Finger On The Trigger

Part II

Chapter 6

Rick-

We had the church van and another car packed with everything we could find. We were goin' to be piled up on top of one another but it was better to take two vehicles with everything we had than leave any of it behind.

Judith squirmed around in my arms then grabbed my beard and pulled on it. She had been fussy the last few days but it's understandable. She misses her mom.

"We cleared everythin' out," Maggie said, leanin' on the car next to me. "Do you still want to leave some things for Beth in case she comes back here?"

I shook my head.

"Rick, you're just as stubborn as she is. Y'all are meant to be together. She'll find us and everythin' will be fine."

"You don't know that," I mumbled.

"Yes, I do. Daryl's out there lookin' for her. He'll find..."

"He won't find her. He won't find Carol or Merle and my kids. They're all gone, Maggie. All we have is who's here with us now."

She scoffed and crossed her arms. "Daddy would be disappointed in you, Rick. The man you're becoming isn't who you really are. I don't understand how you could give up Beth so easily after all y'all have been through."

"I'm not givin' her up, I'm lettin' her go. I held onto Lori and what we had for too long. So long that I lost her. I'd rather let Beth walk away than have her hate me or to see that she's scared of me. I don't know what's goin' through her head and she may hate me for lettin' her go but it's somethin' she needs."

"That's bullshit and I'm not losin' the only blood family I have left in this world just because you're a dumbass."

"What the hell are you sayin', Maggie?"

"I'm not leavin' with y'all. I'm goin' after my sister and I pray to God I find her and she's safe."

Beth-

"Let me go, asshole!" I shouted as I tried to fight off the man holdin' me down.

He flipped me over, shoving my face into the gravel, and pulled my arms behind my back.

I heard the clicking of metal and then I felt the coldness of what I realized were handcuffs.

Once he locked them, he pulled me to my feet and pushed me against the car.

He wiped the back of his hand over his mouth then looked down at the blood.

"You little bitch," he sneered. "Pull that shit again and I'm gonna have to put you in your place."

I narrowed my eyes and spit on him and before I knew it he had drawn back and slapped me so hard I fell to the ground.

"Gorman!" Another man shouted. "That's not how we treat our wards."

"Look at what she did," he said while pointing to his busted lip. "She needs to learn respect."

"Then she'll learn it the right way!"

My face hurt like hell and I was sure there was blood but I wasn't about to let them see how bad it hurt.

Beth-

I leaned back against the door frame and scuffed my shoe against the floor.

"What's tha big plan?" Merle asked.

I shook my head. "I...I don't know. Maybe there's not a plan."

Merle leaned over and picked Annie up off of the floor and handed her to me then picked up Shawn.

"There's gotta be a plan. We been 'ere fer three months, it's time ta get tha hell out a 'ere."

"I know it's time," I said as I bounced Annie. "But where do we go? What do we do if we can't find the others?"

He smirked at me and chuckled. "Well would ya look at that. Ya told me ya didn't think they were even alive."

"I don't know if they are or not but..."

I was cut off when there was a knock on the door right before it opened.

Dawn stepped in with one of her men and stared at us.

"Do either of you know what lights out means?" She asked.

"We do," Merle answered. "But these 'ere kids needed their mama an' she cain't do shit if tha lights are out."

She didn't acknowledged Merle, just stared at me.

"The two of you think I don't know what you're doing but I do. Neither one of you will leave here until the debt has been paid and if you go, we're not going to let you take those babies anywhere."

I could feel Merle tense up as he moved to stand behind me.

"An' jus' when will our debt be paid?" He asked.

Dawn flicked her eyes up to him and then back to me and said, "When that baby of yours is born."

A/N: I know it's been a long time since I updated this story and this short chapter didn't come close to making up for that but I still hoped y'all enjoyed it. I will try to get another, longer update posted soon so keep an eye out for it.

Until then, please review!