Torn Apart • TWD

Chapter 24 - stupid ass name

"Open up! It's Martinez and Dixon!" A man shouts as the car slows to a stop before a large gate and walls. The girl's gaze has been split between the two widows on each side of her for the majority of the drive, trying to gather all information she can on where they are heading.

Tessa is squirming in her seat, sitting in silence in this car while it drove her to an unknown place has given her time to fully contemplate every bad thing they could do to make her admit the truth that there is no father to pin their deaths on, and it has turned her into a tense and jittery mess.

The girl has wiped the blood that she put on her cheek off with her sleeve, seeing no need to keep it there, but left the dried drops that had fallen on the other side of her face since it was real. Her palm had stopped bleeding but the stinging continues and the man in the driver's seat promised they'd get her fixed up once they arrive which got him an eye roll that he was too focused on the road to see, but Merle did.

Ever since her stunt of acting scared of him and faking more injuries than actually received, he has been watching her throughout the ride, always having one eye set on the front view mirror to find what's going through her head, and whenever her stare would meet his, she would either narrow her eyes and stick out her tongue or just simply give him the middle finger, amusing him to no end.

Merle exits the car as soon as it stops after one last look at the girl and then doesn't look back, going straight to the Governor's office to get a head start before Martinez tells his side of the story and to get confirmation from his boss that he will make the doctor fix his ear. Martinez had gotten out after sending a small smile her way before going to talk to the men who are standing in front of the car with curious expressions.

As Martinez is giving them an explanation of why there is a child in his back seat, Tessa is searching her surroundings, hoping that by some miracle she can still escape before they set whatever plan they have for her into motion.

Between her spiralling thoughts during the ride, she had also managed to slip in some rational ones; like where her weapons must be. She knows the man has her knife in his belt but there was no way for her to reach for it without having her arm chopped off, and he had thrown her bow out of her hands so it may still be on the pavement if they decided not to bring it, but they must have brought her bags so at least she still has her arrows for protection.

As she tries to find a way to get to the boot to retrieve where she assumes her supplies must be, Martines opens the door and motions for her to hop out with a wave. One of the men he was talking to is standing at the head of the car while the others have dispersed, he is a tall man with large muscles bulging through his tactical gear with a machine gun clutched in his hands while there are other weapons hidden under his clothes. Martinez puts a hand on the child's back to lead her in his direction, but she instantly jumps away from it as soon as he makes contact.

The unknown man is stoic, not offering a calming smile or loosening his grip on the gun in his hand like others usually do in her presence, it makes the girl feel bigger like she's an adult and he's not coddling her during a bad situation. He only glances at the girl before sharply tilting his head and then turning on his heels in the other direction.

"Come on," Martinez mutters to her, encouraging the child to follow the man since it's been established she doesn't want anyone touching her. Tessa takes hesitant steps behind the man's stride, his long legs leaving quite a distance between her and Martinez who is going at a slow pace to stay by the girl's side.

Tessa feels naked without the comforting pressure of her knife attached to her forearm, the multicoloured bobbles are just loosely hanging around her wrist with no purpose and it feels wrong. That blade has been with her so long it feels as though it's an addition to her body by now, it hasn't left her arm for this long unless being used, the weapon even staying with her during sleep.