A Better Tomorrow- Chapter 8
I’m sorry for this delay, I honestly meant to update sooner but if I’m being honest I just had the most relaxing spring break ever. Anyways I hope you enjoy!
Daisy’s shoulders were slumped and it looked as if any minute she would collapse. The week weighed down on her shoulders heavily. It’d only been five days since they’d lost Fitzsimmons. The sight of Fitz’s eyes growing distant burned in the back of her brain. Melinda wasn’t faring well either. A nasty fall left her with a sprained ankle and she seldom slept. She kept her eyes fixed on Daisy the entirety of the nights, hand poised on her shotgun. She only succumbed to sleep when it was absolutely necessary. She couldn’t rest. Not when she only saw their faces in the darkness. Not when she heard their voices screaming her name. She was always too late.
“Mel…” Daisy mutters snapping her out of her reverie. She’s not sure when the nickname developed on Daisy’s lips. It reminded her of Phil… of Bobbi… It hurt but she didn’t dare stop her. Not when they were so close.
Just ahead was a large stone wall lined with barbed wire. Melinda let out a grateful sigh paired with a small smile. It was a rarity but they’d finally made it. It was almost over. Without thinking Melinda stumbles up to the large gate tugging at the handle.
“Hands up!” A gruff voice shouts. Melinda snaps her head back to Daisy to reassure herself that she’s not gone. Not like the rest… Daisy has her pistol pointed at the top of the wall where a man sits with a rifle poised straight at her. “Put your weapons down!”
Daisy is the first to drop her pistol to the ground. It was the only thing she was armed with. The only weapon she knew how to operate with the little training Melinda was able to provide on their journey. Melinda tossed her shotgun to the dirt as well as her two pistols and three combat knives. A woman steps out of the gate, glasses poised on the edge of her nose and the ends of her hair dyed pink.
“On your knees.” She commands pointing to the ground with the shotgun in her hand. Melinda spies a scanner in the hands of the man behind her and her heart skips several beats. “Now.” The woman growls pointing to the spot beside Daisy.
Melinda moves quickly snatching one of the knives from the dirt throwing it into the man’s knee. She kicks the tip of the gun to the side as a blast goes off just barely missing her leg. She lets out a cry of pain forgetting about her bad foot in her rush of adrenaline. The woman smacks her in the knee with the butt of her gun before delivering a blow to the side of her head. Her vision is blurry as she coughs into the dirt. Her ears are ringing from the hit and her eyes are heavy with exhaustion. She’s gotten a hold of her other knife though. She just needs to stay still enough to catch her off guard…
“Millie!” A familiar voice shouts.
Melinda turns on her back finding the woman pointing her shotgun at her body. Daisy is frozen on her knees, eyes glued to Melinda with fear and confusion reflecting in them.
Maria bounds out of the gates, rifle strapped across her shoulders. “Is that any way to greet your sister in law?” Maria quips, a playful eyebrow raised to her attacker. “I thought I taught you to play nice Tori.”
“She attacked first to be fair.” ‘Tori’ remarks. Maria runs over to Melinda offering her a hand. She takes it sluggishly allowing herself to be pulled to her feet.
“You’re kidding me right?” Daisy asks. “There’s no way this is your sister.”
“Practically.” Melinda sighs. “She spent six months on my couch so I think she’s earned that title.”
“I told you that fire was not my fault!” Maria shouts in defense. A pointed look from both her and the woman nicknamed Tori relented her rather quickly. “I try making cupcakes once.”
“And that’s why I make our meals.” Tori says. “Come on. Let’s get you both inside.”
Melinda went to take a step before the ringing in her ears started up again. Daisy caught the majority of her weight sweeping in under her arm quickly. Maria was right by her side as well.
“You did quite a number on her huh?” Maria jokes and takes her weight off Daisy despite the younger girl’s protests.
“She threw a knife into Berkley’s knee!” Tori says defensively. “We’ll get her to the infirmary. You,” She looks to Daisy, “can get acquainted with the others.
“No.” Daisy crosses her arms trying her best to appear tough. “I’m staying with Melinda.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine Mel.” She protests, “I know you’ve hardly slept all week.” She frowns.
“Daisy I trust them.”
“She just tried to shoot you!” Daisy screams.
“I did stab her colleague.”
“Yeah but-”
“No buts.” Melinda scolds, “Go make friends.” Begrudgingly Daisy walks off with Tori to be greeted by the crowd of other survivalists.
“So what’s the story with the girl?” Maria asks as soon as they’re alone in the infirmary.
“I’ll tell my story if you tell yours.” Melinda smirks as she shines a small flashlight into her eyes.
“Deal. You first.”
Melinda goes on telling the tale with provided commentary by Maria. By the time she finishes Maria has already assured her she has no concussion and has wrapped her bad ankle.
“So Phil’s really gone…” Maria sighs.
“He risked himself because he believed in all of this.” She nods.
“And this girl is the cure?”
“That’s what Andrew believes. She has to be taken to the lab.”
“Well there’s only one that I can think of. It’s not safe out there right now though Millie.”
“I thought I told you not to call me that.” Melinda scolds lightly.
“Yeah… Not happening.” She says. “I want you both to stay. You need to heal and from what I can tell that girl needs more training.”
“But the cure.”
“It can wait. We’ve waited this long.” Melinda sighs knowing she’s right. “Now let’s go show your girl that you’re okay before she crawls out of her skin.”
“You never told me your story.”
“Not much to tell,” Maria shrugs, “I met Victoria Hand when she saved my ass from Hydra two years ago. I chipped down her walls and she eventually agreed to marry me.” She smiles to herself and it causes a small pang in her chest. That could’ve been her and Phil if she hadn’t have been so stubborn.
“I’m happy for you.”
As they step out Daisy is already surrounded by a group of onlookers, all curious to this newcomer. One is a man, taller than them both with a muscular build. He stands out the most in a medical lab coat while the others are in either survivalist gear or their own outfits torn from misuse. The thought brings her eyes to a curly haired girl in a flower dress. It was stained with dirt and frayed at the edges but she somehow manages to keep an air of elegance. Next a pixie haired woman staring at them both with overwhelming curiosity. Finally the freckled man in the back comes to her attention. He’s staring at Daisy with skepticism and suspicion, arms crossed over his leather clad chest. She shook off the eery feeling the man gave her, eyes snapping back to Daisy once more. The girl had spotted her and rushes towards her with a smile. It was uncharacteristic for the gloomy girl who’d stayed by her side all this week. It was almost like Daisy could feel the same thing in the air here as she did.
It felt safe.
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“Close your eyes!” Daisy’s voice calls into the gym excitedly. She had been nearly twenty minutes late for training. Melinda had half a mind to go find her and another half to make today’s lesson excruciating. “I have a surprise.”
“A surprise that warrants being twenty minutes late?” Melinda quips but regardless she does as the girl says. They’d been here for seven months now. Melinda was familiar with the atmosphere and knew almost every name on base. They called this place the Hub and Victoria was in charge. You were divided into different sectors based on skill set. Lincoln, the man she’d met in the lab coat months ago, was the head of the medical sector. Raina is the head of communications. She was in charge of submissions into the Hub and Melinda was not exactly pleased with the four hour interrogation. Robbie, the man in leather, was their scavenger. He was one of few allowed to leave the base. Melinda hardly didn’t hear about the man as Daisy constantly gushed about his car Lucy. She had to admit it was a pretty impressive car.
“About that…” Melinda rolls her eyes but keeps them closed. She, herself, had been assigned to training. She trained multiple agents including Daisy and the curious eyed girl who’d revealed her name to be Piper. “Okay. Open.”
When Melinda opened her eyes Daisy was standing in front of her but something was different. Her hair was cut above her shoulders and much darker than before. Melinda couldn’t help but smirk slightly. The past few months here had been good for Daisy. Not being around death all the time and being able to act her age… Besides that she’d quickly become her best trainee, proficient in any gun Melinda handed her. She’d even managed to pin her a few times. Of course she’d been able to free herself just as quickly but she still counts it.
“You like it?”
“It looks great.” Melinda chuckles lightly. As much as she was begrudging to admit it, it brought a reality to her. She didn’t really need Melinda anymore and it was beginning to get to a time that she should leave.
“What’s that look?” Daisy frowns. A downside of all their time spent together, Daisy could now read her almost as well as Phil did.
“I think it’s time I leave.” Melinda says slowly.
“By time.” Daisy laughs. “I was beginning to wonder when we’d get on the go again. I know my training is important but I think I’m ready now.”
“No Daisy.” Melinda sighs. “Maria will take you to the lab. I’m leaving.”
Daisy steps back as if she’d just struck her. She might as well have… “You’re leaving me?”
“You don’t need me to take you to the lab and Maria is much better at handling what SHIELD has.”
“You’re kidding right?” Daisy scoffs. “You’ve got to be messing with me right now.”
“Daisy…”
“No!” She flinches back as she tries to reach for her. “You don’t get to just leave me!” She snaps.
“Da-”
“No.” Then she’s gone, running out as quickly as she’d come in.
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It’s nearly sunset when she finally finds her. Daisy had taken a horse and ridden it off base and into the woods. Melinda finds the mare tied to a porch outside of a house that is seemingly abandoned. She frowns as she walks inside, keeping her pistol drawn just in case. She finds her on the top floor in a room that looks like it belonged to a girl only a little younger than Daisy.
“Is this really all they had to worry about? If their skirt matches their top?” Daisy asks after she picks up on Melinda’s footsteps. She’s holding a journal up against her folded knees. Melinda can still see the tear tracks on her face.
“We need to talk.” Melinda frowns.
“What is there to talk about? You’re leaving me and I’m gonna become some kind of lab rat.” Daisy frowns stubbornly.
“Is that what you’re afraid of? Becoming a lab rat?” Melinda moves to sit across from her and stays after she doesn’t stop her. “You don’t have to do this.”
“You really don’t get it do you?” Daisy scoffs. “I’m going to the lab with or without you. You’re gonna leave me there just like everyone else.”
“Daisy…”
“First my parents sent me away to military camp then died while I was there, Elena died on me, then Andrew left, Phil, Mack, Fitzsimmons, and now you?” Daisy rolls her eyes burying her face in her legs when her tears betray her. “You’d think I’d be used to people leaving me by now.”
“Elena?”
“She was my best friend.” Daisy sighs. “We went to military school together when she disappeared. I didn’t see her for days. Then one day she’s at my window, telling me that I gotta come with her. It was the best night of my life. We went to an abandoned mall and stayed there all night. In the heat of the moment I’d told her I loved her. She kissed me.” Daisy smiles sadly, “We had a hell of a time apparently because we drew attention of a hourde.” Her body shakes with the pain of the memory. “We were surrounded and she decided we’d go out together. It was supposed to be poetic I guess. Like Romeo and Juliet?” She shakes her head as more tears escape. “That was the day I found out I was immune.”
“Daisy…”
“So go ahead and leave. I don’t care.”
“I do.” Melinda frowns but it seems Daisy isn’t listening anymore. “I remember the start of the apocalypse… You weren’t even born yet.” This seems to catch Daisy’s attention enough but she continues anyways. “It was the day after my birthday and I got home late from work. Some girl had managed to hack into SHIELD’s database. Now this was SHIELD as an organization, not a rebellious movement.” She clarifies when Daisy opens her mouth to speak. “I found my daughter Bobbi waiting on the couch for me, asleep.” Melinda shakes her head when Daisy goes to speak again. “Not my biological daughter. I adopted her after I found her at a murder scene. Her parents had been killed.”
“Whoa…”
“That night there was a gas leak. Hundreds in the city became sick instantly. Had I stayed behind twenty minutes longer, I would have too.” Melinda sighs. “That night Maria picked us both up and we fled the city. Along the way I could see her best friend’s house up in flames. Hunter was a pain in the ass but he was good to Bobbi…” Melinda swallows heavily, “We got into a wreck when we reached the city. Bobbi broke her ankle and couldn’t walk so I had to carry her to the highway. Maria stayed behind to fight off people infected by the gas.” Melinda bites her lip staring out the window now. “That night Hydra found Bobbi and I hiking up to the highway… They found no use for us. So they shot.”
“No…”
“Bobbi died in my arms. Just like Fitz.” Melinda blinks away the tears now building. The only other person she dared talk to about this was Phil. Now it felt right though. “I would’ve died too if it hadn’t have been for Maria.”
“Shit May… I didn’t know. I-” A shot from the distance shatters the window showering the two of them in glass shards.
“Get to the roof!” Melinda shouts over the noise pulling Daisy off the bench. She passes her the sniper. “Go now!” Daisy nods running off.
Melinda scouts the house taking out the two inside easily. Pushing a dresser in front of the stairs, she sets up a barricade for Daisy at least. Melinda runs out into the yard finding four of them already dead. Melinda shoots two hiding in a bush near their horses. A man takes a shot knocking one of the horses to the ground dead. Melinda curses under her breath but Daisy’s already got the man covered. A woman daringly charges Melinda tackling her to the ground. Melinda flips them with ease knocking the woman out with three punches to the temple. A final shot rings through the air taking out the man who’d lingered behind her.
Melinda peers up through the darkness at Daisy. Even in the dim light shining from the moon she can see Daisy’s beaming smile. She waves her down after another round of checking indicating that it’s safe.
“Let’s get you to that lab.” Melinda smiles patting Daisy on the shoulder as a sign of how proud she is.
“So you’re staying with me?”
“Yeah. I’m staying.”