The first thing I did when the Governor led the way into the little shack that would serve as mine and the girl's house, was take a long, hot shower. I could hear Riley barking softly through the steady sound of the water pelting down on my skin, Alana laughing at something he did. I smiled as I scrubbed the dirt and blood from my skin, the warm water soothing away all doubt and tension I'd felt earlier.
After washing my long, dark hair, I stepped out of the shower, still in awe that the town had working plumbing. I dried off quickly, pulling on a new set of clothes. I pulled my hair back before lacing up my old boots. Once done, I hurried out of the bathroom, into the main room of the house, where Alana was curled up next to Riley, her head resting on his back.
"Hey, kiddo, why not get you all cleaned up, huh?" I asked her. She looked at me with those bright eyes, before nodding her head eagerly. I smiled and pulled her to her feet, leading her into the bathroom. Once she was bathed, we both curled up on the old, ratty sofa, a book spread across our laps.
I was in the middle of a sentence when the door flew open, nearly scaring me half to death. Riley instinctively started growling, his fur standing on end as I quickly took hold of his collar, holding him in place.
"What?" Merle's annoying, snide voice chimed. "Dog don't like me, huh?"
"He doesn't take to strangers," I said coolly. "What'cha want, Merle?"
"The Governor's asking for you," he said with a smirk. "I can watch the rugrat for ya."
"Thanks, but no thanks," I said with a stern shake of my head. "I'll bring her with me."
I didn't give him a chance to argue. I picked Alana up and hugged her securely in my arm. Riley stood at my side, still growling. I couldn't help but wonder what was going through that dog's mind. Though he never took to strangers, he normally wasn't this high strung. It made me question our safety, but only briefly.
Merle muttered a few choice words before leading the way through the streets over to where the Governor and Martinez were standing.
"Ah, Harleigh, seems you're making yourself comfortable!" he chimed brightly. If I didn't know better, I could have sworn I heard sarcasm dripping in his voice.
"Yes, thank you," I said as kindly as I could. It'd been a long time since I was last around other people. It seemed foreign. Strange.
"We're having a meeting tonight, was wondering if you'd like to join us?" he asked kindly.
Over the next four months, I spent countless hours training in every type of warfare possible, patrolling the wall, going out on runs, you name it.
Alana, who was no more than 3 years old, took a shining to some of the local kids and was no longer the shy, scared little girl she was when I found her. She took to calling me mom, no matter how many times I'd correct her.
Riley had found two strays on the way back during one of our runs, a little mutt I deemed Scout and a large, fierce shepherd mix, who I named Blade. The governor wasn't thrilled with me bringing back more dogs, but he didn't question me once I proved to him that all three could be an asset to the group.
The worst thing about Woodbury, was the lack of rules. Rather, the lack of rules for the men. More times than not, I'd be grabbed, dragged into a dark, damp corner of the town and raped until I had no fight left in me. This happened for the better part of our stay.
Martinez and the rest of the Governor's soldiers showed no remorse, not even when Merle, of all people, told them to shape up and knock it off. I stopped caring. Along with my lack of care, I stopped fighting. I grew numb.
It was late one early spring morning when they brought them in. A sick looking blonde and her dark friend. I watched in awe as Martinez and Merle drove through the gate. The dark, strong looking woman looked at me with troubled eyes. I could tell that she didn't want to be there. I couldn't blame her.
"Harleigh!" a man roared. I turned around, breaking my train of thought.
"Yes, Marco?" I called down to the man. He was staring up at me, his eyes squinted against the sunlight.
"The Governor wants to see you, said it's urgent," he barked. I nodded and jumped down from the fence. Riley quickly made his way over to me, protective as ever. As I hurried down the street, I took note that Alana was playing with two of the local girls. I didn't pause until I located the man I had grown to hate.
"What?" I asked as I drew near.
"I need you to do me a favor," he said, his tone empty.
"What's that?" I asked. I learned early on to never question his requests.
"I need you to stand guard over those two women," he said, nodding in the direction Merle had taken the girls. "Don't let them leave."
"Alright," I nodded. He gave me a firm nod before stalking off to do whatever it was he did. I sighed and whistled. Scout and Blade followed me and Riley towards the building. The small pack of dogs had learned to follow my commands without question. It made life a lot easier. Plus, it was rare a man would corner me with three vicious dogs flaking my every move.
I leaned against the far wall of the building, not really caring about the task at hand. Instead, I found myself formulating a plan. I wanted, no, I needed out. This town, these people, they were horrible.
I found myself remembering my first attack. It had taken place just days after I arrived at Woodbury…
"Hey, kitten," one of Merle's men called, his slur clearly indicating that he was drunk. "C'mere."
"Leave me alone, Ryan," I snarled as I quickly made my way through the streets.
"Oh, lookie here, Martinez! This lil' slut has an attitude to her!" Ryan snarled.
"Bettcha she can fight too," he chuckled. I glared at the men, my heart racing in my chest. I'd seen this happen before.
The next thing I knew, I was on the ground being dragged into the nearest building by my hair. I fought and fought, but it was useless. Three men held me down, while Ryan, a cruel, heartless man, did to me what no man had ever done before. He punched me square in the jaw before yanking my clothes off roughly. The other men took turns throwing punches until I had no fight left in me. It was humiliating.
When they had had their fun, they left me there, naked and alone, until Ryan returned with a biter, as they called them, on a grab pole. I scrambled to my feet, pulling my clothes back on, my entire body shaking with exhaustion and fear. He set the biter on me, laughing as I feebly tried to fight the creature off.
This happened countless times…
It was then that my mind was made up. I was going to leave. But first, I had to warn these women. I didn't know who they were, where they came from, or if they were dangerous or not, but I wasn't stupid. I wasn't going to standby and allow that to happen to anyone else.
"You're thinkin' again," a familiar voice snarled. I looked up to find Merle standing in front of me, his eyes locked on mine. "Thinkin' ain't good for ya."
"Whatever, Merle," I growled. As much as I appreciated Merle taking my side every once in a while, he was still no better than the other men. He'd beaten me and left me broken and bleeding on the floor just like the other's had.
"Oh, c'mon, Kitten, don't be like that," he chuckled, his tone as snide as ever.
"Stop calling me that," I spat, venom in my tone. "I'm sick and tired of that stupid name!"
"Okay, okay," he surrendered. He looked at me with a curious expression before turning on his heel and briskly walking down the street, no doubt to tell the Governor about my outburst. He was always running to that man to tell him every little detail. It was sort of stupid, if you'd ask me.
I managed to get Michonne, the dark woman, alone a day later. She was out walking the streets when I found her. I didn't want to startle her, so I sent Riley up ahead. The dog carelessly trotted over to her, nudging her leg with his nose. I smiled as she whipped around, looking at the dog in a dangerous, yet impressive way.
"He's fine," I called over to her. Her head snapped up, her eyes flashing with something I couldn't quite place. "Mind if I talk to you?" I asked softly. She gave a small shrug before turning away from me.
I walked over, my heart racing in my chest. This was step one of my plan.
"Rumor has it you and the blonde, uh…" I started.
"Andrea," she informed me.
"Yeah, her, are headed out soon," I said.
"Yeah," she nodded.
"Good."
"Why?" she asked, her tone stiff, like she didn't trust anyone. I couldn't blame her.
"Get out while you can," I hissed, my voice barely above a whisper. "Trust me when I say it's dangerous here."
"What do you know?" she growled, her eyes flashing with anger.
"I can't tell you," I whispered. "Not here." I looked over at the wall. "I'm getting out. Tonight. You'd be wise to do the same."
With that, I left her in the middle of the street to ponder over what I had just said. I hurried back to my house and threw what little I had into my bag. My van had been cleared out the moment we entered the town, but over the course of those four months, I had been slowly gathering back some of my supplies, mainly my weapons. I had them stashed in the woods. Going on runs had its advantages. I had a motorcycle stashed a few miles out, hidden deep in the forest. I made a mental note to retrieve it as soon as Alana and I got out.
Alana, as young as she was, was aware of the plan and agreed with it. As much as she liked the children, she was fearful of the adults and seemed to understand the urgency of the situation. She had a small backpack that held her few items. I clipped the bags onto Riley's back before slipping his collar around his neck. Blade and Scout waited patiently by the door. Slowly, the plan was underway.
I didn't leave room for error. I couldn't. We slipped out the back door of my house, little Alana strapped to my back as I ran, my dogs flaking my every move. We reached a breach in the wall and I took total advantage of the guards' weak spot. I tossed a flash bomb before diving over the fence, careful not to drop Alana in the process. I could hear the cries of the guards, but I didn't look back. Instead, I ran, full speed, into the trees, only stopping when I was certain no one had seen me. Scout and Blade fanned out, scouting the trees for any danger, while Riley ran protectively at my side.
Once I located the bike, I felt safe. I took Alana off my back and sat her in front of me, an old leash serving as a seatbelt. I kicked the motorcycle to life and tore out of the trees as if the devil himself were after me. It wasn't until I was back in the familiar patch of trees where I first saw the Governor and his dangerous crew, that I took a moment to relax. It wasn't until then, that it truly sunk in that I had done it. I had broken free. I was out. I was safer than I'd been all winter. And that, in and of itself, was enough for me.
A/n – I sped up the story line a little bit, because I didn't want to spend too much time focusing on Harleigh's time in Woodbury. That'll come later on. I might go back and revisit this chapter in the future to smooth out some of the details, but right now, this chapter works exactly as I hoped it would.
I hope you all are enjoying the story thus far! Let me know what you think! Reviews keep me motivated!