Sweet and Salty ~ Carl Grimes

Sanctuary - 094

Sorry its been so long, pookies! Your girl has been in her grieving era and because this book is so dark I physically couldn't bring myself to entertain it, however... We've entered the dark jokes stage of my grief just like my uncle entered that dark alley when he definitely shouldn't have! Lol, welcome back, Brooks xoxo

It was a long drive for Daryl and Brooks. So long that Brooks fell asleep, her young body no longer being able to handle the trauma from the night before. She was sat on Daryl's lap, her face in his neck, leaning against his chest. Her arms were limp in front of her, while his were squeezing her tightly. Even when he got a leg cramp, and was desperate to stretch, he didn't move. He didn't want her to wake up and remember what had happened to Cam and Glenn. Daryl hoped that slumber was a break for her, a break from what had happened.

Of course he couldn't know that her slumber was filled with the memories of everyone they'd lost. She dreamt of fat, old Buckster's death, Jim asking her to be good, Amy being torn to shreds, the way Andrea was desperate for her to save Dale, Marliya's death, Nancy, Mika, Lizzie, Sebastian, Mrs Kingston, Hershel... She imagined how Noah would've gone based on what Glenn described. Then she remembered the way Cam died while holding her hand... The way she was relieved that Glenn was dead; that guilt would never leave her.

When the truck pulled to a stop, Daryl had to shake awake his niece. He didn't want the men who opened the truck to find them vulnerable. She gasped awake from her nightmares, but Daryl scratched her terror down to their predicament, not nightmares. Brooks pushed herself off of his lap and kneeled on the ground, warily watching the door. Catching her attention, Daryl cupped her cheeks and spoke gruffly. "Me 'n' you against them, alrigh'? I got you, kid. I got you."

Brooks nodded, allowing a single tear to slip from her eye which he wiped with his thumb, before dropping his hands. He did put his body between Brooks and the door, just before it opened. Daryl cringed at the sunlight flooding in, having been plunged into darkness for so long. "Negan, your new pets have arrived!" Cole called over to the man in question.

He walked over, tall and proud, smiling with his bat stained red with blood. He handed Lucille to Simon, saying. "Get my girl all cleaned up, would ya?"

"Of course." Simon nodded, accepting the bat with great care, before walking away.

Negan turned his attention back to his 'new pets', only one of which he could see. "Would ya move your ass so I can see my new girl?"

Daryl's jaw clenched, his heart dropping down to his stomach as he realised he'd be powerless to protect Brooks against all of these men. "She ain't yours."

The men chuckled, as Negan sighed, licking his bottom lip. "Everything and everyone is mine." His arms spread out, forcing Daryl to look around at what he'd built, and it was impressive. They had walls, guns, walkers chained up as guards. Though Alexandria had that (apart from the walker guards) it still seemed somehow more intimidating. Like an army base, rather than a suburban neighbourhood. "Get him out."

With the words spoken, Dwight and Cole reached into the truck and pulled out Daryl before chucking him onto the ground. Brooks quickly crawled to the front of the truck, looking down at her uncle on the ground. He kept his head down, but he was breathing heavily. In the daylight, Brooks could see his bloodstained arm from where he was shot and patched up the day before. In all honesty, to Brooks, he looked like a wounded animal. "Leave 'im alone." She weakly said, unable to look up, unable to take her eyes off Daryl.

The Saviours laughed at her, at her weakness, at her fear. That's when Charlie walked over, standing beside his father. "What are you gonna do to her, dad?" The boy asked, eyeing Brooks with an evil glint in his eyes. Brooks looked up at the sound of his voice, feeling sick at how drastically he'd changed in the past couple of years. Of course, they'd both changed since they first met all those years ago.