Trigger warning: mentions of rape and violence
Carol's eyes flew up at his words and she felt her lip curl. Heart pounding she moved to him jerking him forward and away from the fence. He grunted as she manhandled him to his feet but moved easily for her. The fatigue and pain in his movements was blatant and she could almost taste it in the air. He wasn't going to be able to fight these people if it came down to it.
Her eyes sought him out as he staggered into a tree bracing himself against it. He was panting looking down his head bowed and his chest heaving. Any other time the sight of him half dressed, sweaty, blood soaked, and panting would have her ready to throw herself at him; it almost did now. Yet she found herself sliding her knife free of the sheath listening as someone came closer. He was hers and she made a promise to herself and him, to Merle! She would protect him no matter what.
"Because Gareth said so!" Someone barked close by, "He couldn't have gotten far."
"He got far enough to kill Mary, Todd, and Alex." The other person muttered. "He wasn't as weak as Gareth said."
Carol looked over her shoulder knowing that when they got to the clear spot Daryl had hit the ground at he'd be visible. She would sooner see the world burn then see him come to harm. Moving quick she forced herself to breathe and left him there. Each step away from her was like she was driving her own knife into the bone, through the marrow and piercing her own heart. It was agonizing and she wanted to scream. She could almost feel a flinch from him as if he felt her pain and forced another breath. He would be there when she got back, he was some darling in distress.
Carol grasped the sturdier part of the fence and climbed as quietly as she could. She needed a head start on these people and this would give her that. They were looking for Daryl. Someone specific wanted him and she'd be goddamned. Landing lightly on her feet she stayed crouch where she was. There were stacked pallets and she smiled hearing the boots. They'd just passed her and were careless. They were sloppy and their insistent chatter had covered the slight clang and clink of the fence as she'd made it over.
Carol stepped out felt her lip curl again as she forced her breathing even. Daryl needed her and she needed to think clearly. She couldn't let that red haze take over, not right now. She could almost imagine Merle right there next to her with that feral gleam that's always been apart of the Dixon mens eyes. He'd enjoy this. He would have killed everyone in this group just to make a point when it came to his brother. Then he would hunt Rick Grimes down and beat him mercilessly. He wouldn't stop there and she wouldn't have been inclined to stop him and for that matter she was sure that Daryl wouldn't be either. He'd broke Daryl's trust so many times before and every time he'd come to her his eyes angry and hard glinting with teasing bits of the animal inside. No, he wouldn't help Rick not anymore.
Her grip on the knives was tacky coated with Daryl's blood and those she'd already killed. Knowing his blood was on her handles done something inside her and that fissure from before split and shook inside her. Her steps picked up and she ignored the crunch of gravel below her feet. These men were hunting Daryl and she was hunting them.
"You think we'll find some women soon? The last group had some."
Carol slowed slightly darting behind more pallets and listened. Her chest heaved. These men were pigs.
"We could have a good time tenderizing them." The other man leered.
Renewing her grip on the knife as their laughter rang loudly around. She felt her chest pull in the direction Daryl was and a slight scrape. His knees must have buckled sending him to the ground. The thought caused pain the spear through her and she stepped out. She walked cleanly up behind both men. The one that was clearly the follower was her target. Her knife danced in her grip like the way Daryl's always did. She'd gotten the habit from him after watching him. He was always messing with his knives. Whether he was cleaning his nails, eating off it, killing something, or doing an intricate dance with them in his hand.
Her knife slid through his temple and he went down without a word. The other man made a small yelping noise as his friend fell into him without a word. His side ways fall let her knife exit him with ease and she watched in interest as the blood puddled around him. She was aware that the man next to her was attempting to draw his weapon on her. Her hand snapped out catching around his wrist. She moved quick sliding her hand across the weapon between the hammer before he could try to fire the pistol. He seemed stunned but only for a second and she pivoted away from the elbow he threw at her.
She was use to fighting much quicker and bigger men. Daryl had worked with her since the moment they got to the farm and never stopped. Her lip curled and she snarled a low rumbling sound exiting her throat as his eyes met hers. They were wild with panic. It took a second for her to register the sound she was hearing but when she did she smiled at him. It was her laughter and she watched as his face paled.
He swung at her again but she stepped into his space making his attempt feeble. When she was close enough she grabbed his gun again when she brought it back up. She caught his wrist while her other hand caught around the grip and his own. She released the magazine the same time she spun followed by a flurry of curses. Her elbow was thrown roughly into him and she slammed her boot heel down on his own foot and he cried out. He released his gun and she snatched it cocking the barrel and ejecting the chambered round. She let it drop and her hand gripped his slight hair and slammed her knee up into his face. He fell without preamble.
Carol's chest heaved and she looked around quickly for anyone coming for her. Both men were at her feet. She seen no one and took one look at the bastard at her feet. His chest was rising and falling quickly. Blood was thick around her boot and splashed all along her pants legs where she'd fought the man right over his dead friend. She looked to where Daryl would be and made a decision. Carol caught the man around his wrist and started dragging him. He was about the size of Glenn and she huffed at him. The people here were a joke. They weren't hardened and use to having to fight. From his reaction to her she knew that a woman that fought was something new.
When she got the fence she kicked at the base of it and broke it look from its anchoring. She was starting the feel a wealth of panic for Daryl. The fight was loud and he'd been on the verge of blacking out. If someone or something came up on him he'd be defenseless. Kicking even harder she shoved the unconscious man against the fence and kicked and shoved even more. He went under and she watched as the fence tore at him and she chuckled. Served him right.
There was a satisfaction in watching these men fall so easily. Daryl would have been proud. She could remember hours of him barking at her to work harder, to fight harder, to stop being a bitch and fight. Hours spent with him doing the exact thing she'd just done to this man. She never was able to truly best Daryl but then Daryl had spent his entire life with Merle grinding any weakness from his bones and a father who would have just as quickly jerked his belt free at the first sign of failure.
Vaulting over the fence she landed next to the man but left him and rushed to Daryl. He was slumped at the base of the tree and the knowledge hit her that she'd been aware that he'd went down. Carol straddled his thighs bracing herself and keeping her weight off him. Her hand cupped his cheek. His chest was rising and falling slowly and she tugged at his hair.
"Daryl."
He huffed but cracked his eyes open. His eyes swept over her before meeting her own again, "Carol."
She smiled but his voice was off. Something was rolling underneath. It was like the ocean as it starts to pitch when a storm is nearing. It was dark and deep. He shifted his hand gripping her hip as his other hand lifted and his fingers slid over her throat. She felt the slight tacky smudge and knew he was smearing the blood there.
"Are you hurt?"
Carol watched his eyes. The once cerulean eyes that haunted her since the quarry were matching the deep blue sea.
"I'm alive."
He studied her eyes and that glint was there like all the times before but not as hidden away. She felt like she was really seeing his eyes for the first time. He didn't look away from her but his nostrils flared and he sneered.
"Your pets waking up."
She was up and moving before he could say anything else. "I need your belt."
He was up next to her. The man had an unheard energy reserve and stamina. She didn't question where it was coming from; but just let it soothe her in a way nothing had since the prison that he was on his feet of his own accord. He was jerking his belt open and off violently. Her breath hitched at the barely restrained rage fighting to escape with every movement.
Carol kicked the man over on to his stomach and shoved him against the fence. Daryl held the belt out to her and she took it easily. It was warm as it slid through her hands. There was a trail of blood on her hands from it and she was reminded she needed to look him over again. He was silent next to her but his presence was loud and wrapping around her. That tether before snapped and sparked causing her to brush up against him almost like a cat before stepping over to the man again.
Carol gripped the man's jaw tight and wrapped the belt through the fence quickly and caught his throat. His eyes snapped open and he made to grab her- instinctively flinching back from but his arm was caught before it ever got there. Daryl's grip was bruising as he wrenched the man's arm and forced him further into the fence. Carol jerked the belt tighter and smiled at him.
"There a fucking reason you kept him?" Daryl snarled that storm making landfall.
Carol looked over at him waiting for him to meet her eyes. When he did she held them. That fissure in her own mind showed in his eyes. It'd split easy enough for the animal she always knew lurked just below the surface to make his escape. He had free reign and she smiled at him.
"This thing was talking about something that caught my interest with his lackey." Carol shrugged, "Thought you'd wanna hear it too before I killed him."
Daryl ran his tongue over his canines before looking down to the man. His eyes were wide but no longer focused on her. Daryl had yet to let go of his arm and she could see the white knuckle grip Daryl had.
"The people you take." Carol squatted down watching the man. "What do you do with them?"
He jerked back from her and the fence bowed under his weight. "I don't know."
Carol tsk'd at him and looked at Daryl, "Why do people lie like this?"
"Randall done the same thing." He shrugged. "Done him no good in the end. Shane snapped his fucking neck like a twig."
Everything that was good about this world was dying and decaying. The only good thing left was Daryl. So long as she had him it wasn't bad but this world could be a scary place. Now that she felt that thing inside her stretching and limbering up coming out to play. Something she knew without question because she could feel the presence of Daryl next to her like a touch. The animal inside her called to his and how long had he been waiting for her?
The man paled and licked his lips, "Listen you two just run fast and hard. You do that and I'll tell them I never seen him." He jerked his head at Daryl.
"Him." Carol leaned forward, "Why were you looking for him? AN entire group ran with the women you were speaking so avidly about taking."
He sucked in a breath and Daryl growled. He looked over at her. She met his eyes, "He was talking about raping women before slaughtering them."
Daryl seemed to grow darker his shadow casting the entire area in his shade. There was no going back now, not that they were really awake.
"A man- a man was talking about the group. His group he told Gareth about him." He jerked his head at Daryl, "Was saying that he was a tracker. Had kept you all fed..."
Carol set back on her haunches and pulled the belt tighter over his throat watching him fight for air. Daryl stood over him his eyes casting out around them.
"Rick." Daryl spoke evenly.
Carol nodded and pulled the belt tighter.
"Quit playing." Daryl ushered, "We need to move, suns close to setting."
Daryl moved quickly slamming the knife through the man's eye; an explosion of blood raining over them both. He stood to his full height again. He was rigid. Rage was casting his bone in fire and iron keeping him upright. Carol uncoiled his belt from his throat and stood. The thought of these men taking groups was bad enough. But brutalizing the women and passing them around to all these men before killing them was worse. It was something that she could have seen Ed enjoying.
Daryl was quiet next to her as they moved. He was tired still and she knew that pain was there but he moved with will alone. Carol made sure that she watched around them even though she knew his hawk eyes would never miss anything. They were going the opposite way she'd seen Rick go. She wasn't sure if this was on purpose or if he was just moving. It seemed his anger alone was guiding him and she fell instep with it. He wore it like a cloak and she could almost feel the heated breeze from it billowing around him.
Before the world was gone she felt like she had no time to lose but she'd been caught up in all the cattle. Merle words exact. He didn't pull any punches when he realized that she was interested in his brother. He'd given her shit even when Ed was alive not bothered at all that Ed got mad. He took out on her and she'd pleaded once that Merle shut his damn mouth. The look he'd given her was worlds away from showing humanity. He was where they were now. He knew. He'd known even then that this world wasn't made for the was the man that raised Daryl, the man who cut his own hand away to get out of cuffs. He looked her right in the eye and told her to stop being a fucking pussy and cut Ed's balls off then. Before she could even speak he'd shoved a knife in her hand and walked away. At the time she'd been startled that a man had just told her to carve her husband up like a turkey. It wasn't normal! That Carol was dead. She burned away and out of those ashes stood the woman who would watch the world burn standing next to Daryl Dixon; a man who told her to keep the knife regardless.