❛ now daryl, daryl was gray. he always seemed to be bitter and emotionless with no other dimensions to himself; his mere presence was the only one. gray was intriguing, almost acting like an acquired taste, but it had the potential to be beautiful t...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
fourty one.
I sat in the corner, staring into the darkness of the train car. It was another cold night like the one before, my teeth chattering and my body shaking. My eyelids kept fluttering closed but I tried my best to keep myself awake. I didn't wanna fall asleep. I didn't feel safe even with Daryl holding me in his arms. I nuzzled into him to get warmer, my eyes fluttering closed again as he rubbed my arm with his thumb. The door thundered open, a gust of cold wind blasting us. Everyone instantly became alert. A flashlight shined inside the car like a spotlight, blinding us. I shielded my eyes.
"Where is she," a man asked, searching the car. Daryl tucked me away in his arms, attempting to hide me from him but the flashlight sought me out. "There she is." Two men jumped up into the car, stomping over to me and ripping me out of Daryl's grasp.
"No, no," I cried out frantically, reaching for him. Rick clamored to his feet and rushed over to the scene. "Daryl!" Daryl tried to snatch me back but he was punched in the face, Rick taking over and fighting with the guy. After their brief tussle, Rick met Daryl's fate: a hard blow to the face dazing him. "No," I hollered, thrashing around in their arms as they carried me out of the train car. "Please! Please don't!" I was held up, the man with the flashlight examining me. He grabbed my face in his hand, squeezing my cheeks. I breathed rapidly as I tried to draw away from his touch.
"You're just the talk of the town tonight," he smiled, quickly glancing back into the train car. He made eye contact with Daryl. "Sucks to be you," he laughed as the door began to slide closed.
"Daryl! Daryl," I screamed, my eyes welling with tears and my voice raw, scratchy. Once the door clamored shut I was yanked back, my feet slipping out from underneath me. I was dragged all the way inside, the toes of my boots scraping across the floor. With every move I made, their grips would tighten. A door swung open, the sudden bright lights burning my eyes. I felt the hands release me and I hit the ground. I cautiously lifted my head to see strangers grouped around me. Dread washed over me once I stared Gareth straight in the eyes; he sat in a chair in front of me, a man with a gun standing next to him.
"Aften, right," he grinned maliciously. I stared blankly at him, my chest heaving up and down in fear while I tried to catch my breath. "Let me explain this to you quick: you do what we say or we kill you. Simple." He paused. "Now some of these people gave up a meal to see you in the flesh so you don't wanna disappoint them. Tell me, Aften, do you fight? Have you ever fought anyone in your life?" Gareth laughed once he noticed how pale I had gotten. I felt sick. I'd only ever punched Carl. "That's what we thought. See, we were gonna choose some of the other girls but they pose the threat of fighting back. Aften, you're nothing without Daryl so we had to get you away from him." His words punched me directly in the stomach, leaving me unable to say anything. Did I really give off that vibe? Was I weak? Was I really unable to handle myself just by the looks of me? Gareth suddenly clapped his hands together.
