TTWH 24

It looked like Daryl had got over (more or less) what happened to him at Woodbury with his brother's help. But then their father turns up alive and that spells more trouble ahead for the Dixon brothers. Even worse, Carl is in danger too but everybody, including Rick seems oblivious.

Nobody is listening to poor Daryl.

i

Daryl

'Sh,... baby.' He crooned at me and I swear it was the creepiest shit I had ever heard him say to me.

I fought like the devil but he was heavy as fuck …as heavy as I remembered. Cancer certainly wasn't devouring him from the inside like it was supposed to and he flipped me over so that he was straddling me. He was heavy on my chest so that I found it hard to breathe.

I kicked at him and lashed out but it did no good. I screamed for my brother, for anyone to come and help me but nobody did. Just like in Woodbury.

The bastard must have counted on the fact that the tent I shared with him was far away enough from everyone else's and the wind was blowing in the wrong direction that day. He was sly enough to think things through in that much detail before hand.

He grabbed me by the mouth and shook me roughly. 'Shut up, if ya know what's good for ya.'

Why was it that dying seemed to give him supernatural strength or had he always been stronger tha us no matter how old we got? Bigger, more powerful?

'Get off me!' I hissed. 'Merle!'

He chuckled then. 'Ya always used to call for him to come and save ya. Still doin' it now.'

'Fuck you! Ya ain't gonna last long here when I tell them what ya are. What ya did. Rick'll lynch ya when I tell him ya sniffin' around his boy.'

'Then why ain't ya yet?'

I had no answer for that and I stopped struggling. For whatever reason, he could still overpower me but I wasn't going to waste time dwelling on the hows or the whys.

He reached over me and smirked when I jerked back automatically, shakily picked up the bottle with one hand and took a swig.

'Want some?'

'I said 'No' before. What makes ya think I've changed my mind?' I snapped.

'Well, have some anyway. It'll relax ya.' He tried to force the bottle to my mouth but I turned away and spat it out. It tasted nasty – the kind of stuff that would make you go blind. Like the foul-tasting shit we used to brew ourselves.

He snarled at that and cuffed me. 'What a fuckin' waste!'

'I don't want to relax. I jus' want ya to let me the fuck go and leave us all the hell alone. Merle's gonna be back anytime soon...' I tried reminding him.

'Ain't gonna happen. 'Not until I get what I want from ya.'

That put me in a panic again. I didn't even want to think about what my evil, twisted father would want from me. It wouldn't be anything good, I was sure.

'Merle!' I fought to get free and tried to buck him off but he stuck to me like a champion rodeo-rider.

I let myself go limp, apparently defeated. But I had a plan.

'Good boy.' He chuckled then and brushed the limp strands off my forehead. 'I didn't want it to be like this. Wanted to talk to ya but neither ya nor a ya brother would let me near.'

'Could ya blame us?'

He put the bottle to my lips and tipped it up, supporting my head from underneath. 'Drink!' He ordered.

It had always been better to give in to him and do what he said. It was over quicker that way.

But I shook my head stubbornly but then he forced the neck of the bottle more insistently between my lips and I drank. It burned my throat.

Then, without warning after letting me have a couple of swigs, he tore the bottle away and I saw a flash of white in his hand before he crammed whatever it was into my mouth.

I choked and tried to spit the pills out. For all I knew, it could be poison. Probably was.

I was bewildered but couldn't speak. My mouth was full and I was trying not to swallow.

He didn't answer. 'If ya don't swallow 'em or spit 'em out, I'll take the boy into the woods when no-one's looking and ya precious Rick'll never see him again. None of ya will...and ya know how he'll die. It'll be bad.' His threat chilled me to the bone and a cold hand clutched my heart in my chest. Seemed to stop it beating for a second or two before it finally released it again.

Made me think that maybe my brother hadn't been his only victim and how luck I was he never touched me. Not like that.

'And I know ya don't want to be responsible for what I'll do to him.' The sly bastard drove his point home and I knew then I had to do what he said as all the fight left me.

I quietened down then even as I cursed myself for my easy submission and weakness. Wondering what the hell was wrong with me but I was full of terror for the boy.

'No, no, please don't hurt Carl. I'll do anythin' ya want. Jus' leave him out of it.'

He shook my jaw gently. 'Jus' swallow 'em then. They won't hurt ya, son. Promise.'

I reluctantly did as he said.

'Wha...what were they? What did ya give me, sick fuck?' I spluttered.

He laughed hollowly again without answering. Just looked down at me, still straddling my chest. Stroked the side of my face and my hair gently. Making me shiver in revulsion but he didn't seem to notice.

Or care.

After a while of him touching me like that, I started to relax. The edges of reality grew a little fuzzy.

I no longer cared about what was happening and didn't even try to get away. Seemed like the pills he force-fed me were real potent shit.

He got off me. 'Come here.'

I shook my head but he hitched me up to his chest and fed me again from the liqueur bottle. I spluttered.

'Hey, hey, take it easy.'

'Good boy.' He stroked my hair again and it felt good when it shouldn't have. 'Ya know how long I've been waitin' to do this again? Like when ya were real little, huh, son?'

'Yeah...' I murmered sleepily. 'Merle'll get back soon. Ya better not be here when he does.'

'Oh, son.' He cooed tenderly at me, 'I jus' want ya forgiveness, is all. Ya and Merle's both before I move on.'

'Yeah right. When ya go to hell, ya mean!' Clarity suddenly returned to me temporarily but then I lost it again and slumped back in his arms.

He said nothing except, 'Ya know what I gave ya jus' now? Truth pills - got some kind of sedative in 'em too. Makes ya calm as well as truthful.'

I stared at him like he was crazy. But it was true, I was feeling calm. Well – mostly.

'Do ya forgive me, Daryl? For whippin' ya and everythin' else I did to ya?' The whole time he didn't stop touching me. Like Merle did after I got back from Woodbury, when I was out of my mind most of the time but I knew it was him. It calmed my trembling at least and allowed me to sleep better.

'I can forgive ya for me but not for what ya did to my brother.' I answered frankly. The truth pills did their job well. 'But I can never forgive ya for Merle. Ya went too far with him, Dad.'

He kissed me on the temple then and I jerked away like his mouth was on fire. He chuckled. 'Ya were always the sweet one. Ya brother saw that and he loves ya so much he sacrificed himself to save ya. And I kept my promise, didn't I? Didn't touch ya?'

'Ya sick.' I snarled, feeling sick myself to my stomach but didn't have the strength to get up. He stank of booze and death. Meanwhile I looked around the tent, desperately looking for something I could use as a weapon against him.

But there was nothing in reach. Besides, my limbs felt so heavy, I could barely move. I didn't want him touching me but I was powerless to stop him. Like when they drugged me at Woodbury and I'd been tied up. Besides, I kept swinging from flashes of wanting to fight back and stone-heavy lethargy weighing me down.

'Don't matter though. 'Cos he's already got what he wanted from ya. How long it been goin' on? He hurt ya, huh?' He crooned and combed his fingers through my hair like he used to do when I was little. He'd been a pretty affectionate father when he wasn't beating the shit out of us. Then again, I didn't know 'how affectionate' he was being to my big brother.

'No! 'Course not! Not that it's any of ya damn business!' I snapped suddenly. I was fading in and out of reality. Between the past and the present.

'Is it...it cos' of those bad men? The ones who hurt ya in Woodbury, ya poor boy?'

I shuddered. 'I...I don't wanna talk about that. Please, Dad. Don't make me.' A childish whine crept into my voice and I hated it.

'Shh...It's OK. I ain't gonna make ya do nothin'.' He hugged me tighter. Then he started to whisper in my ear.

ii

Merle came back and a sense of dread made him start running as soon as he got back to camp. Daryl was in pain, his brother was in trouble. And where was their father?

'Daryl!' He yelled, drawing curious looks and some worried glances from people as he rushed across the camp. 'Daryl!'

He heard him quietly sobbing as soon as he got near their tent and their father whispering to him. But he didn't catch what he was saying to him.

'Daryl!' Their tent went quiet.

Merle tore open the zipper and fell back in shock at what he saw inside.