𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐥《 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘭 𝘋𝘪𝘹𝘰𝘯 》

f o u r// L O Y A L T Y

Blood makes you related.

"Hey." Daryl called out, not too loudly for the sheriff's kid. "You got a name for Ass-Kicker, yet?"
The boy shook his head, disappointed. "No..."
"I've been thinking. Is Judith a good name?"
Carl looked up and thought for a beat. "Actually, it's not bad. Anything will be better than Ass-Kicker." He laughed. "Where did you get it from?"
The man shrugged as he mumbled. "Don't know... Just... Came up with it."
Daryl thought it would be good to name the baby Judith, as in Judith Smith. He thought that by giving the child the same name as Nova's late sister. she would eventually come around. That, she would gain courage to hold the baby some day. Turn what now was a terrible memory into a heart-warming one. 

"They have patrols on." Michonne, that woman, informed, closing the Hyundai car shut. "We're better off on foot."
"How far?" Rick asked her. "Night's coming."
"It's a mile, maybe two."
The five people walked in a bit of a rush through the big trees. They had, obviously, not let Beth go with them even if she begged on her knees. And Smith could only wonder what kind of despicable acts they could be doing to Glenn and Maggie.

When the big, steel walls came in sight, it was already dark out. They had come across a few walkers whilst in the woods, so, the unfortune had slowed them down quite a bit. 
The people hid behind a car, analysing the well-armed, protected walls. 
"Hey. Hey!" Rick whispered, hearing footsteps on the grass. Michonne was gone. She had taken off. "Damn it. We need to downsize."
"Ain't no way we're gonna check out all them building." Dixon said, peeking at the inside of the wall, the best he could at such distance.
A branch snapped and their heads turned, guns aimed at the noise.
"This way." Michonne mouthed. 

The woman led them to an entrance. They came out of what they thought to be a tunnel into a house. A pantry, it looked like. Dark room, light barely got through, silence was loud.
"This is where you were held?"
"I was questioned." Michonne answered Rick's question.
"Any idea where else they could be?"
"Thought you said there was a curfew." Daryl whispered, peeking out the window, after noticing orange lights came through the curtains.
There were people walking around. The orange light was fire, coming from the torches. The only thing that lit up the small town.
"The street is packed during the day. Those are stragglers.
"We gotta move." Rick whispered, letting everyone know it wasn't safe to stay there much longer.
"They could be in his apartment." The woman said.
"Yeah?" Daryl questioned, moving from the window. "What if they ain't?"
"Then we'll look somewhere else."
"You said you could help us."
"I'm doing what I can."
Rick pulled Daryl and Smith away from the woman as he whispered something only meant to be heard by them.
"If this goes south, we're cutting her loose."
"You think she's leading us into a trap?" Smith asked, in the same tone.
"Right now it's the blind leading the blind." Daryl admitted, making a comparison.

"Glad we could catch up." A voice in the distant sounded.
They'd found a way. A basement kind of place. A very big basement. Sheet metal and brick walls, almost felt like a maze walking around the corridors.
Rick signalled Daryl, letting him know it was time. The two men threw something at the ground as footsteps got louder form the opposite side. Smoke bombs. They found some hidden in the pantry and Rick thought it would be a good thing to have at hand in a mission like this.
"What the hell was that?" Another voice question, in despair as the rest of them coughed at the smoke.
"Go, go, go." Rick whispered, walking towards the cloud of gas and fumes.
Aiming their guns at the air, just in case, Smith and Rick were able to spot their people. One of them was shirtless, Glenn, and had a bag over his head.
The pair pulled both Glenn and Maggie away from the fumes  and led them into the clear. 

They escaped the maze-like torture chamber and managed to get inside a house, of which the door was unlocked. Hell, all the houses were unlocked, just like you'd see in a great neighbourhood. Glenn had blood all over his face, one of his eyes busted. He sat against a counter and breathed painfully.
"Ain't no way out back here." Daryl confirmed.
"How bad are you hurt?" Smith questioned, kneeling down beside Glenn, lifting up his chin with her hands, trying to get a better view of the damage.
"I'll be alright."
"Where is that woman?" Maggie questioned, looking around for the woman she'd seen just a couple seconds ago.
"She was right behind us." Rick snarled, in between teeth as he peeked through the window.
"Want me to go look for her?" Daryl offered but Rick denied almost instantly. 
"No. We gotta get them out of here. She's on her own."
"Daryl." Glenn called out for the squirrels' man. "Daryl, this was Merle." 
Smith froze, her hands falling off of the Asian man's face. Merle?
Daryl's face turned into a never before seen expression at the mention of his brother. Daryl, himself, couldn't believe Glenn's words.
"You saw him?"
"Face to face. He threw a walker at me. He was gonna execute us." He informed as Maggie helped him dress a jacket.
"So, my brother's this governor?"
"No, he's somebody else." Maggie told him. "Your brother's his lieutenant or something."
"Does he know I'm still with you?"
Maggie nodded before Glenn made an effort to speak again. "Rick, I'm sorry, we told him where the prison was. We couldn't hold out."
"Don't. No need to apologise." He said, patting his leg. "We have to get back. Can you walk? We got a car a few miles out."
"I'm good." He whispered but Smith frowned at him. He wasn't okay.
The helped him up as he made a face. He was in pain, just getting up... with help...
"Hey, if Merle's around, I need to see him!" Daryl said.
His tone was so distinct from the previous ones. He sounded desperate. Almost felt like he was begging.
"Not now. We're in hostile territory." Ricks shut down.
"He's my brother. I ain't--"
"Look what he did! Look, we gotta get out of here now."
"Maybe I can talk to him. Maybe I can work something out."
God, his face. The way he looked at Rick shattered Smith's heart. His eyebrows were raised, his mouth half-opened. His expression showed true sadness and despair.
"You're not thinking straight! Glenn can barely walk. How are we gonna make it out if we get overrun by walkers? If this governor catches up to us? I need you!" Daryl's expression fell down slightly as Rick talked him into staying. "You with me?"
He thought for a moment, before looking down. "Yeah."
Rick backed away to the door and Smith followed behind him, taking a second off her limited time to rub Dixon's back, providing comfort the only discreet way available.