What's Next

Chapter Twenty Nine 🦋

Val's POV:

It was nightfall now, and yet Daryl still hasn't made it home. I suspected that he probably wouldn't make it back until at least nightfall tomorrow, I guess now I have to get used to not sleeping next to him every night. I just wish I didn't let myself get so used to it. I walked out onto the porch, noticing Rick and Glenn talking. "Hey, is everything okay?" I questioned, as I took note of both their demeanours.

"No Val, but it's nothing to concern you just yet."

"Okay Rick, just wanted to check. Oh um before I forget, I overheard you and Carol earlier. Do you want me to keep a closer eye?"

"Uh yeah, actually that will be extremely helpful."

"Okay gotcha." I muttered, looking over at Glenn noticing the sad look on his face. I nodded my head towards him, giving Glenn a soft smile. Taking it as my cue to leave them to it.

**

I decided to speak with Carol instead, heading off to find her watching Anderson family. "Hey carol," I greeted, quietly. She nodded her head back at me in response, I took it as a sign to join beside her. "So I guess you know what's going on?"

"A little, only from what I overhead. But I want to help. I have to help." I muttered, hearing another pair of footsteps come up behind us. I turn to face who it was, seeing Rick. "I sent a casserole to Deanna's family. We want her to see that." Carol stated the moment she noticed Rick. Aiden, Deanna's son died today out on the run. I knew that Noah had also died, and if wasn't for Eugene then Tara would have too.

I didn't much more than that. I only knew some things though, only what I've been told. Once I was head of all of this, I was in the know. But now that I'm pregnant, it's like no one wants me to do jack shit. They treat me as if I'm fragile. Like I would break the moment they say one word to me. That makes me feel completely useless. Like what's the point in me even being apart of this group if no one wants me to know anything.

"Have you thought about Pete?" Carol questioned, grabbing my attention back. "About what I said?"

"Yeah."

"Talked to Sam some more, Val too." I nodded my head recounting the events only moments earlier while Carol was cooking. "He said his mom put a bolt on the inside of his closet." Carol began.

"She tells him to go in there and lock it sometimes. Not to come out until the morning. Said he can hear his dad yelling, his mom crying, this breaking." I continued on.

"Last month he said it got quiet. Right in the middle of it. So he went out. Found his mom on the floor, unconscious and bleeding."

"Pete was just sitting on the porch. Like it was nothing." I seethed, remembering how Shane used to be exactly like that. Rick never knew because of it. When I tried to tell him once he never believed me. "Why do you care what happens to Jessie?"

"You know why. I know why you do. I know why Val does too."

"What is she talking about Val? Why do you care?"

"You should already know why Rick. If you actually listened to me when I was hospital. You would understand."

"If walkers hadn't gotten Ed, I wouldn't be standing here right now."

"If it wasn't for you and Daryl, Rick neither would I." I added on, fiddling with my fingers like Daryl usually would do. Rick walked off, I could tell he wasn't happy with what he was told, I doubted he even believed my reasonings, or if I fully explained it to him would even believe the truth. "I'll go talk to him." I mumbled, Carol nodded her head in reply.

I soon walked off, following after Rick. It didn't take me long to find him. "Rick." I muttered.

"What was Carol talking about with you?" Rick questioned immediately. "Shane. He um used to hurt me. Like how Ed was with Carol. Pete with Jessie." I watched my brother's eyes widened with the news. "Before or after?"

"Both Rick. Both. Just after everybody got to see his true colours. Look I know you're wondering why I even kept going back to him. I can't give you the answer cause I barely know myself."

"But what I do know if hadn't been for Daryl after it all, I don't even know if I could still be standing here today."

"That time you were in hospital. You told the doctors you tripped and fell on some glass you broke."

"You seriously believed, even when I told you the truth when you visited me. The moment Shane wasn't around I told you. I know you asked him. I copped it the moment I got home from the hospital. I was still living with him at that time. I couldn't escape him."

"What started it?"

"Rick, I was 17 when I started going out with him, I was stupid and naïve. I fell for his charm. He was there for me after I lost Emerson. He caught me at my weakest." I began to explain.

"What started it Val?" Rick repeated. I took a breath, trying to keep it together. "The miscarriage." I said with a sigh.

"We got back together cause of the baby. I got pregnant cause we sneaking around with each other after we broke up the first time. He convinced me that it was a good idea. I was only 19 and I was pregnant for the second time. I was under so much stress, with beauty school, work, the constant lying and cheating from him. I lost the baby. I was only 6 weeks along. That night I told him."

"He came over to see me, one of the only times he could, so he said. I had to tell him. He was so angry, he blamed me for it all. Said I did it on purpose. He punched me so hard in the face, I fell down, mom and dad found me lying unconscious in my bedroom."

"I never told anyone the truth of what Shane did to me. When mom and dad died in that car crash, they died not even knowing the truth."

"And Atlanta?" Rick asked, I could tell he was even more angry then when this conversation first started. "He just got worse. I didn't want to be with him, he didn't like it. It was always because I wouldn't give him an answer. Daryl and Shane used to buttheads because of it. Daryl threatened to beat him as bad as what Shane was to me, to make him feel how I did."

"Daryl was out hunting, it was the day he was coming back. I was out harvesting more mushrooms for a stew. Shane had followed after me, grabbed me by the throat, I didn't even know what pissed him off. But he wasn't happy with me about something. He threw me against a fallen tree, punching me in the face. I was so bruised up and sore I could barely walk. I had a busted lip and a bruised face, I could only imagine what I looked like to everyone else."

"Once Shane was gone, Daryl found me. He knew immediately who did it. He was always worried about me. I saw the anger radiating off him that day. But yet I begged him not to do anything."

"So that day you were back, telling Daryl about Merle being left on the roof. You gave Shane joy, letting him hold Daryl in that chokehold. That's why I screamed to let him go. Why Shane hated me being nice to Daryl. Flirting with Daryl. Shane neither liked it unless it was towards him. He saw Daryl as a redneck scum. He told me that himself. But yet Shane turned out to be the scum. Daryl finally did what he promised to do the night in the barn."

"Val, I am so sorry that I never believed you, listened to you. Your my little sister and I believed that piece of shit every time." Rick apologised pulling me in for a hug. I didn't realise that I had began to cry. I forgot how emotional it made me.

**