Reviews:
Futago no Akuma Shimai - I'm happy you enjoyed it! Yeah, I wanted them both to deal with their loss in their own ways- Carl just needed to vent and Rhys was there. Too bad indeed, aha! I love your theories... I won't give anything away... but I would also be very anxious that Michonne and Rick aren't here. Thank you again for the wonderful feedback! :)
Chapter warning- Descriptions of physical abuse, and trauma. (If you would rather skip over those kinds of themes, skip/ wait for chapter 16.)
-Carl's POV-
The road wound through the dense assortment of trees, the occasional one fallen across it, forcing us to clamber over. Rhys, never being thrilled by this.
Rhys is using his spear as a crutch, keeping his weight on his good leg.
Despite being worse off than me, his spirits remain higher.
He keeps talking.
He talks about the trees and the road, and the leaves that fall from the trees to the road, all in the greatest of detail. I find myself grateful for this but I don't tell him. I just let him continue talking.
Working off the sun, we figure the time must be around 10 am. One perk of not having clocks in our cells at the prison was learning to judge time from how high on the walls the sun was touching.
We decide now is a good time to have breakfast, only to realize all the food is gone since Rhys insisted we give half our trail mix to Emma. Hungry and disappointed, the two of us press on.
Rhys starts humming to himself for a few minutes, getting bored of it, and instead, he stares into the forest beside the road as we walk. He does this for a good ten minutes before I get curious enough to ask.
"What are you doing?"
"Dammit, Carl!"
"What?"
"You made me lose count."
I give him a puzzled look. "Count of what? Walkers?"
"Trees," he tells me.
"You were counting trees?"
"Yup."
We stop talking for a moment, Rhys not going back to tree counting. Instead, he gives me a strange look.
"What happened to the crazy guy?" he asks me, the question so random that I almost don't understand it.
Rhys sees my confused look, "You told me, at the prison, you met a crazy guy before. Y'know when you called me crazy."
"I called you great," I correct him.
"So you do remember!" Rhys laughs, "So, what happened?"
"I shot him," I tell the curious boy.
"Why?"
"Because he was trying to shoot me."
Rhys finds this funny.
"What?" I ask.
"Nothing, just, that seems to be a trend with crazy people."
I'm going to ask him what he means, but he says something else.
"Washburne."
"Huh?" I ask him, confused.
He points to the carved engraving on his spear.
Noah R.W
He puts his finger on the R.
"That's Rhys- my middle name."
"Yeah, I got that," I snicker.
He moves his finger along to the W.
"That's my last name," he tells me.
"Say it again," I tell him, tilting my head to look at letters.
"Washburne," he repeats.
"I like it."
"I like you."
I notice a bend coming up in the road ahead, distracted by it. I even find it exciting until I hear the most terrifying sound imaginable.
A car.
Several Cars.
A motorcycle too.
I see the hope of Daryl written all over Rhys's cut face.
With only a few moments to think, I tell Rhys we need to hide.
He argues back, "What if it's our people?"
"What if it's not?"
The moments are up, shattered into tension. A convoy of cars round the bend, grinding to a stop before us.
The cars spread across the road, an RV in the middle of them. Motorcycles sit on their flanks like a protective layer of steel horses.
None of them look familiar.
The RV door swings open. A tall woman, getting out with a strange and energetic hop. Her hair is shaved on one side of her head, the rest pushed to the other side and left to hang to her shoulder, a deep red color. She reminds me of a Viking shieldmaiden, something Rhys had read to me about back in the prison.
"Hey there, boys!" her singsong voice carries across the road, passing members of her group as they step from their vehicles, armed to the teeth.
She walks through the crowd of at least thirty people, striding towards us with confidence. The woman is draped in a worn poncho that flows around her, cut short on one side to display a sawn-off shotgun hanging from her hip. Her leather boots squeak as she approaches.
"Need a ride?"
"I think we're good, thanks," I tell her, nervously searching the crowd of faces.
"You're friend's not looking too good," I recognize her Tennessee accent, my best friend from school had one before the turn.
She continues, "We got ourselves a doctor in our merry lil' gang," her tone is slow, bouncing from high to low, "happy for him to take a looksie at that leg."
I think about how much it was bleeding only the other day. I look at Rhys.
He nods.
"Thank you," I sigh.
Her face lights up, "Well, that's just great!" She waves her arm, causing her people to relax. "Looks like we're puttin' our feet up here for the next few hours, boys."
The group starts moving cars around into some type of pre-decided formation as we're escorted towards the central RV.
The red-haired lady turns to us before opening the door. "Name's Madeleine, by the way. Welcome to the Cavalcade."
Noon comes around quickly. We spend the whole time inside the RV, a man who introduces himself as Dr. Marco tends to Rhys's many injuries. He tells us in an accent that sounds Italian that there's no permanent damage, but Rhys should expect a nasty scar on his leg. I decide that the Doctor seems nice enough.
The RV clearly serves as some kind of command center, with radio equipment, maps, and supplies strewn throughout. A particularly large map on the wall has a red cross that sits on the state of Virginia.
"What on earth happened to him anyway," the Doctor asks the room.
"Climbed out a window," Rhys answers with a smile, wincing slightly.
"Okay, well, be more careful climbing through windows in the future," Dr. Marco tells him. "And these bandages will need changing regularly."
Madeleine, who has been sitting in the corner this whole time, pipes up, seeming bored. "How 'bout, we go grab a bite?" She says, "let the doctor finish up."
Begrudgingly I exit the RV with her, leaving Rhys with Dr. Marco.
Once outside, I have to double-take. It's like stepping into a different place. The cars have moved so that they surrounded the RV. Creating primitive walls to keep out the walkers. Canvas tents have been raised, and campfires are being stoked. The lonesome road has been turned into a bustling camp in only a few hours.
"How old are you boys?" Madeleine asks.
"I'm fourteen. Rhys is Fifteen."
Madeleine nods, seeming amused by this.
Someone hands me a bowl of what looks like a vegetable stew, the broth steaming with chunks of color floating on its foamy surface. I take it with a forced smile.
I spot Rhys leaving the RV with a limp, spear in hand. I'm still surprised that Madeleine allowed us to keep our weapons, telling us, "Roguery will not be tolerated."
I hand Rhys the bowl of chunks, but he refuses, telling me I need to eat too. Luckily, our debate is finished when Rhys is given his own colorful bowl. We sit around a fire with Madeleine and a few of the Cavalcaders.
Madeleine continues to ask questions, which Rhys answers. He tells her we're looking for our group.
Are we?
That they're still alive.
Are they?
He leaves out the part about the prison and the Governor.
Smart.
"So, where are you guys from?" Rhys asks through a mouthful of stew.
"Oh us?" Madeleine asks like there was anyone else.
"We're from a big place," she tells him, "got people, and food, all that good stuff."
We finish our meal, and Rhys keeps talking to Madeleine while I zone out, watching a walker approaching the camp's wall, one of the guards going to meet it. I think about my Dad, how he's probably dead, Michonne too. Everyone not here is most likely dead.
The camp stops breathing.
The walker falls to the floor.
Everyone in earshot is looking at us.
At Rhys.
"What did you say, boy?" Madeleine sits straight. Rhys doesn't seem to notice the tension filling the camp.
"Our age, her name was Emma. We met her on the road," Rhys must be repeating himself.
"Was her hair short? Strawberry Blonde?"
Rhys nods but pauses halfway through, realising the change in the camp's atmosphere.
"She say where she was headin'," Madeleine's voice now stern and without the music.
Rhys notices the tone shift. "Why?"
Madeleine shifts, letting a smile return to her face. "See, we know this 'Emma' girl," she gestures to the many people gathering around us, putting air quotes around the name. "She got into a tincy wincy bit of trouble back home. Made a dumb choice, and now we're trying to find her. Like you're trying to find your people."
Rhys hesitates, "No idea where she was going. Could only get a few words out of her."
His lie is big and unconvincing.
Madeleine's smile tightens. "Listen, kid, this girl lied to you. Her name ain't Emma. She's a liar. Even made a promise to the big man back home and didn't keep it. Now our somebody is real' forgiving, I mean he's soft on the ladies."
"I'm sorry," Rhys tells her, "she didn't say anything."
"Y'know she's really sick too, right? We got the medicine she needs... and we are real' good at saving people. You wouldn't want her to die, would you? She's even got a sister back home who's so very worried about her well being."
Rhys repeats himself again, "She honestly didn't tell us anything."
Madeleine stands up, a frustrated look on her face, "coulda' done this the easy way."
She reels back, bringing her fist into contact with Rhys's mouth. A sickening crack rings out as he topples from his stool into the dewy grass with a grunt, stew flying everywhere. I try to lunge for her, but I'm too late. Three men pin me to the ground, taking my gun from its holster and tossing it aside. I'm screaming at them, but no one's listening.
"Now that," Madeleine chuckled at me, "is the definition of roguery!"
She turns back to Rhys, who's bleeding from a deep gash in his lip, "I think it may be in your best interest to answer my questions."
"Fuck you."
She sighs, "take Rhys to the RV, and tell Dr. M to clear out."
"The British one!" she shouts when confused looks are being passed around like stew.
She turns back to me with wild eyes, "Keep him at the back of the convoy, don't need them fixin' up their story."
-Rhys's POV-
I hit the floor of the RV hard, my head pounding.
Dr. Marco jumps, "What the hell is this?"
"Sorry, Doc, gonna need the RV for a few tics," Madeleine place her foot on the side of my head, squeezing my skull against the vinyl floor. I let out a scream, trying to push her foot away, only for her to press down harder.
"This is something you need to clear with me first, Madeleine," the Doctor snaps.
"Don't push me on this one, Jason," she warns, hand resting on her holstered gun.
Furious, he leaves, shouting something in Italian as he closes the door.
"I'm not telling y-" I start, her boot cutting me off as leaves my head and connects with my stomach. I cry out.
"Where is she?" Madeleine asks me, her voice calm.
"What do you want with her?" I ask, clutching my stomach.
She rolls her eyes, "You ain't asking the questions here, boy."
Without warning, the back of her hand comes down hard on my face, one of her many rings tearing skin from my cheek. Agony shoots through my body as she violently drags me to my feet, pushing me to sit on the couch I was treated on moments before.
"Madeleine, please," I beg, tear starting to fall.
She punches me again, harder this time, across the face.
Being punched is not how I imagined it, each collision leaving a sting more painful than the last.
"You really need to learn some damn manners, boy," she grips a fistful of my hair, forcing me to look her in the eyes, "call me ma'am."
I hesitate.
Another powerful blow sends my head back, cracking against the window behind me. Two more punches are dealt into my stomach. I was sobbing now, blood mixed with drool running down my face.
She grabs my jaw and squeezes, "Call. Me. Ma'am." I wince in pain. "And apologize for being so rude."
"I'm s-sorry, M-ma'am," I choke out between hiccups.
Madeleine looks pleased with herself, "good. That's a start."
-Carl's POV-
I pound on the car door as hard as I can, to no avail.
The sun has set, and the stars are appearing overhead. Rhys has been inside the RV for hours while I'm left alone, locked inside a stray car at the back of the camp. Zero way for me to know what was going on besides the occasional rocking of the RV.
I was crying now, slamming myself into the car door I'm locked behind. The guard that has been warning me to stop for the past few hours bangs on the window.
"Fucking cut it out!"
I stick my middle finger up in response.
He chuckles at this. My gun is sitting in a holster on his hip, Rhys's rifle in his hands.
The RV door swings open suddenly. Muffled voices are ringing out from beyond the car, shouting in our direction.
The asshole of a guard smiles at me through the glass as he unlocks the door, pulling me out by my shoulders and dragging me towards the RV.
I am pushed inside and the door swings shut behind me, the lock clicking.
The RV looks empty. Until I see him.
Rhys. Curled up beneath the table. Knees pulled tight to his chest, head buried in them, his spear on the floor beside him.
I rush to his side, reaching out and touching his shoulder as it shakes uncontrollably. He pulls away, screaming and begging for me not to hurt him.
"Rhys..."
He looks up at me, his face black and blue, eyes a dark shade of purple. He tries to say my name as blood drips from his swollen lips.
"C-carl?" he chokes.
"I'm s-so sorry," I whimper as tears run down my face. I try to hold him. But he flinches so badly I worry he might hurt himself.
The door swings open again to reveal Madeleine. Rhys's dried blood, staining down the front of her worn poncho.
"Carl!" she greets me, arms wide, "long time no fuckin' see."
Without thinking, I scramble for Rhys's spear, snatching it from the ground. Madeleine reacts too quickly, slamming her foot down on the spearhead, and with a deafening CRACK, the spear snaps in half.
I fall backward, landing hard. Leaving the two halves of the spear on the floor between us.
"Well, shit," she shakes her head in amusement, a shit-eating grin covering her face. "You wouldn't have hesitated, would you?"
She squats down in front of me, teeth snarling through her smile. "You would have killed me right there, wouldn't you? You little psycho. See, your boyfriend here told me all about you and your prison."
What did she do to him?
She seems entertained by my confusion.
"That's right! All about your Daddy and Daryl, and Tyreese, everyone. My condolences over your little sister, by the way. Seems Judith was taken before her time."
My knuckles turn white. Just the name in her mouth makes me want to lash out.
"So in the mornin', we're all gonna go on a little family fuckin' vacation and see what goodies your group left behind." She looks at Rhys. "Then we'll go catch up with- um- what was it she told you, Emma, right? Ain't that right, Rhys?"
He nods submissively, "Y-yes, ma'am."
She grins at him, "good boy! Now c'mon, let's go find you a car to sleep in." he gets up obediently and follows her to the door, "let the doc have his RV back."
They leave without so much as a glance at me.
What the fuck has she done to him?
I don't get long to think about it because the asshole guard comes in.
"Get up," he tells me.
I look up at him, sick of his shit. I flip him off again. "make me."
He laughs at me, "Maybe I should teach you a fucking lesson," he crouches inches from my face grabbing my hair and pulling my head back. I stare down my nose at him, not breaking eye contact.
"You don't scare easy, do you?" He turns his head to the side, "What?" he asks me, "got nothing smart to say now, you little sh-"
He stops speaking.
He stops smiling.
He coughs up blood as it starts to pour from his mouth, then his nose.
He looks down and sees the knife end of Rhys's spear in his gut, my hand driving it in deeper.
He tries to call out but chokes on his own blood. Fear filling his eyes as I keep watching him, silent. His hand releases my hair as he topples to the ground. Dead.
My hands are shaking, but I force myself to grab my gun from his corpse, holstering it. I take Rhys's rifle, checking the magazine- Full.
Finally, I yank Rhys's broken spearhead out from the asshole's gut, pulling his entrails with it.
I get up, pressing my ear to the RV door. I can't hear anything outside. I guess most have turned in for the night.
Good, it will make finding Rhys easier.
I grab the sling I'd made for Rhys's spear from the ground- giving it to him feeling like a lifetime ago -I attach it around my waist for safekeeping.
I raise the rifle and open the RV door, stepping outside into the freezing night air. I make my way around the RV peeking in car windows, searching faces.
"Psst."
I spin on my heels, aiming the gun into the unknown darkness.
Doctor Marco steps out of it, hands raised.
"Let me help you," he whispers, "follow me."
I don't move, my gun still pointing at him.
"Madeleine went too far. I'm not doing this for you."
Since he didn't shoot me in the back, I put a skeptical trust in him, following as he leads me to where the wall of cars meets the tree line. We squeeze through and crouch in the shrubs.
"Where's Rhys?" I ask him, my grip tightening on the gun.
"He's in Ivan's car," the Doctor tells me, "You won't get him back, not from Ivan."
"Who the fuck's Ivan? I'm not leaving without Rhys!"
Dr. Marco sighs, "If they find you, they will kill you for what you did."
"Then I better make sure they don't," I tell him, feeling more confident than I probably look.
He sighs, taking in a deep breath.
I squint at him, confused as to what he's doing.
Then he lets out a scream, a primal bellow which tears through the night.
I point my gun at him, but it's too late. Voices are calling out, flashlights blinking to life.
"Better run," he tells me.
With no choices left and the lights homing in on our location, I turn and run into the dense forest, tripping into the darkness.
I run for as long as I can, scratching my skin on invisible foliage. I run until the voices behind me fall away, melting into the darkness. I keep running even when my legs ache and my lungs burn.
I keep running.
Finally, when my body gives out, I collapse under the stars, finding sanctuary between the rails of a train track, my vision fading. I hear voices approaching, one calling my name.
A/N
Hope this was enjoyable, despite seeming to be separated from the show's plotline. Don't worry too much. All will be back on track shortly.
Reviews and feedback are appreciated!
:)