Chapter 3 – Favors
****Daryl's POV****
When we heard the screams and gun shots coming from camp Troy took off and was out of sight in seconds. We pick up the pace ourselves and start shooting when we make it to camp. I see Troy in front of Andrea and Amy shooting walkers that come near with her bow. Her face was expressionless as she shoots walker after walker and I make my way towards her noticing that she's running out of arrows. As I finish beating one's face in I see her turn and drop down next to Andrea putting her hands on hers adding presser to Amy's neck. A few seconds later Amy's hand drops from Andrea's face as she dies. Andrea starts to wail as Troy scoots back away from them and looks around at the chaos before worry floods her face. "Glenn?!" She calls then standing up and looking around specifically for him. "I'm okay!" Glenn answers running over to her and hugging her, causing me to be a little angry. We went back to get Merle and her, not just her. "I remember my dream now, why I dug the holes." Jim says then.
****Glenn's POV****
"Glenn…I'm about to pass out…" Troy mutters starting to slump against me. I grip her tighter just before she goes limp causing Rick to run up asking "What's wrong?" "She pushed herself too hard and passed out." Daryl says walking over surprisingly reading the situation perfectly causing me to laugh half-heartedly and say "She did it a lot when we were kids." Hinting that she'd probably do it again. Rick seems to get an idea and asks "Daryl can you please take Troy back to Glenn's tent?" "Why? Glenn can do it." Daryl grunts going to walk away so, having picked up on what Rick was trying to do, I said "I might drop her…" trailing off since Daryl had already taken her from me, sighed, and picked her up before stalking off towards our tent. Rick gives me a 'that worked' look so I sigh out "I don't think so." "Why?" he asks so I say "Nothing's going on between them…and if there was neither will admit it and give in."
****Troy's POV****
"No!" I screech pounding my small fists against the guys back as I'm thrown over his shoulder. "No! Please don't hurt my baby!" Mom cries only to start just screaming when there's a gunshot. I'm thrown into the back of a van as there's another gunshot and the screaming stops. I try to scramble away but the man grabs me and forces my hands behind my back. My hands get tied by rope and I kick out, my foot connecting with his chin. He growls before slamming his fist into my face but suddenly I'm no longer in the van but chained in a familiar cement room. I struggle against the chains and whip my head in the direction of the door opening. Standing there is a devilish man a disgusting grin on his face. "Welcome back, Helen." He says and I open my mouth to scream but nothing comes out, my throat too raw from screaming to scream. Oh, the irony. I scramble away as he approaches his features turning to those of a walker. My back hits the cold cement wall causing my eyes to go wide but I don't beg instead I spit out "Go to hell." I could almost swear it smirked before ripping out my neck.
I bolt up sweating and rub my neck as I still feel the burning pain from in the dream. I look around and realize I'm in Glenn and I's tent and that it's already morning. I run a hand through my damp hair before crawling out of the tent. I stretch and look around. Daryl is pick-axing those who died head's, Andrea is still morning the loss of Amy next to her, Lori is walking away from her, Rick is walking back from the hill and over to the group at the cooking station, watching Andrea. Glenn, T-Dog, Jim, Morales, and Jacqui are moving the bodies either into a fire or in a row of others. Rick starts to walk over to Andrea after talking with the others about something so I follow not really liking the look on his face. It was one of pity that's the last thing she wants/needs to see. Rick goes to sit down and using his cop voice says "Andrea." She points her gun at him and says "I know how the safety works." Staring at him, he nods saying "Alright. Okay. I'm sorry." Slowly backing up with his hand up "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." he says putting his hand down and continues to back up. She slowly turns the gun to me so I just stare at her and step forward putting my hands on hers and squeeze it softly as I look at Amy. Andrea nods at me so I kneel down next to her as she looks back at Amy. I put my hand on one of Amy's and close my eyes telling her in my head 'I know I didn't know you that well but you didn't deserve to die.' I look at Andrea as she gives me a quiet "Thank you." I nod and go over to Rick, Shane, Lori, Carol, and Dale at the same time as Daryl is and saying "Y'all can't be serious. Let that girl hamstring us? That dead girl's a time bomb." I just glare at Daryl daring him to say what I know he was getting at as Rick asks "What do you suggest?" Stepping forward Daryl says "Take the shot. Clean, in the brain from here. Hell, I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance." I'm pissed and about to hit Daryl when Lori says "No. For God's sakes, let her be." Sitting down. Rick looks at Shane who nods then at Daryl with his "no" face on. Daryl then looks at all of us but avoids me, scoffs and walks away. I narrow my eyes at Daryl and follow him, he was pissed and I wasn't going to let him hurt Glenn or anyone in this camp, physically or emotionally.
"Wake up, Jimbo. We've got some work to do." Daryl says passing Jim who doesn't look the best. I chalk it up to the heat as I'm sure I don't look the best either. My bruises sure to be in that ugly stage of deep blue and purple as Daryl goes to help Morales drag a body. Morales says "Thanks." And they start to drag the body to the fire when Glenn says "What are you guys doing? This is for geeks. Our people go over there." Pointing to the other group of bodies. "What's the difference? They're all infected." Daryl says so I go over and push him away and state "I suggest you retract that statement." While getting in his face as Glenn says "Our people go in that row over there. We don't burn them! We bury them. Understand?" Daryl slowly looks between Glenn and I, so Glenn says pointing "Our people go in that row over there." Morales, Daryl, and I then drag the body to the row as Daryl says "You reap what you sow." Before letting go. "You know what? Shut up, man." Morales says as we set down the body as Daryl walks away saying "Y'all left my brother for dead." Pauses and points at Andrea adding "You had this coming." Before walking away and picking up the pick-axe again. I quickly move in front of him and growl "I went back for him!" He glares down at me saying "Yet he's not here and ya are. Did ya really go after 'im? Or did ya run when ya couldn't get through the door?" "Ya know what? Merle's alive and he left so don't be holdin' that on anyone but him." I tell him causing him to scoff and ask "What ya know about losin' family, Huh? Ya got yer brother, I don't." "Yer so fucking stupid I wonder how yer still alive. Glenn wasn't always my brother, or did ya miss when I said I was adopted?" I state causing him to lose his glare but that didn't stop him from growling "Ya still got a brother." "So do you. Or do ya think Merle's dead?" I ask before turning and walking back over to Glenn before looking over my shoulder at him and saying "Because I sure as fuck don't think that. Ya'd think his own brother'd have more faith in him than me." It was like you could hear a pin drop after that since everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch my confrontation with Daryl. And I had won, you'd think he'd learn by now.
Jim and Jacqui goes to pick up one of the bodies then when she asks "Are you bleeding?" "I just got some on me from the bodies." He says as Glenn and I share a 'This isn't good.' Look as Jim goes to pick up the body. Jacqui quickly says "That blood is fresh. Were you bit?" "No. I got scratched during the attack." He says causing her to stand up and say "You got bit." "I'm fine." He says so she demands "Then show me." He looks at her and stands up and whispers to her but she quickly yells "A walker got him. A walker bit Jim." Backing away. Everyone is paying attention to Jim now, instead of Daryl, and is basically circling him as he says "I'm okay. I'm okay." "Show it to us." Daryl orders pointing at Jim walking forward and says again "Show it to us." Jim starts panicking turns and grabs a shovel as Shane says "Easy, Jim." And Daryl says "Grab him." As T-Dog goes behind Jim. "Jim, put it down. Put it down." Shane orders but T-Dog rushes forward and grabs Jim as he says "I'm okay. I'm okay." Daryl rushes forward and pulls up Jim's shirt revealing a bite as Jim continues saying he's okay. Daryl drops the shirt and backs away and T-Dog lets go of Jim and backs away as well. Everyone stares at him as Jim starts breathing heavy. Daryl slowly picks up the pick-axe so I go over to Jim and stand next to him while glaring at Daryl, knowing what he wanted to do. 'God he was so easy to read sometimes.'
****Daryl's POV****
I slowly pick up the pick-axe to kill Jim after we find out he got bit but Troy walks over to him, stands next to him, and glares at me. She's been annoying me and pissing me off ever since she woke up as the first thing she does is go over to Andrea and the time bomb that used to be Amy, then she agrees with Lori, then she pushes me and gets in my face as Glenn yells at me, although I expected that she'd do that, then she accused me of thinking Merle was dead, but now she's siding with Jim, who was going to turn. The rest of us huddle up as Troy leads Jim to the R.V. "I say we put a pick-axe in his head and the dead girl's and be done with it." I say causing Shane to quickly ask "Is that what you'd want if it were you?" "Yeah, and I'd thank you while you did it." I answer so Dale says "I hate to say it, I never thought I would, but maybe Daryl's right." "Jim's not a monster, Dale, or some rabid dog." Rick says. "I'm not suggesting-"Dale starts but is cut off by Rick saying "He's sick. A sick man. We start down that road, where do we draw the line?" "The line's pretty clear. Zero tolerance for walkers, or them to be." I say so Rick says "What if we can get him help? I heard the CDC was working on a cure." "I heard that too. Heard a lot of things before the world went to hell." Shane says causing Rick to say "What if the CDC is still up and running?" 'Just great.' I think looking at Troy as she's now walking towards us. "Man, that is a stretch right there." Shane says. "Why? If there's any government left, any structure at all, they'd protect the CDC at all costs, wouldn't they? I think it's our best shot. Shelter, protection-" Rick says but is cut off by Shane saying "Okay, Rick, you want those things, all right? I do too, okay? Now if they exist, they're at the army base. Fort Benning." "That's 100 miles in the opposite direction." Troy says but Shane quickly says "That is right. But it's away from the hot zone. Now listen to me if that place is operational, it'll be heavily armed. We'd be safe there." "The military were on the front lines of this thing. They got overrun. We've all seen that. The CDC is our best choice and Jim's only chance." Rick counters and I look at Jim before looking at Rick and say "You go looking for aspirin, do what you need to do." Turning and going towards Jim I add "Someone need to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!" But before I can bring the axe down a knife, Troy's knife, flies by my face and lodges itself into the handle just above my hands. That's when Rick says "We don't kill the living." Pointing a gun at my head. "That's funny coming from a man who just put a gun to my head." I say looking at him. "We may disagree on some things, not on this. Let it go." Shane says so I lower the axe saying "Fine." Rick then goes over to Jim and says "Come with me." "Where are you taking me?" he asks as they start to walk away "Somewhere safe." Rick answers as they continue walking away as Troy walks over and says "Next time yer about to kill someone in front of the kids I won't miss." "So ya'd just kill me instead?" I growl at her causing her to scoff as she pulls her knife from the axe saying "Na, I'd make yer hands useless." With that she walks off. 'How can one person be so infuriating?'
****Troy's POV****
As I walk away from Daryl I hear him scoff but I ignore him and help with the rest of the bodies as he goes back to pick-axing heads. When he comes to Ed, Carol goes over and says "I'll do it. He's my husband." He actually gives her the axe so she axes Ed's head four times crying louder each time. Like she was getting the years of bent up anger out, which she probably was. I glance over at Andrea and see that Amy is starting to reanimate. She sits up and grabs the back of Andrea's head as Rick and Shane start to walk over but Andrea shoots Amy in the head re-killing her. I look at Glenn and he nods so I go over to her and put a hand on her shoulder silently asking if she needs my help. She looks up at me and gratefulness floods her face seeing I wasn't looking at her in pity before she nods. I nod back and go get one of the sheets for the bodies and some of the rope as she stays with Amy. We wrap her up and put her with the other bodies in the back of Daryl's truck. Amy's the last one so Daryl stars backing up the path with the rest of us walking up it.
We arrive when Daryl says "The Chinaman gets all emotional, says it's not the thing to do, we just follow him along? These people need to know who the hell's in charge here, what the rules are." "There are no rules." Rick says causing me to sigh and think 'Really Rick? There are no rules? What about we don't kill the living. That sounds like a rule to me.' As Lori says "Well, that's a problem. We haven't had one minute to hold onto anything of our old selves. We need time to mourn and we need to bury our dead. It's what people do." We start putting the bodies in the graves then. When it comes to Amy, Andrea is adamant about only her and I putting her in the grave but Dale keeps trying to help us only for Andrea to say "I can do it. I can do it." Apparently I don't count as an outsider to her pain in her broken state like the others. Dale ends up helping put Amy's feet in the grave as Andrea is working on getting out from under her head. When she does Dale and I offer her our hands, she takes them so we pull her out.
****Time skip****
In the morning we're loading up the cars to head to the CDC and Rick and Share are deciding who rides with who: Morales, Miranda, Eliza, and Louis in Morales' car, Rick, Lori, Carl, Carol, and Sophia in Carol's Jeep, Glenn, Dale, Jim, and Jacqui in the RV, T-Dog and Andrea in T-Dogs van, Daryl in his truck, Shane in his Jeep, with them unsure where to put me since the RV was full. I didn't like the fact that Glenn would be in the same car as Jim without me but I knew he knew how to protect himself so I didn't need to squeeze myself into it. I stand a little bit away from the group as Shane says "Those of you with CBs, we're gonna be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now you got a problem, don't have a CB, can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?" That's when Morales says "We're, uh….we're not going." Everyone looks at the family in shock but Miranda says "We have family in Birmingham. We want to be with our people." Shane being a dick says "You go on your own, you won't have anyone to watch your back." As I think 'And you will? All you care about is yourself and Rick's family but not Rick or anyone else for that matter.' "We'll take the chance. I got to do what's best for my family." Morales says as Rick asks "You sure?" "We talked about it. We're sure." Morales answers as Shane looks at Rick. "Alright." Rick says looking at Shane and adds "Shane." They bend down next to the bag of guns and ammo and go through it Shane saying "Yeah, all right. .357?" "Yeah." Rick says say they stand up. They then walk over to Morales and his family. Rick gives him the gun while Shane gives him a box of ammo saying "The box is half full."
Daryl scoffs and Lori goes over to the family as Miranda say "Thank you all…for everything." Lori gives her a hug, Morales and Shane shake hands as Shane says "Good luck, man." "Appreciate it." Morales says. "Yeah." Shane says as Lori kisses the top of the kids' heads, as they say their goodbyes. Eliza and Sophia hug both of them crying when Eliza gives Sophia her doll. "Channel 40 if you change your minds. All right?" Rick says "Yeah." Morales says before looking at me and adds "See you Troy." I nod and say a quick "See ya." He and his family go to their car as Shane asks Rick "What makes you think our odds are any better?" before adding "Come on. Let's go. Let's move out." As everyone is going to the cars Shane says "Troy you could ride with me. I have room." Not really wanting to be near Shane that long, as he kept giving me a weird look ever since I came back with Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, and Daryl, I shake my head and follow Daryl to his truck. "What are you doing?" He asks when I open the passenger side door so I counter "What it looks like." He's doesn't say anything back and just sighs so we get in and we start to head out.
Luckily we ride in silence that was just silence and not really awkward. We did have a lot of practice ignoring each other so it was actually a little bit of normalcy we had left after the hectic few days. We had just passed a small town when the RV started smoking. We all pull over and get out to see what's wrong. As Rick and Dale look at it Dale says "I told you we'd never get far on that hose. I said I needed the one from the cube van." "Can you jury-rig it?" Rick asks so Dale answers "That's all it's been so far. It's more duct tape than hose. And I'm out of duct tape." "I see something up ahead. A gas station if we're lucky." Shane says looking at Rick. Just then Jacqui comes out of the R.V. and says "Y'all, Jim, it's bad. I don't think he can take anymore." Before standing next to the R.V. so I go into the R.V. "How ya doing Jim?" I ask taking Jacqui's place at his side so he looks at me and says "My bones are like glass…I don't have long do I?" I sigh before shaking my head saying "Sorry but no." Rick comes in then and asks what I just asked him so Jim says "This ride is killing me. Every little bump…my bones are like glass. Leave me here. I'm done. Just leave me. I want to be with my family." "I don't think you know what you're asking…The fever…you've been delirious more often than not." Rick says causing Jim to say "I know. Don't you think I know? I'm clear now. In five minutes I may not be. I know what I'm asking. I want this. Leave me here. Now that's on me. Okay? My decision. Not your failure."
I follow Rick out of the R.V. and we do a huddle so Rick says "He told us to leave him here. It's what he says he wants." "And he's lucid?" Carol asks so I nod as Rick says "He seems to be. I would say yes." "Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and you shut me down, you misunderstood. I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants. And I think we have an answer. "Dale says so Shane says "We just leave him here? We take off? Man, I'm not sure I could live with that." "It's not your call, either one of you. "Lori says. Shane and Rick looks at each other and nod. They go in the R.V. and bring Jim out and lean him against a tree. We all slowly gather around Jim and he says "Hey, another damn tree." And chuckles. "Hey, Jim…I mean, you know it doesn't need to be this." Shane says causing Jim to answer "No. It's good. The breeze feels nice." "Okay. All right." Shane says stepping away from Jim. Jacqui is the first to go to him and says "Just close your eyes, sweetie. Don't fight." Kissing him on the cheek before walking away. Rick is next and asks "Jim, do you want this?" holding a gun. "No. You'll need it. I'm okay. I'm okay." Jim says so Rick walks away. Dale is next and he tells Jim "Thank for, uh, for fighting for us." As he walks away the others but me and Daryl walk away as well. Jim nods and Daryl and I walk towards him. Daryl nods and walks away as I stand there. "Do me a favor?" Jim asks then so I kneel in front of him nodding so he asks "Will you kill me?" I rise my eyebrows at him so he says "I couldn't ask anyone else…they couldn't do it. You can…It's not your fault." "It sort of is." I tell him causing him to shake his head painfully and say "No. It's my decision…Please, do it, continue to protect the group, and open up to them…to Daryl." "You're delirious now." I say gently but he says "No I'm not. Trust me, I know. What you two have…it's something that only happens once. Embrace it." "I really think you're delirious now but I guess I can try." I tell him pulling out my knife causing him to smile and close his eyes saying "Thank you, Troy." "Goodbye Jim." I say before making it look like I was hugging him to the outside eye as I quickly sever his brain stem. I make sure he's leaning against the tree as I put my knife away before getting up and jogging back to the R.V. now as the others start going to their cars. I glance at Daryl and see that he's watching me with an indescribable look on his face. Seeing he was caught he quickly looks away and gets in his truck. 'What the hell was that?' I wonder as we start moving again then.
****Time skip****
We arrive at the CDC and there's dead bodies everywhere. "Of fucking course." I mutter as I glance around at the bodies of civilians and soldiers. We slowly start moving past them and I'm looking at every one waiting for one to get up. I had a very bad feeling right now. "All right, everybody. Keep moving. Go on. Stay quiet. Let's go." Shane whispers as we approach the building. Daryl and I are covering the back as we make our way through. "Keep moving. Stay together. Keep moving. Come on." Rick says leading us so Shane says "Shh." We get to the building and Rick rattles the door as I look around for a key pad I could attempt to hack. "Nothing?" Shane asks as Rick and him try to get the door open. I see a camera so I stand under it looking at it trying to figure out if it was on as Shane pounds on the door. "There's nobody here." T-Dog says causing Rick to ask "Then why are these shutters down?" "Walkers!" Daryl yells and everyone turns around. Daryl shoots the soldier walker and yells "You led us into a graveyard!" walking towards Rick. "He made a call." I defend causing Daryl to yell at me "It was the wrong damn call!" "Just shut up. You hear me? Shut up. Shut up! Rick, this is a dead end." Shane tells us before we can get into another fight so Carol asks "Where are we gonna go?" Shane walking towards Rick then says "Do you hear me? No blame." Pointing at him. "She's right. We can't be here, this close to the city after dark." Lori says as I dispose of a walker getting too close. Rick looks back at the doors as Shane says "Fort Benning, Rick, still an option." "On what? No food, no fuel. That's 100 miles." Andrea says so Glenn says "125. I checked the map." "Forget Fort Benning. We need answers tonight, now." Lori says angry. "We'll, think of something." Rick says trying to calm her down as Shane orders "All right, everybody back to the cars. Let's go. Move." But Rick stays where he was and says "The camera, it moved." Causing Dale to tell him "You imagined it." "It moved." He says walking towards it so I follow him as Daryl yells "The walkers are gettin' closer!" Rick bangs on the door as Lori yells "Rick, there's nobody here!" "I know you're in there. I know you can hear me." Rick says at the camera as Shane yells "Get back to the cars now!" "Please, we're desperate. Please help us. We have women, children, no food, hardly any gas left." Rick pleads to the camera as Lori runs over to him and tries to get him to give up. "If you don't let us in, you're killing us! Please!" Rick yells as Shane grabs him and starts dragging him away saying "Come on, buddy, let's go." That's when I see the camera move too so I point at it and yell "Come on!" as Rick keeps yelling "Please help us. You're killing us! You're killing us!" Shane pushes Rick forward and I feel someone grab me and start pulling me away just as the door opens.