Five
Sorry for taking so long with this chapter. The past month has been extremely hectic. I start school in two weeks. Super excited. I really am. I promise.
Darkness fell over the tiny convenient store fast that night. Everyone capable had been taking turns keeping watch, and now it was Daryl's turn. He looked over at a now-sleeping June and managed a small laugh. She seemed less angry at him now that she was completely unconscious, and he liked it like that. For the past two hours, Daryl had been sitting with the girl, trying to get her to like him, or at least talk to him. It hadn't been going as planned.
It was about an hour into Daryl's watch. He'd walked around the tiny store multiple times now, making sure all the windows and doors were tightly shut and secure. They'd lost so many people so far. They didn't need to lose anymore. Sighing, Daryl sank down onto the floor, his head pressed firmly against the wall. First Merle, now Beth. He couldn't keep anyone safe. Why did Rick, Michonne, Carl… Why did any of them trust him with their lives? Daryl couldn't help the terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach just thinking about what would happen if he lost any of these people. He would surely be a failure if he couldn't keep them safe now. Sighing, he pushed himself up again and continued to walk around the store.
Strolling around the isle where June lay, he looked down at her. Her eyes were closed tightly, as her small hands were balled up into fists. She was twitching every so often and quietly whispering something that Daryl couldn't quite make out. Suddenly, she began to scream.
"NO! NO PLEASE!" Daryl bent down next to her, trying to shake her awake.
"June. June, wake up! You're just having a bad dream!" He yelled gruffly.
Her eyes opened frantically and she clutched the front of Daryl's shirt. Wide-eyed with fear, June stared at Daryl for what seemed like an eternity, and slowly, tears began to roll down her cheeks as the room filled with silence.
"Something happened. At Terminus. Something that none of you… know." She whispered softly.
Looking away from him, her fingers still tangled up in his shirt, June shook her head as she thought about the terrible things she'd ensued.
"Please," Daryl grabbed her hands. "Tell me. We can… try to help you."
June managed a laugh, her gaze still glued to the floor. "No one can help what's already been done."
Her eyes trailed up to his. He was pleading silently with her now. Nodding, June sighed. "We came to Terminus what seemed like ages ago. We'd just lost… so many in our group. A herd came and took out nearly half of us. We were completely lost. Gareth had found us on the train tracks. I was throwing up because of the dehydration. He carried me all the way there, my group following behind. We got to Terminus and… it was like a dream. They took us in, fed us, gave us new clothes. I woke up and my brother was smiling. I hadn't seen him smile in months. The people there put us to work, making baskets and cooking meat. Gareth and I… were really, really close. We had started living again.
"Then, one day, Gareth said that he had a surprise for me. He brought me into that room that you had found me in, and there was my family, tied up, kneeling in front of a huge feeding post. Gareth tied me up, sat me down in a chair, and slit their throats in front of me. My brother… was the only one I didn't watch die. They said that we'd already eaten him the night before. They started cutting them up, and taking the meat off of them. Gareth whipped me so many times, I lost track. He burned me with cigarettes and… cut me.
"They cooked them that night. At first, they were only making me watch as they ate in front of me. But Gareth had said how 'inhumane' it was to not feed me and…" Suddenly, June was crying in Daryl's arms, her head buried in his shoulder.
She sobbed the rest of the night and into the morning, until there were no tears left in her. Daryl wasn't sure if he was grateful that she'd told him, or scared shitless. He was not going to let those sick people find her. He promised her that.