I'm having issues with my internet. Hopefully they don't last long. Since we have another huge storm system coming through though- i'm not hopeful.

Trigger warnings for violence and/or rape. You've been warned.

A loud crack exploded by his head but he didn't slow down even as a the following slam chased him. Splinters were flying through the air as he charged forward, chest heaving and anxiety eating away at his insides. Dad's words were like poison eating at him from the inside. Like a festering wound that just kept growing and growing. He knew what those men did. He was there when they discussed it. He heard every disgusting detail of what those men did and how they done.

It stuck in his mind every since then and he'd been circling around it. Squaring off with it in his own mind like a fight getting ready to break out. That's when the shit with Sophia started. He'd wanted to strangle her, which wasn't uncommon, but goddamn she wouldn't listen. He'd seen her throw a fit on Daryl then on Carol. Then she turned it on Merle and his dad. He understood not wanting Daryl out there. That was his uncle- hell basically a second dad and the thoughts of something happening to him ripped his heart out.

At the same time though those images were still festering like a poison to be unleashed on someone. So he snapped at her and she snapped back. Around they went. Carol for the most part and Andrea just smiled indulgently at them which only made Sophia even more mad. His dad told her it didn't concern her. Daryl though- he was what done her in. He wasn't sure that man had ever told Sophia no but hearing those words come from his mouth and him telling her to go to her mother and stay in sight. Well she was un-fucking-bearable!

When she'd slapped him he'd seen it coming. She was always lashing out at him and slapping or hitting him for something. He deserved most of it. It was funny to watch her flush with anger. Everything about her changed like the snap of a finger. Her eyes got brighter and she looked almost feral. It wasn't like he was the only one who done shit like that though. He seen Daryl say shit or do something sometimes that made Carol react the same way. Daryl would just smirk and walk away. Carol didn't lash out though, Sophia did. He'd gotten more than one busted lip because of her.

Boots beating hardwood he skidded to a stop as Xena trotted by. He sneered at the fucking cat. Of course it'd show up after the fight. Eyes scanning he frowned when he didn't see anyone. Carol and Andrea were nowhere in sight and neither was Sophia. His dad's words thundered in his head telling him to get to the girls. He knew what his dad wanted though, get to Sophia. Carol and Andrea were different and while he worried for them it was different.

He lept onto the stairs and sprinted up them. Hoping against hope that she'd shut herself away in her room. Coming to her door he grimaced seeing it standing open. Checking the room he was greeted with nothing. She was nowhere in there and her window was open. He huffed and shook his head before checking Daryl's room. Nothing again.

Rushing back down stairs he heard people outside talking and rushed out. Karen and her sloptwat groupies were strutting around. He searched wildly for Carol or Andrea. Surely Sophia was with one of them. His eyes shot towards his dad in the eagle's nest, his heart beating a frantic rhythm. It was dark now and any hope he had of finding her was diminishing.

"Brian."

Spinning on point he turned and was greeted with of all people Rick Grimes. He regarded the man much like his dad and uncles did. Rick arched a brow but Brian stared right at him.

"Something wrong?"

He nodded not caring that he could start a panic because he already was. His dad barking Sophia's name into his face and forcing him to think about how he'd feel. what' he'd do- it was everywhere. Spreading through him like flames and sickness.

"Those men." He heaved out.

Rick stiffened visibly. "Is Daryl back?"

Brian ran a hand through his hair and shook his head, "No my dad seen them."

Rick stared at him for a cool minute before he sprung into action.

"WAIT!"

He barely stopped before Brian was on him. "Sophia, have you seen her?"

Rick gave him a confused look and then gestured over where the apple trees stood. "Last I seen her she was over there where Carl was."

Rick said no more and was sprinting towards the security office. He gave him no other thought before racing towards the trees. He didn't need light like the other yuppies in this town to know where he was going or how to move through the trees. Dodging tree limbs and fallen branches Brian raced towards her. He could hear people running around town now and shouting. He knew that time was running out.

A scream ripped through the air the same time he heard the crack of a rifle. Where the unlucky person was that took the shot he wasn't sure. He knew that scream though and felt like his lung turned to lead and his body went into flames. Molten rage and pain lanced his heart and he burst through the trees desperate to get to her. It was cloying and crisp as he inhaled and panted out his breath. He could feel briars and limbs scratching and tearing into him but not enough to ever slow him down. He was moving with all the force of a freight train.

Bursting through the last of the brush and trees his world fractured. A roar tore from his throat seconds after digesting the scene. He was propelled forward and slammed into the man that'd turned towards him. He smiled at him, the moon glinting off his teeth like a wild animal. Brian sneered and lept at him the last few feet between them. They went down hard a groan escaping the man but Brian didn't stop.

With a finesse that came with years of practice and time his knife exited it's sheath and was already tearing through the throat of the man. Blood sprayed up over him coating his face, neck, arms, and chest as the man below screamed a scream that carried no sound. His eyes locked with Brian's as he whipped the knife back out.

Lifting his eyes he pushed off and moved towards the others. They'd turned to him by now and he shook his hair out of his eyes, seeing blood shake free. It was a grotesque sight but he wasn't bothered. His eyes didn't move from them though they were burning to look at the crumpled figures on the ground. One man was standing over one of them smiling like a fool.

"You're outnumbered, boy." The larger of the men chuckled, "Why don't you drop that knife and we'll make sure things are quick for you."

"I don't know he looks wild. We could break him, in time." The leer in his voice wasn't missed and Brian's eyes fixated on the man. The look made him shift and Brian turned the knife in his hand keeping the hilt firmly in place.

The clouds shifted as the storm moved just enough. The moonlight crossed over them and stole the color from the world. They were all grey wash except the stark letter carved into these men's forehead that shown red. W.

"Look at his throat." The larger of the two interrupted. "Who tried to take your head?" He laughed throwing his head back. "Doesn't matter, we've come to set you free."

A groan from the ground had Brian's heart start pounding and he looked over. Carl, Carl was groaning and shifting. They'd knocked them out. Hope roared to life in his chest at the hope for Sophia. He'd refused to let himself think about how still she'd been. How he couldn't even see her chest rise or fall but now there was a chance.

A smile seared across his face and with that he moved. The first man came at him and it was to clumsy. The knife bit into his side and split him open but Brian jerked it free mirroring the same cut. He felt the bite of a knife on his own body but ignored it. He continued his fevered work and the man went to his knees.

Not stopping he lunged at the other man. He caught an elbow roughly to the chest and was thrown back. Staggering to his feet he glared. The other man smiled at him indulgently.

"You are wild. What are you doing in these walls?" He gestured. "These..." He gestured to Carl and Sophia, "These people are shackles."

"No." Brian interrupted. "No they're not."

He smiled at him, "They'll come a time when you'll wish that you'd agreed. That you just let me show you the way. It'd been easier. Less pain but then I suspect you're use to that."

Without warning the man pivoted and jerked one of them forward. The clouds darkened the area over them and cast him in shadows. He burst forward racing towards them but it was to slow. The squelch of the knife as it eat through soft tissue was all he could hear. The pain noises not even penetrating his mind as he jumped on the back of the man. They fell to the ground fighting. The sounds of wet gasping breaths, screams, gunfire, and smoke the only things around them.

There was a moment when everything came to a complete stand still and he was sure he was seeing things. Sure that he was dying. Blinking rapidly trying to see through the blood sliding down his forehead and into his eyes he was hit again. Every bit of the air he thought he owned was knocked out of him but he kicked out connecting.

"You little bastard."

Brian snarled right back and felt his knife connect. Driving hard and up he kept forcing the knife into him. Spinning the knife he widened the wound and felt blood flood down his arm. The man's weight was bearing down on him and he screamed and yelled. Inhuman noises escaping him as he could hear one of them smothering in their own blood.

Shoving roughly the man fell to the side. He rolled over pain shooting through his body and started moving. Crawling towards Sophia and Carl he ignored the fatigue and pain. He couldn't hear the wet gasping breaths or desperate coughs, the whines. He couldn't hear anything beyond the all out war exploding around him.

Carl wasn't moving and neither was Sophia. With a shaking hand unable to shake the sickening feeling that was creeping over him. Unable to bring himself to touch her, he shook Carl. When the boy didn't move he shook him harder and shuffled closer. He didn't like Carl. Never had, he was spoiled and thought that the world was his. That didn't mean he wished death on him. Shaking him roughly again Carl just fell helplessly to the side. His head lolled over and his face was slack. Brian stared horrified at the unseeing dead eyes of Rick Grimes's son stared back at him. His shirt front red and his throat shredded.

Chest heaving Brian tuned the world out as echoes of his father's voice raced in his head. About the words from just the other day jumping out. "You'll always fight. You're a Dixon, Brian, but you'll always fight a little harder for her." He'd killed three men tonight without a spare thought beyond getting to her. From stopping them from destroying and breaking her. Not her, not this was all he could think as he screamed in his mind.

Looking down at Sophia. She'd yet to move from how he'd came up on them. Her arms were splayed wide, her hair fanned out and blood on the side of her face where someone caught her unaware. He grimaced seeing her shirt ripped apart leaving her completely exposed. Shuffling from Carl to her he stopped at her side and felt bile rise in his throat. Her jeans were ripped and cut open, halfway down her thighs almost to her knees. Brian dropped forward not able to get his breath and his head fell on her stomach. His throat felt like someone was cutting it in half and funneling fire into it. His chest ached and he felt like he was close to blacking out. His hand clawed useless at the ground searching wildly for hers. Finding her hand he interlocked their hands and drug it forward until her hand was pressed into his chest and her side.

"Noooo." His voice rattled. "No. NO."

Time stood still as the world fell apart around him. His father's words like poison, festering, finally met a boiling point. He'd told him the truth and didn't spare him. God it'd been so much worse had they tried to coddle him. This though, this was too much. Hand tightening his hold on hers, he pressed his face more into her stomach and felt his eyes start to burn. The first of pain filled howls tore from his throat. Pulling her up off the ground and falling back on his ass Brian supported all of her weight into his lap and buried his face in her hair. He wasn't sure how long he stayed like that. A minute, hour, a day- it didn't register.

A slight tightening, barely there. Infinitesimal but there. Breaths shuddering he closed his eyes tightly and felt it again. Fear had his heart in a deadlock. Clammy hands clutched at him and a moan reverberated around him.

Lifting his head he was met Sophia's eyes staring right back at him blearily. She blinked and then grimaced and brought her free hand up to her head where the blood was coming from. Brian caught her hand stopping her from touching the wound and reopening the wound. He stared at her eyes and pulled her closer, making sure they were hers and not dead.

"Brian?" Her voice was hoarse.

He looked at her then and her eyes watered. Tears gushed over her and her face pressed into his throat as her are wrapped around him anchoring her to him. He heard the wet squelch of his blood soaked clothes against her skin. He let her cling to him as his eyes scanned around them now that he knew that she was alive. He wouldn't say okay because he wasn't sure.

"Are you hurt?"

Sophia shook in his arms and pressed tighter to him. He cast a look to Carl and grimaced. He came up on his knees and Sophia scrambled to stay right there on him. He grunted at the weight but forced himself to stand. Pulling Sophia up with him and gritting his teeth at the pain in his side and chest. He worked around her since she refused to let him go and worked his shirt off. He hissed through his teeth and clenched his jaw when her bare torso met his, the tatters of her shirt whispering against his sides.

"Here." He thrust the shirt into her hand after peeling it off himself.

Sophia took it and was wrapping into it within seconds and righting her pants. He didn't say anything as he walked to gather his knives. He stared over at Carl again and felt remorse. He wasn't fast enough. Carl had been alive but he wasn't fast enough. He swallowed thickly and walked over his thoughts on the man likely fighting for his life out there. He couldn't let Carl come back and his own father be the one to see him. He knew how his family would react if this was him. Squatting he lifted Carl's head and said he was sorry as he pushed his knife through his temple.

"Brian." Sophia whispered as gunfire still went off like the fourth of July around them.

Looking up he met her eyes and watched as she swiped more tears away. He wanted to ask her but swallowed it down and forced himself standing. Her eyes widened once she got a good look at him but he ignored the concern.

"We've got to move." He looked around grabbing what weapons he seen. Sophia shuffled closer to him not straying more than two foot at all times. "There's more we can't stay here."

"My mom?" Sophia whispered.

Brian looked up and shook his head, "I don't know."

"My dad? Mac? Merle? Andrea? Any of them?"

Brian swallowed thickly and met her eyes, "Last I saw my dad was okay. I came looking for you."

Sophia nodded in understanding and he handed her a knife. She grabbed it but caught his hand, "Thank you."

They move silently back through the trees. The screams were less common and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad. He wanted to hope but he didn't think it was there. Things were bad. He paused at the tree outline and swallowed. There was a fire spreading and some were fighting it despite the fighting around them. There was more men than he'd thought in here and even less of there's fighting. These people weren't even trying to fight back. It was like they thought they could reason with a rabid dog.

Sophia gasped close by and he whipped around. She was staring ahead and he watched as a man advanced on a woman. He stepped forward but Sophia caught his arm and shook frantically. Before he could even react though to either the man swung his axe and the woman fell. He didn't just stop at her death but started tearing her apart and singing.

Karen's last moments seared into his mind and he felt his resolve harden. He looked to the tower hoping to see a muzzle flash. Nothing. Ice started rushing into his spine and his limbs. He started dragging Sophia around the outskirts. She clung to his hand but wielded the knife like she was ready to carve her way through anyone. They searched the edge of the fighting like mad hoping to to find their parents.

"I don't see them." He muttered.

Sophia's fingers were slick with blood, his blood that was running down his arm. He tightened his grip on her hand and they turned at the same time. Both of them turned and made a break for it. They had one stop before they were out of here. Breath rushing from him as they raced down side streets. Stepping inside he'd hoped that he'd see Carol, Andrea, or his dad but that was no use. Running up stairs both of them went to separate rooms and grabbed their go bags. Sophia appeared changed and met his eyes. Hers were wet, but ready.