Disclaimer: I don't own 'em
Notes: Huge thanks to all the readers and reviewers! You guys are great, and make all the effort of writing this insanity worth it.
And an apology to Fin, this is where it all changes and it's going to suck girlfriend. But it will all be worth it in the end!
Chapter Twenty-Six
(Fin's POV)
"You ready guys?" Carl and Mika both look up from where they're waiting near the half-wall.
"Daryl's not going with us?" Carl frowns.
"He's trying to get the staircase secured with Rick and Ty and Glenn. They've got their hands full; besides we're not going that far, it should be fine." It's not like we had to worry about Walkers since we were going looking for them. Mika needed practice, and Carl insisted on trying again with me to help him.
Not that it seemed to be doing anything, it was looking more and more like Mika was a onetime deal; maybe even like this before Lizzie and nobody realized. Though the still cynical corner of my brain doubted that theory.
"Are you feeling alright? Today?" Mika is staring at me a little wide eyed, Carl glances at me with a different expression.
"I'm fine, just tired." I wave them toward the other side of the lot.
"No bow?" Carl glances at my empty hands.
"I snapped the string yesterday in practice, haven't gotten it restrung yet." Daryl was supposed to do it since he lost the last bet, something he was still trying to weasel his way out of, I stare down at my boots as we walk pushing away a grin. Like that was going to work.
"We're not driving today?" Mika asks.
"Nope," I concentrate for a moment. "Should only have to go a little ways, can you tell me in what direction?"
Mika stops walking eyes pressed shut tight enough to crinkle the corners. "That way?" She looks to me for confirmation. I nod and she beams at Carl. "Awesome."
"That's my line," Carl rolls his eyes.
We walk and then we jog, and then we walk some more until we've left the lot behind cut through the woods and almost made it to the highway on the far side when we find two Walkers stumbling down a narrow stretch of iron tracks beamed with ancient timbers of thick wood long overgrown.
"Are these train tracks?" Carl asks paying more attention to the metal stretching through the woods off around a bend and out of site.
"Yup, Mika let's see what you can do."
I'm sweaty and tired, Mika winces and the Walker in front of her takes a swipe at her before Carl dives in from the side plunging his knife into its head and taking it down before putting it away again in a well-practiced motion.
"I could have gotten it," She says quietly, but she's panting just a little bit.
"Headache?"
She nods wincing up at me then her eyes go wide and all the blood washes from her normally pink cheeks.
"Well, Aint this a peach? Look at this something for everyone!" A man's voice rings out sending my heart right into my throat. Carl spins.
"Mika get behind me." Carl is grabbing her wrists shoving her behind him hand moving towards his knife again.
"Whoa there little fella, no call for that; we just wanna chat." He holds his hands up palms out towards the men moving to surround us; they don't lower their weapons despite his request to talk. A lot of weapons, a compound bow, several shot guns; a few automatic assault rifles…they're not here to talk. They plan to take. Rape and kill based on the shared expression on their cruel faces…and not necessarily in that order.
"Cut the bullshit, why don't you go your way, and we'll go ours and everyone lives."
Carl is moving Mika closer to me, pinning her between us against my back watching the men behind me that I can't see…but I can feel them: their greedy eyes, cruel intentions.
Most of them are watching me and Mika; except for one…an overweight disgusting pig of a man with brown hair greasy and limp hanging around his face; he's not watching me or Mika…He's staring at Carl from the grey haired man's right with a predatory look in his eyes and a sick twisted half giddy smile on his lips that matches the others and if I had any doubt what kind of monsters we've been found by its long gone now.
I am suddenly infinitely grateful that Daryl and Rick did not come with us today. If they had I've no doubt they'd have been shot before the grey haired man ever said a thing. Monsters do not like to fight fair, and they don't care about destroying anything that gets in their way.
"Now, Now; no one said anything about killing anybody; it's awful lonely out here; we just want a little company."
I'll bet. "Last warning to you and your buddies; and tell your filthy pedophile friend to get his degenerate eyes back in his head or I'm going to gouge them out."
The grey hair man looks taken aback for a second, eyes glancing to the man beside him who's still watching Carl. Carl who's grip has tightened on Mika pushing her further against my back because he thinks I'm talking about her…
He shrugs one shoulder up shaking greasy grey locks out of his eyes. "I'll admit some of my men have a taste for the exotic; but can't fault him for that really…not when it's so rare these days to find something so…." His eyes move over me making my stomach twist in revulsion. "—Sweet. Let's all be reasonable about this and we'll leave you alive; and that's about the most generous offer I've made in weeks. Turns out I'm in a good mood." Grey hair smirks at me.
"Counter offer Thirteen; you walk away right now or you all die. I'm feeling generous as well." I wasn't. I was tired and trying not to shake and praying to God they get their decaying asses over here in the next few minutes.
The laughter is predictable if overly riotous.
"What are you gonna do Red? Tongue lash us to death?" They laugh again, appropriately trained to feed the ego of their leader. Grey hair stares at me, "What's this Thirteen business, is that supposed to mean something?"
"She's giving us numbers, who gets to be first Dollface?" One of the guys with an assault rifle licks his lips sneers at me from my right.
I raise my hand point slowly counting them off turning slightly as I go. "Ten, Eleven, you'll be fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, eighteen and seventeen."
"Obviously we're missing something here, care to explain 'cause my patience is wearing a little thin."
"Well, if there was simply one or two of you everyone gets to live; assuming you don't piss me off too much beforehand." I narrow my eyes at him, too late for that. I'd see these degenerate fucks went straight to Hell if I had to escort them to the damn gates myself. Stop them from hurting anyone else; like I should have with the Peacocks so long ago.
"Three or four," I continue, "I put you down on the ground and I get to be less careful because I'm outnumbered. The chance someone gets hurt goes up. Five or six? Someone really gets hurt, because I can't take the risk you'll get to me first."
I let my eyes drift over their circle before turning my gaze back to grey hair. "This many? When I put you down, you'll stay there." …and when they did get back up I'd make sure they were Mine.
"So you're going to kill us all?" He looks impressed, leans away from me hands raised in mock congratulations.
"Hey, I didn't get a number." One of them points out. "Guess that means I get to live!"
"I didn't say that. You don't get a number because I'm not going to kill you," I jab my thumb over my shoulder at one of the guys behind me that I can't see. "He is." I drop my chin to my chest, let them mistake it for nervousness…I am nervous, afraid I won't be able to get Carl and Mika out of here alive. But my action isn't. I cast my eyes around on the ground searching for anything I can use. There's a rock the near my boot, it's not much, but it's something he won't expect. I shift my weight closer to the rock.
Hell of a time to not have my bow, or Carl's. Barely a mile from home, after three years I hardly expected to find such a threat in my own backyard. You'd think past experiences would have taught me better.
They're laughing again. They won't be very soon.
They're getting closer.
Mika tenses against my back. She can feel them too. Good.
"Fin…" She whispers it barely audible in the breeze. I reach my hand back to clasp her forearm squeezing briefly before letting go. I will need both my hands for this.
Grey hair starts to step closer to me.
I need more time. "No wait, I was wrong…he's fourteen…your fifteen."
"Only thing you're killing Red, is my patience."
"Carl?"
Mika tenses against my back.
"Cover Mika." I don't wait for him to reply.
Walkers burst through the trees to our right, five of them moving fast—faster than they should; half the men turn to take on this new threat at the same time I kick my foot out at the softball sized rock near my boot. Send it sailing through the air; it misses grey hair's face; hits him in the collar bone hard enough that I hear the impact. And I'm already rushing forward knife hilt in my hand leaping to grey hair's shoulders bracing my forearms against his collars, both hands gripping the side of his head as I flip up and over avoiding the clumsy swipe the other man aims at me. I drag him up and over twisting his head back at an impossible angle coming down behind him on one knee my grip tightening even as he screams driving his neck down over my thigh snapping his spine with the blunt force of my momentum and the gravity of his own weight.
The man to his left hesitates in obvious disbelief just long enough for me to throw my knife; bury it in his throat. I shove their now dead leader away from me turn to see Carl shoving Mika around him pressing her back between the trees his knife in his hand with two Walker's moving alongside them for cover Mika's tiny face pinched in intense concentration a trickle of bright red blood dripping down from her nose to her chin.
"That's two Red, now we're gonna kill you."
I straighten up. "I'm not done yet."
He fires at the same time I dive behind a moving Walker I wait behind him for his rifle to fire and click. He curses and I move pressing my advantage even as he grabs his knife tries to slash at me misses with his clumsy swipe. I step in close, ram my elbow into his throat driving him back; sending him off balance. A harsh sound squeezed through his almost crushed windpipe, a warbled barely audible croak. I spin grab his hand while he's stunned into submission and drive his arm down stabbing him in the thigh with his own weapon before shoving him away to bleed out having wrenched the knife with a strangled thready scream out of his own artery. A Walker falls on him ending his terror far too soon for the crimes I've no doubt he's previously committed.
A bullet kicks up dirt just where I was about to be and I slam to a stop, twist to see two riffles aimed at me.
"Don't fucking move!"
I look past them to grey hair and his buddy lying still on the ground just a few feet behind them…twitching.
"I don't have to, I'm not going to kill you remember?"
"Neither is Len, he's dead."
I grin at him, winking. "Exactly."
His eyes go wide suddenly hearing the shuffling steps behind him he tries to turn but it's too late. Len grabs him from behind and rips out his throat. Guy number two screams in horror turning and firing at the second Walker who used to be their leader now up and stumbling towards him hands outstretched with a snarling moan.
He manages to hit him in the chest; his aim completely off in his frantic state…and he's turned away from me now distracted. I rush forward and leap planting my foot in the center of his back shoving him into the dead leaders waiting grasp. The gun spits out rounds rapid fire in a panicked succession against the Walker and the trees as he falls, gets his face torn into.
I have a split second to savor the victory, the fact that I'm miraculously still alive when Mika screams. The sound crashes through my chest, slides down my spine like ice water prickling and burning all along my skin. I spin and bolt through the woods, moving toward the sound.
I find them both on the road trapped between two gunmen Mika gripping Carl's arm blood seeping between her fingers; already coating her hands.
"No!"
Good thing they view me as the bigger threat. Carl kicks the knee out from behind the gunmen in front of him as he spins to face me gun raised his shot goes wide as he hits the pavement on one knee cursing trying to aim his second shot before Carl's knife rams home the tip piercing the skin just over the hollow in his throat his mouth opens but no sound comes out, dark red blood leaks from the corners of his mouth, blooms around the tip of Carl's knife soaking into the front of his shirt. He collapses to the ground eyes wide twitching.
The roaring of a large heavy engine reaches my ears. Shit reinforcements, no time to get away. We're dead.
"Mika! Run Now!" Carl barks sending her fleeing alone into the trees.
We're at least a mile from home, she'll never make it in time to help us, but at least she'll be safe, as long as we can keep them busy long enough for her to escape.
Carl's gun goes off. Cracks through the air sending one of the remaining men still standing to the pavement when he tries to follow her.
I use the sound distracting the others to fling my knife charging the other two the second the hilt has left my fingertips; no time to see if I've aimed well.
The truck stops and both the doors open at the same time. It draws the attention of the other two men who shift to see the approaching military truck right as the dark haired passenger leans out the window firing her automatic weapon and sending them both to pavement in a shower of blood.
Not on the same team then. We might still live. One of the biggest men I've ever seen climbs out of the driver side; the sunlight glints off his close cropped hair turning it a bright almost comical red-orange.
"Nice skills," He shoves an unlit cigar into his mouth while I try to angle Carl behind me; I stop when the woman who took out our other two attackers levels her assault rifle at us.
"Don't move." Her voice is accented, low and calm.
I pause, shifting my gaze to stare back at the red head; knowing without a doubt he's in charge of this small group, even without the dark haired woman's eyes flicking to him before slowly circling around us. Carl shifts beside me, trying to watch her.
"You save our lives just to shoot us?" I stare at him.
"I have a proposal for you, we could use a person with your particular skill set; how'd you like to help us save the world?"
"I'm all out of patience for delusions of grandeur after the last group. Thanks, but no thanks."
"Well I'm not really asking," He shakes his gun barrel at me. "We need numbers, we need fighters: Get in the truck."
If they need fighters they need us alive. "Only if you let the boy go."
Carl goes very still beside me. "I'm not leaving you." His tone so like his father's it brooks no argument.
The mountain of a redhead frowns eyeing Carl silently for a moment, assessing. "Nah, boy can shoot, he can come too."
"Where we going?" I need to stall for time; even though I know there isn't any way that Mika could possibly run home and make it back before they force us into their truck; and a truck on hard pavement is impossible to track, even for Daryl. They'll get here and find nothing but dead bodies, and blood.
He chews his cigar for a moment grin spreading under his ridiculous mustache.
"Washington DC, we're on a mission to save the world."
Then the woman behind me smashes her rifle butt into my head because the world burst out of focus spinning with a flash of pain on the back of my skull and Carl yells something vulgar while a shotgun racks.
I can only pray he doesn't get himself shot as I hit the pavement.