My Damaged Protector

Chapter Thirty-Eight ~ Coda

We all shot up from our spots, taking off for the room we had left Sasha and the officers in. She was laid on the floor, broken glass around her and a cut on her forehead. "Go, I got her." I told Rick, watching him run off after the one escapee while I crouched down to check on Sasha. She was slowly sitting up, her eyes blinking the bright light away and a hand being held to her head. "Hey, careful." I warned her, taking the bandana from Daryl's outstretched hand to press against the cut. "You alright?" She managed to take the bandana from me and held it tightly as she nodded.

"Yeah, I'm good."

I managed to get Sasha into the now vacant seat while Rick came back without the escaped officer, he and Daryl heading off to a corner of the room to talk quietly. Ty stood behind me, keeping himself between Sasha and I and the officers, his arms crossed tightly across his chest.

"He was a good man." The woman leaned forward when Rick and Daryl re-joined us. "He was attacked by rotters. Saw it go down." She easily lied. Daryl was by my side, keeping his eyes on the three officers while his hand rested on his bow.

"Huh, you're a damn good liar." Rick commented.

"We're hanin' by a thread here." She sighed. "He was attacked by rotters, that's the story." It almost sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

"You said the trade was a bad idea. What changed?" Daryl wondered, adjusting his hold on the bow.

"Lampson was our shot. So, it's this or you go in guns blazin' right?" She continued. "You don't want that."

"That's some bullshit you're spinnin' if things go south."

"I know." She snapped. "I know the good ones from the bad. Let us help you." A small friendly smile formed on her face, she was trying to have us trust her.

"What about you?" I asked the other two officers, one younger one looked scared, eyes flashing around the room.

"You wanna live? How much?" Rick continued off my question.

"Dawn's afraid she'll look weak in front of us." The older of the two men spoke, mumbling something no one could hear. "She'll see this trade as a rip off if she still thinks you got one of our guys."

The radio we took off the woman sounded with static before another woman's voice came through. "Shut those things up." Daryl called, annoyed at our situation.

"I got it." I stood from my place beside Sasha and went to shut the radios off, only being stopped when Rick held his hand out for it. He spoke with the woman that led the hospital, Dawn, and made a deal to meet soon.

Daryl led us all back to the roof, passing my riffle over to my waiting hands as I took my place, Rick in my sight on the roof across from our building. Both Sasha and Daryl took up places beside me, Rick being close enough that the bow would work for any walkers, with Sasha holding her riffle beside me.

Eventually, a car pulled up with Rick and two people stepped out. Sasha and I had claimed our marks, each covering one of the two men. The three of us watched as Rick spoke with the two for a while, his hands in the air and his gun on the ground in front of him to show he meant to harm.

A walker was slowly making its way towards Rick, and with a subtle nod from our leader, I took the shot, dropping the body and making the two officers look around for the shooter.

The deal went through not long after, Rick spinning a finger in the air as out signal to get the other three and Ty to bring them to make the trade. We met with Rick outside, Daryl leading the scared kid, Rick with the woman, and Ty leading the larger of the two men. Sasha and I had taken up positions at the back, making sure other officers from Grady wouldn't try anything while we walked over.