Hold Me Tight
Chapter 5
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Suzanne had been directed to the medical wing of the building by Ozzy, who would keep Austin and Boone distracted while she grabbed all the medical supplies. She wrenched the cabinet door open, shoving the penicillin, oxytocin, acriflex cream for burns, bandages, surgical sutures, gauze, a pulse oximeter, and other equipment that she could fit into her backpack.
She even found a portable iron and shoved it into her backpack, as well as tweezers and clamps. She shoved it all into the backpack, making sure she had everything, and found a pack of syringes to take as well.
She let out a deep breath as she heard the sound of a truck in the distance. She looked through the window to see a young woman around Matilda's age crashing the truck into the gate/wall, allowing thousands of walkers to swarm into the courtyard.
Knowing that was the signal, she snuck around the back to get the livestock out. She prayed that Daryl and Brandon were alright, as she found the stables.
"Please God, if you can hear me at this very moment. Please don't take away anyone else I love. Please God," she prayed silently, as she saw a Reaper sneaking up behind the woman.
Without any hesitation, she slit the man's throat and locked him inside the building. She quickly unlocked the back door that led to the rendezvous point that Daryl had told her about and freed the animals.
Daryl had gone to join Brandon, Leah, Powell or as he had revealed his name, Milo. were standing with the rest of the Reapers, as they observed the walkers.
He walked over quietly to where Leah was standing by herself. She had a strange look on her face. She looked at him silently for a moment.
"Do you ever wonder what would have happened if we had never left the cabin all those years ago?" she asked finally, no emotion in her voice. He looked at her quietly.
He'd loved her. He really had, but not the woman she was now.
"Yeah, I do. But that ain't now…it's a different world now. A different life, even here…and I gotta tell ya somethin', Leah," he admitted quietly, but seriously. She turned to look at him. Her face was hard, showing no weakness.
"What is it?" she asked wearily, but there was a tone in her voice that wasn't there before, something menacing. Daryl continued though. He wanted to help her.
"There are people among the walkers…my people, the ones from before. They're roaming among the dead," he explained truthfully. Leah looked pissed as she glared at him angrily.
"You lied to me, Daryl…you fucking told me you wouldn't do that, and yet here you are. I'm such an idiot. I should never have trusted you, just like they warned me not to," she said betrayed, looking like she genuinely wanted to kill him.
"I did it to protect my family, Leah. Ya would've understood that. I know ya would," Daryl said fiercely, as he saw Pope coming along. He noticed that they were in the middle of something that seemed serious.
"What are you two talking about?" he asked curiously. Daryl braced himself for Leah telling Pope that he was a traitor. From the corner of his eye, he saw Brandon watching them along with Milo.
"Family," Leah said simply. Pope nodded as he ordered everyone to get the hwacha, so they could fire them at the walkers.
Daryl watched as the walkers started pushing at the Meridian gate. He could see the wooden gate buckling under the weight of so many walkers piling on top of it.
Pope had made it clear that he didn't care if Reapers got caught in the crossfire, and this was causing issues between him and Leah. He watched as the two argued intently, before Pope glared at her with a dangerous, menacing glare.
"I am god!" He announced defiantly, much to everyone's disbelief. "You're not allowed to question me, Leah," he said coldly, and left to speak with one of the Reapers.
As he looked on in silent disgust, the man started groping her by cupping her breasts. She squirmed in his hold, as she tried to get away from him.
Daryl stalked behind him silently, before slitting his throat, feeling blood spray on his face. The man choked on his own blood, as Daryl shoved him over the wall, into the waiting arms of the walkers that begun feasting on his flesh.
Pope had ordered Austin to light the RPG, not noticing that Daryl was coming towards him with his knives. Dog was standing beside Suzanne and Brandon, who was standing in front of his sister protectively as she had arrived, and Milo had freed Edward from his cell.
Just as Pope turned to face him, Leah crept up behind him and stabbed him in the throat, viciously. The man fell forward on the floor, as Daryl threw a knife at Austin, to stop him from lighting the RPG.
He quickly cut the line, as Brandon helped get Dog down over the wall so he wouldn't be caught in the crossfire. Edward waited with him nervously as he saw the walkers paying no attention to him or the dog.
Daryl watched as Leah slammed her boot on the back of Pope's back and stabbed him through the back of the skull. Suzanne pulled the knife from Austin's forehead and gave it back to Daryl.
"We can go now, Leah. Ya don't have to this anymore. Yer free," he told her quietly, as Brandon watched their backs. He didn't like the way she was looking at all of them, especially Brandon and Milo.
Before she could respond, one of the Reapers ask for Pope and wondering what they should do. Leah was silent, as she looked at the body of the man, who she thought of as father for so many years.
"Pope's dead. Dixon killed him," she answered coldly, glaring at them. Brandon and Suzanne stared at her in disbelief, along with pissed Milo glared at her. Daryl felt betrayed. That fucking bitch.
"Why'd ya do that?" He asked betrayed, hurt in his voice as he watched Leah stroke Pope's face with a tenderness that he never saw her act with before.
"For family," she answered simply, as she saw them jump down off the wall, as the rest of the Reapers joined them.
Daryl kept his gun close, as he, Brandon, Suzanne, Dog, Milo, Ozzy, and Edward tried to reach, Maggie, Elijah, and Emil. RPGs were being fired at them, as they all tried to avoid stepping on the small minefield that Brandon had warned them about. As he ran, he saw more walkers swarming against the fences, causing the fences to buckle under the pressure.
He heard barking, and saw Dog cornered by ten walkers now, aware of the animal's presence. The dog pushed one of them down but got bitten on his left hind leg. Dog yelped in pain, causing Daryl to run to help his four-legged friend.
"S'alright boy, I got ya. Easy now," he said soothingly Suzanne and the others ran over. They took cover behind one of the buildings, as they saw Leah and the others turn their attention to the walkers.
"Oh god, is he alright?" Suzanne asked worriedly. She knew how much Dog meant to Daryl, and how much the man loved him. Daryl shook his head, trying not to cry.
"He's bleedin' pretty bad. We need to get the hell outta of here," he said urgently Maggie nodded as she pointed to the underground tunnel, as Gabriel joined them.
"We can get away by going under that tunnel, but we need to be quick and take the supplies with us," she explained gravely. Daryl nodded and they started moving.
Daryl made sure that Suzanne was near him as they heard the explosions above them. He was still pissed that Leah had sold them out. Dog whined in his arms.
"How's he doing, Daryl?" Suzanne asked quietly. She loved animals but had a special place in her for dogs and cars.
"Doin' alright, but he's in a hell of pain. Beth's gonna need to get him on antibiotics when we get to Alexandria," he admitted quietly, as they reached the door.
Brandon cautiously opened it, going outside to check if the coast was clear. He came back a few minutes later, his olive skin looking slightly grey.
"A few walkers, but the wagon's still there along with Merle's motorcycle. They're going towards Meridian," he explained quietly, as they cautiously started walking through the woods.
Beth had been informed by Lindsay, and Carlos that Josette Giroux who was a midwife, would be arriving at the safe zone to help Nabila with her fourth child.
She was still getting over the fact that she'd witnessed Gavin and Melinda making out. Carlos had told her that Gavin was not a nice guy, but a lot of the upper-class people in the Commonwealth respected and liked him.
It was weird, to think of someone just blatantly cheating on their spouse like that. And with their sister, none the less. Like what the fuck? How does someone do that?
Regardless, now they were waiting for hopefully survivors and other people to come through. And maybe they could restart from there.
Getting through the Meridian was terrifying, and Suzanne was honest to God scared about what might happen. But they needed to do it.
As they ran through the walkers, there was a sudden explosion from above that started to rain down on them. Daryl instantly comes over and pulls Suzanne under him while still keeping Dog close.
"What the fuck was that?!" Suzanne yells. Daryl looks up and feels his eyes narrow.
Leah had fired an RPG at them.
"Fucking hell," Daryl growls. Another explosion rings out. Daryl drags Suzanne into a clearing, avoiding the gunfire.
"Some old flame you have there, Daryl," Suzanne quips. Daryl rolls his eyes.
"She wasn't like this years ago," he bites back before his eyes turn to worry, looking down at Dog. Suzanne digs through her backpack, grabbing some sort of cream and bandages.
"Here," she says quickly, rubbing some along the bite wound and wrapping it in bandages. "Luckily, the bites don't effect animals, but we need to manage the blood until we get to safety - wrap it up." Daryl pulls it hard, the dog whimpering in response. His heart broke.
"I know, boy, just hang on," Daryl says quickly, picking Dog back up. He looks at Suzanne. "We're almost done with this - let's get on. Stay with me - don't need ya getting exploded."
"Yeah, that wouldn't be a pretty sight," Suzanne said grimly. They made their way outside Meridian slowly. More walkers had stumbled towards the area, lured in by the noise as the RPGs were still being fired at the walkers.
As they ran, she saw some of the Reapers trying to shoot at them, and she fired her bow back. The arrow hit him in the chest as they made their way to the wagon.
Daryl helped get Dog settled on the wagon, his tail wagging weakly as he made sure he was comfortable. Brandon, Milo, and Ozzy watched their backs as they helped Eli lay down. He'd gotten hit by shrapnel in his left shoulder, while Negan had been hit in the arms with tiny pieces of the metal.
"Let's get the hell outta here!" Brandon said quickly, making sure that all the food, water, and medicine was secured. Daryl nodded and shook the reins, as the two horses began riding away.
In the distance, a wolf howled as the wagon drove down the road away from Meridian. The dead slowly began overrunning the town.
Suzanne had used the surgical tweezers to remove the shards of shrapnel that were impaled in Elijah's left forearm. After cleaning the wound, she wrapped a bandage around his arm, and then treated Negan, who was surprisingly a good patient.
"So, you and Daryl know each other?" Negan asked curiously. The archer was notoriously private about his life before the world had gone to shit. Everyone knew that he'd lost his brother to a hostile group, but other than that, he was very private.
"We were good friends before this. Best friends. We lived in the same trailer park, and he used to work for my grandparents at their farm. He was a few years older than me, though. I used to follow him and my older siblings around constantly," Suzanne said softly, fondness in her voice as she reflected on happier memories.
She'd been so happy to have a friend in Daryl as a child. She wasn't popular or considered as pretty as Matilda and Melinda. The only friend she'd had was Brandon, her brother, and then she had been left alone when he had enlisted in the army.
Daryl had never treated her badly. He'd teased her when she would refuse to hunt baby deers but had understood. Everyone said the Dixons were lowlifes, dregs of society, but she had never thought Daryl was anywhere near that.
He was the kindest, compassionate, and bravest man that she'd ever met in her life. She was proud to see that he had become everything that she knew he would. A part of her felt her heartbreak as she looked at her locket silently.
She would have to tell him the truth soon. She couldn't keep her secret from him any longer. He had a right to know. She just hoped that he didn't blame her grandmother when the truth was revealed.
At that moment, he comes over, running a hand through his messy hair. "It's too dangerous to stop for the night, so we'll be riding through the night. Just stay alert," Daryl said wearily. They nodded and Suzanne stroked one of the horses with a soft smile.
Beth had gone to greet Josette Giroux, who had arrived with Pamela, and a wagon filled with fresh food and repair tools. Daryl and Maggie had contacted them earlier, letting them know that they were five hours away from arriving at Alexandria.
"I'm Beth Greene. It's really nice to meet you both," she said softly, praying that neither of them reacted like Gavin and Melinda had at seeing the damage the storm had done to the houses
Josette was a petite woman that appeared to be in her early-mid seventies. She had dark blonde wavy hair. Her eyes were kind, but a sharp dark brown, and she had laugh lines around her mouth.
Pamela had light blonde hair that was in a stylish pixie crop, and looked to be in her late forties, to early fifties. She looked kind, but Eugene had told her that she was naive about the realities of the world outside the Commonwealth.
They both smiled at her kindly, with Pamela looking in awe at seeing the windmill and gristmills. She showed them around, seeing Josette smile at seeing Melinda, but her eyes turned cold at seeing her grandson-in-law.
"Beth, this is Josette Giroux. She's a midwife and has helped deliver many babies in the old world and this world. She'd like to stay here permanently along with her grandson and two granddaughters who are with three of your supply runners," Pamela explained seriously. Beth nodded in understanding.
"I'll have to discuss this with the council, but I'm sure they'll agree. We could always use new alliances," Beth said calmly. Pamela nodded in thanks as she showed them to the clinic that served as their hospital.
Daryl was happy beyond words when he saw Merle's bike in the back of the wagon on a cart. It was still standing, even after all these years. He looked at Suzanne, who was sitting in the front with him, while Maggie and Brandon took a break.
"What's it like, Alexandria?" Suzanne asked quietly as she looked at him curiously. He smiled as he thought of the community that considered his home.
"It's a good place. Got plenty of houses and solar panel energy along with a windmill, and gristmill. The zone's powered by solar panel energy so we got a supply of electricity, hot water and plumbing for the zone...it's a good place," Daryl explained quietly, pride in his voice. "Lotta good people." Suzanne smiled.
She could tell that Daryl missed Alexandria. It was his home, and it made her happy that he had people who loved him. She knew that she needed to tell him her secret, but she was frightened about his reaction.
Would he hate her for not telling him sooner? She wouldn't blame him if he did. She sighed quietly, as she looked at her locket and stared at the photo of a baby girl in the fourth photo frame.
Daryl glances over at where she was, seeing her looking down, and saw the picture of a baby in an incubator. She looked tiny as hell, and he felt his mouth go dry. Did Suzanne have a daughter by Gavin?
"Do ya have kids?" He asked quietly. He saw a brief flash of pain in her dark, brown eyes. She shook her head, giving him a sad smile.
"I had a daughter, but she…. died when all of this happened, Daryl. It was in the hospital where I worked, and she was in the NICU unit," she explained sadly, telling him half of the truth.
She hadn't been able to save her baby girl, when the soldiers had stormed into the room, shooting everyone, and turning off the power, just so they could save themselves.
Daryl's shoulders drop. "Jesus," he mutters quietly, looking away. "I'm sorry that happened...what went wrong? If ya don't mind me askin'...ya don't have to say anythin' if ya don't want to."
Suzanne swallows and shakes her head. "No... it's okay." She looks back up, her eyes lost in distant memories. "She was early, that one...a combination of the stress of everything going on and other things that were going on...but somehow, I made it to the hospital right before the world went to shit. When she was born, she had to go into the NICU because she was tinier than others, but then…" She takes a deep breath, willing herself not to cry. "The military stormed the hospital. There were so many infected people they didn't know what to do. They came in and started shooting everyone. Miraculously, I survived it, but because of what they did, the power was shut off everywhere…and soon after that, my little girl died in that incubator. I took that picture with a camera they had in the gift shop."
Daryl was silent for a moment, her story processing in his head. "Where was Gavin in all this?" he asks a second later, his voice still quiet.
Suzanne snorts and shakes her head, looking down. "Who knows?" she whispers to herself.
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