Alright my wonderful readers and reviewers we are back again! I do have a little bit of bad news though, for those of you who may or may not know my beloved dog of ten years has been very ill the past week or so and I finally had to say goodbye a few days ago. It was the right thing to do, as hard as it was. I won't dwell on it too long cause I wouldn't want to drag everyone down when I'm trying to be happy with the 10 years worth of happy memories I have of her, but I figured I'd share cause you guys have become a huge part of my life now. This is what happens when you leave me such wonderful words of praise every few days for something I created. I become attached. Ok, anyway, on with the show!
KatlynIreneGlasse: Oh hell no... Fox and Daryl are in trouble oh no! Poor Sophia I'd always liked her, oh well no one safe during the Walking Dead. Who excited for the rest of season three? I am although after reading this I'll be like: So when does Fox come in? Lolz anyho I'm sorry for a sugar filled review last time that stuff is like crack, this one probably isn't any better, let this be a warning to all who dare to watch, The Human Centipede 2, don't cause then your scarred for life and then your up till 2:48 am and hate your life. I'm gonna try sleeping again maybe my dreams will be walking dead related... Wait that will probably scare me more, FML. Until next time. - a very scared Kat.
Mm, everyone's getting into trouble, but that is of course what the Walking Dead is all about. God, I totally agree, I am completely DYING for season 3 to come out, and the other day when I was at Hot Topic, I saw the shirts they had that said "If Daryl dies we riot." And I swear I had a fangirly yelp of excitement. I knew he was popular, but I SERIOUSLY hope that the writers take that shit seriously. Cause, yeah…if he dies…there will be riots. And bloodshed. I'm just as hyper as you are I think. Or were. And yeah, I will NEVER watch the Human Centipede. I heard awful things about it from a friend who did and I hate those kinds of movies anyway. Good luck with your nightmares! And Awww, you are so kind, you wanna see my OC in the show. That's awesome! *feels the love*
MrsGooglyBear: Noo, Sophia! :( So sad that she had to die that way. Damn, I really hate Philip. Great chapter! Love that there was a lot of angst and drama and all. :) Waiting for the next chapter...
Definitely lots of angst and drama. And so much more to come. I was crushed when they killed Sophia in the show, but when I was writing the plot for my story I just couldn't write it without that crux. Its the arc in which so many things change, and it really marks a sharp transition for Daryl in many ways, so I included it. Of course the flavor is different and you'll just have to wait to see what happens. And as for Phillip… I was not exactly impressed with him in the show. I felt he was well acted, but his guise of being benevolent to gain people's trust while really being ruthless was too thin. His verbal manipulation felt too obvious to me, so in my story I've made him decidedly more aggressive, but there is a reason behind this.
mrskaz453: OMG... Shane is such a freaking psycho...Poor Sophia... The Governor killed her...and Merle just stood there...No freaking way Shane is going to be able to kill Daryl...and the bastard set up Fox for the Governor and his men.. I want Shane to die a painful death, as well as the governor...You just keep making this more & more interesting...Scared for Daryl/Fox/Rick... Hope Shane dies for his crimes, but not before warning the others about what he's done and about the governor...He also needs to confess that they killed Sophia and he is the one who brought them there...Awesome... update soon... Please..
Shane is indeed a psycho of epic proportions. His kind of pathology can lead to all kinds of horrendous actions, as we've already seen. Aye, the Governor killed Sophia, although in my story he's not in the same position of Governor as he is in the show. He does have a certain amount of control and power…but he is also answering to someone else. Someone nobody will see coming ;) As far as Merle not intervening, my interpretation of the scene when I wrote it was that it happened to fast for him to react. I don't think that he would have been comfortable with Philip killing a child, but I also don't think that he would put his own position or life in jeopardy for moral qualms either and so that was how I chose to play that scene. And Shane…Shane will get his justice, I promise. I had one plan in mind but as the story has progressed I've changed a lot from my original sketch so almost everything is different now, and now Shane's fate is also different, but it is coming soon, I promise that. All of the consequences of his betrayal are about to smack the group in the face. They just have no idea what they're in for…I can't wait to bring it to you guys! That sounded a little maniacal…at least in my head. XD
Unfeigned: Hmm... I don't see Merle letting a kid get killed like that and just being okay with it, I think he has his own set of values...twisted and corrupt, but men like him aren't keen on kids getting hurt. Thanks for letting us know who's out there. Things are getting exciting! Go team Fox...
Aye, I agree that Merle wouldn't be ok with a kid being killed, and he isn't, however, when I wrote the scene, my interpretation in my mind was that it happened so fast that he couldn't react in time, AND the fact that while he wouldn't be comfortable with it, it wouldn't be enough for him to risk jeopardizing his standing with Philip, or even his life, or his favor from Philip to spare Daryl (since he doesn't know Philip is giving Shane orders to kill Daryl) so that was how I chose to play that scene. And yes, it was finally time to let all of you know at least in partial who is behind all of this. And don't worry, Fox and Rick's shared secret shall be exposed soon enough as well, everything is picking up speed and launching towards the end. We are on the downhill slide, but it will be a screaming fast pace until the end.
WinterIsComing1015: Wow. I don't even know where to begin with this one. First, your prose and narration is impeccable. I sincerely felt like I was out there in the woods, in the still winter air, bone-chillingly cold, watching my breath in the air. Amazing. I enjoyed the scene between Fox and Dale. It shows that while people are still wary of her, they see her for who she is - brave and unflinching. Way to go Dale for seeing that and calling it out in her. Of course I love the scene between Fox and Daryl - any intimacy between them is great, emotional, physcial, otherwise. It's nice to see how they've developed into kindred spirits who battle with each other instead of against now. Will they ever utter the "L" word to each other? Also - maybe I missed this the first time around but I did not know that the main bad fella was Philip! Way to include them in this manner, as government militia types working for a greater evil force. I picture them in black leather with armor plates on their chests lol. Even Merle - no more country plaid and dirty wife beaters for him! That's probably not accurate but it's what immediately came to mind. Kill Daryl? Just like that, huh? Philip is trippin' if he thinks it's going to be as easy as that. I'm certainly not worried about Daryl surviving in your story - I know you would never :-) I'm sure there will be some unpleasant things to befall him, but who better to save him than Fox? I sense a serious choice for Fox coming up soon. She has what they want around her neck - and they'll have Daryl. I see her honestly having no qualms about handing it over to save him, then fucking everyone up in a bloodbath with her kukri knives and taking it back. AW JEAH! And Sophia...man, couldn't she have survived in your story? :-( Not sure what's worse - her turning into a walker, something super unwholesome and unholy, or having her neck broken and representing merely collateral damage in the war of evil that men do. Sigh.
Because I happen to be one of the luckiest people ever and I live in a tropical paradise, its been a while since I've actually spent any great length of time in a wintery place, so I used my previous experience from being in Europe and also where I lived (which was actually in the South) prior to moving to my island home. The night is a completely different animal between the seasons, particularly between winter and summer and I tried to have that come through. I've always believed that the setting, and creating as rich of a mental environment for my readers to have as they follow the actions of my characters helps everything to feel more visceral and realistic. And yes, I definitely knew that I wanted Fox and Dale to have at least a little bit of screen time because Dale was such an integral character in the show while he was alive, and he has that 'take no prisoners' attitude when it comes to speaking his mind, and what he thinks about others. I also wanted Fox to have a sense of validation from someone else in the group besides Daryl or even Rick, because it's really what she's been craving this whole time, and even though its small, it will go a long way to strengthening her bond to them. And of course, I try to include as much Foxy/Daryl intimacy as possible, although the world of the Walking Dead certainly does not allow much time for pillow talk. The issue of the L word is fast approaching. I've held off on it for a while now both for the reason that neither of them are totally comfortable with even the idea of it, let alone saying it out loud, and also just for drama and tension, cause ya know, that's what makes a story great. Lol, you didn't miss anything, I didn't reveal any particular information about who the baddies were until this chapter, but Philip isn't the only one. There's someone else, someone I don't think /anybody/ will see coming, and if anybody does, they have some how managed to tap my brainwaves and listen in on my private conversations to myself and the empty air of my apartment XD. And Fox does indeed have a serious choice coming up, several of them, and there won't be much time to think about it or weigh her options. She's impulsive and can be frighteningly violent which is actually something I don't approve of, but it is who she is so I have to be careful and make sure I write her honestly. There's SOOOO much action coming up, I can't fucking WAIT to show it to you. And yes, Sophia's fate…I knew immediately when I started writing this story I wanted it to be different than in the show, because duh, where would the suspense/shock/hunger for more be otherwise? And her murder is internal to the plot, because it shows up front and center without any qualms the kind of baddies the group is gonna have to deal with, and the kind of people that Shane has basically sold his soul to. She's not just collateral damage though- Philip killed her in front of Shane to prove a point. He's going to get what he's coming for, and he doesn't care who he has to hurt to do so, and of course to scare the shit out of Shane. Merle knows that Shane has an attachment to Lori and Carl, and he would have told Philip about this by now, and so by Philip killing Sophia, he's letting Shane know loud and clear, he's got no issues with killing the innocent. My Philip is probably more ruthless and bloodthirsty than the actual one in the show, but its for the same reason- to exercise control over the people under him.
Emberka-2012: Oh, no. I so wanted Sofia alive. At least in fanfiction. I hope Shane will die a painful and lengthy death for his betrayal. At first I endorsed Daryl 's decision to Fox supported Rick. Now it's better, if Rick solves the problem with his ex best friend alone. Daryl and Fox will need each other.
I agree, I think it would be better if Shane and Rick had it out together rather than anybody else getting in the way. The conflict started with them, its only fitting it will end with them. We shall have to wait and see what happens….
FanFicGirl10: WOW! I knew it was Merle! See Shane that is what happens when you play with fire, you get burned! Oh poor Sophia, i feel so bad for her :( Did they leave her body? Oh no! If Shane kills Daryl, i will lose my shit! I hope Merle joins or at least takes Daryl's side. Is Fox's real name, Rose? Or a type of flower? Amazing Chapter, Update Soon!
Mm, indeed it was Merle. And yeah, Shane's an idiot for thinking that he can control every situation and bend it to his will. Yes, they left her body, Shane would have no way to explain how he found her and Philip has no interest in burying her, he's got other things on his mind…And poor Daryl, he has no idea what's coming for him. And I shall not reveal Fox's real name just yet…but soon my friend, soon!
Kaleiburzz: "Hoss had a big meal not too long ago" I like how you vaguely stick to the story line. Very nice. On a side note: You... You killed Sophia... You're ruthless. You'd better be going somewhere with this. Until then, you are on probation my friend. Lol!
I do try to throw in some parts from the canon show every now and then cause I think they were well written or relevant to the characters development. And yes indeed, I killed Sophia, poor girl was on the chopping block from the start I'm afraid. I realize that's brutal, but this is the Walking Dead after all, it is not for the faint of heart…keep watching for even more insanity that is to unfold very soon…
ry123red: HOLY CRAP THAT WAS A CRAZY CHAPTER! I can't believe the mysterious stranger was Merle! I was not expecting that! But poor Sophia! I can't believe that Shane could be so cruel...well actually I can. lol. But I hope Fox kicks Shane's ass if he tries to kill Daryl. I was freaking out while I read this chapter and all my friends thought i was crazy. haha. AMAZING CHAPTER. I can't wait to read more.
I'm glad I was able to spring Merle's reveal as a surprise! There's only a limited number of people it could have been and I knew I didn't want it to be an OC so I'm glad there was still some tension in that reveal. Yes, poor Sophia…she really was the victim of another man's indiscretion and selfishness. Lol, it was a fast blur of insanely sped up typing when I wrote this chapter, my classmates were giving me strange looks too, XD
hayleyjune13: Hot damn! This just keeps on getting better and better!
Why thank you!
Sage: Omg. Omg.. I had a feeling that group was the Governor's but I didn't wanna believe it. Omg. I can't believe... This is cray cray. No words. I just can't. I can't... Oh my god. Wow.
It is indeed cray cray and it's only gonna get even crazier as we start picking up speed towards the end…hang on tight!
thedeadwalking91: Oh wow! Been following this story over a couple of days, and did not see that coming! Had to read with my hand to my mouth in shock! Such a good original story! Devastated about Sophia! Can't wait for another update!
Why hello there new reviewer, nice to see you! Yay, shock, surprise, suspense, horror, emotion! All wonderful things that makes my muse grin. =D
Emerald Gaze: Daryl you freakin amazing human being! He would leave them for her XD and i absolutely luvd their nonverbal communication. Oh this is getting good so good and it is merle and the govner! How exciting. I wonder if shane will insist with going with daryl instead now. And it's funny how shane thinks he knows fox, oh she'd run? Yeah after she murdered everyone responsible for daryl's dead should come to that. Rick looking for revenge? He doesn't even compare to what fox would do to them. Also this kinda makes me think of the irony of shane working for them and in the show we 'see shane' in the town when rick hallucinates. this also makes me really wanna know what happens to daryl in the next episode it's so evil for them to make us wait
I debated a long time whether to put that conversation in there concerning whether Daryl would leave the group for Fox or not, and after going through the different episodes, I think he would, if he truly thought the group was broken and there was nothing let to salvage. He wouldn't want to obviously, but if he thought there was nothing left of who they had been before, there wouldn't be much point in hanging onto them and he'd rather steal himself and Fox away some place safe to ride out the rest of the storm. Hehe, Shane's got a huge head and he thinks he knows how everybody works, and therein lies his greatest weakness, because he overestimates people's reactions. In the show he expected Lori and Carl to be loyal to him, and he didn't expect Rick to be capable of ruthless, uncompromising decisions. He was wrong on both counts and in the end it cost him his life. We shall see if his mistakes prove to have the same out come again…
DancingUnderMoonlight18: WHOA...poor Sophia D: and gosh darn Merle! I was not expecting that in the least, but I like how you twisted them into this plot. I love Daryl's and Fox's relationship and all the different conflicts incoorperated into the biggest one, the walkers. I'm so sorry about your dog and I hope she keeps fighting. Amazing writing as always!
Yay, surprise and suspense, I love it! I'm so glad I'm able to hold that over you guys because its something not really well practiced at and it was a hurdle I wanted to cross with this fic, so I'm so glad it seems to be working =D And yes, the backdrop of all of this is always the Walkers. It has to be. It's the Walking Dead! I hate it when great universes like this lose sight of what made them so great in the first place; prime example the Resident Evil franchise. But anyway, hang on tight, its about to get nuts!
KassieIsa: Damn it Shane! I really hope that Fox dyes her hair to a different color! This story is so different from all the other ones I've seen so far. I love it so far, but really? Asking Shane to kill Daryl?
I know right, that bad, bad, bad Shane. Lol, Fox is a redhead through and through, even if she had the opportunity to go a different color she wouldn't. I'm glad my story is different! That was one of the things I was really shooting for when I wrote this. And yep, Philip is asking Shane to kill Daryl. He's a bad guy after all…we shall just have to wait and see what happens ;)
It was pre-dawn when Rick kicked the edges of their tents to wake them. Daryl had already been sleeping lightly, his arm draped around Fox's naked back, keeping her towed in close to him while she slept. When he felt the slight shudder of their little cave he groaned and sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and started looking for clothes. He was halfway into a pair of black pants when his movements woke Fox.
"Morning." She said, curling her tongue around her teeth as she stretched her back in a luxurious way like a cat after having sunned itself on a windowsill.
"Morning." He responded as he finished buttoning up his pants and started digging through the piles of clothes looking for a shirt that was at least somewhere in the vicinity of clean.
Fox blindly reached over and snagged his wrist. "Clothes already? It's not even sunup." She muttered sleepily and tried to tug him back down into the nest of messy blankets and coats they were using to keep warm at night. Sometimes if there was nothing particularly pressing to do he would allow her to do so and they'd spend another hour or so in warm, comfortable silence, skin pressed against skin. On other mornings, when supplies permitted, he'd make true the idiom that morning sex was really indeed the best.
He huffed a soft peal of laughter and bent down, catching the back of her head in his palm and arching her head up so he could kiss her deeply. Even as tired as she was he could still feel it spark wakefulness into her frame and he smirked at his growing prowess when it came to matters of the flesh.
"Come on. We got work to do today." He said more seriously once he let her go and continued hunting for a shirt. It was almost ironic that he was setting out into the wilds to find a lost little girl and he couldn't find a shirt in a six by nine space.
She nodded in agreement. She stretched her arms over her head until her shoulders and back cracked, the contracted muscles making the tattoo on her skin writhe until she relaxed. She dug through the blankets until she found her bra that had ended up on the other side of the tent and slipped back into it. He always liked to watch her dress (and especially undress); something about the way the way the fabric slid and pulled against her skin pleased him. Next was a shirt- the exact one he'd been looking for- and she tugged it over her head.
"Hey, that's my shirt." He noted as he tried to pull it from her before she was all the way in it, but it was too late. The button down had settled over her and now she was standing up looking for a pair of underwear, but his shirt covered just enough to tortuously tease his imagination, and it occurred to him that this was the first time he'd seen her wear any piece of clothing that belonged to him.
She sauntered up to him and snaked her hands through his hair and kissed him hard again, sinking her teeth into his lip almost enough to draw blood before pulling back. "It looks better on me." She hissed before slinking away and he couldn't tear his eyes away when she bent over to find the rest of her clothes. He knew she was doing it on purpose to drive him crazy; a long, lusty list of profanity ran through his mind and he growled low in his throat.
"God damn it." He cursed watching her as she smirked at him over her shoulder while she wriggled into a pair of black pants, her own this time. "Woman you will kill me. You are shortening my life as we speak."
She snickered. "I doubt that." She teased as she came back to him and pressed herself against his body, one hand slinking down to grip his inner thigh with tight, biting fingers causing him to gasp. "Tell you what. As soon as we find Sophia, I will persuade Rick to let us take the bike and go for a supply run. And I won't even make you wait until we get back to camp to use what we find." She hissed this in his ear.
"And if Rick says no?" he asked, tipping his head back so she could puff a warm breath against his neck.
"Since when have I ever done what someone told me to do just because they told me?" she reminded him, her voice low and cut with gravel. She chuckled against his throat before pulling away and snagging her leather jacket and shrugging into it after she put on her boots and her belt with her knives. "Reign it in wild-man. Its us against the friggin Arctic winter today." She pulled on her heavy outer coat and with that she pulled the stake out of thermal blanket and let in a blast of freezing cold air, effectively turning the rushing hot blood in his veins to icy rivers, causing him to scramble to shut the blanket door back down while he found the rest of his clothes.
When he was presentable he trudged out into the snow, his crossbow slung over his shoulder ready to deal with this situation relentlessly. Sophia had spent the night out in the freezing cold. He wasn't going to make her wait any longer than necessary. The rest of the camp was also assembled by the fire where the map was spread out on a patch of ground that was clear of snow. Everyone looked like a spring that was wound much too tight, especially Carol who didn't look like she'd had a single minute of sleep. It made Daryl's heart twist uncomfortably to know that she'd been up all night, probably crying and worrying. Why did the good parents always have to suffer? His old man had never known where he was, much less cared, and Merle wasn't much better.
"Alright, here is how this is going to work." Rick said, clearing his throat and getting everyone's attention. "Daryl, you take the trail that we followed last night. Me and Shane will take the trail Shane came across last night and see if it leads to anything. If there are others in the mountains, we need to know about it. Andrea, Fox, Glenn, Maggie, I want perimeter sweeps five miles in circumference until we come back. Dale, you stay and stand guard. Benjamin, inventory your supplies and have the first aid stuff at the ready in case one of us or Sophia has been injured, sterilize all your tools in the fire, go ahead and get the wood going hot enough. Lori, Carol, and Carl you handle the daily chores here. Every person should have at least a couple flares on their person. If anybody gets lost or injured, light them up and we'll come looking. Dale, if Sophia makes her way back to camp, use the high powered rifle and fire a single shot into the air to let us know to come back." He looked at all of them sternly with the weight and pressure of a leader struggling to right mistakes he hadn't even made. "You have your orders. Move out."
Everyone broke up and went for the weapons pile underneath the largest tree at the edge of the lake that Dale or whoever was on watch had been using to lookout from. Everyone took the additional guns they desired, save for Fox who refused to carry even in these woods, still preferring her knives, and kept a very close watch on Rick as he double checked the bullets in his python.
"Rick. Why don't me and Daryl check the trail from last night. Don't seem right to let a man go alone in woods like these. Fox can go with you and Dale and Andrea could run the perimeter instead, along with Glenn and Maggie. Carl, you could handle a single shot from the rifle couldn't you?" Shane asked, glancing down at the kid like a father who expects his son to give the right answer, regardless whether its really right or not.
"Yeah, of course." The boy answered firmly.
Rick's eyes narrowed and his tone was hot when he spoke. "You won't be using that gun any time soon." He said sternly, his eyes staring down at his son. When Carl shifted his weight and turned his head away, indicating he'd gotten the message, Rick looked back up at Shane. "But if you want to go with Daryl, by all means, go ahead." His voice clearly said he was all too happy not to have be alone with him anymore. "Lori you've had a little more gun training than Carol has, if Sophia comes back, fire one shot from the rifle to let us know." He nodded once to her and then gave his son a light tap on the shoulder before tilting his head at Fox who's eyes cut dangerously from Rick to Shane. Truth be told Daryl was not the least bit thrilled he now had to deal with Shane tagging at his back but he wasn't going to argue with Rick. He could handle Shane. It was better for Shane and Rick to be apart.
"Let's go!" Rick barked beckoning for Fox to hurry up and join him. She was still standing very standoffishly near the weapons pile guarding it like a dog guards its food bowl. She seemed completely oblivious to everything going on until Daryl came over, her eyes burning with vicious green fire as she stared at Shane who was checking the clip in his gun a few yards away.
"Hey. Calm down. Everything's gonna be fine. We're gonna find Sophia. Nothing's gonna happen." He soothed. He could sense the angry energy running through her skin like a crackle of electricity. Her eyes were all but murderous even when she looked up at him.
"Be careful." She growled.
He knew there were people watching but at this point he couldn't have cared less. Why bother? Everybody knew everybody's business anyway, camp was too small not to. He reached down and took her hand and squeezed her fingers tightly.
"I will be. I'll come back. Promise." He murmured. He kissed her hand and then her lips, tilting her chin up to meet his mouth with two fingers in order to really get her attention. He could feel people staring and that old sense of nervousness he'd thought he'd managed to banish came roaring back, but she didn't give him time to think about it. She surged towards him and twisted her fingers into his hair and pulled him down onto her hard, biting his lip much harder than she ever had before, hard enough that they both tasted copper. He tried pulling back but she pulled on his hair and refused to let go until she'd exorcised some kind of demon in which she audibly snarled before releasing him.
"Watch your back." She hissed before walking away and stalking straight towards Shane who was finishing loading the bullets into his gun.
"If anything happens to him, there is no force on heaven or earth that will save you from me." She snarled so low that nobody else could hear although they must have been able to see the vicious expression on her face.
"Calm down, Foxy. Nothing's gonna happen. We're going to find Sophia. Now go on, you're wasting light." He said coolly.
Fox's fingers tightened on the handle of her kukri knife. "Daryl showed me how to gut a human being yesterday when we were looking for Sophia. If something happens to him, trust me, it only takes one viewing to memorize something like that." She bared her teeth. She could see something dark and writhing like a tangled ball of snakes deep in the pupils of his eyes and it didn't settle any of her fears. "Don't underestimate me, Shane." She warned as she drew away and stalked towards Rick.
Daryl watched her go until he caught Shane's eye and tilted his head. They walked away from camp in the same direction he'd taken last night, the freshly powdered snow crisp and completely unmarked, the surface of the lake frozen solid. Both men were silent for a long time, even after they crossed under the trees, but after several minutes of picking over debris and huffing for breath in the freezing air Shane spoke.
"So man, there's something I been wanting to know all this time."
Daryl glanced over at his shoulder and looked at him, irritation prickling through him. It was bad enough he had to babysit this asshole, let alone play twenty questions but he shrugged his shoulder anyway.
"What do you see in her?"
Daryl paused and allowed Shane to catch up to him as they climbed a low ridge that would take them down towards a narrow creek that would wind its way back up to the hill where the bed would become much wider, the same place they had gutted the Walkers last night. It was a shortcut from the trail they'd taken last night figuring that he didn't need to start all the way at the beginning again, although he would if it was necessary.
He stared at his companion and tilted his head at him, trying to gauge what the question really meant. Nobody had ever really questioned why it was he was so attached to Fox, they'd just accepted it. He chose his words carefully.
"Don't really matter what I see, does it? She fights for what she wants and she's no soft skinned bitch I have to take care of. She doesn't weigh me down."
Shane tilted his head as if not quite believing him. "Do you really get off on her being such a bitch all the time?"
Daryl's teeth grated so hard until they reached the point his jaw ached. "Look. You ain't got no room to talk when it comes to women. You fucked around and knocked up Lori and now Rick spends his days trying to find reasons to look you in the face and those reasons get less and less every day. So why don't you shut your fucking trap and let's just get this done, alright? The weather ain't getting any better, and I've seen at least six wolf prints in the past half hour already which means they're out and they're hunting." At that particular moment, as if God was granting him a favor, (or a curse depending on how you wanted to look at it) they both heard a long and lonely howl echoing over the icy air, rippling through the trees, reverberating around their ears sending chills down their spines.
"How many do you think?" Shane asked softly as they started moving again, clambering over felled trees that were covered in so much snow you'd barely be able to see them if not for their random branches sticking up everywhere. The rocks on the ground and the roots of the closely pressed together trees made for dangerous going and Daryl could only hope that Sophia would have remembered his advice and not gone wandering off trying to find her way back to camp. It would only be too easy for her to trip and seriously injure herself if she wasn't careful.
"At least seven or eight. Maybe more. I've only seen the pack once." He said quietly, not really paying Shane much mind. "I haven't seen a deer in the valley since last month, they're getting very desperate. I caught one trying to rob my snare last week. It ran before I could shoot it but they're starving. I wouldn't put it past them to attack us now." He said darkly.
Shane stared at the back of his skull until Daryl turned around to meet his dark eyes. "Wolves don't hunt people." Shane said, his voice suggesting not that he was afraid, but that something else was weighing on his mind although what that was Daryl didn't know, and didn't really care.
"Look at what we've eaten in the past month alone to survive out here." Daryl muttered, beckoning Shane to follow him up a shallow rise into the creek bed where the gutted remains of the Walkers still lay. As they approached the two bodies and stared down at the icy corpses Daryl's stomach rolled just a little.
"The world's different now." The hunter reiterated as he watched Shane stare down at the mangled, gutted bodies. Daryl walked away and went back to the middle of the creek bed where he'd seen the trail become damaged the night before. The snow had covered up all of the tracks on the ground but he could see there was kicks and scrapes across the bed, broken twigs and overturned rocks.
"There was a fight here." He said softly, mostly to himself, not really paying attention if Shane was listening or even following him. "Some kind of struggle…" The vegetation (or the branches that was left from it) was broken and torn, as if Sophia had climbed out of the creek bed on her hands and knees to get away from something. He saw a piece of torn fabric on a thistle of thorns along with a few fibers of hair snagged on another branch. He plucked the tuft of hair with his fingers and immediately knew by the coarse texture it was animal and not human. He rolled it between his fingers and noted the grey coloring.
"The wolves were here." He said quietly. "They must have been drawn to the sound of the Walkers or Sophia running. They chased her up the bank."
He followed the trail, going on hands and knees as Sophia must have done and he could see how her clothes must have become torn as she made her way through the thorns and scrub brush to get away. There were deep gouges in the earth where the snow hadn't been able to stick that revealed her frantic clawing motions to haul herself up, as well as deep grooves from where the wolves had been climbing after her. He made it up the side of the ravine and it was almost as if the trail completely disappeared into the snowy landscape ahead of them. Daryl took a long breath in and tore his gaze away from the ground to look up, trying to put himself in Sophia's shoes.
It would have been dark, freezing cold, the wolves would have been right behind her. Up ahead there were more trees, the river to the right, and lesser known territory to the left. From previous experience Daryl knew that she and Carl had kept mostly towards the river, and they both knew that if they became lost they could follow it back down to the shore of the lake. He went straight ahead, crossing a narrow treeless gap before the canopy closed over him again and as soon as it did he saw a shallow trail forming, not in the snow but in kicked over stones and damage to the bark on the trees. Several icicles hanging from low branches had been knocked down, probably by frantic shoulders bumping them as Sophia struggled to keep pace ahead of the wolves. He followed this pattern until he came to a small snowy glade where the trail all but came to a complete halt.
"What's wrong?" Shane asked as he caught up to Daryl who was standing in the middle of the glade. The hunter paused for a moment before giving his head a shake, trying to clear his mind. Another wolf had howled and a sudden flash of the chupacabra had hit his mind's eye like a bad hangover headache.
"Nothing. Let's go." He growled.
He kept going in the same general direction, climbing out of the glade knowing he was getting close to the river. He didn't see anymore signs of the wolves in this area, so why had she kept running? There was no evidence of a kill or even that she'd been caught by them. Had she climbed a tree to wait them out? He checked the surrounding trees for any suitable to be climbed by a little girl and though there were a few, none showed any signs of being climbed. It occurred to them as his calves began to slowly warm up from the intense incline that perhaps Sophia had been trying to gain higher ground so she could see the lake above the trees and know where to go.
"What the hell?" he asked to himself softly. He'd just climbed a small cliff where the water coming over the fifteen foot drop had completely frozen over, halting its progress. The rest of the river was also completely locked in ice as well but that wasn't what he was concerned with. There was blood spattered against several of the rocks, and even from this distance on the opposite bank of the river he could see there was broken branches and signs of a fight. Had the wolves caught up to Sophia and killed her there?
He crossed the slick but solid ice onto the opposite bank and looked at the closely packed trees for markings, letting them tell him what had happened. There was blood spilt on their trunks, scraped away bark and snapped edges on their branches. He scraped away the snow at the ground near one of them while Shane watched him with an almost frustrated expression.
"You know you could help me out here instead of standing around like a frozen piece of meat." Daryl grunted as he heaved away two or three feet of snow that had fallen during the night.
Shane rolled his eyes but crouched down to help, scraping away more of the soft powder and throwing it to the side to reveal a square foot of earth. And there in that earth were kick marks. Scrapes. A tiny piece of circular plastic that Daryl recognized immediately as a piece of shoestring.
"She was here." Daryl murmured softly. The scrapes led deeper into the woods. "She was here and she was dragged this way."
He followed the signs of a struggle and almost immediately it became abundantly clear this wasn't the work of wild animals. Wolves could move around their wintry habitat without leaving such an obvious trail. Humans, and several of them- adults with heavy shoes made this if the scrapes on some of the roots were any indication. His heart beat hard in his chest.
"Someone took her. A group rather." He said, standing up and looking at Shane. "You said you found another trail last night?"
The man nodded. "Yeah. Much further down the valley but in this direction." He answered.
Daryl looked up through the spidery canopy above his head. The thick cloud cover made it difficult but he'd had enough practice to know where the sun had risen this morning. He turned his body North to better orient himself. Sophia's trail headed towards his right, which would be East. Camp was towards the West, swinging South a little.
"Come on. Rick might be right. There could be others in these woods. Maybe they found her and took her in." Daryl said with a hurried nod. He picked up the pace moving quickly and heading East. He realized the wider, better marked trail had posts of wood dotting along it and the going itself was physically much easier. It occurred to him that was probably an actual hiking route. Perhaps whoever had found Sophia was familiar with the area or had set up roots here in some fashion, similar to the way Benjamin had.
The trail led them to a diverging path at the edge of a hundred plus foot cliff. They could head North where it would make a very gradual swing East down the side of the mountain again, or they could go South, a much sharper, more dangerous route towards the lake. Daryl paused at the cliff's edge, daring to glance over it. He wasn't really afraid of heights, but that would be a helluva nasty drop, with all kinds of rocks and debris to break your bones or impale yourself on as you went tumbling down.
"What now?" Shane asked, his teeth grinding a little in response to the fierce wind that had just picked up.
Daryl was trying to think of an answer when he saw Shane coming towards him out of the corner of his eye. His instincts pricked the back of his neck, warning them that there was something off about this situation. Like an animal that knows its about to be hunted. He loosened the strap on his buck knife subtly, making sure he kept his eyes locked on Shane at all times.
"You know this is pointless." Shane said quietly. "I'm not trying to be a hard ass or cut and run, but damn it man, look at this place. Do you really think Sophia would have survived out in this?"
Anger roiled in Daryl's veins like acid burning skin. "What the hell do you mean? Were you not listening? Someone took this little girl, maybe hostage for all we know! And you wanna pussyfoot now and go back to camp? Christ man, we're close, I can feel it!"
Shane rolled his eyes coldly. "Sure you feel it man. Whatever. I'm just being honest. Honest and realistic."
Daryl let out a snarled breath, unable to take this bullshit anymore. "No, you're a fucking lazy coward, Shane! Afraid to be responsible for anything! Afraid to take charge and make the hard calls and do the work to keep this group safe and together! And then you whine about how Rick orders you around like a bitch, well guess what, you are one! Fox has bigger balls than you do for Christ's sake!"
Shane's eyes flashed murderously. "Oh and you think you're so tough? You're so damn lucky Rick didn't see you and Merle together before he showed up to camp or you wouldn't be such a favorite of his now!" he hissed. "You let Merle brow beat you and kick you in the balls just as bad as Ed used to beat Carol! You were your big brother's bitch Daryl! I wouldn't be one bit surprised if he used to sneak into your tent and fuck you like the inbreeds you are! And you wanna tell me about taking charge? You wanna talk to me about being a man? Well fucking come on and prove it then!" His voice had deepened to a throaty growl and his eyes burned like black coals set to blaze.
Daryl snapped. The last of his control, the last of his thin shred of patience to put up with this asshole was gone. All he wanted now was to hurt him and to make him eternally sorry that they had ever crossed paths. He lunged for the man and struck him hard in the jaw with a tight knuckled fist, cracking Shane so hard his entire body spun around. Daryl pounced, trying to drag Shane to the ground to beat him into oblivion. They wrestled with each other, trying to keep their footing and to stop from going over the edge of the cliff, digging in their feet and knocking their heads around as strong fingers bit and clawed and fists tried to crush bones. Daryl stomped his foot onto Shane's causing the man to howl like a coyote with it's foot in a trap. He raised his knee up and tried to shatter the bone of his nose against his kneecap but Shane had reached around him and gripped the handle of his buck knife and yanked it free from its sheathe and in the process tore a long gash from his hip all the way up to his ribs. Daryl cried out as the intense pain bloomed up his side and flank, blood gushing free from the wound, dripping down his side in a warm scarlet river.
Shane staggered away at the sight of what he'd done. He still held the buck knife in his hand, blood sliding down the blade, dripping on the snow with crimson clarity.
"You bastard!" Daryl snarled, refusing to put his hand on the wound or to show how bad it really hurt. He reared himself up to his full height and lunged at Shane again, this time snagging the man's wrist and twisting it up his back, slamming Shane in his chest even as the bone snapped and the man let out a guttural grunt of pain and dropped the buck knife into the snow. Daryl dove for it, wrapping his handle around the blade and lunging up, about to gash Shane open when the man shoved against his side and pushed him clean over the edge of the cliff. Daryl let out a strangled cry of surprise and panic as his body free fell through the air before his back slammed onto a rock and he completely lost his breath as he continued to tumble down the cliff, picking up speed, going end over end. Had he been able to breathe properly he would have yowled with pain as a jagged rock cut open his arm as he tried to slow his descent to no avail. The impact of his body, especially on his injured side, caused unbelievable waves of agony to rip through him. At last he gave up trying to slow his descent and used one hand to grip the knife, the other to try and shield his head as he rolled like a snowball down the cliff. He slammed twice more, cracking at least two of his fingers as his hand was caught between his knife and a rock, and then finally the last hit that sent him tumbling into a bank of snow at the edge of the cliff was directly to his diaphragm and lungs.
He struggled to breathe, the wind having been kicked out of him and the immense pain roaring over every inch of his body was like a hammer straight to his lungs. He tried to inhale and another spear of torture ran through him. Panic began to constrict his conscious mind even as he writhed in the freezing pile of snow, struggling to get up to get off his back and relieve some of the pressure so he could breathe.
Move Daryl, move! You'll die if you stay like this! Get up you fucking pussy, move!
His arm flailed across his chest, causing a searing pain to roar through him but it didn't matter. He struggled to right himself, feeling like a turtle on its back, completely unable to coordinate his limbs. Terrified he had snapped his spine and that he was now paralyzed, he tried his best to remember how to move his feet. He felt his toes curl inside his boots and a tiny bit of relief stole through him. It gave him the will to roll to his side and get his better hand under him to force himself up. He lurched and almost landed face first into the snow but his knees held and he tried to inhale. Pain rocketed through him but he was able to get in the tiniest breath. As he took that breath his lungs convulsed and he coughed so hard he retched, spitting up blood, the scarlet droplets spraying on the snow, a sharp, dangerous contrast. His head swam as the pain continued to beat him like blacksmith's hammer on a red-hot piece of metal. He sucked in another breath and his back bowed upwards as he gagged again, spittle dripping down his lips but with another round of coughing which although caused immense pain, his lungs seemed to loosen and he could finally breathe a little easier. He staggered back onto his un-injured side and laid still in the snow, not even caring about how cold it was. It felt so good just to breathe. But soon after this revelation, the rest of the pain came back to greet him as well, chief amongst the aches the wound in his side which was still leaking blood. His pants and his shirt were already stained red and dimly he was aware of it pooling on the snow underneath him, turning the white powder crimson. He could feel more of the same liquid dripping down the side of his face from a gash near his hairline. It was threatening to spill into his eye but he couldn't be bothered to wipe it away. It hurt too much to move.
He collapsed back onto his uninjured side and lay there, letting the snow bank support him and even though it was freezing cold, he barely noticed. He actually felt relatively warm for some reason. Like he was underneath a blanket and the heat was creeping into him steadily. He managed to get his eyes open and stare up at the sky, the cold iron grey sheet above him reminding him he was stranded in the woods with his body torn open and at least one broken bone.
He wandered in and out of consciousness for a while, each time he felt himself on the verge of sleeping (which his self preservation instinct warned him would be a sleep he would never wake up from) he twitched some part of himself to stay awake. Once he tried to get back up to his feet but he just ended up collapsing back into the snow, the soft powder icy against his cheek. He rolled back onto his back and stared up at the sky again.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"
Daryl's eyes jerked open. He knew that voice. He'd known it all his life. The voice he had wanted to hear so much and yet had dreaded to face.
"Merle." He murmured quietly, as if he were half asleep. Bent over him he saw his big brother glaring down at him, Merle's winter sky blue eyes cold as the snow packing him in a meat cooler. His facial expression was his usual mix of contempt and sneered humor, muscled shoulders straining against his leather jacket that he always wore whenever he went riding on his bike. The bike that Daryl had taken without his permission…shit…Merle was gonna kick his ass for that…
"What's going on here baby brother? Get a little sleepy, decided to take a nap?" he asked, his rough, teasing but somewhat still menacing tone crawling through Daryl's ears like a parasite.
"Shitty day bro." Daryl said, trying to keep his eyes open. He could see Merle's face above him and the sky behind him, but both were fuzzy and slipped in and out of focus.
"Awww, that's too bad. Want me to run the bubble bath for you and light some scented candles? Maybe bring you dinner in bed afterwards?"
"Fuck off." Daryl growled. God damn it, why did Merle always have to make fun of him? He was legitimately hurt for Christ's sake. Why did he have to be such an asshole?
"Nah, you're the one who's fucked by the looks of things little brother. And for what?" He sneered, without so many words telling him he was an idiot.
"Came out here looking for Sophia, Carol's little girl. She's gone…I'm trying find her." He told himself as much as he was telling Merle. There was a purpose, a reason to this fucked up mess he found himself in. Shane…Shane was an after effect. Shane was inconsequential right now. Sophia was still out there, maybe held against her will, in the cold, going hungry, suffering…he had to do something.
"How cute, Daryl's got himself a little girlfriend." Merle jeered. "About what I expected honestly. Never could get it up for anyone legitimate huh? Well, we all got our vices little brother. Although I gotta say, that's some nasty shit."
"Screw you. I got me someone. Someone better than your five dollar whores behind the bar." Daryl rasped. Oh it hurt so much to speak, to breathe, to even think, but it felt good to throw that back in his brother's face.
"Don't tell me you've gone queer. I'll beat that sorry shit out of you if it's the last thing I do." Merle snarled. Daryl's vision swam until he felt a sharp kick in the side of his leg, bringing him back up to speed.
"She's a girl! Baddest little woman any side of the Mason Dixon line. Fuck, even you'd like her. She could kick your ass from here to Houston, Merle." His head rolled from side to side in the snow as he tried to shake the image of his brother's face from his eyes and remember what it was like when Fox would lay herself against his chest and keep him warm after a long, cold, unsuccessful hunt.
"Well is that so? You got yourself a pussy to keep you entertained, and all of a sudden you forget about me? Cause I notice, you ain't been looking for ole' Merle no more." A threatening growl slipped in-between the words even as he tried to say he was hurt by Daryl's apparent lack of concern for him.
"I tried like hell to find you. But me and Rick and the group, we had to go! Georgia wasn't safe anymore. Them things we're pickin' us off left and right." He panted. He remembered the horrible screams, the gushing of blood over blackened teeth as his friends were ripped apart right in front of him. Jim, Amy, Jacquie, Morales and his boy, T-dog, Beth…all of their faces blurred across his eyes and he squeezed them shut trying to block it out.
"So? Is Rick and those other pansy ass faggots more important to you than me? The only one who's ever cared about you in your whole miserable life? The only one who ever gave a shit about you?" Merle paused and tilted his head down at Daryl. "Is this the same Rick that cuffed me to the rooftop in Atlanta? The one that forced me to use a dull saw to hack off my own hand?" Merle's voice had dipped to a dangerous snarl.
"You didn't have to do that." Daryl insisted weakly. "Rick and I… we went back for you. All you woulda had to do was wait. We did right by you."
"You didn't do jack shit boy." Merle growled. "You let out the first chance you get, following Rick around like an obsessive virgin." He paused for a moment, tilting his head down at Daryl, a cold humor in his eyes. "You his bitch now?"
Daryl's eyes fluttered open and stared back at Merle with as much anger as he could muster. "I ain't nobody's bitch."
"Sure you are. Look at you. Lying in the dirt like a used rubber. And for what? You came out here to find some kid who went and got themselves lost. And by the looks of things, whoever you was fightin' with prior to your little roll down the cliff bent you over and fucked you up good and hard. You're gonna die out here little brother, and ain't anybody gonna cry tear number one for your worthless ass."
Daryl's teeth gritted but he couldn't muster up the strength to speak in that moment. It was like the wind had been ripped out of him all over again. Thin red rage colored the edges of his vision but it wasn't enough to get him moving, just enough to leave him paralyzed with frustration. But he fought through it. He hadn't come this far to roll over now.
"You best shut the hell up or I'm gonna come over there and kick your ass."
Merle chuckled and kicked his leg again causing a wave of pain to roll through him. "Go on and try it baby brother. See how far you get. It's gotten you to the bottom of a cliff with your guts hanging out turning you into an all you can eat buffet for the wolves and the Walkers."
It was then that Daryl opened his eyes wider and looked past Merle. He thought he saw a twitch of motion at the edge of the cliff over his head and a pair of lamp like yellow eyes staring down at him. Panic began to eat its way into his heart again and he snapped his gaze back over to his brother.
"Now you listen to me, Daryl." Merle reached down and took his chin in his hand and jerked his eyes back down to meet with Merle's. "The only one who has ever cared about you, or is ever gonna care about you in your whole miserable life is me. And you owe me everything you got. So get up on your feet, before I come over there and kick your teeth in."
When Daryl didn't move Merle kicked his leg again, causing a ripple of hurt to go through him. He kicked again and then grabbed his shoulders, smacking him across the face.
"Didn't you hear me? I said get up! Get your lazy ass up!"
Daryl's eyes snapped open again and now he was alone. It was just the frozen air and howl of a starving wolf for company. His heart hammered in his chest and despite the wracking spasms of pain he forced himself to sit up. It was when he moved that he noticed how cold he was, his teeth immediately beginning to chatter.
His buck knife was lying in the snow behind him, blade still stained with blood. He swiped his fingers along the blade and licked the blood clean, the salty tang waking a deep hunger in him. He hadn't eaten this morning, too much in a hurry to find Sophia, and now he was badly injured and far from camp. He tried to gain his feet but staggered, having to catch himself on the icy rock bottom of the cliff to hold himself upright until the smallest bit of strength worked itself back into his legs. He was amazed they weren't broken, but the bad news that even though he could walk, his right hand was swollen and aching and it felt as though both the ring and pinky finger were broken. Judging by the way they were bent out of shape, if he didn't set them back straight soon, they'd heal crooked and be of no use to him. He sucked in a deep breath and buried his teeth into the meat of his upper left arm while he took both fingers in his left hand and pulled hard, straightening the crooked bones. A white hot blaze of agony seared through him so deep that he thought it would rip every last iota of strength out of him, so much so he did actually collapse again to his knees. He cursed and let out a deep, shaking breath, his fingers continuing to throb with heavy pulses of burning pain but at least they were straight now.
He forced himself back up to his feet and then checked his crossbow. Incredibly all of the parts were still functioning but half of his bolts had snapped or cracked on the way down the cliff. Where the hell was his gun? He'd had it strapped down to his leg but then he noticed that even the holster was missing. It must have torn free on the way down and was lying on a rock on the cliff somewhere. Great. So he was down to a buck knife, three metal bolts, with a broken hand and his body gashed open from hip to rib on his left side. The deepest part of the cut was in the meat of his flesh on his hip and was still leaking blood; the rest of the wound had stopped bleeding for the most part. He unzipped his outer jacket down to his second layer and then his under shirt, pulling it off, immediately beginning to shiver violently. He worked as fast as he could, using his buck knife to cut the sleeves off and tie them into a longer string while he folded the main body of the shirt and pressed it as tightly as he could to his hip. Then he took the sleeves and tied the cloth around himself, cinching it down as tightly as possible to help stabilize the wound and apply pressure despite the fact it hurt like hell. He sucked in another shivering breath and then quickly pulled his outer shirt on and buttoned up his coat, picking up his crossbow and resting it across his body on his good side, but even that caused an almost crippling amount of pain to go through him.
Judging by the looks of the sky, he only had a few hours left before dark. Rick would have been expecting him to be back by then, or shortly after. Shane had been the one to have the bloody flares, so there was no way to signal that he was injured and needed help. No one would come looking for him because they all knew that he preferred to be left alone, that he worked better alone…and Shane…Shane would make up some fucking story. Would he even tell him that he was dead? To make sure no one would come looking for him? He would…Daryl's gut told him so…that'd be just like him. It was a tragic accident, he slipped and tumbled down the cliff and broke his neck.
"Fuck you Shane!" Daryl snarled. "Fuck that. That is not happening. No. Hell…fucking…no."
He staggered up to his feet. He couldn't stay out here. He needed medical treatment and there was signs of yet even more snow about to fall. If he didn't make it back to camp by tonight, he would die out here, he was sure of it. Fortunately he could see a gap in the trees, and right in that gap was where the river was located. All he had to do was follow it back downstream and he'd reach the lake. If he was uninjured he could have made the trip back without a problem and reached camp by sundown, or maybe just a little after. Now he'd be lucky if he got there before midnight, but it didn't matter. He had to make it there. Fox was waiting for him. Carol was waiting for news on Sophia, and he actually had some to give her. There were no signs Sophia was dead. In fact every sign he found said she was still alive and with someone else. All they had to do was find out who and where and they would go and get her back.
He headed towards the gap in the trees, stumbling at first, blindly forcing one foot to go in front of the other. His stomach clenched with want of food but he ignored it and muscled through the impending exhaustion. He wasn't going to let Merle be right. He wasn't going to die out here. He wasn't going to let Shane leave him lying there in the snow without something to answer for. He wasn't going to leave Carol waiting and worrying, terrified for her daughter's life. And he wasn't going to break his promise to Fox. He wasn't going to leave her alone where that bastard Shane could get to her. She could take care of herself, but she had no idea the depths of his treachery. None of them did. He had to get to her, to the whole group, and expose what Shane had done, and he knew that if Shane didn't go for Rick, he would attack Fox, because Fox had his number, maybe even more so than anybody else in camp. Daryl had been blind-sided, unwilling to believe that Shane was truly capable of out right murder of someone he was unconnected with. Yes he was worried Shane might be plotting to harm Rick, but there were reasons for that. Aside from their spat over Fox on the first night at the plantation house, Shane had no reason to attempt to kill him. Something was going on with him, something deeper, something far more dangerous than jealousy. Something in him had snapped. Daryl didn't know what it was, and he didn't honestly care. The only thing that mattered was making it back to camp and making sure that the only people, one in particular, that he was willing to die for were safe.
