note: Sorry for the delay. Here's 29.
Don't own MSB or The Walking Dead or the title.
Enjoy!
under cover of darkness
by the ultimateSora
chapter twenty-nine
made to suffer
Carlos parked the Yukon as close as he could to one of the barriers outside of Walkerville without being seen. Dorothy Ann knew why he didn't want to get out and go with them, so she wasn't going to urge him to. His thousand-yard stare was the main sign of his PTSD. Janet wasn't even after him, yet she made him suffer. She didn't want to know what she was doing to Phoebe and Arnold.
"Where would Janet hold them?" Keesha asked. She took Carlos' hand and gave it a squeeze. "Babe, listen, I don't want to put you through more suffering, but we need to know if there was anything you might have heard."
He took a deep breath. "The cells were in the basement of city hall, but they won't be there. Janet was too excited about her prisoner. I heard some of the guards say something about the arena. They might be taken there."
Keesha nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "The arena it is. We'll be back, babe. Be ready."
As Tim and D.A. got out the back doors, she heard Carlos tell Keesha, "I love you. Come back to me."
Keesha grinned. "You got it."
"I mean it."
"So do I."
D.A. was glad they had one another, especially at a time like this. Tim led the way towards the barrier. There were two guards on top of the wall, and Keesha held up her sniper rifle. There was enough light from inside the town that she could see her targets. Neither guard was wearing a helmet, which made her kills easier. Bullet to each head. Done.
They followed the barrier around towards the arena. Carlos had parked close enough to it that running back wouldn't be a problem, if everything went mostly to plan. They heard eruptions of cheers and excited screams as they neared the arena. The doors were open, but there were no guards outside. They ran for the doors but stopped just outside of them, pressing themselves back against the wall.
"We make sure they're in there," Keesha said. "Once we see them, we throw some smoke bombs and grab them. Don't stop to fight unless engaged. If you can, just run. Getting Phoebe and Arnold out alive is our priority."
"Aye, Captain," Tim said.
"Shut up," Keesha said.
They readed their guns, and Keesha took two smoke bombs out from the bag Tim shouldered. They made their way inside, no one taking notice, if anyone had. The arena was filled with people watching the dirt area that used to be a basketball court. Each end had a mauler chained by the neck to a pole.
"Bring out the traitors!" a booming voice ordered.
Keesha saw them immediately. Phoebe was only wearing one of Arnold's sweaters while he was wearing a collared shirt, slacks and boat shoes. They were shoved out on the dirt, everyone booing and throwing things at them. Keesha knew it was now or never. Dorothy Ann and Tim nodded they were ready, D.A. holstering her gun as Tim shouldered his. Keesha threw the first smoke bomb, and they ran in. D.A. grabbed Phoebe as Tim grabbed Arnold, and Keesha opened fire on some guards coming at them. She threw the second smoke bomb once they were outside.
D.A. took her revolver out since Phoebe was grasping her left arm, and they tried not to look back as they kept running. An arrow whizzed passed them, which had Phoebe let go of her. She pulled D.A.'s knife from her holster and ran towards the shooter.
"Phoebe!" Arnold screamed.
Janet emerged from the smoke, Phoebe's crossbow in hand. "You're wanting this?" she asked, smirking.
Phoebe smirked back. "You forgot to reload."
With that, she stabbed Janet's upper arm. Janet screamed, dropping the crossbow, which Phoebe caught with one hand, and her glasses fell off. Phoebe yanked the knife out and stabbed Janet again in the face, getting her left eye. She screamed even louder as she fell to her knees.
"How does it feel, Janet?" she spat, pulling the knife out. "I refuse to let you break me, but I can break you!" She slammed the butt of her crossbow against Janet's nose, blood erupting from her nostrils. "You're lucky I'm letting you live. That's the only mercy I'm giving you because I'm not you."
Janet was crying from the pain, unable to respond. Phoebe backed away and broke into a run when she heard gunfire. The others began shooting at guards coming towards them, and it was clear that their group had more practice when it came to running and shooting. They hit all of the guards without a scratch on them.
"Over the wall!" Keesha shouted.
"Get them!" Janet screamed, her voice cracking. "I want Terese's head on a spike!"
Keesha covered the other four as they ran up the steps and jumped down the barrier. She came up behind them, and the five ran for the woods. Phoebe was glad to see her arrows were still in the quiver. She reloaded as she ran, knife between her teeth. Her bare feet were getting cut by the sticks and rocks on the ground, but she didn't let that slow her down.
Tim led them back to the Yukon, and they didn't hesitate to jump in. Carlos took off once they were all in, and Keesha turned to see no one following them. "We're clear," she said, panting.
Phoebe leaned forward and patted Carlos' shoulder. "Drop me off in the village. I need to bring Mikey that fuel."
"Are you serious?" Carlos snapped.
"I'm not letting a job go unfinished! I told Mikey I'd get him that fuel, so I'm getting him that fuel!"
"Just do it, man," Tim said.
Carlos was hesitant, but he nodded. Keesha reached over and took his hand. "It won't happen again."
She knew he was thinking about when Janet took them. Janet was in Walkerville with one eye and a broken nose. It wouldn't happen again, and if it did, they were all armed. The sun was beginning to come up when Carlos drove in to the village, and they saw the other Yukon. He tried not to look at the ripped clothes on the ground, knowing the memory would make him sick.
Phoebe got out, Dorothy Ann and Keesha going with her. She picked up her boots that were still there, and she slid them on. The fuel was still in the Yukon, and the three got in, Phoebe driving behind Carlos as they headed back to the prison. Everyone noticed the lights on between the fences, and the gate automatically slid open when they drove up. It closed behind them, and the second gate did the same.
The six went inside the cell block to find Ralphie sitting in the common area with Hershel and Mikey. He looked up when he heard them come in, and he and Phoebe ran to one another, grabbing the other in a tight hold. Phoebe pulled away when his hands touched her back.
"Are you okay? What happened? What did they do to you?" he asked.
"I'm fine now," she said. "But..." She swallowed. "They know where we are."
Ralphie rounded on Arnold. "You told your cousin, didn't you?"
Phoebe pushed him back. "I told. Arnold was going to be shot if I didn't."
"You should have let them shoot him."
"Hey!" Arnold snapped, stepping forward. "What's done is done! We need to decide what to do now."
"This is your fault to begin with!" Ralphie snapped at him.
"Stop!" Hershel ordered. He used his crutches to get up and stand. "The boy is right: What's done is done. I say we pack up and get out of here and as far as we can."
Phoebe shook her head. "And go where? We can't be nomads again. I say we fortify this place and be ready for a fight. We have Arnold and D.A. back and in fighting form. With Axel and Oscar, we have a good sized force. We should start fortifying the catwalks, perimeter fences, and guard towers." She looked at Mikey. "I have that fuel for you, like I promised. Make sure the gates are locked. You all are welcome to join me in getting ready for a battle."
There was a slight pause before Keesha said, "I saw plywood in the courtyard."
"I have tools and sheet metal in my workshop," Mikey said.
Ralphie sighed. "Then let's get this place ready for battle." He looked at Hershel and gestured to Arnold and Phoebe. "Can you patch these two up?"
Hershel nodded, and Mikey got the medical supplies for him as he washed his hands. Phoebe turned to Ralphie. "I want to help."
"Your face is busted, and don't think I could ignore the blood on your back," Ralphie said. "Get cleaned up and dressed first."
Arnold looked at Hershel. "Her injuries are worse. I'm going to get my things." He walked out, Mikey just behind him.
Dorothy Ann watched them go before she got a clean washcloth from the shelf. "I'll help with Pheebs." She smiled at her. "I'll clean the dry blood off of you."
Phoebe smiled back. "Take the knife off first?"
D.A. chuckled. "Good idea."
She took off the metal sleeve, setting it on the table. Phoebe went to lie down on one of the cots. She saw Hershel gather the supplies he'd need from the box Mikey brought, and Dorothy Ann came in to view as she came over to the cot, damp washcloth in hand. She was gentle as she raised the sweater up.
Her eyes watered when she saw the first marks on Phoebe's thighs. Fortunately, they weren't deep, but they had bled a little. Most of the blood on her thighs wasn't from those marks, which made her worry about what she'd find as she continued to raise the shirt. She gently dabbed the cloth on the raw skin, and she set the cloth down so she could raise the sweater again. The marks grew longer, deeper, and more raw the higher she went. She had one lash across the top of her butt, which was parallel to the marks across the small of her back. The worst were in the middle of her back and on her shoulder blades, where most of the blood had come from.
How was she not crying out in pain? How was she able to sit at all? Sure, her adrenaline could factor in her lack of pain, but these wounds were so awful, she had to feel some pain. Phoebe pulled the sweater off completely, wincing when the fabric was pulled away from the dried wounds. Fresh blood appeared, which D.A. dabbed away.
"How are you so calm?" D.A. asked. "If I had these marks, I'd be crying in pain."
Phoebe grinned. "Says the girl who cut her own arm off."
"That was nothing. I was high on mauler saliva."
"Still, you did what you had to, no matter how much it literally hurt, just like me."
D.A. clenched her jaw. "Janet will pay for what she did to you and Arnold and Carlos. If you don't kill her, I will."
"Get in line." Phoebe took a breath when D.A. dabbed one of the larger slashes. "At least she's incapacitated for now. She only has one eye."
D.A. saw when Phoebe stabbed her in the eye. "So long, depth perception." She put the washcloth aside and got up. "Time for Hershel to put some antibiotic on you."
She nodded to Hershel, and she carried the box of medical supplies as he used his crutches to get over to Phoebe's side. He sat down on the second cot and took out the antibiotic cream and a cotton swab. D.A. knelt down beside the cot on Phoebe's other side and gently wiped the dirt and dried blood from her face.
"These marks on your thighs and lower back don't need bandages, but the ones on your upper back will," Hershel said.
"Okay," Phoebe said, closing her eyes.
"I'm going to get her some fresh clothes and a blanket," D.A. said, standing up.
"Nothing that will cover her back for now," he said. "The fabric could aggravate the wounds."
She nodded and went up to Phoebe's room-cell. She opened her duffel bag and dug around for some cleaner clothes. She took out a pair of panties and decided to grab one of Ralphie's t-shirts for her to wear like a nightgown so she wouldn't have to worry about pants. She grabbed the fleece blanket from the cot and went to Ralphie's room-cell, getting a t-shirt Patricia had recently washed. She knew he wouldn't have minded.
D.A. came back and helped Phoebe slide the pair of panties on. She tried not to touch the thigh marks, and when that was done, she put the blanket on Phoebe's legs, covering just below the thigh marks. Phoebe took Ralphie's t-shirt and put it under her. She winced as Hershel put the gauze on the larger slash marks, and he told her to stay there and not over exert herself while her back healed.
The cuts on her face weren't bad, her worst injuries being her bruised, swollen right eye and bruised lump on her cheek, so she didn't need any bandages. Arnold came in with his rifle and suitcase in hand, and he set his things down before walking over to Phoebe.
"How's the back?" he asked.
She grinned. "Never better."
Hershel looked up at Arnold. "Time to clean you up."
Arnold took the box of medical supplies to the table for Hershel as he got up and used his crutches to move. D.A. sat on the cot when Hershel moved to the table, and she reached over to give Phoebe's head a gentle scratch, which relaxed her. Hershel applied butterfly closures to Arnold's lip and eyebrow. Bruising was the main injury Arnold had, so he was patched up fast.
"I'm going to go help everyone outside," he said, getting up.
Phoebe tried sitting up. "I-"
"No," D.A. and Arnold both said.
"You need to rest if you hope to have a recovered back," D.A. said. "I'll stay here with you."
"I'm going to step outside, too," Hershel said. "See if there's anything an old man can do."
Phoebe turned her head and looked up at him. "Thanks, Hershel...for everything."
He nodded. "Not a problem. You kids have grown to be like grandchildren to me. Least I can do."
Phoebe smiled. "We would've all been dead long ago if not for you."
"I'd be dead if not for your brother." He winked. "We'll call it even."
He and Arnold went outside, leaving the girls to finally able to have a moment alone together. They didn't get to have a proper reunion, but now they could. D.A. pushed the cots together and laid as close as she could to Phoebe.
"What happened to your arm?" Phoebe asked, breaking the silence. She reached over and took D.A.'s right hand.
"After the baby was born, I went to make sure the hall was clear for Patricia, Wanda, and the baby. I found a small group of maulers I was able to take out with my knife. Unfortunately, one of them bit my hand before I sent the knife into its head. I became disoriented and stumbled down some stairs. I went down the hall, and I began feeling like I had a fever. More maulers came at me, and I shot them before stabbing them.
"The last one I killed bit my wrist before I stabbed it. I collapsed into a small room and knew the only way I was going to live was if I cut my arm off." She held up her bandaged stump. "I tied my belt around my arm," she showed where, "and stabbed my knife through the skin. The fever made me delirious enough that I didn't feel the pain, but I was lucid enough to know what I was doing. It felt like I was down there forever until Ralphie, Tim, and Robbie found me."
Phoebe's eyes widened. "Oh, my God."
D.A. gave her hand a squeeze. "I'm all right. The fever went away when the arm came off, but dehydration was the main worry. Keesha fixed me up and gave me water, which helped. Ralphie...he didn't want to leave my side, but after I was bandaged, watered, and cleaned up, he finally let me rest. When I woke up, that's when I heard about you and Arnold. I got dressed and came downstairs, ready to go rescue you."
Phoebe giggled. "My knight in argyle armor."
D.A. smiled. "What was the house you put me in? From those books you read?"
"House Tyrell because you're beautiful and intellegent and know your politics, like Margaery Tyrell, though you'd be my Knight of Flowers, which is what her brother Loras was called."
Whether Phoebe was aware or not, D.A. was trying to keep her relaxed and like her old self. Whatever happened in Walkerville had to have been traumatic, and Phoebe needed to decompress before she had to fully face those memories again. The best way to keep her mind relaxed was to talk about her favorite book series.
"I've missed these moments," D.A. said, rubbing her thumb along the top of Phoebe's hand. "Just us sitting together while you tell me about people and things in those books." She chuckled. "I remember how in junior high when everyone else was reading Harry Potter, you were reading A Song of Ice and Fire. What was it you said Harry Potter took from your books?"
Phoebe laughed. "Oh, God, you had to bring that up. I said that the crimson and gold lion sigil was the Lannisters' before it was Harry Potter's."
"To be fair, having read Harry Potter, the crimson and gold lion wasn't his sigil, it was his dorm's. Gryffindor's symbol was the lion, their colors crimson and gold."
"Well, then Gryffindor stole that from the Lannisters. Tywin Lannister wouldn't be happy to know that."
D.A. didn't know who Tywin Lannister was, just that he was a character, but she laughed with Phoebe. Their laughter died, and Phoebe heaved a sigh. "Arnold hasn't met Jane Snow yet."
D.A. knew "Jane Snow" was a reference to A Song of Ice and Fire, somehow. "How do you think he'll respond to her?"
"He'll love her at first sight. I know he will. I also know he's never going to ignore her for my sake, and I don't want him, too, but... It's- it's still painful. I don't think I'll ever be over it, unless he and I had a child together."
"You know that would be risky. Wanda was fortunate to have a healthy baby and pregnancy, considering the circumstances, and she had Patricia there with her."
"I know it would be risky and dangerous. I even told him a long time ago it would be, that chances were I might not survive the birth, but at the same time, I want to have his children."
"First things first," D.A. said. "Let's try to survive the next few days."
Phoebe sniffled, and her tone went cold. "After what Janet did to me, I'm going to survive so I can finish her off."
D.A. patted her head, and they continued to lie there for another while, neither saying a word as they enjoyed the silence until Phoebe fell asleep.
Everyone was hard at work, putting sheets of metal and plywood up on the fences. Ralphie was at the first gate. He was wrapping chains around the ends, locking it in place so it couldn't be pulled open. Axel and Oscar were helping Keesha move the mauler corpses from the outer fence to the outside of the inner fence. If any maulers came close on the outside, they wouldn't come any closer than the second fence.
Mikey was adjusting the lights with some kind of remote controlled system, shining them on the treeline. Tim was inspecting the barriers they put up on the interor fence before he went up to the first guard tower to check on the metal barriers on the fence. Arnold went up to the catwalk where Carlos was nailing plywood to the fence wall. Without a word, he began helping him, the two fortifying it quickly. They moved on to another fenced enclosure, doing the same in silence.
"Thanks for saving Phoebe," Arnold finally said.
Carlos kept his eyes down as not to look at him. "I'd do anything to help out Slim. She's a good friend."
"I'm sorry you had to get dragged in to all of that."
Carlos continued to nail the plywood, still not looking at Arnold. "Wrong place, wrong time." Arnold was about to say something else, but Carlos cut him off, "I still think you're an asshole and no better than your sick bitch of a cousin. Don't think this means we're friends again, dick."
Arnold felt his stomach clench as he nailed a board. "Of course. I never expected that. I'm just grateful to you for saving Phoebe. She's the only one that matters to me."
"Wanda's my friend, too, you know."
"I know."
"You fucked them both over."
"I know."
Carlos let out a grunt as he jumped to his feet and shoved Arnold against the wall, his arm against his throat. He didn't care that Arnold was taller, especially since he himself was more muscular. "Do you? Do you know how bad you fucked them over? That pregnancy really messed up Wanda. She's not the same person anymore! And Pheebs...look at what your cousin did to her. What you did to her!"
Arnold looked down, not willing to fight back. "And I'll have to live with that...knowing I put them through shit when neither deserved it."
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't put a bullet in your head and leave you to the maulers."
The frantic wide-eyed look Carlos was giving him told him that he was taking his anger and disgust at Janet out on him. He knew there was a part of Carlos that was pissed at him, but this rage...this was him reacting to his trauma.
Arnold shook his head. "I don't have one."
Carlos sniffled and let him go. He clenched his jaw and stepped back, keeping his eyes down. "I have one. It'd hurt Pheebs if I killed you, and I don't want to hurt her. If you- if you do anything to hurt her- or Wanda- again, you won't just have Ralphie after you. I'll be in front of him, my gun loaded."
"I don't plan to hurt either of them."
Carlos wiped the tears and sweat on his face with the back of his hand. "Make sure that you don't."
They went back to work, both silent again. Once everything was fortified and secure, everyone out there met inside the fence by the vehicles. "I doubt they'll be attacking tonight," Ralphie said. "They'll be regrouping and deciding on their plan of attack."
"Not to mention what Pheebs did to Janet," Keesha said. "No one can revcover fast from losing an eye."
Ralphie raised his brows. "What?"
Keesha made a stabbing gesture. "Knife to the eye."
Ralphie shook his head, a look of pride washing over his face. "Damn. I'm shocked she didn't kill her."
A little of the old Carlos shone through when he said, "The earless makes one eyeless. An eye for an ear."
Everyone chuckled a quiet, nervous laugh. At least they still could, though. Ralphie cleared his throat and continued, "I figure the earliest they'll try to attack is tomorrow, but they may wait until Janet is in fighting condition. Let's get some rest tonight and be up early."
They all went inside. Phoebe was conked out on the cot as Arnold walked by. He stopped when he saw Patricia sitting at the table as she bottle fed the baby. "That's..." he started.
Patricia smiled when she heard him. "Yep."
"Does she have a name?"
"Nope."
He slowly walked towards Patricia. "How is she?"
Patricia looked up. "As healthy as a baby in this world can be."
He knelt down and gently ran his finger over the baby's head. "Hey, little girl. I'm...I'm your daddy."
"Li'l Asskicker" moved her eyes towards him and reached for his finger. She grasped it and shook it some. She let go when Patricia moved her so she could burp, and when she was done, Patricia handed her off to him.
"Support the head," she said.
He nodded and cradled "Li'l Asskicker." He moved to sit on one of the seats of the table, keeping his eyes on the baby. "I'm sorry I left, little girl. I promise I won't do that to you ever again."
Patricia got up to rinse off the towel "Li'l Asskicker" burped up on. "She knows you're her daddy."
"I just need to learn how to change her diaper and feed her."
Patricia smiled. "Maybe Ralphie can teach you. He and Phoebe have done most of the feedings and diaper changes, if I hadn't."
Of course Ralphie and Phoebe would know how to feed babies and change diapers. They changed Robbie's when he was a baby. He remembered them arguing over whose turn it was to change him, and the innocent memory made him smile.
"Phoebe's helped out with the baby?" Arnold asked.
"Oh, yes, many times. You'd think she was the mother."
That did shock him. She had told him she had fed and diapered her, but he figured it had just been one time. He held the baby a moment longer before setting her down in her box crib. Patricia carried the box to her room-cell, saying she didn't mind keeping the baby with her.
Arnold went to Phoebe's room-cell and laid on the cot, falling asleep fast.
note: Chapter title comes from the TWD episode of the same name.
Janet getting stabbed in the eye is of course based on what happens to the Governor on TWD.
