Song of the Day: Lullaby- Nickelback
Yes, I love Nickelback so just don't even start! ;)
I sat outside in a tree tonight thinking about what to write next and these next two chapters are what came to mind. Nothing like a foggy, moonlit Missouri night out in the pasture to help with writer's block! :D
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Daryl hadn't slept at all that night. He knew he needed to, knew he was mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted...but how could he sleep knowing his daughter was in the hands of strangers of obvious ill intent? How could he sleep knowing his marriage was probably ruined by one rash move? He tossed and turned and eventually made peace with sharpening his knife, cleaning his guns, checking the quality of his arrows, waxing his bowstrings...until he decided he was wasting time and couldn't possibly sit back and wait anymore. He stood up with a growl and went to work on concealing his handgun, buck knife and another knife which he stuck in his left boot for extra security, then he grabbed his bow and strapped it to the motorcycle behind him before mounting up and bringing it roaring to life, the sound reflective of his own attitude right now.
He hesitated for a moment, his mind telling him to go and tell Carol his plan, to say to her face the things he'd told Andrea to say...but he shook his head and sighed, knowing she probably wasn't in any mood to speak to him, not to mention he didn't want to risk being discovered and having Rick order him to stay...not that he would anyway. No, right now all that mattered was getting Sophia back safe...then he would decide what to do about Carol.
He walked the bike a little ways before he revved up and headed towards the road, turning to the right and heading along it until he came to the slightly overgrown gravel road a few miles down. The night was cold, but the moon and stars were bright and clear in a cloudless sky and he was glad of it because he was going to need the light for what he was planning. He roared down the gravel road for quite some time, judging the distance carefully, before he finally turned off the headlight and killed the engine and pushed the bike off the road into the trees. He unstrapped his crossbow, shouldered his quiver of arrows and continued his way along the road as silent as a shadow, his mind focused solely on one thing: he was getting his daughter back and he would kill anyone who got in his way.
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The camp was silent, that much he could see from his vantage point behind the branches of a large fallen oak tree right on the edge of the gorge where the thirty plus tents were pitched, along with one semi truck cab. His trigger finger itched anxiously, every inch of him just screaming at him to get down there and kill all those motherfuckers and get Sophia home...but his hunter's instincts appealed to his more reasonable side and told him silence and caution were going to aid him much more than impulsiveness. So he stayed there, crouched in the shadow of the fallen tree, watching the three men he'd spotted on the borders of the camp walk back and forth along the perimeter on their night watch, his keen eyes searching for a way past them. He was considering an area to the rear of the camp where a copse of trees jutted out into the gorge, he could sneak into them and possibly make it past the guards in that direction but the only problem was that he had no idea where Sophia was being kept! He bit his bottom lip in silent frustration and continued watching the camp carefully, knowing he had to try something soon before the sun came up and took away the element of surprise and his shady cover.
Finally, he took a deep breath and slipped silently along the side of the gorge towards the trees, which he followed down the slope to the opening of the gorge where he waited in their cover to get a feel for his new position, looking for any sign of Sophia as he crouched there.
Alright, Daryl...let's get her back.
Daryl took a deep breath and let it out slowly through his lips before slipping out of the cover of the trees in a hunter's crouch, crossbow raised and ready as he made his way across a patch of moonlight to melt into the shadow of one of the tents. So far, so good.
He listened closely to the tent, listening to the breathing of the men inside and tried to hear anything that sounded like the softer breathing of Sophia. Carefully, he cut a small hole in the canvas and peeked through to be sure but there were only two men inside, sprawled out and snoring slightly so he moved carefully across the next open space to the tent on the right and did the same thing, but found almost the exact same thing inside. He started to think she was closer to the center of the camp in one of the bigger tents so he began to formulate a plan to reach the main tent in the center without being spotted. Carefully, he slid out from between the two tents he'd checked and crept across to the next circle of tents a few feet forward from the outer circle.
He finally managed to make it into the inner ring and he eyed the large tent in the very middle cautiously, wondering how he could sneak in and get his daughter out without waking anyone up or alerting the guards...but he didn't have time to be worried or afraid and he made his way forward carefully, crouching by the entrance with his crossbow raised and his buck knife clutched in his steadying hand in case he had to go hand to hand then he slashed the doorway open quietly and looked inside. It was completely empty.
Suddenly, the whole gorge was filled with flashlight beams and a spotlight from the semi cab focused on him, blinding him when he spun around in shock. He heard shouts from all directions and he took aim at the first person he saw and let his arrow fly, feeling a sick sense of pleasure as the bolt buried deep in the man's chest. Immediately, Daryl pulled the string back and placed a bolt on it, lifting and taking another shot, this time it was a man with a flashlight and his over stimulated mind was grateful for one less light shining in his eyes. But that was all he could manage with the bow and he soon let it drop at his feet and he pulled the handgun from his pants and began popping off carefully calculated rounds into the approaching mass of angry men, a sick, delighted madness began to flood his body as his mind told him he wasn't going to make it out alive but he was damn well gonna put a dent in their numbers. When the handgun clicked empty he dropped it and went into a defensive crouch, holding the buck knife and the knife from his boot in his hands, ready to take down anyone who came close enough.
After a few angry, fierce slashes and some aggressive jabs, Daryl found himself swarmed by the crowd and he was on his knees in the dew soaked grass in a matter of seconds, firm and ruthless hand clamped on his shoulders and in his hair, pulling his head back roughly. He glared daggers at the faces hidden in shadow as his eyes struggled to focus in the brightness of the spotlight. But then he heard something that made him go into a state of utter confusion...clapping?
"Well done there, ya little bastard. Took out a nice chunk o' my men...like a Dixon oughta."
Oh god...that voice had haunted his nightmares since the quarry. It couldn't be, could it? His suspicions were confirmed when the spotlight was cut off by a figure that stepped in front of it.
"Merle," Daryl said grimly, his tone was cold. He kept his face clear of emotion, especially fear.
"Well, hey there, Darylena," Merle's lips lifted in a wicked smile that made Daryl almost want to jump up and knock those teeth right out of his mouth. "I've been expecting ya, surprised you didn't show up a lot sooner."
"You've got my daughter, you bastard," Daryl said darkly, "Just give her to me and I'll get out of your hair. I don't want no trouble."
Merle looked like he was thinking something over, but he gave a little whistle and then pointed at the semi cab where a young man opened the door and jumped down, a bound and gagged Sophia in his arms. He stood her on her feet and stayed just outside of the spotlight's glow, but even from there Daryl could see the fear on the girl's face as she stared at him with wide eyes. He gave her a slight smile before glaring up at Merle who had come to crouch beside him as the men holding him down grabbed his wrists and held them at his back.
"Now, here's the deal, little brother," Merle's voice was silky smooth, like a lawyer or a crooked cop might sound. "We've taken real good care of her, ain't harmed a hair on her head."
"Give her to me and I'll promise the same to you," Daryl threatened quietly. "But if you don't let her go, I won't even bat an eye when I kill every last mother fucker in this camp."
"Where'd ya get that spunk, little brother?" Merle laughed, clapping Daryl on the shoulder almost like he was genuinely pleased. "It's like ya grew a pair after ya left me to die in Atlanta."
"I went back for ya, you piece of shit," Daryl growled loudly, "All ya had to do was wait, or go back to the quarry after you took our van. YOU are the one who left, not me!"
"Looks like ya handled yourself pretty well," Merle commented, "Except I think, by the looks of it, you're pussywhipped. I seem t' remember this little spawn from the quarry...the mousy abused woman, right? Good plan to go for the weak ones, they don't fight back as hard as someone like that blonde lawyer bitch."
"She ain't weak," Daryl's muscles tensed angrily as he felt that defensive protectiveness rise in his body, "She's the strongest woman in our group."
Merle chuckled in amusement and stood up, looking down at Daryl and shaking his head.
"You really are whipped, ain't ya?" he asked, "Let me ask ya somethin', Darylena...what's that little girl worth to ya?"
Daryl squinted angrily up at his brother, wondering where this was going.
"What do you want?" he asked carefully.
Merle jerked his head and the young man with his hand on Sophia's shoulder suddenly shoved her forward, causing her to stumble and fall forward, her palms connecting hard with the ground as she tried to steady herself. Daryl felt white hot rage shoot through him and he struggled like a crazy person against his holders but they dragged him down with no problems.
"I told you not to hurt her," Daryl heard Merle's cold, dangerous voice and he looked up just in time to see Merle embed the blade attached to his stump into the man's stomach. He watched the young man fall to the ground and writhe around in the grass, moaning and howling in pain as he slowly bled out...and Daryl was glad to see it.
"What's your angle, Merle!?" Daryl's patience was gone. He wanted loose, he wanted to rush to his little girl and hold onto her, shielding her from the men in this gorge, to take her home and hand her over to Carol and see the thankfulness in her eyes...maybe even forgiveness as well. "I'm sick of your pussy footin' around!"
"My boys here have decided to make for the coastline," Merle stated grimly, glaring at the group around him, "It's a dumbass plan, but it's what they all want. Well, I ain't going along on a suicide decision...so I'm rejoining our good ol' group under that dumb ass Shane guy."
"Shane ain't in charge," Daryl growled, shaking his head, "And Rick'll never let you back in the group...and neither will I."
Merle rolled his eyes and crouched in front of Daryl, gripping his jaw almost painfully tight and giving his head a shake as he chuckled darkly.
"See, little brother...ya don't have much of a choice here," he explained, looking over his shoulder at Sophia. "I'm comin' back this mornin' with ya and your pretty little girl over there...or my boys here'll do me one last favor and take out your entire little beloved group by nightfall. Including your little ragdoll, second hand whore."
"Fuck you!" Daryl snapped angrily, "You touch her and I'll slit your fuckin' throat!"
Merle's eyes darkened at that and Daryl felt that familiar fear deep down inside come crawling out from behind the wall of strength Carol and Andrea and Rick and Sophia and everyone who'd helped him become who he was now. It reared its ugly head over that wall and Daryl's min flooded with images of Merle's drunken fists connecting with his already bruised and shredded body from facing Pa and Ma, images of being slammed into the wall by his shirt collar for even suggesting that Merle had had enough drugs or booze for the night. The look Merle was giving him now was the same as the look he'd had back then, only the drug induced haze was absent from his blue eyes.
"I've made my offer," Merle said, his tone dangerously low and serious, "Make your choice."
Daryl dropped his eyes to the grass and took a few deep, steadying breaths...but then he raised his eyes and met Merle's without a speck of fear.
"Let me go," he stated firmly, "And you can come back with me."
And just like that, like nothing had ever happened, he felt all the angry hands holding onto him release and he fell forward on his hands and knees. But he was on his feet in a split second and he scrambled to Sophia, lifting her to her feet and immediately working the knots on her wrist loose and removing the gag.
"Daddy!" Sophia's sobbing voice cut right into his heart and as soon as the ropes were off her hands he knelt down and pulled her into him tightly, pressing his lips to her temple as she sobbed into his shoulder.
"Did they hurt ya?" he asked seriously, praying silently that nothing had happened to her beside just being tied, gagged and terrified. Thankfully, she shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes bravely.
"No, they...they didn't hurt me at all," she sniffed sadly as she clutched onto him firmly. He pushed her away gently to get a good look at her.
"Ok," he said soothingly, "It's gonna be ok, we're going home."
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Daryl and Sophia walked silently along the gravel road together toward the spot where Daryl had stashed the bike away in the woods, Merle was sending his mob of people on their way East and would meet them on the road in a minute or so. He actually pulled up in a dirt caked Chevy Silverado the exact moment Daryl spotted the marker he'd left to show him the way to where the bike was hidden.
"Good t' see ya took care of my baby," Merle commented upon seeing the bike. Daryl eyed the machine with furrowed eyebrows, he hadn't even thought about the fact that he'd have to give it up now...it was Merle's, after all.
"I told ya I didn't give up on ya," Daryl muttered darkly, mounting up for what he thought would very well be his last ride on it. He motioned for Sophia to get on behind him and he smiled when her arms slid around his waist and held on tight. For a moment, despite the present circumstances and the unexpected addition of their newest comrade, despite Merle's threats and temper, despite what he'd have to face when he got back to the farm, and despite his fear of facing Carol and trying to repair them...he felt, for just a moment, that everything was going to be ok.
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Yes, I had to add Merle to the story because...well, I freaking LOVE Merle!
Give me your thoughts, what you want to see in further chapters, how Merle's going to fit in, etc. Feedback spurs my desire to write faster and better so send it my way :D