This Night
Chapter 191
Author's Note: Rick's getting real anxious to get into Terminus and to Jewel. Like he's really anxious. But patience, we're getting there. Man, he's demanding and he isn't even mine! Let's get everyone in there spots shall we? Merle I haven't forgotten you. Just wait.
Has anyone seen the trailer for the show Colony starring Sarah Wayne Callies (Lori) and Josh Holloway (Sawyer from Lost) It had me hooked from Josh Holloway. Naveen Andrews (Sayid) and Josh are both demanding they would make good characters in this story. It looks pretty good, but Lori (don't know her characters name) seems to have misplaced a child in this one too. Please review. (If nothing more to calm Rick down before he goes all Rickcrazy on me! I don't think my brain could handle that!)
Rick's group POV: (once again to many to name)
Lexi kept her hand on her knife and a gun out, keeping in front of them. Rick and Mar trailed behind her while Carl and Michonne was behind them. "One of us need to talk to her," Mar said.
Rick got a small smile on his face. "What you mean, is I need to talk to her."
"Hey gives you practice, for Judith, and if this baby is a girl," Mar answered as she glanced back at Carl and Michonne.
"You still have hope that Judith made it?" Rick asked.
"Hell, I still have hope Peter is alive out there," Mar told him. "Go on," she told him as she playfully hit his arm.
Rick nodded as he caught up with Lexi. "Everything OK?" he asked.
"Yeah," Lexi answered without looking up.
"Now why don't I believe that?" Rick questioned. "You thinking about Ty and Sasha? Carl told me what happened back at the house. How you saw the nursery, broke down," he said softly.
"Carl has a big mouth," Lexi said with a small smile.
Rick laughed. "He was worried bout you, so was Michonne. It's alright to lose it once in a while, God knows I would have, if you all weren't around. You don't have to be strong 100% of the time, Lexi. That's why we're here, to keep each other strong, when one of us needs to break down."
"I know," Lexi answered. "I still believe Judith is alright, that we'll find her. I still believe Jewel and the baby will be alright. I have to believe that I'll find Ty and Sasha," she answered.
"But?" Rick questioned.
"There's a chance…." Lexi said.
"When this all started, I had been shot, and was in a coma. My friend Shane, he thought I was dead, got Carl and his mom Lori out. I woke up, had no idea if they were alive, if I would find them. But I did, I found Carl and I met Jewel, met all of you at different times. All that shouldn't have happened, I shouldn't have woke up, but I did. I shouldn't have been able to find Carl, or find Jewel, fall in love in this world, but it happened. It happened because, well, because I believe that even though things are messed up, that we all found each other because we were meant to. Everybody will see these signs, and they'll all head to Terminus. Sasha, Tyreese, Jewel, everyone that made it out, we'll find our way to them, because that's how we make it, with each other. They know, just like I know, that just because they aren't here to watch over you, that you're with family. I know just because I can't be with Jewel right now, she's being watched over, cared for by family," Rick told her.
Lexi stopped and surprised him with a hug. "Thanks Rick. I'm going to go back to see what Carl and Michonne are up too. I bet there's chocolate involved," she said as she ran back to where they were, leaving Rick standing.
"That must have been one hell of a pep talk," Mar said as she joined him.
Rick chuckled. "I surprise myself at times," he told her as he stopped.
Michonne walked up. "Hear something?" she asked.
Rick shook his head. "We should set up for the night, set up traps, maybe get some rabbits."
"If we find a car, it'll make the trip to Terminus a bit faster," Mar added.
"We're about two days away, on foot. We find a car, then we'd spend one more day out here, another night, then be at Terminus mid day. Otherwise walking, we won't get there til night time, maybe the next morning," Michonne pointed out.
"I personally don't want to go into a new place at night," Mar answered.
Rick arched an eyebrow. "You two sound like you've been hanging out with a very smart person," he said with a small smirk.
"We learn from the best, oh fearless leader," Mar said with a playful bow. "Come on you two, let's find a place to stop for the night," she told the two teenagers.
Daryl and Axel's POV:
Axel sharpened the knife he had on the rock as he watched Daryl stalk a rabbit. He knew the man long enough now that keeping out of his way while hunting was a smart thing. He was also very pleased to be away from those men they had met up with. He hoped to convince Daryl that they needed to go, find the rest of the group. He glanced up as he saw another arrow pass Daryl's both landing on the rabbit that Daryl had been hunting.
"What the hell are you doing?" Daryl asked as he went to get the rabbit. Axel stood up, palming the knife that he had. Daryl just gave a small nod to him to stay out of it.
"Catching me some breakfast," Len told him with a smug look on his face.
"That's mine," Daryl simply told him as he took the two arrows out of him.
"My arrow's the one that hit it first, the cottontail belongs to me," Len said.
"Axel and I've been out here since before the sun came up," Daryl told him.
Len glanced over at Axel. "He seems like he was doing a whole lot of helping," he said.
"I was staying out of the way," Axel answered.
Len shook his head then looked at Daryl. "See the rules of the hunt don't mean jack out here. Now that rabbit that you are holding is claimed, boy. Claimed whether you like it or not. So if I was you, I'd hand it over now, before you and your little friend start to wish you ain't never got out of bed this morning," he told him.
"It aint yours," Daryl told him.
Len looked at him. "You know, I'll bet that this bitch got you all messed up hmm? Am I right? Got you walking around like a dead man who just lost himself a piece of tail. Must have been a good 'un, Tell me something, was it one of the little uns? Cause they don't last to long out here," he taunted.
Axel stepped up. "Easy Daryl, he's just trying to yank your chains," he said as he looked at Len. "I knew men like you in prison. You know what happened to those men?"
"You're telling me you were in prison?" Len asked with a laugh.
"Yeah, I was. Little guy like me, doesn't look like he'd be able to hurt a fly, is still here. The guys like you, the bullies, the men who think the rules don't apply to them? They're all dead," Axel said. "Come on Daryl, let's go. Ignore him," he said.
"That rabbit's mine," Len repeated.
Daryl took out his knife and went to turn to attack Len as Joe grabbed his arm. "Easy fella's easy," he told him as he let out a laugh. "Let's put down the weapons, see if we can figure out the problem here huh? Did you claim it?" he asked Len.
"Well there you go, that critter here belongs to Len," Joe said.
"So let's have it," Len told him as he glared at the two men.
"What do you mean claimed?" Axel asked.
Joe nodded. "You two weren't told the rules. See, going it alone, that aint an option now a days, it's survival of the fittest," he said as he cast a glance at Axel.
"He claims he was in prison, last man standing of sorts," Len told Joe. "Should kill him for lying," he said.
"He aint lying, he was in prison," Daryl told the men.
"Well, that surprises me, but if you're saying it's the truth, I'm going to go believe you there," Joe said. "But as I was sayin', I laid out some rules of the road to keep things from going Darwin every couple hours. Keep our marry band stress free. All you got to do is claim. That's how you mark your territory, your prey, your bed at night. One word claimed," Joe explained.
Axel exchanged looks with Daryl. "I aint claiming nothing," Daryl said.
"We're going to teach him right? The rules say we've got to teach him," Len explained.
"You didn't explain that to us yesterday," Axel interjected.
"The man's got a point, a voice of reason. It wouldn't be fair to punish him for a rule they didn't know existed," Joe told Len.
"There are no rules anymore," Daryl answered.
"Oh there are. You know that, that's why I didn't kill you for your crossbow," Joe said as he took the rabbit and cut it in two pieces.
"Hey," Daryl said.
"Easy there partner. Claimed. All you got to say. Hey an ass end is still an end. Come on we got a trail to pick up," Joe told them.
"Whose trail?" Axel asked.
Len glanced at Axel. "Couple of assholes, killed a friend of ours back at a house. A woman, maybe two was with them. Tony saw there faces, we aint that far behind them."
"We were in a house minding out own business and this piece of fecal matter and a woman was hiding in the home. Strangled and stabbed our colleague, Lou, left him to turn. Lou came at all of us, the guy and woman lit out. We tracked them to the train tracks, saw a sign for sanctuary. It's a lie, ain't no sanctuary for all," Joe said as they met up with the rest of the group.
"So is that where we're headed?" Daryl asked as he shook his head slightly at Axel.
"Now you're asking?" Joe asked.
"Yeah we're asking," Daryl told them.
"No, but they will, so that's where we are heading," Joe answered.
"Len and I already claimed the woman, so you can just find your own," Ulysses told them.
"Look we're just looking for family, we're sorry about your friend, but it aint none of our concern," Axel told them.
"If you're staying, then it's your concern," Wade informed them.
"People don't got to be friendly, don't got to be nice, we don't have to be brothers' in arms. We follow the rules, you claim, if you steal you keel. I know that sounds a little funny, but no one's laughing when something goes missing. And you don't lie. Cause it's a slippery slope indeed. You catch a beatin', the beating and severity depends upon the offense and general attitude of the day. But that don't happen much, cause when men like us follow the rules and corporate a little bit, the world becomes ours," Joe told them.
"And you get reckoning when people kill one of your own," Ulysses told them.
"We'll stop for the evening, then pick up there trail early," Joe informed the group.
"There is no us," Daryl informed them.
"You leaving right now? You and Axel? No? Then it seems like there's an us. You a cat person Daryl?" Joe asked.
"I am, loved them since I was three years old. About the time my sister was born. I remember wanting to send her back and getting a cat," Daryl said.
Axel looked at Daryl. "Well she's a hellcat, so you got kind of your wish," he said.
Wade looked at them. "Sounds like the kind of woman I'd like, she still alive?"
"Shut your mouth," Daryl said as he made a step forward.
"Hey, you can take a punch at him if you want," Joe said. "No man wants to hear that bout his baby sister," he warned. "So as I was saying, they are vicious creatures. I'll tell you the saddest thing, aint nothing sadder then when an outside cat thinks he's an indoor cat," he told him as he walked in front.
Daryl put his hand on Axel's arm as he held him back. "Think you're right, we need to separate ourselves."
"I could find out from Tony about what these two looked like. Maybe our group," Axel told him. "Best thing to get someone to talk is with food," he said.
Daryl nodded. "Wait til we stop for the night."
TBC
Author's note: So I changed things around a bit only because Axel changes things up and the group just needs to get back together. Plus that comment about Jewel, and him thinking about Summer and Mar, yeah it's not sitting well with him.
On my profile there's a link to a video on you tube made for me by Imnaturallysuper called Beyond The Fear with Rick and Jewel. It's awesome! Go watch and review. Please review! I want her to know how much we all appreciate it!