rag doll | TWD

[16] when the dead come knocking

we're not gonna take it --- twisted sister

♮♮♮
[JJ]

The first thing Merle and his crew did when we arrived in their small town was separate us. My hands were bound with duct tape behind my back, and I was forced into a chair. An old bandana was tightly gagged around my mouth, secured behind my ears.

From a room over, I could hear Glenn being hit repeatedly. Each blow made me flinch, and I cringed with every impact. I struggled to control my breathing, but the gag made it nearly impossible, especially as my heart pounded faster when I heard the door creak open.

"Well, well, Ms. Grimes. Word around here is you're Officer Friendly's little sister. You weren't part of that first group, but your brother? He left me handcuffed to a roof, just waiting for the dead to make a meal out of me."

I thought back to the conversation Daryl and I had after we left the farmhouse. He hadn't told me how his brother had died- now I understood. 

I tried to speak, but the gag muffled my words, making them incoherent.

"Whoa, darlin'. I'll undo this for ya. Just hold on." Merle stepped uncomfortably close, undoing the knot behind my ears and tossing the bandana aside, "Now, what was it you were tryin' to tell me?"

I asked as calmly as I could, "The hell do you want from us?"

"I just wanna know where my baby brother is."

"Well, since I suck at directions, I couldn't help you even if I wanted to. Good thing I don't."

Merle wavered his head in a dismissive, so-so gesture. "I think you can help me out just fine... your buddy in there didn't cave."

"What makes you think I will?" I spat.

He snickered, "If you don't spill for me, you'll have to for the next guy. And let me tell ya, he won't be nearly as... accommodatin' as I am."

Picking up on what he was insinuating, I felt a chill run down my spine.

"There's gonna be people looking for us." I retaliated.

"Well, I'll bake 'em a cake with pink frosting for when they get here. Would they like that?" Merle grinned, "Ain't nobody comin'."

"Rick is. And when he gets here—"

"He's gonna do nothing, not if he wants the three stooges back."

"You can't take all of us."

"You think I'm in this all by myself?"

"No, but I don't think any of you compare to what we can do."

Merle smirked, "Is that so?"

"Let's just say, I'm pretty sure Rick's gonna do worse than handcuff you to a rooftop."

"You've got some balls, girl." He loudly laughed, "You know, you'd fit in just fine here."

I glanced around the dim-lit, damp room and said, "An unfinished basement? Where'd you get the furniture, your mom's stand at the flea market?"

"Shut your mouth, smart ass." He pointed, quickly regaining his cool tone, "That's Daryl's mama you're talkin' about too, you know."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"Don't look like you don't know what I'm talkin' about, Blondie." He chuckled, "Yeah- I heard your friends talkin'.... bout how you got the hots for my little brother."

"They were joking." I scoffed.

"Hmph, a shame." He sarcastically shook his head, "you know, blondes like you are just his type. I'd be surprised if he hasn't bagged you yet."

I shook my head, "he doesn't seem like the type."

"Yeah, well, your good ol' brother Officer Friendly didn't seem like the type to handcuff someone to the roof and leave 'em for dead, but here we are." 

He grabbed the chair, placed it in front of me, and sat down with a smug grin, "you know, blondes aren't typically for me, but I could make an exception."

"Mm," I sweetly smiled, "I think I'd rather French kiss a walker."

He leaned in, pressing the blade of his knife against the seam of my shirt. With a deliberate motion, he slid it upward, slicing through the fabric until my shirt hung open. "Maybe you'll think twice the next time you wanna be a bitch."

"Seriously? I really liked this shirt," I huffed, glaring at him. "Screw you, man."

"You wish."

I shook my head in disgust, "Why don't you go back to whatever sewer you crawled out of and leave us all the hell alone?"

Merle raised his hand in a mock gesture of surrender. "Hey, whatever you wish. But you're gonna regret not talking to me, sunshine."

"Yeah, I'm sure I will," I replied, nodding sarcastically.

♮♮♮

I heard commotion from outside the room where I was being held. "Glenn? Maggie?!" I shouted through my gag. But it wasn't either of them who opened the door—it was the next man to interrogate me.

The man who walked in had a repulsive, vulgar air about him. His greasy hair, stuck under a backwards baseball cap, and his shirt clung to his sweat-soaked skin. 

"So, you ready to talk, chica?"He sat the same way Merle had, "Wanna tell me where your group's holed up?"

"Not really."

He chuckled deviously, the stench of stale smoke wafting from his breath. His eyes gleamed with a cruel anticipation as he leaned in closer. "If you're not gonna talk," his smirk widened, "we can always try something else. Your call, doll face."

"I'm not telling you anything."

I spat.

The man stood up abruptly, tossing the chair aside and wiping his face with a disgusted grimace.

"You little shit," he growled, his anger barely contained. "Fine." He shoved the gag back into my mouth, tightening it even more than before.

The man then ripped me from the chair and slammed me against the wall.

In that moment, I was really grateful that Rick and Carl dragged me to every ass-kicking-filled action movie they could find. My adrenaline surged, and the pure desperation to escape gave me enough strength to drive my knee into his gut, sending him stumbling backward.

He came at me, pinning my shoulders to the ground with such force it was sure to leave a bruise on my shoulder blade. I wriggled to get lower, positioning myself just right to drive my knee into his crotch. The sudden pain made him sit back, giving me a moment to seize the advantage. My hands were still tied behind my back, and my mouth was still gagged, but I leveraged my lower body strength—and the sharp heels of my boots—to my advantage.

While he was distracted by the pain, I drove my heel into his side, creating an opening for me to act. I quickly wrapped my legs around his neck, pulling him into a chokehold and crossing my ankles to tighten the grip.

JJ: 3

The doorknob twisted, and I honestly didn't think I had the strength to pull off another move like that. The people in the movies made it look so effortless. There was no way I'd come out of this without a scratch. I was already sore as hell, but I steeled myself for what might come next—or for the reaction when whoever was opening that door saw what I'd done to their buddy.

Luckily, I recognized the one who opened the door.