Curative
By Kaimaler
Hmm... Well it certainly has been some time.
No good news for our heroine this chapter. It's time for it to get much, much darker. I do love to abuse my characters so~
I hope you guys enjoy after what, a year hiatus?
Hit me up.
The night after the Horde...
Tension had reached a breaking point for the group. Rick had announced his leadership to them all that night, stating that this group was not democratic. He would lead them to live, fight, and survive. Welcoming those who wanted to leave to just leave.
Rick felt attacked by his wife, by people he considered friends. So far the only person who vocally backed Rick up was Daryl who replied with a one word answer. "Alright." The hunter was not bothered by this change in attitude; he was glad for it. Daryl had wanted Rick to step up and take charge from the beginning, overruling Shane when he began to show signs of his unstable mind. Not to mention attacking Laura was intolerable, Daryl wanted him dead and now that he is; he was unsure what to do with that knowledge.
Not that it mattered much anymore. Laura was gone, disappeared into the horde that took the Greene's farm. Daryl was still waiting his chance to ask Rick what happened to her and what his confusing explanation earlier was about. It was not the time, he would wait for another hour to let Rick cool off. He understood Rick was under pressure to perform as a leader without flaw and, in this world, that simply was not possible.
Daryl's respect for Rick went up, he openly kept to Rick's side as something of a second in command. Rick had not lied to Daryl, mistreated him, or judged him based on his person. Rick even expressed his approval to Daryl once about Laura being happy with the hunter, how he liked seeing them together. Daryl had not answered Rick when he said it, just gave a curt nod and stalked off to hunt.
Things between Rick and Daryl were clear. The group, with luck, would get tighter as they healed from this event with the loss of Andrea, Carol, Laura, Patricia, and Jimmy. Everyone had suffered, watching their friends and family die or just go missing. No one could tell the other which was worse; watching the person be torn from your arms or never knowing if they even survived. Was someone lost and waiting to see a sign of them? Were they even able to look?
Maggie and Glenn held onto each other the entire night, paranoid about the next herd. Beth stared into the campfire unable to cope with Patricia and Jimmy's deaths. T-Dog had never expected to find Rick and the others, but Lori had been right and now she was huddled over Carl and Sophia. Rick had no idea what else to do or say that could get them to understand why he did what he did.
Daryl bit his thumb nervously, he also felt paranoid about more walkers showing up but did not voice this. He knew everyone was already shaken, talking about it would not help anyone. He was not one to talk about his personal fears anyways.
Things grew quiet, time had passed, and his anxiousness to talk to Rick came to a point. Daryl felt he could not wait any longer. Now that Rick had sat alone, calm and away from the group. He did not know if he would be able to accept the answer, but like the day Rick told him Merle was chained to a roof in Atlanta - he just had to know.
Daryl swung his crossbow over his shoulder and stood up. The sudden movement attracted the eyes of the group on edge. Lori looked at him and shared a split second with him. Enough for her to know what he was doing, that he needed answers. She wanted Rick time alone, but did not dare interrupt the hunter. He had been defensive of Laura since they grew so close. Lori knew she had no way to stop Daryl from getting information from Rick.
Of course, through the day, Rick had been expecting Daryl. He knew it was coming, the questions, the anger; he had no idea how to handle it. Daryl was on board with Rick's leadership even with Shane's death. He doubted Daryl would be so understanding about Laura and the others... What would he tell them?
How could he tell them that Shane was right about Laura?
Rick heard Daryl's footsteps behind him and knew he was out of time. Daryl did not have to say a word for Rick to know what he wanted. Running his hands down his face, pulling his hair back, Rick stood up from the stone wall he was perched on. Not yet looking at Daryl he put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. "I suppose I should tell everyone why she isn't here anymore."
A beat passed before Daryl shifted his weight, "Don't gotta tell them, I need to know." The hunter could not care less if the others knew why Laura was not around but he could not go much longer without knowing. Laura was his business, his woman, and that's all that mattered to him. Rick had never done wrong by Laura before, he had always looked out for her even if Shane did press his luck.
Everyone saw what Shane did to Laura, what Shane had become since Rick arrived. After everything with Randall the group could not see that Shane was so unstable he would go so far as to murder Rick or Laura. They were wrong.
"They're all going to wonder, eventually they'll come asking. I can't lie to them about her, I can't make up a story. She's not like us I can't just tell 'em walkers got her." Rick turned to face Daryl, the campfire behind the hunter the only light illuminating them. Rick looked back on when Laura opened the car door, he knew he could not stop her in the midst of a horde. She picked her moment and got away.
"Than don't." Daryl answered, "I don't care if they know. Don't tell 'em or do. Doesn't make no difference. I just gotta know." He reinforced, showing quietly he would back Rick up whatever he decided to tell the others, but Daryl had to know.
Rick nodded and walked back to the campfire, his approach did not go unnoticed and he quickly had everyone's eyes on him. Lori figured this had something to do with Daryl and Laura, it was not hard to put it together. She held Sophia and Carl tightly, waiting to hear the bad news. Everyone else just stared at him, all completely exhausted and devastated by their losses.
"Before the herd, before everything; Laura took me aside to tell me something." He started, the group focusing immediately on him. This was not what they expected, Daryl was just as confused as them. Their expressions told him he needed to continue, they wanted to know more.
"Laura and I talked about how she was going to tell Daryl what happened when we returned with Randall. When Shane attacked us both; tried to kill us." He emphasized, his throat tightening as he remembered that night. "I was just talking about telling Daryl, but she was talking about something else. She was telling me she didn't know how to explain what was happening to her."
Daryl figured Rick and Laura had talked before she returned that night. He trusted Rick to look out for Laura while Shane was around and she came back with more bruises than she left with. It was the same night she had collapsed and they thought she might have died. The hunter stepped to Rick's left side, now in his sight.
"She broke down talking about how this cure changed her. Her and I have talked about a lot of things in the past, about how she felt out of place in the group. How she felt unwelcome. But this wasn't the same." Rick ran a nervous hand over the back of his head, "She told me she thought she might hurt someone. That some part of her mind was reverting-"
"What?" Lori gasped, the others listening and panicking.
Rick put a hand out, gesturing them to calm down. Daryl twitched, he had no idea this was going on. "She said... she was worried she was going to hurt someone. That she might even... eat someone." He sighed, watching the group glance each other, frantic to understand.
"So she was a walker... all along?" Maggie's eyes were wide, she had not known Laura for long and her condition even less so. Glenn pulled her close and was at a loss for words. He had trusted her entirely, never thinking Laura would turn on them.
T-Dog frowned deeply, "So did she?" He asked a question none of them wanted to ask.
Rick looked up to T-Dog who stood on elevated ground, "No. She didn't hurt anyone, didn't attack anyone. I told her we would look after her and keep her safe. When we got in the car to escape the herd she opened the door and got out, she said goodbye and told me to tell Lori she kept her word. After that she just walked into the herd and I tried to stop her, I couldn't get out and I had to get Hershel and Carl to safety..." Rick turned his head to Daryl, "I begged her to say. I told her it would be alright and we could fix this... but she didn't listen. I'm sorry."
Daryl nodded weakly at first, kicking the ground beneath him. He was clearly disturbed by this and conflicted as to what had happened. They had no way of helping her anymore, no ability to stop her if she had just turned one night. They were already struggling to get over the herd, the farm, and their loved ones. Having someone in the camp that could just turn on them in an instant? They could not handle it.
Without saying anything Daryl turned and left them behind. He was visibly upset and felt his face sting in realization. Laura meant a lot to him, he cared for her more than he ever wanted to care for anyone else. They were together, he watched her, he held affection for her he had not yet come to terms with. Before he had a chance to realize how much she meant to him; she was gone.
Rick followed him immediately, trying to get the man he considered a friend to listen. "Daryl-" He carefully grabbed the hunter by the arm and stopped him. They both stood in the middle of the street, enough moonlight to see just barely. "I am sorry, I loved Laura and I begged her to stay. I promise I did everything I could."
Daryl paced shortly, nodding as Rick spoke to him. "Why'd she leave? If you told her we weren't gonna hurt her, that we'd help her; why'd she leave?" He prodded, trying to rationalize all this.
"I think she felt like no one would understand. She talked to me about how she felt the others looked at her, that some of them shunned her and made her feel like she wasn't one of us. I told her she was always welcome here, that I wanted her here." Rick took a shaky breath, trying to keep the hunter from exploding like he had done that other night when Laura collapsed. "When she told me she was scared she would hurt someone she said it would likely be Shane and she didn't want to. That something was dormant when she was cured and was starting to come out. I don't know what it was or what it is, but she just- she just left." Rick's eyes stung, his throat tightened as he swallowed.
"Why didn't she tell me?" Daryl paused, hiking the crossbow up on his shoulder. "If she had just told me-"
Rick shook his head, "She still would've left, Daryl. Whatever is happening to her I think she wanted to face it alone. I don't know if she would've ever hurt anyone, but I know she wouldn't do it willingly. If she felt she had to leave, that's probably why she didn't tell you." Daryl gave Rick a questioning look. "Because you'd have stopped her."
"Damn right." Daryl scoffed, "That's my woman out there. She knows what's out there, we know; those people like Randall said. She dealt with a lotta shit, she's tough, but she ain't that tough. She acts for people, but she's just as thin skinned as the others." He fought with himself, not really wanting to discuss this all with Rick yet it just came out. He was struggling, Rick was struggling, and Laura was the closest to them both. It was a connection they shared.
"I know, Daryl. I know." Rick glanced back to the camp, "If there wasn't a herd between me and her I would have brought her back with me, kicking and screaming if I had to."
Daryl nodded, "I know man." Rick patted him on the shoulder, the conversation was done and Daryl did not want Rick around to see him so upset, so vulnerable. He found comfort with Laura even when he was deeply bothered, but Rick was not close enough to him. He was still closed off and hurting, it was time for the hunter to be on his own for the night.
Rick turned back to the group, they had been discussing Laura and Rick's explanation of her absence. He wanted to set the record straight for them all. Standing in front of the fire he eyed the group. "Laura was not dangerous. She would never hurt anyone unless they were trying to hurt her or any of us. The moment she felt like she was a threat to the group she left. She left to protect us."
"Why didn't she tell us? If she was a threat why didn't she admit it so we could fix this?" Lori asked, knowing her husband was not too interested in answering. He looked at her disapproving eyes and figured he would have to answer either way.
"She only told me last minute, just before she went back to her tent the night we thought she... I don't know what happened between then and now, but Laura left because she felt like a danger to the group. She left for us." Rick enforced, hoping to get everyone on the same page. It did not matter that she left, only why she did it. To protect them.
Daryl, watching from just on the corner edge of the stone wall, decided that was enough. He took position and kept watch; Laura was too sensitive a topic for him to think about anymore. What she did it, why she never told him, why she left because of it, and so many more questions fired off like a rifle. His head was beginning to hurt. He needed to focus on watch duty.
Rick was equally as confused and lost as Daryl. Whatever Laura fought against had been winning and she had no desire to stick around to see what would happen. She came into their lives and was gone the next. Rick sat down, exhausted, and thought long and hard about his next move.
They were all ready to go. Weapons, food, water, and additional clothes and blankets for warmth. Laura made sure Carol was ready to move, she checked the woman head to toe. When word spread through the group, they knew their time was up. They wanted to stay until night and then leave through the back fence, hoping to never have to face the chance anyone spotted them or their hideout.
As night fell the group performed one final check over their stock, what they could carry with them, and what they had to leave behind. They all hoped it would be enough, but winter would be cruel if they were not careful enough. Rationing would come from Red and Carol who had personally counted and indexed all the food and water they had.
Laura was crouched at the first storey window, just waiting for anything to happen. The others carried on, packed up and wrapped themselves for the cold. It was almost time to move. They would wait until midnight and leave the house behind.
While she knew what the plan was, Laura had no idea if she could do it. Carol needed Laura to get her to the group, to Sophia and Laura would be damned if Carol never made it. The older woman had learned to survive out here with Laura. Everything from scavenging to shooting; Carol had improved on drastically. There was not much else they needed to practice on anymore.
Laura smiled, Carol was always this nervous and terrified woman. Now here she stood, wrapped in heavy clothes, a rifle in her hand, and a knife on her belt. The woman could fight and live. She had confidence in her stride now, it was visible, Laura could feel the change in Carol's demeanor. She grew into a real survivalist and Laura was proud of her.
Sitting here quiet, listening to the creaks of the old house as the others rushed around; Laura felt some kind of peace with it all. The others, Red's group, had tried to apologize for what happened in Atlanta and while she did not forget about it and most certainly would not forgive them, she was happy to see them all. For them to be alive and all the way out here. It was a stroke of luck that Laura and Carol needed.
The world was cruel, but knowing they were alive showed them both anything was still possible. She felt terrible about Elizabeth though, it was a shame she could not escape with the others.
Laura sighed and ran her free hand through her hair, the long black locked dried and broken. She was thankful that Daisy had carried a comb with them, otherwise she feared the only way to the the knots out of her hair was to cut them out. She grinned and leaned on the wall beside her. They were good people, just scared. Laura wanted to hate them, but found it was not in her to do so.
She cared for them all as much as she refused to admit it, they meant a lot to her. Daryl meant the world to her and she knew he must be hurt with her leaving. Rick and maybe the others, but the people she was close to like Rick and Daryl; it was different. They were family to her, the others were extended family. It was strange to single out just two of the people in the group, but that is how she felt.
Carol was a part of that family now and, in a strange way, Laura felt like a doting parent with her. Carol was older than her and had her own child, but Laura was the one looking out for Carol. She protected the woman, guarded her as she slept, and fought for her when the time came. Carol was a part of her strange patched up family now.
Her survival was paramount. Nothing else out here mattered, only Carol.
"Ready?" Red asked her, offering a hand up from the floor. Laura snapped out of her thoughts and nodded, accepting his hand. He took her acceptance as a sign she was starting to come around. "We're heading out the gate in a few minutes, just making sure you're up to speed. Markus is carrying part of the food stash. Braddock is carrying the rest. Carol volunteered for ammunition and Micheal and I are carrying the water."
"Got it. Which do we ditch first in case of an emergency?" She asked looking between the people.
"We ditch the smaller food stash Markus is carrying, Micheal's pack after that, and if worse comes to worst we'll drop the rest of the food before water and ammunition. We can find and hunt food, we can't promise clean drinking water or bullets." He answered, "We're not giving you a pack since we'll need you the most mobile."
Laura stared at him, "I'm the caravan guard I take it?"
"Yeah, we need you and Daisy to take over. Me and Braddock can help, but we're carrying the heaviest food and water stash. We'll be slowed down so if you can't handle something we can still get to you, but we've all kept the perimeter pretty clear. Shufflers are few and far between, we shouldn't have that much of a problem." He offered, patting her on the shoulder. "Let's get it done."
She nodded, pulling her rifle up in her arms. She knew it was time to get on the road again, they had been here far too long. They were all incredibly lucky they were able to stay here. Seeing everyone lined up at the door she looked to Red who nodded to her; she would take point.
With a short nod Laura opened the front door. Red gave her lead, a surprising choice to her, but it was her job to get them out and she was going to do just that. They all began to march out the door behind her, Carol just behind Red and Laura checked to make sure she was moving along fine. The tall grass between the front gate and the house was a bit too open for Laura's liking, but it's what they had to deal with.
The night chill blew in fast and Laura skipped a step, she heard gravel rolling, tires. She froze, This late, someone is coming passed this late? She scanned the area, she could not see a single person.
"Why are we all just standing here?" Daisy asked first, the rest wondering the same.
"Everyone get back inside." Laura put a hand on Red's chest, pushing him back to the house. "I hear something coming, you need to get back inside." She turned and looked Red dead in the eyes, her wide eyes told him enough.
"Everyone back inside! Go!" He turned around immediately, holding Carol's shoulder and pulling her with them. The group began to stumble around each other, confused but listening to Laura and Red's orders. Braddock gave Laura a quizzical look and shrugged, he would not speak against them. They hurried back to the house faster than they left.
Laura walked backwards with her rifle aimed at the gate. There was a car on the road, she could hear it and she did not want to risk being spotted if the person driving the car decided to stop at the gate. They all backed up, reversing into the house. One after the other they all filed back inside, their journey cut before it began.
She got them behind her, into the house, and they shut the door. All their flashlights switched off and she returned to her spot on the window. Her rifle aimed through a shattered panel of glass, Red came up and joined her. Behind them the others had their weapons readied for anything, it was too late to leave like they planned.
"What did you hear?" Red asked, his sights trained on the gate. He did not question that she heard something, only what it is. He placed his trust in her and she could not tell if he did this to show his support for her or a way of apologizing.
"I heard a car, it's coming up fast. I don't know where exactly but I know I heard it." She answered just as lights came from the trees. The distinct movement and glow of headlights off a car and soon they could all hear the vehicle approach. Everyone got down, covered, and waited.
The car came up the west road, following the curve of the road out front the house. It began to slow down once the brick and iron gates came into view. "Shit, looks like they're stopping."
"If they get close we shoot whoever is in lead or the one with the biggest gun. No questions asked; we clear them or we risk our people." Laura took significant note that her hands were entirely steady. There was no breath to jostle her aim, no shaking muscles. Her hands were perfectly steady and she felt a bit of relief knowing that. This should cause adrenaline to rush through her yet she felt nothing.
Laura looked at her hands. She truly felt nothing inside. There was no further emotion, she did what she thought she should do, never what she felt she should do anymore. Guess I'm dead inside and out.
"Laura, they-" Red's eye went wide as the car turned into the overgrown driveway of the house. They were coming in and there was nothing they could do to stop them. "We might have a fight on our hands. Everyone get ready. Laura and I have point, watch our backs if things go bad."
The silver sedan stopped a little less than halfway down the driveway with the front of the car angled so the driver door was clear to the house. The engine idled, but the driver did not turn it off. The headlights remained on and the floodlights flashed on soon after the car stopped. It was bright but not enough to blind them. Carol came up behind Laura and placed a concerned hand on her shoulder.
"Carol-" Laura turned, but stopped by Carol.
"We need to get out of here, we have the back way. We don't have to kill these people we can just leave." She urged. Laura shared a look with her before her eyes met Red's disapproving expression. They did have to fight if these people pressed their luck - they could not risk being followed by strangers.
At this pivotal moment the car door opened and out stepped a tall man with dark hair. He carried what appeared to be a white piece of cloth in his hand and he held it up with his other hand raised. He did not approach the house, only remained standing just in front of the car door. "Peace, friends! I don't mean any harm, I just want to talk."
Laura and Red froze, the group shared nervous glances to each other. "What the fuck?" Red whispered, "How does this guy know someone's here?"
"The guy in the forest, maybe he was with a group... maybe he told them about us." Markus offered. It was their best guess, otherwise this guy just rolled up and took a shot in the dark. This man was clean, Laura could see that much. He was not covered in months of blood, mud, and filth. He wore a freshly pressed shirt and the car was about as clean as he was.
"He's part of a group, he's far too clean to be wandering around." Laura sat back on her haunches. "He's here for a purpose."
"How can you-?" Red could barely see the man in the dark, especially with the headlights so near him. Laura gave Red a look and pointed to her eyes. He got the hint. "Ah, right."
"He's here for us." Micheal panicked, "We can't stay here, we need to get through. He's alone so it's not like it'll be hard." Micheal brought his gun up and the others disagreed with the man.
Braddock hoisted his pack on his shoulders, "If he came here all cleaned up knowing someone was here, he wouldn't come alone. Are there others in the car?"
"No." Laura answered, the car was empty aside from this man. At least, if there was someone else in there they were below the dash and hiding. Still another sign they were in a bad spot.
"This guy wouldn't be so stupid as to come alone. There's got to be someone else out there, there's just no way." Daisy huffed at the idea of this man's white flag. "If we go out the back door now maybe they won't notice us, we'll slip through the cut bars and get out."
"We'll just toss the bags over the fence and get out. It's a better plan than finding out whatever this guy's got going on." Markus agreed with Daisy. They were not about to take this stranger's word on meaning peace.
"That's it. We'll go out the back." Red confirmed, "Laura and I will cover you guys, just get out and get out quiet." Red gestured them along and Carol took Daisy's hand, leading them away. The group remained crouched and slow, they did not want to alert this man to their plans of escape.
Braddock brought up the rear, making sure everyone was together and moving. The man was still out there, but had lowered his hands. He began to think they were not coming out to greet him. His initial plans to talk to them seemed to have failed. He gave them time, he waited, he stayed. Laura stayed and stared at the man, his wide smile fading.
"Come on, let's get out of here." Braddock pushed the last person out before Red passed under the window and to the main hall. It was a straight shot from the front door to the back door. Laura waited for Red to reach the side of the staircase before she spied movement at the gate. Armed men sneaking in through the iron gates and beginning to surround the man out front.
"Laura, come on!" Red ushered her away from the window.
"Y'all can come out now, we don't mean any harm. We're neighbors, now how about we act like it?" The man's voice traveled. Red, Braddock, and Laura all heard him clearly.
"Go. Go now!" Laura got away from the window, their time was up. With people walking in the gates armed to the teeth she knew either they got out now or they would die. Carol was far too important to her, she could not let anything happen to her. As Red lead her to the back door, Braddock carefully shut it behind them. They all stayed low, the others nearing the wall already.
Laura could not see the people around the sides of the house just yet. She knew they were coming and eventually there might be a firefight if they did not move fast enough. Covering the rear she heard Micheal and Markus throwing the packs over the fence, Braddock and Red helping with their own. Laura spotted someone barely coming around the edge of the house.
"Hurry up, they're coming!" She hissed, bringing her rifle up. They were crouched, stalking the edges of the house. The dark and the tall grass helped hide them, but it would not last forever.
The bars had already been removed and they were climbing up and over the brick section of the wall one at a time. Micheal went first to catch Melanie on the far side. It took some doing to get over the wall and the space between the iron bars and the top bar that connected the whole fence was limited. Laura trained her rifle on the closest person to them, he was wearing body armor and carrying an automatic.
They all had flashlights, but he flicked his over the field. If she had just closed her eyes for a moment or if she had been like anyone else - he would have never noticed her in the grass. Her eyes reflected the light and he barely caught it as his flashlight aimed back at the ground. He turned his head to the fence and though it was too dark to see, he knew he saw something.
Taking a deep breath, Laura's finger found the trigger of her rifle. "Red, get ready."
The armed man at the house brought his rifle up, his flashlight following its sights. He aimed directly where he saw the reflected light and her eyes shone in the light again. Before he had a chance to fire she opened fire, her rifle popping out four quick shots and the man went down immediately. She hit his neck, it was not intentional, but it worked to their advantage anyways.
"Fuck!" Markus gasped. The people at the house went into high alert, they heard the gunshots but did not know exactly where they came from. Their flashlights all turned to the backyard of the house. They were done for if they got spotted.
"They're out back!" She heard through the darkness, "Stay down and search for them! They're not far!" Laura saw seven people so far all spread out around the house blocking any chance at going forward. Their flashlights searching the tall grass near them. It was too dense to see through without their lights directly on them. She was thankful for that at least.
There was a split second where Laura knew they were in serious trouble. These people had a lot of guns and did not seem concerned about losing one of their own. Which likely means there are more of them.
"Laura!" Carol called to her quietly, "Come on let's go!" Laura felt Carol's hand on her shoulder and she ignored it. She had to watch their backs, to make sure they would escape.
"Red, get her out of here." Laura turned her head to the side, her eye catching Red's. He nodded and grabbed Carol's arm, pulling her away from Laura. He got the idea and helped her up the wall. Carol protested, but did not have much of a choice and wanted to get out of the yard. "Go, I'll watch your backs." Laura stood up, her back still to Red and Braddock.
Red helped the larger man up first. He managed to get through much easier than the others and Red grabbed the bars on the ground, setting them on the edge of the brick wall. "It's time to go, Laura. Come on!"
Laura turned and helped Red to get over the wall, grabbing his foot to help steady him. He pulled himself up and used the iron bars that were welded in place to hold him up on the other side. He reached his hand down and Laura threw her rifle over her back, the strap secured across her chest. She jumped up and grabbed his hand, her nails digging into his bare forearm.
Red grunted as she and him lifted her weight up the wall. Laura reached the top, Red holding onto her coat. She looked at her hands grabbing his forearm and upper arm trying to lift herself over the wall. She saw he was bleeding, her nails having cut deep into his skin. He gritted his teeth through it, ignoring it to get her through the fence before they reached them.
She heard the strangers behind her, saw the group in front of her and smiled. "Red, do me a favor would you?"
His brow furrowed, confused and bewildered why she was doing this now. "You get Carol to her daughter. You get her home, to the others." Laura grabbed the metal bar and pulled herself closer to Red's face. "You listen to me, take care of them. Take care of Carol. They're good people and they're your people. When you find them, tell Rick I said you were okay. Tell them I'm sorry, tell Rick and Daryl - I'm sorry, but that you're all okay by me."
"What- Laura what the hell-?" Red blinked, "Laura please, what the hell are you talking about?"
Laura give Red the widest smile she could, tears stinging her eyes. "I forgive you. I forgive you all. I understand and I don't blame you. I'm going to keep them busy, give you guys some time to get out of here." Laura let go of Red's arm and took the cut bars from the side and put them back in place, making it look as though they had never been removed in the first place.
"You're insane, they- who knows what they'll do to you. Laura please, don't do this." His usual stoic demeanor vanished. His eyes were wide, his face stung, and he felt a deep pain in his chest.
"It's okay, Red. You guys need to get out and... and I'm going to give you the time you need to do that. I was never going to make it anyways, but these people-" She sighed, "I can hold them off for a while, maybe get them to believe I was here alone. Either way, y'all are safe. So I guess this is goodbye." Laura dropped from the edge of the brick wall.
"No- No! Laura!" Red cried out for her, watching her pull her rifle back up as she left the wall. She faded into the grass and made her way back to the house. It was cut off, but all she wanted to do was create a diversion. It did not matter to her if she actually got to the house.
Red saw the flashlights getting closer and knew he would be spotted. Instead of trying to bring Laura back, which was impossible at this point, Red dropped to the ground with the group surrounding him. He thought about what to say or do to make them understand what happened and realized nothing would work, only serve to panic the group even more.
"We have to go." Red spoke, ushering them along.
"Wait, no! We can't go. Where's Laura?" Carol came up to him and looked to the wall behind them. "Is she- is she coming?"
Red looked to Braddock and Markus, knowing the two men will be at his side. "Laura is going to create a distraction to give us time to get away. We have to move fast, they've already cleared most of the yard and it won't take them long to figure out we're not in the house either." Red tried to gently lead Carol away, the others following without question.
"We can't just leave her!" Carol cried and Red tried to calm her down, but she slapped his hand away. "No, no no. We already lost everyone else, I can't lose Laura too. She's- she can't just leave!" Her face was soaked with tears despite her attempts to wipe them away. The others helped Red get Carol away, Daisy holding onto the woman as Markus looked out for Melanie.
They had been working on borrowed time and now there was no choice. Laura made her decision based on months of a struggle she knew she was losing. Carol knew it, she understood Laura was different and had needs she didn't want to bring to light. It had all came to a head so fast Carol tried to cope desperately while being taken away by this new group.
Carol most certainly trusted them, she liked them all, and they liked her. But Laura was something else to her, the time they spent together Laura and Carol survived. Laura had protected her, fought for her, and taught her how to fend for herself. She could not cope with losing someone that important to her so suddenly. After the time they were together Carol knew Laura did what she could to resist her own urges. Eventually it would all come out, but she had no idea it would be so soon.
The group disappeared into the darkness of the forests, all of them huddled closely together and heading for a road further out back. Red and Braddock put together an escape plan a while before Carol and Laura ever showed up at their door. The back roads that weaved through the woods like rivers were hard to spot, each one gravel roads covered by months of overgrowth.
Laura took a deep breath, her rifle aimed high. Someone was nearing her with a flashlight. The moment the light hit her she fired on the man, the bullets tearing through the hood he wore. Immediately everyone saw the flashlight fall and she knew she was spotted.
She broke into a sprint for the house, hoping to have some kind of cover while she fought these armed offenders. The fight would not be long and she would lose, but she had long since come to terms with dying out here. Carol was never supposed to be there, the herd was never supposed to show up. Laura knew had she been alone with someone in the dark that night, without the herd around and only the Voice in her head; someone could have died.
The back door slammed open as she heard gunfire break out just behind her. They found her and were coming after her. Laura rushed inside, storming up the stairs. She only had one magazine so all shots counted.
The main room on the second storey would work fine, it was a place to put up a fight at least. She heard their boots hit the wood floors downstairs as they started to search for her. They would check the ground floor first, clearing the rooms one by one. Laura hurried over to the table on the far side of the room, the movement would alert the people downstairs but it was unavoidable.
She flipped the table on its side and knocked the dish cabinet in front of the door. The table end was behind the couch, giving her an entire corner of cover. The furniture being knocked around told them she was upstairs and it only took a minute for their footsteps to hit the stairs. She knew they were coming, this was her stand, this was her end.
"Don't tell me what to do..." Laura hummed, "Don't tell me what to say." She grinned, singing an old song to herself. It was a memory she could not recall, but it had some kind of significance to her. Her head had been a mess of confusion and broken memories, nothing seemed real anymore. There was a disconnect between herself and the world around her.
Her memories, she knew, were not all her own. Whatever was happening in her diseased brain was not in her control anymore. The Voice, whatever it is, some kind of vocal incarnation of the undead infection inside her. Laura had no reason to argue with it anymore. With Carol and the others around she had to ignore it more, but when she was alone Laura felt no need to resist the urges she felt.
"I'm young and I love to be young. I'm free and I love to be free..." Laura closed her eyes and listened to them open doors. "To live my life the way I want. To say and do whatever I please..." Her voice cracked. She was not scared of death, but it hurt to think that Carol would make it back and she would never see her reunite with Sophia. It was selfish to be sad she would never see that. She knew she should just be happy they all made it out.
Daryl. She sniffed, thinking about the group. Glenn and Rick, Maggie and Hershel, everyone. She put her finger back on the trigger when she heard the door handle jostle. They found her and she was out of time.
Laura put her rifle over the top edge of the table. They hit the door and the cabinet scratched the floor. They hit it again and it moved. She waited, hit after hit, the cabinet moved more and more. "Don't tell me what to do... Don't tell me what to say... Please, when I go out with you, don't put me on display-" The door swung open with a loud smash, the cabinet flew to the side and the people came in guns blazing.
They fired on the open room and Laura stayed down until they were done. When they felt they sprayed the room enough, Laura sat back up and shot the first on in the room. He went down, his finger pulling the trigger as he fell in shock. The others watching him fall gave her enough time to fire on them. Another went down, a woman with black hair fell right beside him.
"Shit!" Someone ducked, spraying the room in bullets. There were far more of them than she had thought. They filed into the house and she knew it was coming. One of these bullets had her name on it.
Laura took her time, staying down until they showed themselves from behind the door frame. All it took was one stupid impatient bastard to poke his head out and she fired a single shot that killed him instantly. The blood soaked doorway to the room was becoming a problem for them. Instead of risking more lives Laura heard a pin being pulled and a heavy can hitting the floor just in front of her.
Thinking it was a grenade Laura turned to the glass wall behind her. Whoever built this house was wealthy and had installed floor to ceiling glass windows to overlook their yard. Laura turned before the grenade went off and smashed through the window, sending glass everywhere just before the explosion went off. Instead of a fiery blast, there was a bright flash of light.
She knew, in the split second before hitting the ground, she just dove out the window trying to dive from a flash bang. Son of a bitch.
Her back hit the ground first. Combined with the flash bang Laura's senses were going wild, her hearing and eyesight were shot. She couldn't see anything, but she knew someone had just grabbed her by her leather coat. She felt lifted from the ground and desperately tried to get her eyes and ears clear, to see what was happening.
Before her vision returned she felt someone's fist connect with her jaw, knocking her to the grass below. Followed by someone kicking her in the back and abdomen while she was down. There were multiple assailants, with her eyes seeing nothing but pure white and the painful ringing in her ears she had no idea how many. She felt someone grab her and punch her once, twice, three times; she lost count.
These people were angry, unmerciful, and beat her into the ground after she was already down. She felt being beaten to death was a lame way to go in a world full of the undead. She managed a painful grin before the beating stopped suddenly. Another hand lifted her up, bringing her to sit and holding her in place as she was clearly unable to.
Ice cold liquid poured over her head and down her shoulders, a hand lightly slapping her face as she came to. Her sight began to return to her, faces blurred out with white edges. She shook her head as sound began to come back. "There she is..." A strained voice reached her ears through the ringing. She recognized it, but just barely.
"And you know her?" Another voice from the man standing in front of her. The man holding her had his face barely a few inches away and he was grinning, as if he was excited to see her.
"Yeah, I know this one." He chuckled. She squinted her eyes, trying to focus on his face. He was so close to her and she realized why he was grinning and what they meant. Her sight was clearer and his face came into view. "Hey, anyone home?" His hand patted the side of her face again. He found all this incredibly amusing.
"Oh fucking hell." Laura coughed, "Merle."