Eternally Yours || Daryl Dixon

|9|

In the darkness of the mysterious room, Lucy cradled herself and rocked. Her eyes were tightly shut, and her lower lip quivered as she tried to recompose herself desperately. Deep down inside, she always knew that she would be forced to take a life – a whole year with the Governor opened her eyes to the true evil of man – but she never expected it to come so soon or for it to be a person she once considered a friend. Gary's cold, lifeless face that once held so much love for life and joy continued to replay over and over, never once relenting. The gunfire had died down a while ago, and while she was optimistic the group made it out, she wasn't so sure about her chances of escaping.

The town was officially on high alert after being attacked, and it'll only be a matter of time before she's found and held prisoner. Would the Governor torture her personally? Or would he make Merle do it? If she were lucky enough, then Merle would do it. It would still suck, but he'd go easy on her. Would he filet her? Beat her up? Or would he be ordered to dispose of her immediately? A part of her wishes that he'd grab her and they'd run off, but the logical part, the part that knows Merle, knows that he would obey orders. Woodbury was a good deal; Lucy wasn't stupid enough to deny that. But she hated how the man that ran the town conducted 'business.' The world ended; people should gather together to reestablish a life instead of fighting against one another.

Now that she's taken a life, would that put her in the demographic of violence that has undoubtedly taken over this new world? Gary's face flashed in her mind once more, forcing the moisture that had built up in her closed eyes to squeeze through and cascade down her cheek in a single droplet. She didn't want to kill him. She didn't want to kill anyone, but everything happened so fast. One minute, she was running through the smokey streets, and the next, she was firing her weapon blindly. But they were shooting at her – shooting to kill, so that has to be some justification for the heinous act she committed, right? She wished Anita, Lily, and her tio Ricky were here with her in moments like these. They'd find a way to make her feel better and help her get past this.

Outside, jeers and screams interrupted her episode of self-loathing. She figured that she had to be close to the arena. That's the only place where the people of Woodbury could be this loud. Although she couldn't make out what they were saying, she was optimistic that a fight was going on with the amount of noise being made. Slowly, Lucy opened her eyes and lifted herself off the ground, trying to find her footing on shaky legs. She pressed her ear against the shut door and strained to listen. The unmistakable sounds of an angry crowd grew slightly louder with her ear pressed against the door, confirming her suspicions.

This is my chance, Lucy thought to herself. Hesitantly, she reached for the doorknob and twisted it, gently pulling the door open to peek her head out. The shouts became louder as she pried open the door, finally making out the words the crowd was shouting.

"You wanted your brother," The dramatic pause was enough to tell Lucy that the Governor was speaking. A twinge of annoyance bubbled in her stomach as she realized the woman had failed to kill him. "You got him."

Lucy crept out and silently closed the door behind her, her hands immediately seeking out her rifle once she was out in the open. The streets were deserted, and the only light came from the arena. The opening was free, and she could easily climb over the wall and run away. This was her chance. But something was bothering her. The Governor's words were still ringing in her head. You wanted your brother. You got him. Only one person would want their brother – one who probably had asked to see for himself that his brother was alive and kicking.

Damn it. Lucy held her gun up, her finger on the trigger to fire if anyone got in her way. Despite not wanting to kill, she knew she'd be shot if anyone saw her – Lucinda most likely already spilled the beans that Lucy had led that group in, and there was no telling if Marcus was even found. Luckily for Lucy, no one was keeping guard. She just needed to look, and if it wasn't Merle, then her opportunity to run still went uncompromised. On hesitant feet, she brought herself to creep forward and peer around the wall into the place they called their arena. It was an action that made her stomach lurch forward and her eyes bulge out of her head. Merle and Daryl Dixon were in the middle of the arena, both of their chests heaving as they stared one another down. Then suddenly, Merle lunged at his younger brother, his fist connecting with Daryl's abdomen, sending him flying to the floor in pain. Lucy watched in horror as Merle beat on his brother, shouting about his loyalty to the town. She wouldn't have believed her eyes if she wasn't watching in the shadows. One part of her wanted to believe that this was all a show – that Daryl was in on this, and together, they'd fight a way out. But another part of Lucy, one that scared her, believed that Merle would kill his brother.