Ch. 23
Carol rubbed Daryl's back as he vomited into the nearest trash can and David held him to keep him from collapsing. Meanwhile, Glenn, Maggie, Michonne and Hershel were talking.
Obviously, they'd have to come clean with Daryl about the truck they'd seen. The Governor was definitely after them. The choice, now, was whether to stay and fight or to try to leave.
Rick sat amongst everyone, listening intently. Whichever route they took, he knew he'd have to help, and there was only one way to do that - to stop taking the medicine.
The pills may have straightened his mind out but they'd damaged him physically, giving him seizures and making him weak. He'd probably gained a good twenty pounds as well, in way too short a time.
He would be more valuable to the group if he was fit and capable of fighting. He was probably better mentally now, too, he reasoned. Yeah, he could do without the meds. He had to protect Carl and Judith and Elena and Daryl the others. They were more important than anything.
00
The decision was made to send out a couple of people to scout for new locations. While it would have been preferable to stay in Georgia, where much of the group was born and raised, it made more sense to get out of state. The further they were from the Governor, the better.
Finding a suitable location would take time, though, especially if there was a long distance to be traveled.
In the end it was decided that Glenn and Maggie would go. The others would stay at the hospital and guard it.
Michonne, David, Carl and Rick, who was feeling surprisingly strong, all helped to load the car. They were taking a Subaru. It had four wheel drive and would be strong enough to get them out of most situations while being fairly fuel efficient.
The trunk was loaded with supplies - water, food, four guns and ammo, a set of knives and some blankets. An extra few containers of gas were also thrown in.
When it was time to send them off, everyone gathered at the exit to say goodbye. Everyone, that was, except for Daryl and Carol. The group understood, though. Daryl had been taking the Governor's little gift particularly hard.
"Now, you guys come back as soon as you can," Hershel told them, before giving Maggie a kiss on the head.
He then looked at Glenn.
"I trust you to protect her."
"I will, of course," Glenn replied.
Hershel gave him a hug.
And then, they were off.
00
Since receiving the package, Daryl had been completely despondent.
He laid in bed, all day, staring at the wall. He barely spoke and generally refused to eat.
The mix of emotions that Daryl felt was almost unbearable.
Guilt was the main one, followed by anger. Hurt. And… there was fear.
No one was able to figure out how the Governor had managed to slip the package under the door. No one had noticed any vehicles going in or out, which meant that most likely, whoever brought it had come in on foot. They'd failed at their jobs as lookouts and they all knew it.
Daryl never liked to admit to being afraid. Dixons didn't show fear. That's what his father had always tried to instill in him. Merle had been the same.
Daryl wished that he could be even half as brave as Merle had been. The man had literally laid down his life for him. But even before that, Merle was always brave and strong. He'd cut off his own hand, for fucks sake!
Anyway, Daryl couldn't get the thought of the Governor re-capturing him out of his mind. The thought of that man raising his baby was even worse.
He must have whimpered, or made some sound at that thought, because Carol held him a little tighter.
"It's okay," she whispered.
She'd been a permanent fixture in his room once again, this time lying beside Daryl in bed instead of in a chair nearby.
Sad as it seemed, Carol's touches actually helped to calm him. He closed his eyes as she reached around and rubbed his stomach and leaned in to kiss the side of his head.
It felt good to have her near. Having David standing in the door, armed with a Glock and a Baretta helped too.
00
For a day, nothing happened. No one showed up at the college, no packages arrived.
Daryl was still upset. Carol had tried all morning to try to get him to eat, but he refused. Just the mere thought of eating made him want to vomit. All he could think of was Merle. Merle couldn't eat anymore. He couldn't do anything anymore. He was dead, and he had been tortured, and it was all Daryl's fault.
More tears fell from his eyes as he considered this yet again. And yet again, Carol hugged him and wiped his tears.
By evening, Carol was starting to get annoyed. So was Hershel, and so was David.
"If you're not going to eat for yourself, then eat for the kid," David told the older man.
"He's right. You wouldn't want Merle's death to be in vain, would you?" Hershel added.
Ugh. Merle again. Daryl wondered if Merle had even known that he was pregnant. Actually, that seemed like a fair enough question. He decided to ask.
"Did he know?" Daryl looked at David.
"About the baby?"
"Yeah."
David frowned.
"He knew. I told him. Felt I had to. But, he would've helped to get you out either way. Seein' you the way you were.. well, it hurt him deeply. He told me how much it had hurt to act like he didn't care when he saw you that one time. Felt like it cut him like a knife. So Hershel is right - don't let Merle's death be in vain. You gotta stay healthy, and you gotta keep your baby healthy too."
Daryl knew that David was right. He still wasn't hungry, but he could at least try to force something down.
"Fine," he said, softly."I'll eat."
"Good," Hershel replied. "I can go get you something. I'll be right back."
Everyone watched as Hershel hobbled down the hallway.
"You're good friends," Daryl said. "I owe you."
"The only thing you owe us is to try to keep yourself well," Carol answered.
David nodded in agreement.
"Besides, that kid you got, they're gonna be tough as nails! Good to have around for when we get older."
Daryl grinned at that thought. His kid would be totally badass. He knew it.
00
One day two, another package arrived. This time, though, Michonne had caught the messenger.
She forced the teenager inside, sword to his throat, then had Carl handcuff him to a chair in the hallway.
She'd caught the kid at an odd hour. Obviously he had been timing his entrance to coincide with the 'changing of the guard'. It made sense - with people coming and going, it was easier to slip by and leave things near the doors.
Carl alerted everyone but Daryl to their captive, and everyone, including Rick, came down to see him for themselves.
Rick had been acting differently lately. He seemed stronger, more like his old self, and he instantly took charge of the matter. It was almost like they had the old Rick back.
No one questioned it. Hershel had just assumed that the side effects of the medicine had calmed down. He never suspected that Rick was hiding the pills.
Gun on one hip and knife on the other, Rick approached the boy. He stared him down, circling the chair he was tied to like an animal circling its prey.
"Now, boy, here's how this is gonna go. We can do this the hard way, or the easy way."
The kid swallowed nervously as Rick took out his knife.
"What's your name?"
"Jake. Jacob," the kid answered. That knife looked really fucking sharp.
Rick nodded, "And who sent you?"
That, the kid wouldn't answer. Whatever this guy did couldn't be worse than what the Governor would do if he found out that he'd talked.
"Not gonna answer? That's fine," Rick said, cooly.
He grabbed Jake's arm, yanking it as far as the handcuffs would allow him to move it. Then he cut into the boy's skin vertically.
"You're going to bleed out eventually," Rick explained."But since it's only one wrist, it might take a bit. Not a terrible way to go, but you are quite young."
Jake wanted to cry. He hadn't wanted to do all this! But the Governor had wanted him on board, and he felt that he'd had to obey. He knew what happened to those who went against the man's wishes.
A single tear slid down his cheek, and Michonne grabbed the package that he'd brought with him. This time it was a box. She looked it over carefully.
"Is this some type of bomb?"
"N-no," the kid replied. It really wasn't.
"There's no way to tell if he's lying," Beth said, nervously.
"He's not lying." Rick was looking the kid straight in the eyes. "It's a gift from the Governor, right? To Daryl?"
Jake didn't respond, so Rick began pulling on his other arm.
Right before the knife touched his skin, Jake spoke.
"Stop! It's - it's not a bomb! It's… it's a heart."
"A heart?"
"Merle's…It's Merle's heart. Or what's left of it. The Walkers didn't leave much."
"Jesus Christ," Hershel mumbled.
"How'd you get here?" Rick continued his questioning.
"They dropped me off a mile down. Rode a bike over, 'cause it's quiet."
Rick looked at Michonne for confirmation of this.
"The bike's near the door."
"Can you let me go, now?" Jake asked, still looking terrified. He was definitely bleeding a lot. Maybe if he could get out, he could find a tourniquet or something to help stop the blood flow.
"No. But we'll get you cleaned up," Rick said.
He glanced at Hershel, who moved to gather supplies.
"If you think you're going back, you're nuts," Rick went on. "You're going to stay here and tell us whatever we need to know. And if you don't, well… I really don't feel any qualms killing you."
Jake nodded in understanding. Fuck, this was bad.
00
Rick had walked off after he'd finished interrogating the kid. He could see Lori, at the end of the hall, smiling. He'd done good. She was proud of him, obviously. He smiled back, but kept quiet.
'Sorry,' he mentally apologized. 'I can't let them know about you, or they'll mess me up again. But I think we'll get him, Lori. I really do.'
And just like that, Lori was gone.