"Fuckin' crazy!" I mumbled, grabbing up my assault rifle as the crowd cheered wildly.
"Wait for it." Rick instructed.
"I am!" I hissed, angrily.
"Y'all know me!" Merle spoke to the crowd. "I'm gonna do whatever I gotta do...to prove..." He punched Daryl in the side hard. Daryl fell to the ground, and Merle kicked him. "..that my loyalty is to this town!" He kept beating on Daryl, and I saw something that made my heart drop. They were bringing out walkers on snares.
"Rick!" My voice rose in panic.
"Shh, shhh! Okay, everyone get ready.." Rick grabbed a flash bang. Before I knew it, Daryl landed a punch on Merle's face, nearly knocking him down. I saw my boy get to his feet, and I aimed my gun at Merle's head. I was ready to take the shot, but something inside of me froze. Daryl charged him, and wound up on the ground, Merle over him.
Suddenly, the tables turned completely. To my shock, Merle pulled Daryl up, spinning him around. Back to back, the two faced the oncoming walkers, fighting them off. Daryl started punching them, sending one flying into the crowd. Rick glanced over and waved his hand. "NOW!"
Maggie took her shot, killing a walker, and shooting the man behind it. I began shooting at everyone standing by the Governor. I had a clear shot of his head, until the flash bang went off, and smoke began spewing out. Trying to get the shot before the smoke hid him, I pulled the trigger. One of the men around him had started forward, and I saw his head sling back as he fell to the ground, the smoke hiding my target.
"Dammit!" I muttered, trying to see him through the smoke. The thick smoke billowed around where Daryl and Merle had been, and I ran out from behind our cover. "DARYL! DARYL!" I was screaming as i ran, my voice hoarse from all of the smoke. "DARYL!" I saw him. He grabbed his crossbow from one of the men, and Merle hit the guy over the head.
"LET'S GO!" His gruff voice was like music to my ears.
"DARYL!" Rick called, as Daryl's arm hit my waist, pulling me back towards the metal bin.
"LET'S GO! GO!" Daryl yelled, and people were running everywhere. His arm was around my waist as we ran, the town's people not even bothering to give us a second look. It was complete chaos.
"They're all at the arena! This way!" Merle called.
"You're not goin' anywhere with us!" Rick argued, his voice thick.
"You really wanna do this now?" Merle fought back, but his voice held no malice. Merle began making a shit load of racket, trying to get through the metal they had used for a fence.
"Come on, man." Daryl growled out, his arm slipping from my waist.
"Wait, where's Sam?" I asked, looking around.
"I dunno, I thought he was behind me!" Maggie looked back.
"Where's my brother?!" I was practically yelling.
"Rick, come on, we gotta go!" Daryl called, and I started back the way we had come.
"AYE!" Daryl yelled, and suddenly I was off of my feet.
"YOU LEMME GO!" I snarled, fighting his grip.
"For all we know, he could be waitin' on us, now come on!" Daryl let me go, pushing me forward.
"I ain't leavin' without my brother!" I growled, and he stopped, staring me in the eye.
"Now you know how it feels! We'll find him, he would never let you stay! LET'S MOVE!" Daryl yelled at me, but I refused to budge. Grabbing my arm he pulled me hard, turning me around, forcing me to follow behind Rick.
"A little help would be nice!" Merle called, and I saw him kneeling over a walker, beating its face in. Daryl shot one with his bow, while Maggie took out another with her gun. "We ain't got time for this!"
"Let's go!" Daryl called. We ran through the darkness, and before I knew it, the sky was starting to lighten up as dawn approached. The woods began looking a little familiar, and I saw a road ahead.
"Glenn!" Rick called out.
"Rick! Rick... Rick! Oh, thank God!" Glenn called.
"Spencer!" I heard Sam's voice.
"I'm here!" I yelled, seeing him come into view.
"Now we gotta problem here." Rick held up his hand. "I need you to back up." I saw Michonne coming at us with her sword.
"What the hell is he doing here?" Glenn yelled, his gun drawn. Suddenly, everyone was yelling over Merle, but a figure made my heart race. My mind went blank for a moment, as I saw her come from around the car. Time slowed down, and all of the yelling was like tunnel vision. Sam was standing there, his face caught between worry and anger... But she, she just looked confused.
"Yeah, right after he beat the shit outta you!" I heard Rick yell.
"Hey, we both took our licks, man!" Merle argued calmly.
"Jackass." Daryl mumbled.
"Shut up!" Merle growled.
"Enough!" Rick turned toward Merle. Then the arguing began again.
"Shay?" I mumbled over their voices. "Shay?!" I ran toward her full speed, never so happy to see someone in my entire life.
"Spencer!" She grabbed me as we collided, and everyone stopped arguing for a moment, turning to stare at us.
"Wh-How? Look at you!" I was crying, as I backed away, my hands on each side of her head. "Oh, fuck... Shay.."
"Hey." Shay's voice was weak as she managed a smile, tears streaming down her face. We hugged again and I didn't want to let her go. Merle started laughing, revealing a smart comment that caused Daryl to turn on him.
"No more than you hangin' out with that psycho back there!" Daryl growled. Shay let me go, and I turned to see Merle still smiling.
"Aw, yea, man. He is a charmer, I gotta tell ya that." Merle leaned against the tree, then looked at Michonne. "Been puttin' the wood to your girlfriend Andrea, big time, baby."
"What?" Glenn's voice was a near whisper. "Andrea's in Woodbury?"
"Right next to the Governor." Daryl informed. Michonne lunged again, causing Daryl to go back into a defensive stance.
"I TOLD YOU TO DROP THAT!" Rick growled firmly, and she stopped. "You know Andrea? Do you know Andrea?" She was silent.
"Yea, she does. Her and Blondie, and Ol' Shay spent all winter, cuddlin' up in the forest. Mmm, mmm, mmm. Yea, my new Queen Bee, here, had two pet walkers. No arms, cut off the jaws, kept 'em in chains... Kinda ironic, now that I think about it-"
"SHUT UP, MERLE!" Daryl snarled, turning toward his brother.
"Aye, man. We snagged 'em outta the woods, Andrea was close to dyin'." Merle explained.
"Is that why she's with him?" Maggie asked, looking over at Michonne.
"Yea." Merle answered for her. "Snug as two lil' bugs.. So what you gone do now, Sheriff? Huh? Surrounded by a bunch of liars, thugs, and cowards, man."
"SHUT UP!" Rick must have been getting sick of saying that.
"Whoa, man. Look at this!" Merle grinned. "Pathetic! All these guns and no bullets in 'em.."
"SHUT UP!" Daryl yelled again.
"SHUT UP YA SELF. BUNCH OF PUSSIES, YOU-" A THUNK hit my ears as Rick hit Merle in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.
"Asshole.." Rick muttered, and I looked at Daryl, who just looked ashamed.
"I'm sorry!" Shay blurted out, looking at Michonne. "I'm sorry I didn't come with you... I just thought... I thought Andrea was right, that maybe that place was safe. But she was wrong and you were right. I should have left with you when I had the chance."
"Well, you're here now." I grabbed her arm, as we walked back toward the road. I let go of Shay as she and Sam walked over to the car.
"It won't work." I heard Rick saying as I walked up to him, Glenn, Maggie, and Daryl.
"It's gotta." Daryl argued, glancing at me for a moment, before looking back at Rick.
"He'll stir things up." Rick argued.
"Look, the Governor's probably on his way to the prison right now." Daryl pointed out. "Merle knows how he thinks, and we could use the muscle."
"I'm not havin' him at the prison." Maggie disagreed.
"He had a gun to our heads! You really want him sleeping in the same cell block as Carol? Beth?" Glenn fussed.
"He ain't a rapist." Daryl glared.
"Well, his buddy is." Glenn shot back.
"Ain't buddies no more. Not after last night." Daryl was trying hard, and I felt bad suddenly.
"There's no way Merle's gonna live there without puttin' everyone at each other's throats." Rick said firmly.
"So, you wanna cut Merle loose and bring the Last Samurai home with us?" He pointed towards Michonne.
"She's not comin' back." Officer Friendly assured.
"She's not in a state to be on her own." Maggie argued.
"We really ain't got time to argue!" I chimed in, looking at the woods around us.
"She did bring you guys to us." Glenn pointed out.
"And then ditched us." Rick mumbled.
"At least let my dad stitch her up?" Maggie asked, worry in her voice.
"She's too unpredictable." Rick looked over at Michonne.
"That's right, we dunno who she is." Daryl agreed. "Merle, Merle's blood."
"No," Glenn spoke again, "Merle is your blood. My blood, my family, is standing right here. And waiting for us back at the prison."
"And you're part of that family." Rick said, looking Daryl in the eyes. "And he's not. He's not." I could hear Merle waking up in the woods, groaning from the pop on the head he'd received.
"Man, y'all dunno!" Daryl shook his head. "Fine, we'll fend for ourselves."
"Wait-"I started, but Glenn cut me off.
"That's not what I was saying."
"No him, no me." Daryl was firm.
"Daryl, you don't have to do that." Maggie blurted out.
"Was always Merle and I before this." I watched Daryl's face change a little. That hardened look again, from so long ago back at the quarry.
"Don't." Maggie shook her head.
"You serious?" Glenn asked, his voice in disbelief. "You're just gonna leave like that?"
"You'd do the same thing." Daryl argued, his voice soft. I stepped toward him, but hesitated.
"Well, what do you want us to tell Carol?" Glenn asked.
"She'll understand." He replied calmly. Nodding his head, he walked away. "Say goodbye to your pop for me." Maggie reached out touching his arm.
"Daryl, are you serious? Daryl!" Glenn yelled, and Rick followed him. I just stood there, not sure what to say. A million things were running through my mind, but I couldn't open my mouth.
"Hey! Hey, there's gotta be another way." Rick tried.
"Don't ask me to leave him. Already did that once." Daryl kept walking. He and Rick reached the car, and I watched them talking for a moment, before the reality of his words settled in.
"DARYL!" I screamed, running toward the car. I rounded the vehicle and stopped by Rick. The two were staring at each other. "I-I'm comin' with you!"
"No you ain't." Daryl leaned forward, his hand grabbing my face. He kissed me hard on the mouth, before backing away. "You belong with 'em. Not with us." With that, he walked away.
"DARYL!" I tried to go after him, but Rick grabbed me.
"Stop." Rick whispered, holding me tight.
"DARYL! DARYL!" I screamed his name, trying to get away from Rick. Daryl reached Merle and the two started to disappear into the brush.
"He asked me to keep you with us... Can't let you go." Rick covered my mouth with his hand. "You gotta stop screamin'."
"Daryl!" Glenn yelled after him.
"Get in the car, get in, now!" Rick shoved me in the car, looking at Sam. "Hold her!" Sam grabbed me, and I fought to get away.
"DARYL!" I screamed again, and Rick shut the door. Kicking the door hard with both feet, I tried to escape Sam's grasp.
"Stop! Stop!" Sam fought to grab my legs. Shay climbed over and sat on me, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I could hear Rick slamming the back, and the door opened.
"LEMME GO!" I fought, kicking hard.
"Get her in the back." Rick muttered, and he opened Sam's door. My brother dragged me from the car, throwing me into the trunk of our vehicle. I tried to jump out, but Sam blocked me, pushing me back into the trunk.
"LEMME GO! DARYL!" I screamed hoarsely. Sam bear hugged me, wrapping his legs around mine, holding me still. Rick slammed the hatch back, and I kept fighting to get away. Screaming and fighting Sam's grip, I kicked out again, hitting the back window hard.
"STOP IT, SPENCER!" Sam growled, squeezing me harder.
"THEN LET. ME. GO!" I cried, trying to free my arms. I couldn't breathe.
"Not a chance." He mumbled, holding me tighter. I heard noises, and then we were moving. I cried out again, tears streaming. I couldn't get away and Daryl wasn't coming with us. He was gone, and he wasn't coming home.
"RICKKKK!" I wailed. "PULL THIS FUCKIN' CAR OVER NOWWW!" He said nothing, only kept driving. "LET ME OUT!" I kept fighting, but to no avail. Sam was too strong. "Y'all just let him fuckin' go!" I cried and screamed the whole way back, trying to process what was happening.
Once we reached the prison, Rick stopped the car, and I heard the door shut. We started moving again, and after a few seconds, stopped. I heard the doors opening, and I saw Maggie through the back window. She slung open the hatch back, her eyes sad, but I didn't care.
"Get back, before I let her go!" Sam instructed, and Maggie stepped back. Suddenly, I was free, and I jumped from the back of the car. With every ounce of strength I had left, I took off for the gates. "RICK! RICK! SHE'S RUNNIN'!" I heard Sam yelling.
"WHOA, WHOA!" Rick cut me off, plowing into me, grabbing me up. My feet were off of the ground, and I was over his shoulder. Carl was staring at me, but I only saw through him. I only saw the fences, the gate, my way out.
"BEST LEMME GO!" I snarled, but Rick carried me on up the hill. "RICK!" I growled, hitting his back with my little fists. Once inside the prison, Rick set me down in a cell, and jumped out, locking it behind me.
"When you calm down, I'll let you out." He said quietly, turning away.
"LET ME OUT NOW! GODDAMMIT, RICK!" Grabbing the bars, I slung myself against the iron door, nearly knocking the breath out of myself. Backing away, I kicked the cell door hard, and turned away from the bars. Sitting down on the bed, I curled into a ball, and cried.
"Spencer?" A voice floated through my dreams. "Spencer?" I jumped up, nearly knocking my head off.
"Daryl?" I asked, realizing I was in a cell. Shay was beside me, her face broken.
"Spencer.." She reached out, touching my arm.
"DON'T!" I shrieked, pulling away. "Don't..." I couldn't fight the tears. It was dark around me, and I looked up over at Shay. She had a candle in her hand.
"I'm not supposed to let you out yet..." Shay grimaced at her words.
"I'm goin' after him." I said surely, pushing past her.
"Yeah? You gonna run off and go looking for him? How far do you think you'll get? Huh? You don't even know where they went!" Shay yelled. I stopped at the bars, grabbing onto them tightly. "Spencer... What happened? Sam told me...what happened to Cheyenne?"
Her name was like a firework going off in my head. Everything hurt, every part of my soul hurt. Flinching at her name, I stood up straight, looking ahead at the emptiness in front of me. That's right. No Chy. Now, no Daryl. Everything you ever loved... Gone. I swallowed hard, tears rolling down my face. My lips moved, but nothing came out. No words would come out. I wasn't sure what to say.
"Spencer?" Shay asked, her voice strained. "What happened to her? No one will tell me! They just keep saying she didn't make it. That's not good enough. That's not a good enough explanation and no one will talk to me about it!"
"You wanna know? Huh? You wanna know what happened to her?" I yelled, my temper rising at my own broken heart. "She died, Shay. She's dead. Gone. Poof. No more. No longer here. We were holed up in some jank house, and she got bit! Daryl was too late... I was too late! She got bit and she died. Promised her I wouldn't let her turn, so you know what I did? Huh? I put a bullet in her head! Daryl and I put a bullet in her head. We. Put. A. Bullet. In. Her. Head... And now's he's gone, and I gotta live with that." My voice broke, a sob escaping me. "Live with that alone!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" A voice called out to me, and I saw Maggie walking towards me.
"Maggie-" Glenn was outside of the cell, staring at us.
"Hey, it's okay." Maggie grabbed me, pulling me to her. I wanted to push her away. Run from the prison and find Daryl. He didn't want me to go... Told me to stay. Said I didn't belong with them... Instead of fighting, I grabbed onto her, crying against her shoulder.
I didn't sleep the rest of the night. Walking outside into the darkness, I saw Rick sitting out on one of the prison yard tables. Heading over to where he sat, I saw him turn and look at me. He stood from the table, his face a mix of worry and annoyance. Throwing my hands up, I walked around him, and stepped up onto the bench. Sitting on the table, I looked out over the yard.
The sun would be coming up soon, the sky still dark blue. Rick stared at me for a moment, before sitting back down beside me on the table. The silence was comfortable, but I felt like everything inside of me was boiling. Rotting away. It was like feeling everything and nothing all at once, if that was even possible.
"Sorry I held you back... Grabbed you up... And locked you in a cell." Rick mumbled quietly. I said nothing, only looked up at the sky. The darkness was fading, but I could still see the stars up there shining.
"What happens now?" I asked numbly, trying to keep my heart from exploding.
"We keep on keeping on." Rick replied, looking over at me.
"How? I feel like I can't breathe." I said, tears in my eyes. "Rick, I feel like I can't breathe."
"Hey..." Rick put his arm over my shoulder. "I know... I know." Then he was up and walking away. I wasn't sure what to say, so I just didn't say anything at all, just watched him disappear into the dawn.
That really sucked, but looks who's back ! Shay is reconnected with the group ! I'm really excited to get this thing going, I am enjoying writing this story. All of the positive feedback I've gotten with it makes me inspired to keep on writing ! Don't worry, things will get better soon, Daryl was only gone for one episode. Of course, when he gets back, I'm not sure how Spencer will react to him. I guess we shall just have to see !
Don't forget to follow me on Twitter, kailabrittFF is my twitter handle. I will be doing a little special edit for this story on twitter since it's one review away from having 200 ! That's freaking crazy to me... Wow. 46 chapters and almost 200 reviews ? I never thought anything I wrote would get feedback like this.
Which is why I made my twitter in the first place, I just wanna show you guys how much I appreciate you as readers. Saying thank you every author's note just doesn't seem like enough to me to tell you guys how much this site and the people have changed my life. I truly am inspired by the feedback I get from my stories, and that helps me push myself to work on independent stories. Maybe one day I will have my own book, who knows ?
But I will always love my fanfiction, The Walking Dead... It's my life, really !
So thank you guys to the max.
~Kaila