Walking Dead (On hiatus)

by Death546

AU story with more diverse zombies and new characters. Here's the fun part: You give me the survivors. Send in your OC survivor, and they'll survive with others. Rated M for very dark themes, cursing, and sexual reference. APPS OPEN

35. Deadly Memories

This is the final chapter following Tristan and Sakura's group. Next will be John and Ella's group.

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Alice came to in the RV, blinking her eyes as Sakura rubbed her shoulder. "Hey, big girl." She greeted. "You have a nasty bump on your head."

Alice groaned in response, reaching up to feel the mark beneath her glove. Elizabeth was pacing back and forth nervously, and she glanced out the window to see Tristan hurriedly changing the tires to the RV. She could hear from inside the curses he was spitting out in rapid succession. He finished, tossing the tire iron away and running back inside and jumping into the driver's seat. The engine revved, and they sped off down the road, Tristan ignoring the bumping and jostling from the high speed and barreling back the way they came.

Alice looked at Sakura. "Someone… took David…"

"We know. It was that woman, Charlie. I recognized her in the car she was in." Sakura said darkly. She caught Alice's worried expression and forced a smile. "We'll get him back, don't worry."

Elizabeth staggered when they hit a pothole, and she took a deep, angry breath. Sakura shot her a look. Not now.

Elizabeth ignored her, walking up to the couch. "This is your fault you know." She said.

Tristan slammed on the brakes, and Sakura groaned. "Liz…"

"Sakura, take the wheel." Tristan ordered. Sakura paled, worried, but complied. She swapped seats with Tristan, and started driving as he stood in front of Elizabeth. "And how… do you figure that?" He whispered, anger etched in every breath.

She stood firm under his glare. "Don't try to intimidate me. You may have good intentions but half of the things that have happened to these kids wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you. If you hadn't let that psychotic woman on here, she wouldn't have stalked us and kidnapped David!"

Tristan gritted his teeth. "I've been keeping them alive." He growled. "You have no right…"

"I have every right!" She argued, daring to step closer to him. "It's not just this, Tristan. You have no business taking these children under your wing. You're trying to turn them into… into hardened, cold people like you!"

His eyes flared. "I don't want them to be anything like me! I want them to survive. And that's exactly what I've been doing."

"You're a terrible influence! You're vulgar, violent, and criminally insane!" Elizabeth snarled, her fists trembling. "You've been teaching them how to fire guns, letting them spew profanity, and go off doing dangerous activities that threaten their lives!"

"Literally everything we do out here is life threatening!" Tristan shouted back, raising his hands in emphasis. "You look for food, you're in danger. You take time to set up a tent, you're in danger. You sit down, you're in danger. You talk to new people, you're in danger. You fucking sleep and you're still in danger! What they need to learn is how to deal with all that danger so they don't end up as zombies! They're alive, healthy, and good people. That's all that matters!"

"You're just making excuses to yourself. They're alive, but at what cost? How soon before you have them kill someone? They're ten! They shouldn't be running around with guns and knives strapped to their legs, helping in your insane mission to kill anyone you think don't deserve to live anymore! You know as well as I do that these children have changed, and not for the better! And you're not doing anything to keep them safe! David has been kidnapped by a sociopath and it's because you didn't look for the danger that was right under your damned nose!" She screamed, jabbing a finger into his chest.

She jumped when he punched the wall behind her. "You don't think I know that?" he whispered, his eyes wide and hard. "You don't think that it's eating me away inside that if he dies it's my fault? I know I fucked up. I went against my better judgment, and because of that David is tied up somewhere, possibly dead, or worse! And that's on me! I don't need you…" he poked her chest, hard. "…telling me that!"

She kept her scowl despite the fact that he had backed her into the wall. "Your guilt doesn't change your actions. I've had doubts about you ever since I saw you go to town those people back at Jessie's! And against my better judgment, I stayed quiet. But no more. You need a reality check! You're not fit to be a parent, much less some kind of screwed up foster dad! In the Old World, people like you went to prison for this kind of neglect! I personally helped kids escape un-nurturing homes, taking them away from these kinds of conditions!"

His jaw dropped. "I… I need a reality check?" he barked out a laugh. "Look around you! You're the one who needs a reality check! Newsflash, there's a fucking ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE going on! The Old World doesn't exist anymore! That's why it's called the Old World! Society as we knew it then is gone! Monsters roam the Earth, eating people, and now there's no laws keeping the evil from doing as they please. You know what happens to people who go through life the way you think they should?" he punched the wall again. "They're dead! Eaten, shot, blown up, bitten! You're in a different world now. These 'un-nurturing conditions' are everywhere! The world has changed Elizabeth." He leaned in until their noses were almost touching. Fear was starting to show in her eyes. "But you're so delusional you refuse to admit it." He hissed. He finally leaned away, Elizabeth letting out the breath she had been holding. "I'm not going to baby them. The real world is harsh. Cold. Evil. Perilous. And I refuse to let them die because some fuckwit decides they should be coddled and hidden from the very real threats surrounding them."

Sakura listened to the argument in silence, keeping an eye on the road but still making sure it didn't get too out of hand. She cringed on Tristan's last sentence, but didn't speak up. Truth be told, she agreed with Tristan. On most of his points. But she had to admit he was being unnecessarily harsh. "Tristan…" she said carefully. "…we need to stay together. We won't do David any good by arguing."

"Exactly." Tristan responded, keeping his glare on Elizabeth, who was trying to match his intensity with her own scowl. "All that matters right now is saving David." He turned away, heading back to the driver's couch. Liz looked like she was about to say something else, and he turned to glare at her again. "Sit down and shut up. We're getting close. Unless you'd like to waste more time bickering."

She didn't respond, retreating to the couch. Tristan turned away to watch the road, and only then did Elizabeth bury her face in her hands, letting tears fall as she silently sobbed. She felt a small body curl up next to her, and she peeked out between her fingers to see Alice looking at her in worry. "We're all stressed over this." She said, taking Elizabeth's hand and squeezing it. "I know he didn't mean any of that, and I know you didn't mean any of what you said."

Elizabeth smiled at her, not having the heart to confess that she had meant every single word she had said. Even without Charlie, she had very serious doubts about that lunatic's abilities in taking care of children. "You're wise beyond your years." Was all she said, ruffling Alice's hair. Alice smiled, getting off the couch to go stand next to Tristan, silence taking over the space as the trees and road flew by the windows, rain slowly starting to patter against the glass once again.

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David thought he was awake, but he couldn't be sure. He couldn't move, and everything was pitch black. He had no idea if his eyes were open or closed.

His question was answered when light flooded his vision, blinding him as he was lifted out of a car trunk. A familiar stench overcame his nostrils, and he looked up to see Charlie carrying him down a cobblestone path. They seemed to be in the middle of the woods, a small ranch house in the middle of the clearing. A yellowed picket fence surrounded the house, and strawberry bushes lined the house's sides. This must be her secret supply house. He thought to himself. He tried moving, and felt rough rope scrape against his wrists, he looked down t his sneakers to see more rope binding them together.

His heart was pounding, he was certain Charlie could hear the thumping. He squirmed in her arms, and to his disgust she planted a wet kiss against his forehead. "Don't worry, Megan baby, we're home." She said, her voice cracking as that horrid yellow grin showed on her face again.

He scowled. "I'm not Megan! My name is David, and I've never met you before! My mom died!" he shouted. She ignored him, rocking his body in her freakishly strong arms. He craned his neck. "Help! Someone help! I'm being kidnapped! Anybody!"

"Oh Meggy, you and your games!" Charlie chuckled. They reached the porch, it was rotting away, and David could see the termites crawling across the wood. The pink paint of the house was peeling, and she set him down on a rickety rocking chair on the porch as she fished in her backpack for keys. She took out the tattered rag dolls from before, setting them next to him as gently as she had handled him. "Lilly, George, you two look after your sister." She said in a motherly tone, even playfully shaking her finger as she returned to scrounging through the bag. "Oh, shoot. Mommy left her keys in the car. I'll be right back, darlings." She said sweetly, scampering back to the car. David saw an opportunity. He rocked the chair back and forth until he slid off, landing on his feet. He doubled over, untying his feet. Once the ropes were loose, he squatted down, looking through the bushes. Charlie was rummaging around the seat, looking for her key ring. He grinned. "Hasta la vista, baby." He muttered, copying the Terminator. He ran out of the bushes, heading for the woods. The edge was close. A hundred feet, fifty, twenty, ten, five, almost there…

He hadn't even heard her running. Charlie grabbed the hood as he leapt for the bushes, yanking him back into the grass. "NO!" He shouted. Stupid, stupid! That stupid hood!

Charlie was scowling down at him, and then slapped him across the cheek. "What did I tell you about playing in the woods, Megan?!" she screeched. "I told you, it's too dangerous in there!"

"My name's not Megan!" David shouted, scowling. "And anywhere would be better than here!"

Her eyes flared with rage. "That's it! Get in the house! When your father gets home, he'll teach you to talk to your mother like that!"

He glanced at the tree line as she dragged him by the hood back to the house. If only. All he wanted was for his father to burst out of those trees, katana waving and singing some rock song as he killed Charlie.

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They pulled into the barren lot. The building they had dropped the girls off at was just a few yards away. An abandoned hotel, the windows boarded, the bricks chipped and missing in some places. A large hole sat near the roof, and blood caked the sidewalk.

The RV nearly smashed into the wall as it braked, and Tristan threw open the door and ran outside, the others following.

Tristan ran up to the door, not bothering to call out or knock. He turned on his heel, and kicked the door down, the hinges snapping out of the old wood. He stalked inside, glaring around the dark lobby. "Charlie! Denny! Get your asses out here!" He shouted.

They listened, but no answer. Tristan roared in frustration, knocking a luggage cart onto its side. "I said get out here! Now!"

Diego's ears perked up, and he turned to look outside. He whined, and Sakura noticed. "Tristan, be quiet for a second."

He ran over, listening with the others. Then, faintly, they heard a rasping voice. "…here… over… here… guys…"

They ran back outside, and Alice gasped, pointing at the bushes. Denny was laying in them, blood soaking her Harvard hoodie. Blood ran from her mouth, and they could see the gash in her side. Tristan's fury ebbed away as he ran to her, kneeling down to assess the damage. "Elizabeth, go get the first aid kit out of the back." He ordered. "Alice, get some clean water. Sakura, help me get her into the lobby."

Everyone flew into action, Alice and Liz running to the RV as Sakura took both of Denny's arms and helped Tristan carry her into the lobby, switching on a light as they did. They found a decent couch and lay her down, Alice running in with the water. Tristan took the water, and poured some in his hand. He placed his fist over the wound, letting the water dribble down, washing away the blood. Pus joined with blood, and they could see the wound clearly now. It was deep in her lower left side, left by a clean cut knife. A sloppy stitching job had been done, and they saw that Denny had taken the threads from the cut in her hoodie and a hair pin snapped in half to do it. About three threads held it halfway closed, loosely, but it had helped slow the blood flow. Tristan waved his hand over her eyes, snapping to keep her awake. "Stay with us, you pass out and you'll go into shock." He offered an encouraging smile. "Your stitching could use some work, but you closed the wound about halfway. All things considered, you did good."

Denny offered a weak smile, and Elizabeth walked in with the first-aid, kneeling to talk to Denny to keep her awake. Tristan took out a black bottle, and unscrewing the lid motion for Sakura to hold the bleeding woman down. She bent over Denny's body and placed her hands firmly over her arms, and Tristan took the opportunity to pour the liquid over the wound. Denny screeched in pain, writhing as tears stung her eyes. "Easy, Denny." Sakura cooed. "Worst part's over."

"Not quite." Tristan commented, pulling out the stitching needle. "Fun's just getting started." That earned a glare from Sakura. "What?"

She rolled her eyes, then turned her attention back to the whimpering Denny. "Don't worry, he's done this plenty of times before. Just ride it out."

Denny cringed as Tristan pinched the sides of the wound, poking the needle into her side. "Ready?" he asked. She hesitated, then nodded. That was quickly followed by a moan as Tristan thrust the needle through the skin, pulling it out the other side and puncturing the other side of the wound.

She hissed as he pulled the thread through, pulling the first stitch shut. "Is it over?" she whined.

"N…" Sakura glared at him again. "Er, almost. Just… six more to go." She cried then, the pain unbearable. "Stick with it." He encouraged, preparing to go through again. "Power through."

The hotel was filled with screams of agony for three long minutes. Finally, Tristan pulled the wound closed and hiked her shirt up to wrap a bandage around her. She was breathing heavy, but alive. Elizabeth squeezed her hand in comfort, smiling down at her. "You were very brave." She encouraged.

Tristan leaned against the wall, watching. He was tapping his foot, then sighed as Sakura tried getting Denny to sit up. He walked over, standing over her. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened, and I know you're feeling weak, but you need to talk. We need to know what happened."

She nodded, still trying to breathe properly. "Charlie disappeared about an hour after you left. I thought she had just gone to her stash again, but then almost two hours ago she showed up, and David was with her. I freaked out, yelled at her." She took a shuddering breath, coughing. "She… she just wouldn't understand… what she did was wrong…" Another cough. "I tried… I tried to take him away from her. He was tied up, in the backseat… she just, lost it. She flew into a frenzy, trying to scratch me, clawing my eyes out." The bloody marks around her eyes showed that she was telling the truth. "Then she pulled a knife. I was paralyzed, I couldn't move. She stabbed me, and left me in the bushes. She was shouting about how her family would be whole again, or some bullshit." She coughed again, this time blood coming up. Tristan knelt down, wiping the blood from her chin. "Last thing I saw before she drove off… David was trying to escape, squirming around like a worm on crack. She threw him in the trunk, and he started screaming." Her eyes were full of guilt, and tears started trailing down her cheeks. "That poor kid… I'm sorry." She turned to Tristan, crying. "I'm so, so sorry! I-I tried to stop her… t-to save him…"

Tristan smiled, holding a hand up. "I know. And I can't thank you enough. You were brave, and you did everything you." He sighed, looking back outside. "You have no idea where her secret place is?"

She shook her head. "Sometimes I saw her coming out of the woods, same spot. There's a trail… just big enough for a small car, like she had…"

Tristan squeezed her hand. "Thank you, that's all I need." He stood up, moving for the exit. "Sakura, come with me. Alice, you stay here and protect Liz and Denny."

Alice shook her head. "No way, I'm coming with you." She argued. "I want to save David."

Tristan halted by the exit, turning to face Alice as she walked over to join them. "Allie…"

She walked past him, heading for the RV. "I'm helping save him, he's my friend."

To everyone's surprise, he grabbed her shoulder and dragged her struggling back into the hotel. He swung her around to face him, making eye contact. "Alice, listen to me. This woman is obsessed. And there is no telling what lengths she'll go to get to you. I want you as far away from her as possible."

"But…" she argued.

"No buts." He said sternly. "You're staying here and protecting Liz and Denny. End of story."

She looked like she wanted to argue, her brow furrowing in frustration. But she obliged his order, going back to sit on the couch with a still pale Denny. She was going to survive, but her skin was so white her freckles stood out like blood drops on a pillow case, her blonde hair falling over her face in loose strands. Elizabeth was finding cloth and drapes to use as blankets for her, wrapping her up.

Tristan jerked his head, motioning that they had to go. The trio walked outside, Diego keeping his nose to the ground to find the path. Sakura and Tristan walked side by side as he tracked Charlie's scent, and as they walked she could feel the intensity and wild emotions emanating from Tristan. His face was set in a hard scowl, his shoulders stiff and his whole body tense. She reached out and clutched his hand. "We'll save him. Don't worry." She said, smiling.

He squeezed back, smiling and casting a sideways glance at her. "I hope to God you're right." He said. They walked hand in hand, until Diego barked and Tristan dropped her hand, and the two of them ran after the dog as he took off down a narrow path, too small for the RV. Tristan whistled, and Diego came running back. Tristan jabbed a thumb back at the hotel. "Good work buddy. We'll take it from here. Go make sure Alice doesn't get any ideas." He ordered. Diego barked, running off back to the hotel. Tristan motioned for Sakura to follow him, and he ran towards a motorcycle with a zombie underneath it. Sakura put an arrow between its eyes as Tristan righted the cycle, turning the ignition. It roared to life, and he flashed her a grin. "Faster than an RV anyway."

She smirked, getting on behind him and wrapping her arms around his chest. "Let's go ice a bitch."

He grinned a shark toothed grin as he revved the cycle, speeding for the woods. "Nothing would make me happier."

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David struggled against his restraints. What kind of mother ties her daughter to a chair, he'd never guess. Charlie had disappeared somewhere, leaving him alone in what should have been a homey kitchen with those creepy dolls staring at him from the other side of the table. But the only emotion this place drew from him was fear.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Tristan had showed them how to tie knots, and how to escape them as well. He felt the knot behind him tying his hands together, and recognized the knot. He started moving his wrists, picking at the right places. Before long, he was free. Now the feet. Now that he could see what he was doing, it was even quicker before he was standing up. He ran for the door, and to his frustration saw it was dead bolted. He tried reaching up, the bolt was out of his reach. He scowled, then remembered he just got out of a dining room. He ran back to grab a chair, then jumped when he saw a photo of a woman with Alice. No…

It wasn't Alice. It was another red haired girl, about her age. And the woman was Charlie. Before Z-Day. Her hair was tied back in a bun, and her eyes were bright and shining, a non-creepy smile on her face as she hugged her daughter. There were two other girls, one tall and black haired, one a toddler with red hair too. And a boy, a little older than he was. Black haired, and unlike his sisters was olive skinned. A man was kneeling down, grinning as well. Red hair, olive skin, bright brown eyes, unshaven. Wearing a farmer's clothes. David's terror was replaced with sympathy. Was this the family she lost? Haley, Lilly, Megan, and George? And a handsome husband, Gerald?

He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Charlie knelt down, gazing fondly at the photo. "You were only two when this photo was taken." She said, pointing at the toddler. She sighed. And then a year later, your father ran off with that bi… he married your step mommy." She said bitterly. She smiled, ruffling his hair. "But now, he's brought you back, and we can be happy together."

David cleared his throat. "Well, I'm very excited." He said. "But…"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" she exclaimed, cutting him off. She ran into the other room, and to David's horror emerged with a blood stained purple dress. "I found your favorite dress!"

David backed into a wall, the fear returning in full swing. "I, uh…"

"Oh, and until your hair grows back, I got you this!" She exclaimed. She drew a long red wig, and jammed it over David's head. He struggled to get free, Charlie taking his shirt off and forcing him into the dress. She let him go then, and he tripped on the lace, face planting on the floor. He groaned, looking up at the hallway mirror and gasping. He went to yank of the wig, when Charlie spun him around, frowning. "I never see you smile anymore." She said sadly. "Why are you so sad? Can't you smile for mommy?"

He escaped her grip, making his way to the dead bolted door and yanking on the handle. "Get away from me! Get away!" he cried. Charlie pulled him away, and he started kicking and punching. "GET AWAY! GET AWAY! PLEASE! CHARLIE!" He screamed.

Charlie ignored him, dragging him to the bathroom. "I know just how to make you happy again." She said dreamily. She dragged him into the bathroom, his screams echoing throughout the house.

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Alice paced the hotel lobby. She hated waiting. Whenever the group was heading into a fight, she always had to be the one to wait. Why would Tristan teach her how to fight if she wasn't allowed to put those skills to the test?

She glanced at Diego, seeing him stare longingly at the door. Waiting for his friend to return. She walked over, scratching behind his ear. "You hate waiting too, huh?" she asked. Diego whined in response. She smiled. "We could go after him. I mean, after all, we have no idea what Charlie is capable of."

Diego growled in objection. She raised her hands in mock surrender. "Alright. I'm sure he's fine. Of course, he normally has you to look out for him and all."

Diego turned and barked at her. She sighed in defeat, looking back at Liz and Denny. Color was returning to Denny's cheeks, and Elizabeth was feeding her soup she had warmed up.

She glanced back at Diego, who had gone back to staring at the door. Now was her chance, all three were distracted. She casually made her way to one of the hallways branching off of the lobby, and once she had rounded the corner, she took off down the hall. She reached a boarded up door, and she copied Tristan's movements, turning on her heel and kicking it out. The sound of wood snapping was followed by a bark, and Alice dove out of the door, running for a car. She ran inside, locking the doors as Diego slammed into the side, scratching at the window and growling. She turned the ignition, sighing in relief when the car roared to life. She adjusted the seat, barely able to look over the steering wheel. She used her tippy toes to push down on the gas, and the car shot forward, and she struggled to aim the car for the same path she had watched Tristan and Sakura drive down. She shot through the woods, Diego falling behind as he tried in vain to chase down the car. Alice whooped in triumph, navigating through the woods.

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Sakura kept her chin digging into the nook of Tristan's neck as he sped down the path, following the now worn in tracks of Charlie's car. She had driven a motorcycle before, she and Arianna had taken joyrides plenty of times before. But never at the speed Tristan was going. It was exhilarating, but she couldn't help the fear of one wrong turn sending them crashing into a fireball. She had an iron clad grip around his waist, the wind sending her short red and gold hair into a frenzy.

Tristan rounded a corner, and a ranch house came into their view. Sakura recognized the blue car out front, and pointed at it. She felt Tristan tense up, gunning it for the house. He swiveled them around, kicking up dirt as they skidded to a halt. The two of them leapt off, Sakura drawing her bow as Tristan drew his sword. They cautiously made their way to the front door, Tristan trying the handle. It turned, unlocked, but the door still wouldn't open. "Dead bolt." He muttered, eyes travelling up the side of the door. He experimentally knocked on the door. "Old, soft, should come out easily." He commented. He waved his hand, and Sakura took a step back, and he kicked the door open. The dead bolt flew from its socket, crashing into a lamp and knocking it to the ground. Sakura ran inside after him, notching an arrow and aiming around the dark dining room. She spotted a photo on the ground, a framed picture of a younger looking Charlie with four children and a man. Then Tristan stepped on it, not noticing the glass crunching under him as he searched the room. He swatted a spider web out of his way, looking down a hallway lined with baby pictures. "This must be her old house." He commented.

Sakura nodded in agreement, putting her arrow back in its quiver. "But nobody's home. Are you sure she's here?"

"She wasn't at the hotel, and I'm positive this is where she disappears to. She has to be." He answered, walking down the hall. He opened a door to see three small beds with a crib in the corner. Toys littered the floor, a train set spanning the rooms with dolls and action figures in the middle, an overflowing toy chest in the back. Sakura picked up a Nerf gun, half the foam darts missing. On one of the beds, a large stuffed tiger lay on a pillow. Sadness overcame her. "Let's find David and get the hell out of here, this place is depressing as Hell."

"Agreed." He said, turning to leave in time to see a pipe connect with Sakura's head. He reached out to catch her before she hit the ground, when the pipe came down on his own head, instantly blacking out.

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Alice sped through the woods, miraculously never crashing despite flooring the gas and making sharp turns. She made excellent time, and she had only been an hour behind Tristan and Sakura. She made another turn, and saw the top of a roof over the dashboard. She hit the brakes, tires squealing as she slowed to a stop. She threw the door open, running towards the house. It seemed calm, in the middle of a field, strawberry bushes surrounding it. But she knew better. She could feel that this was the place, Tristan and Sakura's cycle entering her view. The door had been kicked open, and she stealthily made her way around the porch to the side of the house, peeking inside a window.

Tristan and Sakura were tied to chairs, and Charlie was inside, humming as she cooked something. Tristan was the first to come to, groaning as he struggled to clear his vision.

Charlie heard him, and came over, grinning. "Good evening honey." She cooed. "How was work?"

He glared at her. "Where's David?" he growled.

Confusion crossed her face. "Sweetie, who's David?"

He gritted his teeth. "Megan." He hissed.

"Oh! Megan is in her room, playing with George and Lilly. I can't seem to find Haley though, I'm getting worried about her." She said, pursing her lips. "That reminds me, I need you to have a little talk with Megan. She talked back to me earlier while you were at work, and we can't have that."

Tristan worked to control his rage. Normally he'd love to simply tear her limb from limb, but he couldn't risk provoking her. "Why don't you bring her out? We can talk right now."

"Oh, I would, but I wanted to take this time to have a talk of our own." She responded, walking back into the kitchen. "Once your 'friend' wakes up." She said bitterly.

On cue, Sakura's eyes fluttered open. She groaned, the pain in her head pounding like a snare drum. "Where…"

"So!" Charlie announced, walking into the room carrying a platter with bowls of salad on it. "You must be Sasha. My dear husband's friend." She hissed, turning to glare at her. "You're the one who convinced my husband to elope! You seduced him!"

Sakura narrowed her eyes in confusion, then paled. "Oh dear god, she thinks you're her husband?"

"Apparently an Ex." He muttered. "Charlie, this is getting old. Why don't you untie us, so we can have a proper talk." He growled, fury in his eyes.

Charlie ignored him, walking around the table to stand next to him. "Well guess what hussy! I married him, and he's mine!" She grabbed Tristan's cheeks, and before he could stop her she planted a kiss on his mouth.

He started frantically squirming, and head-butted her, sending her sprawling as he turned to his other side to vomit as Sakura looked on in disgust and horror. "Jesus Christ…" he spluttered, coughing. "When the fuck did you last brush your teeth?!"

Charlie stood up, blood flowing from her nose, yet she didn't seem to notice. In fact, she was smiling that horrid yellow grin again. "I missed you so much." She sighed. A beep sounded from the kitchen, and she jumped, running to take something out of the oven. After a minute, she returned with a platter of meat. "Kids!" she called, "Dinner!"

She left the room, Tristan still coughing and retching, fury coursing through Sakura's veins. She returned, setting the rag dolls down next to Tristan and carrying something purple. She set it down in the chair at the head of the table, then reached up and turned on the light.

Sakura screamed, Tristan's jaw dropping in horror. David sat at the table, a blood stained purple stress covering him and a red wig on his head. But what horrified them was his face. Charlie had taken a knife to his lips, carving a smile from nightmares into his face. The corners of his mouth had been cut into a grin, blood forming a ghastly smile. His eyes were held open, his once bright eyes now drained of life. His cheeks were white, make up powdered on thick.

Alice stared in traumatized horror at her friend through the window, tears falling from her eyes. "David… no…" she cried.

Sakura started violently shaking. "You BITCH!" She screamed. "How could you do this?!"

Charlie scowled. "You're the bitch! You've been fucking my husband!" she screamed back.

"I'm not your husband." Tristan growled, his eyes darkened and hard. He stood up, his bindings falling to the floor, his wrists bloody from escaping. "I'm your death."

Charlie turned in time for Tristan's fist to connect to her nose. She crumpled to the floor, looking up in fear as Tristan stared down at her, his face morphed into a terrifying scowl of fury and rage. He picked her up by the collar of her tank top, and threw her down the hallway. He stalked after her as she scrambled along the floor, into the children's room. She grabbed a baseball bat, George written across it in sharpie, and swung around to have Tristan's fist fly out and grab the handle, twisting and yanking it from her grip. She crawled backwards as he threw the bat behind him, shattering a picture frame in the hall. She started throwing toys at him, and he swatted each one away, grabbing a dart she threw and throwing it back, the needle tearing a cut in her arm. She hissed, and suddenly flew into a frenzy. She leapt up, attacking Tristan like a savage animal, clawing at him with her nails and biting down on the hard leather of his jacket. He cried out as she jabbed his eye, and tried grabbing her arms to halt the attack. She only started kicking, and after a minute of wrestling she nailed him in the crotch with her heel. His eyes widened and dilated, a low groan escaping him as he went to his knees, holding his area as she picked up the bat.

Sakura, back in the kitchen was desperately trying to get free. She heard footsteps, and looked up in shock to see Alice run by the table and down the hall. "Alice? Alice! Alice!" she cursed, working even more frantically to get free.

Charlie raised the bat over Tristan's head, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry baby, but I won't let you destroy our family!" she screeched, bringing the weapon down. Before it connected with his head, however, Alice tackled Charlie, knocking the bat away and getting up to kick Charlie. The mad woman seemed impervious to her attack, however, standing back up to swat Alice to the floor. She screeched, her mind completely gone as she went to claw at Alice as she lay on the floor. She turned in time so that her nails scraped across the jacket Tristan got her, scrambling to her feet as Charlie went for the bat again. Tristan recovered, grabbing her belt and pulling her into a headlock, cutting off her air supply. Charlie scratched at his arms, Alice watching in triumph as Tristan squeezed. She threw her head back, connecting with his nose. His grip loosened as a hand flew to his nose to stop the blood, and she kicked out at him. Alice shoved her back to the ground, and Tristan got on top of Charlie and started relentlessly beating her face. His fists rained down in a flurry, blood spurting and flying as he screamed in rage as he beat her.

Charlie didn't stop fighting, she managed to grip one of his fists in her own and twisted. Tristan hissed as she twisted his arm, and Alice punched Charlie, who got to her feet and ran out into the hall. Tristan got back to his feet and pursued her, Alice following. Charlie ran into the dining room, where Sakura greeted her with a solid punch to the gut, followed by another to the jaw. She smirked as Charlie went down, and stepped back as Tristan ran in. Charlie started to get up again, and Tristan grabbed the sides of the bookshelf covered with picture frames, grunting as he pulled. Charlie screamed as the heavy piece of furniture fell on top of her, pictures shattering against the ground. Her vision blurred, but she was conscious enough to see all her precious family memories, out of their protective glass, over the floor for her intruders to trod upon. Tears started flowing from her eyes, and she reached out from where she was pinned to start clutching the photos, glass cutting her hands as her fingers scrabbled to save as many pictures as possible. "No, no no no no no no…" she cried, sobbing as Tristan walked around the shelf, stepping on a photo she was reaching for and grabbing her hair.

"You disgust me." He growled, slamming her head into the floor and bringing it up again. "And you're going to pay for what you did to David."

Sakura picked up the photos Charlie had dropped as Tristan slammed her head into the floor again, her sobs piercing her heart. Family picnic, summer camp, first day of school, Christmas time… a happy family, broken by the apocalypse. "Tristan…" she said softly. "Stop."

He turned in outrage to her. "WHAT?!"

She turned the photos in her hand so he could see. "Look at her." She said, and Tristan turned to look at the sobbing mess that was named Charlie, burying her face in her hands as her world fell to pieces. "She's suffered so much… it feels wrong to prolong her suffering."

Conflict was evident in his eyes. "But… look what she did to David…" he said, looking at the corpse still seated at the table, dressed like a doll.

Alice spoke up. "Tristan, she's lost everything. Her children, her husband, and now her own home. She's broken." She looked at him sadly. "You were broken too, once. You told us how horrible you felt when you lost everyone." Alice walked over, looking down in pity at Charlie. "Sakura's right. I don't think David would want us to torture her anymore."

He stared hard at her, then turned to stare at Charlie. "Sometimes I feel like I still am. Broken." He admitted. He sighed in frustration, reluctantly picking up the heavy bookshelf and lifting it off of the sobbing woman. She stayed on the floor, laying on the broken glass. Outside they heard the squeal of tires, and they glanced outside to see the RV crash through the trees, Diego barking from inside. "Ran away huh?" he asked, turning back to a blushing Alice.

"Well, if I hadn't, you could be dead now, so…" she said softly.

Tristan grinned. "You're a brave little girl, Allie." Diego ran inside, his paws scrabbling on the floor as he barked angrily at Alice. "Easy, buddy. It's alrigh…"

Diego barked again, this time in panic. Sakura cried out, Charlie had a shard of glass clutched in her fist, blood running down her arm as it dug in her skin. And Sakura was on the ground, a gash in her leg. Charlie tackled Tristan, swiping Diego's muzzle with the glass, drawing a deep gash in it as he leapt at her. He careened into the table leg, cracking it. Charlie put an arm against Tristan's throat, screeching in madness as he desperately gripping her other arm, which slowly had the shard descending towards his eye. He squinted his eyes, gritting his teeth as he struggled to keep the glass away. Charlie was grinning in madness, cackling now as Alice screamed at her to stop.

All sound cut out, a gunshot ringing in their ears. Charlie dropped the glass, falling to the side as Tristan pushed her away, panting. He turned to see Sakura's gun raised, but she looked as surprised at him, not having pulled the trigger yet.

Both of them turned to stare at Alice, her pistol trained on Charlie's body, the barrel smoking as she trembled, crying. Tristan's eyes fell. "Oh, Allie…"

Alice stared in horror down at her hands. The gun slipped from her fingers, and she went to her knees. She'd never killed anything besides a few zombies, and now a woman lay dead in front of her, the killing blow dealt by her. She had never really considered that she would ever kill someone, though now she knew that it was inevitable. But she never imagined it would be a poor broken woman who only wanted her family back. A murderer, a rapist, or even a bandit, but never this. The tears came faster, and she sobbed. She hadn't noticed that Tristan had come over, embracing her. She cried into his shoulder as he wordlessly rubbed her back, letting her cry. Elizabeth stood in the doorway, a look of horror as she took in the scene before her. Sakura bleeding on the floor, a house destroyed, David dead in a chair dressed up like a little girl, and Charlie laying in a bed of glass surrounded by pictures, Alice crying into Tristan's shoulder, having drawn her first blood.

Diego whined, nuzzling Alice and licking the tears from her cheek. Tristan slid an arm under her and picked her up, taking her over to Elizabeth. "Liz." He said softly. "Can you take her back into the RV? Put her to bed? I need to… I need to take care of David." He asked, voice barely above a whisper. Elizabeth nodded, taking Alice from his arms and carrying her to the RV. Sakura limped past him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Need some help?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, I… I need some time alone with him." He answered. Sakura nodded in understanding, making her own way back to the RV, Diego going with her.

Tristan went into the kitchen, grabbing a towel and soaking it in water from the tap. He took the wet rag to the table, ripping off the wig and cutting off the dress with his knife. David was shirtless underneath, and Tristan took a blanket from the couch and wrapped him in it. He looked like the Joker now, hair wild, purple blanket around him, and worst of all a bloody smile cut into his face. He wiped away the blood, revealing the wounds. He scowled, all pity for Charlie gone now.

He ran his fingers through David's dark hair, closing his eyes with his hand. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm so sorry, David. I was… supposed to protect you…" he took a shaky breath. "And I failed. This is all my fault." His eyes traveled to the ceiling. "I hope you're with your parents now. Your real parents. Not the one that got you… killed…" he cursed, crying now. "I promise, I won't let the same thing happen to Alice." He looked hard at the child's corpse. "I swear as God as my witness, I won't let the same fate come to Alice."

His mind may have been playing tricks, but David's mouth seemed to curl into a smile at his vow. A real one. Tristan wrapped his head with the rest of the blanket, picking him up in his arms and carrying him out of the door.

Sakura had already started digging a grave, by the strawberry bushes. He lay David's body down by the grave, and muttered that he'd be back. Sakura kept digging until she felt it was deep enough, and cast aside the shovel. She looked at the front door to see Tristan pouring some kind of chemical all over the deck. He tossed the now empty container back into the house, and walked back over to help lower David into the grave. Alice came outside, carrying a piece of wood. She set it over the hole as Sakura began shoveling dirt inside. Here lies David. He had the biggest heart, and was taken before his time.

Alice looked up at Tristan. "Liz helped me write it." She said sullenly.

Tristan smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "It's beautiful, Allie."

Sakura patted the dirt down, sighing and tossing the shovel to his side. "Let's get out of here." She muttered. "Torch the place."

"Gladly." Tristan growled, drawing his lighter. He returned to the porch, kneeling down and igniting the flame. He held it to the floor, and flames shot up and spread inside, the drapes and wood catching fire. Denny limped outside, and the six of them watched the fire burn for a few minutes before turning and heading for the RV.

Everyone sat down, and Denny squirmed as Tristan started up the vehicle. "I'm sorry for your guys' loss." She said after a while.

Sakura smiled at her. "Thanks." She pursed her lips, looking over the blonde girl. "How old are you?"

"25." She said shyly.

Sakura smiled again. "You're welcome to stay with us."

Her eyes lit up. "R-really? Thank you!"

Sakura nodded, sighing and leaning back.

Elizabeth got up from the couch, walking over to Tristan as he drove. "I don't want to hear your crap right now." He said shortly.

"Actually…" she responded, uncomfortable. "I wanted to apologize." He looked at her in surprise, and she snapped her fingers, and he looked back at the road. "Don't get me wrong, I stand by what I said. But… you were right too. The world is different, and you're doing the best you can for these kids. And honestly, I don't think too many people would be willing to go to the lengths you do for them. You may be a violent lunatic, but you're probably the best thing to happen to them in a long time."

He smiled. "I appreciate that." He glanced sideways at her. "I wanted to apologize too. I was angry and afraid, and I didn't mean to go off on a rant like that. You're a good person, and I admire you for trying to hold onto the Old World's ways."

She smiled at the compliment. "Thank you." She said, returning to the couch. Tristan exhaled, not knowing what was ahead. He figured Walkerville was better than nothing, so he set out again for the fabled town. Hopefully, they could finally find peace there.

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Rest in piece, David. Review!