapon."
""Tis only righ'." Murphy added. "But, ye need ta be makin' yer plans. We canna stay here all night. We have children ta get back ta."
"Will we be given jobs?" A man asked, his hands on his hips.
"Everyone will contribute." Glenn said. "It takes a lot of work to keep this many people going. Whether it's being on watch, working in the garden, taking care of animals, going on runs, cooking or cleaning, everyone will have a job."
"Who's in charge? Who makes the decisions?" A woman asked, her face hostile.
"We all work together. This isn't a dictatorship." Merle rolled his eyes. "We ain't like your Governor." He and Daryl stepped back as the groups blended together, many seeking the girls out and asking questions.
"Smoke?" Daryl asked, digging a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
"Fuck yeah." Merle followed Daryl outside and they leaned against the wall. They were both enjoying their smoke when Milton approached them.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I believe there's something you need to see." He said, his eyes darting nervously around.
"What now?" Daryl asked.
"Just follow me." Milton said and started walking off. "The Governor started off as having wonderful plans. I met him in Atlanta and agreed with everything he said. We moved out of the city, picking up survivors as we went. When we found this town, we built the walls and then he started leaving every day. He lost his mind."
"That's an understatement." Daryl snorted. They followed Milton around a building and into an alley. Daryl pulled his crossbow up when he heard snarling and moaning.
"You've got to be fucking joking." Merle said, pulling his gun.
"That sick fucker was keeping walkers right here in town?" Daryl asked, taking in the sight before him. Probably twenty walkers were in cages along the outer wall of the town.
"He would use them to keep people in line." Milton said, pushing his glasses up. "We would have fights a few times a week."
"Fights?" Merle wrinkled his brow.
"Yeah. He'd pick a couple of men and they'd fight to the death. The walkers would be chained up around the arena."
"That sick bastard." Daryl shook his head.
"This isn't all." Milton turned from the walkers and opened a door. He disappeared down a dark hallway and Daryl and Merle followed. He led them into a maze of a basement, dark rooms jutting off here and there.
"What is this place?" Merle asked, eyes finally adjusting to the dark.
"This is where he brought prisoners." Milton said and opened a door. He stood just outside and motioned Daryl and Merle inside. They were shocked at what they saw. Daryl turned and sent Milton a questioning look.
"He would keep them down here. Question them, torture them. If they were female, he'd let the men have them." Milton said, his back to the carnage inside. Daryl walked around, peering into the cells.
"Where are the keys?" Merle asked, his hands shaking the bars of a cage. A woman was cowering in the corner, naked as the day she was born. Merle could see cuts and scratches all over her body.
"I don't know." Milton said. "He usually kept them on him or in his apartment."
"Well, find them!" Merle roared. Milton nodded and scurried off. "Killing that sick fucker was the best thing I ever did."
"He died better than he deserved. We should have tortured him." Daryl couldn't take the room anymore and stepped outside. "I'm gonna get Carol. That girl needs medical help."
"Ok." Merle nodded, his eyes on the helpless girl in the cage. Her eyes were huge and terrified as she stared at him. "Calm down, girlie. We're here to help you." He frowned when the girl buried her head in her bent up knees and started crying. What kind of a sick bastard was the Governor anyway? This girl looked barely legal, if she even was. She had obviously been terrorized by him and who knew how many other people. Merle left the girl to her tears and walked down the row of cages. There were several other bodies in them and the last cage had a walker inside. The walker was chained to the wall and Merle wanted to vomit when he realized it had been a young boy in its human life. It was naked also and he didn't even want to know how the boy had ended up here. Merle was a hard man and he had seen a lot of messed up stuff in his life, but this depravity had to be right up there. It was making his stomach turn and all he wanted was Andrea.
"Merle!" His head jerked up when he heard her voice. It was almost like his thoughts had conjured her. He met her at the doorway and kept her from coming inside.
"Don't." He murmured against her hair. "Please don't go in there."
"What is it, Merle?" Andrea asked, pulling back to look up at his face. She could see the anguish residing in his eyes.
"He kept prisoners. It's bad." His arms tightened around her. He noticed Daryl and Carol brush past him and shuffled he and Andrea down the hall a bit.
"Daryl..." Carol gasped, her hand covering her mouth when she saw the girl inside. "Oh my god."
"I know." He fumbled with the keys that Milton had handed him and with a creak the door opened. Daryl stepped aside as Carol rushed into the cage and dropped to the floor in front of the shaking girl who was trying to scoot back away from her.
"It's okay." Carol said, her hands up. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help."
"I'm gonna get you some clothes or something for her." Daryl said. The naked girl was making him really uncomfortable. He backed out of the room and fled the creepy basement.
"What's goin' on down there, Daryl?" Maggie asked when he stepped onto the street.
"The Governor had prisoners. One's a woman. She needs clothes. Can you help?" Daryl asked in stilted speech. The whole situation was making him really uncomfortable.
"Are you serious?" Glenn's eyes were huge.
"Unfortunately, yeah." Daryl nodded.
"I'll find something." Maggie said and walked off to find Aerin.
"I think most of the women and children who are alone are gonna go with us." Glenn said, trying to draw Daryl's attention away from the prisoner situation. It was obvious that the redneck was upset about it.
"How many you think?" Daryl asked.
"About twenty maybe." Glenn shrugged. "More kids."
"Great." Daryl sighed.
"Murphy and Conner are looking through things to see what we can salvage. That freak has tons of supplies around here."
"I bet he does. It's easy to get shit when you're willing to kill for it." Daryl looked around. "We'll have to come back with the semi's if there's that much."
"That's what T was saying." Glenn nodded. They both looked when Maggie came back carrying an armful of clothes and blankets.
"C'mon, Daryl. Show me where she is." She commanded and followed him back into the basement of hell. Maggie almost threw up when he showed her where Carol and the girl were. The smell was overpowering. Death and rot. She handed Carol the clothes. "Is she ok?"
"No." Carol shook her head and held out a blanket. When she didn't take it, Carol draped it around the shivering girl. "But she will be. We need to get her back to Hershel."
"Is he dead?" The girl whispered hoarsely.
"Yeah, honey." Carol nodded, her eyes on the girl's face. "All of his men are too. You're safe now. No one's gonna hurt you ever again."
"Can you walk?" Maggie asked, crouching down next to her. "We need to get you out of here. It's creepy." The girl shook her head.
"Daryl, can you kill that walker already?" Andrea asked, striding into the room. She held a bandana over her nose. "Get some clothes on her, girls. We've got to get out of here. I'm about to lose it."
"You're telling me." Carol moaned and started helping the girl into a sweatshirt. Maggie was putting her legs through baggy knit pants.
"Merle, can you carry her outside? Take her straight to the Armada." Andrea directed. "Carol, you go with her. Get T and you guys head back to the school." Merle appeared in the doorway and swept the girl up in her arms.
"Calm down, girlie. I ain't gonna hurt you." He said in a calm voice when she started struggling. With a strangled cry, she wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed against his shoulder. Carol kissed Daryl quickly and followed Merle upstairs.
"This is some really sick stuff." Maggie said, her eyes taking in the bodies in the cages. "We should have killed him weeks ago."
"You got that right, girl." Daryl opened the cage with the now dead walker inside and pulled his bolt from the boy's head. He armed his bow again and walked back over to Andrea and Maggie. "I don't think there's anything else to do down here. Let's get upstairs."
"Thank god." Andrea sighed. When she swayed on her feet, Daryl took her arm and helped her back outside. Maggie followed, gulping in the fresh air. Glenn was there and pulled her against him. She knew that the sight of that poor girl had shaken him.
"My god." He whispered into her hair. "Is she the only one?"
"The only one still alive." Maggie nodded. "Do you really think that these people had no idea what he was doing down there?"
"I fuckin' hope they didn't know." Daryl said, his face in a permanent scowl. "That's the sickest thing I ever seen."
"What can we do other than trust them?" Andrea asked, leaning against the side of the building.
"I hate trustin' people." Daryl frowned. The snarls and groans coming from the walkers in the cages were driving him crazy. He stalked over and drew his knife. He started stabbing their lurching bodies in the head and was grateful when Glenn came over to help. Maggie and Andrea watched with disgust on their faces as the walkers fell to the ground. After Daryl and Glenn swiped their knives off, the four of them walked back to the main street of the town, Woodbury, as they had come to find out. Murphy and Conner saw them and walked over.
"Ye get everythin' taken care of down there?" Conner asked, his face serious.
"Yeah." Daryl nodded. "What's goin' on out here?"
"We've been tryin' ta figure out how ta get this stuff ta tha school, but I do no' think it's gonna happen tonigh'." Murphy said, his hands on his hips. "There's just too much."
"We need to leave someone here then to watch over this place." Daryl said. "I don't trust these fools."
"Aye, tha's what we were sayin'." Conner nodded.
"So, let's give these people the night to get their things together and then we can show up in the morning with the semi's like T was saying and get this over with." Glenn said, looking around at the town with jaded eyes. "I can't wait to be done with this place."
"That's a good plan." Daryl said. "I'll stay."
"As will I." Conner offered. "Glenn?"
"Of course, if you need me to." Glenn agreed, glancing at Maggie when she started to protest.
"Where's Aerin and Michonne?" Andrea asked. She hadn't seen the black woman since they had first arrived and Aerin was out of sight.
"Michonne's in tha armory, takin' inventory of tha weapons. Aerin's with some o' tha widows." Conner explained.
"Widows?" Maggie frowned. "You mean the wives of the men you killed?"
"Aye." Murphy had the good grace to look embarrassed.
"We'd best go help her." Maggie said and she and Andrea took off towards the town hall building where everyone had last been gathered. They stepped inside and were greeted with chaos. Aerin was surrounded by angry women and crying children. Maggie and Andrea hurried over to her side.
"What's going on?" Andrea hissed to her friend.
"These women are pissed because their husband's were killed." Aerin said in an undertone to Andrea. "Nothing I'm saying is making them feel any better."
"This is ridiculous." Andrea rolled her eyes. She whistled with her fingers and everyone shut up and glared at her. "Listen up, ladies. If your man is dead, then he was a bad man. Your governor was keeping captives in cages in a basement. We just took a woman out of there and sent her back to our group. She was beaten and raped. We found her naked. The Governor was not the only man who had abused her. There were also bodies and a young boy who had turned into a walker. He was naked also. You ladies want to guess why?"
"Jesus, Andrea." Maggie sighed at her friend's speech.
"So, I'm not sorry that your men were killed because if they were willing to do that to those people, there was nothing that was gonna stop them from doing it to any of you. Or us. It was done for the greater good." Andrea's hands were on her hips and she looked intimidating. Merle watched from the doorway of the town hall with a proud smile on his face.
"What about our kids?" A woman asked. She pushed her way to the front. "My boys are left with no father now."
"Your children will be taken care of. We have kids at our settlement." Aerin said for what she thought was probably the hundredth time that afternoon.
"And honestly, lady. If your kids' dad is dead now, then we did you a favor. I sure wouldn't want a man that was willing to kill innocent people raising my kids." Andrea said. Merle chuckled at the outraged sputtering some of the women did. "You've got the night to figure your plans out. We'll be back in the morning with buses and trucks to move you into our settlement if that's what you want. Good day, ladies." She pushed her way through the group to Merle.
"That was kind of harsh, don't you think?" He murmured to her, his hand on her back.
"I don't care. These people are sheep." Andrea rested her forehead on his chest. "I'm tired. Will you please take me home?"
"Of course." He nodded. They waited for Aerin and Maggie and they met everyone else near the wall. It didn't take long for them to be on their way back to their school.