Red River Blue
Chapter 17
River grabbed Daryl's hand, letting him pull her up the last few rungs of the ladder. Merle shouldered up behind her, holding the large sniper rifle in front of his body where he knew the people outside the gates could see it. River also had a rifle, though she wasn't as good a shot as her husband. She was hoping just the display of fire power would be enough to deter these people. They looked to only be armed with knives. If they wanted to start any shit, they had to know they would be gunned down like fish in a barrel. And they didn't even look like they were in position to put up a fight. They looked as dirty and ragged as Lydia, the girl Merle took from them. Their leader stood slightly in front of the others. Before she spoke, River didn't even realize it was a woman.
"My name is Alpha," she said. "...And I only want one thing. My daughter."
River felt a strange mix of emotions wash over her. She understood the woman's desire to have her child back. If one of River's girls had been taken by another group, River would want her back. Immediately. But River also felt the urge to protect the girl. Carol told her about the scars on Lydia's arms. This woman might be her mother. But she was also her abuser. River didn't want to think about what might happen to Lydia if they gave her back.
A bit of movement near the edge of the cornfield caught River's eye. She turned, digging her fingernails into Merle's arm as her entire body went rigid with terror.
"Axel," she hissed. "He's down there at the edge of the cornfield with Annie and Hershel." Merle glanced at the spot River indicted, trying not to be obvious about it since they sure didn't want these crazy masked walker people to know their kids were down there. He let out a string of foul curses under his breath. Axel was supposed to be at the barn, picking out a kitten. How he managed to get outside the gates in the middle of this mess was anyone's guess. But right now, the issue was that River was on the edge of a full fledged panic attack. She was gripping the gun in her hands like she was thinking about gunning these people down and asking questions later.
"It's okay," Merle whispered. "He's hiding. They ain't spotted him yet." They could see the boy. But there was a lot of corn between him and the hostile group. And they were focused on the gates. As long as Axel stayed put, they wouldn't spot him.
"I'm going out to talk to her," Carol said, already swinging herself onto the ladder.
"Not by yerself," Daryl told her, following her down the ladder.
Carol headed out through the gates. Her hands were empty. But she had a handgun on her hip and her longbow on her back. Daryl and Glenn were a few paces behind her, both of them heavily armed.
"If you want a fight," Carol said, turning to glance at the top of the wall, where at least a dozen people were standing, all of them with large guns in their hands. "We have enough fire power to light you up."
While Carol waited for the woman's response, she was distracted by the cry of a small baby. One of the masked women had an infant in her arms. It was fussing and she looked like she was desperately trying to quiet it down.
"You brought a baby out here?," Glenn asked, his eyes wide with shock. He turned towards the woman, gesturing for her to approach. "We'll let you and the baby in," he offered. "It's not safe out here." There were actual dead mixed in with the crowd. And while these people seemed to be doing a good job at controlling them, that would be over in a hurry if that baby made any more noise.
"Stay where you are," Alpha ordered, pointing at the mother and her baby. She turned her attention back to Carol. "I don't want any violence. I only want my daughter back."
"Well ya can't have 'er," Daryl hollered. "So take yer pet walkers and fuck off!" Carol looked over her shoulder, glancing at him. He was supposed to be letting her do the negotiations. But Carol could tell his hackles were up. Daryl was past the point of calm negotiations. She turned back to the woman, expecting an argument. But the woman only gave her an eerie smile and gestured to one of her people. They didn't speak, which led Carol to believe that this woman had a plan before she arrived. A few of her people disappeared around the edge of the cornfield, returning with two naked women that were being marched between them. The women had masks over their heads, but Carol knew who at least one of them was before the mask was roughly yanked away.
"Mika!," she gasped. The girl was not only naked. She was covered in bruises and gagged with her hands bound behind her back. Carol recognized the other woman as Kelly, the deaf woman's sister. The men that marched the girls forward kept their bodies behind them, using them as human shields and holding knives to their throats.
"Let'er go right fuckin' now," Daryl screamed as he started to charge forward. Glenn nabbed him by the arm, digging his heels into the dirt to try and slow the larger man down. The man that had a grip on Mika pushed the knife harder against her throat. She winced as the edge of the knife cut her, and a little rivulet of blood snaked down her neck, dripping onto her naked breast.
"Two of yours for one of mine," Alpha said. "Sounds like a good deal for you."
"Alright," Carol said, fighting back the sick feeling in her stomach. She turned, grabbing Daryl by the hand and pulling him towards the gate.
"Are we really giving that girl back to that psycho?," Glenn asked. Carol nodded. There was no other choice. She felt sympathy for the girl. But if the choice was between saving Mika and saving another girl she'd known a day, there was really no choice to make. She would always choose her family first. They headed quickly back towards the trailer, hoping Sam and Lydia were waiting there like Carol instructed.
River watched them go, then she turned her attention back to the scene outside the gates.
"What are we gonna do?," Beth asked. She and Luke climbed up during the talk that was happening outside the gate, taking the spaces that Carol and Daryl vacated. Luke was glancing at Kelly, looking like he might lose his breakfast.
"We're gonna give that nutcase her daughter back," River said. "And get Mika and Kelly back. We can worry about what to do next once they're safe." Beth nodded, giving Luke's hand a reassuring squeeze.
The mother managed to quiet her baby down momentarily. But after the gates shut, it started fussing again. And it was getting louder. River cursed at the woman under her breath, calling her a dumb bitch for not coming inside the gates when Glenn offered. She watched nervously. Some of the dead were starting to take notice of the baby's loud cries. River wasn't sure what these people were going to do. But she figured they would do something to help the woman. Her stomach dropped when the leader of the group ordered the woman to put the baby down on the ground. Mika and Kelly were struggling, hollering through the gags in their mouths.
Away from the comfort of its mother's arms, the baby began to kick its legs and cry louder. River started screaming and pounding on the wall, hoping the noise would distract the dead. She noticed other people were doing the same, including Merle, who was screaming at the top of his lungs and pounding on the wall with his metal arm sleeve. But it wasn't enough. The dead could still hear the baby's loud wails, much closer to them than the noisy yelling crowd.
River heard Merle curse. Then she saw Axel and Hershel dart out of the cornfield. Hershel stabbed the walker closest to the baby with a long pointy stick. Axel shot another one of them in the head with his small handgun and snatched the baby up into his arms. Annie was on the edge of the corn, gesturing wildly for the boys to come back. River gasped. Not only were the dead after the boys. But a few of the masked people were pulling their knives out, heading toward the kids. Hershel stuck another walker and the boys took off, darting back into the cornfield.
The baby was heavier than Axel expected. He tossed the strap of the sling it was in over his neck to absorb some of the weight and clutched the baby tightly to his chest, willing it to shut its loud wailing mouth. He ran between the rows of corn, following Hershel since he was the one that knew the way back to the underground tunnel they snuck out of. Walkers were weaving through the corn, attracted by the baby's crying. Hershel was stabbing them with his long stick. Axel shoved his gun at the other boy, hollering for him to use it. They were being forced off track as they tried to escape the walkers. It seemed like the dead were all around them, coming from every direction. Axel felt it when one of them managed to grasp ahold of his shirt. He sheltered the baby in his arms, trying to protect it from the monster behind him. But then suddenly he was free.
Axel turned, unsure whether or not his situation had improved when he saw that the man helping him was Negan, the man that his father fought outside the barn party. But his face lit up into a big smile when he saw his sister behind the man. And not just any sister. It was Harley, the fiercest walker killer that ever lived. She swung her knife, slashing the dead down before they could even get close to him. Rick and Tyreese were on the other side of Hershel, protecting him and Annie from the herd. Once the two men cleared a path, they ran. Axel followed them, relieved that Harley was behind him. Nothing bad would happen to him or the baby if she was there.