FanFicReader47: Thank you. I'm glad that that chapter is over too, though now I've got roughly a year worth of fun stuff to make happen over the next few chapters, but eh...that's the fun part.
KEZZ 1: Thank you for the review! I'm very thankful that you let me know you are enjoying my story. It helps keep me motivated to continue to write.
As I've said a few times, I'm now going into uncharted territory. The next several chapters will be non-canon as, well, roughly a year passes between the third and fourth season if Judith's size and milestones are anything to go on as far as her age. I'm guessing she's around a year old, so we've got four full seasons of weather to deal with in a state that has tornadoes, blizzards, torrential rainfall, and ice storms...
Also, this chapter...gets kinda dark, but not horrendously so. Just more talk of abuse.
The showdown with the Governor took place four days ago. Since then, Ani had delegated duties to the original prison survivors and had managed to assimilate the Woodbury camp with their group via Merle's help. Carol was in charge of chores while Maggie and Glenn were in charge of runs, both gathering what people needed and planning, though Ani told them she would give the final approval and help in planning. No runs were to be made without her consent, or a majority vote if she was otherwise incapacitated. Daryl and Ani were primarily hunters, and that's what they were going to stay. Merle had been given the duty of maintaining defenses and helping Ani set up defensive perimeters that would hopefully stave off the flow of walkers. Hershel's duties, as the only one with medical knowledge past survivalist first aide, were primarily to maintain the health of those at the prison. Tyreese didn't want to be a part of 'The Council,' as he called it, and so Sasha was added as one of the members and was in charge of prison security working alongside Merle. Michonne declined a position at the table, saying that she wasn't going to be at the prison very often, but was forced to take one anyway for when she was there.
She, Daryl, and Ani agreed that they were going to keep looking for the Governor together, though Ani would have to stay behind more to maintain the prison, as the delegated work still had to be watched over and improved by her. She doubted he would end up returning to Woodbury right away, but it only took two days before they could see the smoke rising from the town. The trio had spent the next day and a half searching around Woodbury before heading back to the prison. They didn't have the previsions nor the gear to be out much longer than that, so they ended up back in the prison with the intention of getting a few tasks completed before heading back out.
The first task they had to complete was fixing the fences. If they were ever going to be able to use the field for crops, they absolutely needed to fix the fences as soon as possible. On top of that, it was spring; people weren't going to want to be cooped up in the prison forever. They'd managed to get the courtyard gate fixed quickly enough, but it was the gate to the field they were going to have problems getting to. Ani warned them that it would be a group effort and they would need every able body to help out. Those who couldn't fight, they'd need in the dog-walk making as much noise as possible with the kids and those willing taking out the walkers they could through the fence. The rest, Michonne, Daryl, Merle, Ani, Glenn, Maggie, Rick, Carol, Tyreese, and Sasha, would be in the field itself with Tyreese, Daryl, Rick, and Merle primarily focusing on fixing the fence. It was the job of the women to maintain a defense of the men while they did that.
It was slated to be done the next morning, so the majority were taking time off for the rest of the day. Merle was in the commons chatting with some of the survivors of Woodbury, laughing with some of the older men while the older women sat fixing clothes that were in desperate need of repair. Ani had thanked them profusely when she'd spotted one of the women with her favorite pair of cargo pants sewing patches into it. She'd stopped in to check on everyone that was going to be in the field before heading to her and Daryl's cell. He was currently talking to Carol about the food situation in the commons, probably planning on a time when the two of them could go on a hunting trip. If they did, they'd take Michonne and look for the Governor while they were out. Ani couldn't help but think about her promise to let him steal her for a day and hoped they could do that sooner rather than later.
Daryl made his way up to the cell roughly ten minutes later; she'd only gotten halfway through the chapter she was on in her book. He sat down on the bed and removed his boots before grabbing the pillow she'd thrown against the wall and laying it at the foot of the bed. Grabbing the Book of Poe she'd given him back on the farm, he moved her feet towards the wall and sat next to them. He brought his feet up beside her and they enjoyed a quiet morning of reading in each other's company. Around lunch time, Maggie came up to get them and commented on how cute they were, earning her a shut up from both hunters.
"Don't your feet stink?" she asked as they got up from the bed, Ani not even bothering with putting socks or shoes on.
"No more'n anythin' else does," Ani replied as she stood up and waited for Daryl. "We really need ta set up a showa area or somethin'. Washin' with pots and towels jus' don' cut what gettin' a good scrub down unda a showa head can do. Or a nice long swim in fresh wata. Gods what I wouldn' give for a day in the wata."
"Yeah, back at the farm, we could go swimmin' in the pond when it got hot," Maggie lamented. "I wish I could do that again."
"Maybe we will," Ani said wistfully.
"First things, first, we fix that fence then me and Ania are takin' a day. Need my woman to myself for a day or two," Daryl said as he grabbed Ania's waist and forced her to back into his chest and nipped at her neck. "Been too damn long, and since you and Glenn claimed the only damn functionin' tower-"
"Yeah, you deserve a break," Maggie cut him off, causing Ani to laugh.
"Well, I did promise ya could steal me away once business with the Gov'na was done. It's as done as it's gonna get for now. So, let's fix the gate and the field up, and I'm all yas, D," she said as she turned in his arms and gave him a quick peck on the lips before removing herself from his arms.
"Bet your ass you are," he replied with a smirk.
They left the cell together, Maggie trailing behind the 'lovebirds' as she called them. Daryl slumped an arm over her shoulder, something he'd taken to doing since she disappeared and stole his bike. He'd also started keeping the keys to the damn thing in his pocket, though she couldn't blame him for that, even if she wanted to drive it again. She didn't mind that he was keeping close tabs on her, either. Anything to regain the trust she'd broken when she'd left without telling him. It seemed that he was just as eager to rebuild that trust, telling her anything that happened when he wasn't with her, although she told him he didn't need to. He was adamant, though, and simply wanted to prove to her that he had taken her words as seriously as she had taken his. If he wasn't with her anymore, she was with Merle, and if she wasn't with either of them, they both knew where she was.
Eating lunch with everyone else, Ani checked in with the Woodbury citizens as she ate. Many were older, nearing or already in the elderly stage of life like Hershel, but many with less get up and go than the one legged man. There were some younger adults, Rick's age or so, but they all had conditions that made it impossible for them to do much more than help with the chores. Carol and Beth had been nice enough to help her get a registry going for everyone in order to help her better delegate tasks among those at the prison. The older people would most likely only be able to help in mundane tasks, like cooking, cleaning, sewing, and such. The few kids that came were going to need training up, though a couple of the adults in charge of the kids had declined when she mentioned it. The only other able bodied person other than Karen they'd gotten had a bad cold, so they were out of the running for the time being. Ani had them separated from the rest of the people until such time as they began feeling better. A cold it might be, but that didn't stop it from becoming worse or spreading if they weren't careful.
After lunch, the pair met up with Merle and walked outside, simply sitting at the bleachers. Merle sat two steps below them while Ani leaned on Daryl's knees as he sat behind her. She and Merle were talking about how to set up some perimeter defenses and how they could permanently fix the gateway into the prison. If it was possible, Ani wanted to implement some sort of pulley system that would allow doors or some similar type contraption to open and push the walkers out of the way of whoever was coming in or going out of the prison. Daryl suggested going back to Woodbury and salvaging what they could from there, which was a really good idea. Of course, Merle had to say something ornery and that started the two men into a rather boyish argument. By the time they were done, the two were scuffling on the ground as Ani laughed.
~x~
Ani was sitting outside in the grass two days later with Sophia in front of her. Daryl and Merle had long since left, going on a run together with Glenn and the gate had finally been repaired, so the three of them were enjoying the grass. She was braiding the girl's hair and teaching the style to Beth. She'd shown Sophia how to do waterfall braids using Beth, who's hair now crowned her head while still hanging down elegantly. Sophia had commented how Beth looked like a fairy with her hair done up like that, Ani looking at the girl critically before saying she agreed. They wanted to braid her hair, too, but they only knew French braids and ponytail braids, and Ani didn't want either. She'd already started to make little braids in the bottom layer of her own hair, just microbraids to add a little style, three on each side at the base of her ears.
"You could always ask momma to do your hair, Ani," Sophia suggested.
"I might. Do ya think she knows how ta do tight and small fishtails like I'm doin' ta ya?" Ani asked.
"I think so. Or maybe one of the other women," she offered.
"Ya realize how long it took me ta get used ta the two a ya touchin' me?" Ani responded as if she was offended. "Ya really think I'm gonna let someone I don' even know yet ta braid me hair?"
Beth laughed, "It was just a joke, Ani. Trust me, we know you won't let anyone other than us braid it. Though, let me go get Maggie."
Ani finished up the braids on Sophia, a twin braid on each side of her head elegantly pleated into a fishtail. Using small sections of the remaining hair to tie the ends off, she looked super cute. Beth returned with a smiling Maggie who was more than willing to play with the woman's super long locks. Tapping Ani on the shoulder, she motioned to ask if she could take her spot and have Ani sit where Sophia had been.
"You've been talkin' about gettin' your hair done for ages. I used to do Beth and Mom's hair back on the farm. I'm sure I can do somethin' for you," Maggie told her.
"Can ya do fishtails? But smalla, thinna?" Ani asked her.
"Sure, might take a while though, all this hair. Could always trim it up a bit," Maggie suggested.
"Have ya been talkin' ta Merle?" asked Ani deadly serious.
"No, why?"
"He said the same thing. Tellin' ya now, Mags, I'm Samson when it comes ta me hair. Ain' eva cuttin' it," she replied back sternly.
Maggie chuckled as she got to work. It took until the sun had started to set before she was done brushing, parting, and braiding Ani's hair, but Ani now had her own braids. She'd mentioned to Maggie before how she was of Viking descent according to one of those ancestry tests and that she'd learned how to braid so she could do them. The problem was trying to do stuff like that on yourself was difficult, especially when it came to small, intricate braids at the back of the head. Maggie had put two fishtail-style French braids on either side of Ani's head, pleated the top braids down to the very end while using the other two to come up and hold some of the hair framing her face for a moment. Adding a few microbraids to the top of Ani's head, she then gathered the hair she had sectioned off with the bottom braids and began a larger, thicker regular braid down to the end. The entire back of her head was left free, which Ani was thankful for. If she had gone to Daryl without hair he could run his fingers through, he'd definitely pull the braids out. Ani was thankful the hair was up and out of her face, now, though, and apologized for making Maggie undertake such an endeavor.
"Nonsense," Maggie told her. "Least I could do. 'Sides, you look more like a leader. Just need a few feathers, maybe some twine and sticks, and you'll really look like a wild child."
"Shut up," Ani said while rolling her eyes, albeit she was smiling and blushing at the same time, grossly taking away from the effect rolling her eyes would have had.
Beth and Sophia went back into the prison while she and Maggie stayed around outside talking. The two of them were becoming anxious about their men. Daryl just had to take the stupid bike, leaving Glenn and Merle to ride in a truck together, a combination that left both women feeling uneasy. Not that Daryl being in a truck with Merle and Glenn really would do much other than allow someone to mitigate between the two anyway. They'd gone on the run because they needed more mattresses thanks to Merle's search for 'a vacation.' It irritated her, but she had to admit she wasn't too pissed off after Merle showed them how to take the bunks apart and place them side by side so they could have more space rather than be cramped up on a tiny bunk Daryl took up by himself alone. Not that either of them had cared, and they'd said as much, but Maggie and Glenn were thrilled.
In fact, that was a topic of conversation for her and Maggie at the moment. Maggie had made a comment about how excited she was to finally be able to sleep in the same bed as Glenn again without being crushed. Ani commented about how a bigger bed wouldn't matter, she and Daryl couldn't sleep without feeling the other. The only upside she could think of was that not being so tightly held against Daryl meant she would have a chance to not die of heat and wake soaked in sweat. Maggie made mention that she wouldn't have to be smashed against the wall or stuck on top of or underneath Daryl to which Ani quipped that maybe she liked being smashed against the wall or on top of or underneath Daryl. That caused Maggie to look at her and raise an eyebrow with a smirk before the two of them snorted themselves into laughter.
The sound of a motorcycle broke them out of their reverie and caused them to jump into motion. They waited right against the fence, watching for the vehicles to come into view. When they did, Maggie grabbed a hold of Ani so that she didn't storm off. If it weren't for Daryl's uncomfortable face and stiff body, she would have punched him or locked him out of the cell. A woman sat on the bike behind him, holding tightly to him and looking just a little too happy for either his nor Ani's taste. Jealousy had never been a problem for Ani before, but hell if the green devil hadn't appeared out of nowhere in the form of short red hair and a tall frame.
When the bike and truck pulled in and parked, Daryl had to all but pry the woman's hands off him and tell her to get off the bike. From the truck, Merle, Glenn, a kid, and a teen climbed out. Ani didn't wait for an explanation; as soon as the woman was off the bike, she walked up to the truck and waited. Daryl wasted no time in jogging up behind her and pulling her back into his chest, burying his face in her hair as she ignored him.
"So, this is Lucas, Brian, and, uh, what was your aunt's name again?" Merle asked.
"Macy," Brian, the teen, told them.
"They were hiding out in the furniture store. You said we should invite people back to stay," Glenn told her as Maggie walked up to him, though he looked uncomfortable having to talk to her after putting Daryl in the position he had.
"These two are a little too quiet, if you catch my drift," Merle muttered quietly to the two of them, causing both to scowl and Ani to take a sideways glance at the woman standing and watching them.
"Alright. Did they answa the questions?" she asked tightly.
"Yeah, none for the little tyke all around, Brian's not sure how many biters he's offed, and one person; his mom. Same goes for Macy as far as walkers, though she admits it hasn't been many," Merle told her, amusement written all over his face at her jealous scowl.
"Fuck off, Merle," she told him as he laughed at her misery. "How old are ya?"
"I'm seventeen," Brian answered. "Luke is ten, Macy is thirty one."
"You shouldn't be telling others what a woman's age is," the woman in question said with a wink towards Daryl as she walked up.
Ani was very proud of herself for not blowing up at the woman as she turned to her and said, "I asked what ya ages were."
"Why you wanna know? Jealous?" she taunted.
Laughing out loud, Ani replied to her, "Honey, I ain' got no reason ta be jealous a ya. With a body like that, even if ya tall and 'is age, Daryl ain' eva gonna look at ya. Ya might as well be a twig! And ya might wanna give me a bit more respect than ya are right now. I'm the one who decides if ya stay permanently or jus' get a night or two in safety. The name's Ani."
"Wait, you're Ani?" Lucas spoke up for the first time, awe in his eyes as he looked at her.
Looking up at Merle, who wore a shit eating grin, and then to Glenn, who was similarly trying to hide a smirk, she looked back to the boy and bent her knees to look him face to face, "Yeah, I am. Why?"
"Glenn said you're like a ninja! That you know all this fancy kung fu stuff! And Merle said you blew up a town! And that you've beaten up bad guys since you were my age! And that you beat him to a pulp!" the boy recited excitedly. "Have you really killed anyone you've had to to keep your family safe?"
"I have. And I'll do the same for ya, ya have me word," she told him, holding her hand out to shake his.
He took it gladly while the woman watched, "So, you're Ania Dixon, Daryl's wife? I was half expecting it was just an excuse he used to try and get me to squeeze in the truck."
"Ya could a fit easily; there is a backseat in that particula truck. And ya didn' have ta hold 'im so tight. Don' try actin' innocent, lady. I saw ya gropin' up me man, and I'm tellin' ya here and now, ya will respect the couples in this prison or I'll kick ya ass out. Without ya nephews if they don' wanna go."
"We don't!" Lucas cried out softly, making Ani and Daryl both look at him before simultaneously squeezing each other's hands when Daryl brought her back into his arms; they both had the same gut feeling.
"Nonsense," Macy said as she waved him off. "We are happy to follow the rules. Just don't come crying to me if any of the couples find something better."
Merle laughed heartily at that, "Damn, sugar tits, if your that desperate for a good pipe cleanin', I can help ya with that."
Macy gave him a look that clearly said 'ew' before rolling her eyes and responding out loud, "No thanks."
"Well, I'm a be talkin' ta each a ya separately ova the next couple a days. Take some time ta rest," Ani said, turning around in his arms to give Daryl a proper greeting.
"I don't feel comfortable letting you talk to the kids alone," Macy said defensively.
"Do eitha a ya have a problem talkin' ta me alone?" Ani asked the kids directly.
"No," came a unified answer.
"They're under age. They can't speak for themselves," Macy argued.
"Look 'ere, I was a forensic psychologist. Kids as young as four are able ta be intaviewed without a parent present given the right circumstances. Now, I'll gladly tell ya the circumstances if ya want. Wait, ya know what? Imma do it anyway; ya defensive ova me talkin' ta 'em and argue that even though both a 'em say they're fine talkin' ta me without ya, they still shouldn'. By the laws a the old world, I have every right ta talk ta these kids without ya presence. By me laws, the laws a the prison, everyone answas three questions ta get 'ere, then have a one on one convasation with me. Afta that convasation, I decide whetha ya stay or ya go. 'Cause let's face it, not everyone deserves a place ta stay safe. Trust me when I say, I'll know more 'bout ya in five minutes than ya know 'bout yaself. On top a that, trust me when I say that I can and will find what it is ya hidin' that ya've done wrong. And when I do, I will make it right," Ani warned, earning a smile from the three men and Maggie.
"That's my girl," Daryl said, pulling her back into his embrace from where she'd gone to step towards the new woman and kissing her hard on the lips.
Daryl didn't like Macy at all. She was too handsy and talkative for his tastes. And it seemed like she'd pushed herself onto him from the moment they found the trio huddled in that store. She'd tried to grab his arm in the store, feigning being scared, only for him to dodge her and send her falling into an old sofa. Merle had started laughing at him for everything that the woman had been trying to do and all the flirtatious comments. Even after Merle and Glenn had backed him up that he was married, Merle actually becoming irate with her, the woman said she didn't see a ring and kept at it. Now more than ever he was thankful Merle'd forced them to stop at the damn jewelry store first and pick rings for the girls. He couldn't wait to put the set he'd gotten Ani on her finger.
Macy simply humphed and agreed, but Ani could see that she was going to have to watch the boys closely to see what was happening. Between Merle's warning and how she was adamant about them not talking to her alone, she was worried that these boys had been dealing with something they shouldn't. She could already tell that Luke was smaller for his age than he should be and Brian was harder than he should be. He was staring her down with mild awe but mostly doubt when she had looked over at him and asked if it was fine she talked to him alone.
They'd ended the conversation as several of the others came out and started unloading the truck that was piled and bound to carry as many twin sized mattresses as possible. There were also two full sized mattresses that Glenn claimed were spoken for. Ani looked at Daryl who just gave her a cheeky grin in reply as bent low to whisper in her ear that they'd have fun breaking it in, a comment that made her blush which made Merle tease her. That made her blush even more as she watched the newcomer harumph angrily and stomp away, grabbing the youngest boy while the eldest followed closely. Seeing that did nothing for her blush though as Rick came out and asked if she'd gotten too much sun. Even Michonne had gotten a dig in about how she thought a tomato was red until she saw Dixon's face. In the end, Ani had taken to just burying her face in Daryl's chest as he and the others laughed at her flustered appearance. For the original survivors, such a sight had not been seen and many either smiled or chuckled along with Merle and Daryl.
~x~
Three days had passed since the trio had moved into the prison. Daryl and Ani had thoroughly, albeit quietly, broken in their new mattress. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that Merle took every chance he could to tease her and Daryl, as well as Glenn and Maggie, about their new beds and how nice it must be to roll around in them. The first day she'd let slide, the second day she'd gave warning, this morning, well, he'd made mention of Daryl's newest set of scratches and the hickey he'd left behind her ear.
"Fuck, I get it! I get it!" he yelled as she held him in a choke hold, legs wrapped around his torso as she clung to his back and choked him out with her arms. "Uncle! Fuckin' uncle!"
"That's what I thought," she said with a chuckle as she hopped down, practically everyone at the prison laughing at their antics.
The dynamic between her, Michonne, Daryl, and Merle had shifted with Ani and Merle quickly becoming the class clowns when it came to teasing each other. Daryl and Merle were typical boys fighting for the girl's attention and Michonne acted more like an interfering older sister or mother at times, pulling the three of them apart from whichever one they were tousling with that time. It was hilarious to the citizens of Woodbury who had viewed Merle as their champion to see a woman almost a foot shorter and with a lot less bulk bring the man to his knees almost daily.
She spotted Luke and Brian after breakfast and walked up to them, "Mind if we talk?"
"Does it have to be alone?" Brian asked.
"'S'long as Macy's not 'round, I don' mind talkin' ta ya both tagetha," Ani told them.
They stayed silent for a moment before Luke piped up in a small voice, "Are you a superhero?"
"Why would ya think that?" she asked softly, leading them both outside and into the field.
"You help everyone, can beat that big man, and stood up to Macy," he said.
"Standin' up ta Macy?" she repeated, looking up at Brian from her crouched position to read his face, which was as stoic as hers at the moment, all she needed to know for her to continue. "Why is that somethin' worthy a bein' a supahero?"
"Macy's mean," he said, leaning in and whispering it in her ear like it was a secret.
"Does she leave marks?"
"Yes," Brian responded.
"On both a ya?"
"Mostly me," he admitted. "I try not to let her..."
"It's alright, love. I undastand. The two a ya are welcome 'ere, permanently, unconditionally. Well, not really unconditionally. See, we are supa protective a our family. Here, we choose who is our family and who is jus' our blood. Macy is ya blood. Ya can go with 'er, or ya can stay here, the choice is ya's. But she ain' stayin'. I ain' lettin' no abusa live alongside the abused, me man, me brotha, and meself included," she told them with a soft smile, laying a hand on each boys' shoulder. "Ya got marks on ya now?"
Instead of answering with words, both children pulled their shirts up, making Ani's eyes darken and her face contort into one that showed the promise of brutality, "Follow me, boys."
Waltzing back into the prison, she found Macy once again attempting to flirt with Daryl and sitting entirely too close. Wrong day, bitch, she thought to herself as she reached out her hand. In front of everyone, she began to make an example of what would become of those who mistreated their family under her watch. First, she grabbed a fistful of the woman's hair. As the other survivors of the prison came forward to stop her, she informed them that she was dishing out just desserts and would explain afterwards while practically throwing the woman onto the floor using her hair.
"She's jus' a sad, pathetic woman, Luke. Nothin' ta be afraid a," she told the boy as she held the woman to the floor with her foot. "Do ya want me ta do anythin' ta her or do ya want ta say anythin' 'fore I throw 'er out?"
She was neither surprised nor disgusted when Brian coldly stated, "Beat her. She should know how it feels."
"Ya heard 'im," Ani said as she stomped on the woman's stomach, surely forming a bruise similar to the one she'd seen on Luke.
Being careful to leave marks on her only where she'd seen marks on the boy, she used her fists and her boots to make an example of the sick woman in front of her. She was spitting blood by the time Ani finished and demanded a bug-out bag be given to the woman. It contained enough rations to last her a week, a buck knife, a canteen, and two changes of clothes. Grabbing the woman by the hair once again, she threw her into the solitary cage in the commons, one they'd agree would be used for questionable individuals. Ani locked the woman in the cage and turned to those behind her. Many from Woodbury looked disgusted while those from the original group simply looked at her questioningly.
"I told all ya when we brought ya here, we are a family. We protect our own," she started. "Well, I'm tellin' ya now, I will protect me own even from their own blood. I refuse ta let anyone suffa neglect or abuse unda me watch. This woman will be leavin' the prison jus' as soon as she recovas from the beatin' she jus' got, so tamorrow at best, the day afta at worst. She is not welcome 'ere for what she's done ta her own flesh and blood, her nephews." Turning to the boys, she asked them, "Are ya willin' ta show 'em what ya showed me?"
Taking a deep breath, Brian raised his shirt, earning gasps from many, though saying, "This proof enough or does Luke gotta show too?"
"That's enough," Rick said.
"Now, Imma show y'all somethin'," Ani said as she turned her back to the group in the commons and lifted her shirt, showing her scarred back; hardly an inch went without a scar marring the skin. "This is why I have a zero tolerance when it comes ta abuse. I was abused."
"Hell, some of y'all knew the person who abused her," Merle told them. "Remember Chrysie? Yeah, that's the little sister she was always talkin' about. Sad truth is, that dumb bitch only wanted to find her to torture or kill her."
"What happened to her?" one of the older women asked.
"She tried ta kill me," Ani answered, lowering her shirt over her shoulder to show the fresh scar before lowering her pants low enough to show the scar on her lower abdomen. "I did what I had ta, what I always will if I have ta. If y'all got a problem with that and don' wanna stay, we can find a safe place ta take ya, but ya'll be takin' ya chances on ya own. I protect what's mine," she emphasized. "If ya stay, ya mine by default, 'cause if ya stay, ya me family."
There were many murmurs of acceptance within the group of Woodbury. No one wanted to leave as they understood the girl's reasoning and liked how she thought. At first, a few had become extremely concerned about what she was doing, but when Rick and Merle did nothing to stop her after she asked them to wait, it became clear that this was not normal behavior. She'd explained to them during her individual talks that if she flew off the handle, her group would handle it and all they needed to do was make sure they got one of them there as soon as possible, preferably Daryl or Merle, but any of the others would do. After seeing the teenager's bruised torso, not a single person felt she had gone too far. As one of them pointed out, an eye for an eye was never a bad way when it came to things like this. She wasn't killing the woman, so she should be thankful of that.
Early the next morning, before the boys woke up, Macy was dragged, gagged and bound, past the prison gates by Michonne and Merle, Daryl trailing closely behind them with his crossbow. Ani helped open the gates and close them behind the troop as they marched into the woods. Macy was trying her hardest to get out of the hold of the samurai and redneck, but they had agreed. It was a silent conversation that had taken place in the dead of night between the three of them, Daryl, Rick, Carol, and Glenn. Maggie had already told Ani what she'd thought of letting Macy go, and they all knew Hershel would be impartial at best. They walked for twenty minutes before Ani nodded at the pair, who forced the woman to her knees. Ani leaned down and took the gag out of her mouth.
"You bitch! What do you think you are doing?! Let me go! You have no right!"
"Are ya sure ya want those ta be ya last words?" Ani asked coldly.
"Last words?" the woman said, fear lacing her voice finally. "I thought you were letting me go?"
"Yeah, lettin' people go tends ta get me people killed. Especially if the one I'm lettin' go has a grudge. So no, Macy, ya nephews will get ta live in peace knowin' ya can neva touch 'em again, though they won' know how much we mean that statement. Now, any last words?" she said as she raised her gun, silencer firmly attached.
"Wait," she stammered, "I know I was wrong. P-p-please, please! Give me another chance!"
"There are no second chances for scum like ya," Ani stated as she pulled the trigger.
Updated 9/10/21