Out of the Woods
"You had no right! You should have told us the second you found out!" I hunched my shoulders. The weight of Deadpool's disapproval felt like it might crush me. "How could you be so reckless?!"
The Dixon brothers flanked me on either side, for my protection not the woman who'd been laying into me for the last half hour. I'd seen Deadpool upset plenty of times. This was nothing like that. Several times she reached behind her for the samurai sword slung across her back only to freeze with her hand around the hilt. I had no idea what stayed her hand, but I was thankful for it. My husband may be ready to take a katana to the chest to save me, but I wasn't as enthusiastic about the idea.
To my left Rick continued to scold Carl, his booming voice making walls shake harder than any bomb had the previous night. He jabbed a finger in his son's face, his own beet red, words indecipherable due to his rage. I understood their anger for what it really was, fear. Knowing your son had come one tree branch away from death was a sobering realization.
In hindsight I should have taken Carl up on his offer to hide while he came clean about his brush with death. I'd insisted on staying, knowing Deadpool and Rick would divide and conquer thus lessening the consequences for both of us.
"I trusted you!" she screamed and I visibly flinched. "What if it was Daryl?! Merle!"
She continued to yell, and I said nothing. I deserved this, probably a lot more, and I knew she needed an outlet. I'd seen how pale her face got when Carl first uncovered the bandage on his side. It was a miracle she hadn't fainted right then and there.
I dropped my eyes to the dirt floor, swallowing hard, pointedly ignoring the captive audience sitting in the storm drain with us. They were pissed, and they had every right to be, but I couldn't stop the relief surging in my veins after a long night spent waiting and hoping.
The bombing continued throughout much of the night. It rattled the walls, dislodging debris and showering us with dirt. It felt like the walls would collapse with every explosion, burying us alive. Understandably we were all slightly on edge. There was talk about making a run for it, trying to get to Hilltop, but Two-Face was adamant our best course of action was to stay put until they left.
His logic was sound. The Saviors couldn't keep up a barrage like this indefinitely. Additionally, Negan didn't want to burn Alexandria to the ground. He needed the community and its people to deliver supplies he was too lazy to get himself. This was a temper tantrum by a man irate he'd lost yet another battle.
Twenty-four hours later the bombing had long since stopped, and the sound of The Saviors driving away was a distant memory. Throughout it all I sat by Carl, holding his hand, watching for any sign his life was over.
"I've imagined it." At my confusion he elaborated. "A world when this is over."
"This, being the war..."
"Yeah."
"And?"
"We're all working together, us, The Saviors, Hilltop...we're thriving." It took work to keep my expression neutral. "It's peaceful. It's what it's supposed to be like."
"That's...nice." I raised my hand, putting the back of my hand against his forehead like my grandmother used to when I was little.
"What are you doing?"
"Checking to see if you have a fever." It was the only thing that could explain his crazy talk.
"I'm not delirious," he snorted.
"If you say so," I replied, dropping my hand.
"It can happen you know?" No, I didn't, but I would never crush his dreams by voicing my negative opinions on the matter. "You're there too. You're happy, you and Daryl." He hesitated, wringing his hands in his laps nervously. "You...you guys have a family and you're both at peace."
"Now I know you're taking a turn for the worse," I joked, not liking the seriousness of the conversation. Trying to steer us into safer territory with far less baggage I continued, "Do you feel anything?"
"It would have happened by now," he whispered, shaking his head no. I glanced at him, raising my eyebrows. "Dr. Jenner, this scientist at the CDC, he said after the first month the virus started to progress quicker. People bitten showed signs of infection in hours, not days."
"You're just telling me this now?" For fuck's sake he could have saved me 22-hours of worry.
He shrugged, "I wanted to be sure."
"They're gonna flip their shit when you tell them."
We both looked down the sewer at Rick and Deadpool who were leaning against each other, eyes closed.
"I think maybe you should tell them."
I tipped my head back, laughing. "I would rather give Merle a sponge bath." I handed him his little sister. "Here, this will help."
He looked at his sister then back at me. "How, exactly?"
"Use her like a shield. They probably won't try to strangle you when you tell them you thought you were scratched by a walker, but kept it a secret."
"Probably?" He looked worried. He should be. Rick's cop eyebrow had a temper, and Deadpool had gutted people for far less. "Should I tell them you knew?"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Not if you value your kneecaps."
He smiled, leaning forward and hugging me. "Thanks Aunt Alex. I couldn't have gotten through this without you."
"Yes you could have, but I'm here for you...always. No matter what."
Carl kept his word, my name never left his lips, but it didn't make a lick of difference. His parents put two-and-two together before he finished confessing. They'd split up like they'd coordinated beforehand, Rick stalking towards his son with the scariest expression I'd ever seen...until I caught a glimpse of Deadpool.
"That's enough," Daryl said firmly, putting a hand on Deadpool's upper arm and pulling her away.
All at once the fight drained out of her. I opened my mouth to apologize, but she turned swiftly on her heel, lunging for Carl and wrapping him in a fierce hug that almost knocked him down. My lips trembled watching the exchange that almost never happened.
Rick cupped his son's face, giving him one long, hard look before giving the pair some privacy. When his eyes strayed to me I fought the urge to flee. I wasn't sure I had another round left in me, but he didn't appear to care. Merle drug his tongue across his teeth, moving closer, a hand wrapped around the hilt of a knife.
He stopped in front of me, opening his mouth to launch what I imagined was another verbal assault, but I beat him to the punch.
"I'm sorry," I offered. It was woefully inadequate, but it was all I had. "I was trying to protect him...to protect us all. There wasn't time..."
"I know." His response shocked me into silence. His hands were heavy on my shoulders. "Thank you for taking care of him."
Don't cry. Don't cry.
"It's what we do," I sniffled as he hauled me in for a bear hug. The brother's both exhaled harshly, holstering the weapons I'd never seen them draw. "Will you tell Deadpool that...I'm sorry."
He pulled away. "Tell her yourself."
"I kind of like having my internal organs inside my body thank you very much."
He laughed, squeezing my shoulder and throwing me a playful wink that did nothing to soothe my rattled nerves.
I turned to Daryl, eyes wide. "Tell me the truth, do you think I can take her?"
He bit his thumbnail, glancing over my shoulder at the rabid samurai. "Fifty-fifty."
Which really meant 70/30.
"I'm dead."
Merle snorted, slapping me on the back so hard he almost dislodged a lung. "Should know better than to fiddle with hemorrhoids lil' sister."
"I'm afraid to ask what you're talking about."
Daryl covered his mouth with his hand, but I saw that fucker laughing.
"The samurai is like a hemorrhoid...a pain in the ass when they come down, but a goddamn relief when they go away."
I turned to my husband. "I want a divorce."
"Come on," he smiled, completely ignoring my request to separate myself from his redneck family tree, and apparently, hemorrhoid metaphors.
The debate over what to do now that The Saviors were gone was well underway by the time we joined the party. I made a point of standing as far away from Deadpool as I could get. I wasn't sure how long hemorrhoids took to recede, but judging by the look on her face she needed more time.
"Hilltop's our best option right now," Rick said. Everyone nodded their agreement. "Through the woods is the safest route."
"The Saviors won't give up." My hands curled into fists listening to Two-Face. "They'll be looking for us."
"Us?" If Daryl was directing that tone of voice at me I'd pee my pants. I glanced at Two-Face's pants, smirking. "Ya may be here, but ya ain't one of us."
Boom...roasted.
"Alex."
I was a little surprised Rick wanted to hear my opinion. Carl gave me an encouraging nod, and I stood up straighter.
"We can't stay here. Rick's right, our best bet is Hilltop, but we won't make it undetected with a group this big."
"So, what do we do?" Tara asked.
"A group needs to stay behind to scavenge what they can from Alexandria, food, weapons, medicine, anything that isn't tied down then meet us at Hilltop."
"Traveling on the roads is suicide," Apocalypse Barbie snapped causing me to roll my eyes.
"Are you volunteering for the scavenging group?"
"Fuck you Alex."
I smirked, the verbal sparring making me feel better than I had in hours. "We have a contingency plan, now we see if it works." She glared at me, but I saw the amusement in her dark, albeit slightly demented eyes. "Make sure you bring the chainsaw to clear the roads, follow the route, and only proceed if you're sure you aren't being followed."
We'd deliberately blocked multiple backroads leading to both Hilltop and The Kingdom making them impassable. If we'd learned anything in our time together it was that having an escape plan was the key to survival. The Saviors liked the path of least resistance. They weren't the type to break their backs clearing blocked roads when there were easier options available.
"We have to split the group up or we don't stand a chance," I added.
"Why? There's strength in numbers?"
"There's also death in numbers Sid," I replied.
"It's Siddiq actually..."
"If we try to move a group this large we'll be slow, vulnerable, and if The Saviors find us, we all die. If we separate into two smaller groups we can move quickly, come at the Hilltop from different directions, and throw them off our scent in the process."
"It makes sense." My eyes strayed to Deadpool who pursed her lips, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't look so surprised."
"Sorry, I just assumed you still wanted to kill me."
"I do."
"Oh, well, good, glad we cleared that up."
She grinned and I threw her wink. That was about as close to a "we're good" as you were likely to get with Deadpool, especially when she was armed.
"Why only two groups?" Tara asked, genuinely curious.
"Is there another redneck I don't know about?" Daryl discreetly reached down and pinched my side. "Ow, that hurt Legolas."
"Me and Merle will take the groups into the woods. I'll take the south pass and Merle will lead the other up the north."
I leaned over to Tara, whispering quietly. "We have a north and south pass?"
"I have no idea." It was good to know I wasn't the only one lost in the sauce.
"Sounds good to me lil' brother."
"Michonne and I will stay behind and scavenge," Rick said, "Carl?"
"I'm in." He rocked his baby sister who was getting tired of sitting in a sewer. Amen to that. "I stashed supplies before they came. It won't take long to gather everything."
I busied myself checking my weapons and provisions while Daryl and Merle picked teams. Sliding my pack on my shoulders I walked over to Rick who was speaking with Deadpool and Carl.
"What's up?" Rick asked, offering me a smile.
"I'll take Nugget." My eyes slid to Deadpool. "I won't let anything happen to her."
She smiled, pulling me in for an unexpected hug. "I'm sorry. I was just so scared and..."
"There's nothing to apologize for, really."
She released me, sniffling slightly before taking Nugget from Carl and handing me the little girl. "There's no one I trust more." She paused, looking me dead in the eyes. "No one." I blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears from falling, adjusting Nugget in my arms. "Are you crying?"
"I'm not crying. You're crying."
"I'm not crying."
"Me either." The pollen in this sewer was getting to me, that was all. "Don't let him do anything stupid."
"I won't," she smiled.
"Are you talking about me?"
We ignored Rick, sharing a knowing look. I heard his bullshit plan about trying yet again to get Resident Evil to give us her guns. I swear to Hershel's god if he tried that I'd smother him with a pillow.
"If you need to bring out the big guns tell him if he goes to the dump he has to lay with her after." Deadpool snorted, shoulders shaking with laughter while Rick glowered at us. "Tell me you weren't thinking about it?"
Rick did a spot-on impression of a teenage girl and rolled his eyes. "Thinking about it doesn't mean I was gonna say it."
"Are we talking about the guns or the laying with her after?" I grinned, getting the hell away from him before he could get a hand on me. "See you guys at Hilltop."
"Sounds good," Daryl told his brother, folding up a map and tucking it away.
"All set?" Merle nodded, eyes serious. "What?"
"Don't take no chances out there Firecracker."
"Our homes been blown up, again, and we're being hunted by a maniac and his band of misfits. Pretty sure taking chances is the name of the game from here on out."
He sighed, shaking his head. "This is why ya ain't on my team."
"I'm not on your team because your team sucks."
"Hey," Francine whined, pouting.
I waved her off. Obviously I wasn't talking about her. She was cool as shit. "Besides, you're the one that should be careful. The woods are full of spiders."
Daryl looked up from his crossbow, confused how spiders factored into the equation. Merle looked livid, and I smirked, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Hope ya don't run into no beehive," he fired back and I scoffed, pointing a finger in his face which he immediately slapped away. "I done told ya what happens when ya do that..."
"Christ, let's go. I can't handle y'alls shit no more."
Daryl didn't wait for a response, walking towards the sewer exit, a slew of people following in his wake including Apocalypse Barbie, Tara, and the guy who wanted to bang Carol. I had to do deep breathing exercises when I realized Two-Face was in our ranks. And here I thought Merle was getting the worse end of the deal having to drag a half-dead Gabby through the woods.
The preacher looked worse than when we'd found him praying for help on a boulder "surrounded" by walkers. According to Sid he had an infection which anyone with two eyes could see since he was sweating bullets, but constantly complaining about being cold. It was going to be slow going with him so sick, but his only chance right now was Hilltop. He needed meds, antibiotics, and all we had down in this filthy infested rat trap was half a Tylenol.
Merle's group was gathering their gear, getting ready to follow us out. This was it. We were separating, again. The reality of what we were facing sucked all the levity straight out of the damp, stinky sewer.
"Don't die Captain Hook."
He snorted, hauling me in for a sloppy hug that made me laugh and cringe all at the same time. "I'd tell ya the same, but we both know yur gonna be fine." #truth. "Keep an eye on Darlina for me will ya?"
"Pretty sure that's my job now."
He chuckled, stepping back so Francine and I could say our goodbyes. Once we were outside the Dixon brothers led the two groups in opposite directions. I stayed near the back, constantly looking over my shoulder until the last of the person from Merle's group faded from view.
"Red." Swallowing down the lump of dread I jogged past the procession of people to the front where Daryl was waiting. "Ya hear that?"
There were voices directly above us on a bridge. I couldn't hear much, but I heard snippets like Hilltop and search grids. An engine roared to life, and I shared a look with my husband. He pointed straight ahead, and I jogged across an opening under the bridge, checking for hostiles. When I was sure it was safe I signaled for him to send the group over.
We may have broken down into smaller groups, but this was still a lot of people to move unnoticed. Add to that none of them had any training in cover and concealment, and our odds plummeted dramatically.
"Best to stay off the roads. We'll take 'em deep in the woods."
I smiled politely at the woman carrying Nugget, waiting for her to get out of earshot. "We're moving too slow."
He grunted, biting his thumbnail. Translation, no shit, but what could we do? Answer, not a damn thing. We were only as fast as our slowest person, and as far as I could tell all we had were slow people.
When Two-Face walked by with his head down cradling his injured arm I felt my shoulders stiffen. Daryl put him in our group for one reason and one reason only, so we could keep an eye on him. As much as I wanted to redecorate his forehead with a bullet he was a resource, and right now we couldn't afford to let any advantage slip by unrealized.
A lone walker growled, lunging out of the woods. The body was completely black, almost devoid of flesh, so decomposed I couldn't tell if it used to be a man or a woman. Overall the ick factor was a solid eight.
"I got it," Tara declared, grabbing the walker by the shoulders. Instead of killing it she twirled around, shoving the snarling walker right into Two-Face.
"Tara!" Apocalypse Barbie sounded pissed.
"What? It got away from me. He can handle it."
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and counted to 10. When that didn't work I counted to 20. It was going to be a long damn walk if Tara kept this shit up. I understood her anger. I really understood her desire to off the asshole, but if I could keep my shit together after everything he'd done to me the least she could do was save her bullshit until we got to the safety of Hilltop.
"See," she snapped, annoyed Two-Face found a way to kill the walker even though he was unarmed.
"Hey, just keep 'em moving." Daryl glanced at me, silently asking what we should do. All I could do was shrug and cross my fingers. There was no reeling her in and we both knew it.
"Maybe one of us should stick close to him."
Daryl and I both turned slowly until we were facing Apocalypse Barbie.
"I'd sooner change my name to Dick, pierce my own tongue, and eat nothing but Maggie's cooking for the rest of my life." I spoke very slow and clearly so she could appreciate what a stupid fucking idea that was.
Apocalypse Barbie looked at Daryl, but he continued to glare right through her. He wasn't even going to dignify her suggestion with a grunt.
"Right. Nevermind."
We walked for about an hour before Apocalypse Barbie slapped me on the arm, jerking her chin over her shoulder. When I looked back the only people left keeping pace with Daryl were Tara and Two-Face.
"Legoloas." He looked surprised when he turned around and didn't see the group.
"Where are they?"
Probably dead. I'd seen Olympic sprinters move slower.
"My guess is a half-mile that way." His nostrils flared in annoyance when I pointed behind us. "Not everybody has redneck super serum running through their veins. Give them a second to catch their breath, drink some water, eat, or they're all gonna go down."
"A'right, 10-minutes then we keep going." Ten minutes was better than nothing, but it wasn't going to do much. "I'm gonna go back, cover out tracks."
"I'll go with you."
I tuned them out, including Tara who was back on the "let's kill Two-Face" band wagon again. Closing my eyes I turned my head, straining to hear.
"Shhh," I tried, but they continued to argue. "Shut the hell up."
The moment they stopped talking it was easy to hear the birds chirping and the wind blowing the leaves in the trees. A gush of wind blew across my face carrying with it the sound of voices.
"Whatcha got Red?"
"Three...no four, shit maybe more." I squeezed my eyes tighter, trying to nail down their location. "That way."
"Saviors?" Tara asked, fear making her voice higher pitched than normal.
"Probably," I replied, turning to Apocalypse Barbie. "Gimme your gun." She handed me the pistol with the silencer without question. "You and Tara get back to the group. Get them ready to run."
"Got it."
"What's the plan Red?"
"We need to take them by surprise and kill them quickly. If any of them get away they'll lead The Saviors right to us."
"I can help." Daryl and I stopped, turning to Two-Face who held his chin high despite the glare we both directed at him. "There could be more than four, and she's right, we can't let them get away."
No way in hell. I was not allowing the man responsible for facilitating torture near a weapon. I didn't trust him, not now, not ever.
"There's a better chance of ya shavin' a bobcat in a phone booth," Daryl ground out, face deadly.
Leaning closer I whispered, "Just so I'm clear, the plan doesn't involve an actual bobcat, does it?"
My husband's only answer was a small smirk. Rolling my eyes I followed behind him, leaving a dejected Two-Face to wallow in self-loathing. Maybe I'd get lucky and he'd drown in it.
We found The Saviors less than a half-mile away. From the looks of them and their gear they were planning to spend a significant amount of time in the woods. It didn't take a genius to guess they'd figured out our most likely chance of escape was in the cover of the dense forest.
They were gathered in a circle, a map between them, discussing which direction to head next. My stomach sank when I counted six men. Daryl didn't look particularly thrilled either.
"I'll go to the other side and move in on them. You cover me from here."
"Nuh-uh, no way. We both keep our distance."
Shaking my head I laid a gently hand on his arm. "As soon as the first shots are fired they'll scatter, and our chance of missing goes up exponentially. We can't let them live."
"Then I'll go in and ya cover me."
"I don't call you Legoals cause your smoking hot." Well, not only cause he was smoking hot. "You're better from long range and I'm better in close quarters." He pressed his lips together, body tense. "It's what we do babe."
"Goddamnit," he cursed, the muscles in his arms flexing violently. "This shit don't never end."
"Everything going to OK." I cupped his face with my hands, forcing him to look at me. "I trust you."
We both leaned forward, meeting in the middle, his lips warm and heavy on mine. I tilted my head to the side, opening my mouth as his tongue slid across my lip seductively. In another world I would melt into him and he would hold me firmly in his arms. We would take our time exploring each other with our lips and hands until neither one of us could hold back a second longer.
Unfortunately, we didn't live in a perfect world. Not even close.
He kissed the corner of my mouth, resting his forehead on mine, both our eyes closed. We took a minute to gather our thoughts and steel ourselves for what we had to do. Daryl was right, it would never end. Even when we won this war it wouldn't stop. It would only be a temporary cease fire until the next sadist tried to take our home and our lives.
"Be careful Red."
"You too."
I didn't say anything else and neither did he. This wasn't going to be the end of us. I wasn't saying another goodbye, wasn't acknowledging there was a chance we both might not walk away from this. The Saviors had already taken too much. I refused to give them that as well.
In order to get into position undetected I was forced to backtrack. Once I was ready I made eye contact with Daryl who nodded once, crossbow locked and loaded. Drawing Apocalypse Barbie's weapon I pressed my back against the sharp bark of the tree, taking a long, deep, slow breath.
I bolted out from behind the tree, charging directly at The Saviors. I was 10-feet away when they heard me, everyone jumping to their feet and scrambling for their weapons. A large man in the back crumpled to the ground, an arrow sticking out of the back of his head. I fired two shots in rapid succession at the two closest targets, and both men dropped instantly.
A man let out a shout, firing wildly at me. Bending my leg I dropped down, sliding across the ground under his outstretched arm, grabbing his lower leg as I passed by, yanking him off his feet. I fired a round into his thigh, nicking his femoral artery, and ignoring his ensuing howl of pain. His hands gripped the through-and-through wound from both sides, blood pouring between his fingers like a faucet.
Spinning on my knee I fired again, killing a man who was too slow reacting and paid for the error with his life. Standing up I looked around, breathing hard. The man continued to wail on the ground, clutching his fatal wound. Without looking down I shot him in the head, and then suddenly the forest was eerily quiet. I turned in a circle slowly, meticulously counting dead bodies.
"Down!"
Daryl's warning made my heart flare with panic, but my body reacted on instinct, diving to the side and rolling for cover behind a tree. Automatic gunfire peppered the oak tree, bark and dirt exploding into the air.
I heard a grunt of pain and chanced a look around the tree. There were three more attacking with another already dead on the ground, an arrow piercing the soft flesh of his neck. A familiar mechanical whirl was barely audible above the mayhem, but I heard the distinct sound of an arrow whistling through the air. Less than a second later the man in the lead stumbled, an arrow protruding from his side just under his ribs.
He yanked the arrow out of his side just as I spun out from behind the tree. I fired a single round into his forehead, turning my attention to the remaining two. They were coming at me from opposing sides, making it impossible to seek cover in either direction.
There was movement in my peripheral, and I ground my teeth together, catching a brief glimpse of Daryl trading blows with another assailant. That made 11, 11 men Negan had ordered to hunt us down. I had to give the lunatic credit. He was learning. It was about time he started taking us seriously, although, all things considered, I wouldn't mind if he continued to underestimate us so we could continue kicking his ass.
The man on my left raised his hand to shoot, but I was faster, hitting his outstretched arm with a bullet. He dropped the weapon, eyes bulging, but not in pain. The only thing I saw in his eyes was blinding anger.
He screamed in rage, closing the distance between us quickly and swinging a left hook. I blocked the punch, but the force of his swing rattled my forearm. He grunted, undeterred by not landing his first punch, swinging his left arm again. Again, I blocked the predictable punch, but he was driving me back.
The third time he swung I didn't simply deflect the punch, I absorbed it, yanking on his arm and pulling him closer. Before he could react I dropped to the ground between his legs. He grunted, thrown off balance, his body pitching forward while his arms flailed at his side. All it took was a slight kick to his leg for him to lose his battle with gravity. Twisting my upper body I used his momentum to throw him over me. He landed hard on his back, hands frantically searching for a weapon. I rolled up on my knees, shooting him point blank in the face.
Still dizzy from the fight I looked around, trying to locate the last Savior, only to find him standing over me with a lecherous smile. I could tell by the pressure he was exerting on the trigger he'd get the shot off before I could dive out of the way. He raised his eyebrows smugly, squeezing the trigger a little more, but before he could kill me an arrow hit his temple with a wet thump. The man's eyes went wide for a moment, his mouth opening in a silent scream. The familiar glaze of death clouded his dark eyes, and he toppled backwards.
I let out a sigh of relief, landing hard on my ass, kicking the dead man's body off my legs. Daryl came out of the woods with his crossbow loaded and at the ready. He had a bloody lip, but no other visible injuries.
"Ya a'right Red?"
"Yeah, I'm good, great even." He lowered his crossbow, giving me skeptical look while surveying the dead men scattered on the ground. "That was more than six, right?"
"Mm-hmm," he replied, snatching his arrow out of the man's temple.
"I miss the days when people underestimated us."
He snorted, "Anybody who underestimates ya ain't got the sense God gave a goose."
"Wait...what does a goose have to do with..."
"Good lord."
So, Carl survived...big change from the show. I'll be honest, I didn't like how he went out so I changed it in this book.
A lot has happened, and there's a lot more to come. What did you guys think?
