Chapter 36 - Ghosts Pt. 2
Woodbury
She couldn't scream.
She couldn't cry.
She couldn't feel her pounding heart or her heavy breathing.
There was no feeling in her fingers or toes.
She was disjointed. Destroyed.
Try as she might, she couldn't tear her eyes away from him.
"I know this might sound insincere but I really don't like to get my hands dirty." The Governor mused while cleaning the blade of his knife with a handkerchief, before cutting the rope from around Marcus' limp wrists. His body slipped off of the chair and onto the ground.
"Cleaning up one loose end will help to clean up another, you see? Death is fickle like that now. I'm afraid we won't be seeing one another again." With a wave of his hand, he ushered for his horrified assistant to follow him out of the room. The door bolted shut with a final, ominous click.
Tess was frozen. She felt like she was sitting in a pitch black hallway and the only thing she could see at the other end was Marcus bathed in a pool of his own blood. She was breathing far too quickly for air to reach her lungs and her mind was beginning to spiral out of control. The monotonous drip of cold water on concrete sounded like it was speeding up and the constant repetitive noise compounded her anxiety. It grew louder and angrier and more terrifying.
Drip drip dripdrip drip drIP DRIP DRIP
She was screaming.
—
Tess was left alone for she didn't know how long. Eventually the shrieking stopped. The hyperventilating ceased and a cold trance overcame every inch of her. The guilt she felt was immeasurable. She shut down to numb the pain but her eyes were still glued to the chair in front of her. There was the omnipresent reality that loomed just out of her reach that she knew would arrive soon enough.
Part of her was resigned to it. Numb enough to not care. I deserve it. He's dead because of me. The accusation ran rampant in her mind and she couldn't argue against it. She could have stopped it. All she had to do was speak up. All she had to do was give up her friends, her family. That alone was the only thing still holding her together. Tess had to see them again. She couldn't give up. Not after this. She'd get out of here or she'd die trying. And one way or another she'd make sure The Governor paid for what he'd done.
Tess knew by now that just pulling at the binds on her wrists and ankles was useless. She couldn't stretch them enough to slip her hands through. Not they were they were, anyway. Shakily, she gripped her left thumb tightly with her other hand and applied pressure until the joint popped and she cried out in pain. Her hands trembled something terrible as she slowly yanked her hand out of the restraints. The rope broke and burned her skin and her dislocated thumb ached as it was pushed and stretched.
She finally managed to pull herself free and the force of the movement and sudden instability nearly threw her off of the chair. Tess eyed Marcus' prone form and gave herself a moment to regain her bearings. He was still dead, unmoving. For now. She hastily leant down to untie her ankles and for the first time in maybe a day, possibly longer, she stood. Her legs were shaky at first but thankfully they had been saved from the brunt of Martinez's abuse and she could stand relatively pain free.
For the first time since she'd been taken in as a prisoner, she took a hard look around the room. The walls were concrete brick and mortar and there were no windows. There was a single 4-shelf unit against the back wall and not much else. On the shelves were randomly placed cardboard boxes. Tess rifled through them, wiping at the blood, sweat and dried tears on her face simultaneously. For the most part, they were empty and everything else was a random assortment of things that Tess surmised this room was treated as a dumping ground.
In one box she found an old wire skipping rope. Tess contemplated the weight of it in her hands, holding the handles and winding the cord around her fists until the line was taut. Her left hand was beginning to inflame and it throbbed painfully but she refused to acknowledge it. The wire wasn't sharp, she couldn't cut anything with it but it would do as a garrote. It wasn't her preferred weapon of choice by any means but it was something. The only problem now was how was she going to get out?
Tess tried the door. No, definitely locked. She really only had one option and that was to wait. She knew that they'd left her there to die at the hands of Marcus and there was no telling when anybody would return. She just hoped it would be before he came back from the dead.
Tess paced in front of the door, allowing her anger to fuel her adrenaline. She was prepared to do whatever necessary to escape. Nothing was going to stop her. God help whoever stepped through that door.
A tense twenty minutes later, Tess started to hear a single set of footsteps above her. She stared up at the ceiling, following the sound with her eyes and shifted to move behind the door. She had one chance, there was no room for error or hesitation. She was getting out of here now.
Tess heard the jingle of a keyring and the snap of the door unlocking. It swung open bit by bit, obscuring her from view and one of the men that had dragged Marcus in earlier, stepped in.
"What the f-" Tess lunged and wrapped the wire of the skipping rope around his neck. His hands immediately flew up in panic as he tried to clutch the wire but Tess only pulled tighter. The Tippmann semi-automatic rifle that hung from his shoulder swung in the air as he flailed and she kicked the back of his knee before he could think of grabbing it.
The man stumbled and Tess pushed him to the ground, straddling him from behind as she used her elbow to pull the garrote tighter. As she struggled with the man beneath her, Tess heard growling coming from the other end of the room. Marcus had come back to life. His newly reanimated corpse pushed itself up off the ground and immediately set its sights on them.
Tess promptly pulled herself to the side, dragging the Woodbury man on top of her as a shield while still keeping a tight enough hold on the garrote so that he couldn't move. The man's eyes fell on the walker heading straight for them and he fought harder to get free. The weight of him on top of her was crushing and Tess found it hard to breathe but she refused to let go.
The walker lumbered a few feet towards them and all but fell onto the two of them, sinking its ravenous mouth into the chest of the man. Tess had the wind knocked out of her and she finally let go of the garrote just as the man let out a strangled scream. His chest was ripped open brutally and blood poured onto her, staining whatever clean space there still was on her shirt.
She tried to push them off but with only one good arm and the walker thrashing above her, she didn't have the strength to do so. Tess tried to wiggle her way out from underneath but her futile efforts only alerted the walker to her presence. Marcus' dead, bloody face stared down at her hungrily as it tried to tear her face with its teeth. Blood from its mouth dripped down onto her and she recoiled, trying to get away.
Her fingers pulled at the rifle strap beside desperately, dragging the gun up until she could grip the stock. It was an awkward angle but Tess twisted until she could point the nose of the gun at Marcus' head and shattered it with a spray of bullets. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, feeling blood and brain tissue raining down on top of her as his body toppled off to the side.
Tess lay motionless for a moment. Her heart was pounding in her chest with such force that she thought it might rattle the floor. Finding whatever strength she had left she pushed the dead man off of her and carried the rifle with her out of the room. Tess staggered up the stairs to the room above. It was quite clearly night time but bright, artificial light cast menacing shadows; it wouldn't be as easy to sneak around as she thought. The sudden sound of rapid fire bullets made her duck and press herself protectively into the wall. More gunfire followed in return but it sounded further away and she forced herself out of the stairwell and into the store room.
A single, multi-pane window gave her the ability to look out into the street. People in pajamas were beginning to exit their homes, drawn by the noise, and were fearfully looking around for its source. The few Woodbury armed soldiers that were on the ground were trying to usher them back indoors but most refused to be herded away, demanding to know what was going on.
Tess used her elbow to break one of the small window panes and before any of the soldiers could spot her, she began picking them off one by one. The civilians screamed and fled in terror as chaos broke out on the street. Bullets hit the window above her and glass fell into her hair and onto her clothes. Tess had limited ammo and was careful to use it sparingly, taking her time to line up each shot perfectly despite her shaking hands; her use of only one eye actually coming in handy. When the return gunfire stopped, she finally exited the building.
Tess still didn't know where all the other gunfire was coming from or who was the cause behind it but she pressed on, pocketing a handgun and a knife from the dead Woodbury soldiers. She sneaked down a dimly lit alley, looking for any sign of where Glenn and Maggie could be being held. Each building she had passed looked exactly the same though and for all she knew, they could all have basements where they could be locked up in.
As she closed in on the end of the alley, she started to notice that the air around her was becoming consumed with smoke. It wasn't like smoke from a fire though, it was more like something from a smoke grenade. Tess coughed, her breathing already labored from exhaustion and the smoke made it harder to breath still.
Through the thick smoke cover, she saw a figure bolting towards her. Tess staggered unsteadily and raised her gun sloppily but the figure jerked suddenly and collapsed face first into the pavement. Stunned, Tess stumbled away from the end of the alley but she didn't manage to get far before collapsing to her knees in a coughing fit.
Her lungs burned and with her adrenaline waning, she clutched her chest. The pain that crossed her ribcage told her that something was definitely broken. She struggled back up to her feet as she saw the outline of another person stalking towards her. She was starting to see double and the swirling smoke only made it harder to discern if the person was a threat or not. She pointed her gun at them regardless.
The barrel of a rifle pierced through the fog first and into view. Quickly followed by the person holding it. Daryl. His crossbow was strapped to his back and he had a bandana covering the lower half of his face to help with the smoke but she'd recognize him anywhere. Tess had never been so relieved to see him in all her life. All she wanted was to melt into him. Her arms collapsed to her sides and the rifle slipped from her hand.
Daryl didn't identify the person in front of him at first. Their distorted face, hidden in dense smoke and the way they shrunk at the sight of him like they couldn't hold themselves up was anything but what he expected from the person he was searching for. His fear and anger had blinded him into thinking that every person he crossed was some kind of demon. But then he realized. He saw her.
He saw the way that her left eye was so swollen that it was shut. Her split lip and cheek and the lump that was forming beneath her eyebrow. He saw how afraid she looked and how relieved she was to see him. Daryl suddenly forgot about everything else and rushed to her side.
Tess fell into him willingly. She gripped him with her one good hand so tightly that her fingers dug into his back but he didn't care. Daryl's own fingers laced into her hair as he clutched the back of her head and pressed her into him. He held her so tightly like his life depended on it and, by doing so, hoping he could somehow absolve her of her pain. Tess, in turn, did the same, tears trailing down her face.
"Thank you." Tess whispered, unable to think of anything better to say that could possibly explain how she was feeling.
Little did she know, her thanks only made Daryl feel guilty. He hadn't saved her, not from any of the torment and suffering that she had to endure. He hadn't freed her, she had done that all on her own. But he'd make damn sure that she got out of here safely.
Daryl pulled back from the hug, just far enough away so that he could see her face. It hurt to see her like this. It made him feel murderous. He placed both his hands gently on either side of her head, wishing he could undo it all. Without hesitation or debate, he found himself pressing his lips to her forehead and kissing her. It said everything he wanted to say and more.
The kiss felt like hot wax on Tess' forehead and she hoped it would leave a mark. Sear the moment into her skin to never be forgotten. Daryl was never one to touch or hold unnecessarily, he never saw the point. He always thought it was about possessiveness. This is mine. But he knew now that it was about maintaining contact. It was a way to speak without words and say 'I want you with me'. There, in each other's arms, they became someone else. Someone more like themselves.
As much as Tess didn't want this moment to end, she knew they couldn't stay. People would be looking for them and even in the alleyway, they were too exposed. Daryl was thinking a similar thing. He knew Rick and Oscar were nearby with Maggie and Glenn and it would be safer for Tess if they regrouped with the others. She didn't look like she was in much of a position to be fighting for herself, though he didn't doubt that she'd try.
"Let's get you out of here." He told her, helping her to her feet.
Tess didn't move with him as he began to step away. There was something he had to know.
"Daryl, wait. I need to tell you something." She clasped his hand and pulled him back towards her.
"What is it?" Daryl frowned at her serious tone.
She was nervous to tell him. She didn't know how he'd react or if he'd even believe her. But none of that mattered, he deserved to know.
"It's Merle." She told him, "He's alive."
Daryl froze. He didn't know if he'd heard her correctly. Shaking his head, he asked her again,
"What?"
"Merle. He's here in Woodbury. He's the one that brought us here." Tess could see that he was struggling to process the news and she squeezed his hand as if that would give him the clarity he needed.
Daryl looked up at her again, taking in her wounded face and anger raged within him again.
"Did he do this?" He growled angrily, having to pull his hand out of hers so that he didn't crush it with his clenched fist. Tess shook her head,
"No. No, it wasn't him."
Daryl looked for any hint that she was lying to him, simply for his sake, but he didn't find one. She was telling the truth. Relieved, he calmed down. The chaos in his head continued to wage war on him though. He was conflicted now. Merle was his brother, his only family member and he was miraculously still alive. Tess, well, she was everything else. Daryl was at a crossroads and it seemed impossible for the roads to ever merge into one. He'd have to choose.
Tess could tell that the news had changed things for him. He suddenly looked so unsure and it caused a terrible sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She suddenly wished she had been selfish and not told him at all but knew that he would have inevitably found out anyway. Tess was afraid of what he'd choose to do.
The smoke had thinned out considerably since Daryl had entered the alley but it had grown even darker still now and arguably more difficult to see. Over Daryl's shoulder, Tess saw movement heading towards them and she pulled her handgun mechanically like the well trained soldier she was. Her sudden movement triggered Daryl to take a protective stance in front of her but he quickly recognized Oscar and lowered his rifle.
"It's alright. It's Rick and the others." He assured her and Tess dropped her arm but didn't let go of the gun.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Glenn and Maggie were with them but Glenn looked nearly as bad as she imagined she did. His face was bruised, swollen and bloody and Maggie was noticeably wearing his shirt. Tess hated to think why. She rushed to them both and the three of them hugged, all relieved to see one another alive and still standing.
"Oh God, we didn't know what had happened to you." Maggie lamented, "They wouldn't tell us anything."
"You guys are okay?" Tess asked them, knowing they were likely far from it but they both gave her weak nods nonetheless.
Tess greeted Oscar with a grateful nod and Rick wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug of his own.
"How did you find us?" She asked him when he released her.
"Michonne." Rick replied but it meant nothing to her. She frowned in confusion.
"Where'd she get to, anyway?" Daryl asked, still lingering nearby her.
"Don't know." Rick shrugged, "She's not our responsibility anyway. We've found our people. Let's get out of here."
The five of them followed Rick out of the alley and back into the street, heading for the wall of the township. They were quickly met with oncoming gunfire and Daryl released another smoke bomb to give them some cover. Tess fired her gun through the smoke in the direction of the enemy but Daryl pushed her ahead, forcing her to follow Maggie and Glenn into the building across the street.
"We can't go back out there." Daryl told them, securing the door behind him.
"We'll find a way." Rick assured them, looking over at his injured friends nervously. "How bad are you injured?" He asked Glenn and Tess, assessing the degree of their injuries. Glenn shook his head,
"I'll be alright."
"Still standing." Tess nodded, even though she felt woozy, and raised her left hand. "Hand's fucked." The bruising was beginning to creep up her wrist and she could no longer feel most of her fingers which was concerning.
Daryl crossed the room to pick up her hand and take a look. She winced as he touched it even though he took care to do so gently.
"What happened?" He asked sternly. Tess thought about why she so desperately had to free herself and couldn't bring herself to say.
"I don't want to talk about that right now." She mumbled, pulling her hand back into her chest. Daryl looked like he wanted to argue with her but he respected her decision enough to not press her on it right now.
"Daryl, this was Merle." Glenn groaned, getting back up to his feet. Maggie reached over to help him as he struggled.
"It was. He did this." Maggie confirmed when Daryl didn't say anything.
"I know. Tess told me." He finally replied, still trying to wrap his head around what was going on.
"You saw him?" Rick questioned them, surprised. Tess nodded grimly.
"Face to face."
"He threw a walker at me." Hissed Glenn, "He was gonna execute us."
"S-So my brother's this governor?" Daryl asked.
"No, it's somebody else." Tess told him, her hatred for the man superseding anything she felt about Merle.
"Your brother's his lieutenant or something." Glenn added.
"Does he know I'm still with you?" Daryl's voice was shaky and he began pacing like he was nervous.
"I told him I knew you." Tess confessed, "I thought maybe it would help but he only wanted to know where you were. I couldn't do that."
"I'm sorry." Maggie gasped suddenly, "We told him where the prison was. We couldn't hold out."
Rick assured her it was alright and told her not to be sorry but the sound of his voice was drowned out by the rush of blood to Tess' head. They had told him. Guilt and grief hit her like a brick wall and she began to feel dizzy. It was all for nothing. Marcus died for nothing. She suddenly felt very faint and her legs began to give way under her. Tess folded to her knees but thankfully Rick caught her before she could fall completely.
"Tess! Hey, look at me." He tried to get her to look him in the eyes but she couldn't focus. "Daryl, we've got to go. Now." Rick demanded authoritatively, not missing the torn look on his face.
Daryl thought that maybe if he just found his brother, he could convince him to stop all of this. Let them walk out of here safely. It was two birds and one stone. He could get Tess to safety and see his brother again.
"Maybe I can talk to him. Maybe I can work something out."
"Look at what he did!" Rick shouted, the words sounding dull to Tess' ears, even from above her. "I need you. She needs you. Are you with us?"
Daryl stared at Tess in remorse. She looked on the verge of passing out and Rick had to support her in order for her to stay up. That was all the incentive he needed for him to make up his mind. He nodded affirmatively and moved to help her up.
"I got her." Oscar offered and Daryl reluctantly allowed him to carry her out of the building behind them.
Tess quickly lost consciousness for a third time.
—
When Tess woke again, they weren't in Woodbury anymore.
Her body felt heavier than lead and she was in such debilitating pain that she could barely bring herself to sit up. She was alone in her cell back at the prison and as she shuffled her back up against the wall, she saw Hershel and Carol standing just outside her doorway, conversing quietly. Tess watched them for a moment, the sad and fearful look on Carol's face causing her concern. She shifted ever so slightly and hissed loudly at the stabbing pain in her abdomen.
The noise she made alerted Hershel and Carol that she was awake. Carol quickly ducked away, saying she was going to fetch Rick and Hershel slowly walked to her bedside with the support of his crutches. He eased himself into the chair that had been left beside her bed and helped to lower her back down onto her back.
"You gave us quite the scare there, young lady." He told her worriedly and pulled out what looked like a doctor's penlight from his breast pocket. "Do me a favor and just look at this for me." He pointed it in front of her face and Tess did her best to follow the light with both eyes.
Tess knew he was checking her for concussion, that didn't surprise her. What did surprise her was that she was now able to somewhat open her left eye. How long had she been out?
"Your concussion appears to be improving. Your pupil dilation is returning." He told her and clicked the light off. "I suspect you have at least one broken rib. I'm afraid it's hard to tell without an x-ray. I had to give you a few stitches but best we get your ribs wrapped as soon as you're cleaned up. I've reset your thumb but it's going to take a while for the swelling to go down. Same for your eye, I suspect. How are you feeling?"
"Like I should be dead." Tess groaned. There wasn't an inch of her that she didn't think wasn't sore. "How long have I been out?"
"We're going on day two since you got back. You've been in and out." Hershel told her and she paused, stunned.
Carol returned with Rick and Tess looked at them over Hershel's shoulder. They both had grim faces on and Tess didn't know what to make of it. Did she really look that bad? Hershel patted her on the arm gently and placed his crutches under his arms again.
"I'll leave you now." He told her quietly and slipped out of the room. Rick replaced Hershel in the chair and reached out to hold Tess' hand. Carol stayed by the door.
"How are you doing?" Rick asked uncomfortably, a deep frown creasing his forehead.
"I've been better." Tess croaked, her throat dry and scratchy. Rick's furrowed brow didn't ease. "How are Maggie and Glenn?"
"They're doing just fine. Hershel's taken good care of you all." He assured her but he didn't sound any less worried, which made her concerned.
"Tess… We need to tell you something." Rick began slowly and her eyes darted between him and Carol, who had a nervous hand pressed against her chest. "It's Daryl."