Well its certainly been a hot minute since I posted a chapter. If ya follow me ten ya know that a unexpected, but otherwise welcome, pregnancy has taken up much of the past year. That whole shebang was very stressful which could b a whole episode of some soap opera with how certain members of my family went on about how I'd end up with post natal depression again and wouldn't cope with 2 kids etc. this person basically can go to hell...
Anyway that's taken up a lot of my energy and as ya can imagine i haven't had time to write or even read anything but I am finally in a place where I have the time, creativity and energy to write again and am already working on the next chapter of this so please keep ya eyes peeled.
As always - page breaker is by the awesome @firefly-graphics
WARNINGS: Shane being a gaint tit, typical TWD gore, character death, foul language
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SERIES MASTERLIST
PREVIOUS CHAPTER
Phoenix made her way to the camp fire as her stomach growled loudly. She knitted her eyebrows together in confusion as she saw Maggie shaking her head at Glenn from the porch of the farmhouse. She turned quickly to look his face as he received a nod from Dale. Glenn stood and walked to the centre of camp before he cleared his throat as everyone sat, gaining their attention.
"Erm.. Guys. So... Barn's full of walkers." His voice quivered out.
"Ya know how to fucking ruin the day before it's begun don't ya Glenn." She scoffed as everyone slowly stared at the Asian man in shock, as he shuffled nervously from foot to foot.
The group rushed towards the barn where Glenn said the walkers were. Growls and snarls could be faintly heard as the group gathered around the barn. Shane being curious, peered through the gaps in the slats into the dark building then startled back as one growled and lunged towards the smell of fresh meat. The walkers crashed against the door, making the chain rattle as the group took a step back in fright.
"You cannot tell me you're all right with this." He stated, shaking his head and pointing at the barn.
"No, I'm not, but we're guests here. This isn't our land." Rick counted in his soft southern tones.
"This is our lives!" Shane spat at his friend in anger.
"Lower your voice." Glenn hissed as the doors gave another shake.
"We can't just sweep this under the rug." Andrea sighed with a disappointing tone to her voice.
"I would hate to agree with blondie but... We can't stay with walkers under 100 feet away." Phoenix huffed, pointing at the barn before shrugging.
"It ain't right. Not remotely." T-Dog input quietly.
"Okay, we've either got to go in there, we've got to make things right or we've just got to go. Now we have been talking about Fort Benning for a long time."
"We can't go." Rick snapped at his friend.
"Why, Rick? Why?"
"Because my daughter is still out there." Carol said breathily, giving Shane a look of disgust at such a suggestion.
"Okay. Okay, I think it's time that we all start to just consider the other possibility." Shane laughed a little with a strange look in his eyes as he stared down the smaller woman.
"We're not leaving Sophia behind!"
"I'm close to finding this girl. I just found her damn doll two days ago!" Daryl growled out, getting angrier by the second as the loud mouth former police man spoke.
"You found her doll, Daryl. That's what you did. You found a doll." The man scoffed.
"You don't know what the hell you're talking about."
"I'm just saying what needs to be said. You get a good lead, it's in the first 48 hours." He half whispered to his former colleague, making sure that everyone else could still hear him.
"Shane, stop."
"Ye being a dickhead Walsh." Phoenix growled, her hand going to her knife in anger.
"Let me tell you something else, man. If she was alive out there and saw you coming all methed out with your buck knife and geek ears around your neck, she would run in the other direction!" Shane snarled into Daryl's face with a look of sheer disgust on his face. Daryl shoved at Shane as his anger got the better of him, causing the group to begin to yell at each other.
"Back off!"
"Keep your hands off me." Shane hissed at Lori.
"Now just let me talk to Hershell. Let me figure it out." Rick yelled, trying to defuse the situation before it became a fist fight.
"What are you gonna figure out?!" Shane spat, gesturing to the barn in question.
"If we're gonna stay, if we're gonna clear this barn, I have to talk him into it. This is his land."
"Hershell sees those things in there as people... Sick people... His wife, his stepson." Dale spoke quietly, trying to get everyone to calm down.
"You knew?" Rick gasped at the eldest group member.
"Yesterday I talked to Hershell." Dale said calmly, glancing at the group.
"And you waited the night?"
"I thought we could survive one more night. We did. I was waiting till this morning to say something. But Glenn wanted to be the one." The older man reasoned quietly as Shane glared at him in shocked anger.
"The man is crazy, Rick, if Hershell thinks those things are alive or no -"
Phoenix scoffed at the noisy group before she walked around the side of the barn and looked up at the ladder.
A Hayloft?
She glanced back at the rest of the arguing group and made her mind up and picked the torch lying in the grass up before her feet and hands pulled her quickly upwards. The smell made her gag slightly as she nearer the edge of the loft and looked downwards. The groaning mass turned their attention to her, broken and bloodied hands reaching upwards. She flicked on the torch she had grabbed and spun it over the creatures.
"Oh shit." She gulped as she tried to do a head count. There was more than she expected there to be. How had they all gotten in here without people noticing?
Suddenly the beam of light landed on a smaller figure and her heart stopped.
"God no..."
She turned and scrambled out of the hayloft and away from the barn as quickly as she could. As she reached camp, she leaned against a tree with her good hand and threw up all she'd eaten the last few hours. Her stomach feeling twisted and her heart completely shattered.
It had to be her eyes playing tricks. It couldn't be her! It couldn't! Daryl had just found her doll two days ago! She wasn't in the fucking barn! She was simply lost out in the woods.
No one noticed her throwing up or the tears streaming down her face. She fell to her knees gripping her hair tightly as she sobbed. Her rosaries fell from her shirt and she clutched them tightly in her fist.
T-Dog was the first to notice the girl, who seemed to be in some distress. He nodded to Daryl and pointed to her. Daryl frowned and shrugged, he still felt guilty and was avoiding her. The most contact between them being when he had dragged her to Hershell. He shook his head at T-Dog and made his way to the house.
Carl stood and frowned in confusion at Phoenix as she slowly stood.
"What's wrong with you?" He asked curiously. She glanced down at him and walked away. Her hands itched, she needed to end the poor child's suffering for her mother's sake and the group's. It would destroy Hershell's trust in the group but to hell with that. Living with walkers less than 100 feet of them.
That wasn't going to fly.
"Maggie. Hey, Maggie, just talk to me. Hey. Maggie." Glenn panted as he rushed after the girl, who finally paused and turned towards him.
"Give me your hat." She held her hand out to him. "You said talk to you, I'm talking to you - Give me your hat." Maggie said quietly as Glenn handed her his hat before taking one of the eggs in the basket and placing it into the hat. Glenn looked puzzled for a moment before Maggie forcibly pushed the egg filled hat onto his ebony locks, the broken egg running down his face.
"Why would you waste an egg like that?" He gasped flicking egg off his forehead.
"I think it was rotten." Maggie snapped as she walked away.
"Egg is good for ya hair Glenn. At least you'll have the best hair around here for a while." Phoenix chuckled as she glanced over her shoulder, continuing her way towards the farmhouse before spotting Carol sneaking around near the stables and heading, out of sheer curiosity, in that direction instead.
"You can't!" Phoenix heard Carol call out as she peered round the stable door.
"I'm fine." Daryl puffed out as he lifted a saddle down off the rack.
"Hershell said you need to heal."
"Yeah, I don't care."
"Well, I do. Phoenix does too." Daryl's eyes flicked to the red head at the stable door before focusing back on the saddle. "Rick's going out later to follow the trail."
"Yeah well, I ain't gonna sit around and do nothing. Besides Rick can't track for shit."
"Seriously Dixon?! You that pig headed that ye can't see ye need t' heal!? Ye really think I'd let Rick go out without me?" Phoenix snapped, her accent changing to a slight Irish lilt, as she entered fully, standing behind Carol and giving him a look.
"Now ya talkin' t'me? Huh?" He spat in her direction before scoffing. "Mind ya own fucking business!"
"No, you're gonna go out there and get yourself hurt even worse! We don't know if we're gonna find her, Daryl." Daryl paused and glanced at the grey-haired woman in shock. He couldn't believe he was hearing this from her mouth. "We don't. I don't."
"What?"
"Carol....." Phoenix breathed in disbelief before glancing at Daryl.
"Can't lose you too."
Daryl threw the saddle in anger before clutching his side groaning. Carol rushed to his side and reached out to help but was brushed off. "Are you all right?"
"Just leave me be. Stupid bitch." He growled harshly as he limped away. Phoenix wrapped her arm around Carol's shoulders and smiled weakly.
"He's just sore and upset Carol like a bear with a hangover. Just ignore him."
"I know. Just wish he understood...." Carol said quietly, slipping out of the embrace and leaving the Brit to stand in the empty stable with her thoughts.
"Come on in."
"A little light reading for lunch?" Rick asked, glancing at the bible beside the vet's plate.
"Been working so hard lately I get my study in where I can." Hershell sighed, placing a bookmark into the holy book before gently setting it down on the table beside his plate.
"You know we can help you out with your work."
"It's my field to tend." Hershell said quietly.
"We found the barn."
"Leave it be." Hershell said, his eyes not leaving the page.
"Well, I'd like to talk about it, but either way... your barn, your farm, your say."
"I don't want to talk about the barn. I don't want to debate." The man said finally looking up at Rick.
"Not a debate, a discussion." Rick reasoned quietly.
"I need you and your group gone by the end of the week."
Rick sighed heavily.
"I talked to Dale. You and I have our differences with the way we look at the walkers. Those people, they may be dead, they may be alive. But my people, us, we are alive right now, right here, right in front of you. You send us out there and that could change."
"I've given you safe harbor. My conscience is clear."
"This farm..." Rick pleaded as he sat down. "This farm is special. You've been shielded from what's been going on out there. Dale said you saw everything happen on the news. Well, it's been... It's been a long time since the cameras stopped rolling." Hershell stood and walked away and Rick rushed after him to continue his plea.
"The first time I saw a walker it was just half a body snapping at me from the ground. My inclination wasn't to kill it. But what the world is out there isn't what you saw on TV. It is much much worse and it changes you. Either into one of them or something a lot less than the person you were. Please do not... do not send us out there again."
"My wife's pregnant."
Hershell turned away from the window to look at Rick in shock. "That's either a gift here or a death sentence out there. If we were to stay we could help you with the work, with securing this place. We can survive together."
"Rick, I'm telling you we can't."
"You think about what you're doing."
"I've thought about it." Hershell yelled.
"Think about it."
"I've thought about it."
"Think about it again. We can't go out there." Rick said as he left the building. Hershell glanced up at Maggie, who turned away from her father.
"He's right ya know." Phoenix sighed, stepping round the doorframe.
"Miss Black. What do I owe the pleasure?" Hershell said quietly, standing and entering the kitchen. Phoenix followed slowly and looked at the old vet in quiet confusion. "Ah... The same as Rick no doubt."
"There's a great deal of shit I've done in the past. You and I both know it. But this...." She scoffed, following as the man left the building. "Why keep it secret? Ya could've told us from the get go"
"We all keep secrets do we not? You have yours.... You have them to keep you safe... From your group... from Rick and Shane... I did the same."
"Mr Greene we ain't gonna go in there guns akimbo! This is your land and we'd of respected your decision." She spoke quietly, figuring that yelling would do no good.
"Not all of you..." The girl nodded and sighed. "You are a woman of faith. I believe those people are sick and that God will deliver them into health again. Have you lost your faith? Do you not have any hope left at seeing the men you wish again?"
"Faith is a fragile thing these days..."
"My offer still stands, regardless of whether your group finds out your secret. This isn't up for discussion anymore. This is my land. Its been in my family for generations."
"Mr Greene.... There are dead men walking in your barn. And one way or another... This fucking shit is gonna end real badly."
"The same will happen if your group find out your secret. I'm asking you not to act so I don't have to Amelia..." Hershell said quietly, raising himself to his full height and staring the girl down.
"If that is a threat, think about your decision sir. Some things need to stay in the dark..." She said quietly before turning away.
"And some find glory in the light." Hershell said after her, returning to his work. Phoenix bowed her head and walked off slowly towards camp.
Neither noticed a figure step out of the shadows and fold their arms, shocked and a little confused about what they had just heard.
"You're a complete bastard ya know that right?"
Daryl glanced up at the feisty girl in front of him and scoffed. "Don't ignore me arsehole. I'll put ya on ya back and beat some sense into ya."
"Yea, like to see ya try. Better yet, fuck off away from me." He growled deeply, his eyes daring her to even lay a single finger on him.
"Dixon.... What you said to Carol was outta line! When someone is loosing hope like that... You're supposed to make them find it again. Not blow up at them and hurt yaself!"
"She's given up... Ain't nothin' gonna change her mind now." He sighed defeatedly. Phoenix crouched down in front of him and lifted his chin to look at her, ignoring his flinch. She smiled sadly at him before nodding slightly.
"Then maybe... Its up to you to find something to give her that hope again. Anything to give her that little glimmer of light in the dark." Her eyes flicked down at the dried flower near his feet before patting his knee and walking away.
Daryl stood and sighed, watching as she walked towards Beth, who nodded eagerly at her.
"Go get your cap. I'll wash it for you, okay?" Maggie said as she pulled dales hat off his head.
"Do you know what's going on?" T-Dog asked as he walked up to the porch.
"Where is everyone?" Andrea questioned as she walked beside T-Dog.
"You haven't seen Rick?" Glenn asked the pair.
"He went off with Hershel. We were supposed to leave a couple hours ago." Andrea replied softly.
"Yeah you were. What the hell?" Daryl said as he and Carol joined the group around the farm house stoop.
"Rick told us he was going out." Carol puffed quietly, slightly out of breath from trying to keep up with Daryl's long strides.
"Dammit. Ain't anybody taking this seriously? We got us a damn trail." Daryl snapped, waving his arm in the direction of where he'd found the doll a few days ago. "Oh, here we go."
Daryl walked up to Shane as the man walked towards the collective members of the group with the gun bat slung over his right shoulder. "What's all this?"
"You with me, man?" Shane asked, holding out a shot gun to the redneck. "Phoenix?"
"Yeah." Daryl replied, glancing at the Brit as she takes a gun out from the waistband of her pants and twirling it around her finger, as he took the offered shotgun. Shane nodded before turning to the rest of the group.
"Ya had that all this time?" Daryl asked, cocking his head at the girl, who smirks in reply.
"Time to grow up. You already got yours?" Shane said to Andrea over his shoulder as he passed by her.
"Yeah." She said back quickly "Where's Dale?"
"He's on his way."
"Thought we couldn't carry." T-Dog said confused as a handgun was placed into his palm.
"We can and we have to. Look, it was one thing sitting around here picking daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe. But now we know it ain't." Shane said pacing in front of the stunned group before turning to Glenn. "How about you, man? You gonna protect yours?" Glenn glanced at Maggie before taking the shotgun from Shane.
"That's it. Can you shoot?" Shane questioned the elder farmer's daughter.
"Can you stop? You do this, you hand out these gun, my dad will make you leave tonight." Maggie snapped, glaring at the angry man.
"We have to stay, Shane." Carl spoke up as he walked towards his angry uncle.
"What is this?" Lori queried as she exited the house and stomped towards the group.
"We ain't going anywhere, okay? Now look, Hershell, he's just gotta understand. Okay? He... Well, he's gonna have to. Now we need to find Sophia. Am I right?" Shane whispered as he kneeled down in front of Carl.
"Huh? Now I want you to take this. You take it, Carl, and you keep your mother safe. You do whatever it takes. You know how. Go on, take the gun and do it."
Lori pushed Carl behind her quickly and snarled down at the man for daring to drag her son into the madness.
"Rick said no guns. This is not your call. This is not your decision to make."
"Oh shit." T-Dog exclaimed, his gaze drawn to the edge of the forest and the sight of Jimmy taunting a walker being controlled by a leash. The group all turned and gasped.
"What is that? What is that?" Shane panted as he took off running towards the trio with walkers on poles got closer to the barn.
"Shane!" Lori yelled after him as she and the rest of the group followed him.
"What the hell are you doing?" He yelled bursting though the rusted gate.
"Shane, just back off." Rick yelled as he corralled the walker he was controlling away from Jimmy.
"Why do your people have guns?" Hershell snapped, his glare going to the Brit, who lowered her guns and slipped them back into their place.
"Are you kidding me? You see? You see what they're holding onto?" Shane gestured towards the walkers in disgust.
"I see who I'm holding onto." Hershell stated, his face a stony mask.
"No, man, you don't." Shane growled angrily, dodging the walkers outreaching fingers as Jimmy ducked away from the others.
"Shane, just let us do this and then we can talk."
"What you want to talk about, Rick? These things ain't sick! They're not people! They're dead! Ain't gonna feel nothing for them 'cause all they do, they kill! These things right here, they're the things that killed Amy. They killed Otis! They're gonna kill all of us!"
"Shane, shut up!" Rick yelled over the growls and hisses.
"Hey, Hershell man, let me ask you something." He asked as he pulled his gun from his waistband and checked the chamber. "Could a living breathing person, could they walk away from this?" Shane hissed before shooting the walker in the stomach. Phoenix flinched at the noise and glanced at the rattling chain as Shane pumped 3 shots into the chest of the walker.
"No! Stop it!" Rick snapped as he grit his teeth.
"That's three rounds in the chest! Could someone who's alive, could they just take that?! Why is it still coming?" The angry man shot again and again.
"That's its heart, its lungs. Why is it still coming?" Shane shot another round from his clip into the walker.
"Shane, enough."
"Yeah, you're right, man. That is enough." Shane took the final shot and ended the walker, Hershell dropped the leash and paled. "Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's gone!" Phoenix glanced away from the barn at Shane's words, causing T-Dog to give her a questioning look.
"Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us!"
"Enough!" Rick snarled, his grip on the catch pole sliding slightly.
"Rick, it ain't like it was before! Now if y'all want to live, if you want to survive, you got to fight for it! I'm talking about fighting right here, right now."
Shane smashed open the barn doors and backed off quickly as a group of the undead stumbled out.
"Take the snare pole. Hershell, take the snare pole. Hershell, listen to me, man, please. Take it now. Hershell! Take it!" Rick pleaded as Hershell stared at the guns pointed towards his friends and family.
"No, Shane. Do not do this, brother."
"Wait! Don't do it!" Glenn yelled.
"Rick!" Lori shrieked.
"Please!"
Shane ignored everyone's yelling and broke the lock on the doors with a pick axe before throwing them open.
"Come on. Come on, we're out here." Shane taunted, backing away slowly from the barn doors.
"This is not the way!"
"Please!" Beth cried out as Patricia wrapped her arms around the girl.
"Get behind me." Lori whispered, shoving Carl behind her and trying to shield him.
"Come on."
The walkers scrambled and growled towards the group. Phoenix bowed her head as Daryl gave her a glance before raising his gun and taking aim. Tears fell silently down her cheeks as she knew what was about to happen.
Something she could have warned the group about.
"Maggie." Glenn whispered to the young woman, who was clutching her stunned father as tears flowed down her face too.
"It's okay." Maggie whispered and nodded at Glenn who raised his own shotgun.
"Stay back!" Rick yelled over the shots as Lori pulled Carl to the ground and hugged him tightly.
The group panted as the barn doors slowly creaked and a lone figure appeared, blinking at the sudden change in lighting.
"Sophia?" Carol sobbed, rushing towards the barn to her daughter before Daryl grabbed hold of her around the waist as she collapsed to the ground. "Sophia! Oh no. Sophia. Sophia. No!"
Lori grabbed onto Carl and pulled him tighter against her as her heart broke for the other mother of the group. Carl sobbed as he stared at his friend's corpse stumbled towards the group. Rick pulled his gun out slowly and aimed at the little girl's head. Silence over took the land as a single shit was heard.
"Don't watch." Daryl whispered to Carol as she sobbed.
"Sophia!" Carol wailed as Phoenix turned and ran before her body had even hit the ground.
Every single thing involving the Ghoul Boys continuously brings me life. That one from La Llorona had me in stitches and was a great start to my morning. Thank you! I hope you have a wonderful day!
Aw, thank you so much, friend! I hope your day is wonderful, too. :D
Back after a good long while with another chapter. I do apologise for it not being weekly like some of the other incredible series writers out there like my dear @autocon23. But real life had been mega hectic and honestly I wasn't sure if this chapter was worth posting or not.
Been struggling with my worth as a writer lately especially at how slow I am and having issues with whether any idea of mine is actually good enough or different enough that I'm not gonna get told I'm copying someone else.
But nevermind.
As always - page breaker is by the awesome @firefly-graphics
Tag list - @lilythemadqueen @autocon23 @archerangel @littlegodzilla @pandora-writes-stuff @boondoctorwho @browneyes528 @darylsgirl @purple-serenity @fandomsaremykryponite
Sorry if I forgot anyone. Just let me know if I have
Warnings - TWD gore, Shane being paranoid, a touch of smut, phoenix being her delightful self.
Masterlist
Series Masterlist.
Phoenix rubbed her eyes and looked out the window. Her neck ached something fierce from sleeping all night sat upright. Daryl had rolled off and she stood slowly. The first rays of dawn were just beginning to rise over the farm and she needed to get out as quickly as possible. Giving Daryl one last look she ran as quietly as she could through the house. Pausing as she caught a glimpse of a familiar looking photo on Hershel's fridge door.
Nah, it couldn't be.
Leaning closer there was no mistake - There in beautiful multicolour was a photo of her. Her and her boys with Greenly, smiling happily at McGinty's. Her heart gave an unpleasant lurch as she thought about him.
She had tried to save him.
She really had.
That damn man had shot him dead for no reason other than he was there. Thank God Noah had taken him out because she wasn't sure she'd have given him such a merciful death. It would have been drawn out and painful if she had done it.
"That's my nephew, David."
Phoenix spun as Hershell entered. She ducked her head as he came to stand beside her.
"And that's you... with the Saints."
Her head flipped up to look at him. His eyes held a kindness there that she had forgotten existed.
"You want me to leave, don't you?"
"David told me all about you and your friends. You're a good, honest, God-fearing woman. I'd like you to stay. That group needs someone with God's guidance. Even if they don't know it." He said calmly, reaching out and taking hold of the photo, pulling it from its spot on the door. He held it out to her and she took it carefully.
"Mr. Greene..."
"I know all about you Miss Black. Don't fret. I understand and support your reasonings for keeping things hidden. We all do, for good reasons. Just don't make me regret not telling Rick about who you truly are." His gaze was misty as he glanced out the window towards the barn. Her eyebrows knotted before she smiled lightly, remembering that he'd most likely lost someone in this end of the world bullshit too.
"Does anyone else know?"
She felt tears well in her eyes and brushed them away harshly, causing her damaged cheek to flare with pain.
"Everyone in this house except Bethie. And we all will keep you safe. We all support the Saints and their mission. As long as you keep it secret so shall we."
She nodded in thanks and turned to leave.
"Next time..."
She paused and looked over her shoulder.
"Just say you want to stay the night and not sneak in to your beau." He laughed lightly, shaking his head as she blushed and rushed away.
Daryl woke slowly. He was having the nicest dream. Phoenix had come to see him and was running her hand through his hair lightly. It had felt heavenly, if he was honest with himself. He had buried his head in her lap and knew he was forgiven. It was so nice. He could still almost feel a lingering warmth where she'd been sat but as his eyes opened the dream turned to reality.
He was alone.
And the spot on the bed where he'd dreamt of her being was cold and empty. He sighed and rolled to his back. He stood gingerly, dressed and made his way quietly and quickly out of the house, calling to Hershell his thanks and that he was going back to his own tent.
Daryl made his way down to his own tent, pausing briefly outside of Phoenix's. His eyes could see her laying there vaguely through the morning sun lighting up the inside but dunked his head and carried on walking. She didn't want to see him anyway.
Phoenix laid still, hearing the footsteps she knew were Daryl's pause outside her tent.
At least he's up and about, she thought, tears welling in her eyes once more as she realized he didn't actually want her there last night or he'd come to talk to her. It had all been because of the medication from Hershell.
Shane rubbed his hand over his head as he approached Daryl's tent, having seen Andrea leave moments before. This wasn't going to go well he knew but something needed to be done. He knocked on the plastic and ducked down to see inside. Daryl raised his eyebrow at the man in front of him, waving a hand in greeting.
"Ya come t' see the invalid?" Daryl growled out as Shane crouched down near him. Shane chuckled and patted Daryl on the leg kindly, ignoring the way the man flinched.
"Nah. I need ya help.”
"Can't do much good right now. Wha' ya need?"
Shane sighed, hand running over his head as he thought of the best way to put what he needed to say.
"I need ya to get Phoenix up to Hershell."
Daryl regarded the man thoughtfully. While they weren't exactly friends, they both held enough respect for each other to put aside their differences to help another member of the group, whether it be helping Carol when she needed someone's strong lifting or one of the kids or like now, when one of them was being a stubborn pain in the butt and needed sense dragged into them. They had both been there that awful day and had both grown fairly protective of the only Brit that they believed was left alive.
"Why? She can take herself up there right?" A sudden feeling of dread surged through Daryl's chest. "She can walk."
Was she more hurt than she looked? Had she hurt her ankle or something when she fell and not said anything?
"She’s barely been outta her tent, Daryl. She was out when we sorted the search... But other than that, she hasn't been out. Hershell offered to take a look at her face last night when she came up to the house but she ran off. She ain't gonna listen to any of us. We both know how stubborn she can be."
"She ain't had that looked at yet?" A burst of rage ran through him at her foolishness.
Damn girl is gonna get sick again! He thought, pushing himself to a sitting position.
Shane nodded quietly and helped Daryl to his feet. As soon as he stood, Daryl stormed out of the tent and over to Phoenix's. He pulled the door open and burst in. She sat up with wide fear filled eyes and stared at the tall man in front of her.
"Git up! Now!"
"Why?" Her tear-filled voice rasped, hugging her arms around herself. Daryl growled and reached for her. She flinched back away from him and he sighed. Kneeling down, ignoring the flare of pain from his injured side, he put out his hand slowly.
"Ya need that face looked at, I... I don't want ya getting sick... Cos of summit I did. I didn't mean to hurt ya... Or scare ya"
Tears came to Daryl's eyes as he glanced up at her. She nodded silently and took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. His hand felt warm and strong in her as he walked with her up to the house. She could feel the calluses of years of manual labor on his fingers, which twitched around her's. She blushed as she remembered suddenly how they'd felt spread across her bare skin.
Daryl breathed slowly and calmly, trying not to remember the feel of her skin against his. But he could and it made his heart sped up.
All too soon they were at the front door, he pulled it open and entered pulling her along with him. Maggie smirked at the pair, noticing their interlaced fingers as she turned to the kitchen and waved at them to follow her. Daryl pushed Phoenix into one of the chairs at the kitchen island as Hershel entered the room.
"Now young lady. Let us get that face fixed." He said kindly as Maggie and Beth started boiling water on the old wood shove. Daryl kept hold of her hand as Hershel cleaned, stitched and bandaged her cheek. "You're a lucky girl that hasn't started to get infected."
Phoenix nodded and squeezed Daryl's hand in thanks. She pulled her fingers from his, stood quietly and turned to leave.
"I think it's best you stay, young lady. Forgive me but you need a real shower to get that dirt off."
Phoenix turned and blushed. She did feel gross but that was what happens when you spend days in a dark world of decay and death.
"I'll grab ya clean clothes" Daryl muttered rushing off out the door as quick as his injuries allowed.
Maggie showed Phoenix to the shower and handed her a big fluffy towel.
"Went well last night?" Maggie teased as they reached the door, Phoenix gave Maggie a look and she leaned against the frame.
"He was asleep the entire time, Mags. Didn't exactly do anything or talk or nothing."
"He's sweet on you too. Even if he denies it like he does. Give it time. He'll come round."
"If ya say so. Thanks." She whispered, stepping into the bathroom and undressing quickly. Gently pulling the bandage off her cheek so it didn't get wet she glanced in the mirror.
The bags under her eyes were red and puffy, the skin around her wounds cleaner than the rest of her face. Her hair was starting to get longer again. She dreading washing it as she had no way of straightening it. The horrid family curls were the bane of her life. The triangular burn scar across her collar bone stood out in stark contrast against her pale skin, angry and dark pink. She sighed as steam began to fill the room. She climbed in the shower and shrieked a little at the heat of the water. Hot water was indeed a blessing she had taken for granted.
Then again, the boys' loft and her own didn't have the best history with heated water, nor did the farm back in Ireland either. She felt her stiff muscles slowly relax under the pressure and heat. She sighed happily as she washed and rinsed her hair. Not ten minutes later she climbed out and wrapped the towel around her and ran another over her wet hair.
A quiet knock came at the door and she called to come in. Daryl entered, blushing crazily and keeping his eyes down.
"Here's ya clothes. Got them from ya tent." He muttered, cheeks and the tips of his ears a beautiful shade of pink.
Don't look. Don't look. Don't look. He thought over and over. Merle's voice in his head saying the opposite. Phoenix let out a stifled giggle and brushed her hands over his as she took the pile from him, placing them gently on the vanity below the mirror. Daryl glanced up quickly as her back was turned and caught sight of the beautiful Japanese style phoenix tattoo on her left shoulder. The majority of it was hidden underneath the towel wrapped around her body. The towel hugged tightly to her curves and left little to the imagination. Daryl licked his lips as desire rose causing a reaction in his groin at the sight. A moan escaped Daryl's lips as she turned. The towel barely covered her chest and he stepped closer, looking down at her lustfully.
His hand reached for her cheek slowly as she bit her lip.
"I'm sorry I hurt ya." He whispered as he inched closer to her. He could feel the steam coming off her damp skin as he stood in front of her. His head fell forward to lean against hers as they stared into each other's eyes, their breaths mingling in the small space between their faces. "Please forgive me."
She nodded and he leaned closer, brushing his lips slowly over hers as his hands found her waist tugging her gently to him. He didn't care about the towel's dampness against his dry clothes and skin. He was lost in the feeling of her lips moving in tandem with his.
The freshly showered skin on her arms brushing against his as her hands found their way into his hair and around his neck. His lips trailed along her chin and down to the sweet spot on her neck he knew drove her heart rate racing. Sucking lightly and biting little nips against it he groaned, hard cock crushing her hips into the vanity behind her. She gasped as his hand slid between the edges of the towel at her side, fingers trailing roughly over the smooth skin he found.
Fingers dancing up her ribs to gently squeeze her breast as she panted in desire. He pulled his head up and roamed his eyes over her features. Her cheek oozed a little drop of blood from the injuries he'd caused. His heart clenched in guilt as he leaned forward, pressing gentle kisses to the stitches as his hand moved lower and lower beneath her towel. He paused at the apex of her hip and bit his lip, tilting his head to the side slightly.
"Say it? Say ya forgive me?"
"Daryl..." she sighed his fingers striking along her hip bone softly, thumb brushing against the curls between her thighs. "Of course, I forgive you. Do you forgive me? I shot first after all."
He chuckled low in his chest and pulled her in for another kiss as his fingers reached their desired location. She gasped into his mouth at the feeling of his thick broad fingers sliding along her folds. His lips returned to her neck, sucking and kissing as he slowly spread her folds, seeking out the moisture gathering there. He growled and ran a finger slowly through her slick, flicking it slowly up and down as his cock throbbed against his jeans. She gave a loud moan as he brushed over her sensitive bud and she felt him smile against her neck before he pushed her up onto the vanity and dropped to his knees, pulling his hand away from her core.
"Daryl?"
He put his finger to his lips and sucked on it before pushing her thighs open and putting them over his shoulders. A bright red blush spread across her face and chest at the sight of Daryl Dixon, redneck hunter extraordinaire on his knees, looking like he was going to devour her. He smiled up at her then kissed his way from her knee into her thighs and higher.
"Holy shit!"
Her chest heaved as his tongue plunged into her folds licking roughly up to her clit. His tongue flicked hard and fast against it as his lips sucked on it. Her legs shook as his skilled appendage worked her so well. Her hand found its way to his hair and tugged it. He let out a pained moan as his own stitches pulled sharply from her fingers.
He grazed his teeth along her clit in revenge. He glanced up at her as he slowly ran a finger around her slick hole. He raised an eyebrow in question and she nodded her head. He smiled around her clit and pushed in slowly.
Fuck she's tight! He thought as her walls gripped his finger like a vice. Pumping it in and out slowly he watched as her chest heaved. Her walls twitched against his knuckles and he pulled his finger out. Her moan of discontent sounded, as he sucked her clit, twirling his tongue around faster and faster, turned to a gasp of surprise as he plunged two fingers into her twisting, curling and pumping faster and faster.
"Oh God... Daryl... Oh fuck...." she moaned, every muscle in her body tensing as she climaxed on his fingers and tongue. Daryl smirked in satisfaction as he worked her through her orgasm.
Daryl opened his eyes, hand dripping with his own cum.
He never meant to do this especially in her tent, definitely not after his dream last night.
It tainted it somehow.
She'd been so sweet and caring in his dream.
But the sight of her lacy underwear had gotten him so hard it couldn't be ignored.
He knew nothing like that could ever happen.
Hell, he didn't know how to make a girl cum with his tongue. His only experiences had been quick fucks behind the bars with sluts begging for a quickie, faking their moans like porn stars, or his own hand. He didn't know how to truly please a woman. He knew how to get a quick fuck sure. But he didn't just want a quick fuck with Phoenix. He wanted to make her moan and cum over and over again before he did.
Fuck Darlene you turning into a sissy!? I told ya enough tricks to get a girl moaning! Merle's voice said as he cleaned his hand on the red rag hanging from his pocket. He put his dick back inside his jeans and gathered up the clothes he'd come originally to collect for her. Hopefully she was still in the shower and he could ask Maggie or Beth or Patricia to give her them.
Gotta stop fucking your hand to her he mussed she ain't even got a phoenix tattoo on her back. Where the fuck you think that up from?
You know exactly where that came from Daryl. That goddamn dream you've been having most of your life.
He sighed as he spotted Maggie walking up to Glenn in the space near the chicken coop and Beth hanging wet laundry with Carol.
Damn suck it up boy Merle laughed in his mind.
Phoenix peeked around the door and wrapped the towel tighter. Where was Daryl with her clothes?
"Maggie? Beth?" She called out, hoping one of the girls was nearby. She shook her head and closed the door, sitting on the closed lid of the toilet and sighed.
Dammit Dixon what's taking you so long!
She heard the groan of the stairs and stood up, opening the door a little and peeking out. She smiled as Daryl made his way towards her, fidgeting with the clothes in his arms and blushing slightly. She stuck her head out further causing Daryl to jump slightly.
"About time DD! Freezing my nips off here." She laughed, trying to ease the air of uncertainty around the two. Daryl held the pile out and she stepped out to get them. Towel securely wrapped covering every inch, she smiled lightly and turned.
Daryl's jaw dropped.
There in wonderful shades of orange, red, black and yellows was a giant phoenix tattoo on her shoulder blade disappearing under the towel.
Just like the one in his dreams and sexual fantasy....
Phoenix returned to her tent, feeling relaxed and refreshed. Even managing to smile at Rick and Carl as she passed them. She frowned as she entered. There was an unusual smell to her tent and as she knelt down, she noticed a few odd splatters on the floor of the tent. A creamy white liquid was spread across the spot where her stack of clean clothes had been. Her eyes widened as she realized what it was.
He wouldn't...
He didn't...
No.
He can't have.
She stifled a giggle and wiped up the semen and threw the cloth towards her dirty laundry pile.
Damn Daryl, if you got that turned on by just looking at my pants you should've come back sooner! She thought with a sad smile.
Why won't you make a move if you're that into me...
"What did Rick say?"
Phoenix paused as she slopped towards the group at Glenn's hissed words.
"You didn't tell him? Okay. But you have to! You're pregnant. You need vitamins, medicine, a nice pillow. You can have my share."
"Honey, I don't want your food, okay? Eat." Lori said quietly, pushing the jerky away that the man held out towards her.
"You need to eat. You're too skinny!" He pleaded as Phoenix nodded in agreement. "And if you're not gonna let Rick take care of you, then someone has to. Lori, you have a medical condition."
"Oh my fucking god, seriously Glenn? She’s pregnant, not ill." Phoenix snorted before shaking her head at Glenn and Lori's looks.
"I'll make another run into town. Just tell me what you need."
"I need you to be quiet about this. All right? Please... Both of you." Lori hissed. Phoenix motioned a zip across her mouth and smiled at the brunette.
"Hey! Peach man! Phoenix!"
The pair nodded at the sheriff’s wife before running off to join Rick, Jimmy and Shane.
"The creek flows south, past that farmhouse Daryl found. Maybe Sophia dropped the doll there, the current brought it downstream."
"So, what, you think she took this road here and then she went north?"
"Yeah. What's up that way?" The two former officers glanced at Jimmy in question.
"A housing development. It went in, maybe 10 years ago." Jimmy said, itching his head as he squinted slightly in the bright sunlight.
"Take a run up there after gun practice. I'll hold down the fort here, but take backup. After what went down with Daryl, I don't want anyone going out alone. We stay in pairs." Rick commanded.
"I'll take suggestions on a partner." Shane asked quietly, glancing at the red head opposite him. She was a tracker and a crack shot but knew she wouldn't be willing to leave so easily with Daryl injured.
"See how they do on the range, then take your pick."
"My binoculars." Shane said as Glenn gaped at them like a fish after handing them both a juicy, ripe peach and some jerky.
"Yeah yeah. Okay, bye." Glenn mumbled before hurrying off like his ass was on fire. Phoenix gave a small shake of her head at the nervousness of the man.
"We'd like to join you for gun training today." Beth stated as she and Patricia wandered towards the group.
"Hershel's been very clear. I can't involve any of you in what we do without his okay."
"He doesn't like it, but he consented." Beth said quietly.
"Otis was the only one who knew gun… Now that he's gone, we gotta learn to protect ourselves. Her father saw the sense in that." Patricia said tearfully, raising her chin as if to say try and stop me.
"No offense, but I'll ask Hershel myself." Rick stated harshly before striding away to seek out the land-owner.
"How the hell did this happen?!" Lori exclaimed, glancing around the small group in shock.
"Kid's curious, he can't help it. It's just the age he's at." Phoenix shrugged, winking at Carl and earning a scowl from the irate mother.
"Well, it's my fault. I let him into the RV. He said he wanted a walkie, that you sent him for one." Dale sighed, calmly gesturing towards his vehicle.
"So, on top of everything else, he lied. What's he thinking?" Lori huffed, hands on her hips.
"He wants to learn how to shoot. He asked me to teach him. Now it's none of my business, but I'm happy to do it. It's your call." Shane spoke with a low tone, knowing how voilite Lori's mothering instincts could be.
"I'm not comfortable with it. Oh, don't make me out to be the unreasonable one here. Rick?"
"I know. I have my concerns too, but..."
"There's no but. He was just shot! He's just back on his feet and he wants a gun?" Lori half yelled, facing her husband angrily.
"Better than him being afraid of 'em. There are guns in camp for a reason. He should learn to handle them safely."
"I don't want my kid walking around with a gun." Lori spat angrily. The very idea boiling her blood into a fury.
"But how can you defend that? You can't let him go around without protection."
"He'd be sitting meat, better learning now than in a life or death situation." Phoenix supplied, tilting her head.
"No, he's as safe as he'll ever be right here." Lori said firmly, Phoenix held her hands up in surrender at the pleading look from the boy's mother. "Look, everything you're saying makes perfect sense. It feels wrong. I mean I didn't feel good about him following you out into the woods. And I wish I'd said something. I should've gone with my gut."
"He's growing up, thank God. We've got to start treating him more like an adult." Rick whispered, glancing at his son.
"Then he needs to act like one. He's not mature enough to handle a gun."
"I'm not gonna play with it, mom. It's not a toy. I'm sorry I disappointed you, but I want to look for Sophia and I want to defend our camp. I can't do that without a gun." Carl reasoned, the earnestness and honesty in his face softening his mother's resolve.
"Shane's the best instructor I know. I've seen him teach kids younger than Carl."
Lori took a quick glance around before sighing and grabbing her son by his shoulder and looking him directly in the eye.
"You will take this seriously and you will behave responsibly. And if I hear from anyone in this camp that you're not living up to our expectations... " Lori warned sternly, giving her son a look that only mothers seemed to know.
"He won't let you down."
“Yeah.”
“Now if you're gonna do this, you listen to Shane.”
“Okay, dad.” Carl smiled as his dad nodded.
“All right? You be careful.”
"Hey, you fuck this up little man, I'll be making ya clean out the RV's toilet with ya toothbrush." Carl grimaced and shuddered at the thought, knowing almost 13 people including Merle had been using the toilet. "Come on, I'll help ya find summit for target practice." Phoenix smirked as the other adults laughed.
"Hey, come on, man. Don't give me that gangsta shit." T-Dog grumbled at Jimmy as the boy held his gun sideways. Phoenix snorted as she twirled her Berettas in her hands before raising them and hitting her targets one after another with ease. She raised her eyebrow as Shane paled slightly at her skill.
"Show off. Ain't helping the newbies either." He whispered, shaking his head as his mind filed the sight into his British oddities of the girl folder in his head.
Phoenix noticed Beth's timid hold on her gun and moved to help. Beth sighed and lowered the gun slightly.
"Hey. Relax. The more tense you are the harder it'll be." She said with a soft smile. Beth gave her a disbelieving look before huffing.
"It's easy for ya to say! Y'all make it look easy as making pie!" Beth whispered, tucking a strand of her blond hair behind her ear.
"Nah, takes time to learn how is all. Sure, it's easy now but back in Boston when I was learning... damn that was hard." The Brit laughed.
"Boston?"
"Oh yea, wasn't nearly as easy as out here. Tight little shooting gallery was jackshit compared to actually being in the fresh air with actual wind, its a totally different experience hun." Phoenix helped Beth get back into position and smiled. "Here and now is gonna help ya better in the long run than how I learnt. Go on, try again."
Beth took a deep breath and slowly squeezed the trigger, the bullet flying through the air and hitting the target. Shane glanced at the Brit as she was engulfed in a hug from the blond. Yet another odd fact the girl had come out with that made little sense.
Hadn't she said she'd come straight from England to Atlanta to study? When had she been in Boston? And why did she learn to shoot there?
He shook his head before focusing on Andrea and her shooting.
I’m back again with another chapter for you lovely lot!
I have tweaked the timeline a little, added another day to how long Sophia was missing but that’s cos I’m a donut and can’t do math when writing. Ya know when ya just get into a nice flow and only realise later that something you wrote doesn’t fit in the actual canon timeline? Yea that’s me hahaha
NOTE --- BOLD ITALICS are Daryl’s thoughts, Italics are Phoenix’s thoughts or another lady’s, BOLD are other males members of the group. It’ll make sense trust me
The awesome page breaker was made by @firefly-graphics (stupid Tumblr and their 10 image rule ruining my layout grrr)
WARNINGS: typical TWD gore, violence, slight depressive & suicidal thoughts, mentions of SEX, one angry redneck, one idiotic blond
Phoenix yawned and stretched as she sat up from the sofa, where she'd fallen asleep the night before after ensuring Carl and his parents were safely asleep. The pink tint streaming through the glass behind her told her it was shortly after dawn. The loud clanking from the kitchen echoed as she ran a hand over her head before standing up, her brightly dyed hair sticking up in all directions. Beth gave her a small smile as she skipped down the stairs towards the kitchen. The luscious scent of fresh coffee and bread wafted outwards and Phoenix felt her stomach crunch hungrily.
"Well good morning."
"Morning..." The red head yawned, slumping down into a chair at the breakfast nook, her head falling onto her arms with a dull thud. Patricia stifled a laugh and placed a large cup of black coffee, a small pitcher of milk and a bowl of sugar in front of her. Phoenix nodded her thanks and began preparing her coffee how she liked it.
Her neck had a kink in it from the harsh stiffness of the sofa's arm as she climbed onto the railing of the porch, the shower Hershell had kindly let her take had no effect in easing it away. Hours had passed since she woke and her nerves were getting to her again.
Sure she trusted Lori and Rick but her suspicions of Shane's story made her on edge.
The rest of the group paused in gathering stones to look up as a loud growling motor sounded in the distance. She sighed and glanced up the drive as the roaring, snarling of the others arriving began to break the peace of the farm.
"How is he?” Dale asked, his eyes glancing at the Grimes in hope.
"He'll pull through, thanks to Hershell and his people - " Lori began.
"And Shane. We'd have lost Carl if not for him." Rick quickly interrupted his wife and smiled weakly. Lori smiled as she accepted a hug from Carol. The whole group let out a collective sigh of relief at the good news.
"Thank God. We were so worried." Carol whispered as she let go of Lori.
"How'd it happen?" Dale questioned as he approached, worry etched into the lines of his face.
"Hunting accident. That's all... Just a stupid accident." Rick explained, his hands on his hips as he glanced around the gathered group. "Hershell says we can set up camp over there, while Carl recovers. Let's get it started, then we can pay our respects to Otis." Rick sighed quietly, pointing over at a copse of trees near the field. The group nodded and set off on their vehicles.
"You still pissed at me, Firebug?" Phoenix lifted her head towards the filthy hunter and narrowed her eyes, running them up and down his figure. Daryl pulled himself to his full height waiting for her to say anything. She scoffed, shaking her head before following after the rest of the group.
"Fine! Be that way!" Daryl called after her, her response being to give him the middle finger salute. He sighed deeply, slumping his shoulders once more before climbing back onto his bike and driving down towards the, quickly forming, camp.
"Blessed be God, father of our lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to him for the gift of our brother Otis, for his span of years, for his abundance of character; Otis, who gave his life to save a child's, now more than ever, our most precious asset. We thank you, God, for the peace he enjoys in your embrace. He died as he lived, in Grace. Shane, will you speak for Otis?" Hershell said, turning towards the man; his borrowed overalls hanging loosely around his frame as he bowed his head.
"I'm not good at it. I'm sorry."
"You were the last one with him. You shared his final moments. Please. I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning." Patricia tearfully pleaded, her eyes ringed with red.
"Okay. We were about done. Almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols by then. I was limping. It was bad. Ankle all swollen up. 'We've got to save the boy.' See, that's what he said... He gave me his backpack. He shoved me ahead... 'Run,' he said. He said, 'I'll take the rear. I'll cover you.' And when I looked back..." Shane hobbled towards the mound of stones, placing his own on top before turning back to the new widow. "If not for Otis, I'd have never made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. It was Otis. He saved us both. If any death ever had meaning, it was his." Shane rushed out, his voice shaking slightly. Daryl glanced at Phoenix, who raised an eyebrow and nodded.
At least someone else don't buy Shane's bullshit.
Phoenix sat in the tree overlooking the fire pit dug in the middle of their camp. The off white farmhouse looked slightly hazy in the heat of the day. She was shaded and hidden, safely ensconced in the large tree. Secretly keeping a second watch over the land.
The search for Sophia halted temporarily for a few hours so they could settle in, make camp and get to know the lay of the land better.
Daryl had gone off into the woods to hunt as well as track Sophia earlier that morning and Phoenix could see him now making his way over to the camp. A string of squirrels and rabbits slung around his bicep, his trusty crossbow over his shoulder. Phoenix had the perfect spot to appreciate the fine lines of his muscles as they moved under his shirt. She felt a tingle of desire run through her as the others looked up as Daryl came to a stop.
"Hey Daryl. Where's your shadow?"
"My shadow? What the hell ya yappin' about?" He snarled, unloading his wares onto the nearby camping chair ready to skin. Shane ducked his head and smirked at Glenn; T-Dog let out a bark of a laugh.
"Come on Daryl, you know..." Lori giggled as he raised his eyebrow. "She's 5'7 without those ridiculous boots, short dark red hair, blond at the roots, looks like one smile from you would make her pass out..." Lori joked at the man, happy that they were safe and could take the time for some gentle ribbing and jokes, Daryl's face flushed slightly and glanced around the group. Everyone wore a similar expression of light hearted amusement. Daryl felt his anger rise up in his veins.
Was it that obvious he liked her?
He had tried to be careful and push her away. For her sake as well as his own. She was way, way too young for him as well as the fallout from the trauma she'd faced since the world went to shit.
"She ain't my shadow." He hissed out, straightening to his full height. The girls around him giggled.
"Gotta admit, she does seem to follow you around a lot." Dale said quietly from atop the RV. "Think she might have a little crush on you son."
"Shut it old man! It ain't like that." He snarled up at him. "We hunt together. That's it."
"Be serious Daryl... Even you has to have noticed the way she looks at you!" Andrea stated, gesturing with her hand. "You tell her to jump and she would. Girl has it bad for you Dixon."
Phoenix's heart was in her throat. She didn't think anyone had seen her glances and longing looks towards the rough mannered man. She gulped quietly as Daryl scoffed in disbelief. He turned his back to the group and Phoenix sighed.
Maybe he was gonna walk away.
"Ain't my fault girl can't take a hint." Daryl said pointing off in the direction of the house, where her bike was parked. "I know how she looks a' me. Hell, I ain't blind! I ain't interested neither!"
Liar liar pants on fire Merle's voice said in his head you been lookin' at that sweet girl every chance you get. Hell, you even think o' her when you have a lil alone time baby brother. Oh yea, you like lookin at her fine ass body. 'membering her under ya at the CDC.
Phoenix felt her face blush again, but this time in anger.
Not take a hint!? Wasn't that a day or so ago when you had me pinned under you, you fucking dick! Or when you nearly kissed me before that herd rolled by! She thought as she glared down at him.
"Ooo whoo" T-Dog laughed as Daryl got angrier and angrier. "So ya told her, did ya Dixon?"
"Yea I did! I ain't interested in a fat, ugly bitch like her! Prefer a girl who ain't gonna crush me!" He snapped, running his eyes over Andrea to emphasise his statement. That was the last straw for Phoenix, who quickly and quietly climbed around the tree base to a branch behind the redneck as fury and memories surged through her mind.
She leaped down and landed silently before storming off towards her bike parked in front of the farm house; Shane and Rick looking up and watching her with a silent glance of concern between them. She picked her bow up and nocked an arrow as Daryl put one hand against the trunk of the tree, his fingers splayed to bare his weight. She raised the bow up to her eyeline and took aim. Right between his thumb and forefinger.
Perfect spot.
Shane glanced up and saw her just as she released the arrow, standing in a panic and leaping towards the hunter to tackle him out of the way.
"Girl is annoyin' as hell, followin' me like a lost -" Daryl let out a yelp as the arrow hit her target mid-sentence. He had been still bad mouthing the girl while she walked away. He leapt away from the tree and Shane, who landed on the floor, hissing at his jolted ankle as Daryl spun towards her.
"HEY DIXON! NEXT TIME, YA START SAYING SHIT ABOUT SOMEONE, MAKE SURE THEY CAN'T HEAR YOU!" She yelled, glaring at the man in anger. Daryl's face contoured into a vicious snarl and Phoenix paled, taking a step back in fear. The murderous look in Daryl's eyes was uncannily similar to another with the same face.
"YOU FUCKIN' BITCH!" He yelled and began to run in her direction.
Phoenix dropped her compound bow and ran around the edge of the house towards the woods, Daryl chasing after her with his crossbow. She quickly dodged around Hershell, who yelled after her to be more careful and leapt over the short wooden fence at the edge of the property and took off into the woods. Daryl shouting at her to get back there as he ran after her. She ran deeper into the woods, forgetting to keep her steps light, leaving clear imprints of her boots in her wake. She paused and hid behind a tree to catch her breath. Tears began to well in her dark blue eyes as she thought of the horrid things Daryl had been saying.
Was it only because she had been there when he was drunk and wanted a quick fuck? Did that kiss mean fuck all? Did it mean nothing to him? If it did then why did he seem to want to kiss her again on the interstate?
A twig snapped under foot as Daryl grew closer, following the deep boot impressions in the ground. Phoenix peeked around the bark of the tree and hissed in pain as a bolt flew across her cheek, gashing it open. Blood flowed like a river from the wound down her cheek, neck and onto her chest.
"Daryl! Stop! She was angry! Just put the crossbow down and come back to camp! A bit of space and time to cool your heads..." Rick's voice said quietly from where the bolt had come from. Phoenix gingerly touched her cheek to the wound and winced. Dammit Dixon.
"Nah... little bitch needs t' learn not t' shoot a' folk." Daryl growled, his footsteps getting closer to her hiding spot. Taking a chance she darted off again into the trees. "Get back here woman!" He yelled once more, letting loose a bolt - which hit her face a little below the previous wound, and more blood gushed down her cheek as she stumbled and fell. Daryl dropped his crossbow and grabbed her, turning her onto her back as she struggled with his out reaching hands. "Stay still woman!"
"Get off me Dixon!"
"God dammit!" He yelled as he pinned her arms above her head and straddled her waist, trapping her legs with his own, his belt digging into her hip as he pushed his full weight onto her. She tried to free herself but couldn't.
Damn he's strong.. and heavy!
"What you playin' at huh? Firin' at me like that?! Huh?! Stop wigglin'!" Daryl breathed heavily as she wiggled underneath him, unknowing brushing her hips against his crotch over and over. His dick started to react to the sensation and he growled low in his chest.
God, he wanted to kiss her right then.
Phoenix suddenly stopped; eyes wide as she felt something hard and firm against her pelvic bone. Something she knew wasn't Daryl's knife, which was hanging on his right thigh. Her chest heaved as she stared up into Daryl's blue eyes and felt frozen with fear, his own showing anger and a spark of lust. Deep down she knew he wouldn't do that to her but that fear was ingrained deeply. Tears began to flow down her cheeks into her hair and cuts, making them sting and burn with the salty liquid.
"Let me go... please." She whispered, screwing her eyes tightly shut and turning her head. "Daryl... please... Let me go." She choked out, voice croaky from barely held back fear. Daryl realising what was wrong, quickly let go, scooped up his crossbow and stormed off into the woods. Shane and Rick approached her slowly where she lay crying silently.
"Hey." Rick said crouched beside her. He reached his hand out to her shoulder and she flinched before jumping up and running back to camp. Shane nodded after Daryl and began to follow the more volatile member of the group, knowing the girl needed some space.
She reached camp and grabbed her bike and bow, mindless of the injuries she had, blood splattering down her shirt and to the ground in a steady stream as Maggie and Andrea ran up to her.
"Oh my god! What happened to you!?"
"Phoenix? Talk to us! What happened to your face?" Andrea said, grabbing for her arm, which she dodged. Phoenix growled and snarled at the blond woman as she placed her bow around her back. She kicked her bike into life and sped off towards the little church the group had found, to seek solace in God's embrace.
Daryl stomped through the woods. Anger at himself consuming his mind. Daryl stomped through the woods. Anger at himself consuming his mind.
Idiot his mind told him you know what she's been through and how she reacts to shit like that and still ya made her scared! She ain't never gonna forgive ya. You blew it! She ain't never gonna kiss ya ever again. What were ya thinkin'!? Gettin' turn on with her lyin' under ya when she was pinned? Damn fucked up!
"Daryl! Daryl! Wait!"
Daryl turned slowly towards the two former police officers as they ran (or in Shane's case, limped) up to him.
"Why? So ya can yell at me!?" He spat, more and more angry with himself. "I didn't mean t' hit her! I wanted t' spook her is all, like she did me" he said ducking his head. "Ain't never hurt a woman before."
Rick looked to Shane for a moment then placed his hand on Daryl's shoulder and squeezed lightly.
"We know man. She didn't want to hurt you either... She has really good aim, could've hurt ya if she wanted but didn't. You know that right?"
"Yea I know... Best shot I've seen" he nodded and looked at Shane. "She's scareda me now, after pinnin' her down like tha'. Ain't gonna wanna be near me... Ya know why..."
Shane nodded sadly as Rick looked confused. Shane nodded in a way to silently tell Rick he'd tell him later. "She's always gonna be jumpy man, going through shit like that. You get that right?" Shane said quietly as the trio headed towards camp slowly. Daryl nodded as the trees thinned and the house came into view. "You can fix this man. I know ya can. Hell, that girl will forgive you even if ya were the devil himself. Just give her that Dixon grin she likes." Shane laughed, reminding Daryl of what started the whole thing in the first place.
"You like her don't ya, Daryl?"
Daryl paused and considered what he should say.
"Dunno what the fuck ya on about." He scoffed at the dark-haired man. Rick snorted quietly; Daryl flipped his head towards the sheriff with narrowed eyes.
"The way you were going on... Can only mean you do. Don't worry, we ain't gonna judge. She's a grown woman... sorta. She can date or whatever with whoever." Rick said, tapping him on the shoulder lightly, climbing the fence into Hershell's land. "Talk to her Daryl. She might surprise you."
Daryl stood there a few minutes longer before shouts of the women reached his ears. Daryl ran towards the group as they all started yelling at Rick and Shane at once. He came to a stop and flinched as Andrea jabbed his chest with her finger.
"YOU! It's all your fault! Isn't it? You hurt her and now she's gone! Like we don't already have a missing girl to find!" Andrea yelled, wincing as Carol glared at her.
"What ya talkin' about woman?!" Shane sighed, running his hand over his bald head.
"Phoenix! She came out those woods all bloodied up! She got her bow and jumped on the bike! She left! And it's all his fault!"
Daryl's face paled and he began pacing, his hands running through his hair as he thought about what he had done.
Of course, she'd run. She didn't feel safe anymore.
Daryl had always said he'd never hurt her. And he'd done it twice and then reminded her of...
Nah. I'm gonna find her, he thought, swinging around and heading to his own bike and throwing his legs over it.
"I'm gonna go find her." He stated as he drove off with only a vague idea where she might have gone. He just hoped she was there and not somewhere else.
The church was silent and thankfully free of walkers when she parked her bike up outside the door. She pulled her rosaries out from under the collar of her shirt as she entered. The dead walkers had attracted flies but she paid them no mind as she slowly made her way down the aisle towards the statue of Christ. She knelt and bowed her head as tears finally fell freely from her face. She screwed her eyes and began to pray.
"Forgive me father. I've strayed from our holy mission." She whispered to herself in Latin. "I can't do this. I'm not made for this. My heart aches every day for the fallen. And my boys... I don't know where they are! I'm looking, I swear but I can't just leave this group. Daryl... he looks so much like Murph... Is this some sort of test lord? Did you make Daryl look like that to test my resolve to my mission? Or is this a new one? My heart screams out every second for my boys. You know this. Yet... I find myself growing closer towards him. I feel stronger for him every day. You put lustful thoughts into my mind about him. How can I do this when I'm sworn to another!?"
She fingered the sapphire ring around the top of her rosary gently and sobbed, her head in her hands as she cried. Her breaths came in short bursts as her anger rose.
Anger at Daryl.
Anger at the boys.
Anger at herself.
Anger at the world.
And anger at God.
"How can you do this to us?! You, who claims to love all! Yet you drown the world in disease! You leave us blind and lost! And scared witless! This is the last time I'll ever pray to you! Everything I've been through! It's your fault!" She raged as she began to pace, her hands clutching her hair tightly.
"I HATE YOU! I did your work with the twins and this is your thanks!? A plague?! People dying all the time in the most horrid fucking way?! Children being ripped to shreds like paper!? Me being attacked like that?! Being... You aren't the god I was led to believe in... I... I... I can't.... "
Snarls reached her ears and she spun, seeing a group of walkers stumbling into the church. Dripping gore and blood along the floor. She spun and reached over her shoulder, quickly pulling her bow and reaching for an arrow.
Shit
She paled as her hand brushed the empty space her quiver usually resided. She had forgotten her quiver. Her knife was there but she couldn't take on a group of walkers with her knife alone. Her axe was back at the farm too as well as the guns.
"Fuck my life honestly." She grunted, shuffling and backing away towards the rear of the church. "This is cos I said I hated you ain't it?" She glanced at the statue and sighed. "Sorry JC. Need to use ya..." She stood behind the statue and waited until the first three walkers stood on the other side of it to align just right then pushed with all her might. The statue tilted and fell slowly. Landing with an echoing clang on top of the walkers, trapping them.
The others snarled and drew closer. She leapt over the altar and dived the blade into the walkers' heads over and over. Panting and sweating she sighed. The four remaining walkers had fallen to her anger fairly quickly. She sat against the end of a pew as the three trapped, snarled and reached out towards her. She wiped her face and clanged her head back. Legs stretched out in front of her. The fingers of the nearest walker just wiping over her steel toed boots weakly.
"Ya know. I feel a heck of a lot better for that" she snickered. "Gratuitous violence indeed."
She smiled, remembering Murphy saying that once while on a mission. She dug deep into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled packet of cigarettes.
"Hope ya don't mind big guy. But I need this bad." She pulled one out and put it to her lips, rolling across slowly as the noise of a car and a bike came closer and closer. She took a deep drag as the engine stopped and doors slammed outside the church, watching the smoke curl in the air silently. From her position she couldn't be seen and was thankful for that.
She heard whispers before steps were heard lightly on the steps. She blew out the smoke and closed her eyes.
"Phoenix?" Andrea said quietly in the doorway. Andrea gasped as she saw the state of the church, knowing the statue had been previously standing the last time the group was inside the building. "Rick. Shane. In here." Rick and Shane, alongside Andrea, entered the church fully. Phoenix sighed.
Of course they'd come after you, she thought, pulling herself to her feet. They see you as a kid remember. If only they knew you were closer to their age than they thought.
The trio let out a sigh and lowered their weapons.
"Come on, back to camp. We got to get those cuts fixed up." Rick said holding a hand out to her as she stepped around the out reaching hands of the walkers. "You best not have got walker blood in there…"
Phoenix laughed at that and shook her head. Walking past the trio and climbing back onto her bike, ignoring Daryl, who sat on his own outside the church on guard. She started the bike and raced off back to the farm as fast as she dared. Daryl sped alongside her and looked over at her. His heart, heavy with guilt as he saw clearly how he'd cut up her face. He had sworn at a young age never to leave a mark on a woman by his hand or by a weapon and here she was, proof of his failure.
His damning mistake.
He hung his head in shame as she sped up and over took him. Phoenix pulled down the driveway at an alarming speed. The gravel flew up around her with the spinning of the tires. She saw Lori and Glenn waving at her as she approached. She turned onto the grass and leaned sideways on the bike, her left elbow brushing over the grass by mere inches. She skidded to a halt right by her tent and pulled the bike upright; and kicked the stand down before lifting herself from the saddle.
Daryl sped up the drive behind her as did the car with Rick, Shane and Andrea. Phoenix scoffed and flipped the bird towards Daryl as he came closer. Making it clear he was not welcome near her at the moment. Daryl to his credit hung his head and slunk off towards the RV.
Phoenix ducked into her small tent and zipped the door shut before laying down on her sleeping bag and blankets. She threw her clothes off quickly and tossed them into the corner to be washed later, before opening the bottle of water she had, wetting a rag and giving herself a quick and rather useless once over to rid her skin of the worst of the blood.
She pulled on a loose shirt and pants before flopping down once again. She curled up on her side and felt her chest hitch. Her tears came so quickly she wasn't sure where they had come from. She felt fine in the church after taking out the walkers and now here she was a sobbing mess. She cried softly into her pillow and slowly pulled herself together again.
She could feel her cheek burning. It needed some real medical care but she couldn't bring herself to move. No one had bothered to check on her. Footsteps she knew were Daryl's sometimes stopped nearby but never came too close. Content to leave her alone.
Perhaps they thought her dead and didn't want to look.
She didn't care.
She wanted to go to sleep and not wake up.
At same time the idea scared her. It wasn't in her nature. Not really. She had to find her boys and she couldn't do that if she was dead...
Unless they were waiting for her up there…
If she was going up there…
No. Don't think like that she thought, gritting her teeth and standing.
She wasn't a weak pathetic woman. She'd faced down bullets from the baddest men in Boston. She could handle one arsehole redneck. She had handled Murphy MacManus for years after all and she knew very well that he wasn't the most friendliest man when they first met. She sighed and wiped at her face. Her right cheek burned and was feeling even more swollen than her eye had felt when that was first damaged, the swelling from that had only just gone down. The bruises remained, faded to yellows, sickly greens and purples.
Tap tap
She threw her head up towards the tent door and waited.
Tap tap
"What?" She ground out quietly. She heard the shifting of footsteps outside the door and a hushed whispered conversation. Carl glanced up at Daryl, who nodded at the tent.
"Just make sure she's alright." Daryl whispered to the boy.
"Why don't you just ask yourself?" Daryl's eyes shifted away guilty as he bit his lip.
"Just do it kid."
"It's Carl. Can I come in?"
"Who else is with ya?" She questioned, sitting up and pulling on her hoody, using the hood to hide her face. More hushed whispers followed by footsteps walking away. Daryl? Carol?
The footsteps were too light for her to make out who it was exactly.
"Just me. I swear."
"Come on in then. Shouldn't you still be in bed?" The boy unzipped the door and crawled in and closed it behind him.
"Well… yea…" His eyes widened slightly as the hoodie shifted and he saw her face for the first time. "Sorry about your face. Looks sore."
"Hmm" She gave the boy a once over, his face still too pale for her liking. "Your mother is gonna have a fit if she sees you up and about. Does Hershell know?"
"No. I snuck out." He pouted adorably. "But everyone's worried about you. Shane said he was gonna drag you out and to Hershell if you don't come out. Dad said... Nevermind'' he cut himself off at the narrowing of her eyes.
"What did he say?"
"Erm... That if Shane touched you.. That Daryl was gonna make him regret it." The boy said quietly with a chuckle and a blush, looking down at his fingers.
"Huh.... Do me a favour Carl?" She asked, knowing the boy was nowhere near ready to be running about and Lori would definitely try and blame her if she found out he'd been with her and not in bed recovering.
"Sure! Anything to help!" He brightly smiled and she nodded at the pile of laundry in the corner.
"Can you ask your mom and Carol if they'd mind giving those a scrub? I can never get the blood out completely."
That'd probably be a good way to let Lori know her injured kid is running around without telling outright, yea?
The boy nodded and scooped her clothes up and scrambled out the tent. She huffed and laid back down harshly on her blanket. Throwing an arm over her eyes she took a deep breath, willing the ache in her face and chest away.
Best get out there missus. Don't want Shane and Daryl going at it again. Shane don't play fair you know this she thought sitting slowly and pulling on her biker boots. She crouched through the door and stood fully. She stretched her back, popping it in several places and walked slowly towards the fire in the middle of camp. Her head down, hood hiding her face and the injuries.
Carol and Lori smiled at her as she passed and grabbed a cup of water. She turned and sat on the other side of the tree away from the group, drinking slowly. Lori, Carol and Andrea exchanged looks as the two mothers made up plates for the hungry members of the group.
Lori glared at Daryl, nodding in Phoenix's direction. He shrugged and wandered away towards the stables. Lori put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips in annoyance.
Damn stubborn man she thought approaching Phoenix with a plate quietly. Silly stubborn girl. They need their heads banging together.
Phoenix had her head leaned back against the rough bark and was enjoying the sun on her face.
"Here sweetie."
Phoenix opened one eye and took the plate from the woman, nodding in thanks. Lori opened her mouth then thought better of it and walked away. She ate quickly before walking over to Shane and Rick.
"How long has this girl been lost?" Hershell questioned, glancing around at the gathered group and frowning at the injuries on the former Saint's face.
"This'll be day four."
"County survey map. Shows terrain and elevations." Maggie said quietly, placing the documents down onto the hood of the car.
"This is perfect. We can finally get this thing organised. We'll grid the whole area, start searching in teams."
"Not you. Not today. You gave three units of blood. You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat before passing out. And your ankle... Push it now, you'll be laid up a month, no good to anybody. You shouldn't of been running around as it is!" Hershell commanded, pointing at the two former lawmen in turn, his expression leaving no room for arguing.
"Guess it's just me. I'm gonna head back to the creek, work my way from there." Daryl mumbled, his eyes glancing towards Phoenix; who glared at him in anger, still pissed at the hunter for the harsh words two days before and shooting at her. Her cheek was smarting with pain again but she refused to allow anyone close enough to take care of it.
"I can still be useful. I'll drive up to the interstate, see if Sophia wandered back." Shane coincided, his eyes going between the two hunters whose tension could be physically felt.
"All right, tomorrow then. We'll start doing this right."
"That means we can't have our people out there with just knives. They need the gun training we've been promising them." Shane pointed out.
"I'd prefer you not carrying guns on my property. We've managed so far without turning this into an armed camp." Hershell's voice held a hint of worry.
"All due respect, you get a crowd of those things wandering in here..." "Look, we're guests here. This is your property and we will respect that. First things first: Set camp fully, get the lay of the land, find Sophia." Rick said quietly, ever the peacemaker.
"I hate to be the one to ask, but somebody's got to... What happens if we find her and she's bit?" Shane said, his eyes darting to Carol and Lori, who were setting up the tents.
"I agree with Shane. If Sophia has been bitten..." The blond said grimly.
"Andrea, I swear to god woman if you don't stop that negative fuckin' attitude..." Phoenix growled through her teeth, giving the blond her best death glare. Andrea folded her arms and raised her head, almost as if in challenge. Phoenix took half a step towards her before Shane put his hand on her shoulder, she glanced at him before shrugging him off and folding her arms across her chest. Daryl smirked slightly at the attitude the younger hunter was showing.
"I think we should all be clear on how we handle that."
"You do what has to be done." Rick softly muttered as Hershell and Maggie exchanged a look.
"And her mother? What do you tell her?" Maggie questioned, her eyes going to her father.
"The truth." Andrea said quietly.
"I'll gather and secure all the weapons. Make sure no one's carrying 'til we're at a practice range off site." Shane volunteered, nodding to Rick. "I do request one rifleman on lookout. Dale's got experience."
"Our people would feel safer, less inclined to carry a gun." Rick glanced with Hershell, who nodded. "Thank you."
"That stuff you brought, got more antibiotics, bandages, anything like that?" The farmer's daughter asked, his eyes pointedly looking in Phoenix's direction.
"Just what you've seen." Rick replied as he, too, glanced at Phoenix's blood splattered face.
"We're running short already. I should make a run into town." Maggie volunteered, smiling at the group.
"Not the place Shane went?"
"No, there's a pharmacy just a mile down the road. I've done it before." She smiled, shading her eyes with her hand as the sun burst through the clouds.
"See our man there in the baseball cap? That's Glenn, our go-to-town expert. I'd ask him along just to be cautious."
"Give up our guns?"
"You heard Rick. We're guests here." Shane said as he plopped the sheriff's bag down onto the car hood with a clang.
"And you're okay with it?" Andrea questioned, watching as Phoenix stomped over to them, several of the group's guns in her hands.
"I don't recall being asked. Now lay down your weapon." Shane ordered as Phoenix smirked as she lay the gathered guns into the bag. Her own, found, gun amongst them.
"You may like rolling over, I don't." "And I, for one, definitely ain't giving up my axe or bow." Phoenix muttered as Shane held his hands out for her weapons. "My gun's already in the pile dude."
Like shite will I hand over my true guns. My berettas or the boys' magnums. It's just asking for fucking trouble.
"Look, I have to strip and clean them anyway. You still want to learn?" The man asked, his eyes going between the two women. Phoenix scoffed and waved a hand, shaking her head.
"I learnt in the 90's how to clean a gun and properly at that. Don't need you to teach me sweet fuck all." Phoenix stated, walking away with her bow bouncing lightly on her back as she swung her axe in lazy circles. Shane's eyes narrowed at the girl as he tried to do the maths on whether she was telling the truth.
The 90s? She ain't old enough....
"Go on. All right." Shane snapped out of his thoughts and nodded to the pretty blond in front of him. Shaking his head as he took a seat across from her.
"Sit down. Unload your weapon. Hey... hey... Check the chamber. Pull it back. Push that lever out. It'll slide off. You're halfway there." He instructed as his mind tried to do the maths on the red head's age in the 90s.
Rick sat on the porch steps, twirling his hat in his hands as his eyes flicked around the farm at his group. He stood quickly as Daryl walked by and called out to the man.
"Daryl. You okay on your own?"
"I'm better on my own. I'll be back before dark." He growled as he glanced pointedly towards Phoenix, who was laughing with the farmer's younger daughter as they hung some laundry.
"Hey. We got a base. We can get this search properly organized now." Rick drawled as he approached.
"You got a point or are we just chatting?" He asked, walking back to the leader with a frown.
"My point is, it lets you off the hook. You don't owe us anything."
"My other plans fell through." He grumbled, striding away as his eyes once again went towards the redhead girl, who was beginning to fiddle with her bike.
"We could give you more space. Set up over by the barn."
"No, no need for that. Better you stay close to the house. I don't say this easily, Rick. We don't normally take in strangers. I can't have your people thinking this is permanent. Once you find this girl and your boy's fit for travel, I expect you'll move on. We need to be clear on that." Hershell stated, fear lancing through him at the mention of the barn before waking away. Rick glanced back at the barn, his eyebrows knitted in confusion.
"Hello, farmer's daughter." Glenn whispered, watching after Maggie through the binoculars as she rode her horse, leading one towards the group. Glenn dropped the binoculars as Lori's face appeared, blocking his view of Maggie.
"Hi. Here's your list. And, um, there's one other item. I wrote it down separately. It's personal. If we could be real discreet about that, okay?" Lori fidgeted, handing the Asian man her short list, her eyes flicking to the Brit near them.
"Sure."
"Thank you." Lori breathed a sigh of relief. Lori began to walk away as Glenn read her second list.
"Uh, what is it?"
"Kind of missing the point of the whole discreet thing, Glenn." The tall brunette sighed, turning back to the young man.
"Oh, right. Um... I just need to know where to find it."
"Try the feminine hygiene section." Lori smiled as she walked away. Phoenix sniggered as she walked by, seeing Glenn's bright scarlet face; thinking Lori must be having her monthly.
"Oh. Enough said. Consider it done."
"I'm not weak and I'm not a coward." T-Dog panted quietly as he leaned over the wheelbarrow.
"I never said you were." Dale replied as he sterilised the pump with alcohol.
"No, what I said on the highway... I don't know what that was, where it came from. That wasn't me. If it's okay, I'd rather you never told anybody about that stuff I said." "What stuff? I couldn't get a word out of you all day." Dale smiled at the larger man, his eyes looking over the peaceful silence of the farm land.
"Say, man, you think there's a snowball's chance we'll actually find that little girl?"
"For the first time in my life I'm betting on the snowball." Dale frowned in confusion as he looked at the well covering, a large hole in the centre as if something had fallen through.
"Yeah. Me too."
Dale wandered over to the well. He peered downwards into the well, his face paling at the sight.
"Do whatever we have to. I don't care if I have to comb the woods like Rambo or fetch a pail of water. Everyone kicks in, does their part. Am I right? Do your part, don't complain. That's what I always..." the man said panting as he scooped some water into the ladle. Dale pushed the ladle of water out of T-Dog's hand quickly.
"I wouldn't drink that if I were you." Dale explained.
The group approached the well slowly, peering down into its depths as Dale shone a flashlight into it. The bloated, water logged walker snarling and reaching upwards.
"Looks like we've got us a swimmer." Dale quipped.
"How long you think it has been down there?" Glenn questioned, glancing around at the farmer's daughter.
"Long enough to grow gills. And we can't leave it in there. God knows what it's doing to the water." Lori complained, her stomach feeling queasy as she stared down at the slimy looking walker.
"We got to get it out."
"Easy."
"Put a bullet in its head." T-Dog whispered. "I'll get a rope."
"Whoa whoa, guys. No." Maggie argued.
"Why not?" Andrea questioned, her eyes glancing back at the walker.
"It's a good plan." Glenn counted, looking around the group for support. "It's a stupid plan."
"If that thing hasn't contaminated the water yet, blowing its brains out will finish the job." Andrea stated with a grim look crossing her angular features.
"She's right. Can't risk it." Shane reasoned.
"So it has to come out alive?" T-Dog sighed.
"Personally, I'd just say this well was well and truly fucked in the arse with this thing's shit, blood and whatever else and seal it up. Do walkers piss and shit? It's been in there too long already... Oozing guts and pus into it." Phoenix stated, taking a mild satisfaction in Lori and Maggie's faces paling at the red head's descriptive choice of words and turned to Dale with concern across their faces. "But if ya wanna try and get the bastard out, be my guest. I ain't helping though..."
"Always a pleasure having your input Phoenix." Andrea spat, giving the girl a sarcastic smile. Phoenix tilted her head and gave the blond a glare, Dale raising his hand towards her as her fists balled.
"You wanna go blondie? You keep sprouting ya mouth and I'll shut it for ya." Phoenix whispered to herself, glancing down once more at the walker.
"How do we do that?" Glenn questioned finally after a moment of silence. The group flinched as one as an arrow sprang between them and hit the tree, a squirrel implanted onto the steelhead.
"Same way you hunt... Set the trap with summit they find delicious." Phoenix smirked, turning away from the group and striding off towards her kill. Maggie and Lori grimaced as the squirrel splashed blood and soaked the bark of the tree.
"He's not going for it." Dale said as he and Shane guided the chunk of canned meat towards the walker. "Maybe 'cause a canned ham don't kick and scream when you try to eat it." T-Dog whispered, his eyes on the walker.
"He's right. There's a reason the dead didn't come back to life and start raiding our cupboards." Lori stated, crouching at the well's edge.
"It needs to scent the blood pumping most likely. Fresh is always better." Phoenix mumbled, pacing with her bow, her fingers twitching around the leather grip as the group glanced at her.
"We need live bait." Andrea stated, glancing at Glenn. The man's face paled as everyone looked at him.
"Have I mentioned that I really like your new haircut? You have a nice shaped head." Glenn stammered as Shane tied the rope around him.
"Don't worry about it, bud. We're gonna get you out of here in one piece." The former deputy said, patting him on the shoulder.
Phoenix laughed lightly at the balls on the Korean as he swung his legs over the side of the well. Glenn was being incredibly brave but his face betrayed his nerves.
"Living piece! That living part is important." Glenn let out a deep breath and nodded quickly. "Nice and slow, please."
"We got you."
"Oh, you people are crazy." Maggie said in disbelief.
"You want to get it out of your well or not?" Shane snapped.
"Give us an eye there, Maggie." Dale asked, grabbing a hold of the rope with the others. Phoenix scoffed as Lori nodded at the rope, questioning whether the girl was really not going to help. Her reply was a set of folded arms and a turning away. Lori shook her head and grabbed the rope.
"Doing okay?" Maggie questioned as Glenn disappeared into the well.
"Yup, doing great. Living the dream -"
"Little lower. Little more." Glenn suddenly let out a shriek as he plummeted quickly closer to the walker as the water spout broke free of its base and began rattling across the ground.
"Get it! Get it! Grab it! Grab it!" T-Dog and Phoenix leapt at it and grabbed it, slowing its halt. T-Dog groaned as he hauled himself backwards, his feet bracing deep into the dirt.
"Get me out of here! Get it off. Get off. Get off! Get me out!" Glenn screamed, batting the walker's snapping teeth away from him.
"Oh my God. Oh my God." Maggie repeated, clutching the edge of the well.
"Guys, get me out!" Glenn shrieked in fright, his voice cracking as he screamed.
"Come on, you guys." Shane panted, pulling on T-Dog's shoulders as the man braced his feet against the edge of the well and held on tightly to the water pump. The group tugged the rope and the man backwards away from the well.
"Get me out! Oh God. Oh God. Oh my God! Get me out of here!"
"Pull! Pull! Pull! Pull! Pull!" Shane hissed as the group pulled the rope. "Let's go, pull."
"Get me out. Get me out."
"Come on. Come on."
"Glenn! Pull him up! Pull him up! Pull him up!"
"Get me out of here!"
"Pull him up. Pull him up. Are you okay?" Lori panted as they all rested on the ground.
"Back to the drawing board." Dale muttered defeatedly. Glenn smirked up at the old man and laughed slightly.
"Says you." Glenn laughed, lifting the rope to show it had tension on it. The rope gave a lurch and Dale quickly grabbed it to stop it falling into the well. The group gathered round the well and clapped the man on the back. He'd successfully snared the bloated walker.
"Come on, guys, pull." T-Dog panted, his arms straining as he tugged.
"Fuck's sake! Pull!" Phoenix yelled, her boots digging into the ground and leaving deep furrows in their wake.
"Come on, y'all." Shane panted as he pulled. The rope burning into everyone's bare hands.
"Almost there. Come on, pull, s. -" Shane panted, his ankle jarring with pain as his arms strained.
"Come on. Pull!"
"Come on, y'all. Together."
"Almost there. Come on, pull. Keep it coming. Come on, pull." Shane hissed.
"Watch out, dawg. Nice and easy." T-Dog leapt out the way as the head of the walker breached the top of the well.
"Just a little more." Phoenix hissed, her hand beginning to ache again. "Come on, almost there."
"You got to pull it, man." "We are pulling asswipe!" Phoenix growled, her gloves starting to heat up as the rope burned into them.
"It's stuck!" T-Dog yelled panicked as the walker flailed around on the lip of the well wall.
"Come on."
"Come on, pull!"
"Pull!" Andrea hissed, giving it her all at front of the line. Everyone paled as the walker split clear in two and heard the lower half splash back into the water as its torso began trying to crawl towards them. Phoenix gagged as it left a trail of congealing blood in its wake.
"We should seal off this well." Dale nodded, turning away from the well and the half walker on the ground.
"Yeah, might be a good idea." Shane sighed.
"So what do we do about..." Andrea began before T-Dog viciously took out the walker, working off his anger at the situation.
"Good thing we didn't do anything stupid like shoot it." T-Dog replied sarcastically as he straightened and walked away, Maggie had lowered her head with a grimace of shock on her face.
"We'll come again tomorrow."
"You know there's always the chance..." Carol held her hand up and shook her head lightly.
"Don't. I really don't need to hear it anymore, Andrea. Save the thoughts and prayers." Carol tearfully said. "You never know, Carol." Shane whispered. Carol held up her hand, her eyes misty as she gazed down at the painted sign on the windscreen. "We can hang targets along that fence line there. That rise, it gives a natural backstop."
"I agree. It's a fair place to practice. Trees will shade us as well." Phoenix smiled at the pair, her eyes jumping around for danger.
"It's a good idea."
"Thanks."
"So how long before I can carry?" Andrea asked, her eagerness admirale. Shane chuckled lowly and shook his head.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." He replied.
"I'm not in a very patient frame of mind these days, Shane. You might have noticed that."
"No shit. Look, I ain't worried about you offing yourself, even though you got old Dale pissing his pants lately." Shane laughed lowly, his footsteps faulting in the uneven grass.
"Yeah, I noticed that too. He did come within a minute or so of being blown to hell because of me, to be fair."
"Look, I see you have the desire for gun work and desire will take you a long way. But something you need to know, so file this carefully."
"I'm listening." The blond stated. Phoenix paused at the fence and took aim with her bow, trying to judge the distance better.
"Paper targets is one thing. Easy to hit what ain't moving. But taking down an assailant, one that's trying to kill you, it's different. They say in that kind of situation things slow down. That's crap. They speed up. Adrenalin, ha. It'll cripple you if you let it. You need to use your instinct. You got to rule it out. Because somebody is going to die and you'd better hope that you're the one who's making that decision."
"It's same as hunting. Can't be a pussy about shooting a cute ickle bunny. Or ya don't eat." Phoenix muttered, giving the woman a glance as she strode off along the fence line. "How? I mean, how do you do that? Turn off a switch."
"The switch. The one that makes you scared or angry, sympathetic, whatever. You don't think. You just... you act. 'Cause odds are somebody else is counting on you. That's your partner. That's your friend. There ain't nothing easy about taking a man's life no matter how little value it may have. But when you get it done, you have to forget it."
"I guess I haven't quite got that last part down yet." Andrea whispered. "Speak for yaself. It's kill or be killed. Self defence. Survival. Plain and simple." Phoenix grimly groaned, skipping back to Carol who'd fallen behind slightly.
"But you're getting there?"
"I hope so."
"It's a good spot. It'll do." Shane finally states as he takes a final look around. His mind worked at 100 miles an hour on the puzzle that was the Brit.
"How come you ain't in England?" Phoenix glanced up from her blade at the scraggly teenagers in front of her. Jimmy and Beth stood before her with questioning looks on their faces. Curious as only teenagers and children could be.
"Came over here to study. Was working on an art degree at an Atlanta uni. Wanted to be a special effects artist. Making weapons for films and TV shows, ya know. Even went and studied with a blacksmith" She said quickly. That was her cover story and like hell could she let slip the real reason. No one could know.
"That why ya axe is so flashy? It can't be easy to clean or keep sharp?" Beth asked, pointing to the weapon leaning against her bike. It's quadruple heads glinting slightly in the sun, highlighting the black glass inlays in the blade. Phoenix chuckled and picked it up. Beth and Jimmy took a step back as she swirled it in an arch over her head. She bought it down and split the handle in two, making two shorter dual headed axes.
"Yup... It can be a righ’ fuckin' bitch to clean. But I made this at college, I can take this apart back to the main components and clean it. The blade is simple steel and glass. It's the same as any blade. Can be sharpened just like a buck knife or a regular axe." She explained to the teenagers. Jimmy held his hand out after she'd put it back together into one. She dropped the axe into his hand and barked out a laugh as his arms failed to lift its full weight, Beth biting her lip to not laugh at her boyfriend. "You need to work out more. Fuckin' hell, even Carol can lift that." She said quietly.
Jimmy's eyes flew to Carol, who smiled their way, not knowing that they were talking about her. Phoenix nodded as she accepted her axe back and walked away as the teenagers began whispering to themselves.
"You need any help, Carol?"
"I'd like that."
Daryl climbed the steps of the RV slowly, his hand behind his back. He paused as he looked around the, now, spotless kitchenette.
"I cleaned up. Wanted it to be nice for her." Carol replied as she sewed a hole in T-Dog's shirt. Phoenix smiled lightly beside her, her own needle speeding through her jacket sleeve.
"For a second I thought I was in the wrong place." He cleared his throat and reached out to put a single white bloom in a brown beer bottle on the side.
"A flower?" Carol questioned, stopping her hands to give the rough man her full attention.
"It's a Cherokee rose. The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the trail of tears the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much 'cause they were losing their little ones along the way from exposure and disease and starvation. A lot of them just disappeared. So the elders, they said a prayer; asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits, give them strength and hope. The next day this rose started to grow right where the mothers' tears fell." He glanced at the flower before looking back at the grey haired woman.
"I'm not fool enough to think there's any flowers blooming for my brother... But I believe this one, it bloomed for your little girl."
Carol smiled tearfully, her head ducking slightly. Phoenix glanced up at Daryl and gave him a subtle nod of thanks.
"She's gonna really like it in here." He said quietly before leaving.
"He's a good man at heart." Carol whispered to her, swiping away her tears.
"I know." Phoenix breathed, her eyes following Daryl's movements out of the window, feeling a surge of affection towards him. His head turned over his shoulder towards them as Phoenix had to swallow down the lump in her throat.
Phoenix's eyes narrowed as she watched from the treetop as Lori glanced around her before squatting just outside the fence. The woman's actions confusing the girl, Phoenix shuffled forward before her eyebrows shot up recognising the small white stick Lori had in her hands.
No fuckin' way! That ain't…
She jumped out the tree and slowly meandered over to the sobbing brunette.
"You okay?" Lori quickly scrambled to her feet, shoving the stick into the back pocket of her jeans before nodding and walking away.
"I'm here if ya need to talk Lori!" Phoenix called after her as the sun began to go down. Lori turned and stomped up to her, an angry look across her face.
"Do me a favour and mind your own business! You're lucky I haven't told Rick about you encouraging Carl to run about today. He's still recovering! Stay away from my family!" She snapped, glaring at the younger woman.
"I sent him straight t' ya after he came t' me!" Phoenix's voice, taking on a slight Irish lilt in her anger. "I know he's still hurting. I also know you don't mean that. Everything that happened the last few days... You need an outlet for all that hurt." Phoenix said calmly. Her hands gripping her thighs through her jeans pockets, trying to not react at the outburst. Lori ducked her head and nodded.
"I didn't mean it... I'm sorry, I shouldn't be taking it out on you."
"It's okay Lori. I get it. Go on. Carl needs his momma. Go get some rest with ya hubby and kid." Lori smiled weakly and turned. Phoenix's eyes widened as she spotted a familiar blue cap sticking out of the woman's back pocket.
Brand spanking new chapter for you guys! I know its been a while but its here! whoop whoop! The longest chapter I’ve wrote to date at 6710 words!
No warnings this time except usual TWD gore and maybe a bit of bitchy behaviour lol
TAG LIST - @lilythemadqueen @autocon23 @darylsgirl @boondoctorwho @purple-serenity @browneyes528 @writingdeadangel @pandora-writes-stuff @fandomsaremykryponite @littlegodzilla
MASTERLIST
"You sure you're okay to ride?"
It was a question she'd been asked by four different people already and she was seriously peeved.
The night before had been a bust. The Vatos had been wiped out, executed, same as the old people they were trying so very hard to protect during what would of most likely been their last weeks or months of life. The group had stayed over night in the relative safety of the old home but one thing had Phoenix rattled more and more the longer she thought of it - Where were the guns Rick had so kindly gifted them? Who had done such a cruel and callous thing?
But for now, the more annoying thing that was bothering her, was the group questioning her ability to ride her damn bike.
Yes, her hand was a hindrance but she had over a decade of riding experience. She'd be fine. She really wished they would stop treating her as a child.
"You wanna stop fuckin' questionin' me? It's seriously fuckin' annoying! I can ride fine. Fucking hell, I could probably out ride Daryl if I so chose to!" She snapped at the older man who raised his hands and backed away. She didn't noticed Daryl's gaze on her as she finished securing her bags on the back of the bike and slipping into the saddle, all the while muttering to herself about how annoyed she was. The group had decided to split the remaining fuel between Carol's Cherokee, the RV, Daryl's truck and the two motorbikes. The bikers were to take the lead as they had more mobility to quickly turn and warn the others of incoming walkers so the group could get away safely and without loosing anyone, well that was the hope anyway.
Rick was stood a few yards away, talking on the walkie talkie to the man who'd saved him when he'd first woken up. Phoenix didn't see the point in it. He was most likely dead but she wasn't about to argue with their leader. She nodded to Daryl and began to move to the front of the column of vehicles, leading the convoy out of Atlanta and hopefully to a thriving, surviving Fort Benning.
*
The rumble of the Triumph and her own Suzuki RM-Z450 blocked out all noise coming towards them as they rode closer to the traffic jam in the distance. They had been expecting clearer roads but you never knew what you were going to get at the end of the world as shown by the huge amount of broken down or abandoned vehicles in front of them on I-85. Daryl slowed his bike and began weaving his way through the cars slowly, before turning back and having a short conversation with Dale. Phoenix paused on her bike keeping an eye out for trouble as the RV made slow progress before coughing to a stop with steam erupting from the engine. With a shake of her head she dismounted and slowly gazed around, eyes flicking quickly through the grimy windows of the cars for danger. Her eyes were drawn towards the corpses stuck in the cars incase they weren't as deceased as they appeared, as Dale opened the RV door and threw his hands up.
"I said it. Didn't I say it? A thousand times! Dead in the water." The man said, opening the engine as stream burst through the grill. He leaned back to avoid a face full of red hot steam as the group gathered round to see what was wrong.
"Problem Dale?" Shane asked, despite it being obvious there was.
"Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope -" He paused as Daryl opened a nearby car and began to rummage through the trunk. "Okay, that was dumb."
Phoenix smirked as Daryl tossed her a look over his shoulder. Her eyes found themselves wandering down his broad shoulders and back to his butt as her head tilted to the side in appreciation.
Well hello Mr Dixon, what a mighty fine backside you have.
"There's a whole buncha stuff we can find." Daryl said straightening up and ignoring the blush on the huntress beside Shane. He was sure she was ogling him but couldn't prove it.
"Can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start." T-Dog said quietly, heading away towards the nearest car with Daryl closely following.
"Maybe some water."
"Or food" Carol said quietly, glancing at Rick pleadingly.
"This is a graveyard." Everyone turned to Lori as she spoke, Daryl and T-Dog pausing their actions. Phoenix scoffed and shook her head. "I don't know how I feel about this."
"Like they're gonna be arsed woman!" The Brit sniped, earning a glare from Lori. "Look... This is the way of the world now. You need shit, ya do things ya wouldn't before!" She gestured around with her hands before pointing towards the children. "Better than it going to waste, rotting and not doing jack shit for anyone! Think about the kids! They need the food to grow... We don't, well, not as much as they do! Fucking hell it's not like we're gonna end up in fucking prison!"
Rick sighed and shook his head at the young woman, who slapped her hands against her hips in a huff before walking back to her bike, shaking her left hand occasionally as the slap had irritated her wound. The glare that followed her from Lori could have quelled even the most sturdy of people into submission.
"Alright. Alright. Here we go."
"Come on y'all! Just look around, gather what ya can!" T-Dog rallied, cheerfully, trying to motivate the group.
*
Phoenix wiped the sweat off her forehead for the fifth time as the heat burned into her back, the droplets making her clothes cling to her skin and irritating her. Running quickly to her bike, she pulled her studded bracers off her forearms and shrugged out of her leather jacket, shoving them into her duffel bag before anyone could see its contents. The last thing she needed was Shane or Rick seeing the Berettas, Dessert Eagles and men's clothing she had hidden in there. That would be too long a conversation that would end up with her kicked out of the group and she knew as capable as she was, there was more safety in numbers than by herself.
She hoisted her bow and quiver onto her back and wandered over to the treeline.
"Rick? Think I should go hunt? See if I can rustle up some meat for us?" She asked as Rick paced, keeping guard as the survivors scavenged.
"No. Can't take that risk, we need all our fighters here. Can't afford to leave anyone behind by accident." He replied in his slow drawl, pacing away towards the RV where Dale was on top as lookout. She sighed and wandered over to Shane and Glenn, the pair trying to take apart the engine of a truck for spare parts. She laughed as Shane doused himself in the face with the gallon of water he'd found in the truck in front of him and turned as a whistle pierced the air. Daryl waved her over to him and T-Dog, smirking slightly.
"Go put this in the truck and grab me another can" T-Dog asked handing her the full can as she stopped in front of him.
"Nah. You go get it. Girl ain't ya lackey!" Daryl growled at the man, who quietly surrendered and ran off quickly. Daryl eyed the quiet girl as she began to hoist herself into the back of the van near him. His hands flexed at the sight of her round, plump thighs straining the tight dark green denim coating them. He shook his head and got angry at himself.
"You wanna talk about that kiss?" Her voice was hushed and quiet but she knew he'd heard her. He scoffed and walked away. "Or not... You do realise that I'm not upset about it... Or the fact you walked away before anythin' could happen, right?"
"Pfft. Nothin' to talk about. Nothin' happened."
"If you say so. Must of been dreaming of you pressing me against the truck seats when the CDC went up in flames." She sighed. "It was a very, very good dream. Haven't had a kiss like that in fucking years... Made me all tingly." She shuddered, her whole frame shaking slightly with a dreamy dazed look on her face as she bit her lip.
"Tingly? What the hell?" Daryl paused and stared at her as she looked at him over her shoulder, smiling at him as she bit her lip between her teeth. He shifted his weight from foot to foot as his face grew red.
"I wouldn't mind doing it again even if it was just a dream..." She breathed as he slowly moved towards her as she fully turned, seating herself on the lip of the trunk and biting her lip once again, leaning back on the arms to raise her chest invitingly. Daryl gulped as he eased himself between her thighs and leaned over her. His chest bumped against her's as he leaned in closer, his lips seconds from touching her's...
"Walkers!"
Daryl pulled away and ran off before he could give into temptation, leaving the girl there as he rushed off to help the rest of the group. Phoenix climbed to her feet and her face paled as the sight of the herd came into view.
Too many to out run.
Too many to kill.
All she could do was hide.
She threw herself into the nearby trunk of a car and eased the door closed, holding on tightly to it so it would stay shut. She squeezed her eyes closed and prayed for help. The car shook as it was bumped by walkers but she still kept her eyes tightly shut and her breathing shallow. It seemed like forever before the groans and stench of the dead began to lessen.
Her heart hammered in her chest as she heard a commotion outside. She really hoped that none of the group had been caught. She clutched at the rosaries around her neck and opened her eyes slowly, lifting the trunk open an inch and peering out. She couldn't see anyone or any walkers.
"Phoenix!? Phoenix?! Where are ya?" Daryl's hissed-voice called from nearby, she couldn't see him. She eased herself into the open air and landed with a bump. Her still healing hand giving a jolt of pain as it hit the rough tarmac. She hissed and clutched it to her chest as footsteps came closer. The squeak of rubber was familiar and she sucked in a breath, trying to breathe through the pain.
"What did you do now woman?!" Daryl snapped, grabbing her arm and pulling her closer to him. He gently prodded at her hand and looked at her from under his eyebrows. "Ya okay?"
"Yea. Just had a rough landing. Hid in the trunk." She added at his confused look. "Kiss it better?"
"Pfft. Never... Ain't gonna kiss ya. Ever!" He stated, hoping to end whatever attraction the pair felt towards each other before it began even if it made his chest hurt before roughly letting go of her arm and striding away. Her heart clenched at the statement and followed, trying not to let her upset show on her face.
Her eyebrows knotted as she neared the group, Carol was crying while being held by Lori. She quickly learned that Sophia had been chased into the woods by walkers and Rick had gone after her. Hopefully the pair would return soon.
*
When Rick returned, he was alone. Carol heartbrokenly ran into the RV crying and inconsolable. Luckily Daryl and Phoenix were great trackers and were currently inspecting the soft earth where Rick had lead them in a search and rescue attempt.
"Sure this is the spot?" Daryl said, peering into the shallow, root covered cliff.
"I left her right here. I drew the walkers way off in that direction up the creek." Rick explained as Daryl and Phoenix gazed down at the imprints.
"Without a paddle - Seems where we've landed."
"She was gone by the time I got back here. I figured she just took off and ran back to the group. I told her to go that way and keep the sun on her left shoulder." Rick pointed in the direction they had come and paced slightly. Daryl and Phoenix peered at the soft wet earth edging the banks of the stream carefully, their sharp eyes scanning for any mark the girl could have left.
"Hey, short round! Why don't ya step off to one side? You're mucking up the trail." Daryl barked at Glenn, who sheepishly stepped backwards.
"Assuming she knows her left from her right."
"She's 12, of course she knows!" Phoenix snapped, easing herself down the bank where Daryl was looking at the ground.
"Shane, she understood me fine!"
"Kid's tired and scared man. She had a close call with two walkers. Got to wonder how much of what you said stuck." Shane said quietly.
"Got clear prints right here. She did like you said, headed back to the highway. Let's spread out, make our way back." Daryl stated, hopping back up onto the bank and leading the way.
"She couldn't have gone far."
"Hey, we'll find her. She'll just be tuckered out somewhere under a bush or summit." Phoenix said softly, clasping Rick on the shoulder before rushing forward to catch up with Daryl. She paused as Daryl did. The prints on the ground suddenly veering off away from the highway.
"She was doing just fine till right here... All she had to do was keep going."
"Think I might go grab my bike. Be faster with me searching on that. I can easily out ride any walkers too. Grab the girl and ride off with her if I have to. Circle round and meet ya back up at the highway." Phoenix reasoned, glancing at the men around her.
"Let's stay on foot for now. Less chance of missing her in the haste." Shane answered as the girl straightened to her feet. She nodded grimly and glanced around her, the herd had put her on edge and she expected that walkers could sneak up on them at any moment.
"Plus the noise might attract more walkers. Dunno how far away that herd went. Can't bring 'em back down on us." Daryl grumbled, straightening his crossbow across his back, Phoenix glanced at him and smiled weakly, which was ignored. "She veered off thata way."
"Why would she do that?" Glenn questioned, looking in the direction Daryl pointed as Phoenix skipped over and kept her eyes trained to the ground, her eyes skimming over the tracks.
"Maybe she saw something that spooked her, made her run off."
"A walker?" Glenn whispered, glancing around him anxiously as if expecting one to appear suddenly.
"I don't see any other footprints. Just her's."
"So what do we do? All of us press on?" Glenn asked as Daryl stood back up and glanced all around him. Phoenix skipped a little ahead and glanced at the ground, she couldn't see any indication of anyone other than Sophia either.
"No. Better if you and Shane get back up the highway." Rick reasoned, turning to Shane and dropping his voice to a whisper. "People are gonna start panicking. Let them know we're on her trail, doing everything we can. But most of all, keep everyone calm."
Shane straightened to his full height and nodded. "I'll keep 'em busy, scavenging cars. Think up a few other chores. I'll keep 'em occupied."
*
The trio made slow progress through the trees. Rick's heavy footsteps, in stark contrast compared to the silent hunters, made the leaves under foot crackle and hiss. Phoenix gave Rick a sidelong glance and internally sighed, the man was as heavy footed as an elephant.
"Tracks are gone."
"Nah, they're faint, but they ain't gone. She came through here." Daryl whispered as his sharp eyes ran over the ground.
"How can you tell? I don't see anything. Dirt, grass, leaves..." Rick questioned quietly, trying and failing to see what Daryl and Phoenix could. Daryl turned and raised his eyebrow at the Deputy.
"You want a lesson in tracking or you want to find that girl and get our ass off that interstate?" He snapped roughly before spinning as leaves rustled behind him down the hill. The trio ducked as one to the ground, kneeling and glancing around. A lone walker wandered by, groaning and hissing to itself as it shuffled on dragging legs. Phoenix crouched towards a tree as Rick and Daryl got into a position to take it out quietly. Daryl whistled loudly causing the walker to roar at him as it turned. A quick arrow to the head took it out permanently. Rick swiftly ran to the fallen corpse and lifted its hand peering at the nails intently.
"Sophia!" Daryl yelled, spinning in a circle before turning back to Rick. "What you looking for?"
"Skin under the fingernails. It fed recently. There's flesh caught in its teeth." Rick grimaced as Daryl knelt beside him and peered at the walkers face closely.
"Yeah, but what kinda flesh?"
"Hopefully not little blond girl's flesh." Phoenix whispered under her breath, trying to spot the girl's tracks once more.
"Only one way to know for sure." He grimaced, pulling out his knife. Daryl pushed Rick's hand down slowly.
"Here, I'll do it. How many kills you skin and gut in ya life? Anyway, mine is sharper." Daryl states, pulling on his gloves. Daryl grunts over and over again as he stabs into the walker then drags the blade down through the muscles of the walker's torso. Rick's face twisted as the foul decomposition scents are released from the dead. Phoenix's gut twisted as well, and she was used to field dressing kills and had worked in a meat packing plant before. Rick covered his nose and mouth with his wrist and glanced away for a moment as Daryl reaches into the open cavity. "Yeah, Hoss had a big meal not long ago. I can feel it in there." Daryl pants as he tugs the stomach, intestines and other digestive organs from the walker, flicking his wrist as he grunts at the effort.
"I got this." Rick whispers as he rips open the gut bag. Daryl digs around and pulls out the skull of a small mammal. Peering at it then letting out a breath of relief. Phoenix narrowed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief.
"This gross bastard had himself a woodchuck for lunch." Daryl flicked the skull off of his knife and rose.
"At least we know."
"At least we know." Daryl agreed, following after Rick and Phoenix as they began walking away.
*
"Oh god, they're back!" Glenn called out, rushing to the guardrail where the trio were clambering back onto the interstate. Carol and the others running to them too. Carol looked around wildly, hopefully before the hope in her eyes dulled once she saw they were alone.
"You didn't find her?" She breathed in grief. Phoenix shook her head slowly and leaned down on the barrier with her head hung low.
"Trail went cold. We'll pick it up at first light." Rick said quietly, the weight of his failure baring down on his shoulders, which slumped low.
"You can't leave my daughter out there on her own to spend the night alone in the woods!" Carol cried, tears building in her eyes.
"Out in the dark's no good. We'd just be tripping over ourselves. More people get lost." Daryl tried to placate the upset woman with his logic, it did not work however.
"But she's 12! She can't be out on her own!" She gasped, her panic and maternal instincts in over drive. "You didn't find anything? Any sign?"
"I know this is hard." Rick said lowly, using all his police training to try and gain back control of the situation without causing more panic. "We know she was out there."
"And we tracked her for a while." Daryl added, as Phoenix nodded smiling weakly at the grey haired woman. She could not imagine what Carol was feeling, but had a vague idea of how her heart was breaking every second she was away from someone she loved with her very soul.
"We have to make this is an organised effort. Daryl and Phoenix know these woods better than anyone. I've asked them to oversee this." Rick explained, his hands gesturing as he spoke.
"Is that blood?" Carol gasped, noticing the gore covering Rick's uniform shirt. She began panting as fear flooded her heart.
"We took down a walker." Rick calmly whispered.
"Walker? Oh my god!"
"There was no sign it was ever near Sophia."
"How can you know that?" Andrea asked, her arms folded across her chest as she gazed at the group. Phoenix growled in her chest at the lack of tact the woman showed, Daryl bristled as well and rested his hand on her shoulder to calm her.
"We cut the son of a bitch open. Made sure."
"Oh god!" Carol gasped and finally gave into the tears and shook her head. "How could you just leave her out there to begin with?! How could you just leave her!?" Carol's voice raising as her anger towards Rick did.
"Those two walkers were on us, I had to draw them off. It was her best chance!" Rick stammered, trying to prove it was not a malicious act.
"Sounds like he didn't have a choice Carol." Shane calmly stated, trying to back up his partner's decision. Carol sent him a glare as she turned to the trees.
"How was she supposed to find her way back? She's just a child! She's just a child!" Lori wrapped her arms around her and glanced at Rick.
"It was my only option. The only choice I could make!" Rick could feel the blame Carol sent his way beginning to hurt his soul. He hated that he had failed to protect the girl. That it was his fault she was lost in the woods.
"I'm sure nobody doubts that."
"My little girl got left in the woods." Carol sobbed as Lori ran her hands soothingly down her back. Rick stood and glanced around before striding away further into the traffic snarl, his head hung low as guilt threatened to overwhelm him and cause him to break down. He had to be the strong, calm leader but that did not stop him from wanting to cry alongside Carol. Phoenix sighed and eyed the woods, silently praying that the sweet little girl had found a hole to hide in.
The sky steadily darkened around the group as Lori and Dale whipped up a meal of sorts from the scavenged supplies, which was silently eaten as Carol's cries of agony choked out from inside the RV. Phoenix glanced at the woods and sighed deeply.
"Rick."
"Yea?" The man looked up at the huntress, his sorrow at what he saw as his failure clear in his posture as Carl sat against his knee.
"I'm taking my bike into those woods tomorrow. Don't try and talk me out of it. I'm fast on it and I can track while riding."
"You'll attract walkers!" Lori snapped, standing up and folding her arms.
"I'll attract Sophia! Girl knows the sound of my bike. If she hears it, she'll pop up from her hideyhole! I'll nab her and bring her back. Hell..." Phoenix tugged her hair as she began to feel anger towards the woman. She realised quickly that Lori was simply scared that someone would die the next time they ran into walkers. "Look, I get it. I know you're all worried, but I can do this." She sighed and ran her hand through her spiky hair, smoothing it back down slightly before glancing at Dale.
"I need to take one of those guardrails down, before I can get the bike into the woods. You got the tools?"
"Phoenix. I know ya wanna help but I don't think it's a good idea." Rick mummered. "Best to stay on foot."
"Rick. You and Daryl take a group out in the morning. I'll stay here, get that rail down. If you haven't found her by the time it's done then I am taking my bike out. Whether you or anyone else thinks it's a good idea or not." She stormed off to her bike, her anger at being treated like an idiot getting the better of her as she slumped down beside it. She didn't notice the subtle gaze of the other hunter on her.
*
Phoenix glared at the group as she pulled on her thick leather gloves and cracked her neck loudly. The group was being given melee weapons by Shane and Daryl nearby and she shook her head.
Knives, machetes, mini axes. Useless in the woods. She thought, picking her way through Dale's tool bag, hoping to find a socket big enough to loosen the rivets on the guardrails.
Someone's gonna get one stuck in a tree trunk and they'll be goners. Stupid fuckin' idiots don't know anything about surviving in the woods. Can't blame me if summit goes wrong! Idiots.
She finally found a socket that fit and began twisting and turning the nuts holding the steel to the posts. It was hard work and her shoulders burned with the effort and strain of the activity. A lance of pain shot through her collarbone as the first of the nuts began to loosen slightly.
The sooner this is done, the sooner I can find the kid was the mantra running through her head as she grunted. Phoenix paused and raised her arms above her head to work out the kink she felt beginning to form.
Gone soft since leaving Ireland woman. Ya need to get back to real hard work she chastised herself, noticing the group making their way into the woods. Daryl glanced back at her one last time before he disappeared into the woods.
*
"Yus! Finally!" Phoenix whooped as, after hours of hard labour, the steel barrier crashed to the tarmac with a loud echoing clang. Dale and T-Dog raised their heads in her direction as she threw herself onto the bike and tore into the woods. Following the group's clear trail she took off faster before turning to the other side of their path. Her eyes scanning the forest floor for any sign of life. Faint footsteps has her slowing and stopping.
"God dammit."
The grooves in the mud were much too large and deep to have come from the weight of the slender child.
DONG! DONG! DONG!
Phoenix's head whipped up as the ringing of church bells echoed through the trees. She quickly guessed where they were coming from and hopped back on the bike and sped towards the sound. Slowly the white façade of the church came to light from the tree line. She burst out of the woods into a graveyard, weaving her way around tombstones to stop at the church steps.
"Phoenix!"
She nodded as the group appeared in front of her. Daryl up-nodded slightly at her and she shook her head at the silent question before turning to the building before her. Something was bugging her about it but she couldn't figure out what.
"That can't be it. Got no steeple, no bells. Rick." Shane argued, pacing quickly to Rick as he approached the doors.
"He's right Rick. Trust me I know churches." Phoenix agreed, finally figuring out what had bugged her about the place. Rick, Daryl, Shane and Phoenix pushed open the door.
Inside, walkers sat in the pews, looking from behind like a regular congregation waiting on a sermon. They rose and growled at the possibility of fresh meat. Each survivor taking out one of the walkers silently. Phoenix raised an eyebrow in amusement as Daryl flinched backwards away from the female walker he'd just taken care of as if he was scared of a bit of gore.
"Shut up." He hissed as a smirk came to her lips. She patted his shoulder as his ears turned pink before facing the alter, a large statue of Christ on the cross was haloed with the sun streaming through the stained glass window. She stood frozen to the spot, feeling like the weight of her sins suddenly increase tenfold.
"Yo, JC. You takin' requests?" Daryl snarked up at the statue as Rick opened all the doors, calling out for Sophia. Phoenix snapped out of her daze and lightly slapped Daryl's arm with a disapproving look at his lack of respect and faith. He shook his head, smirking at the girl's outraged gaze.
"I'm telling you, it's the wrong church! It's got no steeple, Rick! No steeple!" Shane breathlessly said as Rick turned to him as he panted.
The bells began to sound again, the group rushing outside and searching for the source of the noise.
The group rounded the building, the bells growing louder until they spotted a box on the wall and a speaker attached high up on the wall. Glenn pulled open he box and flicked at the inside, killing the bells instantly.
"A timer. It's on a timer." Daryl panted, clearly frustrated as he stomped past. Phoenix sighed and crossed herself. The mood turned sombre as they all realised the missing girl wasn't the one ringing out a call for them to follow.
"I'm gonna go back in for a bit." Carol tearfully whispered, fleeing silently back into the church. Phoenix met Daryl's eyes before ducking her head and joining Carol at the alter. Phoenix pulled her rosaries out from under her shirt and fell with a thump to her knees, head low over her clasped hands.
God, please. Give us a sign. Something to give us hope. Something to give us a clue to where Sophia is. She's only a girl! She hasn't lived her life yet. Please. Please! Anything. I beg you! I've never strayed from the path you gave us. Never asked for anything. Give me this small mercy... Even if it's just.... Just to put her to rest. To know for sure she's gone to your grace. Please.
Phoenix prayed, fingers twisting the beads between her fingers rhythmically. Her eyes glanced to her left, to Carol who was praying aloud to the same god.
God please. Carol's been through the ring enough with her husband. Give her some hope at least. And if you can't.... Then... Give me a sign of the twins. Of Romeo... Let me know they're out there. I know it's selfish... But please... Give us a sign of the girl. We need to find her. Amen.
She rose to her feet slowly, crossing herself and leaning forward to kiss the feet of the statue, as was her and the twins custom, before turning and walking to the rear of the church. Daryl's eyes narrowed at her as she leaned heavily against the wall beside him.
"Ya okay?"
"Yea... Just worried DD. I'll be okay though." She smiled weakly at him as she turned her head towards him. "Come on, we're losing the daylight." She patted his arm and walked out into the sun to Shane and Rick arguing quietly.
"She could be a lotta things!"
"I can't go back. Her being out here is my fault!"
"That's great." Shane sarcastically replied. "Now they got you doubting yourself huh?" Shane glanced at Phoenix and the rest of the group. Phoenix stuck her tongue out at the dark haired man childishly.
"What about you? You doubt me?" Rick accused, tilting his head.
"Hey, we can assign all kinda blame." Shane backtracked, trying to sooth Rick's rapidly fraying nerves. He didn't want the man's explosive temper frightening his son. Shane knew Rick had a rage bubbling under the surface that had mellowed to embers over the years and didn't want to reignite that blaze.
"This means something, finding her." Rick passionately declared, his hands going to his hips as he stood.
"Oh man..."
"It would be the miracle we need. We can't give up." He sighed, running a hand over his stubbled face. Shane nodded slowly, clasping his rifle tighter to his shoulder turning to the group.
"Hmm ahem. Y'all gonna follow the creek bed back okay? Me and Rick, we're just gonna hang back, search this area another hour or so. Just be thorough. Phoenix, you get on that bike and do your best to find that girl. Go ahead of Daryl and the rest."
"You're splitting us up. You sure?" The redneck questioned, his hand gripped his crossbow strap higher on his broad shoulder.
"Yea, we'll catch up to you." Shane replied as Carl and Lori wandered over to the small gathering.
"I want to stay too! I'm her friend!" Carl stated, pulling himself to his full, albeit short, height. Rick and Lori shared a look before Lori nodded, running her hand over Carl's head.
"Just be careful, okay?" She said quietly, gaining the boys attention.
"I will."
"When did you start growing up?" She questioned, pulling him into a hug.
"I'll be along soon enough." Rick reasoned, pulling out his python and holding it out to her. "Here, take this. Remember how to use it?"
Lori quickly held her hands up and backed away, shaking her head. "I'm not taking your gun and leaving you unarmed!"
"Here, got a spare. Take it." Daryl said quickly as he pulled the gun he'd found in the tent out from the backside of his jeans, and holding it out to the long haired woman. Lori took it and nodded, stowing it away in her waistband. Daryl turned and glanced at Phoenix as she released her bike's brakes before beginning to push it towards the Highway's direction into the woods.
*
The group walked silently for a few minutes with Daryl and Phoenix, pushing her bike, leading the way. Daryl side eyed the young woman beside him once more as she puffed out another heavy breath as the bike wheel snagged over another exposed root.
"So this is it? This is the whole plan?" Carol asked, the group paused as she slowly brought up the rear.
"I guess the plan is to whittle us down into smaller and smaller groups." Daryl shrugged.
"Carrying knives and pointy sticks. I see you have a gun." Andrea snapped, gesturing to Lori as they sat for a short break on some logs. Phoenix raised her eyebrow as Lori stood, pulling the gun out and holding it out to the annoying blond.
"Why, you want it? Here, take it. I'm sick of the looks you're giving me!" Lori growled, thrusting the gun towards the blond who took it. "All of you."
"Hey! I ain't giving ya no looks woman!" Phoenix snarled, swinging her leg over her bike to perch on it. Lori gave her a weak smile before turning to Carol.
"Honey, I can't imagine what you're going through. And I would do anything to stop it." Lori knelt down in front of the tearful woman. The two mothers feeling the sorrow a missing child, whether gone or lost, caused. "But you have got to stop blaming Rick. It's in your face every time you look at him! When Sophia ran, he didn't hesitate, did he? Not for a second. I don't know if any of us would have gone after her the way he did -"
"Would've if I wasn't trapped in that damn trunk." Phoenix muttered under her breath, folding her arms across her chest as Lori glared at her.
"Or made the hard decisions that he had to make or that anyone could have done it differently. Anybody? Y'all look to him and then blame him when he's not perfect." Carol turned her head away in self shame as Lori stood and looked around the group. "If you think you can do this without him, go right ahead. Nobody is stopping you."
Andrea slowly held the gun out to Lori, accepting she was acting like a spoilt bratty prat.
"We should keep moving." The blond nodded to the brunette as she tucked the gun back into her pants after taking it back from the former defence attorney.
"Ya should get on that."
"What?" Phoenix asked as they began walking up a slope, turning her head in the redneck's direction. The bike's wheels digging into the leaf coated ground and sliding slightly.
"Get on the bike. Be easier than pushin' it." He reasoned quietly in his gruff voice, looking back at the others to make sure they weren't loosing any more people in the trees.
"Nah. Need the fuel to last, besides, I can always come out earlier tomorrow. Pick up the trail quicker."
"Pfft... Sure ya can." Daryl snorted. Phoenix paused and kicked the stand down before pushing into his personal space, he glanced down at the shorter woman with a smirk gracing his lips. "Ya ain't scaring me if that's what ya tryin'?"
"Nah, just remembering how pretty you are before I hit you into ugliness..." She smirked back, her heart leaping at the flirty mischief in his eyes.
So similar yet different to Murphy she thought, pushing down the painful memories associated with when Murphy looked at her the same way.
"Besides, we both know I'm the better tracker!"
"Hmmm..... We'll see woman." Daryl mused, nudging her side with his elbow. "Go on, get ya butt on that bike."
"Oh! Oh! So you've been a lookin' at my butt?" She questioned in a sing song voice, her tongue peeking out between her teeth as she grinned. "Ya wanna see how I handle summit big and powerful between my thighs Daryl?" She purred, just as he took a gulp from his water bottle causing him to splutter and choke as his cheeks glowed red. She brushed against his arms, making sure her breasts crushed against him as she leaned in to whisper in his ear.
"I'm used to something hot, hard and full of power tight up against me, making me all hot and wet. Making me feel more alive than ever before. Grinding right where I need it the most. But... I would need to be with someone who could make my blood race as much as speeding on my bike does... who can go for hours, hard and fast.... Making me squeal and moan in absolute delight. You think you'd be able to keep up Daryl?"
She pulled back slightly, his eyes darkened with lust as they breathed in each other's scents heavily. Her breasts heaved against his chest as he pulled her closer by her hips, their lips slowly closing the gap between them. Daryl's eyes bore into hers as they began to flutter closed as Daryl's hand gripping her hip tightened in anticipation...
BANG!
They jumped apart as the last echoes of gunshot made the group spin around towards the sound.
"Carl... Rick...." Lori gasped, her eyes scanning the trees around them; hoping to see the dark heads of her boys coming towards them. "Phoenix... Please." Lori turned to the girl, who nodded. "Find them."
Phoenix threw herself back onto the bike and revved it to life.
"Whoa! Ya ain't gonna go chase echoes woman!" Daryl said, stepping into her path. "Not a chance!"
"DD, I'll ride back to the church. Find them, lead them back. One of us should've stayed with 'em in the first place." She reasoned, putting her hand over his as he gripped the handles in a white knuckled grasp. "Don't need to have more panicking right?"
"Be safe." Glenn said quietly as Daryl, finally released her bike and stepped out the way. Daryl's eyes never leaving the woman as she sped off through the trees back towards where the gunshot had sounded.
Don't let that shot be one of them dying. Please. Please god. We can't lose anyone else. Daryl thought before hardening his face and turning to lead the rest of the group back to the Highway.
How, in the world, have I never noticed the person in your header with the AH logo. Is that Lindsey? I hope I'm not seeing things wrong, lol. Every new thing I learn about you, your blog, and your header makes me love everything even more!
Aw, thank you, friend! And yep, it is Lindsay! I think she’s super cool. :3
Omfg, that Ricky Goldsworth jingle bells is literally the best thing I’ve ever read. It put a giant smile onto my face and I haven’t stopped. Thank you very much and I hope you’ve had a happy holiday season!!
Thank you so much, friend! I hope that your holiday season was happy, too! X3
