Okay, you guys. This one is the one that it was all building up too! I tried to make it exciting for you and I hope that it worked. I'm so so glad that ff fixed its issue with the emails. I was worried that you were all going to miss the last chapter I posted. Just in case some of you still didn't get a notification for it make sure you go read chapter 90 before you read this one because it's a pretty important one. This chapter wont make much sense if you don't read that one. A big thank you to everyone that reviewed! We have three more to go after this one. The last will be an epilogue and I am finishing that up tonight. I'm nervous about it but I really hope you like it. It will be a LONG epilogue from the way it is going so far. I'm sorry that a lot of you are sad to see it end. I'm kind of sad myself. But there is still a few chapters to enjoy before we call this one complete. You all are awesome! I'll never stop telling you that! Much love to you and I hope you all have a great Monday... if that's even possible! =)
Chapter Ninety One
Duane let out a broken sound when he looked through the slits of the vent cover. He scrambled backwards and then turned and rolled onto his back.
"What's happening?" Carl croaked.
"He's killing her." Duane nearly yelled as he gave the cover a kick. It was an old building with old features. This wasn't just an aluminum square that you could go buy now days. This thing was heavy duty. He grunted as he kicked it again, not caring if that crazy son of a bitch heard him or not. "Fuck!" He snarled between his teeth. He pulled his knees up all the way to his chest and then kicked as hard as he could with both feet.
With a metalic ripping sound it finally popped off and clattered across the floor. He didn't hesitate. He had his gun out before he could even squirm out of the vent. Carl was right behind him.
"Let her go!" Carl yelled.
The man yanked Sophia's head out of the tank and both boys gasped when they saw her. She was limp, the only thing that held her up was his hand that was tangled up in her hair. She was so pale that Duane was sure she was dead. She was dead. They were too late.
He had his gun ready and aimed right at Philip's head but all he saw was Sophia's lifeless body and he hesitated. The one rule Merle had drilled into him over and over and he was breaking that rule. And that slight hesitation was enough for the man to react to these new developments. He threw her. He heaved her right at them like she was nothing but a worthless object. And then he heard Carl's gun hit the floor.
Carl grabbed at her body before it could hit the floor but her legs hit Duane, knocking the gun out of his hands before he could shoot the man. The weight of her lifeless form knocked Carl into the wall. Before Duane could grab for the gun Philip had his drawn already.
Duane just now noticed the mans face. The glass sticking out of his eye socket. He glanced down at Carl who was laying Sophia on her back on the floor.
"Jesus." Duane breathed and then looked away from her battered face. Her eyes were half open but there was nothing there. She was gone. They had failed.
"Jesus isn't going to help you today, son." Philip sneered.
~H~
Daryl and Merle followed Morgan into the building's back door. Morgan knew his way around the place but right now he wasn't going to be one of the men that was welcome inside. It was clear to Philip and the others which group Morgan was more loyal too. They went in quiet and low. They kept their ears strained for the sounds of footsteps or other men approaching.
They had decided that they didn't have a choice but to come here. If Martinez was sure that Philip wasn't going to hurt her then he would have never came to them to tell them where she was. But he had came. It had sealed their fate right then. Daryl didn't think twice about risking his own life to save Sophia's and Merle hadn't either.
Carol had nodded stiffly. There wasn't a choice anymore. The boys weren't even sure what building she was in and they could have been anywhere on their search for her. They didn't have the luxury to wait for them to find her. It had to be done now. Carol knew that. When him and Merle had decided to go in after her she hadn't argued.
Maggie hadn't argued either but her face had fallen under the weight of her fear and she clung to his brother like her life actually depended on his presence. It was a painful thing to watch but what Daryl's eyes found next was the unhidden grief in his own woman's eyes. She held her head high, knowing there was nothing that crying would accomplish.
"Bring our girl back, okay?" She had whispered. A few tears fell from her eyes then but she flicked them away bravely and then gave him a half smile. She hugged him hard when he pulled her to him.
Now they were here. Hoping against hope that they could get to her before he hurt her. Hoping also that they weren't gunned down. They hadn't discussed what they were suppose to do if they did get spotted. Daryl figured they'd just figure it out when it happened. He had his bow ready.
Morgan stopped when he reached an intersection. He put a finger to his lips and gestured towards his left. There was someone coming from that direction. Daryl could hear it now. It sounded like it was only one set of footsteps. He readied the bow. As soon as the person came into view he pulled the trigger, not caring who he killed. It was the big guy they had fought that first night. He dropped like a stone. No one cried out so he had been alone. Morgan picked up the rifle the man had been carrying but Merle took it from him. Morgan didn't even try to argue with him.
Merle motioned for Daryl to take point while Morgan gave quiet directions from the back. He was pretty certain he knew where Philip had taken the girl. Daryl froze in the hallway when he heard gunshots. They weren't coming from inside. They were coming from the street. He was instantly conflicted. Carol was out there, but Sophia was in here. He glanced up at Merle.
"What the fuck is goin' on?" Daryl hissed.
Merle looked just as torn as he felt. "I think that's our women, brother. Their creatin' a diversion." he rasped. "We gotta keep goin'."
Daryl cursed under his breath. It was a smart move. With chaos going on outside the men in here would soon be out there to see what was going on. He should have thought of that himself. It was a smart move, sure, but once this was over he was going to kick that woman's ass all over Woodbury. Rick or T-dog would have gladly done this themselves.
They were almost running now, sure that if any men stayed behind to guard the door where Morgan thought Philip was holding Sophia, they would be easily dispatched. But that wasn't anything that they had to worry about. The hallway was deserted, gunfire outside was still going strong, and Daryl was pretty sure that all of this was going to give him a heart attack. It was bad enough worrying about Sophia, but the thought of both of them in danger wasn't something that he could deal with very well, and then he knew how Carol must have felt when he came here to begin with. To her, the loss of both of them was very real. He was getting a dose of his own medicine.
The door was locked, like they knew it would be. Daryl nodded to Merle and stepped to the side and raised the bow as Merle stood back, balancing the rifle just right and then shooting out the lock. Daryl kicked the door open just then taking everything in in just a half second.
Carl was on the floor, hovering over a body, his mind dismissed it as Sophia's, while Duane had his back to the wall, eyes wide. Philip stood in front of him, most likely aiming a gun but Daryl couldn't tell. That was just an assumption. Nothing else would have made that boy look so scared.
Daryl pulled the trigger but his unsteady hands were off so instead of hitting the man in the head the bolt hit him in the shoulder. As soon as it did the gun went off. For a split second he thought he had just caused Duane to get shot but the bullet hit the wall right next to his ear. As soon as the boy realized what was going on he launched himself at the stunned man, who kept a firm grip on his gun. Duane didn't hesitate though, he headbutted Philip right in the face and then knocked the gun out of his hand.
Merle ran forward then. "Oh fuck! DARYL!" He roared as he saw what Carl was doing.
Daryl ran into the room then, finally realizing who the body on the floor belonged too. Merle's shoulders were hunched and he turned his head slowly when Daryl reached his side. The man's eyes were glazed, face flaming, breath coming out in loud bursts that escaped his mouth in gutteral pants. Daryl felt the floor under his knees as Merle turned and then nearly threw Duane off the man.
"WHY?" Merle screamed into Philips face. Daryl watched as Merle released the knife from his arm and plunged it into Philips side.
Philip gasped and then Merle pulled the knife back out. "That hurt? You son of a bitch, I'm gonna make this slow." He growled between each loud breath that escaped his throat.
Daryl forced his gaze back to the girl on the floor. Her face was battered pretty bad and her lips were blue, her eyes were open just a crack. Just enough for him to see that there was no life there. None. He was too late.
Carl pinched her nose shut, tilted her head back and pressed his lips to hers. For a second he wasn't sure what the boy was trying to do but then he saw the rise and fall of her chest as he tried to breath life back into her. How long had she been like this? The boy quickly moved and started using his hands to restart the still heart.
Carl was counting out loud, his face a determined mask despite the tears that were overwhelming him. "Breath. Please breath." He choked and the sound of despair in the boys voice cut through the fog in Daryl's brain. What had been numb was now a twisting dark sea of emotions. Carl breathed for her again and now he could hear the sick liquid sound her lungs made every time Carl's breath filled them. "Breath." Carl choked. "You never listen! Just breath. Please breath." He was losing it. Daryl registered that as he turned his head and threw up on the floor.
There was another wet sound behind him as Merle worked on Philip. Daryl didn't have the energy to even turn around. He needed to do something. He needed to help Carl or he needed to be enraged like his brother. But all he felt was pain. Waves of it, the loss was too much, crushing him, suffocating him. He had known loss in his life but nothing like this. Nothing that made him feel like his insides were being shredded. He had never fully grasped the meaning of the word heartbreak until now. His chest felt heavy and ached like nothing he had ever felt before. He watched her face for a few seconds and then pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to block out the image.
"Please, please, please," Carl chanted. Daryl wasn't looking but he could hear the wet sound as another breath filled her lungs. "Not you. You can't go. Please don't go."
God, the pain in that boys voice was cutting Daryl's insides up even more.
"Breath!" The boy shrieked as he worked on her chest once more. "Goddamn it! For once just listen to me and fucking breath!" He sobbed as he pressed on.
"Does it hurt? Tell me it hurts, mother fucker!" Merle grunted as he continued on with his mutilation of the man that had taken Sophia from them all.
Duane was on his knees next to Daryl. He hadn't even realized he was there until he heard him sobbing. His face was in his hands.
"Breath." Carl urged
"Tell me it hurts!" Merle growled once more.
"She's gone, isn't she? We were too late. We didn't get here in time and now she's dead." Duane sobbed.
Every distinct voice, every small sound in the room was swirling through Daryl's mind like they were all screaming into his ears. And then suddenly there was silence. Everything stopped. Everyone held their breaths because there was one small sound that cut through all the emotions that they were all unleashing at once. A cough.
Daryl's head shot up just in time to see a frantic Carl roll Sophia over onto her side. He was slamming the heel of his hand into her back, forcing rivers of liquid from her lungs. Merle left Philip and crawled over to where Daryl was watching. Duane shot up and hurried to Carl's side.
He couldn't believe the water that was pouring out of the girl. Her eyes were wide now as she spewed more and more from her lungs. Her back was to Carl and the boy continued to pound the water out of her. They could all hear Philip groaning and gasping behind them. Merle hadn't finished him off yet. He had wanted the man to suffer.
She finally grew still once more. Carl, who looked shaken and exhausted as he sat on his knees behind her started smoothing her wet hair out of her face. She slowly reached her hand up and caught his, she stared straight ahead still, not even blinking. Daryl was so stunned he didn't know where his voice was and he couldn't move from the spot he was rooted too.
How long had she been...? He couldn't even think the word. Was she going to be okay? Was there going to be something wrong with her brain? Jesus. "Sophia?" He finally choked.
She slowly started to sit up then. Merle let his arms drop to his sides, one making a banging sound as it hit the tile.
Carl helped her sit up as she took in all the faces in the room. Merle was the closest to her other than Carl, who now had one arm around her waist. She frowned when she searched Merle's face and then one trembling hand came up and rested on his cheek. Merle dropped his head then, his wide shoulders dropping like he'd just had a weight lifted off him that had been a crushing burden. She blinked and then let her hand drop.
She started coughing again, grimacing in pain and leaning her back into Carl who dropped his head onto her shoulder. Daryl finally gained enough composure to shuffled a little closer to her and when she was finished with her coughing fit she opened her eyes and they locked onto his. They were bloodshot and heavy lidded but the corners of her mouth twitched up slightly.
She quickly made her way to him, with Carl's help and when her skinny arms were finally wrapped around his neck, he let himself relax. He let go of all of it. He knew now why Merle had dropped his head the way he had. He did the same thing. The weight that lifted from him was huge. He made it a point to pay close attention to the rise and fall of her chest against his. She was breathing. She was alive. She was okay.
He looked past her towards Carl. The boy was watching her intently and then Philip made another wretching sound and Daryl saw the boys eyes come alive. Fury was etched on every feature of his face. He looked the same way Merle had when he had found Sophia on the floor. His head snapped up and he scowled. Suddenly there was a knife in his hand and he was on his feet in seconds, rushing towards the man on the floor.
He straddled him and all Daryl could see was Carl lift the knife over his head in a two handed grip and then, in a powerful downward motion, he plunged the knife into Philips face. He did it again and again, lost somewhere inside himself, until Duane pulled him away. He was breathing heavily but he let Duane pull him further away from the body.
"Is my mom freaking out?" Sophia asked into his neck. Her voice was so rough that he knew it was painful for her to even speak. He stiffened. He had forgotten. Seeing her lying there like that had rendered his mind useless. But he remembered now. He stiffened and she slowly lifted her head from his shoulder.
"Go." She breathed, like she knew her mom was in trouble.
The color was returning to her face. She was looking more herself even though her chin was trembling, her teeth where chattering.
"Carl!" Daryl nearly yelled. "Give her your coat. Stay with her until we come back for you. You understand me?"
Carl was up and taking the jacket off faster than Daryl thought he would. His eyes were on Sophia once more. This was something that the boy wouldn't get over quickly. Technically Sophia died. They had all seen her body. That would leave deep scars in all of them. She let the boy help her up and then walk her to the far corner. Her whole body was shaking from shock and probably from just being cold. He sat down on the floor, pulling her down with him and then he wrapped the jacket around her shoulders as she burrowed into him with chattering teeth.
Carl put his hands up. "I'm just gonna try to keep her warm." He said as Daryl watched.
Daryl nodded and stood up. "Boy, she wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you. You brought her back from the dead. Keep her safe, you got it?"
Carl wrapped his arms around her then.
Sophia frowned. She didn't say anything as she laid the side of her head on the boys chest. Her eyes closed but Daryl wasn't worried.
Morgan agreed to stay with the kids so Merle gave him the rifle back. If anyone came then he was to shoot them and if he couldn't find it in himself to do the job then Duane would.
~H~
Carol and Andrea ducked into the doorway of one of the buildings, both breathing heavily.
"I'm out." Carol cursed as she gazed down at the gun in her hand. "What the hell do we do now?"
Andrea looked past her, towards the street and then shook her head. "I'm starting to think this might have been a bad idea."
"Well, it wasn't my idea." Carol said as she peered out at the street.
Just after Merle and Daryl had left out someone else showed up. A dark skinned woman with a sword and dreadlocks. Just like the kids had described. They had all been about to go to Randal's room so they could talk without Philips men hearing them. She had showed up out of nowhere, silent and intense and barely glancing at any of them. She had went straight to Randal's room without saying a word. She was brave, Carol gave her that. The others were there by then. Rick, T-dog, Glen, everyone. They all followed the new woman into the room. They were going to ask Randal if he could identify the men who had caught him but then when he saw the woman all his attention was on her.
"You made it. I knew them dumb shits wouldn't catch you." Randal said with a grin. "Oh, hey, this is Michonne. The one the kids done told you about."
She eyed the rest of them. "Surprised you're all still alive." She noted dryly as she took in their wary faces.
Maggie had grabbed Carol's hand as Rick stepped forward. The woman tensed at his proximity. "Why did they try to kill you?" He asked.
She scowled. "Because I tried to leave. I went snooping around where I didn't belong. Found out that they were doin' a whole lot of killin' outside these walls. I called him out on it and he denied it. He let me leave through the gates but then had his men hunt me down out there. You're kids found me."
"Why did the two of you come back here?" Rick asked.
She shrugged. "The kid here was worried about his people. I told him you were probably all dead by now but he wouldn't listen. I'm ending this, though. I'm ending this tonight."
"The hell you are." Rick growled as he took a step towards her. Before anyone even noticed her moving she had the sward out and had the tip of it pressed against Rick's throat. Rick put his hands up and took a step back.
"This man tried to kill me. He's killed others and he isn't going to stop on his own. Him and his men are dying tonight." She said in a low voice.
Rick was about to say something but T-dog cut him off. "She's right."
Every pair of eyes in the room went to him. He lifted his chin. "We've put up with enough. If I have to listen to Merle Dixon tell me what to do for one more day I'm gonna hang my damn self."
Carol's head shot up then. One of the things that Morgan had been so worried about was how many men would be guarding the room where Philip was keeping Sophia. If they started shooting up the town then the men guarding Sophia wouldn't have a choice but to leave their post and then Daryl and Merle could get to her without getting themselves killed.
"If we go out there and just start shooting they wont know what the hell is going on at first. We'll be able to take out a whole lot before they even get their bearings." She glanced around at everyone gaping at her. "We can do this!" She hissed.
Maggie took one look at her and knew exactly what she was doing. She nodded. "We can."
Carol didn't give anyone a chance to argue. She left the room, Maggie and Andrea on her heels.
"Carol?" Andrea said as she put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure about this?"
Carol just nodded and handed Maggie a gun. Andrea took one herself.
"Beth and Amy need to stay here. I wont risk my sister and I don't think Maggie will either. The men can come with us." Andrea said, her gaze was hard, like now she was determined to make this work.
The rest of them followed suit. The men silently getting their own guns ready, faces grim. Daryl and Merle were going to kill them when this was over. Unless they got killed before they had a chance but Carol shook that thought from her mind. That wasn't going to happen.
They had spilled out of the building and all headed in different directions. Some crouching in doorways, other behind the few cars that were parked out on the street. They just had to hope that the civilians kept their asses in their houses. If not then they would get caught in the crossfire and there would be nothing Carol or the others could do about it.
It had worked. She was almost in the throws of a panic attack but she aimed and then she fired the first shot. One of the men dropped from the wall. The other men were too stunned to do anything and her group was quick to take her lead.
Maggie and Andrea were still close when the men on the wall finally realized what was happening. They returned fire. Most of their guns were a lot more powerful than anything that Carol or her people had. But they had dropped several of the men on the wall. Her group hadn't expected more men to come running from the other end of the town. They had suddenly found themselves trapped between Philips men.
Her and Andrea had somehow lost Maggie in the chaos but they had managed to stay together. They had no idea where the rest of their group was but there were still shots being fired. She hoped they hadn't lost anyone but now her and Andrea were pretty much trapped in the doorway of a building, unarmed, with men coming towards them from both sides.
Andrea spun around and checked the door. It was locked, of course. Carol almost screamed when two men dashed into their hiding space. Her blood ran cold when she realized who it was. Martinez eyed her, the man behind him had always been kind, however, she didn't know how kind he would be after all of this. He was the redheaded man with the Irish accent.
Martinez grabbed her arm roughly and shoved her back into the door next to Andrea. "You and your people are a bunch of fucking idiots." He glared at her as he let go of her arm.
She was about to try to fight him, even though that was a really stupid idea, but she wouldn't die cowering. She would go out fighting. She was about to try to knee him again, since that seemed to have work out for her the last time, when she heard another man's voice.
"You caught us a couple of pretty ones Martinez." The man sneered.
Carol hadn't seen him around much, or the two other guys that he was standing with. Martinez gave her a hard look before he turned to face the three men.
"That's right." He sneered.
Carol and Andrea both yelled when suddenly the small space was filled with gunfire. Martinez and the Irishman both opened fire on the three men standing there. They never seen it coming. Neither had Carol or Andrea.
"What the hell was that?" Andrea asked as she grabbed Carol's arm.
Martinez turned his head and flashed a sideways smile. "You think all these men are going against you?" He shook his head and let his gaze travel to Carol. "That crazy redneck brother in law of yours has himself quite a following around these parts. Half those men out there have turned on their own. They're fighting with your group. Not against them."
Carol's jaw dropped. "What?" She breathed.
He nodded. "You heard me."
"But you hate the Dixon's." She said as she covered Andrea's hand with her own.
He rolled his eyes. "God, I really fucking do."
"But you just saved us. And you told us where Sophia was." Carol argued.
He rolled his eyes. "I'm a realist, honey. Those men didn't stand a chance. I had to pick a side. I decided to pick the side that was gonna win."
Carol just stared at him.
He gestured towards the street with his head. "Let's go assess the damage, ladies. But stay behind us. We don't know who's left out there."
Carol and Andrea shared a look and then they both nodded.
They stayed behind the two men and walked down the middle of the street cautiously. The men were leading them to the building where their rooms were. Carol just happened to glance over just as Daryl and Merle stormed out of the Town Hall building. They both looked murderous and Carols stomach twisted when Merle spotted them walking with the two men. Daryl instantly lifted the crossbow and then Carol found herself moving in front of Martinez, blocking any shot that Daryl could make.
He dropped the crossbow and then started storming towards them, his face was a mask of rage and she knew she was really going to get an ear full. Just as him and Merle reached the street more gunfire erupted. Martinez grabbed her by the back of the shirt and dragged her towards their building just as Merle and Daryl dropped to a crouch and scurried back towards the shadows between two buildings on the other side of the street.
Where you goin' Dixon?" A man yelled from down the street.
Carol yanked herself away from Martinez when she saw the man. He was one of the guys that Daryl and Merle had fought. Apparently Daryl had punched him in the groin on their first night. But he wasn't the only one standing there. He was holding onto someone. Carol cursed as Merle emerged from the shadows and stood in the middle of the street. The man had Maggie.
Martinez had a hold of Carol again, keeping her from rushing into the street with Merle. Maggie looked like she was okay until she saw Merle. As soon as she saw that Merle was standing there, right in the line of fire, she started to fight.
"You got me, asshole. Let her go." Merle yelled as he raised his arms to show the man he wasn't armed.
Daryl stepped out then. He wasn't going to let his brother be killed right there in front of him.
Maggie was kicking and screaming, the man was holding onto her by the hair with one hand and had a gun pressed to her head with his other.
As soon as Carol saw Daryl step out into the street she tried once more to break the hold Martinez had on her. He grunted when she kicked him in the shin but he held on, then she felt another hand on her. Andrea pulled her back and wrapped her arms around her from behind.
"You think I'm stupid? As soon as I let go of your little whore here, I'm dead. I want you to come with me." The big man laughed. "Both of ya!"
Merle took a step forward and then stopped. Something changed in his face. Even from her vintage point, where only the side of his face was visible she could see it. And then Daryl's face changed also. She followed their gazes towards Maggie and the man.
"Holy mother of God." Martinez breathed.
The man that had Maggie didn't realize what was about to happen. He never saw it coming. Never heard a thing. One minute he was standing there holding onto Maggie and grinning wickedly at Merle and the next minute his head hit the grown.
Michonne was standing behind him. She put the sword away and then she walked off. Maggie took off running towards Merle as soon as the man dropped his grip from her hair, she didn't even know what had happened. She was probably expecting to get shot in the back.
She flung herself into Merle's arms and he instantly hugged her tightly before dragging her towards Carol and the others. Daryl was already marching their way, face enraged once more.
She put herself, once again, in front of Martinez. "Daryl wait." She said as she put a hand to his chest. She felt his heart hammering against her palm. "Please. He saved me. He saved Andrea and I. He shot his own men before they could kill us."
Daryl was still scowling but he did stop his advance on the other man. He finally noticed the man that Merle always called Red was standing there too. "So what, you two go all good guy on us to save your own asses?"
"Pretty much." Martinez said with a shrug.
"And who the fuck was that? Who the fuck just chops off a guys head and then walks away like nothin' ever happened?" Daryl asked as he gestured down the street.
"Daryl!" Carol snapped.
He looked at her then and she noticed how red his eyes were, her head turned towards Merle and he was looking at her with a strange look on his face, his eyes too were red rimmed and slightly swollen.
"Sophia?" She breathed and then took an involuntary step away from them. Away from them and the news that she was sure they were about to deliver. Unfortunately she backed herself right into Martinez, who actually put a comforting hand on her back.
"She's fine now." Daryl grumbled. His teeth were clenched and he was glaring at the other man again.
"Little brother, we wouldn't have found'em in time if it wasn't for Martinez. Best not be forgettin' that." Merle said after he got a good look at Daryl's face.
Carol let out a breath she hadn't realized that she had been holding. "She's okay?"
He shared a loaded look with Merle and then nodded. "She's fine."
"And Philip?" She asked.
"Dead." Merle said in a flat voice.
Carol couldn't stand it anymore. She knew something else was going on but she didn't know what it could be. She was about to ask him if he would just take her to the girl but just as she opened her mouth to speak she saw that the rest of their group was coming towards them.
Okay, be honest. How many of you thought that I was going to kill off the lovely Sophia for good? Show of hands? Remember, I am rough around the edges but on the inside I am all about happy rainbows and glitter and ponies and junk ;) I learned CPR when I was in the sixth grade so if anyone is wandering why Carl is the one that saved her, that is why. And I thought that him saving her would be better than if the Dixon's did, just because. i don't know why. I could see Merle going ape shit and Daryl freezing. So go Carl! Hope you liked this! Let me know what you think!