Author's Note: Sorry for the bigger than usual gap in updating. Truthfully, this story is a lot harder than anything TWD I've written. I needed a little break, hence the publishing of
Head and Heart (there'll be a chapter two for that, FYI). Writing this chapter, was an absolute joy and I have reignited my faith that I can finish this story confidently! Thank you for reading/reviewing and tumblr'ing.
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"We've gotta get out of here. Tonight." Daryl sighed and Carol's breath hitched in her throat. The group converged on him simultaneously, each questioning voice climbing in volume, attempting to be heard over the one next to it. She had her feet resting under his thigh, she could feel his leg shaking up and down, a clear indication of his discomfort with the situation.
"Quiet!" Rick ordered them all, stepping in front of she and Daryl, arms outstretched in front of the others, acting as a barrier. "What happened?"
Daryl let out another sigh, hands drumming an erratic rhythm on his knees. "He wanted me t'go to his base. Just me. He didn't like my answer. He's pretendin' it's fine but it ain't. He's holed up in a prison. I told him t'come back tomorrow. Buy us some time."
"You think he'll come back with more of them?" Rick asked.
Daryl shrugged. "Probably. He said there were only a few of 'em, but he's lyin'. Said the Walkers couldn't get in to the place. Means there's probably a fuckin' army of 'em. And that other guy...he's a con, smackhead by the way he was twitchin'. And he got way too excited on hearin' 'bout our women." He stood up and pushed through them to start packing up their things.
Carol shuddered at the thought. The thought of a group of sick men coming in to their temporary home and forcing themselves...she couldn't even finish the thought, it made her feel ill. She followed Daryl's lead, stuffing her shoes on her feet quickly and finding her coat.
"Right. I want to leave in a half hour. Get everything in the cars." Rick ordered them all and immediately everyone sprung into action. "Hershel, can you get the map out, find where this prison is, we need to be heading in the opposite direction." Hershel put down the blanket he was folding up, nodding to Rick and setting to his task.
She was pulling their still damp clothes from the makeshift line in the kitchen, stuffing them haphazardly into bags, not caring whose was who's when she saw Rick pull Daryl aside, interrupting him from his task of transferring the food from the kitchen to the cars.
"I need to know, are you comin' with us?" Rick's voice was low, but not so quiet she couldn't hear him from across the room. Her hands froze for a split second and his gaze flickered over to her before snapping back to Rick.
She hadn't even considered that he wouldn't. Call her naive or stupid, but she never doubted where his loyalties lay. Why would he have left his brother walk out the door without him if he wanted to leave them? But now she wondered. Did he want to leave them? Did he want to leave her? Was he simply giving them a head start?
"Are you fuckin' kiddin' me, Rick?" Daryl didn't lower his voice like Rick did. "You think I'd be standin' here? My brother wants to shoot you and he fuckin' will. Stop wastin' time with pointless chit chat." He snarled at the other man before storming out with a plastic drum of water.
Rick looked at her from across the room. Carol had made very little contact with the sheriff since they left the Greene farm. She had said things to him, things that she felt justified in thinking at the time, but perhaps they were things she shouldn't have said, at least not in the way in which she said them. His expression was a mixture of defiance, his chin jutting out as if daring her to chastise him for questioning Daryl's loyalty and worry, maybe he worried that he had pushed Daryl from the group and into Merle's waiting arms. It was an expression that was mingled with exhaustion and Carol appreciated truly, for perhaps the first time, the difficulties Rick must be facing.
"He'll get over it." She offered him the olive branch. An apology, perhaps. She couldn't bring herself to apologise directly for her past behaviour towards him, because she wasn't sorry for having her own opinion and actually voicing it, for a change. "If it were you, he would ask the same question."
Rick nodded, a hand rubbing over his worn face. "You don't think it'll send him the other way?" He asked as if she were some sort of authority on all things Daryl Dixon.
She shook her head. "He'd've gone already if that was the case." Daryl was angry because he was giving up on Merle. Not because he could be dead but because Merle wasn't what Daryl needed now. Daryl had changed, but Merle hadn't. It was like he was grieving. Or so she thought, sometimes she thought she could read Daryl like a book and then other times, she doubted that even knew him at all.
Rick nodded once more, taking the bags of clothes from her and leaving her alone in the kitchen. Beth came to help her with the last of the clothes and together they managed to haul the last heavy, wet bag into the boot of Glenn's car.
"We all done, here?" Rick asked them. He, Glenn and Daryl poured over the map on the coffee table, checking over the route Hershel had planned out for them.
"We're done." Carol told him, reaching for her drawstring bag. Beth wandered to the bathroom and she eyed the girl, hoping she'd pick up the pace a little so they could get out there.
She watched the men a moment, discussing meeting points if they got lost, alternate routes if roads were blocked. She finally heard Beth flush the toilet upstairs and now she knew they were ready.
"Guys, we got company!" T-Dog jetted in from the front door, shotgun in hand. "We gotta go now!"
"Fuck!" Daryl spat out as Rick grabbed the map and began shepherding them out the door. He began counting heads and Carol raced up the stairs to grab a bewildered Beth and drag her out the door. Glenn's car was too far away for the young girl to run, so she pulled her towards Daryl's truck, shouting to Maggie that she had her sister safely.
As she pushed Beth in the cab through the driver's side, she could see the headlamps of several cars in the distance. Her heart raced and she started the ignition of the truck as Daryl came hurtling through the door, pushing the shot gun into her hands so he could get the vehicle moving.
Carol watched the lights in the distance approach them through the rear view mirror, the blood pounding in her ears. Daryl was cursing under his breath as he forced the truck to speeds it wasn't used to and Beth had started sobbing on the other side of her, gasping and sniffling. She clutched the young girl's hand, trying to soothe her but the reality was that she was terrified herself. They were being chased in the dark, in an area they didn't know and there was nowhere to hide.
And as if from nowhere, headlights appeared in front of them, hurtling in their direction. They were being ambushed from all sides. Rick and Glenn were in front of them and Rick was the first to swerve off the road, bouncing down a dirt track at an alarming pace. Glenn followed and Daryl made to do the same, but as he swung the wheel around, there was an almighty bang and it took Carol a second to realise that the car heading in their direction had clipped them, sending the truck into a spin.
There was no time to panic, Beth's screaming rang in her ears as they slammed into wooden fencing from the rear, forcing the truck to stop with a thud. As it came to a stop, her head hit the dashboard and all she could see was white as she passed out.
She came to less than ten seconds later, Daryl shaking her, tapping a hand across her cheek, yelling her name over and over.
"I'm alright." She managed to mutter, pushing his hand away. She turned to look at Beth, who's screaming had dulled to ragged sobbing. She put her hand to her forehead and her hand shook when she saw blood on her fingers. Daryl was panicking beside her, pulling out his hand gun and checking the clip.
"Take it." He thrust it at her, wrapping her unwilling hand around it. "Safety's here." Carol felt the truck cab spinning as she tried to take in his words. "Carol! Focus." Her gaze snapped to him, nausea hitting her like a ton of bricks. "Take the gun, lock the door an' if another car pulls up, you get the fuck out of here."
She blinked, realising that he was intending to leave them. Beth came to the same conclusion at the same time and her crying increased in pitch.
"You can't leave us!" She sobbed at him, leaning over Carol to clutch his arm. He shook her off deftly, focusing back on Carol. She looked up out the windscreen and she saw two men get out of the car that hit them, one was wielding a gun, the other a baseball bat.
"I gotta get rid of 'em. More will come if I don't." He told her, picking up the shot gun on the floor of the truck. "Lock the door." He commanded her. "Shoot anythin' that ain't a member of our group. Anythin'."
Carol nodded, not trusting herself to speak without sobbing. She had yet to shed a tear, in too much shock to do anything but cling to the gun he had passed to her. As he opened the door, she grasped his arm, eyes wide, trembled breathing. "Be careful." She murmured and he nodded, slamming the door behind him. She immediately pushed the lock down and Beth mirrored her action.
She took a deep breath, trying to collect herself, will herself not to pass out, like she felt she could quite easily do. She watched him as he walked past the front of the cab, gun raised. "Get down." She ordered Beth. One of the men was the man Andrew, the one Daryl had said was interested in women. He clutched the baseball bat, edgy as he made his way to Daryl.
Beth scrambled to the floor, knees pressed to her face. "You have to stop crying, Beth." Carol ordered. Andrew looked to her, eyes gleaming in the moonlight and he broke into a grin that chilled her to her bones. She appreciated having the gun now, because she would rather turn it on them both than leave alive with these men.
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Daryl didn't have a plan when he got out of the truck. All he knew was that they were never going to get away from the other car without them following. The cars that were behind them had gone in the other direction, chasing after the other two vehicles in their convoy. If he managed to get rid of these two, they'd be free.
"You better back off, I'm pretty sure my brother is gonna have somethin' to say 'bout ya wavin' that gun in my face." It was a long shot, but he saw the way Andrew deferred to Merle, he figured his brother commanded some sort of respect among the group. He always did, wherever he went.
"I'm pretty damn sure your brother told me that you'd be waitin' back at the house for us. Seems you had other plans." It was the other man that spoke, a skinny white guy with glasses, definitely didn't seem like the kind of guy who landed in jail. But he was the one wielding the most dangerous weapon, so Daryl kept his gun on him.
"Yeah, somethin' came up."
"That your girl an' her kid in the truck?" The man asked, gun waving towards the vehicle.
"Don't ya worry 'bout who's in my truck. I'm the one holdin' the gun."
"We got orders to bring you and them two back alive." The man told him, gesturing for Andrew to go to the truck. Andrew made his way over, smirk on his lips.
"You go anywhere near them and I'll rip out ya fuckin' throat 'fore I shoot ya." Daryl snarled as the man made to pass him. Andrew stopped, glancing back at the other man, after all, Daryl had a gun and he only had a bat.
"You ain't gon' do that, baby brother." Merle stepped out from behind the car, where he had come from Daryl didn't know. He had a gun tucked in his waistband, but he didn't draw it.
"What the fuck is this, Merle?" Daryl spat out.
"I could ask ya the same. Runnin' out on me? That's pretty low." Merle chuckled.
"You mean like ya did me? Times a-changin', I'm changin' with it. I ain't gonna argue with ya."
"Oh ho ho, that right? Renounced your past, confessed ya sins an' become best buddies with the Sheriff, that 'bout right? Got yaself a little family now too." Merle's chuckle turned sour, his face grimacing. "They ain't ya blood Daryl, I am. They don't know ya like I do, 'cos if they did, they'd be runnin' from ya. They'd figure it out sooner or later."
"Shut up." Daryl snarled, walking closer to his brother. "You want me me dead, that it?"
"Hell no! I only want the two fuckers responsible for my hand dead. I want ya to come with us. And ya little family, hell, you'd be a hero if ya showed up with them. Alotta them guys ain't left that place in years." Merle opened his arm wide, as if welcoming him. Daryl resisted spitting at his brother. He knew exactly why those men wanted Carol and Beth and over his dead body that would happen.
It was then he realised that Andrew wasn't where he should be. The gun shot that rang out after that sudden realisation deafened him and his heart stopped.
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Carol watched the scene from the truck with horror. Beth whimpered beneath her and she tried to soothe her with a hand stroking her hair. When Merle appeared from behind the car she could've died on the spot. Three against one was not good odds.
Then Andrew caught her gaze. He licked his lips and smiled at her, making his way to the truck. Daryl had warned him off before but with the arrival of Merle, he was distracted. She tried not to panic as he approached the passenger side. The doors were locked and she had a gun. She pulled Beth over to her, the young girl tucking herself behind Carol. It was too late when she realised that the passenger window wasn't rolled up all the way.
Andrew spotted it instantly, pushing his fingers through the small gap and forcing the window down. He was a large man and it didn't take much to get it down halfway. He leant through to pull the lock up and in a second, the door was open.
"Hello ladies." He muttered.
Beth had gone incredibly quiet, scrabbling and clinging to Carol's waist. Carol fumbled for the gun she was sure was on the seat under her but she couldn't find it. "Leave us, please." She begged.
"Nuh huh." Was all he said as he reached in, grabbing her foot. He dragged her along the seat, out enough to grasp her by the shirt front and she kicked and fought against him, digging her nails into his hands to get him to release her.
"You bitch." He spat at her, but he didn't let go, pulling at her shirt so that buttons popped off, exposing her chest to him. He laughed at her, one hand grabbing her breast, pinching the skin through her bra so hard she thought he would make her bleed and without thought, she spat in his face, clawing her way free with a ferocity she'd never felt before. He grabbed her by the neck, pressing his mouth to hers, dry lips that forced her mouth open, biting at her own lips to push his tongue in. She tasted her blood and she pinched and pulled at whatever skin of his she could reach, finally biting his tongue to free her mouth. She twisted away and he swore at her, using his knee to try and brace her legs down, his hand went to her throat, choking her.
Finally, she saw the gun, it had slipped under the gas pedal. She looked up at Beth, who seemed frozen in horror, flattened up against the door. She didn't want to draw attention to the gun, he seemed unaware they had it and as she twisted to reach for it, he grabbed her back, hands pulling at the waistband of her jeans and she was absolutely convinced that he intended to rape her there and then.
The thought spurred her on and with a final kick that landed on his solar plexus she managed to grasp the gun as he got a grip on her and pulled her back. She twisted around, bringing the gun up to his face. There was a brief expression on his face, one of horror, but she didn't let it linger. She pulled the trigger without hesitation.
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Daryl turned to the sound of the gunshot behind him, as did Merle and the other one, looking to see what happened. Andrew was slumped, half in the passenger side and he saw two sneakered feet kicking his limp body out. He turned back to his brother and without thinking about his next move, he shot the man whose name he didn't know in the chest. He tumbled to the ground, gun clattering beside him.
Daryl lifted the gun to Merle's head. Merle raised his hands in the air, surrendering.
"Hold up now, baby brother. Don't be doin' somethin' stupid." He let out a thin chuckle, but Daryl could see right through it. Merle was scared.
"Daryl." Carol's voice was trembling, but he didn't turn to look at her, eyes trained on his brother. Merle's only weapon in reach was the gun at his hip and he didn't want to give him an opportunity to reach for it.
"You two alright?" He called out to her, watching Merle's fingers twitch in the air.
He heard her feet on the gravel, approaching him. She finally breathed out a noise that sounded like a yes. And he let out a sigh of relief.
"Get the shotgun." He gestured to the fallen body of the man before them. She was just a few footsteps behind him and she did as he asked, her green coat swishing in the wind, spotted with the rain that still fell.
She turned around to walk back to him and he took a step back in shock when he saw her from the front. The wound on her head trailed blood down the side of her head and she had a mark on her lip, blood dripping from her mouth. Her hands were covered in bloodly smears, where he was sure there would be cuts underneath. Her shirt gaped open, exposing her bra and he could see bruises forming on her stomach already as he took in the sight of her.
"Fuck." He spat out, training his gaze back on Merle.
She moved faster to get behind him, recognising his fury.
"Throw your fuckin' gun over here or I blow your brains out."
Merle glanced at him and at Carol, returning his gaze to his younger brother.
"Now, I'm sorry 'bout him. He needs to learn some manners. Guess he learnt the hard way." He gestured to the handgun Carol held loosely in one hand.
"Get in the truck, get the ignition running." He murmured to her and she nodded, turning away. He didn't say anything to his brother until he heard the engine rev on the truck, he heard her scrape it into first gear and the creak of the fence as she pulled it free. Three seconds later, he heard her wrench the handbrake up, waiting for him.
"If you give me the gun, I'll leave ya the car." He told him, trying his damnedest to keep his voice steady.
"Now, come on Daryl. You're gonna leave ya big brother, in the middle of nowhere, unprotected?" There was no laughter in his voice anymore, all the jokes had gone.
"Yeah an' you can count yaself fuckin' lucky. Ya get to keep ya life 'cos ya my brother. Ain't no other reason. But when I drive out here, you ain't kin no more. I ain't never gon' see you again."
"Oh and they are ya family?" Merle pointed at the truck.
"Damn fuckin' straight." He spat out. "Gun."
"No. You ain't even got the balls to do it." Merle back up a little, returning to the car. His hand went for his gun and Daryl knew that it was a case of kill or be killed. He remembered his thoughts from earlier that night. Merle never let a slight go unpunished. And Daryl had chosen the group. He had chosen her.
He shot Merle in the leg before he bottled out and with a cry, his big brother fell to the ground. He ran over to him, pulling the gun from his hand as Merle cried out, cursing and screaming in agony.
"Fuck you." Daryl uttered, turning away and jogging back to the car. He didn't look back as he got into the driver's side. Carol sat in the middle, Beth tucked tight into her side, the guns resting in her lap. She looked at him with an expression he couldn't fathom, eyes wide and watery.
"You ok?" He asked over Beth's sobs, although he found himself irritated with the girl immediately. She didn't have a scratch on her whilst Carol sat there covered in blood as she comforted her.
Carol nodded pulling her left arm free, she flung it round his neck, dragging him to her. He clutched her back, his hand finding her neck, he pressed his face into the crook between her shoulder and neck, lips brushing the skin there.
Eventually, he pulled away, throwing the car into gear and pealing down the dirt track without a second glance to the groaning man behind them. He took her hand, clutching it tight as they made their way on, to find the rest of their group.