Curative
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Overpass is an AU of this story, but it can be read without reading Curative. Check it out! :)
They were all tense, taking things step by step, checking every corner twice. Laura stayed out in the woods, watching and waiting for trouble.
It had been some time since she was in the field, she felt a bit rusty. The area was clear, with no suspicious activity. A few walkers wandering around, but overall the woods around the meetup point were uninhabited. Having learned a few signals from Merle, she let them know through whistles.
If they were moving into an area with too many places for an ambush, they waited for her go ahead. Laura led them through with confidence; there was nothing out here. At least, right now.
She saw Rick with Daryl heading towards the rusted metal building, passing through the silos outside. Hershel stayed in the car with enough guns and ammo to scare anyone off. As Laura checked their surroundings she thought about what Rick and Philip must be talking about.
Sure, she had an idea that it was all nonsense. Rick was doing whatever he could to avoid more deaths and she respected him for it. Even though she knew Philip wouldn't care about a truce, she was thankful she was with Rick.
He was the opposite of the Governor. Rick was good, the stress of leadership had gotten to him which weakened him for a time. This happened not because Rick was losing his mind like the Governor, but rather Rick felt guilty for the lives lost. T-Dog, Lori, Markus, Oscar... Their deaths were eating him from the inside out.
While Rick cracked, the group remained together. Tensions were high after the last few days of loss and grief. Every person in the prison feared the Governor's next attack because they all knew Merle was right. That last attack was Philip taunting them, it wasn't a direct assault on the prison.
This left everyone anxious that when the Governor decides it's time to attack, he'll come back with a greater force. Markus and Oscar died protecting the prison from an impulsive shoot out by the Governor. What would happen when they tore down the gates?
Laura and Merle knew exactly what would happen, they had been the ones tearing down those gates before. They watched as the Governor had people on their knees shot down, at times they killed those people too. All in the name of self-preservation, but that didn't help Laura's guilty conscience. She knows Merle felt the same despite his loud proclamations to the opposite.
These things the Governor did, the things unnecessary for their survival; it was cruelty without purpose. They stole the dead's supplies, used it to support their own people. Which, to a degree, Laura could see as reasonable when in need. But Woodbury wasn't in need, not so desperate as to slaughter people begging for their lives.
There was no point to that, it wasn't a mercy killing either. Laura hated herself for playing a part in it, hated the Governor for putting her in that position. Ultimately, she couldn't stand the idea that to save herself she murdered people. Regardless of the duress, she was under, in hindsight she wished she had stood up for her morals.
Rick was doing that right now. As much as he hated Philip and as badly as he wanted to make the man pay; Rick was willing to push that aside. To protect people, to protect the family they built. His morals were strong and though his stability was in question, he still stuck to it.
Laura wished she had been more like him. It would've likely been her death of course. That seemed so minor to her these days. Dying, she had done it twice now. The nothingness of the 'other side' didn't scare her anymore, it wasn't something to fear. It was nothing, an emptiness that neither comforted or terrified her.
So when she thought about being killed for resisting the Governor's orders, she didn't mind it. At least not now that she had regained all the things she lost. She didn't want to die, but she didn't want to kill innocent people so she could live. And that's exactly what she did.
Daryl insisted that it was under duress and therefore not her fault. That it made it okay somehow. Laura did not agree in any way with that, though she appreciated it.
Laura admired Rick, the way he was putting his life on the line for a shot in the dark to save others. His life for theirs, no questions asked, no hesitation. She wanted to be like that and now, she could be. With this group, she could work hard and recover what humanity she had lost in Woodbury under the Governor's boot heel.
Her thoughts interrupted by the sound of an engine. Her eyes shot to the dirt path around the abandoned building across from the meeting point. Using her fingers she let out the loudest whistle she could, alerting the others to the unknown vehicle's approach.
She raised the rifle in her hands, using the scope to get a closer look at the tan SUV. It drove through the derelict farm equipment yard, fitting just barely between the fence posts until it stopped in front of Hershel and Daryl.
They had heard her alert and prepared, their weapons aimed at the vehicle as they took cover. It wasn't a threat though, the people in the car stepped out with their weapons down. These were the Governor's advisors with Andrea to boot.
She watched as Andrea hurried inside the building. Daryl was keeping a close eye on the Governor's muscle man, someone who had replaced Martinez. She wasn't familiar with this man or the man with the glasses behind him. Still, she watched through the scope in case anything happened.
They would remain there for some time, just waiting for something to spark the first fight. Laura was more than prepared to open fire the second they stepped out of line.
Inside the prison, the tension was even higher. They had no means of instant communication with their people so all they could do is wait. While people were scared for the group the team that left to meet the Governor, Glenn was working to keep people busy.
Assessing the weapons, making sure they're all loaded and nothing jammed. They prepared extra food to keep their energy up, a few people liked to eat when stressed so it helped some more than others.
Glenn was in charge while the others were out, he was in the chain of command. Though he wasn't sure where that put him now. He knew Rick, Daryl, and Hershel, but with Laura back he wondered if that altered things. She was still somewhat unknown, her capabilities untested.
No matter what Laura's return meant, he knew Rick trusted her implicitly so he did too. That being said he still thought the whole deal with Laura eating people should be discussed. He didn't know how to handle that news, he had always been on her side before. When Shane accused her of these things and when she expressed how outcast she felt among the group.
It felt like a long time ago, but now they had bigger problems. The Governor was breathing down their necks, Laura returned looking like that, and they lost people. Now he had to handle Merle who looked as smug as ever, but he was remaining quiet.
Glenn wasn't about to trust the man, especially after Atlanta. Daryl was a good guy, someone Glenn trusted absolutely. His brother though... there's a lot to be said about the man.
However, it wasn't Merle that Glenn was most worried about. Rick had told Glenn to be watchful of Red most of all. The man was fit to burst at the slightest provocation. Only Daisy could keep him under control, but even that was bound to fail at some point.
Red had anger issues from before the dead started eating people. With considerable work and dedication, he had managed to express that anger more constructively. This kept his group together and alive. Had Red allowed himself to spiral down into impulsive rage, he would've lost them all. He knew that every person in his group knew it.
But they weren't together anymore. Their group had blended into Rick's and most of them were unable to do much of anything. Daisy was doing much better, her bruises still prevalent yet she showed little hindrance to movement. Braddock was working hard, doing everything he could for everyone that needed a hand; it left him stretched thin and exhausted. Micheal was still limping, unable to actually help with any heavy lifting.
Markus was dead. Elizabeth was dead. They stayed here preparing for an attack that could kill more of them. He couldn't take the stress, he loved Daisy and his people. He risked everything to help Tyreese and Rick kicked them out.
Waiting for an attack, sending others that helped them to die, his people dying or injured; Red wasn't just cracking, he was snapping in half.
And he focused on Laura, Rick, and Daryl. Laura had returned as the walker Red and his group feared she was back in Atlanta. She admitted to eating people, real cannibalism and no one mentioned it anymore. It was as if everyone forgot.
He couldn't forget it though, he couldn't ignore that she could give Markus back to them and she refused. He could be here no different from her and, as they did with her, they would accept Markus. Red wouldn't care if he was blue or green or any other unnatural color like Laura.
But that didn't happen, Markus didn't come back to them. Laura decided that Markus wouldn't come back, he wouldn't be allowed the same chance she got. A second chance at life to be with his family after the world ended.
Red could not reconcile with them for this.
Laura ate people, they accepted it without a discussion. She refused to bring Markus back, no one questioned her decision. She walked completely free around the prison, welcomed back into the group with open arms despite the attack that night on the prison. While Laura and Merle turned on Woodbury, that mattered little compared to what they were willing to do to them. What Laura stood by and let happen after they released her from the cell.
The more he thought about it the more he felt his control slipping away. He was fuming, ready to fire off at the next person that walked by. Red held on by a thread, desperately clinging onto Daisy's advice to help him with his anger.
Then he noticed Glenn glancing at him once, twice, three times; it was consistent. The man was checking on Red, watching him in case anything happened. It was agitating Red the more he caught Glenn looking at him.
He tried to distract himself. He thought of Daisy and how she used to place her hand on his forearm to tell him she was there for him. When he would look to her for help and receive understanding and peace. She was his good thing in the world, the one thing that kept him tethered to reality.
Red was a dedicated family man. When he was growing up he didn't dream of his future career or successes in life, he dreamed of someone loving him and loving them back. He was the kid that dreamed of a perfect wedding with the woman he would dedicate his life to and a family he would protect and love until the day he died.
While he did get his dream wedding and thought he found a wife to love forever, he lost that quickly. After his son was born, their marriage crumbled. She left him to raise their son alone. While her abandoning him and his son hurt, all he could see was his boy.
He cherished every single day with him. The pinnacle of a good father despite the hardships they went through. He could still see the wounds on his son, the blood on his hands with perfect clarity. The world ended, he tried to survive with his son, but ultimately they were just unprepared for what came next.
It destroyed everything left of the man from before the dead rose up. He didn't think there was anything left for him. The world ended and Red did not care, his son was dead and the rest could burn.
Now he had his group, a family stitched together from the ruins of other families. It was never the same, that joy he had raising his son would never be the same. But he found something in them and it helped him survive day by day.
It was so fragile though, the peace given to him by their company. They were suffering and Red could do nothing to stop it.
Then he caught Glenn's eyes again and it was like pouring water on a grease fire. "What?" Red snapped at Glenn as he passed by. He didn't try to hide the anger in his tone.
Glenn just sighed and shook his head. "Nothing, man." As far as Glenn cared if Red wanted to act ignorant to the problem, he wasn't about to start anything. So he continued with the armaments, handing a rifle off to Braddock and the ammo to Maggie.
Hearing the abrasive man, Carol looked up from her busywork to see Red sitting on the stairs. She had never seen him so irate. From the farmhouse to arriving in the prison Red was completely calm if a bit stern. It was his whole tough guy act she figured, just something a big guy like Red did.
Then she started seeing the cracks at the prison. It wasn't some act he put on to seem strong, it was the strength he found in himself and it was fading fast.
She was concerned because eventually, people had to let their emotions out. Red was bottled up for so long she was certain he would explode when he let it out. Carol searched around the room to see Daisy, still bruised but looking as though she was recovering well.
Carol could not go up to her here, Red would take notice. So she waited it out, watching Glenn checking on Red while Red glared at Glenn. She could see a fight breaking out if things didn't calm down soon.
Before she could come up with a plan to cool Red down, Red began to boil over. Glenn had sent him another quick glance, still anxious about Red's presence and trying to do right by Rick. Of course, Rick was correct in suggesting Glenn keep an eye on Red.
"Just tell me what the hell you want." Red stood up quickly, coming face to face with Glenn. He was fuming and that fire was focused solely on Glenn.
"I don't want anything." Glenn dismissed him, stepping around the large man to continue prep. "I got shit to do." He didn't spare Red a second glance as he went back to sorting through the weaponry and his riot gear.
To Glenn's relief, and everyone else, Daisy stepped in to stop things before they progressed. "Hey," She moved between Glenn and Red, placing a hand on Red's bicep. "Come sit with me." Daisy left no room for argument as she gently pulled him along with her towards the exit of the cellblock.
Carol was thankful she pulled him away. As badly as Carol wanted to help, they had to deal with this work first. If Woodbury was to attack they could not be caught off guard again.
As the gate shut behind them, Daisy stepped into the courtyard quickly passed by a pacing Red. He was burning up and she was worried about him.
"Red," She stepped into his path, her hand on his chest. Red looked down to see her wrist bruised a deep purple and he sneered at it. It only made him angrier to see her hurt, to see what those men did to her. "Talk to me. Tell me what you're thinking about."
He saw her face but the sincere expression was still lost in the rainbow on her face. It broke his heart to see her so pained and to feel so helpless to make it go away. Red brought a hand up to her face, hesitating to place it against her cheek. She was accepting, but he couldn't do it and his hand dropped back down to his side.
She frowned, saddened to see him struggle with something so simple. "Please, I want to know."
Red let out this deep breath he had been holding, his self-control waning as she insisted. He never wanted to hide anything from her, he learned it never ended well.
"I'm so sorry, Daisy." He swallowed hard, his jaw jutting forward as he fought to keep himself together. "They did this to you and I didn't do shit to stop them. I put us all at risk, I surrendered when that bastard took Tyreese."
She didn't respond, letting Red say his peace. It was difficult for him to say it, to admit to her his guilt for the loss at the prison.
Red looked back to her, "We didn't even know those guys, I shouldn't've given up for them. I should've protected our people better, I fucked up and this... you and Maggie... and I'm so fucking sorry." His anger at himself and Woodbury had overtaken any tearful exchange.
"And I'm proud of you for standing by Tyreese." Daisy smiled sweetly, her inflamed cheeks limited her usually expressive features. "Tyreese fought for us, he did everything he could to protect us too. You didn't give up, you had no choice."
"I could've-!"
"It doesn't matter." Daisy hushed him as her hand pressed into his chest. "Tyreese is alive because of you and he'll never forget that, neither will Sasha. Because you stood up for him even though we didn't know him. You're a good man who didn't compromise his morals and that saved his life."
Red had to bite back a spiteful reply. He didn't want to lash out at Daisy the one person looking out for him. "And then I let Rick just... kick them out. After all that shit, they're gone. They could be dead already and I didn't stop him."
With a shoulder Daisy shrugged, "The prison isn't ours. We came here, but it was already taken. You saved Tyreese, but ultimately who stays or goes isn't up to you or me. Rick and his people fought to take it, they lost people and Hershel lost his leg. It wasn't for us to decide." She was right of course, Red knew it in his head but hated it anyways. He hated seeing Tyreese and his group forced out of the prison, knowing what that meant for them.
The guilt he felt watching them go would haunt him, he could only come to terms with that. "... All for shit, it didn't stop anything. They-" Red couldn't look at her as he spoke. It was hard enough just thinking about it, but saying it was shattering his self-control. "They did this to you and Maggie. Those pieces of shit did this and all because I made the call to drop our guns."
"You didn't do this to us. Woodbury's men did, not you. I know if you weren't locked up you would've beaten those men into the ground." Daisy placed her free hand on the side of his face urging him to look at her. "Maggie doesn't blame you and neither do I."
Red nodded, but he wasn't agreeing with her. He felt that rage begin to boil up inside him, a scowl twisting his face. "I would've killed them. I would've beaten them to death." His voice was thick with venom as he spoke through gritted teeth. "And those- Laura and Merle, they just... They-"
"They saved us." Daisy's brows turned up, saddened to hear Red's anger focused on them. "It was pretty close, but if it wasn't for them..." She didn't need to finish, they both knew.
Red turned away, returning to pacing as he tried to burn away his energy. "I know, I know, but they're just here now! No questions asked, not even an ounce of suspicion from Rick! He just lets them in, complete freedom!"
Standing back as Red paced, Daisy watched his outburst quickly grow more heated. She knew it was impossible to force someone to calm down especially when they're this mad.
"Merle, for one, everyone seems to hate him. They all run around him like they're fucking scared of the man! No one's willing to do shit about it even though it's clearly tense with him around." Red threw up one of his arms towards the cellblock. "And Laura eats people! Why's everyone acting like that's fucking normal?! Merle said it, but would she have ever told us? Why didn't she mention it sooner? Why isn't anyone talking about this?" His voice grew louder and louder until he was shouting.
Red stormed towards the fence seeing a few walkers having pressed themselves against the chain-link uselessly. His shoulders rose and fell with his deep, quick breaths. "We nearly killed Laura in Atlanta, thinking she was turning. I didn't want to, but I thought she was fucked and I felt sorry for her. Now she's here, tells us she's turned, she eats people; this is just her now. What the fuck, why aren't they more pissed off about this?"
Daisy stood there with her hands clasped in front of her, listening to his rage. He stood with his back turned to Daisy, looking out to the trees. He was just enraged by the news and how everyone glossed over it. He had felt such guilt when he saw Laura alive, only to learn what they all knew now.
"What the hell happens if she bites someone? Will they get infected and die? Does it do anything at all? The fuck happens if she tries to eat someone?!" Red spun back around to Daisy, seeing her completely calm. For some reason seeing her calm made him angrier. "Why, tell me why this isn't a fucking problem for them, for you! We came here to be safe, to find somewhere to sleep without being scared shitless we'll be attacked in our sleep! Now we're just supposed to act like Laura didn't just tell us she has and will eat people! I don't want to go back to sleeping with one eye open, Daisy!"
Red let out this frustrated growl, his hands running over his head. "I feel like I'm going fucking crazy! They beat you and Maggie, Micheal got shot, and Markus is fucking dead and she didn't do shit to help him! She just let him die; she could've done something! He didn't have to die!"
At that, Red broke. His breathing became harder and harder, his chest and throat tightening as his eyes reddened. "He didn't have to fucking die like that!" Still, his anger outweighed his grief. "But he did and Laura refused to save his life. And you trusted her to make that decision for Markus!"
Daisy's eyes fell to the ground as she contemplated his accusatory anger. "I understand." She took a step closer to Red, her eyes on his. "There's a lot that needs to be explained, I agree with you. I couldn't stand there and look at how terrified she was."
"Terrified?! She has everyone in this prison protecting her, no one could lay a hand on Laura without being shot! I wasn't going to do something that stupid, I wanted her to tell me why she said no!" Red's hands reached out towards Daisy, but he didn't touch her.
"I want to know too." Daisy raised her voice just enough to surprise Red. "Markus was shot in the neck and he bled out. He died and Braddock was there holding him. Laura can bring people back from the dead using the cure in her own body like she did for Carol's daughter. She chose not to. I want to know why." She was honest to him, clarifying to him that she understood everything just fine.
"Then why did you stop me from getting answers?!" Red gaped, incredulous at Daisy's admittance.
"Because you were scaring everyone! And Laura! She's scared of everyone already." Daisy's usual calmness faltered until her voice was not much more than a whimper. "There are things we don't know. About Laura, about Woodbury, about this cure or whatever it is. I want to know the answers too, but we can't force it out of her. If you push too hard you don't know what you can cause. People with that kind of trauma- you don't know where their breaking point is!"
As Daisy protested against Red's anger, her temper began to flare. "If you push the wrong button you can trigger a response you cannot predict. None of us are equipped to handle that kind of mental trauma! She'll undoubtedly be suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder and if you find her trigger, she could- There's so much she could do. She could attack you, lash out in fear, or go completely unresponsive. You cannot lose it like that!"
Red was marveling at Daisy yelling at him. In all their time together she had never lost her cool. That calm and collected woman he knew had reached her own breaking point. Seeing someone who never broke face even at the worst of times finally snap completely stopped Red in his tracks.
He couldn't focus on his own anger anymore he was so shocked at hers. Something about her reddening face, her hands balled into fists; he was at a loss.
"You have to be able to keep it together without me, Red! I can't always be there! I've been laid up in bed for days trying to heal and all I hear is how you're losing your shit out here!" Daisy cried out in her frustration, her deep disappointment that she held quietly to herself. "If you choose to fight Laura on this, you'll lose. Every single time. You can't hurt someone else just because you're hurting!"
A cry of frustration came from her chest as she rested her head in her hand. "I need you to be able to stand on your own when I can't." Daisy's voice weakened.
Red stammered a moment, blinking in the sunlight unable to form a thought in response. They were two people wholly unqualified to solve the trauma of the other.
It was a minute before Daisy lifted her head again, meeting his shifting gaze. "They're doing their best."
His expression twitched into one of discontent. "Yeah, well... Their best isn't good enough."
Holding her arms out to her sides she sighed in exasperation. "So what're you going to do? Yell at them until they listen to you? Threaten them? Glenn's in there preparing for a fight and leading the group here through it. He doesn't have time to spend wondering if you're going to fly off the handle!"
"Fuck." Red placed his hands on his hips, looking anywhere but at Daisy. "I'm stuck, Daisy. I can't ignore it and I can't do anything about it. If I try to get Laura to talk, they'll all jump me. If I sit quietly I just build up this- this rage inside me and it won't stop. What the hell do I do?"
Daisy shrugged, "There's nothing you can do right now. I'm always open to help you find that calm, but you have to learn how to do it yourself too. What happens if I'm gone one day, Red?"
Instantly Red's eyes flashed with fear, "No, you-"
"It's possible I die tomorrow. Every day is another day I could die without warning. Rick, Laura, Maggie, Carol... Melanie." Daisy's expression fell into this exhausted look, her eyes looking like she hadn't slept in days. "We don't know what could happen tonight, tomorrow, or next week. We can't plan for then, we have to do what we can now. But what will you do if I died tomorrow? If I'm not there to help you, how will you control your anger?"
He adamantly refused to consider being without Daisy. "I can't..." Red struggled, his jaw clenched. "I can't lose you. Not you, Daisy."
Red approached her, his shoulders had fallen. With a gentleness she didn't expect from the raging man, he took hold of her arms. His hands slid down to hers, grasping them tightly. "My wife left me, my son is dead, and you're the only thing good in my life anymore."
"Red..."
"Please," Red's voice was urgent, his breath ragged and heavy. He didn't look at her as her eyes searched for his face. "I need to know why Markus had to stay dead. Why everyone is alright with that, why this thing with Laura is just swept under the rug. It isn't right, I have to do right by Markus."
When he did finally raise his head to look at her, she could see his tears threatening to fall. "We will find out, we'll talk to Rick. We can work through this, but you have to be patient. Let things happen naturally and we'll get answers." Her hand held the side of his face, "If you try to brute force your way through it you'll only get hurt. I don't want you to end up villainized. I want to know that, if I die, you can survive without me."
Though he still felt that fire in his chest, he was accepting of Daisy's advice. "I... I know, Daisy." He began nervously. "What happened to you and Maggie was... I'm sorry you both went through that. I'll be better for you, I promise. I'll be better."
Daisy wrapped her arms behind his neck as he leaned down to embrace her. "We'll figure this out. Everything about Markus, Laura, Woodbury, Rick; all of it. But we'll do it together alright?"
She felt his head nodding against her shoulder. They continued to hold each other, letting Red's rage fade away until he started to relax.
"Do you want to go back inside?" Daisy's hand rubbing his back, still holding him. He didn't answer for a moment while he let his mind go blank. Nothing was solved yet, there was still so much to do. For this moment he wanted to take his time.
"I'm going to stay out here for a bit." He slowly pulled away from her, his posture still low. He looked more exhausted than he did before. "I think I need some time alone."
Daisy knew that was likely for the best. Some privacy to stop and think for a time without the pressure of others. If that's what he needed to calm himself down, then she wouldn't stop him.
"Okay," They parted from each other, "Take your time."
Red walked away from her albeit with some reluctance. Though she watched him leave, she did not remain outside to keep an eye on him. She reentered the cellblock and left Red to think.
As she returned inside the cellblock, she was met with a few curious eyes on her. Everyone was worried about Red and how Daisy handled a man that volatile. Even Merle wasn't about to lash out like that, but he was amused seeing the group so dysfunctional.
Laura neared the abandoned building, watching the door in case anyone came out. Andrea had exited in a huff earlier, something was clearly going on inside.
She felt tense, the corner of her mouth twitched on its own. Anticipation was thick in the air as she approached the rusty dilapidated structures in the field. No one else was coming, Philip had no ambush planned. If he did she would've seen signs of his men by now.
So she focused her efforts on clearing out walkers to keep them safe. A few had managed to slip through as she was having to circle such a large area. Instead of running around the place like a headless chicken, Laura chose to limit the perimeter directly around the groups.
She was close to the opposing groups just clearing out walkers, trying to keep an eye out for anything unusual. She didn't believe the Governor was planning to attack them out here. Whatever happened when they attacked Woodbury was enough for Philip to want to meet.
Usually, that meant something had happened that affected him. While Laura had only a faint idea, something about blowing up the armory which sounded... cool to her. She liked that plan and it seemed to have gone well.
The prison had more weapons at the ready than Woodbury did. They were also in a more defensible position with thick concrete walls on their side and the maze of the prison to work with. The playing field had been significantly leveled and Laura knew that must be eating Philip alive.
The thought of eating Philip alive caused a rather grim smirk spread across her face. A deep powerful want to see that man suffer for the things he's done. It wouldn't be here though and not today, but someday she knew he would bite it. And she hoped she was there to take a bite out of him.
Laura had difficulty finding anything else in the area, her circle growing smaller and smaller until she was right by the silos. She could smell the living, but their scents were all blended together. The dead too many to pick out anything in specific. She listened, but all she could hear is the cars running and the others doing whatever they were doing.
It sounded like they were talking to her surprise, actual conversations. There were no raised voices she could pick out, just words back and forth too far to decipher. So she chose to join the conversation, to be with her group as a single front.
... Also because she just wanted to see the people from Woodbury. There was such a powerful pull in her to insert herself into this meeting. Another more violent desire to shove her gun down a certain someone's throat. This was neither the time nor place to do that.
Nearing the group, she quickly picked everyone out. Hershel was on a bench with a man she didn't know, the one wearing glasses. Daryl was leaning on the front of the car smoking a cigarette facing the Woodbury muscle man; another unfamiliar face. Laura was almost disappointed she didn't know these people, she really wanted to see familiar folks reaction to her joining up with the other side.
She wouldn't get that, but she did get something strange. Laura passed the corner of the abandoned building hosting Philip and Rick, Andrea on a bench just outside the door. She didn't look to see Laura walk towards the group.
Daryl was quick to catch onto her company though. He took the cigarette in his hand, nodding towards her. "Hey," His greeting caught the attention of the Woodbury muscle man and the two men sitting on the bench. "Everythin' good?"
Laura just hummed a positive response before she was accosted by the man wearing glasses. He had raced over the moment he spotted her with the focus of a hawk.
His rush towards her did not go unnoticed, causing a tense moment where the two groups converged to halt him. It wasn't needed, the man was not aggressive in any way. Her appearance was in stark contrast to the others and his curiosity was struck.
"Oh my," He gaped with wide eyes, stunned at her unusual presence. "What, uh, what are you?"
Hershel approached from behind him, his crutches carrying him towards the unfolding scene. They had spoken briefly, the man from Woodbury having expressed his fascination to learn. Especially when it came to the walkers all around them.
To defend her, Daryl intervened. "You best take a step back, butler." He stepped partially in front of Laura, keeping a degree of separation between the two.
He looked nervous, but not about Daryl. He was anxious to understand why there was a person; a blue person with them. First, he learned about Hershel having his leg amputated to stop the spread of a walker bite. That was incredible on its own.
But this person was blue. There was something to that and he needed to know. "My name is Milton Mamet. I'm a scientist, trying to discover more about the virus." He introduced himself, his voice and hands starting to shake in his excitement. She could see how hard he swallowed. "You're- uh, are you actually-"
"Blue?" Laura offered to try and calm this man down. "Yes, I'm undead."
"Undead..." He parroted with bated breath. "Can I ask you a few questions? Please?" Milton looked between Daryl and Laura, pleading for her to agree.
After a moment of hesitation, Laura nodded. Seeing her allow his curiosity to be answered, Daryl stepped out of the way. He kept a close eye on the pair though, watchful of anything Milton might say that Laura dislikes. He didn't much like anyone from Woodbury even looking at Laura.
Even Hershel was a tad unsure. There was too much bad blood boiling between Laura and Woodbury. While Hershel had not been a part of Laura's return, he could see a bit more than the others. Experience told him to be careful with people dealing with fresh trauma.
"Uh, okay. You're undead, what does that mean?" Milton pulled out his notepad and pen, ready and waiting to scribble anything and everything she said down.
With a weak shrug, Laura just answered plainly, "Body's dead. No heartbeat, no pulse, no breathing. Brain's working though." She wasn't sure exactly what he was looking for, but perhaps it was just a question to establish a starting point.
The midpoint she saw scalpels and other tools. The corner of her upper lip twitched, she didn't notice.
"Fascinating." Milton wrote it down, "Your brain is alive, so strictly medically speaking you're alive because your brain is still functioning. But... how does that work? How are you talking right now if you're not breathing? Vocal cords require the passage of air to emit a sound."
A good question to Hershel, even he was interested to know more about this process. Because Laura's speech came off clearly, but it always appeared it took an effort to do so.
"I force myself to do it. I have to modulate the air in my lungs to talk." Laura had no problems explaining that. It was a day one stuff for her when her body finally died. It took a hot minute to learn, but once she practiced it went much smoother.
Milton wrote her answer down before returning his focus to her. "So you actively force your lungs to inflate on command, interesting. Is that why your voice has this gravelly quality to it? Almost like vocal fry, but more like a growling, breathy sound. Do you think that's a side-effect of your forcibly expelling oxygen through your vocal cords? Can you feel or hear the difference between your voice now and what it was like before?"
Laura glanced off to the side, "Okay, a lot. One thing at a time," Milton nodded urgently, pen to paper ready to write. "Yes, my voice has changed because of how I have to speak now. Yes, I can hear and feel it and, if you were to place your hand on my throat you can feel the vibrations too-"
Milton wrote it down before raising his hand, "May I?"
She blanched, "Please don't." He accepted her answer and went back to writing. "It took a while before I could speak clearly again. When I first woke up I couldn't speak at all, through a lot of effort and... time I learned this new way to speak."
"That's incredible. So you managed to do this all on your own?" Milton was positively floored by this new wealth of information. "You said you woke up like this? What happened to get you from point A to point B? A being living and breathing; B being... well, now."
Laura's eyes fell to the grass below her feet for a moment, her mouth twitched. "I, uh, was unlucky enough to be the daughter of a man already studying the Wildfire virus before it started taking over. He had been working with it for a while, but I was bit. Three times even. I went to him for help, but..." She raised and dropped her arms to her sides, "Now I'm here."
"This is valuable data." Milton scribbled away a few details and questions to press on. "Was your father successful in his research? Where is he now?"
"Where is he?" Daryl was aghast Milton asked this. "Like you don't know." He disliked the direction of their conversation and picked up rather quickly on Laura's reluctance to answer. She still would, she did not mind the questions.
Confused, Milton glanced back and forth between Laura and Daryl. He had no idea what was going on or what Daryl meant. "I'm sorry, but... why would I know?"
Laura looked him dead straight, "Because he's in Woodbury working for the Governor for almost a year now."
It took a minute for Milton to process their accusation against Philip. He took a step back in disbelief, a fake huff of amusement as he assumed they were joking. It wasn't a funny joke at all, but he didn't want to believe it. "That's not possible. There is no other scientist in Woodbury looking for a cure."
"There is one other." Laura's brow furrowed, realizing that Milton genuinely had no idea. It was interesting to her seeing Philip's people so disconnected from reality. "I know because I've been at Woodbury for the better part of a year. I was kept in the precinct just inside the walls, the one near the armory our people blew up."
Struck with doubt and creeping dread, Milton could see them both confident in their statements. He turned towards Hershel, seeing the older man nod towards him. "I don't... I didn't know any of that. I've never been to that part of the town, Philip said he..." His words trailed off. He contemplated their situation and chose not to pursue it.
They were out in the open already, he didn't want to risk anything sparking a fire between the groups. Things were bad enough as it was.
Laura did not much care if he did or did not know. He is a part of Woodbury, complicit in their actions. No matter what he knows, he was still standing by Philip's side.
Feeling flustered and needing space, Milton backed away from the conversation. He desperately wanted to learn more, but he couldn't wrap his head around what they were saying. Philip had been funding his research with all the tools and equipment he could ever want. Why would Philip support his research if he already had another scientist with more promising results?
Laura was standing there with them, talking, and capable of understanding complex thoughts. This was a massive step to curing the world and... Philip knew.
Milton ran a hand down his face, cupping his bottom jaw while he thought hard. Contemplating the last few weeks with the Governor and how drastically downhill things seemed to be falling.
While Milton handled his crisis, Laura came to stand just between the two vehicles. The muscle man from Woodbury didn't really care about any of it. He was here to earn his keep and couldn't be bothered to do anything about Laura and Daryl's reveal to Milton.
Then they heard it, the loud screeching of a metal door sliding open. The abandoned building where they held the meeting had finally cracked open, revealing the last face she ever wanted to see.
Philip, dressed in a dusty button-up with a black vest and sporting a new eye patch. That was very new because he had both eyes when Laura left Woodbury. Rick was close behind him, leaving the building in a haste.
Before anyone thought about it, including Laura, Daryl was staring at Laura's reaction to seeing Philip again. He might believe she's strong enough on her own, but this was something else. He became worried but stayed silent.
Laura was standing directly between Philip and the path to his vehicle. His leering gaze honed in on her instantly, a faint grin on his face. The people around them seemed to fade away, the tension in the air skyrocketed until everyone felt it.
Rick's eyes flickered between his group, Laura, and to Philip's back. This was definitely not a situation they wanted to start a fight in. Everyone was out in the open, they would lose someone here.
"Well, it's good to see you again." Philip's tone was falsely sweet, the kind Laura expected a crooked politician to have. "I take it Martinez is dead." He had already accepted the idea, but he did want confirmation. Martinez had been his right-hand man for a long time; his death was a significant blow to Woodbury's command.
Laura did not at first, her eyes followed his one good eye. He took a few long, slow strides to approach her with a pair of gloves in his hand. She figured it wouldn't matter to answer him. Yet the corner of her mouth twitched more prominently. "I opened him up like a Ziploc bag."
The Governor did not lose his arrogant demeanor. "Ain't that a shame. Martinez was a good man." He smiled widely at her, that sickly fake politeness the rest of Woodbury ate up. "Surprised you didn't take Merle out with 'em. If anyone there deserved it, it was him."
His resolve threatened to fall for a moment before he addressed her again. "Maybe I should've dealt with you after you gave up your little friends all them months ago." He bantered, as cocky as ever. "I wonder... exactly how much did you tell 'em? About all those terrible-"
"How's Penny?"
Laura grinned darkly, her expression told him she knew exactly how deeply it hit him. His arrogance snapped in half, the smirk on his face disappeared. He glared down at her with a raising urge to knock her out.
His posture was rigid as he gritted his teeth. He wanted to act, to do something to make her regret those words. Philip towered over her and he most certainly was a dangerous man, someone normally she would be more cautious of.
But the moment was too sweet for her. She couldn't pass up the opportunity to stick salt in the wound. Laura knows about Penny's existence and why he was so desperate for a cure. What she did not know is Michonne had killed Penny when Rick and the group attacked Woodbury.
It added an extra layer of rage that Philip was not capable of controlling. He was going off the deep end and willing to take everyone with him.
If he picked a fight here, he knew he would likely die in the crossfire. They were standing directly between the two groups, he and Laura would be shot before they had a chance to get to cover. That and Philip had something to live for, a deal he struck with Rick.
Sucking up all that hate, Philip left her without another word. His group began to collect in their car, Andrea included.
Laura could not help the smile that spread across her face as she turned back around to their vehicle. Rick's head followed her, sharing a questioning look with Daryl and Hershel before they too left the meeting point.
It felt dastardly to pull a low blow against Philip, but ultimately the most rewarding exchange she ever shared with the man.
They rode back to the prison in relative silence, preparing themselves for the aftermath of this meeting. Laura knew there would be no peace but she respected Rick for trying.
Nameless Fable:
First let me just say...
YAY CELEBRATORY 300TH REVIEW! Thank you so very much :)
I think I will because it's fun, y'know. Smut is fun and I love smut like a lot of people. So I think including smut, no matter how kinky and sexy is fine. Plus, it is fun to write! Coming up with creative smut for Lauryl though... Hmm, I will have to consider the options.
Baby Blue is absolutely going to be able to enjoy more smutty fun, especially since, again 300th review. I just have to do it now! :D
I'm always happy to hear from you! I love your reviews and I'm looking forward to publishing more! Speaking of, I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)
... Now I must consider how filthy the future smut will be... hmm
Gemini's Revenge:
Oooo, owl's are cool as hell. I hear them a lot around here. That and woodpeckers, it's hard to miss them. And the way they fly is brilliant! Truly amazing!
Oh yeah that's how I used to be all the time! I had so many ideas, I kept jumping from one to another. But I always really wanted to find that one idea buried in them all that was fun and unique. Something I could mess around with! Hence, Curative lol
Fictional life is often far more fun and interesting than real life, yes absolutely!
Oh those sound delicious! I would absolutely try them. I'm a huge food lover and my mother and brother cook together on occasions. These massive like 4-course meals that they spend all day slow cooking to perfection. I love me some collard greens, I'm afraid I never developed a taste for coffee though :c
Yeah, people come from everywhere! It's super cool sometimes to learn how many people come together to love the same medium!
I love answering questions! I'm always seriously happy to talk lol
I spaced them out to it's a bit easier on the eyes to read.
1.) I liked Attack on Titan, Detroit: Become Human, Assassin's Creed, Dragon Age (sometimes), Elder Scrolls (sometimes), but absolutely Walking Dead, Fallout 4, and Mystic Messenger. I had a weak spot for them. I haven't actually read anything lately. TBH I haven't read a fanfiction story in about 2-3 years? Mostly whenever I'm into fanfics I'm into writing them. I write the story I would love to read, so I tend to spend all my time writing. I have read little pieces here or there, but nothing like a real story. :x
2.) I WANT TO BE A BEARDED VULTURE! Those things go HARDCORE! Finished the carcass? Eat the bones! Cover yourself in blood to attract mates! And they're beautiful AAAAAAAA
3.) I started writing when I was like... 13? Back when Quizzila was the place to go for fanfiction before it was bought out and everything got deleted. Which is fine, it was mostly fanfics written by tweens without a community to help out. It was... messy in the old days lol
I have a few creative outlets, including drawing which I've done even longer. I would make characters but was sad I couldn't do anything with them. Writing was the next natural step for me :)
3.5) I've stuck with Curative longer than anything else. I think it's because I want to see how it ends too! I have a lot planned, but still so much to flesh out. The more I write, the more I too get to enjoy the story. But the majority of the reason I stick to Curative is because of how many people read and review it.
Honestly, it's insane! The numbers are incredible! At this moment; 232,293 views on Curative and your review is the 301st! Sometimes people say shitty things, but that's so few compared to the love I've gotten from this story. It makes me want to write all day and all night. The more people I hear from and see loving this story, the more I'm desperate to publish 20 more chapters!
4.) Curative's premise... Well, I read a lot of Walking Dead fanfics and while I enjoyed a lot of them, I also got frustrated a lot.
Some stories were really good, but only 4 chapters long with permanent hiatus. Some stories were good but lost it along the way. Like they threw in pregnancy, cheating, or something ridiculous. It always made me stop reading them. Especially slow-burn fanfics. I hate slow-burn.
I also got annoyed when I read a Daryl x OC fanfic because, aside from the previous problems, they would make Daryl too... aggressive. Like he was bordering on verbal abuse. It got old real fast.
So I started thinking about my own OC, trying to find something good. I'm not an amazing author, I'm just a person who writes for fun, so I had to be reasonable with my skill. And I wanted someone interesting to read about, someone uniquely strange. But I didn't expect to start writing so soon after the character came to mind. I got terribly ill, bedridden for a month with a 105 fever. I couldn't do anything so I started writing. I have no memory of that month, so I don't really know what I was thinking then.
But that's generally it I guess? I hope that's a satisfying answer! :)
Aww, thank you! I'm enjoying talking to you a lot too, it's been really fun! Ha! Poor Laura, she doesn't get tired, but goodness; Daryl does. And sore, all that soreness ouch
I'm glad to hear about the consistency! It's important to me to keep it up, I find once stories lose consistency even in the little things... stuff kinda goes off the rails.
So if you ever notice an inconsistency, feel free to mention it! I will absolutely fix it ASAP and credit you with the sharp eyes ;)
Uhhh, lemme see, questions! As you said, you don't have to answer anything if you don't want to:
1.) How long have you been reading fanfiction? On this site or elsewhere.
2.) Do you have a favorite kind of ice cream? Mine is mint chocolate chip. :3
3.) Do you have an idea for a TWD fanfic/story?
4.) You've been reading Curative for a while! The writing style has changed a lot since the first chapters, I hope that's okay!
But what do you like about Curative that keeps you coming back? Some people say Laura, some say Lauryl is their OTP, and others say because they just like the setting/premise.
What's your opinion on that stuff, do you like/dislike any of it? Don't worry, if you dislike something I'm totally cool with that! I just like to learn what people like, especially the readers that have taken the time and effort to review and talk like you! :)