Disclaimer: Seraphim Chance is my creation, so are the other OC's contained in this story; Luke Chance and Chris Church. Daryl and the rest of the cast belong to TWD and AMC. I borrow them without permission so I can give my muse some exercise and get these plot ideas out of my head before I go crazy!

Notes:: Content Warnings for this chapter: contains Sexual Assault, might be triggering for some readers.

Just a little more angsty bit before we can get to the make up fluff...well...not really fluff...I mean Come On peeps. It's Daryl Dixon!...Daryl doesn't do fluff. :P

Chapter Sixty-Two

(Fin's POV)

He's gone the next morning.

Of course he is.

I don't think even a small part of me is surprised by that fact when Rick mentions it; right in front of Luke and Chris too.

I bite the inside of my cheek, shrug like I don't care.

Breakfast tastes bland and I don't have much stomach for it. Find myself staring at the ground, listening to Luke talk to Rick and Glenn casually from my right. Chris chatting up Beth a few feet away, she laughs at something he says. I should tell her to be careful.

Not that it matters. We'll be gone soon.

Carol tries to speak to me after Rick and Glenn leave, I wave her off with a quick: "I'm fine."

I can't talk to her about Daryl with Luke sitting right here, maybe not even if we were alone.

I can't even meet her eyes, not with her knowing everything that was said last night; they all know.

It's too mortifying to even put into words.

But I wont have to deal it soon.

Her lips tighten, eyes narrow thoughtfully but then Chris is at my side taking my elbow with a grin, telling me we're going to go spar with Luke and Beth of all people; and I turn away from her following his lead.

I stop a few steps later Chris lets his go of my elbow after a second of hesitation when I turn back; but he stands there staring at me as I walk back to Carol; press a brief hug to her whispering soft and unsteady; "Thank you for everything, take care of Mika," before spinning back around.

At least I can do that.

We spar for almost a two hours, it's lighter today; both Luke and I are sore and stiff and Beth knows next to nothing.

If I was staying I could change that; she's shockingly defenseless. It makes my stomach knot with anxiety even while I try to remind myself that it's not my job to look out for Beth.

Luke is right; I don't owe these people anything.

It doesn't make me feel any better.

Eventually Beth slips up; too busy trying to impress Chris to really pay attention. I cringe looking at her bleeding nose. It's either broken or she's never had a bloody nose before judging by the tears.

"Jeeze! God I'm so sorry!" Luke frets over her offering to take her back upstairs, he's always had a soft spot for crying girls… Judging by his tight expression he's probably wondering whether Rick or Glenn are going to kick his ass first for returning the little blonde bloodied up. I consider warning him that it's probably going to be Maggie; but I bite my tongue.

They start to head back Luke still apologizing profusely even with Beth assuring him in a thick voice that it's okay, it was just an accident.

"You need me to go with you?" Chris doesn't look ready to follow them though, still facing me. He's been sparring with me for the last twenty minutes at least. I honestly could use a break. I'm getting sick of practicing moves when all his hand holds and releases feel more like caresses. They linger just a little too long making my stomach twist in revulsion.

It's always been like that with Chris, but after everything that's happened…it makes my skin crawl.

"I'm done too." I back away.

"Oh come on, don't quit yet." Chris placates me with a pout.

"I'm tired, Chris, and I'm sore." But more than anything, I want to get away from him. I just don't want him to touch me anymore.

"Fine let's go read a book or something, gonna take Luke a hot minute to patch Beth up anyways."

"You shouldn't have asked her to join us." I'm positive Beth wouldn't have asked to spar if she wasn't trying to get Chris's attention; or if he hadn't suggested it. It's so like him.

"Hey, she wanted to!"

"She's wholly unprepared to spar like this!" I frown over my shoulder at him.

"All the more reason to show her some moves."

I snort. We're back inside the fence now, it's dark on this level. I can feel Chris's footfalls behind me on the concrete.

"I need a shower." I do, but more so I just need some space the hell away from Chris. The shower is someplace he can't follow me.

"Sounds great."

I cringe at his tone. "Fine. You can go first."

"We can go together…"

My heart stops. "Get your hands off me."

"Come on Finny; you lost your damn precious V-card to that complete nobody; Luke told me all about it. So why don't you loosen up for once in your damn life."

More humiliation pours through me, twists under my ribcage. "I Said Let Go!"

My back is suddenly against the wall my skull connects so hard my teeth click painfully; copper fills my mouth. I must have bitten my tongue…

Chris's mouth presses to mine, his face is scratchy and rough I shove at him in a blind panic wrenching my head to the side. His mouth slides over my neck instead, one hand squeezing me painfully through my shirt.

I try to pull my knee up to shove him back, but he's stronger than me…has had the same training…they're always stronger than me…it all floods back to me in a single terrifying second; closes off the air in my throat, strangling off my scream.

That night in the woods…the thick northern and jersey accents while they taunted me laying bound and helpless in the dirt…Caleb's hands pinning me down; his cruel smirk before he bent to run his tongue down the side of my neck while Robert laughed…flailing uselessly against Eli's hold. Kyle's grip on my wrists so tight it feels like the bones in my wrists are rubbing together… so painful I was certain they were breaking. He squeezed the delicate bones together so hard it took several minutes to get the feeling back into my fingers after that grip loosened; when Daryl stopped them…but Daryl isn't here…

He left me.

God.

A sob tears out of me.

He didn't want me just like Luke said…

He left me.

Fear claws up my throat. I jerk and twist reeling when Chris's elbow comes down smashing into my cheekbone. Red and white flashes across my vision blurring the darkness. He's stronger than me.

Panic assails me.

They're always stronger…I gasp for air flooded with pain and terror, twisting and getting nowhere still. Brain floundering trying to think of a way out of this…saving myself is my only hope.

They may all be stronger…but I'm smarter.

I force myself to relax, lean into Chris's chest and temper the sound of revulsion at his hand sliding under my shirt into one that might pass for desire.

It works. His grip changes, still rough-painful but now he's trying to pull open my pants, hot breath against my ear making me shudder in disgust unable to stop my body from curling away from the sensation in revulsion.

Bile rises in my throat, blood rushes in my ears while I fight to think…fight to control my reactions…I have to think, I can't panic: no one is coming to save me.

"So that's how you like it huh? Rough? Just like a dirty whore; should have known. You're just pretending to be a good girl. You're a God Damn cock tease! You let that guy fuck you like this? Does this turn you on?" His hand fists in my hair, jerking my head so far back I can't swallow; my eyes water. I grunt in pain when it pulls my aching shoulder.

"Get on your knees."

Fear slams into me tenfold, tears bloom in my eyes, not that he can see them in the dark…especially with his hands shoving me down to the cold hard concrete floor in front of him…his fingers digging into the small gauze square still taped under my collar.

I inhale sharply try to use the pain to focus my fear, plan the exact sequence of moves I'll need. Grateful for the dark, I can use it to my advantage now.

I wait until his belt is open, until he's distracted; hands working on his pants before I strike. I drop back onto the concrete kicking straight up; slamming my boot up as hard as I can where it will do the most damage.

He doubles forward still trying to grab for me but I'm darting between his legs twisting and kicking the back of his knees. He crashes to the floor with a painful grunt, wheezing in agony. I clasp my hands together and slam my fist into his back, driving him down onto his stomach. I stand and kick him in the side as he rolls over; exposing his face.

My mind goes blank to anything but the images that have haunted me for too long in my nightmares; those nameless faces in the woods flashing right alongside Caleb and Robert and Kyle and Eli….and now Chris…

Chris who was supposed to be Luke's best friend…my friend…

It stops now.

I drive my fist into his face over and over until he stops moving, he's still breathing though…I didn't kill him.

I bolt up off the floor; run blindly from the room, fleeing recklessly through the back section toward the hallway mind completely blank of any plan beyond putting distance between us as fast as possible. I push open the door twisting to check behind me; make sure he isn't following me before slamming full force into Carol.

She barely manages to brace herself and me before we both crash to the ground.

"Seraphim! What the Hell is…" She stops taking in my face. "Fin?" Her hands lock around my arms.

I'm shaking.

"Fin, what happened?"

I can't stop shaking…

I raise my blood soaked hand to my mouth press it there try to swallow down the wounded sound clawing its way up my throat, keep it contained...

Carol's eyes widen taking in my bloody split knuckles. Her hands slide up my arms wrapping around my back pulling me close to her chest.

She feels warm and safe…I collapse against her sobbing.

:: Walking Dead ::