Curative
By Kaimaler
Review replies are at the bottom!
Having difficulty writing. I think I'm losing my buzz! Oh well! If you find anything wrong or it just feels wrong, send me some feedback and I'll work to resolve the issue. :)
Red leaned over, elbows on his knees and hands clasped together. How had he gotten here? In a cell, locked up by those monsters from Woodbury. He couldn't kill an innocent man, it wasn't in him. Tyreese was just trying to help and Red wondered if Rick would have put down arms to save Tyreese. Red thought about if Rick would have put down arms for himself.
Was Tyreese's life worth the lives of everyone in the prison? Realistically, no. One life does not outweigh an entire groups. But if he fired on the man holding Tyreese, it would not have been one of the men of Woodbury killing him, it would have been Red.
He looked to his attempts to bring Laura back, trying to reach out for her, convince her to come with them. She left anyways and he blamed himself for her death, though he knew there was nothing he could have done. He blamed himself for the growing doubts his group had of ever finding Carol's people. Red held his head in his hands tightly; he felt like a failure as a leader.
Everyone trusted him, they listened him, and followed in his footsteps. They sought him out for answers and he did his best, but now he wasn't so sure his best meant anything. Where did his best get them? Under suspicion by Carol's group for sacrificing Laura so they could escape and costing them the prison because he allowed a group of strangers inside, then when faced with either that one man or the group Red chose his morals.
Again, not the most well thought out plan he ever made. He had no time to deliberate, no time to consider the weight of his actions. Red wanted to do what was right above all else and Tyreese had been kind, polite so far. They had not a lot of time together, but Tyreese reminded Red of himself back when he started to settle into his role as the group leader.
Responsible, level headed, and decisive. He felt he had done a decent job so far, not perfect but not bad. Now, locked in cells with both his group, Rick's group, and Tyreese's - Red felt like he must have done a worse job than he initially believed.
Carol was beside him, holding Beth tightly to her. Her thoughts and fears consumed with her daughter. She had not seen the girl be put into a cell and she was far too scared to say anything in case they did not know she was around either. Through her concern for her daughter she developed a powerful concern over Red as well.
He was siting on the floor, head in his hands, and appeared distraught. She understood of course, but she knew they had to be strong now. Rick and the others would be returning and there was no way to warn them. The broken gates would tell them enough for sure and Carol did not want to sit around waiting to die.
These people were violent, merciless if Laura's condition told her anything. It was only a matter of time before they acted out. Laura and Merle were right around the corner. Carol began to think through what Hershel had suggested.
She doesn't remember anyone. Carol sighed, holding Beth a little tighter while the girl sniffled. She hated the very idea and yet she felt like it was probably the case.
It would explain her uncooperative behavior, how violent she acted, and her lack of any reaction to them. They had been separated for months, Laura coming out looking much worse than Carol did.
Carol resisted trying to detail the damage she saw on the woman.
Now she was stuck between wanting to fight and waiting for their time. These people would kill them if they acted out, potentially worse if given the chance. Beth was terrified, her family stuck in another cell, and Red was wracked with guilt.
They did not have the keys to free themselves with, they were forced to relinquish them to Merle and his group. Merle, Carol thought, What were the odds?
This was perhaps the greatest indicator that Hershel was right about Laura losing herself to the infection she feared. It took away her memories of them, took away her recognition. If Laura had not mentioned or brought up Merle to the group, she must not know. If Laura did not remember them, she might not be their friend anymore. Which means their situation was more dire than the others know.
Carol swallowed hard and straightened her jaw. Laura had shown hostility, fear, and unfamiliarity. She was scared of them, which said a lot about her life after the farmhouse. She reacted violently when touched, another sign of a hard life. When they caught her she tried to fight, nearly hurt could have even killed Rick and Daryl. They did manage to restrain her and from there she shattered, whatever viciousness in her had been overwhelmed by that fear.
It hurt to see their once good and gentle friend turn into something else entirely. Carol looked out the cell, seeing the guard on the chair with a rifle in his lap. He was eyeing another cell, a sickening smirk on his face. She wondered what he found so interesting.
Outside the cells, Laura and Merle took their time apart from the others. Laura knew they were armed, but it would not be hard getting passed them. They had trust on their side, the others would have no idea anyone was coming for them. A fact Merle and Laura intended to take advantage of.
Merle still had his pistol, though his aim was perhaps not the best anymore now that his right hand was gone. He did not need to have a straight shot to make this work, they just needed to get in position and make it happen. There were four others inside, including Martinez. They all carried weapons, rifle and a pistol, and they were all off guard.
With the group that took this prison behind bars, they were not concerned about anything. Not even the rest of the group showing up, figuring they would not sacrifice their own for the rest just as Red did.
Merle had some serious reservations about turning on the Governor like this. The man could overpower this prison just by throwing people at it and he did not believe Rick or his group were capable fighters. He thought that the many outweighed the few and by that logic, surrendering everyone to save one man was idiotic. His loyalty extended to his brother only, but he did take Laura into consideration.
Laura's loyalty was to Merle, with a nod towards Daryl. As far as she was concerned there was only a few ways this could go.
Merle and Laura go in, kill the Woodbury soldiers, free the others, and extend this hand to the prison group. It would be ideal, though she knew they might not agree with Merle and Laura so quickly.
It would be sudden and it would be swift. The Governor pushed his luck with these two who came from the same group at separate times. He tested their mettle, believing their fear of Woodbury and their desire to survive would beat out any lingering fealty to these people. It was mostly true, but not for the reasons the Governor thought.
Though Laura's memories were a mess and her conflicted feelings still did not convince her to save these people because she knew them; her suffering at Woodbury pushed her to make this choice. Merle wanted her back and his companionship grew an affection for him that made her want to fight. Fight for a better life for the both of them, including his brother of course.
She was here, in this prison, and she could see Rick, Daryl, and Glenn being good to her. So far these people had not directly caused her harm. In her panic, she caused it to herself. The kindness showed to her, though she did not realize it at the time, came to spark a fire that had died out over her time in Woodbury. The more she thought about this, about turning on Woodbury and freeing themselves and this prison from the Governer; the more fuel was thrown into the fire.
Merle had a similar feeling about turning on Woodbury. Though Laura had suffered and was forced to accept that suffering, Merle was intimidated by the idea that the Governor would come down on him too. She went through more than he ever wanted to, it was hard to watch, yet he always knew that it would eventually come to a point. A turning point he knew was coming quickly, though he did not anticipate it just yet.
Laura wanted out, he understood, but this was not going to be easy.
"If you grab a rifle they'll know something's wrong." Merle started, he put his pistol back in his waistband in a position to be quick drawn. Laura nodded, knowing she rarely used guns back in Woodbury unless she needed the range. If she picked up a gun, even for watch duty, they might notice it. Even if they didn't, the chance was there and they needed to play it safe.
She pointed to the cell block, to herself, with her other hand she pointed to him and pulled her hands apart.
"We'll have to. We stay too close together we'll be easy targets." He huffed. Their move on the others had to go smoothly and there was no real way to plan for everything. They needed to able to act on their feet. "I puttin' it on record that I think this is a stupid idea."
Laura looked at him and nodded once.
"Alright, wait until your watch shift. No sense in actin' suspicious and losing the advantage." Merle lead her back to the entrance of cell block D. Laura looking out and around just to make sure no one was around. She kept to his back and knew that either the outcome would result in both of their favor or she would not let it go further. Merle meant the world to her, she was not prepared to give him up.
He opened the door and entered the cell block. Laura's hand hit the door to hold it open for herself as she entered, her metal glove clattering loudly on the metal. These people were used to the sound of her moving around so it did not attract attention. Merle descended the short stairs and in an instant everything felt like she was seeing it through a filter, slower than reality.
Martinez looked up to Merle, turning his head to see her enter. The door swung shut behind her as she took her first step down. Martinez went back to Merle, still sitting at the table, leaning forward on his elbow. Merle came to stop just in front, keen on retaking his seat while Laura moved into position. He would wait on Laura's watch to move.
When Martinez glanced down, pushing the ziplocked bag of trail mix to the side, Merle looked up to her from under his brow and winked. Laura hit the floor, starting her walk to the cells just behind the mess hall. Merle waited and she counted her steps into the room, how many towards the cell block and how many she had to turn to avoid the table and chairs. It was pointless to do so, but her mind began to pick up on the rush of adrenaline.
Are we really doing this? Laura inhaled, though she did not need to, she felt like she wanted the feeling just to help calm her nerves. We're finally splitting from Woodbury. Will we really be free? The bars between the mess hall and cell block came nearer, a waft of air passing her as she entered the cell area. Her feet stopped and she looked around.
Should we leave? What will these people think? She exhaled, feeling the rush of air from her lungs. Will they let us go or will they try to stop us? A concern she knew they would have to discuss before arming these people. They took her in, though they did lock her up.
In her rush she knew they treated her differently than Woodbury. They may not have understood her, but they went out of their way not to harm her. They all even knew her name and she could not deny the truth; these people knew her.
Her chest constricted. If they really know me, even after everything, would they still treat me like before? A familiar scene of Daryl holding her face, checking her for injuries in the creek bed. Rick defending her from Shane. Glenn keeping watch, but ready to jump into action against Shane as well. Would they consider me a part of their group with Merle? His brother is here, but would that change anything? People change, they move on...
She went to the staircase, sat down on a cold metal stair, and waited for her watch. This man had only started nearly two hours ago, she would have another two hours until her watch came around. So she settled in her seat and waited. Thinking on Woodbury, on the Governor, and what would happen after they turned on him. She would never leave Merle behind and trusted him not to leave her behind.
The strange thing to her was this bond they shared. He would not harm her, he had many, many chances and turned each one down. Not in fear of being discovered, not because he was trying to be careful, but because that just wasn't who he was. Merle was a thick skinned man who would rather yell obscenities than admit he experienced compassion for others. He would say it about his brother in an extremely reluctant way, but it was there. His bond with Laura... he expressed it to her more readily now, but he refused to show anyone else that.
Which is something Laura was thankful for. Except the one night where he did stand up for her. She would not lie and say he did what was best for her; he just treated her like a person. Merle could sleep with a woman and not want anything to do with her personally, to remain entirely detached. He did not, nor had he ever, considered forcing himself on any woman including Laura. She was helpless in Woodbury and he knew it, no matter what he would never see punishment for treating her wrongly. He did for treating her like a person.
She knew they were close beforehand, but she had no idea they were that close. Enough for him to apologize for that night, for what happened. He had done the right thing for the right reasons, but received a torturous result. He wanted to do right by her and for that she would always remain loyal to him.
She needed to be calm for the coming storm. So she stretched her arm out, resting on her knee and laid her head down. Focusing on the cold breeze outside, she used the rhythm to sooth her troubled mind. Adrenaline made it hard to think about anything other than their plan to turn on Woodbury.
Merle was as restless as her, watching Martinez closely. He was the only one smart and present enough to pose a threat. The two men never getting close as Merle's standoffish personality pushed anyone away and Martinez preferred to be a man of the people. Laura did not care for the lives of the group Merle arrived with. Rapists, murderers, regardless of their personal opinions they had allowed much wrong to happen and committed much of it themselves.
Their deaths would make the world a bit safer. Merle kept in a position he would be able to reach his gun at any time. He could count time, it was at least another couple of hours before Laura's watch would come.
The next man approached for his shift, keys jingling on his waist, and rifle slung over his shoulder. She could see the bite scar on his hand and her memories presented a graphic image of herself and him in her mind. Her fingers tensed and she tried to put it out of her mind.
He passed the cells, checking the people inside. Most did not acknowledge him as he slowly made his round. Red glared, Carol stayed with Beth to keep the girl relaxed. She had finally calmed down, but Carol was sure to stay with her just in case she woke up. He lingered each cell, taking in the sight of these people locked up and pissed off about it.
Most had taken to sleeping in shifts, trying to keep each other protected. They were trapped and scared. Laura came to accept that she felt bad for them because she knew that feeling. It was not in her heart to ignore them when just a few hours ago she was in their shoes. Naturally Laura was an empathetic person; she wanted to care for others and be cared for. An aching need to not be alone.
Laura cared about these people for a reason beyond her, but what she did know is they did not harm her. She would not be what Woodbury wanted her to be; she would extend the same kindness to them. She would be different.
There were other survivors she had hunted for the Governor. People she remembered killing both personally and by bringing them to Woodbury. The Voice allowed her such merciless traits that made her an effective hunter. She did not think about them, about the fear they felt when she pursued them and they knew it. Likely they saw her coming and fought to survive, others begging.
The blood on her hands was too much to pretend it never happened. The infection in her brain could change her into the creature that ruined this world. She is one of the undead, only capable of a bit more. In her mind that made her an outcast, but she did not consider someone accepting her as she is. This is what that one memory taught her, proving her wrong. Rick did not care about her condition, he protected her. Daryl certainly held no distaste for it as he was the one helping her to her feet.
She realized now that these people would not treat her the same as Woodbury. For that, for the attempts at generosity, she would pay it forward and hope for the best.
Sounds of footsteps and keys jingling interrupted her thoughts. Her eyes flicked to the man on watch, the bitten man. He went to look over the cells again, there was no movement from the people inside. They did not care if he watched over them, everyone was still waiting on Rick and his group to return. It was daunting to see the shadow of this man passing over their cells.
Laura stood up and climbed the rest of the stairs. She wanted to see the little girl again, to make sure she was still hiding. Looking back down the stairs to make sure no one was watching, she headed towards the cell the girl was in. Her eyes scanning the cell doors before resting on the one the girl lived in. She halted her steps, surprised to see a little girl at the cell door.
This girl was different, she was alive and Laura, now paying attention, could pick up on her scent. She appeared a similar height to Sophia, but he had rosy cheeks and big eyes, her skin and hair both natural shades. Laura's approach alerted her and she ducked back into the cell, her light footsteps almost inaudible. Curious, Laura approached and laid a hand on the bars, her gauntlets ticking lightly against the cold metal.
The little girl's feet just barely shuffled behind the bunk bed, trying desperately to hide. She knew Laura though Laura did not remember her and she knew the people downstairs were bad people. So she hid inside the cells upstairs with Sophia. Laura saw the little girl under the bed still there, this new living girl on the far side. Light shuffling told her they were moving around a bit still, doing something.
Still far too terrified to come out, Laura sighed. She had killed a great number of people without feeling a thing for them or the family they left behind, if that family survived. Most of them did not, which resulted in many dead survivors, some killed by hand, others brought back to Woodbury, and some left for walkers. Laura frowned, a sad thought came to her mind.
The infection kept her alive, if one could call that living. The Voice took control, it lead Laura down the path to survival at the cost of everyone around her. Her being alive cost dozens of people their lives. She swallowed hard, a hand over her burned stomach. She had not thought about the families she had killed or played a part in killing. Men, women, and children.
During the time she held no remorse, not even in inkling of guilt. She was even given a few of her successful hunts to eat which she did so quite happily.
Laura looked to her gauntlets and ground her teeth on the leather bit. I'm a monster. Her eyes began to sting, but no tears fell. I am a horror - they're scared of me because they can see me.
She turned away from the cell, hands clasped together tightly. They shook. She stood over the railing and thought in detail about the people she had murdered. About those she killed and ate, raw and fresh. She was no better than the rest of the dead beyond those fences, those filing into the field of the prison and devouring the bodies of the people from Woodbury who died out there.
There was a powerful desire she felt and could not reconcile. She wanted to be out there with them, eating. Her stomach growled and she felt it reemerge. The same constant ache in her body that wracked her with the excruciating compulsion to eat - to feed. It felt all consuming, as if it could hold her down and tear her apart. It scratched at her rib cage and her mouth began to water at the very thought of it.
That hunger had been satiated for a long time, but Woodbury had failed to keep her fed the last few days. They gave her less and less coupled with the Governor's discovery of Merle and Laura's companionship. Now, she was hungry and that dull ache that had been pushed to the back of her mind, kept in check by the Voice - it became a need.
One that could easily be satisfied after tonight's events. They wanted to make their alliances known. Merle and Laura would fight for the prison if the prison gave Merle his brother. If everyone was cooperative, they could work together to make this life work.
The only grave complication no one truly considered yet, some because they did not know, and one because he did not view it as a problem. Laura's needs, her state of being, and what that means for the prison, for the people inside, for those outside, and what it would take to keep that need from escalating. She had such a struggle with it before.
Before... The last time she remembered the hunger this powerful. A dark night, storming, she was inside a building and there was someone with her. Laura's mind wandered, the memory flickering in her head as her view became obscured by a bloody vignette.
In her mind's eye Laura could see a woman, sleeping peacefully, and the scent of the living clear as day. Laura's mouth watered, her teeth bared as she watched this woman sleep. The storm raged on outside, the wind causing the old house to creak and moan. It hid Laura's approach easily, she barely needed to sneak her way to the bedroom.
The woman. She could see the short hair and silhouette of the woman from the bed sheets. She was... familiar, even now. Her appearance was recognizable, but Laura was not sure who. She laid in that bed, sleeping soundly, and Laura expected the next action was her killing this woman in her bed. A gruesome scene that had become commonplace in Laura's memories.
She remembered leaning over the bed, eyeing the woman, her hand reaching over the bed. Lightning cracked and the flash lit up the room for a fraction of a second, the rain drowning out any sounds.
The aching pain in her stomach hit a peak, her heart thumped, and just before her hand reached the woman; she stopped. The woman sighed in her sleep, stretching and turning to her other side. A gentle hum from the woman as she settled into this new position and Laura saw her face.
It's her... Laura wanted to scream at her, But I don't understand. Her hand pulled away, the hunger quieted down, and she reverted to herself again. In her memory Laura realized what she was doing, why she was doing it, and fought the hunger. Immediately after that point the memory became faded and she could not recall anything further.
She's the same woman from here in the prison. The one who spoke to me... She twisted her torso around to see the cell with the two little girls hiding inside. The smell of living flesh touched her again and the hunger became more and more apparent with each deep breath she took in. She could hardly contain herself, sniffing the air like a dog, searching. She talked to me about the girl, the strange one.
That smell was more than just intoxicating. It served to awaken that dark, hungry creature Laura had been using to survive. Only now, instead of the Voice controlling it, Laura was left alone. She came back with this new sense of self that began to warn her something was very wrong.
Laura had this trickling memory flow of the hunger in her life. Instances where she saw herself wanting, needing to feed and hearing the Voice scream at her to take a bite.
Violent flashes before her eyes, like a movie being played too quickly to register.
Fighting with a man by a vehicle, on the ground and she bit his leg. It wasn't enough, Laura resisted the desire to eat. He attacked her, she recognized his face; Shane.
Another memory of walking in a field of tall wheat grass, a wind gently blowing over her. The Voice telling her they had to eat to survive, that these people were already scared to be around her knowing that eventually, just like any walker, she would attack. Laura denied it, she felt sick after seeing crafted images of her eating these people.
More flooded in, small flashes of hunger creeping into her consciousness. From the very beginning it was always there, just behind the scenes, waiting until she could no longer resist. Laura fought it, she remembered eating a full meal and still feeling like she was starving. It was not the right kind of food. Laura held her stomach and shook it off, ignoring it again.
She said it, she thought it, and in a few rare cases she nearly did it. She held off as long as she could, fighting it until the bitter end when she had nothing left but her loneliness and suffering inside Woodbury. When she surrendered control to the infection inside of her because she could not stand it any longer.
Now she was alone again, the Voice had not spoken to her since her capture. It meant to stay on the outskirts of this fight knowing there would only be two victors; Laura and the group or Woodbury resulting in Laura's death. Either way the road to survival was not paved by the infection, it could only be won by the living. Laura had to be able to live with them or she would die with them.
Laura leaned over the railing and took a long hard look at herself and the memories in her mind. A large collection of disorganized, chaotically shuffled memories she needed time to put together to form a coherent timeline. Her history, at least some portion of it, returned to her. She did not know what to do with this, but she knew now their plan to betray Woodbury needed to go through.
Her earliest memories of Woodbury were of torture. Yet some of the muddled memories she could make out at this moment, after just rediscovering them, had people smiling at Laura, no fear of abuse evident in her emotions at that time. She craved that as badly as she needed to eat. As luck would have it, Laura's plan would result in bodies fresh enough to eat.
The plan could have come at a better time, though the man on guard could have given Laura bit more time to come to terms with her new influx of memories.
At first it was strange to hear the keys being fiddled with, then it developed into the movement of multiple people. Laura's hearing picked up a number of the people downstairs moving around. Hands hit bars, footsteps to the cell doors and around, and the loud click of a door unlocking. Strange. She thought, there was no reason to unlock the cells.
She made her way down the catwalk towards the stairs when she heard rustling. Someone spoke, she didn't catch it, but she quickly realized something was indeed very wrong.
Things changed so suddenly Laura was wondering if she was just imaging it. Then the sounds of bars being shaken; violence.
"Get up, girl." A sickly familiar voice. The guard watching the cells, Laura's rapist. He was busy with something and Laura knew immediately hearing his voice this something is not what he is meant to be doing. She came around to the stairs a bit more urgently.
"Hey, you leave them the hell alone!" A man's voice, Red. He shook the bars again, watching the two Woodbury men opening Maggie and Daisy's cell door. Fear rose into his chest as he knew there was nothing he could do. He could beat those bars until his hands were shattered and bloody, but these men had the power here. "Leave them alone you bastards!" He yelled, banging on the bars.
"Shut the fuck up." One man barked at him. He did not care to reinforce that order and remained at the open cell door.
The man inside the cell stood over the two women who took their stances at the back. He cracked a grin and shook his head, raising his rifle to them. "Move nice and easy; you get out of the cell." He pointed to one of the women, "The other stays here and we get to have some personal time together." He cackled, seeing the woman attempt to cover her indecency. Daisy had no shirt to speak of, still stuck in just her bra inside the cell.
"Hey, man." Braddock came up to the cell door, "There's no need to do this. Just leave the girls be." He pleaded, but received only the two men laughing in response.
"We all got needs, just so happens I like blonde girls the best." He pointed to the other man, "He prefers the southern girl. When I'm through with you, he'll get to have his five minutes in heaven."
Red kicked the door, "You can't do that, you can't do this! Don't you lay a hand on them!" He yelled in frustration, entirely trapped.
"Or what? You'll cry some more?" The man looked over to Red whose face was red and eyes stinging. "What's it matter? Y'all gonna be dead in a few hours anyways, can't let that ass go to waste!" He smirked, having himself a laugh over their struggle.
Daisy reached for Maggie, holding her as the other man attempted to pull the Greene woman out of the cell. "Daisy!" She tried to hold on, only serving to piss off their captors. He shook his head, grumbling something about hysterical women before raising the butt of his rifle and cracking it down on Maggie's arm. The woman cried out as the butt of the rifle threatened to break the joint.
Maggie's cry in pain agitated the rest of the group, the commotion beginning to attract more attention.
Laura knew, she understood, and hurried down the stairs. Her boots hitting the ground harder than she wanted just as Merle came around the corner, Martinez just behind him.
"Get your hands off of me!" Maggie snapped, trying to fight the man away. He yanked her out of the cell, using his rifle to shove her away before pointing it at her. She froze, unwilling to face off against a loaded weapon.
"There ya' go, now calm your ass down. It'll be your turn soon enough." The man kept her still, overlooking the cell while the other man approached Daisy.
The blonde woman reached out to punch him, getting one hit on his jaw before he was prepared. She threw a few hits, none more effective than the first off guard hit he took. The man, bigger than her, grabbed her arm and forced her against the back wall as she continued trying to fight. "That's alright, darlin'. I like it when they fight."
Daisy choked, yanking her arm free and scratching her nails down the side of his face. He hissed, taking a step back. "You dumb bitch," He touched the bleeding wound on the side of his face. "Just for that, I think I'll knock your teeth out before I fuck your throat." He pulled back, a fist cracking over her face. He did not let up, one hit after the other, using her hair to keep her up just to hit her again.
"Daisy!" Maggie cried, tears running down her face. The other man pushed her away as she tried to get passed him.
"I wouldn't unless you wanna go right now." His hand touched the side of her face and she flinched away. "Don't worry baby, I'm a bit gentler than he is."
"Leave her alone!" Red barked again, his knuckles white as he gripped the bars. Others in the group came to their doors, begging for them to stop. No one imagined being in the same room with their friends as they were violated. It was a nightmare being trapped, helpless in the cells close enough to hear everything, but completely unable to stop it from happening.
Laura approached, the commotion sounding like a roar of thunder. They were all yelling, the metal banging loudly. She saw the man inside the cell assaulting Daisy, he had not yet even tried to remove her clothing. He was still beating her before the rape, his version of foreplay that Laura had learned of in the past. She peered inside, her heart pounding in her ears as she saw this happening to another woman.
The man outside the cell shook his head to her, "Nothin' you can help with girl, just stay outside and let him do his thing."
"Please!" She saw Red, Carol, Hershel, Braddock - all at the cell bars begging for them to stop. Red and Carol looked at Laura as she approached, "Stop! Please don't do this." Red met her eyes and she felt on the spot rather quickly. Uncomfortable, the sounds of these women as they were being assaulted struck a deep cord in Laura's heart. Something she was especially sensitive to.
Merle was just behind her, the men around her, and she pushed her luck. Laura attempted to pass the man, she wanted to see but it was obscured. She did not know yet what she would do, but the cries and screams - she felt she needed to be in there. She could not stand listening to them, they hurt her in ways she could not begin to describe.
"Girl, I said stay out!" He shoved her back. The last man in the group who had remained relatively uninvolved grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. "Yeah, just stay out and don't cause any trouble. Damn, he said you listened well."
Laura was pulled a step back and she turned to the man. He was not part of this as he would rather have been asleep after his watch shift, but he knew there were complications. "Leave them to it, it won't take long and they'll pass out. It's-" As he spoke, the screams grew and Laura heard the man beating Daisy talking to her.
"I'm going to fuck you raw, girl." He growled, "I like it when you struggle. You gotta be the hottest bitch in here - I'm going to enjoy wrecking you." He laughed, his tone so disturbing it recalled Laura's memories of him. A chill went up her spine and she could no longer stand by.
Laura turned around, pushing away from the man speaking to her. She came right back up to the man holding Maggie out of the cell at gunpoint. He saw her coming and sighed, "You just don't get it, do ya'?" He whipped the butt of his rifle at Laura. It connected with the side of her face and she stumbled. The man behind her grabbing both her shoulders. "Hold her still, would ya. Might be a good time to teach the dog some manners about privacy."
He pulled her to him and the other man began to hit her. Just as the man did inside the cell, he threw hit after hit into her ribs and face. Laura conflicted about fighting back, knowing it was too soon and the position was not right. They were clearly on her insubordination, now beating her until she listened. The man inside had just stopped and she knew the worst was about to happen.
If she fought back now it would put them all at risk, but if she didn't... Inside the cell Daisy was bleeding, suffering from a broken nose and more from her beating. She fell forward, the man satisfied with his 'foreplay' and began to move. He pulled her away from the wall, half dragging her to the bottom bunk and laying her on it. Laura felt that deep cord being struck again.
Maggie, in her panic, reached out and grabbed a fistful of the man's hair and yanked it back. He howled and reeled his next hit directed at Laura and threw it at Maggie. His fist hit her cheek, knocking her back as he spewed curses.
The man released Laura's shoulders and she buckled to her knees. That cord was struck again when she looked up to see the man attempting with some difficulty to unfasten Daisy's bra.
The guard who had been beating Laura turned to Maggie, pushing her shirt up deciding he had waited long enough.
Laura agreed with him.
The same hunger that drove her to fight before, that same creature inside of her that killed people in the Governor's name. She growled, picking herself off the cold ground and turned around, her claws dragging on the ground as she swung them around herself and upwards. The man who had held her still just behind her and in the path of her claws.
Before he knew what was happening, Laura's claws tore through his side, abdomen, and chest. The long lines in his flesh poured with blood and he stood in shock. The blood splattered to the ground and spotted across Laura. He tried to grasp his torn apart torso before collapsing to the ground in a heap of shredded flesh and blood.
The man holding Maggie back turned his head to see the blood spray, his eyes widened in shock and he had not enough time to react before a powerful hit came from Merle's metal covered arm. His face made a sickening crunch as Merle threw his body weight into the hit and he fell to the ground, still alive but not for long. Merle grabbed the man's shirt with his other hand and hit him again on the ground.
Laura turned to the cell, the man wholly distracted with his activity. His hand just grabbing Daisy's waistband and tugging. Her vision went red and she charged into the cell.
He saw movement out the corner of his eye and glanced up for a second, freezing when he saw Laura covered in blood with her gauntlet's dripping wet. He reached behind him, fumbling for the rifle over his shoulder. Laura was on him faster than his jumpy hands could allow. She stretched out one clawed hand and sunk the metal into his flesh, wherever she could grab him.
His cry of pain as the claws tore through him was enough for Daisy to look up, her bloodied face unable to really focus. Laura pushed back, her right hand coming around just over Daisy to shred the thin skin of his neck. The severed artery in his neck sprayed blood over the bed, Daisy, and Laura. He gargled and jerkily tried to push Laura away.
It was pointless of course, he was dead already.
Laura pulled her hands free of his torn flesh and let him fall to the ground, blood pooling around him as he drowned. She reveled in the sight, that spark of fire being fed more. It grew into a sizable flame seeing one of her rapists dead, lying in his own blood, by her hands. It was extremely gratifying to say the least. Revenge was far better than Laura had dreamed.
For the first time in a very long time, Laura smiled. Completely hidden by the muzzle and restricted by the bit. She found this feeling almost pleasurable, a calm wave coming over her. Laura turned to Daisy, her bra missing entirely, partially covered in blood both hers and the blood of her would-be rapist. She sighed, now was not the time to get wrapped up in this.
Laura could not really help Daisy up, her gauntlets far too sharp to hold the woman. She shared a look with the woman before kneeling over the dead man, searching his blood soaked jeans for the keys. Patting down the pockets and waistband, she found they were not on him.
Standing up, she turned to the cell door and exited the room. Merle saw her, jaw tight and gave her a nod. He reached down to the man he had beaten and plucked he keys from his pocket, having seen them when he was beating the man. He tossed them to her, hearing the keys clink against her claws as she fiddled with them. It was a bit tricky, but they already made their plans.
This was perhaps more messy not to mention risky, but it got the job done. Laura stepped to the cell beside Daisy and Maggie's; she looked to the cell block entrance. Martinez's body was laying just barely visible on the ground. She wondered if he was alive or dead, though it did not much matter at this point.
Laura found the lock on the cell door, Merle right behind her. She saw the people inside, Braddock, Hershel, and the boy Carl on the bunk bed. She fitted the key into the lock and the loud sliding click got the door unlocked. Braddock pushed the door open and Laura stepped back, he immediately rushed to Maggie, looking inside the cell to see Daisy.
She stepped to the next cell seeing Red's face right up against the bars. She unlocked the door and he pushed passed, the door shoving Laura back into Merle's chest. He steadied her, patting her shoulder as she continued to unlock the cells. She released Sasha and Ben, Allen and Tyreese. The entire group rushing to the assaulted women.
Laura stepped back, allowing them to care for Daisy and Maggie. She sought out Carl, the boy who initially carried the keys. He stayed away from the gore, but he did watch. When Laura approached he did not flinch, but he was on guard. She held out the keys to him. He raised his hand and took them from her gently, as if a quick movement would set her off.
Merle stayed with her, the two of them watching from the wall of the cell block.
Red held Daisy, shocked from seeing her so bloodied. He could not tell what was hers and what belonged to the dead man on the ground. He saw the carnage, flesh torn apart like wet paper. There was no time to consider that damage, he needed to help Daisy.
Carefully, he took her in his arms and lifted her bridal style. "Hershel," He turned to the older man overseeing his daughter. Hershel looked up, seeing Daisy's condition. "Please." Red begged and Hershel nodded. Beth coming to hug her sister, but Maggie was in better shape than Daisy was.
The two men retreated from the bloody mess in the cell block. They needed a fresh cell and to clean the blood off of Daisy. Maggie stood on her own two feet, bruised, but not injured.
The mess was assessed and everyone did what they could. Rushing to Maggie, to Daisy. They needed time to work things out. Laura looked down and picked up on of the blood splattered rifles before returning to Merle by the mess hall. She met his eyes and glanced around nervously before gesturing out of the room. He was tense for sure and accepted. Leaving the group to care for their own and while Laura wanted to be a part of that, she knew it was not her place right now. They needed space, so Laura would give it to them.
Before she knew it, Merle had grabbed her arm and began to pull her out of the cell block. He chose the place, retreating back outside cell block D to talk to her about what exactly just happened. She kept up with him, knowing he was not too happy about how everything panned out.
When he felt they were sufficiently far enough away, he stopped, paced around her and ran a hand down his face. Frustrated after being forced to jump into action so quickly without any warning ahead of time. Laura waited, allowing him to voice his agitation. However, with their connection he was more focused on trying not to yell expletives at her until she was deaf.
Just as before, he understood her sensitivities. Talking was enough to equate being reprimanded. Instead, as per this unique allowance he gave her he did not shout at her. "What the fuck was that?"
Laura shrugged, a few drops of blood dripping off her gauntlets making rather noticeable sounds as they hit the concrete. She glanced down and back to Merle, pointing between them and to the cell block with three fingers.
"You shoulda' come get me, I could've told those fuckers to back off." He gestured to the prison cell block, "They might not like me bossin' them around so much, but at least we would've have more time to prepare. The plan was usin' the element of surprise, not makin' it obvious!"
She pointed to the prison and to herself and back to the prison. She crossed her arms in front of herself, looking around them before back to Merle. He wanted to tell her she nearly got them all killed, but he did not have time before the cell block door was thrown open. The loud clattering caught their attention and Laura turned around to see a few members of the group exiting.
"Shit, keep that gun handy. They probably out here to kick us out on our asses." Merle hand his hand on the pistol in his waistband just in case. Laura kept the rifle strap over her shoulder but did not raised it against them.
A few members she recognized had come out searching for them. It was Red and Braddock. Laura shifted on her feet, anticipating something bad. Her hopes and fears all tied together with that single act. Killing those men felt incredibly satisfying, but she would have to accept the punishment of her actions one way or another. If they did not trust her and Merle, they were perfectly willing to go it on their own.
Red took longer strides than the others, some blood stained on his shirt. Braddock and Carol rushing to keep pace with him. "Red!"
"You," He came to a stop in front of Merle and Laura, "What the hell was that?!"
Merle crossed his arms, "I think that was us savin' your girls and y'all's asses." He replied easily, his tone taunting the angry man. Merle was not know for his... delicateness. Red glared, a gun in his hand as well.
"They were going to rape Daisy and Maggie in there." He panted, both exhaustion and adrenaline coursing through him. "What the hell, Laura. We brought you back to be with us again, to be a part of the group. They come here for you and you do this?!"
"Red," Braddock interrupted, "She did do something."
He scoffed, "Yeah, after they shot up the prison and nearly kill us. Tell it to Maggie and Daisy, tell that to Hershel. That's his daughter!" Red was understandably pissed off. After a long few weeks and this was the conclusion he got fighting for the prison while Rick and the others were gone. "He beat Daisy to a bloody mess! She's out cold in there, Hershel's just hoping she doesn't have a concussion."
Braddock held his hands up, trying to calm the enraged man. "Look man, I'm on the same page as you, but we can't go around tearing people's heads off over this. Besides, when push came to shove Laura stuck up for us. She didn't have to do that."
"And you," Red pointed at Merle who was clearly defensive. "You're Daryl's brother...?" He huffed, "Guess that actually makes sense. The guy gave us the third degree when we told him about Laura. At least he didn't try to fucking kill us."
Braddock saw the metal contraption on Merle's arm. "Oh shit." He looked between Merle and Laura, noting the similar make on the tools they wore.
Red did not much care for the history of their group. "He still attacked the prison, nearly killed Tyreese. Laura was on their side, she didn't even try to stop them."
"But she did when it mattered most. You think she could've just walked out of that cell, killed them all and reclaimed the prison with us?" Braddock threw his arms up in frustration, "She did what she could. When they attacked Daisy and Maggie she killed them, he killed them too. If they weren't on our side they would've just let those men do what they wanted."
"Hey, hey now." Merle shook his hand, gesturing the two men to calm down. "My girl and myself were plannin' on turning on these guys for a while now. The plan-" He glanced to Laura pointedly, "-was to wait for Laura's guard shift, while they were all sleepin' we were gonna kill 'em. Simple, easy, no one gets hurt and we all get away. Now, there were some complications-"
"Complications!" Red growled, fronting on Merle. Braddock stepped just between the two men to keep Red at bay.
Merle nodded, "Yeah, complications. We ended up havin' to jump them sooner than we wanted. Put all our asses at risk, but there was no way for us to know what those assholes in there were gonna do until it was happenin'. I know it's hard to hear, but we came through." His usual no skin off my back smile served to piss Red off further.
Braddock could see these two not getting along. "Is that true? Were you guys really planning on all that?" He looked to Laura for confirmation. Merle grimaced, seeing the man seek Laura's affirmation instead of his own.
Laura nodded, pointing between herself and Merle. She kept her finger on herself and ducked her head down. Braddock understood the nod, but not much else. He frowned and tried to take a moment to decipher what those gestures had meant.
"She says yes, we planned on killing them, but attackin' that early and puttin' all of us in that position was her fault." Merle translated, earning a surprised and curious look from Braddock.
"You really understood all that from a few flicks of the wrist?" Braddock blinked, seeing how Laura kept to Merle's side. The two had appeared to be somewhat close if that attack inside meant anything. Merle and Laura stayed together, when Laura was left open to the man attacking Maggie; Merle protected her back. Definitely not something he expected from these Woodbury people.
Before they could continue, the cell block door was swung open and Carol exited. Laura watched her, those memories of the older woman fresh in her mind. She had difficulty knowing how she felt about Carol right now, but her memories told her they were friends to some degree.
Carol hurried out the security gate and rushed out to see them. Light blood splatters on her hands and shirt, not from the dead men inside. Laura kept herself at least somewhat respectful knowing their friend was inside, hurt.
"Red, Braddock." She approached, her hands wrapping the cardigan around her as she crossed her arms. "What's going on out here?" Her eyes traveled between the group, meeting everyone with a different emotion on their face.
Red sighed and before he could answer, Braddock faced Carol. "We're talking- a bit heated, but we're calming down." Red and Braddock shared a long, we'll talk later look.
"How are they? Maggie and Daisy?" Red questioned after having been turned away by Hershel while they treated the two women. Daisy needed more intensive care, Maggie only sustained a bruise on her cheek and ribs. It was not much in the way of physical injuries, but she needed a different kind of support. Beth was providing that, keeping her sister close.
Carol smiled at him, "They'll be fine, physically. Hershel's just making sure Daisy is okay and Maggie's getting cleaned up." She turned to Merle and Laura, "Thank you- for stopping them."
In a revitalized blaze Red scoffed, "Thank you?"
She gave him a stern look, "Yes. Thank you." Merle had that shit eating grin back on his face and Carol chose to ignore it. "Don't forget we brought Laura here and the people she was with came for her. That's not her fault."
"I don't blame her for that." He ran his hands over his face, "I blame them for letting this happen, for being with people who would do this."
"You talkin' about us you can say it to our face." Merle snapped at the man. "We ain't had a choice about the people we ended up with. I was found on the side of the road, bleedin' out when Woodbury took me in. I'm sure your people remember that, huh?" His comment directed to Carol. She did not respond when Red and Braddock looked to her. "And my girl here; taken from that shitty farmhouse you were shacked up in."
The trio focused on Laura. Carol stepping around Red and Braddock to come closer to the undead woman. "Laura... that was them?" Laura could see her expression and did not quite understand it. Laura nodded though, knowing the answer to Carol's question. Confirmation only seemed to upset Carol further. "That was months ago..."
Braddock rubbed his hand over his mouth roughly, "They've had you that long. You're still with them?... They did all this to you?" He gestured to her entire body. The question did not make sense to Laura, so she did not answer.
Merle, however, did. "Governor's not a good man. We've been wanting out for a long time." He emphasized, "Understand though that he's not weak either. He's got guns, men, and supplies."
"That's where Rick and the others went..." Carol's face turn to concern for their people, "Shouldn't they be back by now? What if something went wrong?"
"I guarantee somethin' went wrong." Merle answered, "No way to break in and out of Woodbury without gettin' shot up. If your people are lucky some of them will come back. Might be missing one or two."
"Shut the fuck up." Red barked at the man. The snap got their attention and only amused Merle. "Carol, they're coming back. They will be back. We just have to give them time and..." He looked out to the field, broken gates, and shot to hell vehicle. "... We need to fix this." Walkers had already begun flooding into the field. Meaning their being outside was also bound to attract attention.
"We'll need to get to work." Braddock stated, seeing the walkers wandering around and a few begin nearing the courtyard fence. "Or maybe we should focus on cleaning out the cell block... it's a mess in there."
Red nodded, letting out a deep exhale. He was angry, hurt, and scared for his people. "Let's clear out the bodies first and clean up the blood. Afterwards we'll try to find a fix for the field. Least we can make sure the others can sleep in their own cell block, the field will take more work anyways."
Carol thought better of reaching a hand out to Laura, instead offering her a smile. "Thank you- both of you." Carol stated again, this time without Red's enraged interruption. "If you two hadn't stood up for us... I don't want to think about what would've happened. I know we'll all need to talk about this after we're done cleaning."
"A long talk." Red insisted.
"Yes, a long talk." She half glared at him before looking back at Merle and Laura, a sincere look in her eye. "I'm glad you're back. Daryl's missed both of you so much."
Merle's eye turned to look at Laura slowly. "Both of us? My brother knows the girl?"
Carol raised her brows in surprise, "You two haven't talked about...?" She smiled, pausing before she continued. "We should leave that for you and Daryl to discuss, Merle."
Red did not care for their discussion. "Come on, let's get to work. We have a finite amount of time here." He turned to head back into cell block D, still fuming. Braddock balked and followed his leader, giving Carol a wink before leaving.
Carol smiled at Laura, waving her along. "Hershel assured me Daisy and Maggie are fine. They'll be shaken up for a while, but they're much better off thanks to the both of you. I'm just relieved to have you back and to know the girls will be alright."
Laura pointed to Carol and to her head, lightly weaving her fingers together as if strained and back to her head. Carol, confused, attempted to understand what she was trying to say. The hand gestures were not sign language, they were invented by Laura to communicate with Merle. Who read her hands and translated. "She's sayin' she remembers you now." He shrugged, "You should be glad to hear it. Girl can't remember almost nothin' before Woodbury."
"Really?" Carol thought back to Hershel's assessment of Laura. Merle's confirmation at least told her Hershel was right. "I'm happy to have you here. When we thought you died... it hit the group hard."
Laura did not respond, she already said enough in her mind. There was more she wanted to remember but too much of it was tangled with other memories, the order entirely wrong. Carol did not appear bothered by Laura passing over her statement. She still had this sad smile on her face mixed with worry for Daisy, Maggie, and Red and relief to have their friend back.
She did not entirely trust these people, but she felt... different here. She was not sure if that was better, but she knew it was not worse. These people so far have not shown much hostility to herself and Merle. Red was angry, but that anger stemmed from an event and though it made Laura feel distanced from the group, Braddock and Carol both stood up for them.
There was some level of peace at the end of this long night.
Merle eyed Laura beside him, thinking on a lot that just happened. More specifically what Carol meant by Daryl and why he would be happy to have both Merle and Laura back. Obviously, as brothers he knew, but Laura? He wondered what this girl was to Daryl.
adelphe24:
I'm happy to hear you liked it! It took a lot of time and I wasn't entirely satisfied with it. But oh well, if people enjoy it I feel like that's all that matters in the end. :)
I hope you enjoyed this one!
Gemini's Revenge:
Here is said next chapter. ;)
I do try to update a lot, but I realize on harder chapters it takes me longer to work through which means longer periods between chapters. :(
Oh well, at least that means I'm not skimping out on quality - I hope!
I really do appreciate the reviews they honestly make me want to write more. They don't have to be long and they don't have to be short - I love hearing from my readers. It helps me a lot to understand where I want to go and how well I am writing what I think the story should be focusing on. Your viewpoint is invaluable to me.
Man, when Laura, Daryl, and Merle get together... it will be interesting. I'm glad you feel it is realistic! I would hate to skip over development and lose that quality. :x
I hope you liked this chapter! A lot went down :(
Gryffindor Rat:
Oh, okay! I gotta reply to two reviews so be warned, this might be long. I'll do my best to keep it to the point and orderly so you don't feel like you have to read everything I say! :x
Review for chapter 57:
Don't worry about it! I appreciate anything that can be offered. You take time out of your day to write a review for me, to help encourage me to continue, and that means the world to me. There's no timeline on it - you do it the way you want. :)
Yessss I've been WAITING SO LONG for Rick and Michonne to get together. I was happy they had camaraderie as survivors, without the need of a relationship. When it developed into a relationship it was nice and different. Less "Man and woman survivors must be in love" and more about trust, respect, and affection nurtured over time in a way that two survivors, hurt severely and scared of losing people, could do.
Red and Daisy were very close, very supportive of each other. Of course Daisy found Red to be an attractive older man, but Red's personality was very aggressive in the beginning. She could not approach him romantically without immediately being shunned or making things awkward. She waited and saw Red come out of his shell into a more understanding, collected man. She offered him support and he was thankful; he needed it a lot. Now Daisy felt like their partnership had reached this new level and in the security of the prison she could make her move. Red, a man who suffered a lot with the loss of his wife when his son was born and his son's death during the outbreak... it was hard. But he finally reached a point where he could move on and take that next step.
I'm happy to unite this couple. :)
Sophia is so cute... the only other person in the world like Laura. Though she does not suffer all the same traits, we will discover how similar she and Laura really are.
It is very Tarzan and Jane. Laura is a bit more animalistic, being that she had to be to survive. Laura will not let go of that behavior without time to heal, so she treats Sophia differently. Like discovering her own species. ;)))))
I would probably compare it to like a big cat like a lion raised in captivity, only knows humans, and was placed beside another lion enclosure to try and acclimate her to her own kind. But since she doesn't know what she is, she has to discover that for herself. Seeing a lion and seeing herself she realizes there is more to her kind than she initially thought. With Sophia, Laura will find out a lot more about herself and what that means.
And yeah, Sophia does have that sensitivity but like you said - Laura is an expert at her craft. She is a predator and humans are her main prey. This means she has learned how to hunt people, how to hide her approach, how to track a person effectively and bring a survivor down.
Right now we see a small inkling of Laura's dangerous side. We'll find out later on how really dangerous she is. Being on the wrong side from Laura will prove to be extremely bad. ;)
I haven't mentioned in the story just yet. I want that realization to hit the characters as a whole during the big reveal. :)
But outside the story yes, Laura's appearance is like... so different to them, to everyone, but to people who don't know Laura like Tyreese's group seeing Laura would be an absolute shock.
She's by no means completely inhuman looking. She appears herself, only her skin color, eye color, and physique has changed a lot. Since in my head I see Laura as Asian / Anglo-Saxon descent I see her as a unique beauty with high cheekbones and sharp eyes. The hollow look accentuates her face so I find her, in my own description, hauntingly beautiful.
The scars on her body add to this character, design her like stripes on the back of a tiger. The brand marks like a twisted form of tattoos since real tattoos are not likely to hold in her skin like ours.
She has changed a lot, but I have angled these changes to make her (in my mind!) appear more predatory, more dangerous, and develop this mature beauty earned over experience. Laura was starved before, never being the one to exercise a lot for a "hot bod" so she remained relatively plain through her life.
Now she works herself beyond exhaustion often. Without the need to rest she could technically lift weights until her tendons snapped. A bad mental image, but fatigue exists for a reason. We must be sure not to push ourselves beyond a limit. In this case, Laura has pushed that limitation.
I want that to be prevalent. I want both Laura's suffering, her hard work, her predatoriness, and her beauty to be immediately recognizable. Through everything I feel like she had a physical appearance that tells a story and a fierceness about her that will send a chill up your spine.
It's hard to design that in writing. xD
Hershel and Merle talking will eventually happen! I really want Hershel to be a voice for Laura's state. He might not know everything, but he has always been observant and careful about his opinions and how he voices them. I think he will be helpful in Laura's struggle to return to the group.
A good point of course, I have intended to include that detail of Laura's character during the big reveal(s) coming up. Laura's human / dead or living body that is.
Laura can heal. She can also still experience bodily functions which I have purposefully been including in the chapters.
Things like panic, fear, adrenaline, butterflies in her stomach, sadness, loneliness - emotions, everything is driven by chemicals in the body. If Laura's body was entirely dead for one, she would not heal as you mentioned. She also would not experience emotions as those are hormones released by the body in different situations.
She is more walker than human, but she retains a connection to the living through her emotions, pain, and healing. There's a lot going on there and without spoiling it I will say it is a BIG point that will come up during the reveal. Laura's condition is more complicated than previously thought, a fact which will become apparent in later chapters. ;)
Review for chapter 58:
Yes, I would be comfortable agreeing there. Laura is starting to bring herself back. It's not much, but it's a lot more than before.
Laura's memories of Rick, Daryl, and Glenn are so limited but I'm happy to have her coming back thinking about that trio. She's realizing what they meant to her and what that means to them. Sophia's involvement was a chance encounter and one that potentially saved someones life. Laura shows here loyalty to her own kin, though she does not really understand that yet.
It will be expanded on more later, of course. Laura will come to know what she is and what that makes Sophia over time. It will be the turning point for Laura's acceptance as her own kind. :)
I felt like Laura's conditioning would need almost half a year to another entire year before it was 100% complete. Since it is hard to train a human, being sentient and unpredictable. With Laura's inhuman side she could technically be trained if kept in that state of mind, but if given the smallest amount of freedom she could break the conditioning and the work would be ruined. In this case Merle saving her from a rapist was a breaking point.
His companionship meant a lot to her, but it did not break the conditioning cycle. When Merle beat that man and pulled her away from it, she could see a bit clearer. Inside the prison she was abandoned by the Voice, unable to keep its hold on the shared brain in Laura's head. It retreated and with it went most of the conditioning she suffered.
Her brain, both Laura and the infection, want only to survive. In Woodbury Laura as herself wanted to die rather than suffer further. The infection as Laura did not and gave her a way to suffer and survive. With that need gone the Voice no longer had priority and lost that control. Instead of fighting and risking damaging the brain they shared and risking their survival, the Voice retreated and has allowed Laura to take the lead as only Laura could keep them alive inside the prison.
I can see that kind of frustration from the Governor as he knows he was so close to having Laura completely under his control, only to have her slip through his fingers with Merle. It's aggravating and it's coming around to bite him in the ass for sure. xD
I'm glad to have Merle with the group now. It'll be hard later on, next chapter we'll be focused on a lot of dialogue. Phew, dialogue is fun but you gotta say a lot out loud to make sure it feels like it matches with the character. I may not be on point with it all, but Merle is challenging to write since his vocabulary and form usage changes depending on his mood. x.x
Merle and Laura's close relationship will be a surprise! Knowing the last time Merle saw Laura he decked her in the face and talked shit to her hahaha
It's going to be a sudden and interesting change for the group to see Laura close to Merle and distanced to them.
Merle will also be surprised to see Rick and his group's effectiveness. In the show he never really got to see the outcome of Rick's combat abilities and leadership qualities. He will definitely come to realize Rick is and has always been a better leader than the Governor.
Also- your dreams have been realized! That's precisely what she did in this chapter. The man did not die quickly. He choked on his own blood, gargling in a pool of blood on the ground. Daisy is a bit bruised up, but we'll see how she's doing later. :x
None of those men died quickly. Being shredded by sharp metal... the first man disemboweled. The second man beaten to death. The rapist being both impaled and clawed open in two separate ways.
I like them dying, but that's not everyone on Laura's newly spawn list of people she wanted dead. The bitten soldiers of Woodbury will not die quickly. We will get to enjoy a taste of poetic justice. ;)
Laura's reveal will happen in a few different ways. One will be the general idea delivered to the group as a whole. Second will be specifics given to a smaller collection of the group. Third will be graphic detail of Laura's suffering at Woodbury to select few. Fourth will be the study of Laura's being to a chosen group of individuals. Sixth will be Laura's own talk about what went on to the people she trusts most.
This will complete only the first stage of her recovery.
YAY HEALING! :D