New Chapter! Personally, I like this one. I hope you do too. Thank you so much for reading, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on everything! ENJOY!

59: You Win Some, You Lose Some

The open road was something I'd desperately missed, mainly because of my pre-bite plans. There's something to it, the wind through the windows and the empty streets, which just promotes peace. It had been true with Riley. On the road there was no time for being moody, or bitching, or anything but getting work done. I'd say it was ideal, but there's a certain amount of uncertainty in it all. A family with children or a large group wouldn't be able to pull it off. This was the closest I'd ever get to the open road again.

"So now that we're out here you have to tell us the truth," Maggie smiled at me as she hopped out of the car, "Do we really smell that bad?"

"No," I laughed debating if I should correct her. They don't smell bad; they smell great. Something in me warned me against it. They don't need to know that. I could admit to one thing though, "But it is nicer out here."

She just laughed, "I knew it."

"Walker," Glenn stated.

"I got it." I took the few steps and stabbed it with my knife. This small pit stop seemed relatively untouched, which was promising.

"I'll check out that store over there," Michonne nodded across the way. "Holler if you need me."

I stood in the middle of the street and surveyed the area quickly before looking back to the couple, "I'll take watch while you guys raid the pharmacy." They nodded and made their way to the smaller sized building.

"We'll keep the door open just in case," Maggie put a loose brick at the foot of the door so that it would shut itself.

Maggie and Glenn brought out a few carts of supplies and set them on the sidewalk for me to load. It was amazing how easy they were to work with. No one needed to say what needed to be done, because we all just knew. It made it all so simple. The icing on the cake was the near-clear air. I loved the lack of intense smells around me. Compared to the prison this was scentless. I'd forgotten what this kind of fresh air was like, and even if the other three were close by it didn't matter. Nothing matters on vacation, and to me this was a stint at a beach resort to me. I leaned against the car and took another deep breath in hopes to soak up another dose of the lightly scented oxygen. Wait. Wait, there's something off. There's a new scent. And it's strong. Too strong to be an animal. Too strong to be just one person. And it's getting stronger. "Shit." I ran across the way and stuck my head into the building Michonne was looting for supplies, "Michonne, I smell something."

In seconds she was beside my by the door, that intense look in her eyes, "What is it?"

I sniffed the air once more, "I don't know, but it's getting stronger by the second. We don't have time." We wouldn't have time to get away. We wouldn't have time to hide the car or the supplies. We had no options except to hope for the best and hope that one of us could get away. All my bets were on Michonne. If worst came to worst we could hopefully distract them long enough to keep them from finding her. That was the plan. Simple, but hopefully it wouldn't need to be used. I turned to her, "Stay hidden." I saw her nod from the corner of my eye as I ran back to tell Glenn and Maggie. I didn't make it in time.

"If it isn't the Chinaman," I saw a man with a large metal club where his hand should be. And he knows Glenn. It must be him, it must be Merle. That means these are Woodbury people. That means trouble. Damnit. Michonne would be our only shot. I saw the look in Glenn's eyes as he stood in front of Maggie, protecting her. I knew he was honorable, but that sold me. Glenn was the best of us. I could have hid then, but at the same time I couldn't. I couldn't leave them to fend on their own. I couldn't let them go alone to whatever horrors Woodbury had to offer. I needed to stick with them or else I'd have no chance of saving them. That was why I was here right? That was why Rick sent me with them, to protect them. This was my chance.

I spoke up, loud and clear, making my presence known, "Excuse me, but he's Korean."

He looked over at me as I walked as calmly as I could manage to stand by my friends. I hated the way his eyes followed my path, "And who might you be, sweet cheeks?"

A new voice spoke out before I could answer, "You know these people?" I saw now that Merle wasn't alone. There were five other men with him. Even if Michonne gave away her position we wouldn't be able to take them all out without risking our own necks. There was no other way. We'd just have to wait and see what they wanted. Shit.

"Just the boy," he motioned with his makeshift hand, "I've never seen the ladies before."

"What do we do?"

"Take 'em back for some questioning, I reckon." No. This was bad. I needed to do something, anything. Anything that could get us out of this mess. I reached for my gun and all of theirs trained onto me, "Hey-hey-hey! Don't be a hero now." Shit. I raised my hands. Please, please, we need to get out of this. All I could picture was that map with the 'X' on it and I heard Riley's words, 'Don't go to Woodbury, there's something off there.' But I didn't have a choice now. There was only one move left; plan c. I looked over to Michonne's position and nodded. She knew where the town was. She'd even been there. Michonne could save us. Michonne could get a group together and get us out of there. I know she could. She wouldn't just leave us there. She couldn't. I looked back over to my friends and nodded while mouthing two words, 'Don't talk.' The small ensemble of guns pointed us left only one thing on my to do list: protect Maggie and Glenn the best I could. I could tell by the looks in their eyes that they knew. They knew I'd do anything to make sure they got back. They knew that out here my primary role didn't change. I hoped they knew I wouldn't let them down. Merle spoke to the men, "Knock 'em out and let's get out of here."

Moments later a man approached and lifted the butt of his gun.

Then everything went black.

-o0o-

Why did my head hurt so bad? Why couldn't I move my arms? They were tied; why were they tied? Most importantly why did it smell so damn good? I opened my eyes, finding my head on a metal table facing a decrepit wall.

Fucking Woodbury.

A flood of memories from before I was knocked unconscious came back to me. Maggie and Glenn. They took us. And by the smell I knew we were somewhere within the town's limits. Shit. I tried to move my feet, but they were tied to the chair as well. Great. I looked over at myself; at least my dress was still on. That's good. Small victories. Small victories were all I could hope for right now. I picked my head up, splitting headache and all, off of the table and sat up straight, coming into eye contact with the man that had knocked me out to begin with.

I narrowed my eyes at him before he opened the door and spoke outside, "This one's waking up."

I could hear Merle's voice answer him back, "Then I guess she's first." Good. I'm first, that means Glenn and Maggie probably haven't been hurt yet. I could still save them. I could still do my job. Another small victory. The sound of boots hitting the cement floor echoed and soon the one-handed man was shutting the door with a smile, "Hi there, darlin'. And what's your name?" I didn't say a word as I looked at him, studying him. I could see the resemblance between his brother and him, but I knew from what little information Daryl had told me about him that they weren't very alike. I'd always wondered if that was true. I guess now I had a chance to find that out. He took an aggressive stance at the opposite side of the table and smiled at the blade that was attached to the stump, "This can go real easy, or things could get dicey. Now that's up to you." I just kept staring. He didn't need to know my name; that didn't matter to him at all. What mattered was where his brother was. Glenn was with Daryl, and I was with Glenn, so it wouldn't take a genius to put two and two together. We sat there in silence, and I just watched him. I couldn't help it, getting to put a face with the name was far too interesting and it wasn't like I was going anywhere just yet. "All I want to know is where you're little camp is located." He let his metal arm thud onto the table, "Best tell me now, or I'll lose my patience."

I needed time. Maggie and Glenn needed time. Michonne needed time. I ran through the various ways I could play this: nice, mean, beggar, negotiator. There were so many options, but only one felt right. I smiled for a second before speaking, "What's that thing they always say?" I feigned deep thought before leaning forward slightly, enunciating my next few words, "Snitches get stitches."

"So that's how it's gonna be," he laughed, walking around the table and holding my left ear with his good hand while placing his blade at the top, "How's this, you tell me where your camp is and I'll let you keep your ear."

Shit. Only a few minutes in and we've already gotten to the point where pieces might be cut off. I guess I knew that would happen. Merle was a desperate man, and with his reputation I'd expect nothing less from him. Could I tell him? No way. If I thought for a second he would keep it to himself I might've, but I couldn't be sure. For all I knew he'd get a group of people from that big pile of meat-bags out there and rain gunfire down onto the people I cared about. My family, my friends, I'd never betray them like that. That was settled. I wasn't talking. I'd never talk. Let him take my ear. Let him take whatever; my lips were sealed to the location of the group. But I couldn't let them know that, could I? If they knew I wasn't talking they'd kill me and move onto Maggie or Glenn. That wasn't going to happen, not if I could help it. Protect Maggie and Glenn. That was my goal here. Protect them for as long as I could and give Michonne time to get to us. In order to do that I needed to keep them focused on me. But how? I needed to be entertaining enough. I needed to hint at the possibility of me telling. I needed to pull out all the stops. But what to do? I felt the cool metal at the top of my ear. What did this remind me of? Tied in a chair, ear being threatened; why was this familiar? I let out a laugh when I realized it was not unlike my favorite scene of Reservoir Dogs. Annie, the Hound dog about to be sliced up like in Reservoir Dogs; seemed fitting enough. That would be my next play. I continued my laugh as I began to sing, "Well, I don't know why I came here tonight. I got the feeling that something ain't right."

He pulled on my ear harder, "I'll do it, missy." The voice of a desperate man. I couldn't blame him. He just wanted to get back to his brother. If mine were still around I'd be doing the same thing. The rulebook would be thrown out and there would be nothing I wouldn't do. I think that's were the real problem is though. I had Carl and Judith to think about. There's nothing I won't do to protect them, protect their position. Two people with no limit as to what they'd do.

I was never going to talk, so I just looked up at him, at the guy who I'd suddenly understood, maybe even agreed with, and kept on singing, "I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair, and I'm wonderin' how I'll get down the stairs."

A familiar anger coursed through his voice, "That's it."

I smiled, this time starting straight ahead. Preparing myself for what was to come, "Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right." Then he started. There was a burning almost, and then the noise. I could hear so clearly as the blade ripped through my cartilage and I could feel it as the blood began to gush. Being shot was nothing. Slicing my hand was nothing. This, this was something. I wanted to yell out. I wanted to vocalize my pain, but I couldn't. I needed to gain this man's respect, or something close to it. Don't scream Annie. Don't scream. I bit down on my tongue to restrain myself, and I dug my fingers into my palms. Just keep quiet and it will be over soon. The he stepped away. The burning remained after the sound stopped, and I could feel the hot tears on my face. I looked up at my tormentor. Calm down, Annie. It's just an ear. A fucking ear. One of your fucking ears is gone because of this fucker. No, just relax. You'd have done the same. You'd have done anything to get back to your brother. You'll do anything to get back to Carl and Judith or at least keep them safe. He plopped the bloody chunk onto the table. Shit. My ear looked so small, and yet so big. It felt like a huge chunk of me had been ripped off, but I saw evidence to the contrary right in front of me. Just don't think about it. Nothing you can do now. The hard part is over. Let's just try to avoid any other losses. I forced myself to smile as I looked back up from my old ear and continued the tune, "Here I am, stuck in the middle with you."

"You ain't as weak as you look," he laughed, "I'll give you that." It was strange to think that in the few hellish minutes that I'd spent with Merle Dixon he'd already smiled at me more than his brother ever had. His smile came so easily to him, so unlike his brother. What I wouldn't give for one of those right now. A legitimate Daryl smile. If I saw one of those I'd probably forget all about this ear business. I shook my head at the thought. "Just tell me where your camp is," he poked the lifeless ear, "and maybe you won't have to lose the other one."

"What?" I leaned my right ear, and now only ear, forward jokingly, "Sorry, I can't hear you."

I don't know why, but I'd expected him to at least chuckle at that. My pathetic attempt at rapport building was lost on him, "I'm done with these games, little girl. Just tell me where you're people are hiding!"

Think Annie. Quick. I need to keep the focus on me, and if I bleed out then I'll be no good to anyone. What do I do? Get him to trust me, just enough. Just enough to get this thing patched up. I shook my head as I spoke, trying my best to keep my voice light, "Merle Dixon."

"Lookie that," his crooked smile was back, "I'm famous."

I looked up at him and gave a slight smile, "We aren't so different, you know?"

"Is that right?" he sat against the table.

"For starters there's the obvious; you're missing a piece," I nodded to his hand, "and now I am too," I nodded to the ear on the table.

"I suppose that's supposed to keep me from doing the same to your friends?"

I shook my head, "They won't talk, but I might," he raised an eyebrow, "I know what it's like to miss a brother. I wouldn't wish that on anybody." I could tell he was confused, but I didn't want to get into it. I needed to stop the bleeding. I needed to get this patched up. I continued, "I'd try to help you out if you got me a bandage for this." I knew it was a long shot, but I was banking on him wanting to find his brother. By the look on his face it had worked.

He walked over to the door and leaned out, "Hey, get me some of that gauze stuff."

"What for," I heard a voice answer back.

"Just do it." After a couple minutes he turned back and shut the door once more. Normally I'd want someone with more than one hand to bandage me up, but I couldn't be picky, not now. I just needed to stop the bleeding. "There," he stepped back, "Time to talk."

I leaned back in the chair, "You know what else we have in common, Merle?"

"What?"

"We both lost your brother." I could see the worry rip across his face, the darting of his eyes, he was too easy to read, "Don't worry, he's still alive."

"Well, he ain't lost then now is he?" More of the family resemblance. I think something about it comforted me, because my mind quieted and I knew exactly what needed to be done.

I sighed, "To us, yes." He furrowed his brow in confusion, so I explained it to him as simply as I could, "Those two get even a scrape, and you'll never see him again. I'll make sure of it." I saw his eyes dart nervously once more. Daryl was his weakness. It's always important to know your enemy's weaknesses, especially when they are shared. Now all I needed to do was get some face time with the Governor. If I want to negotiate our freedom he would be the guy to talk to. I knew that wouldn't happen, but they needed to think I was hopeful in that regard. They needed to think I was trying to get us out or they'd catch on and know we had people coming. I examined the worried expression on his face. I had him. I smiled up at him, "There. That brings me to yet another shared trait." He waited for me to answer, "We both love that brother of yours."

He exaggerated a laugh, "Ain't that just the funniest thing I've ever heard." The smile left his face and he slammed the metal down onto the table again, "Ain't nobody loves my baby brother but me."

"Ahh," I nodded, "A fundamental difference."

He held his knife to my throat this time, "Quit with the fancy talk and tell me where my brother is."

"Can't do that unless I know my friends won't be hurt."

He stepped back, "I promise we won't touch a hair on their heads," he crossed his heart with his finger, "Swear on my life." Lies. I didn't even have to look at him to know that he was lying. Woodbury, full of liars. At least I knew it. If you know someone is a liar, then it gives you an advantage. You know that just about every word out of their mouth is false. Maggie and Glenn were in danger. It was time to move forward.

"I told you," I raised my eyebrows at him, "that's where we're different."

"How's that?"

"I'm a reasonably honest person," I laughed, thinking about how I'd neglected to tell my friends about my condition. Reasonably honest. Was I honest anymore? A great deal more so than anyone in this town at least. I dropped my smile as I looked back to him, "You're a liar." I could tell he was going to blow up again, so I spoke quickly, "I'll only talk to the Governor."

"How do you know about the Governor?"

"I'm not dumb." What I wanted to say was 'I'm not dumb like you.' That would have been playing with fire, and I really didn't want to lose another appendage. Not yet. I had to buy time for Michonne to get back to everyone and get them ready to come get us. I needed to drag everything out as long as possible. If I needed to lose a toe or a finger or anything I'd prefer putting it off as long as possible. "I'll talk to the Governor," my words were emotionless. He turned to leave but I spoke before he put his hand on the doorknob, "Then maybe you'll find him." I saw a slight nod before the door slammed. If things had been different I would have told him, even after what he did to me. I wanted to tell him. I wanted Daryl to get his brother back. I wanted to help them. But I couldn't. Things weren't that simple. Things were so complex and messed up, and there was no way to make it work. All I could do is wait this out, drag this out, and hope for the best.

They'll come for us.

They had to.

FUN FACT TIME: Originally, in my plot mapping this plot point was simply 'Fucking Woodbury.' Then I decided that I could make it both an ode to Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (one of my favorite movies by one of my favorite writers/directors) and a tribute to Mr. George Weasley (half of my favorite HP duo). So it all kind of worked out. :)

Question Time: What did you think of Annie's turn from good luck to horrible luck? Also, do you think Merle and her could have been friends or can be on some level? And finally, the Governor... What do you think Annie and his conversation will be like? I'd love to know!

Six days left! (I'm totally doing a marathon of the old seasons, it's been super illuminating)