Notes: Sorry for the delay, the new Dragon Age has taken over my life (so good). So have two chapters as an apology!
When Mickey gave them the rules, Maya had had every intention of following them. They were there to keep her and Lily safe, and Maya could understand their importance.
But as she lay awake, listening to Lily's girlish snores and Mickey's deep breaths against her back, all Maya could think of was the basement. Sleep wouldn't come, her mind whirling with thoughts of what might be down there. Janet had casually mentioned that it was there Sam and Maggie might be, maybe Jacob and Doc as well. They could be there right now, hurt, cold and hungry. Or worse, Job was down there with them.
Maya rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. Mickey automatically curled into her, an arm slung across her belly. She should shove him away from her, should reject every touch of his skin against hers.
Yet…she didn't. It had been a long time since she had shared a bed with anyone, the army had made sure of that. It was comforting to have another body close to hers, and she hardly needed the extra blankets. Mickey was a man sized furnace, heat radiating from his pores.
She tried counting the cracks in the ceiling. She tried rhythmic breathing. She tried every trick she knew to get her mind to calm, for her body to relax.
It didn't work.
Instead her imagination got more and more vivid, and Maya grew even more agitated. What was Job doing to the women? What was he doing to Jacob? What sort of hellish nightmare was occurring right beneath her as she tried to sleep?
She needed to see them, to reassure herself that they were, at the very least, alive.
Maya knew it was an awful idea. She told herself that repeatedly as she wriggled out from under Mickey's arm, the man not stirring. He mumbled a little, but didn't wake. Maya moved off the camping mat on her hands and knees until she was safely away from Mickey, only then getting to her feet.
She debated pulling on her pants, but in the dark she worried she'd make too much noise so just went without, bare foot and bare legged.
Mickey had left the door unlocked, to her surprise. An oversight on his part, but lucky for Maya. She slipped out, treading lightly on the creaking floorboards. No-one was out on the landing, all the other doors shut. She knew one was Job's room but wasn't sure which; yet another piece of information she'd need to learn before any escape attempt.
She moved out into the open space, light on her feet. It was dark but she could still make out her surroundings, the dark shape of the bannister, a few moldy boxes haphazardly strewn around. If she heard even the hint of anyone she'd retreat back the way she came; Maya had no desire to run into anyone, especially if that someone was Job.
The stairs were tricky, prone to creaking alarmingly, but step by careful step Maya made it down with minimal noise. She paused, listening, but the house was still silent. The air was colder down here, and Maya shivered, rubbing her arms.
She knew the basement door was near the gutted kitchen, she had seen it, made a note of its location when Mickey had brought them downstairs that morning. Carefully she moved towards it, bypassing the weapons locker and pressing her ear to the wood.
No sounds came from beyond it, and slowly, she tried the handle.
Locked.
Maya sighed silently. Of course it was, it would be too easy if it was op-
The front door slammed open, cold air pouring into the house.
Quicker than she thought she could move, Maya practically leapt into the kitchen, looking around desperately for a hiding place. There was no-where obvious, and panicking, she clambered up onto one of the counters by the broken fridge, hoping that the darkness would hide her if nothing else. Two male voices were talking, grumbling to each other as they stomped in.
"-damn joke walkin' around in the dark freezin' my balls off."
"Ah shut it, Job promised we'd get a go with one o' the girls for it."
Heart hammering, Maya listened, trying to place the two voices. She didn't recognize them, so they must be two of Job's lower lackeys.
"Fat lot of good that is, 'aint you heard? Two of 'em are knocked up already."
Two? Maya bit her lip to keep quiet. Crystal had told her about Penny, but who was the second?
"Who cares? I don't give a shit about that breedin' stuff Job yammers about. A man's got urges."
"You should. If you get a brat on one of 'em you're set. Maybe even get your own crew one day."
"Fuck that. How'd you even know if the little shit was yours? They get fucked by everyone."
"Naw naw, Job's got a system."
Maya listened, feeling sicker by the second. The two men were standing by the basement door, but not making any move to go in or leave. She was stuck where she was.
"The hell you mean a system?"
"You know, schedules n' shit. Only rotates 'em round if they don't get pregnant. Gotta earn a place though if you wanna try and knock one up, doin' runs or whatever."
"Damn. Then how come Mickey got two, the horny bastard?"
Maya held her breath, barely able to hear over the pounding of her heart. Her lungs felt too small, not sucking in enough air.
"Well one, he's a goddamn Wilkerson. Might as well be fuckin' royalty the way Job walks around."
"And two?"
"Have you seen 'im? He's fuckin' terrifyin'. You try tellin' him no if he wants somethin'."
Maya's lungs relaxed slightly, and she pulled in a deep breath gratefully. They still feared Mickey at least, that was good. If they were afraid of Mickey, the men would be less likely to try anything with the two women under his protection.
But this whole breeding thing…Crystal had said as much but having it confirmed like this… Just what the hell was Job doing? Using women like broodmares, developing a system? What the hell did that even mean?
The voices grew louder, and horrified, Maya realized they were moving into the kitchen. The faint glow beginning to spill into the kitchen signaled they had a lantern with them. They'd see her.
She pushed back as far against the wall as she could, pulling her legs up and hugging her knees. The tiles were cold against her back, goosebumps breaking out across her arms. An old abandoned spider web ticked her ear, but she forced herself to stay still.
A voice cut through the muttering men. "The fuck you two doin' gossipin' down 'ere?"
Maya's heart stuttered, and the light stopped at the door. Maya could see the beginning of the lantern, the curved glass that had entered the door.
"Just got back from gatherin' more pets for Job," one of them said nervously. "'Aint doin' nothin' bad, Mickey."
Mickey came down the stairs, footsteps heavy. Maya could sense his irritation even in her hiding place.
"Well you woke me the fuck up. Go natter somewhere else where folks 'aint tryin' to sleep. Now."
"Alright, alright," the lantern flooded the kitchen with light, a man stepping through the doorway. Maya didn't breathe. "We're goin'."
"Not that way, you fucktards, go out the front! Back door squeaks like hell."
There were grumbles, but the men obeyed, backing out of the doorway and going back out the way they came. Maya blinked in the darkness as she listened to the front door click shut, dots dancing in front of her eyes. Certain they were gone, Maya breathed out shakily, her legs flopping against the counter as she relaxed.
"Maya!" Mickey hissed, obviously aware she was somewhere. "Maya, goddammit you better be here or so help me-"
"I'm here," she replied, sliding down from her hiding place. Her feet were dusty as they hit the linoleum floor, and she grimaced. "I'm here, Mickey."
Mickey was still just in his boxers, his face furious as he ducked into the kitchen.
"You got a damn hearin' problem? Didn't I say not to leave the fuckin' room or-"
"What were they talking about?" she interrupted him, hands on her hips. "Job's running some sort of breeding program? The hell is that about?"
Mickey's hesitation in the face of her anger was answer enough.
"Jesus, Mickey you knew? Is that what this is? You want to fucking breed me? I'm a job well done for whatever shit you've done?"
Mickey took a threatening step towards her. "I'm not the only one who remembers you offerin' to do anythin' to save that girl. If you hadn't, you'd be like the rest out there, shoved around to different beds every week. You want that?"
Maya bared her teeth. "I want to know that I'm a goddamn person to you, and I want answers as to what the fuck is going on here!"
"I'm the only one 'ere who is treatin' you like a person!" Mickey growled, towering over her. Maya refused to be intimidated. "The fuck kind of question is that?"
"No," Maya snapped, daring to plant a hand on his chest and give him a shove. He barely moved but it made her feel better. "No, I'm just another prop, aren't I? Maya do this, Maya do that. Just lie still while I pretend-rape you, everything will be fine. On what planet is that treating me like a human being?! I might as well be a blow up doll, wait no, I'm pretty sure even they get treated better!"
Mickey stared down at her, brow furrowed. "You just don't get it. You don't have a goddamn clue."
Frustrated, Maya shoved him again. "Then explain it to me! I deserve to know, Mickey!"
"I ca-" Mickey's expression changed, startled as if he heard something. His whole demeanor switched in an instant, face twisting into a scowl. Raising his hand, he brought his open palm down hard on his own forearm, the meaty smack echoing around the small kitchen.
"Didn't I tell you to go 'fore bed you dumb bitch?" he growled at her, and as Maya gaped at him he grabbed her arm, giving her a shake.
"Wha-" Maya stuttered, caught off guard by his sudden change. Mickey walked her backwards, releasing her to smack his own forearm again.
"Don't you open your goddamn mouth!"
He seized her again, kicking a cupboard with his foot that made it sound like a scuffle, and Maya's brain finally caught up. Someone was listening.
Sure enough, a dark shape filled the kitchen doorway, a small flashlight clicking on.
Job's eerie face was illuminated, and Maya whimpered for real.
"Lovers spat in the kitchen?" Job asked, grinning.
Still holding her by the arm, Mickey turned, scowling. "The hell you want, Job? I'm busy."
"I can see that." Job stepped into the room, the light from the small flashlight almost blinding. Maya squinted, turning her face away.
Job sighed, shaking his head. "You couldn't have put some clothes on, Mickey?"
"She wanted the damn toilet," Mickey grumbled. "Was takin' 'er out."
"So I heard," Job circled them both. "How you enjoyin' my brother's hospitality, Maya?"
Maya kept her mouth shut. Job was even more unpredictable than Mickey, and was the one who could really hurt her and Lily. So she stayed silent, shrinking away from him. That seemed to amuse Job, who stepped in closer. He trailed his hand along Maya's bare arm, the pads of his fingers tracing shapes along her skin. Maya cringed, crowding closer to Mickey.
"Y'know, you're lucky my brother took such a shinin' to ya," Job's eyes were just deep dark sockets in the flashlight's cast shadows. He touched her again, his hand at her hip this time, fingers darting beneath her shirt to massage the warm skin above her hipbone. Mickey's hand around her arm tightened.
Job grinned, dangerous and shark-like. "He 'aint as…imaginative as I can be."
Job's fingers danced lower, plucking at the band of her underwear. "For example, I bet all Mickey's done to you is stick his cock in, thrust away and that was that. Bit borin', 'aint it?"
"Fuck you, Job," Mickey growled, pulling Maya against his chest, away from his brother. "Quit slobberin' all over her, this is my woman."
"For now," Job allowed, but he didn't pull back, gaze still boring into Maya.
Maya screeched, jerking her shoulder into Mickey's chest as Job's hand suddenly darted down, grabbing her hard between the legs. He rubbed her roughly through her underwear and Maya rose up on her tiptoes trying to get away, tears pricking the corners of her eyes at the sharp pain.
"Hands off!" Mickey snapped, physically hauling Maya away from Job quickly, planting himself between them. "You come in 'ere just to paw at her or you got somethin' to say?"
Job didn't look away from Maya, still smiling. Maya was going to have nightmares over that smile.
"She bred yet ya think?" Job asked, tapping his chin with a finger thoughtfully. "You been fuckin' her enough?"
Mickey had straightened to his full height, intimidating even in his state of undress. "The fuck should I know? Only been a day since I got her Job, Jesus."
Job finally looked at his brother, and Maya sagged with relief, leaning heavily against Mickey's back as his attention left her.
"Usually I 'aint a patient man," Job was saying, and Maya forced herself to listen. "If you were one o' the others I'd only give ya a week and that'd be that. But you're my blood Mickey, so I'll give ya longer. I'm givin' ya a month. If she 'aint bred by then I'll do it myself, or give her to one o' the others that's been waitin'. You hear me?"
Mickey crossed his arms. "What if I don't wanna give her up? Could be I fancy keepin' her."
Maya stiffened as Job laughed. "Well then I tell all the boys that you 'aint been screwin' that lil' girl like you were supposed to. Lots of 'em would be more than willin' to…oblige."
Mickey tensed even further and Maya held her breath. "The hell you talki-"
"Oh you know what I'm talkin' about," Job waved him away dismissively. "You always been too soft, Mickey. So here's what I'll do. You fuck a Wilkerson onto that one," Job tilted his chin towards Maya as she hid behind Mickey. "And I'll let you keep protectin' the smaller one 'till she's ready to have a babe of her own."
Mickey's hands had curled into fists at his sides. "I don't want-"
"It don't matter what you want," Job growled, eyes flashing. "This is the new world. We're gonna take over this godforsaken town and start it over, but with Eli gone our blood is thin, Mickey. We need family at our backs if we're gonna do this right. You think we're the only crew who's gonna try it? That's doin' it right now? Naw. We gotta prepare."
Job took a step away, the flashlight swinging and casting odd shadows against the walls. "So. Knock her up, or I take both of them. You got a month."
At the doorway he paused, looking back over at Maya as she peered around Mickey's bulk. "And it goes without sayin' that if you do anythin' stupid, I'll make your friends suffer. They're sufferin' enough as it is, you don't wanna give 'em more do ya? That one, the loud black one, she's havin' a hard time of it adjustin'. You don't wanna make it harder on her."
"Sam," Maya breathed, shaking. "What…what did you do to her?"
Job shrugged. "A little bit o' this, a little bit o' that. She's better off than that Ritter boy though. He has Eli to answer for, after all."
He winked, saluting the two of them. "You two have a good rest o' the night now, ya hear? I got a lady to see to."
He left, the kitchen plunging back into darkness. Maya stood there, shaking, skin still burning where Job had forcibly grabbed her.
Mickey cursed, turning. His hands hovered over her arms, just shy of touching as he peered down at her, worriedly.
"Did he hurt you?" he asked quietly. "Maya did he-"
"I'm fine," she said tonelessly. "I'm…shaken, but okay. Let's…let's get back to the room. I don't want to leave Lily alone for long."
Mickey stepped away from her, giving her space. "Alright."
Maya retraced her path back to the room, not bothering to keep quiet this time. Mickey followed, saying nothing.
The room was silent when they re-entered, Mickey shutting the door and locking it. Lily had rolled over onto her side, facing the wall, and Maya watched her sleep, trying to make sense of the thoughts panicking in her head.
Lily would need medicine eventually. Hopefully they had taken it from the church, and at least Doc was here to help, but she was still so vulnerable. Lily had strength of spirit yes, but physically she was like glass, prone to breaking if held to hard.
Maya had never asked for this, had never asked to be a stand-in parent, a protector of a lost teenager. But here she was, and Maya would do whatever she had to. I'll do anything, she had begged, only the day before. It felt like years away. Anything.
It was only just beginning to dawn on Maya what anything might actually be.
"Maya," Mickey murmured, and he did touch her this time, his hand gentle on her shoulder. "You need sleep. C'mon."
Maya allowed him to steer her back down onto the camp mat, grabbing a few of the extra blankets to pull over her. Maya rolled onto her back as he settled down beside her, staring up at the ceiling.
"What are we going to do?" she whispered. "Mickey I…I don't know how to get out of this."
She blinked, the ceiling distorting above her. "I thought I could come up with something, a plan to get us all out of this. But then Crystal talked about it…and now Job…there's really no way out, is there? This is it."
Mickey breathed out slowly. He was quiet for a while, and Maya panicked inside her own mind.
"Tell me somethin' happy."
Thoughts derailed, Maya turned her head to look at him. His face was close to hers, but she didn't feel crowded. His presence was weirdly comforting in a way. A reminder that she wasn't alone.
"What?"
"Somethin' happy," Mickey repeated patiently. "Tell me somethin' 'bout you, somethin' you 'aint told anyone, a story, just...anythin'."
Maya struggled to recall anything beyond despair. She cast her memory back, back beyond the dead rising, beyond war, back to a time where things were simple. For a while she couldn't think, then a random memory popped into existence, a calm eye in the middle of her mental storm.
"I uh…alright. The day Toby Domerick kissed me."
Mickey's knee nudged hers. "Your husband?"
Maya laughed, remembering to be quiet too late. She lowered her voice, glancing over at Lily. The girl hadn't moved. "I was eight. All the girls in my class wanted to be his girlfriend, but I had just transferred from another school, so I didn't know."
Mickey rolled closer, shoulder bumping against hers. "And?"
"And," Maya smiled a little at the memory. "At lunch, he kissed me."
"Lemmie guess," Mickey chuckled, and Maya could feel it reverberate in her own chest. She relaxed slightly. "You were swept off your little girly feet, and you lived happily ever after."
"Not really," Maya rolled so her body faced him, head propped up on her arm. "I kicked him in the shin and stole his pudding cups."
"You…" Mickey paused, and Maya tried to pick out his facial expression in the dark. "A little man kisses you and you beat 'im up to steal 'is puddin' cups?"
Maya nodded. "All four of them. Ate one in front of him and squirreled the others away for later."
"You were a goddamn bully," Mickey said, amused.
"I wouldn't go that far. I didn't want him to kiss me, didn't like him kissing me and told him as much. He then said I was a liar because all the girls wanted to kiss him, so I must too and tried it again. Then I kicked him and stole his dessert to teach him a lesson in not listening when a girl says no."
Mickey laughed again. "And the puddin' cups?"
"They were delicious," Maya grinned. "Tasted like victory."
"Dunno why I'm surprised," Mickey mused, and his knee bumped hers again as he shifted on the mat. "One of your happiest memories bein' one where you showed a man 'is place."
"And dessert," Maya added, her own stomach rumbling. "Oh man, I could eat about a dozen of those delicious little bastards right now."
"Still hungry?" Mickey sounded genuinely concerned. "I told Sarah to knock that shit off, but I'll try and get some cereal bars or somethin' for ya."
"Oh, you don't have to do that," Maya said quickly. "I'm fine. But you can get some for Lily. She gets weak sometimes. And Mickey, she'll need medicine soon, we had a fair amount stashed at the churc-"
"I got it," Mickey assured her. "Stop worryin' woman, I said I'll look after ya both and I meant it."
Maya sat up then with a frustrated sigh. "I know. I'm sorry, I know but…what Job said…"
Mickey grunted, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "I'll figure somethin' out."
Maya watched him, a thousand questions on her tongue. In the end she picked the most obvious to give voice to. "Mickey, why are you doing this?"
He dropped his arm, looking at her. "Doin' what?"
Maya gestured between them. "This. Us. Just…all of it. Why don't you agree with Job? If you did, this whole thing would be moot, you'd just force me to do what it is they think we're doing."
Wow, eloquent, Torres.
Mickey looked uncomfortable. "Job's my brother. Was a time I woulda died for that bastard and done it with a smile on my face."
He went quiet, and Maya waited, not wanting to push him. Finally, he shook his head with a sigh.
"But what he's doin', it 'aint the way. You proved that when you came waltzin' up. You looked after your group, didn't give two shits 'bout walkin' into a crew of scary ass men to do it. You shot better than Job did, you killed better than he did. You took down one o' those fat fucks all on your own with a rifle and a axe."
He looked at her, eyes glittering in the dark. "You scare 'im."
Pieces of a puzzle started slotting into place in Maya's head.
"I was a threat," Maya said slowly. "My whole group was, threatening his plan of town domination. He knew we'd try and stop him if we found out. But he wouldn't have known if I hadn't….Jesus, he targeted the whole group because of me, didn't he?"
"He woulda hit you anyways, one day," Mickey said. "There are other crews out there we fight sometimes. Maybe they'd gotten ya first."
"But it was me," Maya said helplessly. "I gave him the idea, I opened up the group to his fucked up plans. It should be me down there being tortured, not J- "
"Hush," Mickey sat up quickly, and Maya buried her face in her hands. "It 'aint no-one's fault, 'cept Job's."
Maya concentrated on breathing, deep breaths in, and slow breaths out. She couldn't lose it now, but the day was weighing on her. The talk with Crystal, Job, even Mickey…it was too much.
Mickey gently grasped her hands, pulling them away from her face. "You asked me why I'm doin' this. Reason is, you're a good person, Maya. You did right by my brother Eli when I couldn't. You looked after your group, and the minute shit went south, you stuck up for the girl, willin' to do anythin' to keep her safe."
She hadn't realized she was crying, Mickey cupping her jaw and rubbing her wet cheek with his thumb as he tilted her face to look at him. "You're a goddamn strong woman, Maya, and I respect the hell outta ya. That's why I'm doin' this, why I'm tryin' to save you and the girl. You deserve better than this, but it's all I can give."
You're lucky, Crystal had said. Maya hadn't realized how right she actually was.
Because Maya was lucky. Lucky the right Wilkerson had chosen her and tried to treat her with as much dignity as he could allow. Mickey had been straight with her from the start.
Her hands shook, but she reached out to touch him, holding onto his arms like he was the calm in a storm and she a wayward ship.
"Tell me it'll all be okay," she whispered. "That somehow I'll make it through this the same Maya I started out as. I don't want to be like them. I don't want to treat this as if it's normal."
"It'll be okay," Mickey said, and she could almost believe him. "And you'll be the same Maya I watched hack down a zomb with an axe, the same woman who made a fried chicken joke usin' a Molotov on one o' them screamers."
Maya sniffled, managing a weak smile. "No-one's ever complimented my witty battle banter. I'm glad you remembered."
Mickey leaned in, kissing her forehead. It was meant as a gesture of comfort, but Maya flushed all the same, unsure of what to do in return.
"'Course. Now c'mon, you need sleep. And so do I."
Maya let him pull her down onto the camping mat, slotting himself against her back again. She counted the beats of his heart until she finally dozed off, her dreams uneasy and full of grasping hands.