Chapter 62 - No sanctuary

PRESENT DAY:

TERMINUS - THE TRAIN CAR

Daryl couldn't take his eyes off the necklace in his trembling palm.

"I said, where the HELL did ya get this?!" he barked, spirals of panic shooting wildly through him because he knew for a fact that Tahlia had been wearing this necklace the day of the Governor's attack, so if Glenn had it then it meant... it meant... what the FUCK did it mean?!

"Tahly wanted me to give it to you if I got to you first." Glenn's tone was appeasing, but that didn't help to reduce the tension crackling in the air.

"First?" echoed Daryl, the word barely a sound as his breath shallowed in his chest.

"No shit!" Abraham pointed a finger at Daryl. "This is Tahlia's guy?! Damn, we are doing exceptionally well with this whole 'finding people' thing! Two from two!"

Daryl shot a daggered look in Abraham's direction as he tried to understand why his girl's name had just come out of a complete stranger's mouth with such familiarity.

Then Maggie's hand closed around his forearm. "Honey, you might wanna sit down for this."

Roughly jerking his arm out of her grip, Daryl's gaze darted over the group in front of him as he took a step back, feeling like a cornered animal.

"Hell's goin' on?"

Glenn spoke again. "We left the prison together, me and her."

A faint shake of his head was all Daryl could manage as images of what he'd witnessed flared painfully in his mind.

Jumping forward, Beth held a hand up. "Glenn, don't, please … we saw her... in the car... then the tank destroyed it. There was no way that anyone survived that. No way." She said the last bit in a whisper, as if that would assuage some of the anguish Daryl felt hearing it.

"That's the thing, though." persisted Glenn. "She wasn't in the car. Well, she was at first, but she got out again, before the tank blew it up. She was hurt pretty bad but got herself inside the prison. That's where I found her. I helped her. We got out together."

"Tahly's alive?!" Michonne asked incredulously, sagging against Rick a little at the news, his arm tightening around her.

"Yeah. She's alive." Glenn repeated, then he scratched his head nervously. "Well... you know... she was when I last saw her."

"Glenn!" Maggie hissed, shooting him a warning look. Then she turned a tight smile to the others. "I'm sure she's still fine."

"Well, where is she?" Michonne's gaze searched the dark corners of the dingy carriage as if expecting Tahlia to materialise.

Daryl felt like everything around him was happening in slow motion. Voices were stretched and words dragged out like they were wading through treacle. But two words were repeating on fastplay inside his head, drumming out a rapid beat in time with his racing heart.

She's alive. She's alive.

But that couldn't be, because he saw, he SAW... but now spaces were opening up between the memories and he wasn't sure what he'd seen anymore.

He wanted to believe Glenn, wanted to believe him more than anything in this whole godforsaken world, but the loss of her was still searing, agonising, and if he allowed himself even one droplet of hope that she was still out there, only to find that she wasn't... then he would have to relive his crashing grief all over again and he wasn't sure that he'd survive it a second time. His head was spinning so fast he thought actually, Maggie was right, maybe he should sit down, but he didn't, and instead tried to concentrate on what Glenn was saying.

"...we were heading for this place, trying to catch up with Maggie, but Tahly needed to take it slow because of her injuries, so she told us to go on without her-"

"Wait, what?!" As Daryl processed Glenn's words, everything returned to normal speed with the flare of anger inside him. "My girl is alive but injured and you left her out there?!"

"Uh..." Glenn shrank back at the untamed look in Daryl's eyes. "I mean, she needed to rest, so..."

"Hey man, she wanted us to leave her so that we could find you and Maggie." added Abraham. "Tara stayed back with her. They weren't that far behind us."

"Who the fuck asked you?" Daryl snarled at Abraham. "And who the fuck is Tara?"

Glenn looked even more terrified now. "We... we found Tara at the prison. She was one of the Governor's people, but-"

With a ferocious growl, Daryl leapt forward to grab the front of Glenn's shirt, but Rick, predicting his move, jumped in between him and Glenn, catching Daryl by the shoulders and pushing him backwards as Daryl started shouting.

"Not only is Tahly fuckin' hurt, but ya left her with one of the people that destroyed our home and tried to kill us?! I'll fuckin-"

"Daryl!" Rick was having a hard time maintaining control. "Daryl! You need to calm down, you need-"

"Don't goddamn TELL me what I need!" Daryl ripped himself free from Rick, breathing heavily. "I know what I need! I need to get the fuck out of here and find her!" Then with a roar he ran and shoulder charged the door, and even though it didn't budge, he did it a second time before turning to violently kick at it.

"Whoa! Daryl, stop!" Rick was in front of him again, trying to restrain him, settle him. "Daryl! Ok!"

Shoving Rick away, Daryl finally stilled, save the heaving of his chest, and turned his wild stare onto Rick's steady one.

"Daryl. We're going to get out of here. We're going to find Tahly. I swear to you." said Rick assertively. "We will get out. These fuckers messed with the wrong people."

Still panting, Daryl drew the back of his hand over his mouth and nodded in assent.

Moving closer to Daryl, but being sure to keep Rick in between them, Glenn spoke again.

"Um... Daryl? Tahly wanted me to give you a message to go with that necklace." He flicked his gaze to the roof for a moment as he first quickly recited the message in his head. "Ok, she said: 'Tell him he's going to get his property back. And tell him I still am, and forever will be, deep as shit in.'"

"Property?" repeated Rick, at the same time that Michonne asked, "'Deep as shit in', what?"

Glenn shrugged. "I don't know. That's just what she said. Said it would make sense to him."

All eyes in the carriage turned to Daryl, and from the wretched look on his face, it was clear that it made perfect sense.

"Oh, wait." remembered Glenn. "There was something else." He cleared his throat awkwardly and leaned in a little closer to Daryl. "She said: 'Tell him he still owes me a pants-less mini-break'."

And maybe if the circumstances had been different, Daryl might have managed a smile at that, but as it was, those words hurt worse than anything because they were so her and they only amplified his longing for her. The adrenaline had left his body now, left him shaking, and he really did need to fucking sit down, so he stumbled to the darkest corner in the carriage and sank to the floor, hugging his knees to his chest, forehead to knees. He soon felt someone sitting next to him, but he didn't bother to look up because he knew who it would be.

"Know what this means? Know what this fuckin' means, Mich?" said Daryl without lifting his head, his voice muffled. "Means I left her there. I walked away from her and left her there to die."

"You didn't, Daryl." Michonne's voice was low and firm. "You didn't know. You thought she was gone. You didn't know."

He raised his head now, hugging himself tighter. "But I didn't even check! I wanted to. Knew I should. But I didn't. And she..." His voice cracked and he swallowed the rest of his words.

"And she's alive. Despite all the shit that went down there, she's alive." Michonne wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "That's what you need to focus on. I know that the only thing Tahly will be focusing on right now is getting back to you. You need to do the same."

Drawing a shaky breath, Daryl slowly nodded. "Gonna. Gonna find her."

They both looked up to where Rick was instructing everyone to fashion whatever weapons they could out of the little they had, and they shared a knowing glance.

"We're getting out of here."

They were ready.

Ready to fight their way out.

But, unexpectedly, tear gas was released into the train car and the next thing Daryl knew, he was dragged away, bound and gagged and forced into a large warehouse.

On his knees between Rick and Glenn, Daryl found himself staring into a stained concrete trough. Glancing to his left, he saw another three men he didn't recognise kneeling on the other side of Glenn, trussed up and terrified. Looking around now, he grimly noted that they were in some sort of slaughterhouse. Bodies hanging from ceiling hooks; others on gurneys in various stages of dismemberment; carved up human remains on every surface. Daryl was now aware of two men wearing plastic bloodstained aprons over their clothes, one swinging a baseball bat in the air while the other sharpened his large carving knife.

Preparing themselves to kill.

This was all little more than an inconvenience to Daryl, because he wasn't going to die. Not here, not today.

Knowing that Tahlia was alive made him feel invincible. His blood was molten lava streaming through his veins; his every cell quivered with pent up energy. The fact that he was currently tied up didn't faze him. He was going to kill these men, tear this place to pieces, and find Tahlia. In that order.

Kneeling next to Daryl, Rick eyed his friend warily. He could feel the murderous tension rolling off him and knew that Daryl was only seconds away from exploding. Rick had a shiv in one hand and was frantically trying to sever the bonds at his wrists, hoping like hell Daryl wouldn't fire up before he could get loose.

Down the far end of the line, the killing began. The baseball bat slammed into the first captive's head, knocking him forward, then the butcher stepped in and pulled his head back, slitting the man's throat and letting the blood spurt and bubble into the trough, an ominous crimson stream flowing past the others.

They moved onto the next man.

Then the next.

And then it was Glenn's turn.

With breath ragged and panicked, Glenn started to writhe and moan as the man with the bat moved in behind him.

And then a huge explosion rocked the complex causing everyone to pause in shock.

"What the hell was-"

Daryl launched himself up and back, knocking into the bat-man like a tank, then spun and slammed his forehead twice into the bridge of his nose. At that same time, Rick cut through his bonds and tackled the butcher, jamming his shiv straight into his throat, then he grabbed the dropped carving knife and rolled over towards Daryl and finished off the bat-man who was near unconscious anyway, before quickly freeing Daryl and Glenn from their bonds.

"What's going on out there?" Glenn asked, cocking his head to the side at the sound of gunfire and shouting echoing around the place.

"No idea. But let's get the hell out of here." Rick replied, gesturing to the back door.

On their way out, they picked up a few weapons from the array of butchering equipment laid out on the tables, and then they were off.

The next bit was all a blur. It could have been 10 minutes or 10 hours, Daryl had no concept of time.

They crossed into another building where they found tables laden with weapons and personal effects that had obviously been taken from prisoners, and it made their blood run cold as they realised just how many people had been imprisoned and killed here. Spotting his crossbow, Daryl grabbed it eagerly before pointing out Rick's gun, and they ditched their knives in favour of weapons with more firepower. Heading out into the yard, they found that all hell had broken loose. A massive fire was burning from a large propane tank in the centre of the complex, and walkers were pouring in from the woods through the collapsed fences. People were shooting and running and screaming and dying.

Crouching in the doorway of a building, Glenn pointed over to the row of train cars by the fence line. "We need to open those up, let people out."

"No time." snapped Rick, eyes darting furiously around the chaos.

"Gotta man. If Tahly was headin' this way, she could be in one of 'em. I gotta open 'em all." Daryl told him resolutely.

Rick hesitated, then nodded. "Ok. I'll cover you. Go now!"

Jumping out from the doorway, he shot at two men from Terminus who were heading towards them, killing them quickly, then turned to fire a wide arc of bullets, providing Daryl and Glenn an opportunity to run to the carriages. Opening each one and setting the captives free, Daryl called Tahlia's name all the way, half-relieved to find that she wasn't there, holding on to the hope that she hadn't made it to Terminus yet.

Slamming back the bolt on the final train car that was holding their friends, Glenn ushered them out.

"Come on!" he shouted. "Let's go! To the fences!"

In a mad rush, the group pushed forward to the fences, stabbing and spearing walkers in their way, Rick bringing up the rear and firing at the Terminus gunmen on the rooftop who were dividing their shots between the prisoners and the walkers.

Abruptly, they found themselves out in the woods on the other side of the fence line, away from the walkers, their captors, the fires and the carnage.

"We need to get back in there and make sure all those assholes are dead!" growled Rick, his eyes blazing.

Michonne laid a hand on his arm. "No. Leave it. We need to keep moving, get away from all of that."

Clenching his jaw, Rick stared at the wreckage of Terminus, then looked to Michonne and nodded.

"Ok. Ok, let's go."

Rick led the way through the woods around the side of the fences to retrieve the bag of guns he'd buried there, and while waiting for Rick, Daryl caught sight of a figure emerging through the trees, his mouth dropping open in surprise when he saw that it was Carol.

Daryl ran straight to her and dragged her into a fierce embrace as she clung tightly to him in response, tears stinging her eyes.

"Hi." she said quietly into his shoulder. "Hi."

Pulling back, Daryl gripped her shoulders and studied her face.

"That was you? The explosion?"

She nodded. "I had a little help. You guys ok?" Carol peered around him and looked expectantly at the rest of the group.

"We're ok." Rick told her as he arrived at her side, throwing his arms around her. "That was some incredible timing. Thank you."

After exchanging happy greetings with the others, Carol gave Rick a small smile. "You need to come with me. I have something for you." Then she linked an arm through Daryl's. "And something for you, too."

Rick and Daryl shared a confused glance but headed off through the bush without further question.

They soon spotted an old hut up ahead, Tyreese and Tara leaning against one wall. Sasha gave a delighted squeal when she caught sight of her brother and jogged over to him, Glenn and Rosita following after her to greet Tara. Then, from the doorway of the hut, Tahlia emerged, cradling a wary looking Judith in her arms, blinking in the bright sunshine.

Rick and Carl grasped one another in happy shock, tears immediately springing to their eyes as they saw Judith. Running towards them, Rick threw his arms around both Tahlia and his baby, alternating kisses on both of their faces until, laughing, Tahlia shoved him away, then pressed his daughter into his arms before turning to hug Carl.

Glenn was next to her now and he gave her a fond shove. "You finally made it, slow poke."

Tahlia's eyes danced in amusement. "I'm glad I hung back and took my time!" She pointed at the smoke billowing from Terminus. "Looks like that was a bit of a shit show!"

They grinned at one another, then Tahlia was ambushed by Michonne.

"You just don't damn well die, do you?!" Michonne exclaimed happily as she hugged her friend tightly, the two women rocking from side to side in their embrace.

"Been trying not to!" chuckled Tahlia, wiping at her eyes as she pulled away, then let her gaze search over the rest of the group until she found the one person she was looking for.

A few yards away, Daryl had dropped his crossbow and was standing stock still, staring like he'd seen a ghost. He certainly felt like he had - he was afraid to blink in case she disappeared. Everything around him went blurry and fell away and there was only her and yet he still didn't quite believe it. Holding his breath, he kept his eyes locked onto hers, and then a slow, warm smile spread across her face, lighting her up, igniting him with burning emotion and the absolute reality of her, and overwhelmed, his throat closed over as he sank to his knees and dropped his face into his hands.

"Oh." breathed Tahlia as she headed straight for him and sat on her knees in front of him. "Daryl."

She laid her hands gently on his forearms, expecting his slight jolt at her touch, then slid her hands up to his shaking shoulders before pulling his head against her chest as she stroked his back, soothing him with murmured words.

He hadn't uncovered his face, but it was her. It was really her. Her feel. Her scent. His home.

After a long quivering moment, he removed his hands from his face and pressed them against her chest, then, slowly lifting his head at the same time, trailed his fingers up her neck until his palms were lightly cupping her jaw, and he pressed his cheek against hers, unsure which of them was trembling more.

"You get my message?" Tahlia asked softly against his ear and felt him nod in response.

Daryl swallowed hard and pulled back a little, just enough so he could finally look into her sparkling eyes. He didn't trust his voice, but he would try and use it all the same.

"What did I tell ya 'bout sayin' 'mini-break'?" he managed to choke out, a half-smile tugging on his lips.

Tahlia let out a little delighted laugh at that, her eyes filling with tears and Daryl's did the same, his smile fading as he pressed his forehead to hers, squeezing his eyes shut tight.

"I'm sorry, Tahly, I'm so sorry, I'm-"

"Don't!" she whispered fiercely. "Don't. There's nothing to apologise for! Please. Don't."

"Thought ya were dead, babygirl." His voice was low and gritty with emotion. "Thought I'd lost ya."

"I know." she murmured. "But you can't get rid of me that easy. We're here together now, ok? Ok?"

With his eyes still shut, he nodded against her as they shared a shaky breath. Then Daryl gently tilted her chin up and moved his mouth to hers in a kiss that was both tentative and desperate, salty tears singing on their lips, tears belonging to both of them.

He didn't want it to stop. Didn't want to separate from her any amount, but eventually managed to draw back, both of them breathless and shining.

Slowly the world around them came back into focus, and they became aware of the others who were talking quietly amongst themselves, patiently waiting for the two of them to land back in the present moment. Standing up, Daryl pulled Tahlia to her feet and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her again, finally allowing himself to relax in the beautiful reality of the fact that he had her back in his arms. Smiling down at her, he then thought of something, and, glancing around, he suddenly released Tahlia and strode towards Glenn whose eyes widened in fear at the hard determination on his face. Daryl barreled into the smaller man and gave him a hard hug, squeezing his shoulders tight.

"Thank you." Daryl said sincerely, and Glenn nodded.

"We're family, man. It's what we do."

Making his way back to Tahlia, Daryl stopped in front of her and frowned. "Hold on. They said you were injured?" Inspecting her, he traced his fingers lightly under the scabbed-over gash on her head, tutting a little as he did so. Then he scanned down her body and pointed to the bandage around her calf. "Happened there?"

"Got a burn. Slowed me down a bit."

He nodded and lifted his gaze back to her face, studying her eyes. "Somethin' else, ain't there?" he asked, his voice tight with concern. "What?"

She didn't want to tell him, worry him, but she knew that he'd have no qualms about inspecting her body inch by inch until he figured it out.

With a sigh, Tahlia lifted her shirt, revealing the stained, makeshift bandage around her waist. "Just a little cut, here."

Daryl grunted as he reached for the bandage, but Tahlia swatted his hands away and quickly pulled her shirt back down.

"It's nothing, I'm fine."

"Tahly. Lemme see."

"No." she replied stubbornly. "I'll show you later when I change the dressing."

A shadow of anguish flickered over his face, but he nodded and threw his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him and kissing her forehead.

"Alright!" Rick called out. "We need to keep moving."

"Where will we go?" Maggie asked, the question echoed by a few of the others.

"I don't know." admitted Rick. "We just have to keep going."

Carol shrugged. "At least we're all together."

A low murmur of agreement rippled through the group, and that was enough to lift their spirits. They had each other.

Daryl took Tahlia's hand and they headed off with the rest of the group down the railway tracks and away from the burning hell behind them, Rick only stopping long enough to amend a sign on the way past.

No sanctuary.

Have I told you guys lately how much I appreciate you reading this story? Thank you sooo much to anyone who is still with me, and especially thanks to those that review - I love getting them, I read each one several times and it keeps me motivated to write more knowing that you're into this.

You guys are cool.

Merry Christmas x