Apocalypse Now

Chapter 30: Broken, Beaten & Scarred

Hope you guys like this chapter. This one I'm pretty proud of. Love to hear what you think!!

Daryl's POV:

The day had started out fine. And that should have been my first clue. Before Camille found me to do the perimeter check, I had thought I had seen someone out in the trees. But it was for the briefest of seconds and as my eyes continued to survey the woods, I saw nothing. After that when we were doing the sweep, nothing else felt off. I should 'ave been more careful. I should 'ave checked properly, not just brushed it aside.

And then she pulls that stunt by the trailers. I had half a mind to storm off and fucking leave her there, pulling that shit while we were supposed to be checking the fence-line. Anyone could have walked by. But I got sucked into the moment and well, shit it had been all worth it. If I'd had my way I would have gone somewhere away from possible prying eyes. And she knew I could have stopped her at any point. But I didn't. The prospect of making it up to her had weighed on my mind up until those assholes showed up.

"Fine you have a deal. If I go, you leave my family alone? No one else gets hurt?" she called from the top of the trailer. My head snapped up to look at her. She has to be fuckin' kiddin', right? I felt the anger burning through me as I continued to look in her direction, panic also starting to creep in. She was not goin' to hand 'erself over to these pricks. Not on my fuckin' watch. I heard some of the others gasp at her statement but I was paying them no attention, mine was fixed on her. She still wouldn't look in any of our directions. Not at me either. She had momentarily flinched ever so slightly hearing the others react to her statement. I felt my anger increase as I looked over to the men standing by their vehicle, weapons raised towards us. My fists were clenched at my sides, my wrath barely contained. A few bits of rock digging into my knees through my jeans, as we had all been forced on our knees, our weapons discarded. My crossbow still sitting back by the river, along with some of the other's weapons. We were backed into a corner and I wasn't sure how we would get out of this, and stay alive.

"Don't do this.." I growled out, watching her hesitate for a brief second.

"You don't have to do this Camille"Rick pleaded beside me.

"Yes, we'll leave them be, if you come now" the leader agreed, my eyes flicking straight to him. He smirked in my direction. I clenched my fist tighter, feeling my nails bite into my palm as we all knelt on the dirt. Who th'fuck were these pricks? Fuckin' think they can take our women...my woman...

My eyes flicked back up to her, watching her as she started to move, taking off her bow and crouching, whispering to where Glenn was, before she stood and moved to the end of the trailer. Her eyes fixed ahead of her, not daring to look in our direction, at me.

"C'mon now sweetheart, we ain't got all day" the leader snapped a little impatiently at her. He wanted his prize and he wanted to be gone. He didn't want us to get an opportunity to fight back. They may have come packing but looking at them, most looked to have no clue how to hold their weapons. They weren't properly trained. And this could work to our, my, advantage.