She stared at the house for what seemed like ages. It still looked the same, if not more pristine. It was hard to believe it could, especially after that fire damaged mess she left behind eight years ago. She let out a sigh, her jet black eyes staring through the menthol fog that emerged from her nose and cigarette. Her skirt billowed against the summer wind that blew from behind her. She watched, and listened through the rattling leaves and the hissing of cicadas to the sounds of thumping. Thump. Thump. Thump. Over and over again. It was light and muffled, but within rhythm.
She stepped out onto the yard, gripping the straps of both her messenger bag and her rifle as she treaded across the grass. She nibbled on the filter of her cigarette as she stepped up onto the porch. She looked down with raised eyebrows. New cherry-wood flooring, with a red oak swing set over in the corner. How nice.
She took one final hit before she flicked her cigarette to the ground, smothering it under her ankle boot. She let out a smoky exhale and stepped up to the front door, looking to her right at the small potted plant on the ground. She lifted it up with a smile, picking up the key that laid hidden underneath. The old man just couldn't break his old habits. She pressed the key into the lock and twisted it, carefully unlocking the door and stepping inside.
The door shut quietly behind her. She took a minute to look around at her old home. There was new furniture, new carpeting, and new floors. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath through her nose. That fresh paint smell was still strong in the air, mixed in with the scent of fresh plywood. She opened her eyes again. The place may have had different look, but the memories were still there. They still echoed in the walls she clawed at, the floors she was dragged across, and the little spaces she often hid in. A mere paint job didn't change any of that.
She stepped through the hall and made her way into the kitchen. She grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the island counter, casually biting into it as she made her way to the stairs.
She heard thumping again. Thump. Thump. Thump. It was coming from upstairs. Incessant thumping. She could hear voices. Muffled, harsh grunts and gasps. Her grip around the apple grew tight. He was with someone.
She made her way up the steps, listening to the wood creaking under her as she made her way to the top. The thumping sound continued as she made her way down the hall. She stopped in the first room on her right. Her "brother's" old room. The door was half open already. It didn't reveal the source of the thumping, but it did reveal a set of legs hidden under a cloth blanket. She smiled lightly and leaned into the doorway, looking down at the floor. Medical tubes were everywhere, all across the carpet, all leading up to one little machine with a bunch of numbers and lines on the screen. It beeped lightly, in tandem with the thumping noise that was still going on. Her eyes traveled over to the bed, and the body that was sleeping in it.
He was 24 now. He had gotten taller, his feet almost touching the end of his bed. His skin was all gnarled and pink with intense scarring. He was a giant scar, the result of when fire consumed flesh. He had no hair, and she could just barely make out the features of his face. He still had his eyes though, and his eyes shifted, looking over at the slender girl in the doorway.
She watched him for a minute. She watched as it slowly processed in his head. When it finally clicked, she smiled. He shifted and shook in his bed, rasping and huffing through the oxygen mask on his mouth. Poor boy couldn't talk, couldn't let out as much as a scream. Perfect.
She put a finger to her lips, letting out a soft "shhhh". An innocent smile formed on her lips for him before she stepped past his room and disappeared from his sight. She continued on towards the thumping noise. It was coming from the room at the very end of the hall. His room.
She stepped up to the door and paused, her fingers wrapped around the doorknob. This was it, the room where all her horrors started. They were still there, all those wretched memories. They still hid under the beds and hung in the closets.
She could hear the bed squeaking, huffing and heavy panting coming from the other side. She could hear his voice, grunting out demands for the poor creature that was under him.
She twisted the knob a little with ease. Unlocked. She twisted it further and slowly opened the door, revealing a scene she fully expected to see: A young blonde girl looking away in shame as the power hungry animal furiously rutted against her. He was so desperate to get off that he didn't even notice the bedroom door open up. Nor did he notice his worst nightmare standing behind it.
His eyes remained focused on the only part that mattered, watching his pride and joy enter in and out of her.
The young girl turned her head and watched, watched with desperate eyes as Kei mouthed for her to shush. Her Innocent, shame filled eyes of dull blue grew wide; watching as the girl stepped back into the darkened hall. Her footsteps barely made a sound.
"Get up!" The man above her growled. His large hands pulled her up to her knees and shifted her to where he wanted. He made her face the opened door as he continued his assault on her, not even bothering to look up and see that something was terribly wrong.
It was only when he heard a weapon cock that he looked up. A beautiful Asian pixie with shoulder length hair stood in the dimly lit hall. Her head tilted to the side as she raised her rifle, closing one eye and putting the other to the scope. She watched with a smile as his sweaty face went white as a sheet. He caught on quick.
"K-K…"
"Sh!" She whispered, staring at his sickened look with a soft smile, "This might hurt."
She pulled the trigger and held the rifle tight as it kicked back a little. The sound of a gunshot cracked in the air, bone fragments, brains, and blood splattered all over the window.
And then there was silence.
Kei lowered her rifle slowly, watching as her father's body toppled over and fell back into the pillows. The young girl in front stood up to her knees, her skinny arms folded over her chest. Her wavy blonde locks cascaded over her bony shoulders and covered part of her bruised face. One dull blue eye stared over at Kei's coal blacks. Neither of them said a word. The only stared at each other, listening to the howl of wind coming through the bullet hole in the window.
The girl stirred in her sleep, shivering at the feel of a hand gently running along her thigh. She felt a pair of lips gently touch her shoulder blade, fluttering their way up her neck to the shell of her ear. The sensation tickled her, making her giggle and curl up as the arms around her held her tight. She turned her head, her eyes fluttering shut as Daryl leaned over and kissed her cheek.
"Morning," She sighed.
"Mornin'," He mumbled, his voice husky with sleep as he kissed the side of her head, "I gotta get up."
"No," She groaned, turning her body over to face his. She placed her free arm over his torso, holding him close as she pecked his lips, "Stay."
"I gotta," He muttered between kisses, "Rick needs help."
She let out a small whimper in her throat, Daryl kissing the small pout on her lips.
"You gotta get up too, girl" He remarked, "We're preppin' the place today for when the Governor comes back."
He watched as her nose wrinkled and her lips twisted to the side. He gave her a faint smile, letting out a scoff as he shook his head.
"Little brat," he teased, leaning in and placing a final kiss on her lips. He carefully sat up at the edge of her bed, gathering his clothes up off the floor. Kei watched from the bed as he stood up to put his clothes on. Her eyes wandered, watching as the muscles in his back shifted behind the scarred skin. Her gaze fell over to the tattoo on his right shoulder blade; two demons clamoring their way up his back, placed pretty much in the same spot her dragon tattoo was. She smiled fondly; demons and dragons, a perfect match.
After getting dressed and leaving a small goodbye kiss on Kei's forehead, Daryl left her cell to go talk with Rick. After a few minutes, Kei finally rolled herself out of bed and got dressed before grabbing her weapons and heading outside.
She stepped into the security wing where breakfast was waiting for her. Sen was on top of the table, sitting cross-legged with a bowl of corn and tuna in his lap. Carol was sitting at the next table over, Judith resting peacefully on top in her little portable crib. The woman looked up from the baby and smiled over at the girl.
"Morning, sleeping beauty," She chirped. Kei smiled back, sitting down at Sen's table as he handed her some breakfast.
"Morning," She replied, looking over at the little tote, "How's Judith?"
Carol looked down at her, her smile light and soft in fondness.
"Doing alright. She's about as hungry as a horse," She answered, "Eats like one too."
The girl let out a scoff, looking over at the little bundle all wrapped up in blankets and stuffed animals. She really was a cute baby. She was going to be so pretty, just like Lori.
"You two mind watchin her for a tiny bit?" Carol asked, her voice ripping Kei from her thoughts, "I'm just gonna get her a change of clothes."
The two adults nodded, watching as Carol got up and went back into the cell block. Just as one cell door shut, another one swung open.
"Top o' the mornin, lovebirds!" A familiar voice hollered. Kei's muscles immediately tensed up, her dark eyes flicking over to the tall, one-handed man on the balcony. Merle made his way down the steps, his walk as smug as the look on his face. He approached the two at the table, bending over and leaning on it with his elbows.
"Hope y'all are ready for the big party," He said with a chuckle, "Y'all get a good sleep? I sure did."
Sen simply shrugged while Kei looked away, keeping her eyes glued to her bowl as she ate.
"Had a hard time at first though," Merle remarked, tossing his finger over in Kei's direction, "Could hear Wild Child over here going at it with my little brother last night."
Kei dropped her spoon into her bowl. Sen's eyebrows raised and his mouth dropped a little. Merle simply shrugged and smirked, completely overlooking their reactions.
"All that moanin' n' groanin' you two was doin' last night when you came back from watch," He went on to say, "Shoot, I could hear ya from all the way over here. Didn't think Daryl had it in him to stick it into a girl. Thought he woulda creamed his pants just by touchin' one."
"Uh, Merle," Sen warned slowly, earning the man's attention. The young Asian pointed over at Kei with his eyes, warning him to shut up before he had hell to pay. Merle looked over at the girl, the warning look in her dark eyes saying it all. The corner of his mouth quirked upwards before he turned and looked over at the small tote with writing on it.
"Lil Ass Kicker, huh?" He scoffed, knowing full well that Daryl had a part in the name, "How is the little sun spot?"
Kei watched him shift. He started walking over to the other table, nearing the baby.
"I wouldn't go over there," She warned.
"Come on now, girl, you can grace me with at least a minute to look at 'er," Merle assured.
"She's right man, don't go near that baby," Sen cautioned.
The man wasn't even two feet away when a menacing snarl came from behind the table. Merle tilted his head and looked underneath, large piercing eyes staring back at him. Ren stood up from her seat on the floor and snarled at the man, baring her fangs as she inched closer to him. Her back arched, her tail curled between her legs, and her eyes were dead set on his throat. She looked about ready to kill, and that made Merle hold up his hands and back away. He knew better than cross a wolf, let alone a motherly one.
"Easy there, Sparky," He soothed, "Easy…didn't mean to cross yer lil pup there."
Ren snapped at him, growling in her throat for him to get away. Merle happily obliged and slid back over to the other table, scoffing at the animal as it huddled near Judith's crib and eyed him visciously.
"Told you," Kei remarked, scooping up a mouthful of corn and putting it in her mouth.
"It's the only way," Rick assured, his steely blues looking into Daryl's, "No one else knows…"
"You gonna tell 'em?" Daryl asked, watching as his leader shook his head.
"Not til after," He answered, turning his head to look out at the fence lined with walkers, "We have to do it today…It has to be quiet."
The hunter nodded, his jaw bobbing lightly as he shifted and paced a little in place. His eyes fell to the pavement before looking back up at Rick.
"You got a plan?"
"We tell her we need to talk," Rick answered as he walked up to the hunter, "Away from the others…"
Daryl's eyes flicked over to Hershel. The old man gave him a knowing look and dipped his head low, showing his disproval without saying a word. Daryl's eyes flicked back over to Rick's. He shook his head, shrugging,
"Just ain't us, man,"
"No, no it isn't," Hershel voiced, pushing himself off with his crutches. The two men watched as the old man hobbled away towards the cell block. Rick went back to looking at Daryl and the hesitant look in his eyes. He leaned in,
"If we do this, we avoid a fight," He asserted, "No one else dies."
Kei and Judith instantly came to mind. If he did this, neither of them would have to die. If he did this, the rest of his group would be safe.
But for how long?
He nodded his head, still pacing hesitantly as he looked into Rick's eyes.
"Kay," He agreed, watching as Rick swayed a little in hesitation.
"...We need someone else."
Daryl knew what he wanted and looked to the ground, nodding his head.
"I'll talk to him," He offered, but Rick was quick to shoot him down,
"I'll do it,"
Daryl stepped forward,
"I'll go with ya—"
"No," Rick retorted with a nod of his head, "Just me."
He turned around and stalked back towards the cellblock. Daryl lagged behind, taking a couple slow steps after him. He gripped on the strap of his crossbow, staring at Rick as he walked with assertion. He was really planning on going through with it; handing someone over to the enemy, all for a small chance of survival. He never even got a chance to talk to the guy, but just by looks alone, he could tell that the Governor didn't like to play fair. He wasn't going to keep his word. He wasn't honorable, not like Rick. Surely Rick could see that, couldn't he?
Everyone was out getting the prison ready for attack. Sen, Carl, and Glenn were outside in the courtyard, helping Michonne assemble tire spike strips from barbed wire and sharpened sticks. Maggie was gathering pots and pans, Beth was off tending to Judith, and Carol was in the security wing tending to the guns and ammo. Kei walked into the cell block with Ame at her side, the grey wolf trotting along the concrete floor. He stopped suddenly and perked up, tilting his head in curiosity. Kei stopped as well and looked around. White chunks of cotton and tattered strips of leather were scattered everywhere. Mattresses from the bunks of unoccupied cells were dragged out and torn up in the center. Kei furrowed as she cautiously stepped through the mess. She made it to the stairs when she heard voices. Men were muttering above her in one of the upper cells.
"You know, when we'd go on runs," Merle sighed, "He'd bash someone's skull or slit someone's throat, he'd say 'never waste a bullet'. Yeah, I always thought it was just an excuse…"
Kei's eyebrows knitted together, her lips pursing as Merle went on,
"You go on, give him that girl," He coaxed, "Hell, give him the Asian one too. He ain't gonna kill 'em, ya know. He's just gonna…do things to 'em. Michonne'll be first. He'll probably take out one of her eyes, both of 'em most likely."
She didn't hear the other man say anything. She heard Merle scoff.
"He's gonna save Demon Wolf for last; gonna make her his little chew-toy," He remarked slowly, letting it sink in for the listener, "You'd let that happen to 'em, for a shot…You cold as ice, officer friendly."
Kei's eyes fell to the concrete before looking over to the cellblock door. Quietly, she slipped away as Rick and Merle continued to talk above her. She heard Merle call Rick out, saying that he didn't have the stomach for giving the two of them up. If he had said that a year ago, she might have agreed with him; but after seeing what he had done to Andrew and Tomas in the tombs, she wasn't so sure now. He was willing to do whatever it took to keep the group safe. If giving up her and a stranger meant the lives of eight other people, including his daughter and son were safe, something deep in the pit of her gut told her that he just might do it.
Kei left the cellblock and walked out onto the courtyard. She saw Daryl, Glenn, and Michonne up ahead, loading the makeshift spike strips onto the truck. Beth took the driver's seat and turned on the ignition, holding a thumbs up out the window to signal she was ready. Maggie and Carl walked out from the cellblock with pots and ladles in their hands, Ame following Carl's side closely. Kei quickly rushed up to the three by the truck, watching as they shoved the final strip across the bed.
"We taking them out?" She asked, watching as Glenn turned and nodded.
"Better now than never," He answered, turning around to give Michonne a hand and lift her up. The woman shouldered her katana and took Glenn's hand, lifting herself up and onto the truck bed.
"We need to set up as soon as we can," She explained, "Knowing the Governor, he's gonna try and get the jump on us, arrive sooner than we expect."
Kei nodded lightly, turning to watch Maggie and Carl walk up beside her.
"Want us to start drawing them off?" Carl asked, looking up to the dark skinned woman on the truck. Michonne looked out towards the courtyard, walkers roaming about all over the place. She turned to Carl and nodded before looking over to Kei.
"We're gonna need you to help clear the strays while Maggie and Carl distract the rest," She informed, "Daryl and Glenn will set down the strips along the gravel path."
Carl and Maggie nodded and bolted off towards the corridor of fencing, Ame trotting along beside them.
Sen waited patiently over by the gate, watching as Kei took Daryl's hand and made her way into the truck. Beth revved the engine a little and pulled forward, Daryl signaling over to him to open the gate. The lanky Asian quickly unlocked the chain and pulled the gate open, stepping back as the silver truck slowly pulled through and made its way down the road.
Sen watched from the fence line as Maggie and Carl screamed their heads off in the lower courtyard. They stood along the fence inside the corridor of wire, banging their pots and pans rapidly. They shouted with all their heart, and the dead answered their calls. Walkers began staggering towards them, packs of them slamming their rotted bodies up against the fence. They all snarled and hissed at the two in hunger, some even attempting to chew through the wire. Sen was in awe. It was weird to think that those things were once people; people with lives, a family, and memories. He could still see echoes of who they were behind their dead, sickly faces and tattered clothing.
It was so weird to think that these things were once people.
"Mom!" He yelled out as he staggered into his home. Sen slammed the door shut and pinned his back up against it, listening as several steely hands clawed and pounded against the wood. He quickly locked the door and wiped his sweaty forehead, whimpering as the growls and hisses grew louder. He could hear screaming going on in the streets, along with skidding tires and shattering glass. This thing, whatever it was, had come out of nowhere. People were going crazy, eating each other and tearing each other limb from limb. It was complete chaos outside. People were killing each other over food and supplies in the grocery stores, the streets were packed with crashed cars and dead bodies. He had barely escaped work with his life. The hospital was overrun with military men slaughtering doctors and nurses in the halls. He had only managed to get out because Kei's cousin and a group of nurse co-workers had lead them through the escape route. He told Kei's family that they were to take the first flight out to Japan and stay there in the mountain village. There were currently no reports of any virus, so there was a chance it was still safe. Sen however, felt he knew better. He could only fathom being trapped on a plane for 14 hours with a chance of infected people being on board. He knew that his safest bet was to take refuge at Fort Benning, and he made sure Kei knew that too before they separated.
"Meet me there, okay?!" Sen yelled over the mass hysteria, "Keiko! Meet me there! Swear it!"
"I'll try!" Kei called back, holding onto her little sister for dear life as they sprinted for their car. He'd never forget the look on her face through the window of her car as it sped down the road. That was the last time he saw her.
He jumped when he suddenly heard glass break. A bloody hand reached through the side window and tried latching onto his wrist. He stumbled to the side a little and got his head back in gear. The three of them had to leave, and fast.
"Mom! Dad!" He cried out as he picked up his backpack. He began running around the house frantically gathering up what he could. He grabbed food, medicine, toiletries, his chargers, everything from his top six favorite dvds to his little stash of bud he kept hidden underneath his mattress. After filling up one backpack, he grabbed his late brother's old military rucksack and began filling it with clothes (not caring at this point if they were clean or dirty).
"Guys! We gotta pack!" He picked up his bags and left his room, running down the hall towards the stairs, "It's getting crazy out there! People are fucking killing each other in the streets, we gotta-"
He stopped at the end of the steps. He stood there, his mind seeming to shut down. Everything went strangely quiet. Time seemed to stand still around him.
His parents hung together from the indoor balcony railing above him.
He let go of his bags, letting them drop with a loud thud. Two sets of milky eyes stared in his direction, bony arms slowly lifting themselves to reach out for him. They thrashed about like fish on a hook, growling and hissing at their living son still frozen in terror and confusion. They gnashed and growled at him like wild, rabid animals. These weren't his parents, they were...
"M..." The words felt too heavy to leave his lips. He shook his head and stepped forward, stopping when he felt something under his shoe. He stepped back a little and looked down.
It was toilet paper. A long line of toilet paper that stretched from the top of the stairs all the way down to his feet. There were was a message written in shaky black marker in his father's traditional hiragana, over and over and over:
GO SEN! YOU CAN MAKE IT SEN!
WE LOVE YOU ALWAYS
WE LOVE YOU ALWAYS
WE LOVE YOU ALWAYS
WE LOVE YOU AL
The lanky boy felt his stomach twist and he turned his head away, heaving up everything right there on the steps.
"Sen!" Rick called out, making the man turn around sharply in his leader's direction. He watched as Rick bolted through the door like a bat out of hell with his rifle at hand, staring out at the fences.
"What's wrong?!" He asked, clearly heightened from all the screaming that was going down in the courtyard below. Sen held his hands out and let out a "whoa whoa whoa!" as Rick approached him.
"It's alright!" He assured, point out at the courtyard, "It's alright, just look."
Rick turned and looked down at the wire corridor; Carl, Ame, and Maggie safely inside. They barked and banged on pots and screamed bloody murder out at the Walkers, drawing them in on both sides as the silver Pickup carefully maneuvered around the dirt path. Glenn and Daryl pulled some sort of contraptions out from the bed of the truck and planted them out along the road. Glenn hammered the edges down a few times with a mallet before retreating back onto the truck bed. After they set up the last one Daryl went back on as well, the two men watching as Kei and Michonne walked along, casually slicing off Walker heads and chatting at the same time.
"This is amazing," Rick breathed, watching as his group worked together on defending their home. Sen looked over at him and nodded, a crooked smile on his face.
"Yeah, well, let's hope their tires are shitty enough for those things to do some real damage," He chirped.
"You made 'em?" Rick asked, his eyebrows raising in small surprise.
"Designed," Sen corrected with a shrug, "Granted not my best work, but I'm pretty proud. They should get the job done."
The leader looked down at the spike strips intently. They actually didn't look that bad, not bad at all.
"So what, were you some sort of engineer before all this?" The leader asked.
"CNA and coffee-bitch at the hospital actually," Sen informed, chuckling at Rick's taken back expression, "But when I wasn't doing that I was an engineer student...just a semester shy of graduating, funnily enough."
Rick nodded his head, turning to look back out at the fence,
"And then the world ended,"
"And then the world ended," Sen quoted. He stared out at the snarling horde of creatures below and started chuckling, "The ultimate summer break."
A smile flashed across the leaders face as he laughed, shaking his head before looking over at Sen. He had a crooked smile on his face, his dark eyes glued to the courtyard. He watched closely and noticed it falter a little,
"You alright?" Rick asked, watching as Sen rubbed his head anxiously.
"Yeah..." He sighed, "Yeah, just...thinking...how are you?"
The young adult looked over to the former cop, and Rick knew the look on his face all too well. Hershel had been giving it to him since he cleared the boiler block. It was the look that asked how he was doing mentally, and that often brought on a conversation (borderline lecture) about his responsibility and well-being.
"I know you still see her," Sen let out, watching as the man beside him immediately looked away, "Rick, I heard you screaming out in the field the other day...The others, Carl, they're all worried about you, man."
Sen shifted about, attempting to meet Rick's stare but with no such luck. The man just dipped his head and his grip on the wire fire fence grew tight,
"I'm fine," He muttered, more to himself rather than the guy next to him. Sen stood back a little and stared firmly at his leader, shaking his head.
"You're full of shit,"
Rick turned his head sharply to face him, Sen's eyes staring directly at his. He wasn't being subtle about it. He was calling him out, latching on and dragging him out in the open when Rick tried to push and shut everyone out.
The leader opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he heard the roaring engine of the silver truck getting louder. He looked over to the gate and saw the truck fast approaching, Sen rushing over with Daryl's set of keys and quickly opening it up. He pushed the gate open and watched as the truck slowly made it's way through, stopping just outside the inner courtyard. Everyone hopped out of the truck and crowded around as Rick walked up to them.
"If they try to drive up to the gate again, maybe some blown tires will stop them," Glenn spoke, watching as Rick nodded over to him in approval,
"That's a good idea,"
"It was Michonne's," Daryl spoke, his voice giving a subtle hint to the leader on what he was thinking. Kei watched as the two shared a brief pause and a knowing glance before Rick looked away.
"We don't have to win," Michonne chimed in, "We just have to make them getting at us more trouble than it's worth..."
Another pause. Rick seemed to struggle as he nodded lightly to her, the awkwardness seeming to lift as Maggie and Carl stepped in from the corridor with their pots and ladles at hand. Maggie casually walked up to an eager Glenn while Carl walked up to Sen, a small triumphant grin on his face. The tall man smiled down at him and playfully dipped the boy's hat in front of his eyes, laughing lightly as Carl fumbled to adjust it.
"Let's go," Rick announced quietly, turning on his heel and walking back towards the cellblock. Everyone else followed suit, with the exception of Kei, Daryl, and Sen lagging behind a little. Sen stepped over to his best friend and slung one bony arm around her shoulder, hugging her close with his usual confident smirk on his face.
"Hey baby, you have fun out there?"
"Oh, tons," Kei chuckled, "Better than Six flags and Disney combined."
"Care to celebrate by giving me a cigarette? Hm?" He asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
"What happened to the two I gave you last night?!" She asked. He didn't answer, he just jutted out his lip and pouted, resting his chin on her bony shoulder.
"Kudasai?" He begged, attempting to give her his biggest and best puppy-dog eyes, "Kanari shite kudasai?"
(Please? Pretty please?)
She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes with a smile, digging through her coat pocket and holding up her pack of Marlboros.
"Anata ga shine Bambi-chan, anata wa kore o tamotsu baai," She chirped.
(You're going to die if you keep this up, Bambi.)
She scrunched up her nose as Sen pressed his lips to her cheek and swiped the pack from her hand.
"Thanks mom," He chirped, smirking and laughing as Kei nudged him away. He pulled one cigarette out and put it to lips, nibbling on the filter as he stayed behind to have a smoke break. Kei and Daryl continued on, the girl noticing that he was hovering closer to her than usual.
"The hell is his problem?" He mumbled over to her. Kei turned her head to look at him, her left eyebrow arched in confusion,
"What?"
"Why was he all over you like that?" He asked.
"When is he not all over me?" The girl scoffed.
"'xactly," Daryl muttered, turning his head to eye the lanky man, "He likes ya."
This made the girl laugh. She shook her head at him, the smile still on her face,
"Daryl, he's my best friend,"
"Ain't no one gets that friendly with a girl 'nless he wants somethin'," He muttered, his eyes narrowing at the back of Sen's head.
"Oh you mean like cigarettes?" She mused.
He tilted his head and gave her a look, one that said "don't be stupid, you know what I mean." Kei watched as he turned and narrowed his eyes over at Sen, looking more territorial than usual. If he were a dog she'd sworn he'd be growling right now. Her eyebrow cocked upward, curiosity rising with it,
"Daryl," She spoke slowly, "You're not j-"
"Nah uh," He interrupted, already knowing where she was headed, and deciding to trash that idea right then and there. Her mouth dropped a little in surprise, amusement mixed with slight disbelief clear on her face.
"You are!" She spoke, her voice lowering as she turned to look back at Sen, "You're a little jealous of him."
"Ain't nothin' to be jealous over," The hunter grumbled, "The guy's a stick, weighs a buck twenty five soakin' wet."
He turned to look back at her, his eyes flicking briefly over to his group still walking up ahead. He looked back over to Kei, his eyes intent, focused on getting his sentence across,
"'sides, yer my girl," He muttered to her, "No one else's."
"And you're my guy," She replied, leaning over and pecking his cheek, "No one else's."
Daryl chewed on the inside of his lip, looking down at her,
"Don't like him touchin' ya like he does," He admitted, "Only yer man should get to touch ya like that."
"He's not going to do anything, " She assured, listening as the hunter scoffed through his nose, "I mean it, I'm not even his type."
"Says you," He retorted, "Yer every guy's type. Any one of 'em'd be lucky to have ya."
"That's sweet, but I mean really, I'm not his type," She pressed, her voice lowering as she leaned in, "As in I'm not even the right gender."
Daryl's eyebrows knitted together, his expression encouraging her to explain further,
"He bats for the other team," She answered, sighing at Daryl's tilted head and still blank expression, "He likes guys, Daryl."
She could practically see the cogs and wheels slowly turning in his head as he spoke, "You mean, he's-"
"Yes," She muttered, "He likes guys, and very much so. So there's no need to get all fussy."
"I ain't fussy," He asserted, his eyes narrowing at her as she laughed, "And I ain't jealous."
"Okay, whatever you say," She chirped, her eyebrows raised in amusement. Daryl gently nudged her in the shoulder and Kei nudged him right back. He nudged her even harder and laughed when Kei attempted to punch him in the shoulder. He quickly reached over wrapped his arm around her neck, pulling her in and bending them both over. Kei yelled out "Uncle!" before he even had a chance to mess up her hair. He let go immediately and gave her a triumphant smirk as the girl straightened out her jacket and stuck out her tongue at him.
"I'm going to get you for that," She promised, the smile never leaving her face as Daryl shook his head.
"Good luck with that. What are we, two and three hundred now?"
"I beat you last week!" She proclaimed.
"'xactly, that was yer second win," He laughed, earning another punch in the shoulder. Kei placed her hands on his back and pushed him ahead.
"Go help Glenn, you asshole," She giggled, watching as the hunter began walking a few steps ahead of her, "Oh! Hey!"
Daryl turned around, looking at her quizzically as she rushed up to him. She placed her lips on his and smiled up at him when she broke away,
"I love you,"
Rick sent everyone off on separate assignments, Sen and Kei's being the ammo/gun distributors. Automatics and Snipers up top on the catwalk, hand guns and shotgun rifles in the lower court. Sen was up on the catwalk placing ammo and rifles at each post while Kei checked the guns and rifles in the courtyard below. She heard the metal door creak open from above and looked up. Rick's boots steadily hit against the pavement as he walked across, stopping at Sen's back. He didn't turn around. He didn't even acknowledge the leader. He just kept working, checking the ammo boxes he set down behind one of the wood panels.
Rick shifted, looking down in obvious anxiety while Sen continued to work. Kei's eyebrow raised slightly. Rick's lips moved, the leader talking to Sen casually as he walked along and set ammo boxes down. Sen shook his head as he shouldered his rifle, his lips moving as well. Rick looked taken back for a minute. Sen started walking over to the next station, Rick trailing after him as his lips moved more.
Suddenly a sharp whistle went off from across the courtyard. She looked over and saw Merle was poking his head out from the door atop the stairs.
"Ay! Wolf Girl!" He hollered, "Need yer help with somethin'!"
"I'm busy," She called back.
"Come on now, girl! It'll only be a minute!" He assured, "I just need ya and that sword a'yers to get rid of some Walkers!"
Kei continued to work, letting out a frustrated breath as Merle continued to holler and goad her into doing what he wanted. She set down her final box of ammo and looked up at the sky, letting out a loud "Alright! Jesus!" over his last stitch effort to get her to help. He gave her an impish grin as she stomped up to him, the two knocking shoulders as she brushed past.
"Don' you worry now girl, Michonne'll be there too," He chirped behind her, "With you n' her together, we'll have the tombs cleared in no time."
Kei simply rolled her eyes, letting out a huff through her nose. He might as well have been straight with her. It didn't take a genius to know what he was up to, but perhaps that was because she had already heard the plan. What interested her, personally, was the fact that he would go behind Rick and Daryl's back to try and take her as well. Surely he didn't think that he could just kidnap his brother's girl, and then come back to the prison with open arms from him.
Unless he was planning on giving her a shot, a chance to get close to the Governor and kill him.
Her mind reeled and her heart raced at the sudden idea. Even if it wasn't in the Older Dixon's plan, this was her shot. She had a chance to get closer than ever and kill him. She could save Daryl and Sen and everyone back at the prison and get her revenge. If she did this, she could end it. She could end it today.
The girl pursed her lips and followed Merle into the cellblock, gathering up Michonne and getting ready to head into the tombs.
"So where is it?" Michonne asked, her sword firmly at her side as the three of them trekked through the dark hall. Kei looked around cautiously, her sword at the ready as she listened for any threats staggering around in the tombs.
"'round the corner," Merle spoke, pointing his makeshift bayonet attachment to the end of the hall, "We gotta clear some walkers, then get the others down here to barricade it."
Kei had walked past a cell and jumped when a pair of arms suddenly reached out to her. Michonne's hand instantly latched to the girl's arm and she pulled her close, keeping her away from the Prison walker that growled and hissed at them from behind bars. Both women stared at it for a minute before looking back to Merle. The Older Dixon swallowed and shrugged, jutting his head toward the end of the all.
"A breach like this could be an open invitation to the Governor," He finished, stepping forward and continuing on. Michonne's dark eyes narrowed only slightly before flicking over to Kei's. The dark haired girl pursed her lips before turning on her heel, following behind Merle as the three of them kept walking through the tombs.
"He's not much for subtlety," Michonne spoke out, her demeanor as cautious as her tone. Merle and Kei froze in place when the sound of snarling grew louder from around the corner down the hall. They watched as shadows danced across the walls before Walkers emerged from behind the corner. Kei held up her sword and made a beeline for the first walker while Merle turned to Michonne,
"You wanna take your chances?"
Kei thrust her blade forward and stabbed the first Prison Walker in the skull. As that one fell, more began pooling in from behind the corner. She swung her sword around swiftly and hacked off the arms of one Walker that had tried to reach for her. A couple walkers had managed to slip past her and staggered their way towards Michonne and Merle. The tall woman with the braids struck her sword forward like a viper into a walkers skull. Merle was less than graceful about his kill. He merely grabbed the creature by the throat and pulled it forward, thrusting his bayonet into the skull before carelessly throwing the body aside like a wad of tissue.
Three more Walkers pooled in. They were Civilians, and they seemed slower than the others, weaker too. They took their sweet time as they staggered and limped their way towards Kei. The girl gripped her sword tight and watched them cautiously, calculating her next move. She stepped forward to slice the face off of the only Walker, but stopped when she heard Merle grunt out from behind her and something hard hit the floor. She turned around sharply. Michonne laid sprawled out face down on the floor, clearly just knocked out cold by something hard and blunt.
She looked over and saw the Older Dixon's wild, dark gray eyes. His square jaw clenched and before Kei knew it, a pair of steely fingers had gripped her free arm. She turned around sharply and smacked her sword into its skull, the blade only managing to cut through half of its head before getting stuck. She tried to yank it out as hard as she could, but before she could officially do so, something hard smacked against the back of her head. A flash of hot white light consumed her vision before her whole world went dark.
"Hey! Dixon!" Sen called, rushing up to the hunter in the courtyard, "You seen Kei?"
Daryl turned around, watching as Sen gripped his bo staff tight and turned every which way, looking for his best friend.
"Prolly off with Carl somewhere," The hunter answered.
"I asked Carl, he said he hadn't seen her since this morning," Sen replied, looking from the catwalk over to the basketball courts, "I talked to Carol and Beth too, they haven't seen her." He turned around and faced Daryl, watching as his stormy eyes narrowed and his jaw bobbed. Just as he opened his mouth, Rick came rushing out from the cellblock, turning and looking every which way just like Sen did.
"It's off," He announced, his eyes glued to Daryl as he walked up to the two, "We'll take our chances."
Sen tilted his head in confusion, "Wait a minute, wha-"
"I'm not sayin' it was the wrong call, but this is definitely the right one," Daryl spoke, furrowing at Rick's heightened demeanor, "What's wrong?"
"I can't find Merle or Michonne," The leader answered, "They've gone,"
"Kei's gone too," Sen added in, looking to the two men in confusion, "What's going on?"
"Come on," Daryl ignored Sen's question and jerked his head in the generator room's direction. He rushed across the courtyard and made his way up the steps, Rick following closely behind him as they entered the tombs.
"He was in here," Daryl explained as he entered the generator room, "Said he was lookin' fer drugs...Said a lot of things, actually."
"Like what?" Rick asked, following the hunter closely.
"Said that you were gonna change yer mind," The hunter answered, stepping into the other side of the room,"Here we go."
He knelt down on the floor and picked up a potato sack that still laid there on the floor. He looked around and could see where Merle had laid down a set of bodies, the dust on the concrete all smeared and shifted around.
"He took 'em here," He remarked, "They mixed it up."
"Damn it!" Rick hissed, turning on his heel and heading for the door, "I'm goin' after 'em."
"You can't track for shit," Daryl remarked.
"Well then the both of us!" Rick insisted.
"No, just me. I said I'd go and I'll go," He asserted, brushing past Rick as he stalked over to the exit, "Plus they're gonna come back here, you need to be ready..."
The leader watched as Daryl looked down at the ground as he pushed the door open with is back,
"Yer family too."
And with those words he slid out into the daylight and disappeared behind the metal door. Rick shook his head and turned around to walk back, only to freeze solid when he saw what stood in his way. His heart panged against his ribcage and the lump in his throat grew big. Sen stood there at the doorway, the look on his face saying everything. He had heard every word, and he was pissed.
"What do you mean...he took them?" He asked slowly, his voice clearly strained as he tried to keep his cool. Rick turned on his heel and held a hand out, trying to signal for him to stay calm.
"Sen-"
"What the fuck did he mean when he said you were gonna change your mind, Rick?!" He snapped, "About what?!"
The man swallowed, watching Sen intently as he continued to hold his hand out.
"About...handing Michonne over to the Governor," He admitted, "He said if we did that, he'd leave us alone."
Sen's eyes narrowed and his brows knitted together as he shook his head, "Why the hell is Kei gone, then?"
"...He wanted her too," Rick confessed, watching as Sen growled and rolled his eyes, "I had said no about Kei but-"
"Oh well shit, that makes it okay then, doesn't it?!" Sen let out while throwing his arms up,"Of course the fucking homicidal rapist is going to listen to you, Rick! He's all about keeping pinky promises and being the fucking good guy!"
"Sen I said-"
"I don't give a fuck if you said no at the time!" He bit frantically, his aussie-japanese accent fully apparent at this point, "You should've told him to fuck on off and then shot him in his other eye!"
"Sen we're gonna get them back!" The leader yelled, "Daryl's going after them, he's tracking the-"
"I'm going too," Sen spoke out, gripping his bo-staff as he stomped forward towards the door. Rick stepped in front of him and blocked his way.
"No," He asserted.
"Move," Sen bit.
"No!" The leader repeated.
"Rick," The guy warned bitterly.
"I need you here, okay?!" The sheriff let out in a harsh whisper, "I'm not-!"
He paused instantly, closing his eyes and taking a much needed breath.
"...I'm not okay," He uttered slowly, looking back at Kei's best friend, "I need you here, please."
Sen's brown eyes narrowed momentarily before they went soft. He closed them and let out a sigh, shaking his head before looking back at the leader in breif defeat.
"...Fine," He caved, "But if I stay, you have to actually let me help you, Rick. We clear?"
The leader nodded, avoiding the guy's intense stare as his eyes fell to the floor,
"...Clear,"
Kei could hear the rumbling of an old engine, little vibrations surging through her body as she laid across something soft. Her eyes fluttered open and shut. She could hear voices, see blurred shapes and shadows. She moved her arms. They ached, and she was bound at the wrists with a cable of some sort. She tried moving her legs, and even though they were free, they felt like lead weights. Her head felt the same as well, only this time with a dull aching throb in the back of her skull.
She managed to fully open her eyes. She blinked a few times, registering that there was figure in the front seat of some random car she was in. She looked up in the rear-veiw mirror, Merle's stormy grey eyes looking back at her.
"Ah, Sleepin' Beauty's finally awake!"
She opened her mouth to swear at him, but an old dirty bandana blocked her words. She chewed and yelled at him through the gag, demanding that he took it off of her.
"No can do, sweetheart," He refused, as if understanding her muffled English, "Nearly bit off my face back there in the woods when ya first woke up. Had to knock ya out again just to get the gag on, dragged you all the way here myself."
"Care to tell her how you nearly let her get eaten by a horde at that shithole motel?" Michonne chimed in. Kei's eyes widened and she let out a noise through her gag. Merle tilted his head and cracked his neck a little as he kept his eyes on the road.
"Ah I had it under control," He replied calmly, "It was barely a crowd. Only two or three..."
"More like ten," Michonne muttered, turning her head to look down at the girl in the backseat, "You alright?"
The girl nodded, her dark eyes flicking over to the one-handed man in the driver's seat. He just kept his eyes on the road, a surprisingly easygoing smile on his face.
"So is this your thing then? Take out the trash?" Michonne asked bitterly.
"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself, Darlin'." Merle replied.
"The Governor, Rick, anyone who needs their piss bucket emptied and you come a-runnin'," She looked over at him with her dark eyes and watched as he smiled and gave a light laugh. She glanced back out through the windshield, her expression vacant, calm, "...Things are different for your brother."
"Yeah they are," Merle quipped, "Rick says 'jump' and he wants to know how high."
"Mm-mm," She replied with a shake of her head, "Rick needs him. Respects him...Didn't ask him to this little job now did he?"
"Nah, 'cuz he wants it done," Merle retorted.
"You keep tellin' yourself that," She stated, amusement dripping from her soft voice. She paused for a moment, staring at him with firm eyes as he looked on, "The truth is, this could've been your shot. With your skills... a whole new beginning. But you choose to stay on the outside..."
Kei waited for Merle to say something, anything, but he didn't. He just kept silent as Michonne continued to talk and pick away at his patience.
"No one's gonna mourn you," She said suddenly, "Not even Daryl...He's got a new family."
Even that made Kei raise her eyebrows in surprise. She wasn't holding anything back right now. She was pulling out all the stops, more than willing to say something, anything, to get him to either let his guard down or let her go. Even something so harsh (and only slightly untrue) as what she had just said. The woman shook her head and looked back out the window, her face blank as a sheet as Merle let out a sigh.
"You keep tryin' to get under my skin, I'm gonna cut that tongue out," Merle turned his head and looked over at the woman next to him, "Your buddy's turnin' you over cuz he's tryin' to save his own ass. Yer as much on the outside as I am, girl."
"Maybe..." Michonne muttered, just loud enough for the other two to hear, "But once The Governor's done with me at least I won't have to live with myself."
Kei's dark eyes flicked over towards the man in the driver's seat. He didn't say a single word, not one. He kept silent for the next 10 minutes or so, occasionally looking in the rear view back at Kei to make sure she wasn't fiddling with her bonds. The girl had kept still the whole time, mostly because her head ached like a bitch and moving around didn't help it at all.
"You said you killed... sixteen men since this thing started?" Michonne mused, her voice breaking the silence, "You ever kill anyone before?"
"...No..." The older Dixon said simply, briefly looking over at her. He chewed on his lip and stared back out at the road,
"And how 'bout before Woodbury?" She asked curiously, watching as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Before you met him?"
The man only stared out at the road ahead, not giving her an answer. Michonne caught on quickly however, and only scoffed, "So he saved your life, cleaned you up, fed you a line of bullshit... why would you kill somebody else for him?"
Merle continued to stay silent.
"You know we can go back," Michonne pressed. Merle smiled, chuckling shaking his head,
"Ain't happenin'."
"The three of us... we can just go back." The two girls stared at him and watched as he shook his head, his mouth opening and shutting as he hesitated.
"I can't...go back,"He stressed, "Don't you understand that? I can't!" There was a long pause between the three and a very faint smile formed on Michonne's lips, her final word seeming to be the straw that broke the camel's back,
"Why?"
Merle shoved his foot on the brakes and the car came to a screeching stop. Kei nearly rolled off the backseat, her hands and legs stopping her from falling into the deep space between her seat and Merle's and Michonne's. She stared over at Merle and watched as he turned halfway in his seat, glaring at Michonne. She heard a faint Snap and saw Michonne lift her hands, freeing herself from the wire around her fingers and wrists. The three of them remained quiet. Michonne looked as confused and wary as Kei as Merle leaned back into his seat.
"You two go back with them," He demanded, "Get ready for what's next." He then leaned over Michonne and opened the door, shoving it open for her, "I got somethin' I gotta do on my own."
Michonne continued to stare at him, hesitant to get out until Merle nodded to her that it was okay. Slowly, she exited the vehicle and stood outside the door. She watched as Merle turned around and reached in back, cutting the cable wire on Kei's wrists. The girl immediately ripped off her gag and tossed it aside, watching frantically in disbelief as Merle handed Michonne her sword. She carefully took it and looked over to Kei in the back seat, waiting for her to get out as well.
"Go on now, Girl," Merle spoke, looking over at her through the mirror, "My brother's probably tearin' the group a new one just lookin' for ya."
"I'm going with," She spoke out, earning surprised looked from both Merle and Michonne.
"Kei-"
"Like hell you are," Merle bit.
"That's why you wanted me to come with, right?!" Kei retorted, "To end this. To get close to him and end this for us."
"Brought you with so I could show good faith," Merle explained, "He wants to chain ya up and keep ya as his little f-"
"I know what he wants me for," The girl interrupted, "All the more reason why you need me. I'm not what I put off to be, remember?"
She stared over at Merle and saw a faint smirk appear on his face. He scoffed through his nose, shaking his head and looking down at his lap.
"Now I know why my brother likes ya," He chuckled, "Yer a crazy little bit, ya know that?"
"Kei," Michonne spoke, leaning down into the doorway, "Don't do this. You're outnumbered and outgunned. Just come back with me. We can plan this out-"
Kei shook her head no, her heart dead set on this plan. It was now or never. She had to do this now.
"I'm going," She said firmly. Merle revved the engine on the car a few times and Michonne stepped back shut the door. She quickly leaned back down into the open window, staring at the dark haired girl with concern washed over her face.
"What do you want me to tell Daryl?" She asked out, throwing the girl for a small loop. Kei looked down with knitted eyebrows in thought. Daryl. What was there to tell Daryl. That she was sorry? That she was doing this for them? That she loved him with every fiber of her being?
"Time to go, sweetheart," Merle spoke, pulling the car forward. She looked up and saw that the car was picking up speed. She quickly reached over and rolled down her window, sticking half her body through to look back at Michonne on the side of the road. She cupped her hands around her mouth and took a huge breath,
"Tell him he sucks and that I'm leaving him for his brother!"