Someone Has To Do It

What The Heart Wants

Haley's Pov

     The leaves crunch under our heavy footsteps. Lynn moved through the forest with grace. I bounced the boy on my hip, trying to calm his soft cries. Every few feet, a branch would catch my foot, causing my body to lurch forward, his cries filling the air further.

    Lynn turns on her heels, shooting a concerned look in my direction. "Here honey, give him to me." She tries to yank him from my arms, but I tighten my hold. I felt this boy to be my responsibility, his tiny body pressed against my side, seeming to be keeping me sane. I shoot her a look begging her to let me hold him. As if she read my expression. She dropped her arms back to her side.

    "Alright, honey, but you gotta keep him quiet." She glances around our surroundings taking in the thick stretch of trees. "I don't know how safe we are out here." I take in a sharp breath glancing around picturing the large man stepping out from the overgrowth. Shifting the boy and quickening my stride. A shout sounds from ahead. It is a deep strangled sound.

"That's my boy!" Lynn takes off quickly, kicking leaves behind her heels. Daryl. My pulse quickens, and I take off behind her, my platforms turning at every missed step. Maybe next time crazy people start eating people, I'll dress a bit more practically.

        I crash through the woods grasping the boy's head, trying to shield him from the branches knocking against our bodies. A clearing finally comes into view, and a single house stands alone in the lot, siding peeling from the sides and shingles hanging from the roof, weeds overgrown onto the large wooden porch in the back.

      It had been beautiful once; you could almost imagine a happy family standing on the porch of their beautiful White House watching their children play in the yard. The white is now tinted green by the vegetation, with any happiness long gone from the residence.  I watch as Lynn runs up the porch steps and suddenly stumbles backward. A figure comes into view from the open doorway, a puddle slowly forming at his feet.

   Daryl's Pov

"Ah shit!" I scramble back, tripping over my boot-covered feet. My body hits the floor with a sickening thud, and before I can even release a grunt from the impact, Tommy is lunging for me. My hands thrust upwards, grabbing onto his shoulders to keep his blood dripping mouth away from my neck. "Merle!" I don't risk looking away from Tommy. Up close I can see what looks to be vomit mixed within the blood around his mouth. Somewhere from above us I hear a sharp inhale. A rush of air follows as well as the nauseating sound of wood hitting skull.

Tommy slumps to the side sliding down the floral printed wall. His skull was sunken from the force of the bat. Merle still has it raised panting slightly as he takes in the sight. I lift my hand and wipe my cheek, it coming back covered in Tommy's blood.

"Oh fuck!" Merle drops the bat and grabs the side of his head. "Fuck...fuck...fuck." he begin to pace up and down the hall, resembling a wild animal.  I jump to my feet and grab him by his shoulder, holding him inches from myself and start shaking him slightly to grab his attention.

"What did you take?" I spare a glance at Tommy's corpse. "Merle! What the hell did you three take!" Shaking him once more when his attention wanders behind my shoulders.

"Nothing, man, just some Oxy." He begins to tremble against my hands. "You don't think it was laced do you?" He shakes my grip from him and begins pacing again. Every once in a while mumbling something about a lying prick.

"I don't know." I shake my head and lean my hand against the wall for support. Now that the adrenaline has slipped from my body I feel myself begin to panic. "It doesn't make sense if it was laced you would be pitching a fit right about now." I look into his eyes and sigh in relief when his blue orbs stare right back into mine. They lack the grayish color both Ken and Tommy's held.

"Th-" Merle is cut off by a noise from the back. He turns towards the back door, noticing it standing wide open. "Shit!" He grabs the bat and makes a beeline to the opening. I hear a muffled gasp coming from beyond the doorway. I can only imagine what he must look like, his white wife beater covered in blood and the bat he holds is making a small puddle around his feet.

" We're definitely going to prison." I mumble to myself and walk to join him.

Haley's Pov

     The figure steps out from the shadows of the doorway and I gasp loudly. He's an older man, maybe late 50s and he's covered in what looks like blood. It's dripping from the bat he's grasping in his fist. He looks at Lynn and his shoulders sag in relief. Lynn on the other hand grabs onto the bannister surrounding the porch sagging against it staring at him in terror.

"Merle, what the fuck!" My eyes widened slightly. Merle also tenses. Lynn, the woman who has been nothing but kind to everyone I have witnessed her come across, looked fit to kill. She straightened herself from her slouched position, venom filling her eyes. She takes advantage of his shocked demeanor and rips the bat from his grasp, chucking it behind her. "Where is he!" She goes to shove past him when another figure blocks her path.

"I'm right re'." My body shivers. Daryl stands in the doorway, arms crossed against his chest flexing slightly. He is also covered in splatters of blood, most of it clinging to the strands of his hair. Lynn grabs him and pulls him into an embrace. Daryl tenses slightly but returns the gesture. While he holds her I meet his eyes over her shoulder and his eyes drift to my side, emotions flicker in them before he pulls away from her. 

The boy in my arms is shaking forcefully muttering "Daddy" softly into my collarbone. I rock him slightly hoping to calm him some. He's been through hell today and I'm afraid the slight of the two bloodied men might be too much for him to handle.

     I hum and continue to rock and I watch the others interact. The venom has left Lynn's eyes, but she's demanding answers from the men. They both avoid her eyes and shuffle in place. I would have laughed at the fact they look like scorned boys if my head hadn't started to spin. I close my eyes and hope it will pass. The watch on my wrist is alarming at what I know is sudden tachycardia. Stress with a heart condition is a definite no-no and today has to take the cake. I grip the now sleeping boy tighter and lower myself to the ground puffing breaths through my mouth.

I hear shuffled steps approach me on the ground. I keep my eyes closed and hope the earth swallows me whole.

"You alright darlin?" A voice much too deep to be Lynn's sounds above me. I feel a hand press against my head checking for what I'm not quite sure, but I lean into the welcomed touch.  "Merle grab her something to drink" The voice gruffly demands. He keeps his hand on my cheek allowing me to rest my head there. I hear a grumbling coming from the porch but what feels like seconds later cool water is being forced down my throat. Feeling much more stable I open my eyes only to be met with beautiful blues.

Daryl is watching me with an unreadable expression and when he catches my eye he quickly removes his hand shrinking back from my gaze. "Come on girl,we gotta move." He stays within grasping distance as I slowly struggle to a stand. The boy in my arms shifts slightly as we stand opening his eyes for the first time since the woods.

     He lets out a screech at the sight of Daryl's blood covered appearance  and begins trembling again sobbing heavily into my chest. In the distance we hear shuffling of heavy feet coming from the  brush behind us. Breaking through the tree line is a lanky man making noises of what seems to be pain. As we turn to face the man we notice his jaw hanging from his face.

"Come on, man!" Merle shouts up into the sky rushing to the disregarded bat in the grass. Lynn takes a shaky breath and raises her shotgun pointing it at his head. Within seconds a shot fills the air and the man crumbles to the ground.