Chapter Seventeen
I realised pretty quickly that despite our differences and mismatching characters, the three of us worked well as a team.
Michonne had lightened up since the escape, which was nice to see, and over passing days had grown increasingly used to Merle's obnoxious attitude. This was also something I was relieved at. At the beginning fights were frequent between the pair of them; Merle loving to rile Michonne up and Michonne was just as easily riled up by Merle's comments. Though once Michonne became immune to his racial slurs, Merle appeared to get bored of harassing the woman and instead of calling her 'nigga' every opportunity he got, stuck to the adopted nickname of 'Micky'. Perhaps all the time we spent together softened the man or perhaps we was indeed just bored, I wasn't too sure of. It was after a few weeks I realised that Merle hadn't been racist in a long time and the thought made me smile.
Thankfully, I got on with the pair of them just fine, sparing any more tension in our oddly bunched group. Michonne and my companionship had grown over the time in camp together and had merely continued on since the escape. It felt easier too to be around the woman, especially now we were confined in that camp and constantly watching our backs. Merle appeared softer towards me than he was to Michonne and had always been, everyone knew that. I couldn't be sure if it was just Merle's racist mind-set or perhaps it was due to meeting me first that was the reason. Though regardless, we did have our fair share of fights. They were usually about nothing and were down to both our stubbornness and temper. Most were forgotten as quickly as they came.
On the run, we found ourselves holding up in different houses. Some we lasted in for a few days, though some barely a night. Our journey together was not without the dead hounding on us, though I realised quickly that each of us were more than capable of looking after themselves (even Merle the Handless) and we were even better working together. We were constantly cautious for the dead, but we worked well to get rid of them when they passed.
Despite this, we were forever terrified that the others would catch up on us. The fear we were all feeling was something no one wanted to admit. There was no doubt that they'd look for us and from what Michonne told us, it seemed that the boss would probably be looking for revenge if they caught us. We definitely wouldn't come off lightly either.
"Let them find us." Merle would mutter in reply to this. "I'll kill every last one of 'em!"
Merle's defiance aside, we did not go looking for revenge ourselves. We merely strove to survive and adapt to the harsh conditions we were in now. Though we never did forget about the shadow that was hounding us each step of the way. We could never shake off the possibility of an attack from Philip and others.
We found a small town once, whose sign had been destroyed so we were more lost to our current location. It had the dead staggering down the street and each house looked as deserted as the rest. A ghost town like every other. We ended up holding out in one of the abandoned house, hoping to stay there a few days.
Routine precautions were made before we settled; all of the dead were swiftly (quietly) taken out and removed from the premise, doors and windows were locked - once we had brought in all our supplies etc, bottom floor windows were boarded up, top floor were covered as to hide the light, the doors in and out were all blocked up too. Once the house was secure, we dumped our things in one room before scowering the house for supplies.
"We hit the jackpot here, girls." Merle stated, raiding through the kitchen cupboards. "Looks like the last family scampered without takin' any food with 'em." He snorted. "Dumb asses."
"Or they didn't have the chance to." I muttered in return. Merle met my gaze briefly before sneering and looking away. I rolled my eyes and ventured away to find Michonne, leaving Merle to continue his noisy rooting. I found Michonne upstairs in what once was the master bedroom, stood by the window looking out.
"What was he raving about?" She asked, not turning around, her voice even. I chuckled a little, folding my arms across my chest.
"There's plenty of food left." I told her. "When we move on we'll have plenty to take with us. It's quite lucky we came across this house, we were running low on food." I made my way over to her and stood beside my companion, following her lead and staring out of the window.
Our truck was parked in front of the house, ready for a speedy getaway if needed. We had found ourselves a top for the bed of the pickup, so whoever was in the back wasn't so exposed. It proved to be quite a useful investment as whenever we didn't find a place to hold-up in for the night, we would find ourselves sleeping in the truck. Three people in the cab wasn't such a comfortable situation, so this alternative was perfect. The dead were quite scarce, though some roamed the streets, their movements slow and staggering. None of them knew of our presence, those that did we had dispatched. Regardless of this thought, there was no feeling of security with them wandering outside while we rested.
"Everything secure?" Michonne muttered after a while. I nodded.
"Toby's by the front door and will alert us if anything comes knocking, don't worry." I replied. Michonne chuckled and nodded, trusting my dog's senses.
"I think we'll be find staying here for a couple of days. There doesn't appear to be too many of those things around, enough that we can handle anyway. If Merle says there's enough food then I think we should stay here for a while, make this last." I don't know when it happened, but Michonne was definitely made our unofficial leader. Despite only being three of us, there needed to be a reasonably figure to look to and Michonne had filled that spot with ease. Surprisingly, Merle didn't object to most of Michonne's orders either, usually complying to what she asked. I nodded in confirmation to her statement, liking the idea of staying in one place for a while. The travelling was sure tiring.
"There's enough bedrooms, I take it? Because I don't fancy sharing with the delight that is Merle." The man in question decided to make his presence known then and appeared at the door of the bedroom, leaning against the doorframe.
"You ladies havin' a group meetin' without me?" He asked, feigning a frown. "What you witches plottin'?" I saw Michonne roll her eyes.
"We're gonna stay here for a while. It's secure and has enough food for us. I think we'll be safe to stay for a few days before moving on." She told him, raising an eyebrow. "Any objections?"
"Sounds good to me." Merle grinned. shrugging. "Though I'm takin' this room." I frowned at the man, having already planned on making the master bedroom mine. Merle knew this and smirked, giving me a wink. "Should have been quicker, darlin'!"
Rick had been gone a while.
Promptly after the discussion was over, he had taken it upon himself - and himself alone - to go talk to Herschel about our current predicament. With barely a few words, the leader had gotten up and disappeared inside the farmhouse. This left the rest of the group to wait for the undecided verdict and his return. Though we weren't without anything to do. As soon as the farmhouse door and closed after Rick, Shane turned wild-eyed towards Glenn and pointed a finger dangerously in the direction of the barn. The saw Glenn shy away slightly at the man's gaze.
"You say there's walkers in the barn?" He asked the timid Korean boy. "You sure?"
"I've seen them." Glenn replied, his tone certain. Shane nodded before turning to the rest of us.
"Now, I don't know about the rest of y'all but I'm gonna go take a look in that barn over there." Without waiting for a reply, Shane had begun his defiant march towards the barn, leaving the rest of us in silence. There were a few moments pause before Daryl, T-Dog, Glenn and Dale followed leaving myself standing with Andrea, the two mothers and their children.
"Carl, why don't you and Sophia go play in the RV for a little while, huh?" Lori asked her son. There was an edge of command to her tone, which stopped Carl from protesting. Together the children proceeded over to the RV, not before Sophia had given me one last smile over her shoulder which made me think there was perhaps still a chance of trust for me and the rest of the group. My eyes drifted back to the remaining three women and I shied back slightly, unsure what would be said to me now.
"You're pregnant?" Carol said once the children were out of earshot, her question directed at Lori. The woman's eyes turned to me and I was surprised that they were not as harsh as they were before.
"Ruby, I am sorry for what I said before," Lori began, ignoring her friend's question. This certainly wasn't what I had expected. I paused before shrugging.
"I feel terrible for not telling you sooner, though I still believe my decision was the right one." I told her, firmly. "So I'm not going to apologise for my actions." Judging by Lori's face, what she wanted was an apology on my end, though she nodded once and didn't push the subject any further. I was thankful for that, glad that no more argument brewed between Lori and I then. My opinion of the woman was very much uncertain right then.
"Yes, I'm pregnant." She nodded, turning back to her friend. There wasn't a joyful smile on either women's face.
"Are you sure?" Carol pushed, almost desperate. Lori nodded again, gravely.
"I asked Glenn to get me a pregnancy test and it came out positive. I didn't want anyone to know, not yet." Her eyes wandered to the silent blonde, meaningfully.
"It seems you don't always get what you want." Andrea retorted to the brunette's heavy stare. Lori's eyes narrowed before she turned towards the barn where all the men could be seen standing in front of.
"C'mon." She said, taking Carol's hand and pulling her to follow her, making their way towards the barn. Leaving Andrea and myself alone. The blonde turned to me.
"Well, that got pretty intense." She stated with a sigh. I chuckled and ran a hand through my tangled hair.
"Thank you for standing up for me with Lori." I said, giving the blonde a small smile, which she returned.
"Lady Grimes had it coming to her." She shrugged, folding her arms across her chest. While I was glad Andrea had stood up for me in it all, I didn't like her approach with Lori, with blurting out her pregnancy. It certainly didn't seem right to me, but I didn't want to question it then. I had sure had enough of the arguments for one day. A sudden firm look appeared on Andrea's face and she turned away to look at the barn. "You know, I was just starting to get used to this place." She murmured. "Kinda thought things were looking up for us after everything we've been through. In Atlanta, the CDC, losing Sophia-" There was a long pause and Andrea sighed. "Though good things never last, huh?"
"Andrea, I'm sorry-"
"Don't apologise." She cut in, her tone firm. "You didn't bring that other group after us, regardless of what Shane the asshole or Lori the whore might think. They would have found us anyway and if we didn't have you to warn us, then I doubt we would have been prepared. It wouldn't have looked so bright."
"And it looks bright now?" I challenged, raising an eyebrow and wondering how the woman in front of me - the woman who Dale had told me had tried to kill herself once - had hope of our future. Andrea nodded.
"We can act now. Plan. Prepare ourselves." She turned to me again with a smile. "We wouldn't be able to do that without you." I wasn't sure I held the woman's same attitude about my 'help', though I didn't say anything more.
With that, the blonde turned away and began to jog towards the direction of the barn, where the rest of the group were proceeding to walk around the perimeter of the wooden building - no doubt making sure it was secure. Now I was truly left alone. With a sigh, I made my way towards the steps of the farmhouse and sat myself down in the spot Rick had vacated. I swept my eyes across the camp and the fields of land beyond it. What Andrea had said had hit a nerve. I could emphasise with her - I was starting to get used to things on the farm. After running for so long, staying put and feeling safe felt good. And now, the bright image was crumbling away and I knew that no doubt things will change very soon. Everything good always came to an end, it seemed.
The sound of the door opening behind me got my attention and I looked over my shoulder to see Jimmy stood in the doorway, Beth, Patricia and Maggie behind him.
"Rick and Herschel want to speak to you." Jimmy told me. I was surprised, but nodded and stood up. Jimmy stepped around me and without another word, he made his way towards the barn, Beth and Patricia at his heels. I was unsure of the their motives and turned to the older Greene daughter with a raised eyebrow. She shrugged in response.
"Dad wants us to make sure none of y'all do anything stupid." She told me with a tired sigh. "We gotta go look after those sick inside before that asshole Shane tries to kill any of them." I stared at my young friend, trying to pick through her words.
"Sick?" I asked, slowly. Maggie turned to me with an unfathomable expression. She glanced over her shoulder towards the door before turning back to me.
"He thinks they're sick." She told me, almost frantically. By him, I gathered she meant Herschel. "He doesn't understand that they're dangerous, what they can do."
"And do you?" I asked, unsure what to make of Herschel's opinion of the dead. She nodded, then proceeded to inform me of the attack in the pharmacy on a supply run a little while ago. Apparently, if it wasn't for Glenn she would not be stood talking to me right now. I listened slightly to Maggie's story, glad that Glenn was there to save the apparent damsel. Briefly I wondered if that was how their 'relationship' had blossomed.
"I've tried to reason with him, but he does not listen to me. He thinks that your group is plaguing my mind." Her eyes wandered towards the barn and the others. Mine followed. The group were all still gathered around it, some were still making perimeters, while the others stood in a group.
"What about Jimmy, Patricia and Beth?" I asked, eyes focussing on the three individuals. Maggie shrugged.
"I don't think they know what to believe. They don't really like to speak on the matter. Beth's too scared to say anything and I know Patricia doesn't want to speak out of line after all my Daddy has done for her and Otis. Jimmy obeys Dad when he needs to but I've heard him speak up about it all when he doesn't think Daddy's listening. Doesn't stop him helping Dad to lock the walkers in the barn like pets!" I saw her fists clench hard and I nodded once. "Daddy's delusional."
"He's not delusional." I objected. "He's in denial about the world. I mean, what you have here is bliss." I waved my arms in the direction of the fields around us. "You're isolated from the world outside. I suppose it's hard to grasp that the world has gone into an apocalypse when you have yet to witness the true horrors of it for yourself."
"And now we have to leave." Maggie muttered, gravely. I turned to her with a raised eyebrow - Maggie had left halfway through the conversation before so I was unsure how she'd worked that part out without hearing it. "We overheard Rick telling Dad everything." She explained with a shrug. Eavesdropped she meant.
"I don't suppose a decision has been reached yet as to what we do now." I tried, though Maggie snorted and laughed bitterly, tears threatening to burst through the cracks in her together demeanour.
"The wisest decision would be to leave." She said, defiantly. With that, she made her way down the steps and began her way towards the barn.
"Maggie!" I called, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to me with a questionable look. I paused before continuing, wondering if it was my place to say anything. "I know you're angry at Glenn for telling us about the walkers, but please don't hold his decision against him. He did what he thought was best for everyone. If I was him, I would have done the same. You have to understand that he did what he thought was right for the group." There was a long moment pause before Maggie nodded unemotionally. I wasn't sure whether she had taken in what I had said or was just agreeing though I didn't want to push the matter further. I only hoped my words would be thought over at least.
I watched her figure retreat towards the barn before sighing and making my way inside the farmhouse to look for Herschel and Rick.
The pair were sat opposite each other at the dinning room table, Rick's face defiant while Herschel's was plastered over of all emotion. I shifted uncomfortably in the doorway, unsure whether to approach the pair or remain standing. Herschel noticed my presence first and raised his eyes to meet mine. I was surprised by the soft smile he gave me and he gestured his hand to an empty seat beside Rick.
"Take a seat, dear." He said calmly. I nodded and obliged, taking the seat beside Rick and waited for something to be said. This was beyond awkward, I couldn't help but think. Herschel appeared almost at ease, while Rick seemed tense. I didn't quite know what to make of it all. "Rick has explained everything to me." The farmer began slowly. "Though I wish to confirm it with you, my dear." I nodded slowly with understanding. "Is it true that my farm is indeed under threat?" Herschel's eyes implored mine and I knew he was trying to judge if I was going to lie or not him. I held strong and nodded again.
"Yes it is." I confirmed. "The group that I was with before, they're scowering the area looking for people. It's only a matter of time before they find this farm."
"And what will they do if they find my farm?"
"When." Rick muttered, correcting the old man.
"I don't think that for one minute they'd spare anyone, I'm afraid." I told him, gravely. "They'll kill the men for sure, unless they think any are useful for their ranks. And as for the women, they'll keep them and use them much like they did the women I was there. The children I dare not think about what they'd do to them. Either of the options are a possibility." There was a long moment of silence again as Herschel took in my words.
"You see, Herschel?" Rick demanded, leaning forward and trying to catch the old man's avoiding gaze. "I don't think you realise the danger we're in at the moment. We need to figure out a plan. Whether it be to stand and fight or to leave. But which ever it is, we need to decide now." He slammed his fist down in a bid to make his point, though made me flinch slightly in shock. What it achieved was that it startled Herschel too out of his thoughtful stare. The farmer turned to Rick.
"Why?" He asked slowly. Rick frowned.
"What?"
"Why are you telling me that we have to make a plan?" He asked, frowning as he spoke. "You and your group are no obligation of mine. You may leave whenever you wish, actually I have already asked for you, Rick, to take your people off my land several times. Your boy is strong enough and the girl is found, and now there are apparently people coming to kill us all - I see no reason for you and your group to stay any longer." Rick and I stared at the man with shock.
"We can't just leave you." I breathed, not understanding why Herschel was saying this.
"You expect us to just leave you behind to die?!" Rick all but snarled. Herschel shook his head, ignoring the man's angry stare.
"How can you be so sure that they're as dangerous as you say?" I opened my mouth to speak, but I was cut off. "They took you in, Ruby, they did not kill you. And from what you have said, they have not raped you or harmed you too gravely. Therefore, how can we be sure they won't show the same regards towards us?" I stared in complete shock at the man. Maggie was right; he was delusional.
"How dare you sit there and tell me that!" I cried, suddenly furious with the man. "You have no idea what I have seen when I was with that group! No one understands what they're like but me so do not sit there and pretend to understand them like that! They raped and killed the very people I camped beside - some were my friends! They do not care for compassion and will not listen to reason if you even tried it with them! They are sick and if you are so delusional to believe in the 'good' in them then I sincerely hope I'm not there the day you regret those words!" I made a move to leave, but Rick grabbed my arm. I turned to the man, nostrils flared, eyes blazed, though Rick's face was calm and he silently told me to remain seated, tugging my arm to influence a point. I, ruefully, took my seat again though avoided the gaze of the farmer. Though I knew Herschel's gaze was piercing into me as I stared down at the table top.
"Herschel, you need to see sense." Rick began slowly, his voice a little calmer now. "Regardless of whether you believe they're good or bad people, we need to think of a plan. Because assuming things like them being 'good' could get you killed. Would it not be safer to assume the worst? Being prepared is how we're going to survive." Herschel seemed to stop to think about Rick's words, so the ex-sheriff continued on. "After everything you have done for us, my boy especially, I don't find it in my nature to leave without you and your family. I just can't walk away after your hospitality and goodness - whatever decision is made, will be made for the united group-"
"Rick, there is no 'united' group." Herschel interrupted, his voice still calm. "There's your group and there's my group." Judging by Rick's expression, that didn't sit too well with him.
"What about the walkers in the barn?" I piped up quickly, cutting off any harsh remark Rick was about to make. Herschel turned to me.
"They are people, dear." Herschel stated, calmly. I raised an eyebrow.
"Zombies, walkers, geeks - call them what you wish, but I assure you that they are not people." I scoffed, narrowing my eyes at the man. "You have no idea what they're capable of-"
"They're just sick people-"
"One of those 'sick people' tried to kill your daughter the other day." I cut in, silencing the man. "Have you talked to Maggie about that?" Judging by his confused expression, he hadn't. "Well, I think you should because maybe you might be a little more enlightened on the subject." Another long pause.
"Whatever you want to call the contents of that barn makes no difference. It is on my land and therefore is my property. I make the decisions as to what happens to them and they're my concern. So I'd like it if for the duration of your stay, however short that may be, that you stay away from the barn." Herschel's words were directed more at Rick this time.
"I think it's our concern if there's a barn of walkers a few feet away from where we sleep." Rick threw back.
"It's irrelevant." Herschel objected. "They have not got out so far during your time here and if the Asian boy hadn't of opened his mouth, you wouldn't have been any wiser."
"His name's Glenn." I muttered, ignoring Herschel's pointed gaze again.
"And that's just the thing, Herschel." Rick leaned forward. "Now, we do know and we don't quite feel safe knowing about your current fancy in taking in dead cannibals as pets." I was surprised by Rick's harsh words, though I gathered it was due to the blow of the situation. Everything had come at once, and as leader, Rick was expected to react and deal with every single problem thrown at him immediately. It was safe to say that I didn't envy the man and his job.
"Then you know the solution then," Herschel said slowly. Rick raised an eyebrow in question. "Get off my land."
Just then a gun shot was fired, startling the three of us. We glanced at each other wearily before we were all on our feet and rushing towards the door. Rick got there first, throwing open the farmhouse door as he did. We looked around, trying to find the source - I was terrified for a moment that Philip and his group had found us and we had run out of time - though it wasn't hard to see the commotion going on by the barn. There was only a moment's pause before the three of us were running towards the group gathered by it. My stomach dropped slightly and I knew this couldn't be good.
Getting closer, I saw Shane in possession of the gun bag and had taken it upon himself to hand out weapons amongst the men and Andrea. Voices were raised as Dale, Maggie and Lori argued heatedly with Shane. Apparently the gun shot had been fired from Shane's shotgun as he had tried to blow the lock off the barn door. No, this definitely wasn't good.
"What are you doing?!" Rick cried once we reached them, marching straight toward his friend.
"Doing your job for you, man." Shane replied, pointing towards the barn. "Getting rid of the threat." He raised his gun again at the lock, only to have it shoved away by Rick.
"That isn't your decision to make!" Rick snarled, getting in Shane's face. The other man didn't back down.
"Well, you weren't exactly doing a good job and making the decisions, were you?" Shane challenged darkly.
"That doesn't mean you have the right to step in." Lori cried, suddenly, stepping forward and getting between the two men. She quickly eased the pair apart before turning directly to Shane. "This is Herschel's farm and we need to respect Herschel's decision."
"And my decision is for you all to leave." Herschel cut in, his voice firm. Everyone turned to him.
"Daddy!" Maggie cried, her eyes pleading with her father. The farmer ignored her.
"Herschel, we need to carry on discussing this-" Rick tried.
"There isn't anything to discuss, Rick." Herschel cut in before nodding at Shane. "I don't want that man on my land any longer. I gave you people help and shelter when you needed it, but now it's time for you to go. Your boy is safe and your girl is found, nothing more to be done. My hands are clean, my conscience is clear." He paused. "You have all outstayed your welcome. I want you all to leave. Right now."
"You can't just throw us out!" Shane cried, his face fuming.
"You have no idea what it's like out there!" Andrea joined in.
"What about the children?" Carol asked, softly, her gaze wandering toward the RV where Sophia and Carl were stood beside, Toby at their feet. They had heard the gun shot but had not ventured over, merely observed the commotion.
"Daddy, you can't do this." Maggie tried, rushing forward and trying to catch her father's gaze. "You can't just throw these people out; they'll die!"
"They'll be fine." Herschel insisted, his eyes directly on Rick.
"You don't understand." Glenn tried softly, though Herschel still appeared to be sour with the boy - whether it be to do with whatever was going on between him and Maggie or the fact it was Glenn that told us all about the barn, I didn't know - as he turned a scowl towards him and Glenn was silenced immediately.
For a moment, nothing was said. The group just remained silent with only the sounds of the snarling walkers in the barn behind us making a noise. I remained apart from the group, not wanting to involve myself in the argument anymore than I already had. While people may associate me as part of the group now, I still felt like an outsider and wasn't prepared to argue for all this just yet. It didn't feel right. Rick was the first to break the tension.
"I'll make a deal with you, Herschel." Rick began slowly. "We'll leave the barn untouched and you'lllet us stay another night." Herschel opened his mouth to speak but Rick cut him off again. "Be the Christian, Herschel. The offer is fair." There was a moment as Herschel paused, thinking it over. Finally the man nodded.
"One more night. And I want all your weapons back in the bag and taken into the house where I know they won't be used." His eyes wandered towards Shane who snorted and sneered back.
"That's fine." Rick nodded, turning to his friend and silently commanding him. Shane stared back for a moment before obliging, putting his weapon back in the gun bag with an unhappy expression on his face - a storm was brewing inside that man. The others with weapons followed suit and soon they were all back inside the bag and the bag was given to Herschel. The farmer looked satisfied with this and gazed around the group.
"I want you gone by midday tomorrow, no objections." He told us all, eyes locking one final time with Rick's before he turned and walked away, back towards the house. Jimmy, Patricia and Beth followed behind him, though Maggie lingered, an unhappy expression on her face.
"I'll talk to him." She told us, her eyes frantic. "I'll convince him to let you stay, if only for a little longer." Rick shook his head.
"Staying isn't an option anymore, Maggie." He told her. "We're not safe here, all of us. The best thing for us all to do is leave. Convincing Herschel of that is what we need to do. We don't want to leave you all behind." Maggie nodded.
"I'll try and convince him." She promised. Her eyes met Glenn's briefly and she nodded before turning around and running towards the farmhouse after her family. Again the group was lapsed into a thoughtful silence.
"Rick, why in God's name did we just hand over all of our weapons?" Shane demanded, dangerously. Rick turned on him with a glare.
"Because you decided to act rashly!" Rick replied, his voice almost a growl.
"At least I was acting to the situation and not hiding in the God damn farmhouse!"
"I was trying to convince Herschel that we need to make a plan, but you ruined any chance of me doing so by being an asshole! I was handling the situation before you-"
"Why do you care, Rick?" Shane asked, cutting across his partner. "Why do we need Priest Greene to make a plan? They ain't our problem! We don't have to stick around for them."
"We're not leaving them behind." Glenn cut in. The silent 'I'm not leaving Maggie'was heard loud on clear. Shane scoffed.
"What, so because Glenn has a little crush on the farmer's daughter means we gotta help them out?" Shane asked before turning his complete attention to Glenn. His expression was harsh and I had a bad feeling about what was going to follow. "Glenn man, she's probably just with you for a quick fuck every now and again. Don't blame her, girl's lonely and you're the most desperate guy there is right now-" Shane was cut off with the satisfying scene of Glenn practically diving on the bigger man. Taken by surprise, Shane allowed Glenn to tackle him and the pair fell to the ground, fists flailing. The fight - if it could be called one - was stopped quickly as Daryl and T-Dog yanked Glenn off of Shane and Rick stepped in between the pair to prevent either party going at the other again.
"That's enough!" Rick roared, taking hold of the front of Shane's shirt to calm him down. Shane sneered and shoved Rick away from him, causing the man to stumble back slightly.
"You're right, Rick! That is enough." With that, Shane walked away, his fists clenched as he stomped towards the RV, which Carl and Sophia quickly retreated away from. The bigger man ignored the pair and walked inside the camper, slamming the door shut, loud enough to be heard from where we were stood, behind him. The silence in the group was deafening after his departure.
"Well, that was excitin'." Daryl finally muttered.
I had taken the bedroom right at the back of the house, the smaller of all the bedrooms. It looked to be a children's room once upon a time and the thought made my heart clench, though it was the only available room to sleep in. The bed sheets were bright pink and had various princesses on, leading me to believe it was a little girl's room. Was. After learning this, I tried to push the thought away and tried to hide all evidence of the previous occupant, to make it a lot easier to look at.
Michonne and Merle were resting in their respectable rooms and the house was silent as we had decided to rest for the night. Toby was downstairs, where I had left him, no doubt keeping guard like a good dog. I listened to the silence for a while, so used to it by now. It unnerved me slightly and I couldn't help but keep shifting awkwardly in the bed I was in, waiting for sleep to take me in. Unable to sleep though, I hauled myself out of the bed and left the room. Too many nightmares plagued my mind.
Standing in the corridor, I glanced at Michonne's bedroom opposite mine. The door was shut and no doubt its occupant was asleep inside. Further down, however, Merle's door was open, allowing me some sight on the inside of his room. I approached it quietly and peeked through the crack, seeing Merle's feet at the end of the bed, on top of the bed sheets. Was the man awake? I wondered, though I could not tell. I certainly couldn't hear any snores from within.
"Come in or go away. Don't just stand out in the corridor like some perv." Merle's voice drawled from inside. That answered my question. Carefully, I pushed open the door and glared at the man, weakly.
"I'm not a perv." I told him. Merle smirked. He was lying on top of his covers, hand and stump behind his head, looking quite content. I rolled my eyes at his posture and ventured further into the room, shutting the door behind me. As we weren't allowed to put a light on, in fear of the dead seeing it, the house had descended into darkness and Merle was only just visible now I had shut the door. The slight light from the window illuminated the man slightly.
"Can't sleep?" Merle guessed, eyes wandering to stare up at the ceiling. I nodded and approached the bed, taking seat at the end of it and crossing my legs. "Kinda spooky in this place, ain't it?"
"Like a horror film." I agreed. Merle hummed. "Suppose that's the story of our lives now though, isn't it?"
"Always gotta look on the down side, don't you." Merle muttered with a thoughtful frown. I rolled my eyes.
"Kind of hard not to." I pointed out.
"Hey, I'm in the same situation as you 'nd I've only got one hand. Look at me; chipper 'nd loving life." I turned to the man with a frown. Merle saw it and sighed. "Just gotta look on the bright side, darlin'."
"Is there one?" I scoffed. Merle paused.
"Well, you're here, ain't ya?" He challenged quietly. "You're alive 'nd you made it out of a couple of situations where most have died from. Saved my ass a couple of times too." I smiled. "Same with me. Lost a hand, but I'm still livin'." There was a long moment of silence between us.
"And why do you think that is?" I asked quietly. I saw Merle think about it hard.
"I don't know." He replied honestly. "But it's gotta be a good thing, right?" I stared at the man for a few moments before shrugging, not really sure I had the same level of optimism as him.
"Kinda feels like everyone else are the lucky ones, the ones that aren't here. They got out and were saved from the nightmare. We're the ones stuck here, tortured by our fears and living our days terrified of what's around the corner. Not much of a life. I don't think living is exactly a good thing anymore." I told him. Merle tilted his head towards me, his eyes judging me silently.
"Suppose, it depends if you have anythin' to live for."
"And what do you have to live for?" Merle chuckled, turning his gaze back to the ceiling. He then turned silent and a frown fell on Merle's face. I was used to that look now. It was the look when Merle was thinking about something really hard, something that he hadn't told Michonne and myself about. Sometimes the man would go quiet and the same look would appear. He would never expand on what he was thinking about, though I didn't ask. He was reminiscing about something that had happened to him, I had guessed. Something I couldn't help but suspect had something to do with his missing hand. Though I could not know for sure.
Our last night in camp was spent quite dismally. After dinner, which was ate in silence, everyone dispersed off separately. I noticed people had begun to pack which was a disheartened sight. I complied to the norms myself and packed up everything, leaving my bags beside Carol's and Sophia's in our tent. Once I had done that, I didn't feel like remaining in our tent and ventured off for a wander to think about all that had happened.
My feet, unsurprisingly, led to me to Toby. The dog greeted me happily and I sat myself down beside it, not even asking Daryl's permission to join them both. Though it didn't seem like the hunter minded any more.
"Whatever happened to your ears?" I asked, curiously. Daryl raised his eyes briefly, a look of bafflement on his face. "The ones you cut off those walkers." I quickly added when Daryl reached up to touch his own ears in confusion. I chuckled a little and Daryl shook his head.
"Rick made me get rid of 'em." He replied. "Said they'd freak people out." His tone was slightly bitter and I snorted.
"Yeah, because I'm sure people would have loved the sight of rotting ears for a necklace." Daryl only smirked and I shook my head in disbelief before the pair of us fell back into silence. I stared off towards camp, eyeing everyone as they went about their business, chatting away to each other. The tension was evident in their faces though. "I don't want to leave." I told Daryl, breaking the silence. I stroked Toby's nose slowly before glancing up at the hunter. I noticed that he was already packed and ready to go too. Daryl shrugged at my question.
"Not our choice, I suppose." He muttered. "Herschel wants us out so we gotta go."
"And what do you think about it all?" I asked, unable to help myself. Daryl raised an eyebrow. "What's your opinion of all my lies?"
Throughout the night I had been met with suspicious stares, which I had expected. Shane was completely adamant to ignore me, Lori was much the same. The likes of Dale, T-Dog and Glenn were hesitant, I noticed. They weren't blatantly hating on me, but I knew they had their doubts. Andrea, Carol, Carl and Sophia were no different than they were before, treating me exactly the same as they always had. Rick had long accepted my outburst and I gathered still trusted me, treating me in the same manor Andrea, Carol, Carl and Sophia did. Daryl was undistinguished.
Daryl snorted at my questions and smirked.
"Thought my input into the discussion before set which side I'm on quite clearly." He stated. I frowned, though remembered then Daryl's remark during the argument - he had defended me, much like Andrea had. I had forgotten about that and a small smile appeared on my face.
"Thank you for that." I told him, sincerely. He shrugged, like it was nothing.
"Wasn't fair how they were just laying into ya. No one but blondie was stickin' up for ya. Thought I might as well step in." I smiled wider.
"Well, it was much appreciated." I replied. Daryl nodded once and looked away, somewhat uncomfortably. Though I gathered all the thanks I was given him made him uncomfortable. "Guess you won't get to take Toby out hunting with you after all?" I muttered, breaking the silence, my eyes trailing to the dog beside me. Daryl breathed a chuckle.
"Guess not. Or not right now at least." He agreed. "Don't really know what will happen after tomorrow. Not sure where Rick plans on takin' us." His tone was bitter, I sensed, and I frowned at this.
"You don't trust Rick?" I guessed.
"Rick, I trust, but Shane however-" He trailed off and sighed. "The asshole is like the devil on Rick's shoulder, mutterin' in his ear constantly. He can't be trusted."
"And does that make you the angel on his shoulder then?" I asked, smiling slightly. Daryl raised his gaze to meet mine. There was a long moment's silence as we just merely stared at each other, neither backing down. There was almost a sense of shock in his gaze from what I had said, maybe nervousness too. Though I wasn't quite sure. There was something else in his eyes that just irked at me though. Why couldn't I remember why he was so familiar to me?
"I ain't the angel." Daryl said after a while, giving in and breaking the locked gaze.
"Well, your jacket disagrees with you." I countered nodding to where his jacket was hung from a tree, displaying the angel wings sewed on the back. Daryl glanced at it before laughing - the most honest laugh I had heard from him since I had arrived. His smile brightened up his face when he laughed and it was refreshing to see him like this, in comparison to his usual stoic demeanor.
"I'll give ya that one, girl." He nodded. The silence continued a little while longer, though it was much more comfortable than before. I continued to stroke Toby aimlessly, while Daryl stared out across the tree line, his face in thought.
"Why are you so far away?" I asked, suddenly, my thoughts bouncing from one thing to another. Daryl turned to me with a frown. "From camp." I continued. "Why is your tent apart from the rest?" Daryl didn't answer the question, merely looked away and avoided it. "Kinda like you, I suppose. You distance yourself too. Is it just a physical reiteration of your character?"
"You tryin' to psycho-analyse me now, girl? Not tryin' to pull some shrink move on me, are ya, with ya fancy words?" He hissed, turning a glare towards me. I was so startled by the intensity of it that I shied away in surprise.
"No," I tried, keeping my voice soft. "I just thought you'd be lonely, that's all." Daryl's eyes judged me for a while before he sighed and looked away.
"Prefer it that way." He muttered. I sighed too, almost understanding the man's isolation.
He didn't feel a part of the group, like he didn't have a place or a position to fill. He though he was merely the hillbilly that hunted for them. He thought his worth was limited and therefore he isolated himself from contact. What a lonely life he must lead. There was something behind his eyes though. Hidden anger? Betrayal? I had seen that look before, though its meaning was still lost to me. What I could be sure of though was that the man before me was lost. He fit into this new world because the new world didn't require any lasting companionships or friendships, only the idea of survival. And while Daryl Dixon may be good at survival, without contact with other people, he was bound to lose all hope of humanity and become a mindless beast, only focused on surviving. I didn't like to think of how he'd end up if he continued on like this.
"Always gotta look on the down side, don't you." A mocking voice spoke inside my head. I frowned, a connection suddenly reacting inside my head as I turned my gaze towards Daryl. A familiar face blared inside my mind, though before I could even think anything of it, my thought process was interrupted.
"Got the mutt anyway." Daryl spoke up. I frowned, my thoughts still dazed slightly.
"What?" I stuttered. Daryl nodded toward Toby and I looked down at the dog in slight confusion.
"I ain't alone, I have the mutt. Damn thing won't leave me alone so it's hard to avoid everyone." His implications were clear and I raised an eyebrow at the man's pointed gaze.
"You trying to avoid me, Mr Dixon?" I asked. Daryl only smirked at me, saying no more. "Why I'm deeply offended by that!" I feigned hurt and crossed my arms across my chest. Daryl chuckled and shook his head. It was certainly nice to see this change from the man. I was glad to see him smile and I couldn't help but hope I had something to do about it.
"Suppose ya ain't too bad." He admitted suddenly, causing me to turn to him curiously. "Don't know when to shut up sometimes though."
"Ha ha." I replied, dryly with a scowl. Daryl chuckled again and shrugged.
"But ya found Sophia, brought her back to her momma. Ya proved your worth around camp 'nd what ya did today was pretty brave." He paused, not looking at me and looking increasingly uncomfortable. I was curious about this shy part of Daryl but put it down to the fact the man wasn't exactly an expert when it came to contact with other people. "I guess ya done alright by my books." There was a moments silence as I let the words sink in and a smile split across my face.
"Did I just receive a compliment from Daryl Dixon?" I asked, trying to ease the tension that had suddenly come over Daryl. It did the trick as the man turned to me with a smirk. While I tried to play the whole conversation as a joke, I couldn't help but feel a funny warm feeling in my stomach by the man's words and the brief genuine smiles I had seen just now from him.
"Don't get used to it."
(Author's Note): I am here! After so long! Really sorry for that, I just got really rubbish at updating. But I'm here, I've finished my other fiction and am now completely dedicated to this one! Fingers crossed my updating skills improve now. :)
Walking Dead Season three has started! I am so excited, the first episode was amazing and there's a lot of hope for the next eight weeks. What did you all think of the first episode? Love it, hate it? (personally, I adored it!) I really am excited for the rest of the season, roll on friday night!
Back to the story, this chapter is longer than the last in my attempt to make up for the long wait. Hopefully you will enjoy it. Anything in particular you liked/hated? Are the characters all in character? Obviously there has been a lot of changes to the storyline of the show now that Ruby and Sophia are in camp, so please don't hate me because I'm not following the episodes. I will incorportate in the ideas, but I won't be following it action-by-action, word-for-word because I feel as if people would get bored pretty soon and that's not where I want to go with this story.
A word of warning though, due to my changes and adaptions from the show, there maybe some surprises regarding character deaths (because lets face it, in a ZA, not everyone is going to survive!). I have an idea of who I'm going to be killing off, but I'd love to know if any of you have any ideas (requests - haha). Let me know if you do.
Thanks for your patience and comments and hopefully I'll have the next update up soon as! :)