Dead Days
Chapter Eighteen
Potential
Warning lots of brother, sister, banter inside I loved every single second of writing it.
I would like to say I am so sorry this has taken so long to get out. I literally had the worst time writing the first part of this story before it all fell out. For whatever reason a couple of days ago I got hit with the writing bug again and it was like Remi was speaking to me once more and boom! I got this chapter out and another one. So, I'll at least be updating again in a few weeks. Hopefully by then I've written even more chapters.
Hope you all enjoy it and please forgive me for such a long wait! I promise this will never be abandoned. It might just take a little while sometimes to write again.
"Cross my heart
and hope for answers
to the questions
burning inside"
-Make Me Believe by The Everlove
The walls were the first thing Remington noticed when they turned off the curvy road, onto a more posh-looking entrance, or what would have been if someone had been managing the property. Then she took notice of the men who stood waiting in front of a looming, sturdy-looking gate, that did not seem to be going anywhere, anytime soon.
There were seven of them, each a face she didn't recognize, though one tugged at something in her memories, as she studied them carefully when they turned to watch their approach.
Remington had felt uncertain about meeting with this group of men without having some kind of way to defend themselves, just in case it was a trap, but she trusted Merle when he said that wouldn't be needed. She agreed a small group would be best and had dragged Jackson, and Morgan along for the ride, knowing she was going to use Jackson's expertise to keep a leg up on these men and wanted Morgan to grow roots with the group, rather than keeping to himself all of the time. She worried about him. Paranoia and safety winning out, Remi ended up talking the others into dropping Jackson off before they could be seen, so that he could settle into a position that allowed him to watch over them.
Merle didn't say anything against the countermeasure, seemingly happy with her way of thinking, as they drove on, and a few moments later stopped in front of the men. He was the first out, moving to open Remi's door, an action that caused her to smile, and shake her head, as she knew he would be glued to her side for this whole meeting. Morgan followed them out, a hand on his gun, but kept loose at his side.
Remi eyed the man who stepped forward to greet her. A smile covered her face, as she reached out to shake his hand, reminding her of times before the Walkers, but wishing for this to go the best way it could, and being polite was part of that. The fact that his first reaction was to fall back on such things as well boded well for them.
"I've heard a lot about you, ma'am," the man said. "Sergeant Gareth Cromwell at your service. Daryl talks highly of you." A real smile slid over her features as she beamed happily at the knowledge, before turning sly, glancing over at Merle.
"Only Daryl?" she teased.
"I'd sing yah praises all night, sweet cheeks," Merle responded, winking at her. Remington's smile only grew bigger. Cromwell watched the exchange quietly as he took in the clear way Merle easily spoke with her, sensing more to the relationship and how both men with her stood at either side of her. Protective. The way you would cover someone important. She was clearly the leader among them. That much Daryl had been right about.
"Remington Solace," Remi said, turning her attention back to the man in front of her, as she introduced herself. "I hear you have an interesting proposal for me."
"Remington Solace?" asked a shocked, but excited voice. Everyone's attention turned to the man that spoke, and Remi took in his features, the blonde hair, probably cut short once, but had turned spiky with length, the slight stubble on his face, blue eyes, a kind expression, that spoke to how much time he spent laughing, and smiling if the lines around his eyes were any indicator. Something within her memory tugged at her, but she couldn't place this happy man, who seemed to know her so easily, as his face lit up at the sight of her. "Yeah! It is you!" He strode forward, moving to wrap her in a hug, and Remi went to stiffen, as she still struggled to place him. His face was bright as he almost seemed to bounce over toward her. It kind of reminded her of a golden retriever, and that information struck something within her memories.
"Hold up there, skippy," Merle grunted, as he placed himself between the newcomer and Remington. "Who ta fuck are yah?"
He chuckled lightly in embarrassment, spotting the confusion on her face, as he fell back, calmly.
"The names Reid Barrett," he introduced himself. "I was on a team with your brother, Jackson, the best damn man I've ever had the honor of serving under. We never were properly introduced, but Jackson used to go on and on about you during our downtime, it feels like I've known you for years." His eyes were twinkling as he took her in. "Sorry if I startled you. Is Jackson here with you?"
"The two of you weren't together?" she asked, knowing that Jacksons' team hardly ever changed. It was rare for him to work with one, but there was only one team he was ever placed with when he did work in groups. That's why her mind had been trying to place him. There had been a photo, from a few years ago, that Jackson had shown her. He was younger back then, almost baby-faced, but had grown since then.
"Naw, I got placed elsewhere, haven't seen him in about six months since I was reassigned. Fucking shame." Cromwell almost looked offended by his soldier stating he would rather be under someone else's command, and Remington figured that this is where Barrett had been placed. "I'm surprised he didn't run back to you as soon as shit hit the fan. He always gave off those protective vibes."
"He's around somewhere," Remington shrugged, smiling, as she glanced around. Cromwell caught on to the double meaning, his eyes roaming casually around, trying to spot a place where someone could have set up shop, but he didn't gain sight of the man. And from the way Reid had begun to boast about him, Cromwell doubted he would.
"Smart," he said. "Having someone hold back like that."
"Can't be sure what kind of situation you're going to walk into." Remington returned her focus back toward what they had come here for. She loved to boast about her brother, and it seemed someone else thought the same way, and though she wanted to continue that conversation and see how uncomfortable she could make Jackson when he returned, Remi knew there were more important things to deal with right now. "Why don't we talk about that offer of yours?"
"Come here, I'd like to show you something," Sergeant Cromwell said as he motioned for her to join him at the wall.
Remi smiled good-naturedly as she watched him kneel down, gesturing for her to put her foot in his hands, the plan to boost her up to the top. She could sense the way Merle tensed, perhaps preferring to be the one to do this, but he didn't object to it. Instead, Remi decided to show their potential new friend some trust as she grabbed at the side of the wall, the brick digging into her hands, as he suddenly shifted, and pushed her up. She felt as gravity tried pulling her back down as she almost fell short of grabbing at the top of the wall, but then there was another hand on her lower back, and another on the back of her thighs as they helped push her up.
Glancing down, she looked over her shoulder to see that Merle had stepped in to help, an amused smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, as smoldering eyes were carefully trained on her.
Turning back around, Remi dug her fingers into the brick as she began to haul herself up onto the wall. Underneath her a hand fell away from her foot, Cromwell, and the one's on her thighs, and back only left when she hauled herself completely away from Merle. She shivered at the touch and for a moment allowed herself to think about a time when she wasn't busy trying to keep a group of people alive and could simply lose herself in the touches of her men.
All thoughts of such desires dripped from her mind as Remi took in the sight ahead of her.
Rows of homes, all proportioned just the same, lined up in front of her, sprawling out, and giving way to a stretch of yard. There was more than enough here for her group, and Cromwell's, with the ability to accommodate anyone that Remi wanted to bring into the group later. She noticed when Cromwell joined her, a light grunt escaping his lips as he balanced along the wall and shifted to his feet.
"That man of yours, Daryl, he held a similar look when he saw this," Cromwell stated as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. "Doesn't look like any are out wandering the yards, but it's a big enough place they could just be stuck somewhere."
"Or inside the homes, themselves," I nod in agreement. "Have you figured out a way to get the gate open yet?"
"Got a techie, Lopez, but he won't be able to figure it out until we're on the other side."
"It's dangerous to go in with the assumption that we'll find a way back over those walls." Remington frowned as she allowed her eyes to gaze over the place once more, looking for any sign that the dead were hiding out, but there wasn't any. Other than the overgrown grass, which needed to be dealt with, the place looked almost peaceful, if run down. "We can't leave it up to your guy to get that open, so we'll have to figure something else out before we agree to go over the walls."
"I like the way you think, Solace, but don't worry my men and I have been thinking this over and we've got a plan." He took another drag from the cigarette forcing her to wait on what he would say next, but Remington was patient, and she was no longer on a major time crunch. This was meant to take a few hours. "We've got a ladder; it'll work well enough until the gate is opened, or we find something better on the other side."
It wasn't the best plan anyone had ever come up with, and if Remington was being honest, it left way too many variables open, and she hated doing anything that wasn't thought out. Except there weren't that many options left for them, and there were plenty of people here to start clearing the place out. She was surrounded in talent and knew that this was the best possible group made to do this. She worried about bringing others from back at the farm, who weren't properly trained, and tended to be jumpy, and decided if it looked like potential, she'd push for it.
"Have you walked the whole perimeter? Got to see as much as possible?"
Cromwell nodded, eyeing the woman carefully as she thought things over. He could practically see her mind whirling to life. It was like looking at himself, and though he had more of a plan than just using that ladder, Cromwell waited to see what this woman would come up with. His group was determined to give safety to any civilians they come across that needed it, it was who they were, and the end of the world wasn't going to change that, but going against his normal actions, he wanted to see what this little lady was worth. He could sense something within her. She was more than what she looked even in the way she carried herself.
"We have, but I suspect you're not going to take my word for it and will want to do the same yourself."
"You've thought right."
She motioned for him to follow her, and before they walked along the top of the wall, she hollered down to Merle to let him know what they were doing. Though Merle sent her a small uncertain glance he trusted her opinion of the vibes she was getting from these men, and if she felt comfortable walking off with one of them, he would trust her judgement.
The walk around the wall was slow, and careful as they eyed their surroundings. Remington thought it was too good to be true, how deserted it all looked, but she hoped beyond anything that what it showed to them would be the real thing.
"What do you think about clearing it today?" Remington asked as they came toward the back of the complex.
"I would say there's no better way to get to know someone then in a position where you have to cover one another's asses." Cromwell shrugged; his gun still slung over his shoulder as he walked behind her.
"That could also spell disaster."
"Ma'am, with all due respect I trust my men to be able to handle themselves. Do you trust yours?"
There was no hesitation in Remington's mind that those she brought today would be able to handle themselves. Jackson was a force to be reckoned with all by himself, and though she had yet to see him go up against Walkers, she doubted it would pose a threat for him. She was a little more reluctant to believe Morgan would entirely be up for it, but she could ask him to stay behind with the Military Groups Techie at the gate. When it came to Merle there was no doubt in her mind that Merle would be able to handle anything that was thrown at him so with a nod she spoke.
"No, it'll be fine. As long as we don't spot anything to cause concern, we should handle it today."
"I'm inclined to think the same."
There in front of them, Remington had thought the large building they were nearing had been within the walls of the complex, and hadn't questioned it, but as they rounded the corner to the back of the wall, she found that this building was entirely outside the boundaries, off a little to the side, with a road that made it seem connected, or held plans to expand to include it at a later date. She frowned at it, noticing that it looked like it had been set up as a shopping center of some kind and her interest was piqued.
"What's that?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at Cromwell.
"Looks like a mall of sorts for the rich folk that lived here. My group and I haven't done much reconnaissance due to it being enclosed, and how large it is. We can say with certainty that the dead seem to be on the inside but how large the numbers are is still unknown. We've decided to deal with the homes first before taking care of the problems that might be inside of them. Preferably with more people."
He sent her an expectant glance while saying that last sentence.
"It could be full of useful things."
"Or nothing at all, but if nothing else it'll mean more space to do something with," Cromwell said. "But not as easily defended without the walls."
"We could make our own eventually," Remington mused as they kept walking, and she eyed the building for a moment longer. "Find the materials and connect it to the rest in the future."
"We could."
They continued on in silence, only making the occasional comment before arriving back to the front of the wall, where Remi spotted how Jackson had made himself known, standing near Merle, and Barrett had been loudly greeting him in excitement.
"That your brother?" Cromwell asked.
"Yeah, that's Jackson."
"Barrett talks like he's a legend."
"I've heard stories, but I'm sure you have as well." Remington hardly ever got to actually meet anyone Jackson worked with in the past, she had only ever really known what Jackson told her, but that's one thing she was certain about. The things Jackson did, the stuff that was allowed to get out, that he did with a group, was always told with a level of amazement.
Cromwell shrugged but the look he sent her brother's way she could only assume he had indeed heard about her brother in the past, but she didn't blame his doubt. She was certain he was used to people embellishing stories and that they never truly lived up to the hype, but Remi also knew her brother, and was certain all of it was just as great, or better.
Once they came to a stop above the others Remington moved to lower herself down the wall, the brick digging into the flesh of her stomach, and then there were hands grabbing at her leg, and another around her waist. Glancing over her shoulder showed that both Jackson and Merle had moved to help her down.
Cromwell soon dropped down next to them, landing on the balls of his feet, with a quiet huff of air.
"We're going in and taking care of things on the inside today," Remington said to the three men who came with her. Barrett, who had been attached to Jackson's side as soon as he made his appearance began to nod eagerly as he got pumped up.
"Awesome! I've been dying to finally get into that place." He then turned back to Jackson with a wide grin. "It'll be great working under you again!"
Jackson shrugged; his demeanor almost lazy as he waved his old friend and subordinate off.
"Ah, these days I follow this one's orders." He casually shoved his thumb in Remington's direction over his shoulder. "Don't go around giving out many myself anymore. She's a bit bossy."
Remi scoffed as she rolled her eyes at her brother.
"Just for that I'm tossing you into the nearest herd."
"You wouldn't do that to your JaJa," Jackson tutted as he moved to grab his gun.
"Keep it up and I'll put you on clean up duty," she threatened, her voice lacking conviction, telling him she would more than likely do neither of those things. The two siblings fell into a familiar pattern of teasing and sly jibes as the military group grabbed the ladder, and then everyone turned serious.
Remi moved to stand next to Cromwell, the leaders of the separate groups, as they both made sure everyone understood what they were to do. Neither Remi nor Cromwell wanted anyone to break formation or to go off on their own while they were here. The only ones who would be separated from them would be Elias, who was the Military groups Techie, and Morgan. Morgan would cover Elias while he focused on the gate to find out a way if it could be forced open without power, or if they were going to have to hope Elias knew how to perform miracles.
As they hopped over the brick wall Reminton hoped that this would go well. That they wouldn't have any surprises or find the buildings overrun with the dead. There were so many things that Remi had already changed for the better, and this place was just another thing that she wanted for her group. The thought of not having to rough it through the winter, bouncing from place to place, and hitting a never-ending pipe dream was enough for Remi to want to clear this place and know whether or not she could make it a proper home for her family.
As she climbed the ladder, she quietly ticked this off her mental to do list knowing that there was an endless number of things still needing dealt with once she was done here. Or worse, a million new things she would have to add if this turned out to be nothing but a pretty dream.
┈┈┈┈․° °․┈┈┈┈
Daryl wasn't sure how he had ended up with both Maisie and Landon following him out into the woods as he searched for tracks. The group wasn't necessarily hurting for food right now, but they would be moving soon, to that new place, or somewhere else, and he knew the more meat her brought in by hunting, the less of some of their can goods they would use and be able to save it for the possible life back on the road.
That knowledge had caused him to agree without thinking about it much when Landon asked if he could tag along and learn how to track animals. The idea of the boy being out here made him a little nervous, but Landon picked up on things fast, he moved silently, and from what he had managed to figure out his father had taught him life skills like this before everything went to shit.
It was the little girl that truly scared the ever-living shit out of him.
Daryl knew without a doubt that if Remi was here, she would have given him permission. Even Shane had thought as much when Daryl brought it up to him. The woman trusted Daryl with those kids lives, and he would never let anything happen to them out here but fuck if it didn't cause him to be tense with the whole situation. He had hated having them out on the road before they found the farm, and every protective bone in his body ached with the desire to have them back at the farm where they would be surrounded by the group and would be the safest. One misplaced step, or wrong call could mean one of them getting hurt, or worse, and the realization was wearing heavily on Daryl's shoulders.
Daryl was just starting to get comfortable with being solely responsible for their safety, and needs. He wasn't entirely certain he was cut out to make decisions that were what normal people considered safe, but he had a very clear baseline of what not to do, and figured he'd work out from there. Remington seemed to think he had what it took to be a proper role model for them. She had made that perfectly clear when she had chosen him to be one of those she wanted a relationship with. There was no way he'd be allowed to be around them, let alone have a role like this in their life if she had any doubt in her mind that he would harm them or let something happen to them.
That didn't mean accidents didn't happen, and Daryl was so tightly wound up trying to avoid anything from happening that he didn't take them as far out as he would have gone if it was just him.
Landon had picked up on this early on and had seemed a little disappointed in it, but Daryl had held firm, and explained his reasoning. There was no way either kid was ready for a trip like that and knew that before too much longer Maisie would need to go back to camp. He was surprised she hadn't grown tired yet, and fully expected to be carrying her soon.
Both kids picked up on the lessons fairly easily. Landon understood it better than Maisie did, but he was about that age, and Maisie was still so young that Daryl was actually a little surprised that there weren't more questions falling from her lips.
Surprised until the moment she spun on her heel and faced him with a serious look on her face.
It would seem that in his attempt to make sure nothing could sneak up on them, and both kids were as safe as he could keep them out in the woods, Daryl had missed the fact that there was something else on her mind other than the lesson. Perhaps she hadn't been asking as many questions as usual because those on her mind hadn't been about the tracking lesson, they had begged him to take them on.
"Out with it, girl," he said gruffly with a raise to his brow. She had pinned him with such a look that he just knew whatever came out of her mouth would be something he wasn't qualified to answer. Maisie was a lot like her momma in the way that Daryl never knew what she was going to do or say next.
"Are yah dating my momma?"
Maisie wasn't entirely sure what exactly dating was, but when she had asked Landon why momma was kissing Daryl, he had said they were probably dating. It had felt important to her. The only person she had ever seen her momma kissing like that was her father, and Maisie wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that connection. On the one hand Maisie didn't think of Daryl in the same way that she thought of her father. She wasn't afraid of Daryl. He didn't make her feel on edge, or like she was doing something wrong, even during the happier moments with her father that unease had begun to creep into the back of her mind. It wasn't like that at all with Daryl.
Daryl, for his part, had only felt slightly off kilter at the sudden question, and knew that what had fallen from her lips would be unexpected. Or at least, it would have been, but he knew both kids had seen that kiss earlier in the day, and that the questions would be coming. He only wished that they would have waited to ask when Shane was around, or better, Remi herself.
This wasn't a conversation he was qualified at all to have.
Instead of running away or avoiding it like he wanted Daryl knew he needed to face this in the proper way. If everything went well between him and Remi things like this would become normal, and even though he felt as if he was being tossed into the deep end, and expected to just know how to tread water, he would do his best.
So, not quite sure what to say or do, Daryl repositioned the crossbow on his back, and then knelt in front of the little girl. His blue eyes bounced over toward Landon noticing how the boy was waiting patiently for his answer.
"I am."
They hadn't put an actual title to anything that was going on but Daryl felt as if he knew Remi decently by this point, and without a doubt she would have labeled what they were doing as dating.
Daryl watched as Maisie's face contorted, her bottom lip being chewed on, and her nose wrinkling, and he knew she was thinking over what she would be saying next. It was one of her cuter expressions even if the crease between her brow was slightly worrying to him. Should such a small thing like her even have the right to look worried and confused? Kids her age shouldn't ever have to care about things like wondering if what they were going to say next was okay.
Maisie felt all the thoughts and desires inside of her tumbling around as she tried to wrap her mind around all of the confusion and uncertainty she felt. Daryl was just yet another person she felt love for, and after seeing her momma kissing him, she began to wonder what exactly that meant in terms of her. She wasn't necessarily afraid to ask these questions. Daryl would never make her feel bad for having them even if she was wrong about the conclusion she was coming to. He wasn't like her father. That gave her the courage to open her lips and let that confusion and uncertainty out.
"What does that mean for me?"
She swayed a little on her feet as she waited for him to answer. She was wearing boots that had begun to pinch her toes a little, and pants that made her feel too hot, but Daryl had insisted on her wearing them out in the woods for added protection. She fidgeted a little more by letting her arms sway with the motion at her sides.
Daryl scratched his chin, looking a bit lost himself, as he took in her question and began to dissect it.
"It don' got to mean nothin' to yah if you don' want it to," Daryl said after a few moments of trying to think it through. He could tell that this answer meant more than what her words were leaning toward. He could see it on her face, the way she fidgeted, an action that was nothing like the Maisie he had come to know. There were very few moments that he could remember where Maisie wasn't anything but an energetic ball of sunshine that had no qualms with plowing someone over with the way she settled on something. Stubborn to a fault, like her momma, and confident. That was not the little girl in front of him right now.
"What if I want it to?"
She jutted out her chin a little bit as if to challenge him to turn down any of her feelings on the matter.
"Then it can." Daryl struggled a little here, trying to find the right words, as he was certain a conversation like this had never been aimed toward him, nor had he ever witnessed one. His daddy was a mean son of a bitch that he tried to avoid most of his childhood, and part of his adult years until the man finally went six feet under. He had never prepared Daryl for a relationship that was in any way healthy, and even though Daryl was a little uncertain if Maisie saw him in any way other than an adult in her life that she could trust, he wouldn't push her away regardless. "All you gotta do is tell me what you want from me."
Maisie zoned in on these last words and her mind continued to spin as she made connections, but it was getting past the fear that her father had placed inside of her, that kept her from asking what she truly wanted.
"It could be anything?"
"I ain't gonna damn yah for thinking or feeling any way, Maisie." Daryl's eyes then darted over toward Landon who was still watching intently as they continued their conversation. "That goes for either one of you." Landon nodded a little bit, having his own struggles, but he felt better at knowing that whatever he settled on would be okay to the man.
"You promise?"
Maisie's voice was small, but there was a happiness in there that told Daryl he hadn't messed the conversation up, and it caused him to breathe a little easier.
"I promise." Reaching out he lightly patted her head before doing the same to Landon, and then moved to stand back up with a small grunt at the way his knees popped at the action. "Now, we should be heading back. Your momma is gonna wanna talk to the two of yah more about this later. She's gonna be better at answering your questions than I will be."
Neither of them fought him on the decision to head back. Maisie had been nearing being tired a while ago, and Landon could see that so there was no way he would ask to stay out longer even though he wanted to. Maisie's safety was more important to him, and he didn't want her to get hurt because she was exhausted out in the woods.
As they began to move back toward the farm Maisie turned to Daryl, holding out her arms, and ended up putting to rest any concerns Landon had over her getting too tired.
"Daryl, up. I'm tired." Her voice had a slightly whiny edge to it and the few steps she had taken before asking this had shown no signs of how Daryl had taught her to walk out here. Her feet dragged across the ground in a way that would have messed up any trail if there had been one, and she had managed to step on every stick near her.
"How do yah ask?"
The words fell from his lips without much thought as he had heard Remington correct her many times over the period of time, he had known them. They had been automatic as he was already in the motion of moving to sweep her up into his arms. Maisie, however, recognized them for what they were, and even as he was already pulling her into his arms, and she was wrapping her tiny ones around him, she had begun to correct herself.
"Please, will you carry me?"
This, the connection he had with these two kids, the role he played felt natural. A little bit scary, but right in a way that Daryl had never experienced before. Whatever role they decided he would play in their lives didn't matter to him. All that mattered was that he was in their life, doing his best at what they had chosen for him. It wasn't nearly as terrifying as he thought it would be.
He would never be his father, and there was something small within him that seemed to heal at the realization.
That ending with Daryl snuck in. It wasn't supposed to exist but omg does it do funny things to my heart.
I felt like the title for this chapter "Potential" felt pretty spot-on cause there is so much potential going on from their possible new home and the connections that are being made.
