Chapter 29

A flash of movement ahead caught their attention and they saw a woman dash down another alley in front of them.

"It's that bitch Mary" Daryl yelled as he set off after the fleeing woman, Eleanor close behind him. She hadn't seen Mary before but she knew exactly what she did at Terminus.

They ran down the alley, weapons raised. A shape turned to the left and as they turned the corner in time to see her disappearing through a concealed doorway into the main station building. Cautiously they approached the entrance. Daryl aimed the bow as Eleanor pulled the door open. There was no sign of anyone. They slipped through the door and saw a metal flight of stairs leading down to what looked like a maintenance area. There were several closed doors and a large open area where tools and equipment was stored on large racks. The door was obviously only meant for staff and was discreetly tucked away from the public.

They crept carefully down the stairs, eyes alert for any movement. There were no lights or windows down here and the further they got the darker it became.

"Stay close" Daryl whispered to her, as they reached the bottom of the stairs. They began to work their way around the storage room, checking behind and between all the racks.

"Bitch must of dodged into one of the rooms" Daryl muttered when they'd found no sign of the woman among the racks.

They checked the rooms one by one finding them either empty or full of dusty junk. There was one door left. Eleanor reached for the handle and slowly pushed it open, leaning slightly into the room as she did so. Suddenly a hand shot out and grabbed the barrel of her rifle, shoving it up as she automatically fired. She was wrenched forward and a fist struck her jaw, knocking her off balance. Daryl tried to get a clear shot but whoever struck her was still hidden by the wall. As she stumbled she was grabbed and pulled into the room. An arm locked around her neck, another round her waist and she was pulled against a strong chest. She kicked backwards and made contact with her captors shin. Her foot continued down and she stamped hard on his foot. He cursed loudly and let go of her. She turned and thrust her hand out, her palm making contact with the mans' nose. There was crack and he gave a howl of pain, falling back, clutching a bloody face. Eleanor tried to get through the door but a hand gripped her hair pulling her back. She tried to turn to face her attacker but found her arms grabbed by a second person and yanked painfully behind her.

"Ellie!" she heard Daryl yell her name.

"Go!" she screamed at him "Get the hell out of here!" she yelped as she was struck again and forced to her knees.

A man's' voice called out "Archer, you want to see the woman again, throw down your weapons and raise your hands"

She heard Daryl curse and knew he was about to do as he was instructed.

"Don't" she yelled "Just go" She flinched as she felt breath on the side of her face, a man she had seen before was leaning close to her, the knife in his hand resting on her cheek .

"Do it now, Archer" he demanded " or I start slicing her pretty face" She groaned as she heard the clatter of the crossbow hitting the ground.

"Wise move." The man nodded to someone else in the room and she heard them leave. They returned a few seconds later, Daryl in front of them, at gunpoint, his arms raised. He sought her out and his eyes turned dark and angry when he saw her being restrained and the bruises forming on her jaw and cheek. The man lowered the knife and turned to him.

"You should have left when you could, Archer." He sneered "You thought you could take us on, but you don't know this place like we do. So many hidey holes and secrets. We'll be catching up with the rest of your group soon. Then you will all regret messing with us" He turned back to Eleanor, gripping her jaw and forcing her face up.

"Not sure where you came from. You weren't with any of the groups, but I'm sure we can make you feel welcome." He let go of her face and traced a finger down her cheek, following her jawline then her collar bone. She tried to twist away from his touch but he only laughed and put his hand on her waist. She was still being held by the arms and could hardly move. His hand slid from her waist and moved to her hip in slow deliberate movements. She twisted and tried to kick him in the groin but he just side stepped and laughed again.

"I'm Gareth" he told her, leaning in close "What's your name?" He gripped her hair and pulled her head back, leaning into her. "I think we are going to have some fun later. Maybe I'll let the Archer watch" The other men in the room laughed. Daryl lunged towards him, grabbing the back of his shirt and yanking him away from her. The other men piled into him and pulled him away, throwing a few punches, before pinning him down.

Mary stepped forward with a smile "I think we just found his weakness. You want to control him, just hurt her" she commented.

Gareth looked between the two of them "So you're the archer's woman. That makes things more interesting."

On his instruction Daryl was forced into a chair and his arms were bound with plastic ties. His wrists were attached to the chair with tape. Mary stood alongside with a hand gun aimed at him.

Eleanor was pulled to her feet and pushed into the centre of the room. She had worked out that Gareth was the man she had seen on the roof, giving the orders, the night Daryl and the others were locked in the boxcar. She stood, looking around her as Gareth and the other three men put their weapons to the side and surrounded her. One jumped towards her and she ducked, dodging the blow he aimed at her. A second swung a punch and she blocked it with her arm, getting a kick into his gut, winding him. Another grabbed for her and caught hold of the back of her jacket. She twisted and squirmed out of the jacket, leaving just her strap top. The men made crude comments and leered at her as she bounced on her feet, her fists clenched, trying to watch them all. Gareth reached out and tried to grab her arm, but she side stepped and he missed. One managed to get a handful of the back of her top and as she struggled free the fabric ripped, exposing some of her bare back. She turned and landed a punch on the man's head, causing him to stagger back a few steps. She had her back to Gareth and he smirked as he looked at her exposed flesh. Daryl saw his expression change from leering to angry all of a sudden.

"No more games!" he yelled "Get hold of her and bring her to me" The other men obeyed him without question. All three of them grabbed at her and got hold, dragging her to Gareth.

He circled her and reached out for her torn top. He lifted it and silently studied the scars from the whip. His head whipped round and he stared at Daryl with narrowed eyes. He snatched up his knife and advanced on the bound man. Mary was looking at him in confusion. Eleanor was struggling in the grip of the 3 men as Gareth used the knife to slash open the back of Daryl's shirt, exposing the knife scars. He was silent as he walked to face Daryl. Without warning he lashed out and punched him hard enough to knock the chair over, almost sending Mary flying.

"You killed my nephew" He snarled, he then stalked back to Eleanor and hit her hard in the stomach, she gave a cry and folded in half, before he gave her a backhanded slap that knocked her head to the side. She glared up at him, blood running from a split lip.

"You get your kicks beating up on women?" she spat at him "Real brave of you" He hit her again, this time hard enough to knock her out of the grip of the men holding her. She fell to the ground, her head spinning. He reached down and grabbed her hair, half pulling her up.

"You shot my brother and then burnt him to death, you bitch" He shoved her down again and kicked her hard in the ribs. She stayed on the floor, curled into a ball, trying to protect herself as Daryl tried frantically to free himself.