It's My Life

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Charlene.

Chapter 15: Valkyrie


Charlene stirred early in the morning. Her eyes opened slowly and blinked the bleariness away rapidly. She went to sit up and found that her waist was weighed down by an arm- she craned a look and found Daryl's face buried into the crook of her shoulder and neck. Her stomach erupted in warmth as she felt his breath ghost across her skin.

The woman tried desperately to control the feelings washing over her body and eliciting goose bumps and shivers all through her spine and skin. Charlene very carefully removed Daryl's arm from her body and moved away slowly. As soon as she had gotten away- her mind protested the lack of heat.

Charlene moved her side of the blanketing over the sleeping man and smiled tenderly at the peaceful look that smoothed out the furrows and creases of worry and frowning that littered his skin. Before she could stop herself, Charlene placed a tender brush of a kiss to Daryl's temple.

She paused momentarily and then drew away. Daryl lied there frozen, refusing the recoil of his body from the feel of her lips. He heard her pull her boots and vest on and walk away. The man twisted beneath the covers so that he was lying on his back. He stared at the brightening sky while the spot where she had pressed her lips too burned from the touch.

His stomach had tightened into a knot when she had stirred awake at first. Daryl had woken up only minutes before and he laid there completely still and unsure what to do- desperately thinking of how to get away without her waking up. He wanted to kick himself as she withdrew from his arms and then when she kissed him he wasn't sure what he wanted to do.

It was obvious his sleeping movements hadn't repulsed her, and he would be lying to himself if he said he didn't enjoy the feel of her against his body. Daryl chewed on his lips while his eyes narrowed in thought. He nearly jumped when Rick appeared at the side of his truck.

"We're about to head out. Are you taking anyone in your truck?"

Daryl shook his head mutely while he rolled up the sleeping bags. The man simply nodded and patted the truck before walking away. He slammed the tailgate behind him and headed towards the cab. Charlene appeared at the passenger's side window.

"Hey, you're bringing up the rear- Shane and I are taking point. Be ready."

He narrowed his eyes at her and grumbled. "What, you got all us in looking for your missin' boyfriend now?"

The woman was taken aback but recovered quickly. "Firstly, he isn't my boyfriend- hasn't been for quite sometime. Secondly, that's none of your business, and thirdly, I'm going to kill him."

Daryl snorted. "Kill some imaginary man your mind thought up while you were stomping around buildings?"

The hunter could see the rage flaring to life in the tiny woman. Her eyes narrowed and she snarled. "You know what I know who I fucking saw and who I fucking talked to. Go fuck yourself Dixon."

Charlene stormed away as Daryl's eyebrows rose in amusement. He heard the jeep slam shut and Derek's sudden onslaught of questions. His eyes swept the camp one last time as the trail of cars began to drift from the area.


They had been driving for a little over an hour, Derek giggled relentlessly as he sat on Charlene's lap. He held the binoculars to his eyes and searched the area around him. "I spy….something brown."

The woman smiled and held the boy to her chest. "Hmmmm. Something brown." Her eyes searched the landscape and she grinned and squeezed the small child. "A tree trunk?"

"NOPE!" The kid busted out laughing and Shane grinned as he looked over at the two of them. Charlene's jaw dropped dramatically, "Not a tree trunk, okay. Dirt?"

He shook his head wildly and he and her brother shared a fist bump. The woman tickled his sides, "YOU LITTLE CHEATERS!" He squealed with laughter as he struggled against her body. Shane chuckled; his eyes glinted with the broad smile that took over his face.

Charlene's eye caught the sight of the RV pulling over and she nudged her brother. "Hey, looks like the RV's having problems again." He sighed in annoyance and pulled over promptly.

They approached the broken down vehicle just as Dale bent over and peered inside the front. "I told you we'd never get far on that hose. I said I needed the one from the cube van." Rick ran a frustrated hand through his hair and then placed them at his hips. "Can you jury-rig it?"

The old man shook his head and grimaced apologetically. "That's all it's been so far. It's more duct tape than hose. And I'm out of duct tape." Charlene chewed on her lower lip when Shane turned his back to them, and was pointing down the road. "I see something up ahead. A gas station if we're lucky."

The conversation was quickly diverted to Jacqui as she tumbled from the stairs quickly. "Y'all, Jim…it's bad. I don't think he can take anymore."

Charlene grumbled under her breath. "Shoulda shot him when we first found out." Rick shot her a warning look, which she returned with raised eyebrows. Her brother watched the two of them before cutting in, "Hey, Rick, you and Char want to hold down the fort? I'll drive ahead, see what I can bring back."

Charlene nodded her head when T-dog cut in. "Yeah, I'll come along too and I'll back you up."

Shane squeezed her arm with a small smile. "Y'all keep your eyes open now. We'll be right back."

The woman shot a look at the sheriff beside her as their friends drove down the road a ways. He laid a passing hand on her shoulder. "I'm going to go speak with Jim." She nodded her head. "Go ahead, I'll keep watch out here."

Daryl was digging in the back of his truck a bit down the road. The woman wandered her way over. "RV hose blew again." The hunter grunted and shot her a second long glance before digging through his bags again. Charlene leaned up against the truck as she saw Shane's reappearing jeep pull to a stop in front of the RV.

"What ya' want?" Daryl asked a little harsher than he had intended. She shrugged as she watched Rick and Shane carry Jim from the RV. "Nothing right now, I'm guessing from the defeated look on Dale's face that you, the others, and me are gonna have to go for a little hose run."

The man pulled a handgun from his bag and stuffed it into his waistband. Charlene lifted her eyebrow in curiosity while he grabbed his bow and stalked offtowards the group surrounding Jim. Charlene approached Rick and Shane. "What's the verdict, boys?"

Rick sighed and turned his back on the mourning crowd. "There's a graveyard of cars around the bend, if we can take you two, Daryl, T-dog, and me, we could find a hose no problem if there is one."

Charlene nodded her head. "Sounds like a good idea to me, in-and-out. I like it."

The two men gathered the group. The woman knelt in front of Derek and gave him a tender smile. "Hey buddy, I'll be back in about an hour. Here's a knife- be careful if anything should happen you know to get up on the RV, right?"

The little boy nodded his head vigorously before jumping into her arms and hugging her tightly. "I love you, Char." She stilled and smiled into the crook of his neck. "I love you too, buddy." Charlene drew back and ruffled his hair. "Take care of the crew, Der."

The boy nodded his head and climbed the ladder up the RV. The woman turned to the group of men waiting for her. She climbed in the middle between T-dog and Daryl. The ride to the graveyard only lasted two minutes as it was just around the bend of the road. Charlene hopped out behind T-dog and immediately began lifting hoods of cars.

Rick spoke warningly. "Watch out underneath the cars."

"Right. Ankle-biters." The woman looked underneath carefully before proceeding down the line. Daryl's voice rumbled out to the group. "Over here." As they approached there was a hose on the hood of a truck, but beside it was a handheld radio.

Charlene's eyes narrowed and she immediately jerked her handgun from her leg holster. "Get back." The hunter hadn't thought too much of it, but the sudden unease from the soldier put his nerves on edge. T-dog shook his head. "This is weird- who just happened to leave a hose that we need here next to a radio?"

Charlene shot a glance back at Rick and Shane who also had their guns out and were scanning the area. A gun went off not far from their position- they all turned to where they had come from only to have their attentions were jerked back to the radio as it began to rattle out a very gravelly voice. "Charlene." Her eyebrows jumped into her hairline as their eyes all jumped on her.

The woman swallowed slowly as she picked up the radio gingerly. "Who is this?" There was a moment of silence as a breeze blew through her hair gently. Shane growled, "Is it just me, or did y'all not hear that bullet?"

T-dog nodded his head. His eyes were wide as he turned and looked over his shoulders nervously. "It sounded like it came from the RV." Daryl chewed on his lip as the conversation was cut short. Rick jerked Charlene's shoulder. "We need to leave."

The woman was about to agree when the voice came from the radio again. "Don't remember me, Charlene? I was the man you called Jack when I took your van."

She shook her head violently at the stares coming from the men surrounding her. "No! It was Jack I swear it-" Her finger slammed down on the button of the radio. "I know who the fuck I saw. Stop dicking around."

"My name is Eric, and that little stunt you pulled on the highway by crashing a truck into my men's truck is the reason behind this confrontation." Her blood chilled and sent a tremble of dread through her body. Rick jerked the radio from her hand.

"What is it you want?"

"I want you to give the radio back to Charlene, Rick- I would hate to blow the head of that pretty brown haired wife of yours. Lori, is it?" A chuckle followed the statement as Rick's breath quickened and he handed the radio to Charlene promptly.

She pointed to the jeep and they began a quick jog towards it when the man came across again. "If you get in that jeep- I will kill all of the children." The group halted and Charlene pressed her hands into hair angrily.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Her words were venomous and laced with a murderous rage. Eric replied calmly. "I want to cause you as much harm as you caused me. You see my brother- Daniel was in that truck you crashed. He only lived long enough to tell me about you and your group. I've been watching you for a long time."

Charlene didn't say anything as her chest rose and fell angrily. Daryl stared at her with his eyes narrowed and arms crossed. Their eyes met in what she could only describe as a shared pent up hatred- she felt like a caged animal.

"Those walkers that attacked weren't an accident. I rounded up a good group of them and sent them on your camp. I had hoped to get you Charlene when I watched you take out those walkers I had released on you back in Atlanta- but you're a survivor. You're tough- I realize now that killing you simply won't do. I want to watch you suffer the emotional torment I had to go through when I put down my little brother."

Charlene raised the radio to her lips and growled angrily. "Cut the shit, Jack. I know this is fucking you-"

"Now, now darling. A lady shouldn't ever speak that way. I really need to teach you some respect. Now, tell me- whom should I kill to teach you this? Your beloved older brother…" Charlene's head jerked up wildly and her eyes connected with the widened ones of Shane. He lifted his handgun and nervously shifted around.

"…. Or the handsome redneck you seem to have an attachment to. I can see the attraction- strong, tough-looking, nice blue eyes…" The man listed off Daryl's attributes and all Charlene could think of was a gun with his sights zeroed in on the hunter. She jerked Daryl behind her body surprising him thoroughly.

The radio rumbled with laughter. "Are you scared yet? I can see it in your face. You're a lot more beautiful without gore covering you. You and I would have made a fantastic pair. You see Charlene- we are alike. We do what we must to protect those we care about. You took away my right to protect those that I care about though- and now I will take away yours."

Charlene was beginning to sweat in alarm as she tried her best to move her men behind her body. They shoved her away, Shane growled angrily. "I'm not letting you take a bullet for me, Char." Daryl shoved past her into the opening of the street. He was snarling angrily and pacing back and forth.

The radio rumbled with a patronizing laughter once more. "Stop panicking Charlene. I won't kill Daryl, Shane, Rick, or Theodore. I will however enjoy watching this nice group of walkers tear apart your women and children. You may join in- goodbye Charlene- and let this serve as a reminder to all of you- don't fuck with me."

The woman leapt into the jeep behind the men as it roared to life and Shane quickly whipped it around. It screamed as he pressed down on the gas pedal, squealing around the turn they saw a large group of walkers slapping at the RV angrily. Charlene saw Derek waving his arms in the air trying to get their attention from on top of the vehicle.

They were fifty yards away from the geeks when Shane pulled to a stop and Charlene leapt from the vehicle. The radio cackled to life again inside the jeep. "I will take what is most precious to you to protect- so that you may understand what it is like to not be able to protect him anymore."

A shot rung out and Charlene whipped around to the jerking RV. She watched as blood spattered from Derek's tiny little body and it fell down from the top into the sea of the dead. "NO!"

The scream left her unconsciously. A cold wash of dread flooded her veins as she broke into a heated sprint. Charlene wrenched her gun from her holster and began firing over the screams of the boy she had sworn to protect. She could faintly hear the yells of her men behind her- trying to catch her before she leapt into the midst of the monsters.

Her clip clicked on empty and she thrust it angrily at the beasts and began throwing her knives viciously. She watched as each knife left her hand and dug into the skull of one walker after another. Finally reaching for her hatchet and kabar- Charlene leapt into the final remaining group tearing away at her boy.

Her boot connected with the chest of one walker and her kabar dug deep into his eye socket and she twisted her body and landed the hatchet into the skull of one behind. She felt the air of a bolt strike another geek near her and a bat came into her view as T-dog desperately tried to knock the walkers off the child.

Charlene yelled angrily as she grabbed the remaining geek and threw him to the ground. As she lodged her hatchet into his face, she realized it was Jim. There was a hole in his chest where he had been shot with a bullet. The woman suddenly felt incredibly sick, she whipped around and ran to the mass of bodies.

T-dog moved away as she jerked the body of a walker from the mutilated, crying and sputtering child. The world felt as if it was crashing down upon her in that very moment as her knees connected with the bloody asphalt. Derek's face had been torn into and his arms and stomach were ripped open to the point she could barely make them out. Charlene cried out to him softly, "Oh god. Derek."

The door to the RV opened and slowly everyone began to exit- sounds of horror and sobbing muffled the whines and whimpers of the child that lay dying in her arms. Charlene felt her insides twisting into a knot of desperation as she rocked with the child to her body.

Tears of frustration rolled down her cheeks as the warmth of Derek's blood flooded her clothing and hands. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Her voice was merely whispers to the boy's mutilated face. She felt his remaining fingers grasping at her arm- his little eyes were spilling over with tears of pain as his body choked and blood leaked from his little lips.

"God. Derek." And for a split second she saw a tiny little heart-wrenching smile cross the child's face. His weak voice guttered between the blood that filled his mouth and the holes that were torn in his throat. "I love you m-" His eyes rolled into his head and he fell limp in her arms.

Charlene withdrew her kabar and pressed it to the back of his skull gently. Pressing her lips firmly together, she shoved it into his brain forcefully. The cries of horror returned to her hearing. Her blood rushed through her veins- freezing every part of her in the terror of the moment- the unbelievable, heart crushing terror. She had failed Derek and here he lay in pieces with her knife lodged through the back of his skull.

Her cerulean eyes caught sight of the blood covering her body, his blood. She choked back tears as she gently laid him on the asphalt and stood. Charlene turned to the group slowly- she stumbled forward and Shane caught her as she stared into his eyes. Her brother was unnerved by the total look of loss in his sister's face.

Charlene walked away from him, her gaze locked on the blood covering her. She faced the group and spoke so quietly, they had to strain to hear. "I promised to protect him. I-I-what have I done? Oh my God." The tears began to roll down her face again as she lifted her blood stained hands that jerked and trembled before her.

Rick shook his head, "Char- God- you can't blame yourself." Daryl couldn't take his eyes off the defeated woman when she shook her head slowly. Her eyes were wide in shock and horror.

Her voice whispered hauntingly. "I promised. I promised to protect him." Her body shook with shivers and trembles before them. The woman released a bellowing scream of anguish as she threw her hatchet down the street. "I PROMISED!"

Her sobs and tears were loud while she stumbled forward onto her knees. Lori turned to Rick while holding a silently sobbing Carl close to her body- "We need to bury that little boy and Jim and get her out of here." Andrea and Dale held each other while they turned away from the gory mess. Glenn's face was twisted in sorrow as he turned away from Derek and gagged. T-dog patted him on the back while his stomach erupted on to the side of the road. Carol held Sophia tightly to her and watched Shane tug violently at his hair and kick the ground angrily before stalking off the in other direction.

Daryl was unsure what to do with himself- watching this strong woman collapse in on herself unsettled him. He had never seen anyone in the agonizing pain she displayed at that moment. Her body rocked back and forth on the ground while clutched at her stomach and beat her fists into the asphalt.

Daryl dropped to the ground beside her as Charlene's tear-filled eyes turned to look at him. "I'm tired of killing kids, Daryl." His jaw clenched and he looked away from her. His insides knotted themselves painfully. There was nothing he could say to console her, so he sat silently beside her and listened to her pained whimpers of the anguish ripping through her heart.

It had been only a few more seconds she took in a shuddering breath and wiped the tears from her eyes aggressively. His eyes watched her face carefully as she sat back and took in another deep shaky breath. Charlene's jaw visibly grinded while she stood back to her feet. She continued to stare down the road and turned to him as he rose back up beside her.

"I'm gonna go bury-" Her throat cut off as she growled angrily and wiped at the tears threatening to fall. "I'm getting a shovel." Those were her final words as she began separating the geeks from Jim and Derek. He joined her and began removing the bolts and knives from their skulls.

Daryl left her to her silent mourning to clean her weapons and retrieve the hatchet she had thrown down the street. Charlene grabbed a shovel and immediately began digging into the relatively tender soil on the side of the road. Shane appeared by her side as she wiped her nose again. "Char." He started softly. His sister paused but didn't say anything or look to him.

He watched her gaze stare into the beginning of the grave. "I- there's nothing I can say to make this better. You're not in this alone." The woman merely nodded her head as she began digging into the dirt again wordlessly.

Charlene had dealt with torture before, she dealt with the loss of her men, she dealt with having to kill people, but she had never had to deal with the loss of a child she had grown to love. There just wasn't any explanation or words to describe the torment tearing into her body. She had promised that little girl before Charlene had to shoot her, that she would save her brother for her. That she would make sure he lived a life because she couldn't.

Charlene felt the wood splintering into her skin as she aggressively and violently dug into the soil. This world was cold and harsh and death lurked in every corner, but never should someone have to bury a child. There was a special place reserved in hell for people that would intentionally cause the death of a boy so young. And Charlene made a new promise to herself: she would be the one to send that kind of man there.


New chapter y'all! I'd like to hear from ya guys, so let me know what you think. Thank you for reading and reviewing!