AN: WOW! The last chapter received unprecedented amounts of love and I am so very humbled and grateful to you all. I want to explain that this chapter has taken so long because Im struggling a little with time while knitting myself to death on some tests I am doing, but fear not, we are almost at the end, unless some new great idea hits me between the eyes and it continues on! I am open to suggestions if you have them ;) Also, I need to address the current Caryl troll who is finding their way around the group these days. I want to thank you, munch, for my very first troll review. I was, indeed, feeling quite left out. If you'd caught me a number of years ago I might have been crushed, I might have sobbed (well, probably not, I'm not much of a crier at the best of times—at least, not about stupid shit like this), and might have hurried out of the fandom with my tail between my legs. Now, I think you're funny. Funny because you waste your precious time in life going and looking up stories you so obviously hate, just so you can flame the writers. Hell, I can barely find the time to read all the things I want to read, let alone find time to read things that make me sick (like Daryl/OC, Daryl/Beth or just Daryl/anyone that isn't Carol!) I truly have to wonder, what threatens you so much about Caryl? Are you secretly envious that this coupling actually has depth behind it, unlike any of the other made up ships for this show? The only ones that are canon Maggie/Glenn, Shane/Lori and Lori/Rick, and IMO, Daryl/Carol. To me it was confirmed when Glenn asks Daryl what they are supposed to tell her when he leaves with his brother. They didn't say, "What do we tell Hershel?" or "What do we tell Beth?" No, they all knew Carol would be devastated and Daryl didn't fight the knowledge. So, if you don't like the pairing, go talk to Kirkman about it and stop taking out your childish crap on writers here. You've lost the whole point of fanfiction. It is for fans and we can 'filter' which characters we want to read about for a reason. Hun, look into it!
Also, I don't own The Walking Dead. I think I forget to say that a lot. If anyone who does own the characters or rights to the show, please don't sue me. I am lowly and have nowhere near as much as you do ;)
Chapter Nine
Staring fearlessly into dark, nearly dead eyes as blood gurgled from the wound in his throat was quite possibly one of the most revolting experiences she'd ever had, thought Carol as she slowly lowered the gun. Desperate hands clawed at his own throat as the Governor tried helplessly to stem the flow, but the bullet had torn a hole straight through the soft tissue, leaving the flesh blackened, torn and gushing with fresh, red blood.
She took a step toward him, her eyes hard but her heart glad that this man was at last going to be dead, like the friends he'd killed in cold blood. "I'm going to watch you bleed out," she spat disdainfully, wondering briefly if such bloodthirsty revenge was going to put her on a fast track to Hell. She wasn't sure if God was keeping track anymore. "Then I'm going to watch you turn so that Daryl can stomp your head into oblivion. How do you like them apples, Governor?" The hatred she squeezed into his final title alone was enough to make the others in the room look at her twice.
She wasn't quite sure why she hadn't not shot him outright in the head, she'd never been the type to take pleasure in another's suffering—though if she'd been given the chance she might have been a little gleeful if Ed had suffered for any reason and there was the chance she wasn't going to be on the end of his bitter retribution.
It had to be pure insanity and force of will that kept him on his feet, and while he stood he took one agonising step after another, shuffling like a walker to get closer to her, and Carol slowly backed up, the gun raised once again toward him.
"Jesus Christ, Carol." Daryl pushed his way between them, snatched the gun out of her hands and knocked the Governor to the floor with a brutal elbow to his nose. The stomach-turning crunch echoed in the shack and the downed man curled up on the floor, howling and moaning like he was already turned. Daryl glared at her, all their earlier compatibility gone for what Carol could see. She knew it had been a risk, that bringing up Merle's death could drive a wedge between them, and even though she felt the sting of tears blinding her, blinking hard against them spilling, saving Daryl's life had been worth it, no matter what he might say.
He turned the gun on the other man that had been behind Carol. "Are we done now?" he asked and Carol watched as the Hispanic guy grinned and nodded. There was a strangled shout of fury from the floor and Daryl briefly turned, barely had the time to aim and shot the Governor in the head, dead centre between the eyes. Carol jumped as the boom of it ricocheted around the woods, just begging for walkers to come and investigate.
"Yeah, man. We're done."
Daryl nodded, tucking the gun into the waist of his pants before swinging his glare to the other man who had carefully re-entered the shack.
"You can hand me back my crossbow now an' don't ever fuckin' touch it again, you hear?" The slightly hysterical proclamation of possessiveness shocked Carol a little. She knew Daryl prized his weapon almost above anything else, but this level of hatred toward this particular man reeked of a history she was unaware of. And, he sounded like he was barely balancing on some kind of edge and knew she was to blame for it. Bringing up Merle just made his loss all the more raw, too immediate and he'd never shared any of his grief with anyone, let alone allowed himself to feel it in company.
"As for you," he spat angrily as he turned toward her, jabbing his finger hard into her breastbone. She shrunk back, her heart squeezing painfully at the wild look in his eyes. "I'm tellin' myself you've got a head injury so I don't haul off and beat your ass. Only way I can convince myself why you'd act like such a fuckin' dumbass in the first place. I had it handled." He broke contact with her gaze and paced away from her, kicking the dead body on the floor before spinning almost in a circle. "Fuck," he spat and then fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands briefly before bracing the floor as he leaned forward and heaved for air.
"Daryl? You're scarin' me." She was scared, or quite possibly terrified. She'd been afraid of the Governor and then she'd turned it into something stronger so she could have the confidence to do what she needed to do, but Daryl breaking down right in front of her was something she never thought she'd witness. The only time in comparison was when he'd thought he'd lost his brother at the quarry and her hands shook, wondering if she'd shattered him completely.
You really are a dumbass, ain'tcha, Merle chuckled into her ear. You caused this, little darlin', but it ain't got shit to do with me.
He'd been afraid for her. As dawning awareness hit her about just how deeply he felt for her, she smiled. He looked up right at that moment and the frown on his face turned a hundred shades darker. His eyes were stormy and his expression so thunderous that her smile slid from her lips in record time and she actually took a step back away from him.
His gaze swept across the shack, looked once more at their beaten enemy and he spat on the body, his contempt making him even more fearful, and now with his crossbow in his hands he looked damned near terrifying. His countenance had stepped up to furious and he aimed it at the two men, still standing and watching them with some kind of expectation that Carol didn't understand.
"Can you take us back to the car we abandoned at the Motel?"
It was more than obvious as he asked them the question that it wasn't a question at all, not with his loaded crossbow pointed at the guy with the dreadlocks while he locked his steady, hate-filled glare on the Hispanic one, the gun pointed at his head. She wasn't quite certain of the etiquette about a situation like this, but she thought Daryl might not be seeing things as clearly as he could, so she stood in his line of fire and reached her hand out to the guy who had made sure her hands weren't tied as tight as the Governor had meant them to be. They would have been dead without these two planning a mutiny.
"I just wanted to say thanks, for not trussing us up like turkeys." She smiled, but it was a shaky one. She didn't know these men, only that they'd been the Governor's right and left hands, a position no doubt Merle had employed before he'd had to run for his and Daryl's lives.
"Sweetheart, you're welcome," he replied, his big, warm hand engulfing hers as he squeezed it slightly too hard to be comfortable and with a shit-eating grin plastered to his face. "I'm Caesar Martinez, in case you want to cast off your friend there and take a ride with us."
"Well, thanks for the offer, but I'm happy where I am."
Daryl growled at her back, his hand clamping tightly around her elbow and yanking her back. "Have you lost your fucking mind? These assholes have been tryin' to kill us."
You think happy might have been an overstatement, sugar? Baby brother's 'bout ready to eat you alive.
Without any trouble at all Carol could hear the glee behind Merle's voice in her head and she wondered how, with all that was holy, she'd been gifted with the miracle of having him still existing somehow and speaking to her of all people. He was right, though. Daryl wasn't happy, and so it was going to be a bit of a stretch to believe she was going to reach that state anytime soon, especially if she'd destroyed whatever they'd formed while on the run and he turned his back on her for good. The possibility of never having his arms around her again made her shake. Trembling fingers settled across his at her elbow and with her soft touch she hoped to convey some kind of peace toward him.
"I haven't forgotten," she said, keeping her words low and focused only on him. "But they helped save us, too. I just wanted to acknowledge that. I'm celebrating being alive, Daryl."
He didn't say a word, didn't even acknowledge that she'd spoken, breaking his hold on her arm and in effect, pulling away from her touch. He slung his crossbow across his shoulder and stomped out of the cabin, leaving her to trail behind him like a chastened puppy. He opened the door of the SUV that had hit them at the crossroads and before she got in she noticed the small crumpled damage to the front fender. Her hand drifted to her head. The blood was drying and her brain felt a little bruised but she pushed it to the back of her mind as she shuffled across the seat and put on the belt. She'd learnt her lesson—even in the end of days when you could go a lifetime without seeing another car on the road, a girl had to put safety first.
Daryl slid onto the seat beside her, slamming the door and finally it hit her that he'd been on the side of the car that had been hit. As the other two men slid into the front of the vehicle, she risked Daryl's anger and reached for his hand, just brushing her fingers across his in case he pulled away again. Instead, he turned his hand over and clasped her fingers between his, squeezing gently.
"Are you okay? Were you hurt in the crash?"
"Been worse," he admitted, his voice a low rumble that shot straight to her heart.
Carol was lost in his gaze, her body flushing into a gentle heat as he peered questioningly at her.
"How 'bout you? Your head all right?"
Carol grinned, quietly confident that things would be okay as soon as they could get rid of their two chaperones.
"I thought you figured I was brain damaged to do what I did."
Daryl snorted and looked out the window, but he kept her hand in his. "Only explanation for a dumbass move like that."
"I don't know, champ," Martinez interjected from the front. "Looked a whole lot like your girl was trying to protect you. Ladies in love do lots of weird shit."
Both of them thought straight away of Andrea and Carol squeezed his hand even tighter, feeling sick that the words had entered into the air and she wasn't denying them and Daryl wasn't acknowledging them.
"Maybe ya'll need to shut your damn mouths before I shut 'em for ya."
"Come on, man. Just makin' conversation. It's gonna be at least two or three hours to get back to your car."
"Don't need to hear your voice right now, shit for brains. I'm tired, hungry and really fucking irritated, so just shut the hell up."
The black guy shot Martinez an amused grin and Carol tensed.
"So what were you two doing out here all alone in the first place? You runnin' away from your group?" Martinez asked after a few minutes of blissful quiet.
Daryl answered with a growl. "Ain't none of your damn business."
"Just curious, is all."
The thumping in her head was back, Carol realised as their voices bounced back and forth in the vehicle, pushing her slowly into madness as the endless arguing of children came to mind. Fatigue seemed to suddenly swamp her limbs, everything falling lax even while Carol struggled to uphold her head. The air seemed to bristle around her, and feeling panic seep into her heart, Carol squeezed harder on Daryl's hand, barely having the time to register if he responded or shrugged her off before a strange sensation settled over her completely. A burst of red exploded behind her eyes and she whimpered, the pain so great that her stomach roiled. Her body slumped sideways and before she could right herself, everything went dark.