KEZZ 1: As always, thanks again! Hope you enjoy!
RaphaeltheCowboy: All I can say is that your comment made me exceedingly happy. Like, literally can't say anything else...XP Well, maybe I can say, look for the Easter eggs? *evil grin*
"Hey, save them antlers!" Daryl told Merle and Abraham as they pulled the deer from the truck. "And don't even think of takin' 'em for yourself! That's my buck! That rack is mine!"
"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," Merle complained, though he had to admit the thirteen point buck was a pretty damn good catch. "What's got Ani worked up? Barely had the thing in park 'fore she was takin' off. What put the fire up her ass?"
"Tell you later. Right now, I gotta catch up to her. Better if we both explain it."
He ran up to Ani, who had gone ahead to find Rick, at Deanna's house, entering and explaining what they had found at the quarry, and also letting them know about the successful hunt. While Reg and Rick began to come up with a plan to deal with the situation and how to handle the walkers in the quarry, she and Deanna were trying to come up with contingency plans in Alexandria for if something bad happened. Ani wanted something in play as back up for if things went bad and they couldn't lure the horde away. Daryl pretty much just offered a few words and opinions and spent the rest of the time watching Ani, pulling her to his chest whenever he could and holding her there, feeling her shaking on and off depending on how focused she got in the plans. In the morning, they would call an emergency meeting where Deanna and Rick would go over the plans they'd come up with on how to lure the walkers away.
Afterwards, they went home only to find no one home and Merle's room completely vacant. "How much you wanna bet he moved in with Francine?" Daryl asked her.
"How much ya wanna bet Phia's with Carl?"
"Losin' bets all around."
Taking a shower to wash off the worries of the day, Ani was happy when Daryl joined her, gently washing her hair for her before washing her body. Ani returned the favor before pulling his head down so that their lips could meet. They spent some time enjoying the water before stepping out, each wrapping the other in a towel and drying the other's hair. After they got dressed, they made their way downstairs where Ani made some chili, Aaron, Eric, Sophia, Abraham, and Sasha joining them for dinner. The conversation stayed light and casual, mostly driven by Eric, Sophia, Abraham, and Sasha, Aaron inputting his opinions and little snippets of detail while Ani and Daryl listened.
"Hey, ya didn' process those deer right away," Ani mentioned to Abraham. "This place got propa storage ta keep it cool?"
"Yeah, we strung 'em up in Olivia's basement. Merle said to hang them for a couple weeks, though I don't know why when that's perfectly good meat right there."
"Let 'em hang," Daryl said. "Longer they hang, better they'll taste."
"Hangin' 'em breaks down the enzymes, gives 'em a less gamy taste," Ani said. "For right now, let's let 'em hang. Got 'nough meat ta let 'em hang at least a week. Won' be as good, but it'll be betta than the stiff game we got now."
They finished the meal and hung around for a while, moving out onto the porch as Ani didn't want smoke in the house and both Daryl and Abraham wanted to light up. Ani mentioned the bud she had, which had prompted Eric of all people to go home and return with a glass pipe. He explained that he didn't partake any more, but he had when he was a teen, the pipe being a memento from his younger years. She'd laughed and gone inside, coming out with her bug-out back, opening one of the pockets and pulling out her grinder and old bowl.
Putting her pipe next to Eric's and noticing how they were both green with cosmic swirls, Ani couldn't help but laugh and say, "Looks like we both like pretty things."
"What the hell you with him for if you like pretty things?" Abraham joked, getting flipped off by Daryl.
"What ya talkin' 'bout?" Ani asked, looking at the man as if he had two faces. "Daryl's always been hot as hell. He is one fine specimen a bein' a man, unlike some monkey-faced baffoon in cargo pants and too tight shirts. Serious, man, ya gotta cova them damn nipples up! Ya gonna poke Sash's eye out one a these days!"
"You leave my nipples alone, Tiny!"
"How can I when they're right there for the world ta see? Hell, ya got man boobs, Red! Ya got man boobs!" Ani couldn't help but burst out laughing, everyone else on the porch laughing along with her as the man crossed his arms and glared at her.
"Well, you do have a pretty impressive chest, Abe," Sasha told him lovingly before jokingly saying, "I'd say she was jealous, but I think she's got you beat."
Everyone shared a chuckle as Abraham looked at Sasha, pulling her into his side as Aaron stood next to Eric. Ani pulled out the little bottle of bud that she had and ground a bit up, deciding it didn't matter if she smoked in front of the people here. They all already thought poorly of her and she probably was only going to be able to take a hit or two with how long she'd gone without it. Sure, there'd been a few times here and there throughout the year after the farm, but it'd been nothing regular. She only packed the bowl half full, taking a hit and offering it to anyone who wanted it, though there weren't any takers. Ani just shrugged her shoulders and continued leaning against Daryl's leg as he sat on the porch rail. When everyone left, she, Sophia, and Daryl went inside and to their respective rooms.
Around ten the next day, most of Alexandria's residents had piled into Deanna's house to learn about the horde. Daryl was sitting in the windowsill, one leg propped up on it as he held Ani, who was leaning on his lap, not quite sitting. Rick went over their plans to use cars to form a pathway for the walkers to follow. If they could get the walkers on one set path, they could direct them where they wanted to go. After pouring over maps, there was a decent sized cliff some thirty miles out to the west, and they just needed to get the walkers going in that direction. They'd keep going, too, so most, if not all, would end up falling off the cliff and dying. And even if they didn't die, they'd be out of harms way to Alexandria. It was a pretty decent plan, though Reg had stated that the construction crew was going to be working with Rick on the task at hand, using the steel sheets to reinforce the pathway they were using for the walkers.
"My team," Heath, a member of the only other run team in Alexandria, stated. "We saw it early on. Back when we were on those first runs. Back when we were scouting to see what was around here. There was a camp at the bottom. The people, they must have blocked the exits with one of those trucks back when everything started to go bad. They didn't make it. They were all roamers. Maybe a dozen or so."
"And no one's been back since?" Maggie asked.
Shaking his head with a shrug of his shoulder, Heath answered, "DC, every town worth scavenging are all in the other direction. And I never really felt like having a picnic next to the camp that ate itself."
"So all the while the walkers have been drawn by the sound and they're making more sound and they're drawing more in," Michonne told everyone.
"And here we are," Rick said. "Now, what we're proposing, I know it sounds risky, but walkers are already slipping through the exits. According to Daryl, one of the trucks keeping the walkers in could go off the edge any day now."
"Got maybe one more hard rain left," Daryl told them.
"That exit sends them east. All of them. Right at us. This isn't about if it gives, it's when. It's gonna happen. That's why we have to do this soon."
"This is—I don't even have another word for it," Carol stuttered, making Ani roll her eyes; the gig was up now that Ani had killed someone and their group had practically taken over every position of power except leadership, which still fell firmly with Deanna. "This is terrifying. All of it. But it doesn't sound like there's any other way."
"Maybe there is," Carter, a man on the construction crew stated. "I mean, couldn't we just build up the weak spots? I mean, Reg, you could draw up plans. The construction crew, we can find a way to make it safe."
"Ain' no 'weak spots' ta be built up. That size a horde, 'ventually they'll push through. They push through the wrong way, this place is gone," Ani told him. "'Sides, even if we do that, if we did make it ta where the horde was stuck for a good while, the sound of those walkas are jus' gonna bring more and more in and then, again, that's it. We're done. We gotta control this thing, not be controlled by it."
"We're going to do what Rick says," Deanna told the man. "Reg, Rick, Ani, Daryl, and I discussed this in detail and at length for quite some time last night. These plans weren't just thrown together. They know what they are doing and will not let this plan fail."
"I told you all," Rick spoke a little louder for everyone. "Daryl and Ani are going to be leading them away."
"Me too," Sasha said. "I'll take a car. Drive next to them. Can't just be them. I'll keep 'em coming, they keep 'em from getting sloppy."
"I'll go with her," Abraham said from his place beside her. "It's a long way to be white-knuckling it solo. Might as well ride with my girl."
"Alright," Ani told them. "Anythin' goes wrong, I can break off, head through the woods ta get ta Alexandria. Give y'all warnin' and ya follow through with the part about hidin' out in ya homes, keepin' the noise ta a minimum 'til we get the all clear. Act as a secondary messenger 'sides the walkies ta keep everyone up ta date."
"We'll have two teams," Rick explained. "One on each side of the forest helping manage this thing. We're gonna have a few people on watch from now on. Rosita, Spencer, Holly, and Merle, so they're out. So who's in?"
"Me," Michonne said.
"I'm in," Glenn said after a whispered conversation between him and Maggie; Ani had to avert her eyes watching them and leaned a little further against Daryl as his arm around her waist tightened its hold.
"I'd like to help," Gabriel volunteered.
"No," Rick denied. "Who else?"
"Rick," Ani said, gaining his attention and giving him a pointed look.
"Fine. You do as I say, Gabriel, and you stay within my sights the entire time. We don't need you messing things up, again," Rick told him, Gabriel giving a muted nod to Rick and a small smile of appreciation to Ani, who nodded in return herself.
"Who else?" Rick insisted. "We need more."
"There's gotta be another way. We can't just control that many," Carter replied.
"Yeah, ya can, actually. They bunch up, follow each otha. And they follow things that move. We keep somethin' movin' in front a them, they'll keep movin'. That's how we keep it controlled."
"And what? We're supposed to just take your word for it? After you killed Pete? After he waves a gun around in people's faces?" Carter asked, pointing towards Rick at the end. "We're all just supposed to fall in line behind you?"
"Nah, not behind me. Behind her," Ani said, nodding her head over to Deanna. "I helped come up with this plan, I didn' make it. She did, with our help. Do ya know anythin' 'bout walkas, Carta?" she asked, only to keep going the second he opened his mouth. "Rhetorical question, asshat. Ya more scared than Catty, and she'd piss 'erself if she was a human. Ya don' know how they work 'cause ya the first one ta run away when they come up at the construction crew. Ya have only killed maybe two in the four or five attacks there've been at the worksite." Taking in his surprised expression, Ani couldn't help but laugh a little before saying, "I know basically everythin' 'bout everyone in this room. I've seen all a ya tapes and have watched ya when I've been around. Some a ya, ya got the grit, got the guts, jus' need a little trainin'. Some a ya are like our dear Carta, scared shiteless and wantin' ta hide. But ya can'. Ya have ta step up and become somethin', else ya gonna lose everythin'."
"Enough, Carter. We're going with this plan," Deanna told him. "It is the least risk to Alexandria."
"If all goes right," Ani corrected, not wanting to be dishonest in an already frightening situation. "And we'll make sure it does."
"I'll go," Heath volunteered.
"Me too," Francine said, Merle squeezing her shoulder.
"Whatever you need," Tobin said from beside Rick. "I'm in."
"Now who else?" Deanna asked.
"I'll go," Nicholas said.
"Nah!" Ani immediately denied.
"We have to do this," he told her, his face all beaten up from trying to kill Glenn, something Ani herself added a black eye on him for. "I have to help."
"Ya go out there, ya ain' comin' back," Ani tried to reason. "Ya ain' stable 'nough."
"I have to help, Ani. I have to make it right."
Ani sighed and closed her eyes, nodding her head as Rick asked, "Are you sure you can handle it?"
"You need people," came his only reply, earning Rick's approval as well.
"We'll make this work," Rick told them. "We'll keep this place safe. Keep our families safe. We will."
"The plan," Carter told them. "Go through it again."
"Man, he just said it," Daryl growled from behind Ani, not at all thrilled about her taking the risk alongside him but not wanting to risk a fight either.
"Every part," Carter told them. "Again. The exact plan."
Ani pulled Daryl out of the house shortly after Rick started talking. Her nerves were frayed from being in a small room with so many people. Once they were on the porch, she turned around and wrapped her arms around his waist, his coming up around her shoulders, holding each other as Ani took a deep breath and sighed. To be honest, it hadn't just been the number of people in the room, but the fact that Maggie and Glenn were there too. They weren't supposed to know the other couple was expecting, and it was still kind of awkward for Ani to be both happy and jealous at the same time. Daryl could admit to himself that he was jealous and that it hurt to think about, but they couldn't allow themselves to dwell on it.
~x~
It only took a week to get everything into play, Ani and Daryl helping where they could. Ani was pissed at Rick, and therefore only talking to him when necessary, because he'd attempted to have the Alexandria people take care of walkers on their own before they were ready. Training with Rosita had been called off between the two of them so that Rosita could try to train the people within the town, but that had barely started meaning that they were still basically useless. Along with Morgan and Daryl, she had spear-headed the rescue for them and then verbally assaulted Rick on his choice of action. As she'd told him, you didn't help a baby stand just to let go when they try to take a step.
She and Beth were training every evening in the backyard of Ani's house. She'd even roped Aaron into it with Beth's permission, training them both simultaneously, Beth in defense while Aaron in offense, Daryl just watching and commenting about a few things. Sophia had also been taking part in the lessons, allowing Beth a chance to learn offense as Sophia learned more intense defense. Aaron would practice defense with Daryl on the offense when she was teaching Sophia, though Aaron had asked if Eric could join. She'd offered the man because Eric often times came out to watch, but he told her that he was happy keeping to the self-defense training Rosita was giving. He and Ani would make quiet remarks to each other about how hot Aaron and Daryl were when they were sparring, though, both admitting to the other they thought the other's spouse was attractive.
Ani had also spent some time in the infirmary, helping Denise whip up some basic tonics and elixirs, portioning out herbs so that they were ready to be made into poultice or tea, and reorganizing the infirmary based on Denise's preferences rather than Pete's. While Rosita and Beth were also in there a lot, Ani was surprised by Tara's regular appearance until she caught her making eyes at Denise, who made eyes at Tara when she wasn't looking. It was quite amusing to watch the two of them dance around, Tara's words of encouragement and Denise's flustered comments making her and Beth share secret smiles and chuckles about the two behind their backs.
They had finished the path that day and were planning on doing a dry run in the morning. Daryl was bent over the four wheeler, double checking everything and making sure it was properly tuned. Ania had tried to tell him everything was going to be fine, but he couldn't help but worry. They both had admitted to having a bad feeling, but there was nothing they could do. Getting these walkers away from Alexandria was more important than what they were feeling. He looked up at her as she sat on the thing, leaning against the handlebars and watching him as he worked. Sighing heavily, he stood up and wiped his hands on a rag before moving to stand between her legs, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
"I wish you wouldn't go," he told her.
"Yeah, well, I could say the same thing," Ani responded in kind.
"I know, that's why I'm not pushin' it. I wanna. I wanna so badly just tie you up in the room and lock you in there."
"I'd cut ya nuts off if ya even tried," she told him, both sharing a chuckle as she stood, sliding in his arms and up his chest.
"I just don't want you there."
Sighing deeply, Ani looked up at him, "I'm goin' where ya goin'. Unless somethin' happens ta make it ta where I gotta go ta Alexandria, I'm stickin' with ya."
Daryl leaned down and kissed her deeply before pulling back and picking her up, her legs wrapping around his hips as he took her back home, "Can't argue with that."
~x~
"I know this sounds insane," Rick said as he stood on the truck bed talking to everyone. "But this is an insane world. We have to come for them before they come for us. It's that simple. This is where it all starts tomorrow. Tobin gets in the truck, opens the exit and we're off. He hops out, catches up with his team at red staying on the west side of the road! Daryl gets on his bike, Ani on her four wheeler and-"
"Shite!" Ani said, barely heard over the groaning of what was happening.
"You see that?" Sasha asked as one of the trucks blocking the other exit to the quarry fell off, opening the quarry on the opposite side, the side they were actively trying to keep intact to protect Alexandria.
They watched as it fell into the see of walkers, Rick shouting, "It's open! We got to do this now! We're doin' this now! Tobin, go get moving! Ani, get on your four wheeler, get back to Alexandria! They need to prepare!"
"No, Rick," Carter said, a man Ani hadn't wanted working with them, but he knew second best to Reg how to construct the walls they'd needed for this endeavor. "We're not ready!"
"Ain' got a fuckin' choice, now do we?" Ani spat at him, running over to Daryl and giving him a searing kiss as Rick called for Sasha and Abraham to get in their car. "I'll come back ta ya, catch up at the turn off on 65. Alright?"
"Yeah, be safe," he said, giving her one last kiss.
"Ya too," she told him as she ran to her four wheeler and booked it towards Alexandria.
Daryl watched her fading image until she disappeared, cutting into the woods to take the fastest route back home. He listened and watched as everyone moved into position, Carter protesting some more as Daryl swung around and trained his bow on the small opening. Taking aim and listening to Rick bark orders, finally giving the signal to start, Daryl watched as a walker literally flayed itself against the trucks to get out. He was happy Ania wasn't there to see it; ever since that hit to the head she'd become squeamish about stuff like that. Taking aim and putting that walker down, he ran to his bike, hopping on and revving the engine.
He'd wanted Ania to stay in Alexandria for this trip because of her current aversion to grotesque scenery, but she had insisted. Daryl was happy that now she was on her way back to Alexandria and would catch up to him later. There would be a lot more space between them and the walkers by that time, so she wouldn't have to deal with the smell or the sight so much. He listened as Rick radioed in instructions, hoping Ania would be able to be quick in her trip to Alexandria. Leading the horde through the gauntlet, he met up with Sasha and Abraham just as the cars they'd parked to make a pathway ended. After the gauntlet, they only had cars and supports placed to keep the walkers following the road they had planned to use.
They moved slowly, reaching the area marked with orange balloons and slowing even more so that the walkers would be able to keep up and follow them. Daryl saw the flares going up that would keep the horde moving the direction they wanted it to. After another couple of minutes, he heard hooting and hollering, turning around long enough to witness Abraham running with some walkers on his trail, bringing them back to the horde before hopping back in the vehicle with Sasha. He just rolled his eyes and continued forward. It was taking forever and Ania hadn't radioed in yet which had him worried about her, but they needed him to be on his bike and there so that she could be safe in Alexandria if something did happen.
~x~
Ani made it back to the town, yelling at the gate to open up as she reached it. Inside, she let Reg know what was happening before leaving to inform Deanna, who was outside the walls. Finding Deanna and Maggie in a field, shovels in hand, she let them know that the truck they'd been worried about had fallen. Their hands had been forced and the plan was taking action as they spoke, Ani needing to get back on the road so she could get to the intersection where she would meet up with Daryl. The only problem with that was that no sooner had she spoken those words, screaming erupted from inside the walls.
"Richards!" Deanna called up to the guard on the wall. "What's going on in there?"
"Watch out!" Ani yelled as a Molotov cocktail was thrown up at the man, breaking and bursting his body into flames. "We gotta get inside! Me kids!"
"The kittens are-"
"The kids! Phia! Carl! Judy! Our kids!" Ani cried at Maggie, who realized then that Ani wasn't worried about the kittens in the slightest.
"Go," she told the girl, who sprinted toward the wall, making quick work of climbing up the braces and dropping down inside, throwing one of her knives and killing the man who'd done the same just before her.
Ani took out another three with her throwing knives before she brought out her daggers, making her way with brazen steps across Alexandria, killing another three before she got to Rick's house. Finding Carol, Sophia, Beth, and Carl inside, Judith being upstairs, she cried in relief as she hugged the kids, kissing each of their foreheads, including Beth's. She ran upstairs to double check on Judith, happy she'd left the kittens in Sophia and Carl's care seeing as they were both in the room with the baby. Catty was happily getting a 'massage' as the little girl rubbed her face in her fur while Bobby was batting a ping pong ball Carl had given him around. Breathing a sigh of relief as she kissed the toddler's head, she went back downstairs to the others, now starting to panic over the fact that she'd left Maggie outside of the walls. With what was happening inside the walls, though, it might not be such a bad thing that she was outside of them.
"Ya three, ta stay in this house, lock the doors, and keep a gun on the points a entry, ya hear me?" she asked Carl, Beth, and Sophia. "Cars, ya and me. We're the only people who can help these guys here. Maggie's knocked up, so we gotta find 'er and keep 'er safe."
"What?"
"Ya heard me!" Ani yelled angrily. "We don' got time for nonsense, Cars! Jus' help me find Maggie and keep 'er safe!"
Leaving the house, she and Carol went in opposite directions. Carol was being sneaky, actively trying not to get noticed. Ani, however, was not being so cautious, throwing knives left and right with her right hand and using her left to slash anyone who got too close. She'd killed four more and wounded at least six, leaving them to bleed out or as easy pickings for the others. Things only got worse, however, when a loud horn started blaring from near the tower.
"Shite! Shite! Shite!" Ani started yelling as she ran towards Eric, Rosita and Aaron carrying an injured Holly between them. "I'll get ya ta the infirmary, but then I gotta go! That horn's gonna draw the horde!"
"They're at the quarry!" Rosita snapped.
"Nah! They're not! Had ta do it now! Jus' got back and told Deanna 'fore all this shite started!" Ani informed them as they got closer to Denise's house. "Eric, ya stay in that house, ya hear me?! Ya don' leave! Not with ya ankle. I need ya ta stay and protect Denny and 'er patients. Can ya do that for me? Please?"
"You got it, Ani," the man told her, knowing she didn't often ask for favors, more like demanded you listen. "Just be careful. I need my little buddy to chat about how hot my man is," he joked earning a worried smile from her, a chuckle from Aaron, and a scoff and roll of the eyes from Rosita.
"Now is not the time," Rosita complained.
"There is no damn time!" Ani shot back, leaving them as soon as they got to the door and taking down another two intruders, this time pulling her gun since she was out of throwing knives and didn't want these people getting close to the house. "Do ya know where Maggie is?"
"I haven't seen her," Aaron told her as they climbed the stairs, Ani throwing the door to Denise's wide open and calling for her, seeing Eugene and Tara inside. "Last I knew, she was outside the walls sowing crops."
"Alright," Ani replied. "Tara, Gene, stay in here. Help protect this place. Whateva else happens, the infirmary and the armory can' fall. I gotta go back out there. If I can' find Maggie, the least I can do is protect the armory."
Ani left the building only to have to dodge a swing of a knife, forcing her to drop her gun. Whipping out her own dagger, she countered the next strike by blocking his his arm. Striking his sternum with her fist, she quickly and roughly crashed his head into the banister, knocking the man unconscious at least, before bringing her dagger down into his skull. Aaron and Rosita came out of the house next, planning on fighting against the intruders too. Ani instructed them to get to the armory as she began to run for the gate. She'd knocked who she thought was another intruder down who was dragging Morgan behind her on a chain, preparing a killing strike as Morgan and the intruder, who turned out to be Carol, yelled for her not to.
"Are ya fuckin' stupid?!" Ani screamed at her. "Ya might blend in with 'em, but othas like me are gonna shoot first and ask questions lata! Jus'...jus' get ya ass ta the armory and stay there!"
She ran with Carol to the armory, helping her take down two of the three chasing her, finding Olivia in the house afterwards. As Carol grabbed as many guns as she could in a small tote bag, Ani gave Olivia a quick lesson in gun operation. Once they had the guns, they ran back outside, Ani and Carol mowing down each and every intruder they found. By the end of it, Carol was about to have a breakdown over the number of people she'd killed and Ani had added another seventeen kills to her count, bringing her total over a hundred.
"These were the same people who set that trap," Aaron said as he walked up. "How? How did they-"
"Prolly followed us back, waited for the right time. Most a our fightas are out dealin' with the horde," Ani told him, not letting him blame himself, even if she was doing the very same thing.
Making her way back to Rick's house, she double checked on the kids before heading to the infirmary. There were probably a lot of injured people there who could use her help, so she pulled Beth along with her, Sophia too, as Carl headed upstairs to check on Judith. When they entered, Ani immediately went to Denise's side, giving her a squeeze on the shoulder before the woman broke down. Her shirt was covered in blood as were her hands almost up to the elbow. She'd tried to save Holly, who'd been severely injured, and failed, causing her to lose faith in herself all over again. Ani looked at the wound and told her that she'd done all that she could do and even in the old world, an injury like that would have most likely been fatal. Telling Denise to go get herself cleaned up as Beth, Rosita, and Sophia began tending to the minor injuries, Ani wheeled Holly's body outside, taking care of the final act herself. Noticing Gabriel, she passed the torch of dealing with the dead to him, finding Maggie and telling her she was heading out. She was on her four-wheeler and at the gate when she began crying in defeat. The horde was fast approaching Alexandria.