Between Arrows and Hearts - Daryl Dixon

Whatever you want

"Pantry's back here." Tomas —Cass had caught the blonde calling him that— said as he led them toward the cafeteria.

"You never tried to break out of here?" T-Dog asked, his eyes scanning the room where the five men had been confined for almost a year.

"Yeah, we tried to take the doors off," The quietest of the prisoners replied, his tone almost indifferent. "But if you make one peep in here, those freaks'll be lined up outside the door, growing, trying to get in. Windows got bars on there that He-Man couldn't get through."

"Bigger than a 5x8," Axel added, gesturing to the space around them.

"You won't find me complaining. Doing 15," The big guy chimed in with a slight smile. "My left leg can barely fit on one of those bunks."

Cass smiled faintly at the joke, but her thoughts snagged on the words. Fifteen years.

Her gaze shifted to Rick, wondering if he knew what kind of crimes that sentence might involve. But if he had, the sheriff wasn't showing it.

"Yeah, they don't call him Big Tiny for nothing." The quiet man quipped, nudging his larger companion.

Cass chuckled softly at the nickname before tilting her head curiously. "And what're your names?"

"I'm Axel, miss," The blonde introduced himself with a grin, his southern drawl thick. He pointed to the tall, quiet man beside him. "And this here's Oscar. They are—"

"You done jerkin' each other off?" Tomas's voice barked, cutting Axel off. "Save the chit-chat for later, princess. Sick of waitin' back here."

Cass's expression tightened, biting back the retort sitting on her tongue. At least the deadly grimaces that crossed Rick and Daryl's faces told her that she wasn't the only one who was irritated. Axel and Oscar gave her apologetic looks, before trailing after their so-called leader.

When they reached the pantry, Cass's eyes widened in disbelief. The room was packed. Bags of food, cans, bottles, and boxes lined the shelves. Her mouth hung open slightly, caught off guard by the sheer volume. Tomas had said there was little left, but this was enough to last months.

The realization that food wouldn't be a worry for a while snapped her out of her momentary shock. "You said it was little." She blurted, her tone not accusatory but genuinely incredulous.

Rick, T-Dog, and Daryl seemed just as stunned, though Daryl was the only one who stepped into the room, immediately scanning the shelves with practiced efficiency.

"Goes fast," Tomas replied, his tone dripping with condescension. His dark eyes lingered on Cass, causing her to squirm uncomfortably.

Daryl growled low in his throat, stepping between them, effectively cutting off the man's line of sight. Tomas's gaze shifted to the hunter, then back to the shelves, as if unfazed. He gestured lazily toward a few items. "You can have a bag of corn, some tuna fish—"

"We said half. That's the deal," Rick interrupted firmly, his eyes scanning the room until they landed on a door tucked in the corner. His brow furrowed. "What's in there?"

"Don't open that," Oscar warned, but Rick was already moving.

The second the door cracked open, an overwhelming stench hit Cass like a brick wall. It was unlike anything she'd ever smelled before. Thick, putrid, and invasive. Her stomach churned violently, and she put a hand over her mouth, fighting the urge to gag.

Even Rick, unflappable as ever, gagged and slammed the door shut.

"He wanted to know." Tomas drawled with a mocking laugh, clearly amused by Rick's reaction.