Once again, I want to take a few minutes just to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this story. I just can't believe how much everyone has been enjoying it! Thank you so much to everyone who reviews, favourites and alerts this story. Sorry for the long wait for the next chapter, but I haven't had the time to sit down and right it out. I hope you think it was worth the wait! Enjoy, everyone!
The fact that she was practically naked was the last thing on her mind right now, if you could believe it. She was much more concerned with what these men had in store for her. The man who was calling the shots had her by the hair, a chunk of it practically being ripped out of her head as he pulled her down a narrow hall. The rest of the men had fallen into step behind him, probably too scared to do anything else but mimic his every move, let alone keep him away from her. All of them knew exactly what was about to happen. Did they even care, or were they just simply going to stand by and wait to have their turn with her?
Her stomach nearly emptied at the thought of it. They were going to hold her down and force her to please them, one after another. And there was nothing she could do to stop it. Tears burned her eyes as she pictured something she had feared since a close encounter in high school. You'd think living in a world full of walkers would be the biggest fear one would have on their mind right about now. It was just her luck that not only the world as she knew it was over, but now she was minutes away from being gangraped by men she thought were going to help them.
She wasn't stupid. She wasn't a vain person. She knew that she was average looking, at best. This wasn't about her being super hot and none of the boys could keep their hands off her. This was purely about her being possibly the last woman in the city. Hell, for all they knew, she could be one of the last in the world. She should have known that searching for others wouldn't lead to sanything good. She should've known that other survivors would be hostile towards newcomers.
She scolded herself for not knowing that, yet she still couldn't wrap her head around the concept. You'd think that being in a world where human numbers were dwindling, that running into a survivor, any survivor, would be considered a blessing. It meant that there was still hope, that if a few others were still alive there might be more. But no. Instead, the only other survivors they found were hostile towards them and had every intent on harming the newcomers. Well, harming Cass, at least.
Part of her hoped that it would simply stay that way. She's rather their focus be on her than them turning their attention to the Dixon brothers. Something in the back of Cass's mind told her that these men wouldn't hurt her or kill her. Sure, they would use her body and probably toss her aside when they got bored of her, but something inside of her told her that they would let her live. Cass knew the chances of these men being interested in raping the Dixon brothers was less than likely. The only thing they would do to Merle and Daryl is torture and kill them. And she was not going to sit by and let that happen. Not to the only two men who put their lives on the line for her. She was nothing but a random girl to them the first time they met. A girl whose life really had no value to them. And still, they did everything they could, including taking on a horde of walkers just to make sure she lived to see another day. She would rather let these men kill her right where she stood than to allow anything to happen to Merle or Daryl. Not if she could help it.
"Where are you taking me?" Cass sobbed. At this point, she didn't even try to fight the tears. It was a fight that she was never going to win. Just the thought of someone forcing herself on her made her sick to the point where she could barely stand. Her legs wobbled underneath her as she was forced to walk forward.
"Somewhere where we can be alone. We don't need those rednecks trying to interfere with us." The leader told her simply.
How could this man be okay with doing this? Had he not had a sister or a mother before walkers roamed the earth? Was he really not thinking about them being stuck in the same situation as her?
"Please, don't do this." She begged. She knew it was useless to plead for such a thing, but she thought she should try anyways. Regardless of what she said, they were going to do this. She could see it in his eyes. There was no hope for Cass, and she knew it.
"What the hell are we going to do now?" Daryl asked, glancing over at his brother. His mind was still dazed by the events that had just unfolded before him. He felt useless, a feeling he wasn't used to. And he didn't like it one bit.
Daryl cursed under his breath, his eyes falling to his cuffed wrists again. No matter how badly he wanted to help her, there was nothing he could do. Not from inside a locked jail cell and definitetly not with his hands cuffed together.
"There's nothing we can do. Not right now." Merle admitted. He didn't like it anymore than Daryl did, but it was the truth. Merle wasn't the type of guy who believed in God, but right now, he couldn't stop praying to Him. He was praying for the young girl who just got taken away from them, knowing exactly what those men had in store for her. Right now, she didn't have the protection of the Dixon brothers. Until he and Daryl could figure out their next move, she was on her own. "She'll be fine."
Daryl shifted, turning his body slightly to face his brother. He shot Merle a confused look. What the hell did that mean? How was she going to be fine? It was one girl, a small girl at that, against four guys. Assuming that there weren't any more of them lurking around in the building. Or wherever the hell it was where they had taken them.
"She was fine before we met us. Hell, she was on her own for how long before we found her? If she's shown us anything it's that she's a fighter and she's not going to give up. We just have to give her time. She'll figure it out." Merle had complete faith in the young girl. He had to. He knew that she wasn't going to give up easily. It was true, Merle didn't know Cass as much as he probably should, given the situation they were in from the beginning. He should have known everything about her, he should have made more of an effort to figure out how she thought and how she responded to certain situations. But he knew she was a fighter, he had seen that in her eyes from the very beginning. She would figure it out. Hopefully before it was too late.
The leader of the men threw a door open and spun Cass around. He shot her a smile that sent a shiver up her spine before throwing her into the room. He glanced back at one of the men and nodded his head towards the girl as she landed on the cold ground. "Keep an eye on her, Tim. I'll be back in a minute."
"I will, Andrew. Don't worry."
Cass sneered at the leader as he turned his back towards her. Andrew. So, the piece of worthless scum had a name, huh?
Cass watched as the other men turned on their heels and exited the chilly room. They closed the door behind them, leaving her alone with Tim. Cass watched him carefully, trying to figure him out before they came back for her. He had a look of sympathy on his face as he took a seat by the door, his gun still clutched tightly in his hands. She studied his soft features as she frantically thought about a way to manipulate him into letting her go.
"Please. Don't let them do this to me. To us." Cass pleaded. The look that lurked deep in his eyes told her that he hated this just as much as she did. There was something about the way he was watching her that made her feel as though he would be her way out of here. All she could do was hope and pray that her gut feeling wasn't wrong. She couldn't afford to be wrong about anything right now. Her life and the lives of the Dixon brothers depended on it. On her.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. There's nothing I can do." He told her simply, giving her a sympathetic shrug.
"Please. Don't you have a sister? A mother? Would you want this to happen to them? Please. Don't let them rape me." Tears fell from her eyes as she spoke the words out loud. Her heart was pounding dangerously in her chest as she felt her time dwindle down.
"Everyone I know is dead, ma'am. Bringing them into this ain't going to make this any easier for you."
"Please. Don't let them do this. Help me." She repeated through gritted teeth. She was running out of patience. If this guy wasn't going to bother helping her, she'd have to think of another way to get out of here. She had to get back to Daryl and Merle, and she was ready to do anything to do it. Even if it meant sacrificing her body in the process.
The door swung open before Tim could respond to her pleading. Not that his response would have been a positive one. She saw the pity for her in his eyes, but she also saw fear. Cass knew he was just as scared of Andrew as she was. Tim was a lost cause. She would have to do this one her own.
"Get out of here, Tim. Go keep an eye on those rednecks. I'll take care of this one."
Tim did as he was told, without muttering another word. He got to his feet and gave Cass one last glance before exiting the room, leaving her and Andrew alone.
Cass stumbled back helplessly as the man closed the distance between them. He grabbed a rough hold of her face, squeezing her cheeks together as he pushed her backwards. Her back collided with the wall painfully as she lost her breath. Her hands were pinned between her body and his, unable to move them away from her attacker. He had her pinned, right where he wanted her.
"You're so pretty, did anyone ever tell you that?"
Cass shuddered as his warm breath hit her face. She tried to turn away to avoid looking at him, but he pulled her back so he could stare into her eyes. "I asked you a question, bitch. Answer me."
"N-No." Cass forced out. Her entire body shook from fear as he held her in place. Her mind raced, desperately trying to come up with a way to get out of the situation.
"You fucking those rednecks?"
Her eyes burned as more tears fell down her cheeks like an endless river. She shook her head in response.
"Good. I don't like sloppy seconds."
"What are you going to do to them?" She managed to get out in a whisper.
He flashed his teeth, a grin spreading across his thin lips. "You'd like to know, wouldn't you?"
Cass's eyes fell past his arm. There, she saw her saving grace. A knife that was attached to the belt wrapped around his thigh. All she had to do was calm down and play into him. If she played her cards right, in a matter of minutes she would be out of here, away from him, and reunited with the brothers she had been forced to leave behind.
Cass forced her body to relax in his grip, her cuffed hands opening towards his lower stomach. She knew exactly how to get out of this situation, how to get him to let his guard down. There was nothing she wouldn't do for Daryl and Merle, and she had every intention of following through with her plan.
She gave him a small smile, forcing her body to remain calm and play along. "I would."
Her voice was low, almost seductive as she gazed up into his eyes. He chuckled under his breath, his grip on her face loosening slightly. His eyes studied every inch of her face. "I'm going to kill them. We don't need rednecks walking around our base. All we need is their weapons. And now that we have that, we don't need them anymore."
Cass's eyes trailed down his figure, taking in the body that was pressed hard against hers. Her hands roamed his chest, feeling the solid body underneath his shirt. She dug her fingers into his shirt, trailing her hands back down his body. Cass did her best to give him the best seductive smile she could muster up at the moment. She tilted her head up to look at him and cocked an eyebrow. "Good. They deserve it."
He laughed, his finger tracing over the side of her face as he smirked. "You like that, don't you?"
Cass's hands rubbed circles on his stomach as she pushed her hips forward, grinding her pelvis against his crotch. She wrapped a leg around his, trying to pull him closer than he already was.
Not a second passed before his lips came crushing down against hers. He forced his tongue into her mouth, one of his hands pressed against her throat while the other roamed her body. She forced a moan into his mouth, thrusting her body against his. She felt his erection grow and press against her and did her best to play along, despite the fact that this situation made her feel disgusted with herself. She just kept telling herself that this was for the two men who had been locked up in a jail cell, moments away from being murdered without remorse as though they were walkers. She did her best to fake her arousal as her body writhed against his, as if to beg for more.
He pulled away from her, resting his forehead against hers as he opened his eyes. "I knew you would like this."
She smiled again and cocked an eyebrow. "You know what I would like even more?"
He chucked breathlessly. "What?"
"This."
Without wasting another moment, Cass grabbed the knife that was attached to his thigh and plunged it into his neck. He finally let go of her, stumbling to the ground as his knife stuck out of his flesh. Cass walked over to him, standing over the poor excuse of a man as he cowered, his entire body paralyzed from pain and shock. There was no remorse on Cass's features as she stood over him, watching him writhe in pain and anger.
"Where are the keys?" Her voice was stone cold with every word that she spoke. There was no pity left in her for this man. He just stared at her, his eyes wide in shock as the blood poured down his arm. "Answer me, bitch. Where are the keys?"
With one hand struggling to hold back the gushing blood, the other finally pointed at the front pocket of his pants. Cass bend down and pulled the keys out of his pants as quickly as she could. Cass struggled to twist her hand in a way that could reach the lock that held her wrists together. She tried her best to ignore the blood gathered before her that seemed to pour out of Andrew as she fought to uncuff herself. Pulling on her wrist in a way that shot pain through her entire arm, Cass was finally able to uncuff herself.
She walked across the room and pulled open the lockers that sat in the corner. Rummaging through them, she came across a uniform that was neatly folded overtop of combat boots. It was going to hang off her body and she knew she would barely be able to walk in the boots, but at this point it was her only option, and she could care less. As long as she had clothes on and something to protect her feet from rotting corpses, it would do just fine.
Putting the keys between her teeth, Cass quickly dressed herself, glancing back every few seconds to make sure the man was still on the floor. He hadn't even tried to pull the knife out of the side of his throat. Cass knew he wouldn't bother to, either. Pulling a blade out of your skin is a hundred times worse than the pain of it going in. In such a delicate area, she was more than sure that he wasn't about to try to help himself. He was rendered helpless on the floor until someone happened to stumble upon his body. They could try and help him, if they decided he was worth it. She wasn't going to lie, a part of her hoped that no one would find him bleeding out in the room.
Cass tied up the boots as tightly as she could. She figured the tighter they were around her ankles the less they would hang off her. Her toes didn't come anywhere close to the edge of the boots, but she couldn't afford to be picky right now. She had to get back to the jail cell and get the Dixon brothers out before anyone could harm them.
Cass was reaching for the door knob when an alarm started blarring overhead. She froze, her heart nearly stopping in her chest. They knew what she had done. Oh, shit. They were coming for her. Taking a step back nervously, she heard heavy footsteps running by the room outside accompanied by frantic yells.
"Geeks have breached the premises! Get out there!" A passing man yelled from the other side of the door.
Cass threw the door opening, not bothering to give it another thought. She knew that the soldiers she would pass in the halls would be too preoccupied with the walkers to give her a second glance. Now was her time to get back to the jail cell and get the guys out.
"What the fuck is that?" Daryl asked, his hands clutching the bars in front of him as he listened to the alarm ring. He heard muffled yells in the hall, but couldn't quite make out what they were saying. All he knew was that nothing good could come from this.
Tim kept his hands firmly on his gun as he glanced back at the alarm stuck against the wall. He knew exactly what this was. If they already breached the foregrounds, geeks were already in the building, getting closer to them with each passing second.
"The geeks. They're back." Tim muttered, turning back to face the Dixon brothers. Fear had consumed his features as his entire body shook.
"So what the hell are you doing? Let us out of here!" Merle growled, taking a stance beside his brother.
"I-I can't."
"What? You've got to be kidding me! You're going to leave us in here with walkers heading this way? Are you fucking serious?" Daryl was beyond angry as he slammed his fists against the bars. This day could not get any worse for them. If this soldier didn't let them out and un-cuff them, they were stuck in here. If the walkers happened to find the room and get in, they wouldn't leave without feasting on the flesh of the brothers. They would never leave the room. And neither would the Dixon brothers.
Before Tim could speak, the door was thrown open. Cass came running into the room, a pistol held tightly in her grip as she closed the distant between her and Tim. She pressed the pistol against his temple before he had a chance to retaliate.
"Drop your gun." She ordered. Cass wasn't surprised when he did what he was told without a second of hesitation. He tossed it onto the ground, lifting his arms up in an obvious surrender.
Cass cocked her head towards the jail cell, digging the barrell of the pistol deeper into his temple. "Unlock the cell."
She followed him as he reached in his pocket and pulled out the keys. Cass moved in time with his footsteps as he reached forward and unlocked the cell. When he was done, Cass grabbed his arm and pulled him back so the brothers could get on the other side of the cell.
Merle walked to the other side of the jail cell door, yanking the keys out from where they sat. He feverishly sorted through them, trying to figure out which key it was that would free Daryl from his restraints. When he finally found it, he handed the clutter of keys over to his brother, who quickly returned the favour.
"How do we get out of here?" Cass asked Tim as she kept her gun pressed against his head. This man had a chance to help her, he had a chance to free her and help the three survivors get out unharmed. Instead, he chose to obey orders he knew were wrong. He left her in that room to be raped and didn't even give it a second thought. She didn't give two shits about what happened to this man. Not now. She could never bring herself to blow out his brains, but at the same time she wouldn't stop a walker if it happened to get a hold of him. As far as she was concerned, there was no reason to stand back and let a woman be abused, which was exactly what he had done to her.
Cass wasn't surprised when Tim didn't say another word. "How do we get out of here? Tell me, now!"
The truth was, when the soldiers had originally taken them into the camp, Cass had been so shaken that she couldn't remember the twists and turns they had taken her to get her to the room she was currently in. She was too worried, too terrified to make note of where they were taking her. Now, all she did was regret being so caught up in her racing thoughts at the time. If Tim didn't tell them how to get out of here, they might not make it out at all.
Cass jumped back, startled by the sudden movement, when Daryl leaped forward, grabbing Tim by the collar of his shirt. He threw him up against the wall and held him in place. He gritted his teeth, "Where the hell is the exit? If you don't tell us, so help me God, I will make damn sure those walkers find you."
"Around the corner. There's a stairway. Follow the hall, you'll find the exit." Tim gave up.
Daryl finally let go of Tim, slamming him against the wall one more time. Turning his back on the shaken soldier, Daryl bend down to retrieve Tim's gun before turning back to Cass and Merle. He was already dressed, though his clothes were disheveled from being thrown on so quickly. He didn't give it a second thought. He just wanted them to get the hell out of there.
"Are you ready?" Daryl asked as he picked up his crossbow from the desk beside the door. He double checked the amount of arrows he had to make sure those bastards hadn't taken any. They hadn't. And for their sake, they were lucky. Daryl slung his crossbow over his shoulder and grabbed a hold of Merle's shotgun, turning to glance at him.
Merle jumped into his shoes, lacing them as quickly as he could before standing up and making his way back to Daryl and Cass. He zipped his jeans shut and redid his belt, his eyes darting back and forth between them.
"I'm ready. Let's go," Merle grunted as Daryl tossed the shotgun at him.
The smell of the invading walkers overtook the halls as the three survivors followed Tim's directions. They had left him there, unarmed and alone. A part of each survivor felt guilt for doing such a thing. In a time like this, everyone needed to stick together, not pull apart. But after the way the soldiers had treated them, they figured they would get what they deserved.
Daryl walked down the hall, carefully pressing himself up against the wall as it disappeared around the corner. He took in a deep breath before jumping out, his crossbow aimed forward. No walkers, thank God. Cass followed closely behind him, the handgun she had taken off the ground held firmly in her grip. Merle held up the back, his head constantly turning to make sure they remained alone.
The survivors made their way up the stairs, their quick footsteps eluding little to no noise. Each of them knew how vital it was that they stay as close to silent as possible. Any little noise could draw a horde of walkers their way, and that was something they wanted to avoid altogether.
"What if he's lying?" Cass's voice was so low the Dixon brothers barely heard her.
"Then we'll go back and kick his ass." Daryl whispered back.
Merle shot another glance behind him, feeling uneasy about being the last in the line. Anything could sneak up on him and if he wasn't careful enough, it could be the end for him. But he'd rather him be in the back and have something happen to him than to Daryl or Cass. It couldn't be any other way. Not if he had anything to say about it.
Daryl came to a stop so suddenly Cass walked into him. She muttered an apology under her breath as she looked up at him when he glanced back at her. He cocked his head towards the door that stood in front of him. Without Daryl saying a word, both Cass and Merle knew exactly what was about to happen. There could be anything waiting for them on the other side of that door. It was anyone's guess at what it could be. All they could do was pray to a God that never seemed to be listening and wish for the best.
Everyone tightened their grip on the weapons they had chosen. This could be it. They could throw open that door and be faced with nothing but walkers. Then again, they could also open the door and find nothing but their car waiting for them. Damn, how fortunate would that be?
"Get ready, guys." Daryl warned them, taking a hold of the doorknob.
Cass and Merle nodded in unison as Daryl inched the door open, cautious to avoid making any further noise that could draw unwanted attention their way.
A defeated sigh slipped through Cass's lips when she saw what was waiting for them on the other side.
There were walkers. Everywhere.
So, what did everyone think? I hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! Don't forget to drop a review and let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading!