I sit quietly in the room, staring at my lap. The pain in my head is horrible. Merle opens the door and steps in, closing it again behind him. He drags his blade along the table in front of me.
"You coulda avoided this sweetheart. Just coulda told me where ya was headed and this woulda ended peacefully. Now how about my baby brother?" He asks.
I don't answer at first, trying to find the right words; what he needs to hear to understand. Daryl told me how much family meant to his brother.
"You want me to ask the farmer's daughter over there?" He asks. He holds his blade against my throat. I put my head back and look at him.
"Where is he?" his temper rising.
"Merle, ya gotta let Maggie go get him, please just let her." I lower my voice so no one can hear. "I'm pregnant Merle. It's Daryl's baby. I haven't even had the chance to tell him yet. He doesn't know. It's your flesh and blood too you know?" I whisper, staring up at him.
"Bullshit." He laughs as he moves the blade from my throat. I lower my chin and try not to cry. I don't want to give him the satisfaction. "Yer a lyin bitch."
"Let Maggie go get him, bring him here, I'll prove it to you." He looks as if he's considering it. My swollen cheeks throb. It's difficult to see straight. His enforcer returns. He steps in front of Merle and slaps me full force again. I groan at he impact and then go back to biting my tongue.
"My friend here, he's just gonna keep this up cuz he likes to hit things. He ain't as nice as me." Merle leans in to tell me. I stare intently at him. "Well aren't ya just a stubborn bitch. Ya must like this torture, like it kinda kinky?" I continue ignoring him. Another impact to my cheek and I don't flinch.
"Just do what you gotta do Merle." I whisper, the bile in the back of my throat doesn't allow me to say more.
"Don't touch her stomach." He growls at the guy before he closes the door. I brace myself against the man's fist a few more times. When he's had enough, he leaves. I allow my eyes to close, feeling dizzy and afraid.
When my eyes open again, the room is dark and empty; only a sliver of light shines through the bottom of the door. In the room next to me, I hear the door open and close. Footsteps cross the floor. I hold my breath, listening.
"May I?" a male voice asks.
"Thank you." He says. "We'll take you back to your people. Explain it was all a misunderstanding. Just tell us where they are and we'll take you there."
"I want to talk to Autumn." She demands; her voice strong and clear. I'm thankful that she sounds so well.
"I can't allow that. Your people are dangerous." He answers. I scoff, these people were delusional. "Handcuffed my man to a roof, forced him to amputate his own hand."
"I don't know anything about that." She tells him.
"Just tell us where they are and we'll bring them here." His cocky attitude annoys me. Maggie stays silent. His voice rises.
"Stand up please." He tells her. I don't hear a response or movement for a moment. "Take off your shirt."
"No." She refuses.
"Take it off or I'll bring Autumn in here, piece by piece." He threatens. I gasp, not able to hear anything else. I can only hear minimal bits of sound. The chair in the room next door scrapes loudly against the floor before it is silent again. I cry out as a slam echoes throughout the rooms. Inaudible voices reach my ears. The door closes and we're alone again.
"Maggie," I say into the darkness. "I'm so sorry."
"Autumn, you listen to me. Daryl and Glenn are gonna come get us. They'll find us. You know they will." Her voice is raspy and strained. I sob at the idea of what he did to her.
We wait in the cells, silence and darkness surrounding us. Every once in a while we call out to each other, making sure the other is still there. Suddenly light fills the room and I struggle against the chair, squinting in the brightness. The door opens. Merle and my tormenter return, he quickly cuts the ropes holding me to the chair. I spring to my feet and my gaze wanders to the doorway where a clean cut man holds Maggie. She's topless. He holds a gun to Maggie's head before swinging it to my stomach. I glare at Merle.
"The prison." Maggie chokes out.
"The one by Nunez. Governor?" Merle's buddy asks, turning to face the man holding on to Maggie.
"That place is overrun." The Governor says.
"We took it." She sobs out.
He pulls her face toward him before pushing her toward me. Merle stares at my stomach, fear in his eyes. He finally believes me. I pull off my button up shirt to give to Maggie, leaving me in a black tank-top. She inspects the already forming bruises on my face and arms. I lift my tank slightly to examine my ribs. She gasps at the sight. We sit down on the ground, huddled close together and wait.
Sometime later, Merle brings us plates of food, his eyes raking over me.
"It's really Daryl's kid?" he asks Maggie, his face staring at my hands folded over my stomach.
"Yeah, it is." She sniffs. "Daryl loves her. He really does, please let her go to him."
He turns and leaves without another word.
"Maggie did he-" I start.
"No, no, he barely touched me. All this time, running from walkers, you forget what people have done. What they still do. Look at you." She wipes some of the blood from my lip with the edge of her sleeve.
"If we get out of this, I'm gonna let Dixon do all the hard work from now on." I tease her. "At least for the next nine months or so." My hands graze over my stomach and I'm worried. She smiles at me.
"It's gonna be ok. We're gonna be ok." She whispers to me, laying her head back against the wall.
There are voices outside the door. I look around and find some splintered wood, one of the pieces broken into a sharp point. I point it out to Maggie and she grabs it. We stand on either side of the door. When Merle opens the door, Maggie lunges, stabbing the guy who hit me in the neck. Merle wrestles with me as I try to get away. I fall with him to my knees. I notice his arms wrap protectively around my stomach. The sudden click of a gun makes us both freeze.
"Let her go! Now!" Maggie demands. I push myself up and away from Merle. He holds both his arms up. From behind, strong hands grab us, forcing us back into our cell. The Governor stands behind us and tells us to kneel. Merle circles us. A piece of cloth drops over my head and I am pulled roughly to my feet.
After a few steps, a loud bang echoes through the room and smoke fills the air. Two hands grip me, pulling my mask off. Daryl stands in front of me and a pained look crosses his face when he sees the damage. I stand there, disbelieving and he pulls me into his arms. He looks me over and drags me along behind him. Rick and Glenn are right behind me with Maggie.
We make it outside and I notice we're in a small town. It looks like something out of a Christmas card. We hurry along the streets and Daryl pushes me into a building. I stumble to the ground and Daryl kneels in front of me. My muscles are fighting against me.
"It was Merle. He did this. He brought us here. I'm sorry Rick, we tried to hold out. They forced us to tell them where we were staying." Maggie doesn't mention how they forced us. Daryl wants to go back for Merle and starts arguing with Rick about it. Maggie helps me sit up and catch my breath. She wipes more blood from my face.
"We need you Daryl. Look at her, she can barely walk." Rick points to me. Daryl looks down and nods. He helps me to my feet.
We move to the back door of the building. Rick stands in the doorway, looking down the alleyway. Daryl throws another smoke bomb out toward the main road. Gunshots ring out around us. I stay close to Daryl and Rick; they call out to each other, getting us safely through the smoke toward the entrance. We stop again in a doorway and make our way toward the wall, stopping only to reload.
Daryl urges us to go ahead, promising to leave some cover fire. I fight with him but Glenn and Rick pull Maggie and me away; holding on to me as I struggle to go back for Daryl. We make it to the bus and Glenn boosts Maggie and then me up on top so we can go over the wall. We turn and pull him up behind us. I look out over the smoke filled street, looking for any sign of my redneck.
"Daryl!" I scream. He's still not coming.
"Go ahead!" His voice calls out to me. Glenn pushes me over the wall with Maggie.
We run to the cover of the trees and wait. The sound of footsteps puts us on high alert and Maggie stands up, gun raised. A black woman steps out from around a tree. Glenn walks with me away from the group and looks me over. Each time he touches my face, I wince. I'm shaking uncontrollably. Rick comes over and drapes his jacket over my shoulders gently.
"Glenn, go get Daryl. I need him." I beg. He nods. Maggie sits down next to me. Rick, Glenn and the woman walk a short distance away. Glenn watches us carefully.
"You gonna tell him? Keep it?" She asks.
"Yeah, I am. It's a chance at a life for us." I smile the best I can; my cheek stiff with pain. She touches me gently. "Looking good hu?"
"We're a sorry sight. I guess this means we're bonded now." She smiles
"Yeah some twisted sisterhood of the beaten and broken. Welcome, it's a lonely club." My sarcasm oozes out. She laughs at me.
"You want a girl this time?" She asks.
"Oh God no! I wouldn't know how to raise a girl." I smirk.
"We're all tomboys now. I think you'd do just fine teaching her to survive." She whispers. We watch as Glenn and Rick sneak back toward the town. The woman that Rick introduced as Michonne tell us it's time to go. We make our way back to the spot Rick promised to meet us at.
We wait overnight; sleep doesn't come easy to me. I lie back in the car seat, hoping they get here soon. When I finally do close my eyes, my dreams are laced with crying babies, Merle Dixon and walkers. It's an uncomfortable, broken sleep. From outside I hear Maggie screaming and I jolt awake. I throw open the car door and run toward her voice my body screaming in pain as I take each step. I freeze when I see Rick, Daryl and Merle standing there. Glenn and Maggie have their weapons drawn.
Daryl jogs over to me, tears in his eyes when he sees my face. I look down.
"Baby, what happened?" he asks, turning my face so he can inspect it closer.
"Ask your brother." I mumble; my jaw no longer capable of full movement. His head turns back to Merle; rage flashing in his eyes.
"I didn't hit her." His hands fly up in front of him. "How was I supposed to know my baby brother finally found a piece of ass?"
"He let his buddy do it instead." Maggie tells Daryl, her gun focused on Merle. Merle rants on and on about how it wasn't his fault and he didn't know who I was. Rick finally has enough and knocks him out. Glenn and Maggie help me back toward the car. Daryl watches me walk away.
"He ain't coming back with us." I tell them through my swollen jaw. Maggie nods in agreement. We lean against the car, listening to Rick and Daryl discuss Merle.
"You're part of this family." I hear Rick tell Daryl. Armed with nerves of steel, I step between the two men.
"He ain't coming with us." I put my hand on Daryl's chest and look up at him through swollen eyes. His face twists in disgust and anger. He backs away.
"I thought you'd understand." He stares at me, disbelieving and hurt. "All the time you looked for Tommy?"
"I won't have him around my son." I keep my voice firm and return his intense gaze. I open my mouth to tell him our news and he cuts me off.
"Fine we'll fend for ourselves. No him, no me." He spits out at me, full of anger. I look at him. He's serious.
"But Autumn's –" Maggie starts. I put up my hand.
"Nope Maggie. I'm good. We're good. We're gonna go back to that prison and prepare our family. Take care of each other. Daryl made his decision." I keep my eyes locked on him. His face is set. Merle has come to and made his way back. He over hears.
"Ya ain't gonna even tell-" he starts to say. I stop him with a look. Daryl watches the interaction between us.
I step over to stand in front of Merle and lower my voice so only he hears me. "I will shoot you in the dick if you say one word to him until after I'm gone." I press my gun against his zipper to illustrate how serious I am. His cocky grin fades. "I'm giving you what you wanted; your brother back. Take care of him. I don't want him with me outta some fucked up sense of obligation. I can't stop you once I'm gone but I'll put a bullet in you now if you say another word."
"Well, well. Yer definitely strong enough to be carryin' a Dixon. Ya got my word sweetheart." He swears.
I turn away and march back to the car without a backward glance. Maggie climbs in next to me and pulls my head to her lap. Glenn jumps in the front seat and turns around to face us. Maggie shakes her head as we wait for Rick to finish talking to Daryl.