officer-friendlygrimes:
As much as Rick’s attempt to remain indifferent, at least in his expression, had seemed to keep whatever he was thinking or feeling at the current moment untelling, it didn’t last long. The minute he heard the woman mention terrible people his jaw clenched. It was bad enough that his people were dealing with the Saviors, men who were far worse than just terrible, now she was telling him there were more?
There was an indubitable feeling of nerves as she spoke, he had a lump caught in his throat and his stomach had an uneasy settlement that was progressively becoming difficult to ignore. Had he just given his people to the hands of another all because he helped this woman?
“You’re not goin’ anywhere.” Rick stated as he slid calloused fingertips along his graying stubble. A gesture brought on by the sudden feeling of being on edge that he was experiencing but didn’t dare to show. “Thing is…you came here. You asked for our help. You’ve seen this place, our people, where we live.”
By now the man was pacing along the length of the bed the brunette was in, only stopping when he directly addressed her. “You lied. What you’re doin’, what you’ve done…you just put us in the middle of this.” His voice was gruff as the disheveled demeanor he had been attempting to keep at bay dared to make an appearance right in front of the woman.
It was quick, sudden and without warning that Rick pulled a gun on her. The barrel was inches away from her face as he turned off the safety with a click that was loud enough to break the silence that had occupied the room. Bullets or not, in this case not, the idea of having a gun pointed at anyone in this world was enough of a threat. And as the man loomed over her, gun pointed at her with his index finger resting on the side of the cold metal he hoped it was enough to get her to talk.
“You didn’t give us a choice, but we’re givin’ you one. I wanna know everythin’….your name, where you’re from, where your camp is….I wanna know the truth.” With two steps forward his legs pressed against the side of the mattress, invading whatever personal space she had left. Rick moved the gun close enough that if she were to move the barrel would press against her head.
“Whatever you need to tell me, you do it now.”
“then-then you need to put me somewhere out of sight, so they don’t find me here. i have no one to go to, i don’t want to tell anyone where you are or how you live,” sherry promised, though she knew words wouldn’t really do much in her situation. words meant nothing nowadays, and this man looked like someone who’d seen a lot in his days since the world went to shit. she couldn’t blame him for not taking her word for it.
before sherry could say anything else to make her pleas, rick had pulled a gun out and aimed it inches from her face. her jaw dropped as she just stared at him. “i’m trying to help you!” she cried out in disbelief. sure, she understood that he would be hesitant, but pulling a gun on her, especially in the state she was in now, was beyond her.
but still the man stepped closer, the barrel of the gun even closer to her skin now, and sherry winced, shutting her eyes tightly. this was it. this had to be it. she had to tell him, even if it meant certain death. if she lied again, it’d spell out death anyway.
“my name’s sherry. i really am on my own and i really did leave a camp i was with,” she began hesitantly. then she took a long pause. this was where everything would become rocky. she inhaled deeply then breathed it out before continuing.
“i was with the saviors. i was one of negan’s wives, b-but you have to understand that i wasn’t allegiant to him. my husband, sister, and i tried to escape one day, and after my sister died, we had no choice but to go back. he kept sending people after us. negan was going to kill dwight, so i told him i’d be one of his wives if he let him live. it was what i had to do. haven’t you ever done something you didn’t want to do in order to save someone you loved?” surely he had; most people did, in this world. “when negan brought daryl back, i tried to help him. he tried escaping, i told him to stay back or else it’d be worse. and it was for him. i saw your son, carl, when negan took him around the sanctuary. they both know me. i-i met daryl out in the woods when the three of us were on the run, but we only stayed together for a day. but knowing daryl was there... was being hurt... he reminded me too much of how my husband used to be. so i let him go. i had to. as soon as he was gone, i knew i had to go too. so i ran away. i don’t know how many of his men are after me. he might’ve even sent my own husband after me. but i didn’t want any part of that. not anymore. when i found your camp, i didn’t know it was you. not until you brought me in. so kill me here and now. it doesn’t matter. they’ll only kill me out there once they find me.”
