traded my life [TWD]

『129』

"Hey.. Doll, was it?" the woman asks, her voice hoarse. 

"Sure," I say, not bothering in giving her my real name.

"I'm Honey," she whispers. "Tina.. she was my sister."

I sit down beside Honey and watch as Daryl and the man dig graves for Tina and the walkers- people they knew before the world went to shit. It was a twisted full circle moment. 

"Take the insulin," Honey says. "I.. We don't need it anymore."

"You're coming with us so," I shrug it off.

Honey sniffles, though she looks like she cried all the water out of her body. 

"Why did your ex people not just let her have the meds needed?" I wonder. "Why'd you have to escape and take it?"

Her bottom lip trembles. "Because the only way for her to have it was.."

Call it women's intuition.

Or just similar backstories.

I look up at the sky and take a breath. "Gotta please the man in charge one way or another, huh?"

Honey sniffles. "She was only twenty-one," she whimpers. "I was supposed to look out for her."

"You did your best. You fled a group for her safety."

"And it got her killed in the middle of the woods."

My eyebrow quirks a bit. At least she was honest, I guess.

"Was it one guy?" I ask.

"Leader."

I take another breath. Stupid past. Stupid Grady. Stupid cops. Stupid Pete.

"Name and face," I offer.

"What do you mean?"

"So I can kill him in case I ever see him," I answer.

Honey scoffs and shakes her head. "You and what army. You wouldn't stand a chance. Negan's tough."

"I'm not one to give in to a man very easily."

"You don't give in to him. He breaks you."

"Well, he can't break me any further than previous men in my life," I mumble.

Honey sighs. "I wish I could say the same.. But, D.. he's only ever been good to me. Hard to believe in a 'bad man' when D treats me better than I deserve."

D. The name, or nickname, settles in my chest.

Even though I was already combing through my Shane-Rick-Daddy Issues.. The name 'D' just makes my head circle back to Daniel and how annoyingly good he is to me.

Home. The herd. Woojin.

"You 'bout done, ahjussi?" I ask Daryl. "We should get home.. shoulda got home two hours ago."

"Yeah," Daryl answers. "Let's move out."

I stand up from the log and hold my hand out to Honey. She doesn't meet my eyes as she places her hand in mine.

"Men are pigs when they only want women for their bodies. And if she couldn't say 'no' because it would hurt her health, that doesn't mean he got a 'yes'," I tell her. "You did the right thing by running. She understands that. Don't hold it against yourself- she wouldn't."

Honey sniffles and nods though the motion is stiff.

"Can't promise a living out here. But, at least you gave her freedom before the end," I add, giving her a look before dropping her hand.