Chapter 13: The Aftermath
Riley stared out the grimy windshield. The sun had been up for at least an hour now and none of them had moved. Rick and Daryl remained outside for the entire night while she sat curled up in the passenger seat of the car and Michonne sat in the back with Carl's head tucked into her lap. Everyone was still in shock from last night. Or at least she was. None of them had said a word since they got into this car. Daryl had suggested that Michonne take the two of them in here to sleep and recover. They were doing anything but that, though Carl did seem to be dozing in and out.
Every inch of her felt dirty and exhausted. Even so, she couldn't find the strength to shut her eyes and take a rest. Her mind was swirling with everything that happened. The most shocking obviously being the brutal annihilation of Joe by Rick's teeth. But the one her mind lingered on the most were Dan and Billy's intentions with her and Carl. Even the thought sent shivers up and down her spine and made her mouth water with nausea.
Her arms wrapped around herself and she squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to think about it anymore. It made her feel so dirty and sick to her stomach. And somehow, she couldn't stop thinking about it.
She and Carl nearly got raped. How was that supposed to just breeze over? If it hadn't been for Rick getting loose and killing Joe... She shuddered at the thought and buried her face into her knees.
Heavy rapping on the window awoke every muscle in her body and she spun in the seat, looking over to see Daryl at the back window. Michonne untangled her fingers from Carl's hair and reached over to open up to door.
"We're gonna be leavin'," he said, glancing back at Rick.
"Okay. Give us a minute," Michonne murmured, nodding at him.
Daryl dipped his head before disappearing from view. Carl sat up and caught her eye. She quickly looked away, drawing in a deep breath and preparing herself mentally for moving forward. Slowly, she opened up the door and slid out into the fresh air. That was one thing she loved about the woods. It was relaxing and helped her to feel a little more freed up from her thoughts.
"You three should eat somethin' before we head out," Rick suggested, causing her to turn and see the half-full bag of cereal he was offering them.
His appearance was still pretty shabby. Blood stained his beard and ran in dribbles down his neck and his hair hung loosely in his face. It looked like he had tried to wipe some of the blood off, but it still clung to him as a reminder of what had to be done last night.
Michonne took the bag from him and handed it to Carl. "You two eat. You'll need it more than us."
He looked down at the bag before holding it out to Riley for first dibs. She gave the tiniest of grateful smiles before grabbing a handful. The cereal tasted like nothing and dried up her mouth pretty quickly. Honestly, she wasn't very hungry to begin with, but eating was more of an obligation now than anything else. The two of them switched back and forth with the food until it was gone and Carl threw the crumpled plastic bag on the ground.
Wordlessly, all of them grouped up and started through the woods to the nearby train tracks. The heat already started to boil down on them, which just meant that it was going to be another really hot day.
Rick and Daryl led the way with Michonne not too far behind and she and Carl in the back. No words were exchanged for a while and each of them were left to ponder their own thoughts. That was, until Carl slowed down to fall in step with her.
"Hey are you...okay?" he asked quietly.
She could see his hand twitch toward hers out of the corner of her eye, but then he refrained from making contact when she didn't say anything. Was she okay? Physically, yes. Mentally, maybe. Emotionally, probably not.
Her eyes widened when he finally decided to make contact by curling his fingers around her wrist, pulling her to a stop and making her face him. He took both her hands in his and looked down at her.
"You don't have to hide what you're feeling from me. I'm...feeling funny too. And I don't want you to feel like you're alone. I don't know what you've been through before we met but I know you were alone for a while and...it sucks to be alone. You can tell me everything. I'm here with you. All of us are," he assured.
Riley looked down, soaking up his words and nodding slowly, squeezing his hands to show him he was grateful. "I...thank you... Ever since my parents died I'm...I have trouble talking about things, you know?"
She finally looked up at him to meet his gaze. It was hard to open up to people. Her parents had been the only people she would open up to after this. When they died, she tried to trust others, but they had just betrayed her and left her alone. She was placing a gamble on Carl and his group, but...maybe it was time to start taking chances on people. Their trust grew over the last two weeks and that accounted for something.
"I get it," he said. "I...had to kill my mom. And I felt the same way you do..."
Her breath hitched in her throat at that personal information. He had a way of saying things that caught her off guard.
"It was my dad... He killed my mom a while before...and then I had to shoot him before he turned and I..." She closed her eyes and drew in a shaky breath.
"You don't have to tell me everything, Riley. I just want you to know that you're not alone... The both of us went through that last night, and the both of us will get through it together."
The words penetrated her bones as she opened her eyes to look up and him and confirm with a nod. "Okay."
"Carl? Riley?"
Both of their heads snapped to see that the others had gotten a pretty noticeable distance away. Rick motioned for them to regroup, a curious look crossing his features. Letting go of Carl's hands, she started forward at a slow jog until she was caught up, the boy in the sheriff's hat on her heels.
"It's just up ahead," Rick murmured. "Stay quiet and cautious. We don't know what this place is like."
She drew in a deep breath and cleared her mind. The trees slowly branched outwards as the tracks led to a larger building. Gates surrounded it and "Terminus" stretched across the wall in red paint. It seemed vacant from the front, which sent out an eerie vibe that didn't make her feel so comfortable.
"Head around the back," Daryl suggested, adjusting his crossbow.
Rick nodded in agreement. "Let's go."
They hurried through the trees, keeping low and quiet as they followed the chain link fence further back. Through the fence, she could see various box cars, but not much else. No people.
"Stay here. I'm going to circle around," Rick said before disappearing.
Riley took the bag set on the ground and dug around for a water, finding one at the bottom and pulling it out. Daryl kept a sharp eye out while Michonne pulled Carl aside to talk. It wasn't her place to eavesdrop, so she settled down at the base of one of the trees and took a nice, long gulp of water. She wasn't sure about this Terminus place. The signs they passed kept telling of a sanctuary for all, but what were the odds of that? There weren't sanctuaries in this world anymore. And by the way this place looked, it had to be abandoned. Or there was something else wrong with it. She didn't really know, but it seemed suspicious.
Her eyes flickered over to Michonne and Carl as they embraced and she bit her lip. He was having a hard time too and the dark-skinned woman seemed almost like a mother figure to him. It made sense since he had lost his mom. He needed someone to look up to like that. It made her wish that she had someone like that. A father figure. A mother figure. Her's were gone.
Michonne caught her eye and she quickly looked away, biting her lip and pulling her knees to her chest. Footsteps approached after a moment and someone plopped down next to her. She didn't need to look to know who it was.
"Hey Riley. We haven't gotten to talk much, but I'm glad you and Carl made it through," she said.
Her blue eyes were greeted with a warm smile when she looked up. "Yeah... I'm glad too."
"You holding up?"
Automatically, she nodded in an almost robotic manner. She didn't know Michonne well enough to trust her with the response she granted Carl. Of course, she knew that she was a nice woman and trustworthy, but not close enough to tell her anything important.
"You and me are a lot alike. I would've said the same thing, even if I wasn't."
Was she really that transparent? Averting her gaze, she stared hard at the ground, not sure exactly how to respond to that.
"I just wanted to tell you...you know if someone ever tries to do that to you again...you shoot. Don't hesitate. People like that...they're the real monsters of this world," she said seriously, "Rick did what he had to, and he was right to do so."
Riley's breath hitched and she pressed her lips together. "Okay..."
Michonne patted her gently on the shoulder in a comforting way, and though she would never admit it, she liked the comfort, even from someone she barely knew. A twig snapping caught their attention and they both jumped to their feet, poised and ready to attack, but it was only Daryl and Rick.
"We head in," Rick said with a nod and gesture to them.
They started to climb up over the fence, one at a time. She was surprised that there wasn't anything but that keeping them from getting in. As her feet touched the ground, Michonne's words rang through her ears and she pressed her lips together, eyes darting around the place. Be ready, be ready...
The five of them quickly sneaked forward to the nearest open door. Daryl was the first one in and as they entered, she could hear a woman speaking. Sounded like she was relaying a message that had to do with this place.
Shadows encompassed the hall, but began to scatter away once they got to the main part of the warehouse, where light swirled in through the windows. A woman sat at a table, speaking into a microphone and repeating a message over and over.
"Hello," Rick said, giving away their position.
Eyes darted toward them and she kept her gun held tightly in her hands in case any of them were going to try anything.
"Well I bet Albert is on perimeter watch," one of them sighed - a man with unkempt brown hair holding a paintbrush across the room.
He slowly approached them, steady gaze on Rick. "Well, you here to rob us?" he continued.
"No," Rick denied, taking a few steps to close the gap. "We wanted to see you before you saw us."
The other man shrugged a little. "Makes sense. Usually we do this where the tracks meet... Welcome to Terminus."
He held his arms out to gesture to everywhere around him. He seemed friendly enough, but Riley was still a bit uneasy.
"I'm Gareth. Looks like you've been on the road for a good bit," Gareth observed.
"We have," Rick confirmed. "Rick. That's Carl. Daryl. Michonne. Riley."
Gareth gave a small wave and smile, which was followed by a short silence. He seemed to pick up on this. "You're nervous! I get it. We all felt the same way. We came here for sanctuary. That what you here for?"
"Yes."
"Good. You found it. Hey Alex?" He called over another. "This isn't as pretty as the front, but the welcome wagon is a whole lot nicer. Alex will take you, ask you a few questions...Uh, but first...we need to see everyone's weapons. If you could just lay them down in front of you."
Riley sucked in a breath, glancing toward the others. It made sense that they would want to see their weapons, but she didn't want to give hers up. Her stomach clenched as Rick agreed and Gareth said something she didn't catch.
"Riley...your gun," Rick said, snapping her back into reality.
She looked over at him, noticing that he had already put his weapon down along with the others. Biting her lip, she slowly slipped her gun and knife from her jeans and laid them on the ground. Gareth gave her a nod and then they were each patted down, much to her discomfort. Everything seemed to be in check, though, because they didn't try to shoot them.
"Just so you know, we aren't those kind of people," Gareth assured, "but we aren't stupid either. So I hope you won't be stupid enough to try anything stupid. As long as everyone's clear on that, we shouldn't have any problems. Just solutions. Okay."
Gareth then turned around and Alex started to hand them back their weapons. She grabbed hers before he came to her, which seemed to startle him a bit, but she just put them away, feeling safer with them on her.
"Follow me!" Alex said cheerfully.
They followed him out of the room and down the hall. No people crossed their paths until they got outside, where everything seemed a lot more bright and open. Flowers lined the buildings and people strolled along. Alex started to talk about the place a little bit, but she didn't pay any attention until they stopped in front of a woman with brown hair in a messy braid.
"Heard you came in the back door. Smart. You'll fit right in here," she commented, smiling at them as she cooked some food.
And then she met Carl's gaze. He gave her a small smile, which she returned. At least he knew how she was feeling. All of them were still feeling uneasy.
Mary handed Carl a plate and then her. They had a lot of food it seemed, which made her wonder how they got it. Alex was just about to hand a plate to Rick when he smacked it out of his hand and pulled a gun on him. She immediately dropped her plate and pulled out her own gun as the others did so as well.
Rick pulled a small pocket watch from Alex's pocket and looked it over. "Where the hell did you get this watch?"
The Terminus people were aiming their guns at them and she drew her aim to one of the snipers on the roof pointing his gun at Rick and Alex. She wasn't sure why Rick was adamant about this watch and what it had to do with anything, but all she knew was that guns were up and she was ready to go.
"Where did you get the riot gear? And the poncho?" Rick pressed.
"Got the riot gear off a dead cop. Found the poncho on a clothesline," Gareth said, suddenly appearing.
She switched her aim to him, heart quickening a bit.
"Gareth we can wait-"
"Shut up, Alex."
The two began to go back and forth for a moment, but Riley tuned out all of that, only holding onto the important details that would determine if they lived or died.
"Where are our people?!" Rick demanded and it suddenly became clearer to her.
He recognized things that the people in his group had previously. Were these guys holding them hostage? She didn't get a chance to even think about it because the gunfire started and she had to duck. Carl grabbed her arm and she stumbled after him, aiming at anyone shooting their way.
Her heart began to run a marathon as they sprinted away, but the gunfire pushed them further into one of the buildings. She stayed close to Carl and Michonne, muscles springing into action as she lengthened her stride and turned tightly with the halls. She swore she saw rotting hunks of flesh as they ran, but she couldn't be sure. Everything was as blur of gunfire and colors swirling in her vision.
Bursting into a room, they slowed as they spotted candles everywhere, almost like a shrine of some sort. Nausea churned in her stomach as the adrenaline continued to rush through her body.
"What is this place?" Daryl asked breathlessly.
"These people...I don't think they're trying to kill us," Michonne said.
"No..," Rick agreed, "they're bringing in their feed."
Feed?! They were going to...to eat them!? Was that...was that even true? These people they were...cannibals? Herding them into this place like cattle to the slaughter?!
Her stomach jolted and she keeled over, holding back a heave as the flashes of rotten flesh came back to her mind. Oh shit... They just bounced from one group of sickos to the next... She was not going to be almost raped and then almost eaten in the same day...
Blood rushing to her ears, she swooped after the others, unable to breathe properly as they headed back outside to escape this twisted place. They were almost to the gates when more heads popped up and she realized something...
They were surrounded.
She stopped in place, panting and looking for a way out - any way - but there was nothing. Groups of men and women surrounded every side with their guns poised to fire at any given moment.
"Drop your weapons! Now!"
Carl's gaze bore into hers for a moment before he looked to his dad for guidance. She shifted her gaze to fit firmly on the ground as Gareth repeated his message more forcefully.
The gun slipped from her fingers and clattered to the ground, each clank penetrating deep in her bones. She then tossed her knife down to join the pile.
"Ring leader! Go to your left! The train car! Go!"
Rick hesitated, not keen on leaving Carl behind.
"You do what we say, the boy goes with you. Anything else he dies and you end up in there anyway."
That was all that was needed to make Rick take the first step and head to the train car. Carl watched him the entire time and she wished she could say something to reassure him that his dad was going to be fine.
"Now the archer."
That was Daryl's signal. He shot a glare at Gareth before following Rick.
"Now the samurai."
That left her and Carl. However, Gareth didn't tell either of them to follow. He was using them as leverage. Hopefully just to get them into the car. If they actually took either of them, she was going to fight back...
"My son!" Rick shouted after they had been lined up.
After a moment's pause, Gareth gave the go ahead for Carl to go. Except he didn't move. He looked back at her, terrified blue eyes meeting hers.
"Kid, go!" Gareth snapped.
"W-what about Riley!" he spoke up, voice slightly shaky as he kept his gaze firmly planted on her.
"Carl, go," she murmured through gritted teeth, not wanting him to get in trouble just for her sake. That was just going to get both of them killed and they didn't need that. "Just go!"
"If you don't want to die, get moving, kid!" Gareth hissed, causing Rick to start protesting. "Stay quiet, ring leader!"
A tense blanket hovered in the atmosphere but Carl finally moved. She stayed put, watching him head forward to the line.
"Ring leader, open the door to the car, and go in!" Gareth commanded.
"I'll go in with him!" Rick shot back.
"Don't make us kill him now!"
He finally did as he was told and the started to file in. Her muscles tensed. What were they going to do with her? She began to panic inside as Carl made it to the door. He shot a look at her before disappearing inside. Her gaze stayed firmly on the open train car and every second that ticked by brought on more crushing anxiety.
"Go on, girl," Gareth finally said.
Riley nearly jumped forward.
She headed toward the car at a steady pace, climbing the steps, and then stepping inside the darkened car. Carl latched onto her forearm as the door shut behind her and she gripped his shirt tightly, letting out a shuddering breath. They didn't need to say anything to each other. The relief was evident in her eyes and in his.
"Rick?"
The sudden voice made her nearly jump out of her skin and the only thing holding her steady was Carl. She turned, noticing a group emerging from the shadows of the other side of the car. A Korean man, a brunette woman, and a handful of others.
"You're here?" Rick confirmed.
A small silence stretched before the brunette spoke, "they're friends. They helped us."
She gestured back toward some of the others, who must have been strangers to Rick.
"Yeah. Now they're friends of ours," Daryl decided, nodding a bit.
"For however long that'll be," the ginger in the back muttered, turning away.
"No." Rick shook his head. "They're going to feel pretty stupid when they find out..."
What was he talking about? All of them were curious and the ginger male stepped forward again.
"Find out what?"
Rick looked toward each of them, giving a long, hard look before finishing his train of thought.
"They're fucking with the wrong people."
A/N: Guyssss it's here! Sorry for the wait, I had to figure a lot of stuff out but I've finally come up with an update schedule that will probably work. I'm updating at 8pm on Sundays (tonight was a fluke because of busyness). Rest of my story schedules are posted on my profile. Anyway, thank you soooo much for being amazing readers and reviewing and reading and everything! You guys mean a lot to me and I hope you liked this chapter!
