Leah Grimes

Chapter 128

I woke up before him smiling as he snored heavily. I didn't want to wake him up, so I slowly crept off the end of the bed grabbing my jeans and his sweater. I opened the door and froze when I heard Pope call my name. "Get over here." I quickly walked over to where he was standing. "What do you know about those people you were with?" I slowly shook my head, "nothing really." He grabbed my wrist, "not good enough." He began pulling me towards one of the larger buildings. A guard stepped forward ripping me away from pope. "Get her in there, I'll be ready in a minute."

I was thrown into a cell, questioning why the hell I got out of bed in the first place. Pope walked in a little bit later, he had Carver with him, and two other men. "GO." Pope ordered them. Carver and the guards came inside the cells pushing me against a board, and clamping my hands onto the side of the board. "Now listen up kid, I'm only going to ask you this question one more time. Tell me what you know about my enemy." I closed my eyes as a cloth was draped over my face, I heard the board clamps come loose and I was tipped back, "I don't know anything, I swear."

I heard the rattle as he slammed his hand against the cell. "NOT GOOD ENOUGH. DO IT." I started chocking and gasping for air as a bucket of water was dumped on my face, they didn't stop and for a moment I really thought he was going to kill me but they eventually threw the bucket down. The cloth was removed from my face, and they pulled the board back up. I watched as I threw up water onto my legs. I could feel a tear roll down my cheek but it blended in with the water so they couldn't tell. "Tell me Leah, do you really want to die today?" I slowly shook my head still spitting up remaining water. He nodded, "good choice, so last chance..." I cut him off, "I'm telling the truth, I promise." He glared at me, "hit her, and don't stop until she says something worth hearing." I watched as one guard brought his fist connecting it with my face. The other did the same and my head began to feel heavy, I felt blood trickle down from my nose, Carver turned around pretending to be busy with the bucket. "I said hit her, not knock her out."

I pushed my head forward letting the blood fall down onto my pants. "Cloth again." The cloth fell against my face and I started to panic, "I'm telling the truth. They took me in because of Daryl that's all I know." I looked over at Carver and he met my eyes for a second and then quickly looked down at his feet, he couldn't even bring himself to see what he was doing to me. "DO IT." I started to scream in protest, but the water filled my mouth, and once again I was gasping for air, and chocking on the water soaking through the cloth.

When they pulled it up again, it took a while to get my vision to steady. I was still chocking on the water and this time it wasn't coming back out. One guard brought his boot to my stomach and I leaned forward as I began throwing more water up. "This is hurting me more than you kid." I didn't answer; but I found that extremely difficult to believe. "Alright boys, again." The cloth was about to cover my face again but I shook my head, I was gonna die. "The leader, she's a woman, and she has a good shot. There weren't many of them, you killed a good amount that night. But I'm telling you, that's all I know." Pope opened the cell kneeling down to my level. "And where would you look for these people?" I shook my head, "I wouldn't. She wants you dead; they'll come to you. And you have the numbers." Pope smiled, "see that's all I needed. It wasn't so hard was it." He stood back up dismissing the guards, "Carver take her home."

As soon as Pope left the building, Carver hurried to me releasing my hands. I fell forward and he caught me, holding on tightly pushing my head into his shoulder. I didn't care that I was crying in front of him, I didn't care about anything right now. He cupped my face bringing it just inches from his, I expected him to ask something stupid, but he didn't he just looked at me. I felt sick again so I wrapped my arm around his neck turning my head and throwing up more water beside the chair. I let out a small groan as I put my head back on his shoulder trying to catch my breath again. I felt his hands come around to my back holding me closer, and I continued to cough, trying to get all of the water up. I brought my hands to my face quietly wiping away my tears staring down at the mixture of blood and water. "He's angry and scared right now," Carver whispered. I closed my eyes, trying to slow my breathing. I could feel my body shaking, likely from the buckets of cold water that had been dumped on me.

"Let's go home," he whispered. I shook my head, and shakily answered him, "I don't want anyone to see me." He nodded, "okay.. that's okay." I let out a small cry, as I felt more water coming up. He gently rubbed my back as I kept my head pressed against him. "Just go," I whispered. I was embarrassed and angry he saw what just happened. He shook his head, "no, not happening." I scoffed, "you think this is the first time I've been tortured?" I pulled up my shirt showing him the burn mark, those kids gave me. I then showed him the saviours scar carved into my arm, and every other scar I had covering my body. "I'm fine. So please just go." He didn't say anything he just leaned forward pushing his body against me again.

"What the hell happened?" Daryl asked running into our cell. I kept my head down, still wrapped in Carvers arms. "He wanted information about that group." Daryl knelt down forcing me to look at him, "they almost fucking killed her, look at her lips." I couldn't see them, but I imagined they were pretty blue. I reached out for Daryl's hand, trying to pull myself up. "I need to lay down." That was the only excuse I could come up with to find a way to be alone. I didn't have enough strength to pull myself up, so I fell back onto Carver.

He slowly lifted the two of us up, and I put most of my weight on him. "I'm gonna come see you later." Daryl said putting an arm around me, "you're gonna be alright.. okay, just rest." I gave him a small nod, and watched as he stepped out of the way so Carver could take me home.

I held my one arm up looking down at it, everything was shaky, even my steps. We got back into Carvers, and I had just sat down on the couch, when I bent over throwing up more water, it went all over Carver's leg and the floor. I put my head in my hands trying to hide myself, "I'm sorry." He lifted my chin up wiping my face off with a towel, and then the floors. "You should have just told us from the beginning." I closed my eyes, "fuck you."

"If you weren't so stubborn, we wouldn't have done it that long." I grabbed onto the wall standing myself up, I tried to run into the bedroom and slam the door before he could push it open, but with one step, I collapsed down. "Jesus, Leah." He whispered. I slowly pushed myself back up leaning against the wall crying into my hands. "FUCK YOU AND FUCK THIS FUCKED UP FUCKING PLACE. JUST FUCK ALL OF YOU." I screamed trying to catch my breath in the process. He knelt down in front of me holding his hand up to my eyes wiping away tears. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry he did that to you." I looked over at the bed, and he sighed lifting me up. "You need to change before you lay down." I nodded as he set me down on the edge of the bed. He grabbed a new sweater, and I slowly pulled the old one off.

Once I was changed I sat in the bed leaning my head against the wall. "I wish you guys never found me in that stupid fucking house," I whispered. He sat down on the bed beside me, "me too." I looked at him, "why?" He pushed himself closer to me, leaning his head on my shoulder. "Because you made me care about you." I turned my head so my face rested against his hair, "well don't care. I promise every other boy that has ended up dead." He tilted his head up so our cheeks were almost touching, "are you alright?" I pulled my hands through his hair, "I'll be fine." He took a deep breath, "I know you will."