Instincts (Daryl Dixon FF)

f i v e

[Season 4, before Internment]

Margo's P.o.V

We dismantled our tent and stuffed it with all the food resources and the sleeping bags in our backpacks. Two of them were fixed on the motorbike and since I was the only one who would have a free back whilst driving, I'd carry the third one. Just when I was about to grab the strap to pick it up, I heard a crackle from the woods. It was like steps, a few, on leaves, maybe rotten twigs. "Everybody silence", I hissed. The two of them knew the process and stopped all of their tracks, letting me listen. Within seconds my brain rattered, handling the gained informations and figuring out the situation. "They're here, Dad", I said, glancing over at him. He didn't move as I expected him to. I tought he'd give us commands, show us the way to our next action, lead us. We still had enough distance, if we hopped on right now and fleed we could make it but he seemed to have a different plan in mind. Dad grabbed the sniper barrel, ripped the gun out of my rucksack and looked through the gunsight. His finger scurried over the trigger, not hard enough to fire a shot but still determined. I grasped Nico by his shoulders, pulled him to my chest and covered his ears with my palms. We waited for my father to shoot one of them as a warn signal or something but he just..didn't. Instead he dropped the Barrett again, letting it fall into the slightly wet grass. "Get on the bike, Margo take the sniper gun", he told us, already walking over to the machine, swinging his leg over the seat as I shouldered the backpack and grabbed the gun from the ground. I took a seat behind Nico, who was now firmly trapped between us and positioned myself to fire.
We flee.

The engine revved, the cold metal beginning to warm up under my bottom. Father pushed his feet into the grass, moving us back on the street. Then he placed them onto the pedals, changed the gear and drove directly to.. the woods? What?! "Dad what are you doing?!", I screamed trying to snatch his elbows to get him to turning the handlebar. "Margo shut it, that's dangerous", he responded, snatching his jacket out of my hold, his voice as cold as ever making me cringe. "Dangerous is whatever you're trying to do here!". My hands cramped around the gun, all reflexes in alarm, ready to kill. I had never killed anyone alive to that point but I would protect if required. I would fight.
Slowly our vehicle approached the group which was spread and hidden behind the few trees. Only Rick was standing in the middle of the road, his body almost inviting my bullets to perforate him. His vision was stern, not threatening, just stern, his arms loosely hang on his sides. The closer we got to the border, the more I started panicking. Again I tried shaking whatever idea this was out of Dad's head, gripping his sleeves, grasping his back but he didn't bother listening to what I was saying. My mind was racing and I got frantic at this point, I swung the Barret back over my shoulder as far as possible, snapped the handgun out of my waistband and aimed towards the group. My other hand went over Nicos neck, trying to shield his head from whatever was coming. "Grab your gun", I muttered in his ear.

When there only were a few feet left between Rick and the wheel, Dad stopped, shut off the engine and turned around to whisper, "Go sit in front. If this doesn't work out, you flee with him, alright?". I wanted to disagree, I wanted to scream at him for being so stupig and leaving us alone but I couldn't. The words remained stuck in my throat. Respect and restraint holding me back. He got off the bike without us and waited until I had placed myself and turned the engine on again. Then he walked towards Rick.

My hands were sweaty and jerked every few seconds, when one of the members shifted in their position. I was nervous, anxious, I was goddamn frightened. My body refused to concentrate, too scared to listen to their conversation and what outcome it might bring. So I just sat there, my blood boiling but my skin remaining icecold, looking for a solution, which is not to be found. After a few minutes of tension laying in the air, Rick stuck out his hand and oh no this is not happening. Within seconds I had jumped off, leaving Nico alone as I ran towards them, the guns clicked, people sprang out of their hideouts pointing the rifle barrels at my body. I didn't stop, my feet kept moving, my heart kept beating. "Don't", Rick screamed, lifitng his hand in manner to stop his group from shooting me to death. "Dad, you can't-", I started, grabbing his forearm to turn him around but he shook me off, hitting my chest in the progress"Margo, listen to me-", "but Dad!", "Listen.To.Me. We Need this, Margo. We don't trust people, I know, I taught you that and we don't but we accept help. You want Nico to live, don't you?, he spoke, grabbing my face. "Don't drag him into this father", I spat back. His face was calm, not a hint of anger, maybe irritation. "We are taking this chance, period", and with that, he turned around, gave Rick a nod and walked back to our bike. "Lead the way".

After that I was absolutely furious, I could have slapped everyone in their stupid ass smug faces including my Dad but I didn't, I didn't because I am a fucking pussy and still believed in humanity and its laws. I still considered society as a possibility and it made me weak. I didn't because I was taught values and morals, which people had lost by then but I hadn't. Everytime emotions like this broke me, cracking my shield which I needed so badly in this world.

After about a mile their cars and trucks came into view, they were parked on the side of the road and I could make out some people sitting inside of them. I remembered Tyreese, Carol and Michonne who glanced at us through the wind shields. Sasha, Glenn, Daryl and Maggie who were with Rick, guarding him during his "mission", separated into their vehicles, each one of them now being occupied by two people. We builded a colonel, our motorbike and Daryls behind us creating the end. I put my head on Nicolas' shoulder and whispered, "If this goes wrong, I'll do everything to get us both out of here, you with me?", he nodded, resting his head against mine. His short brown hair brushed my cheeks, tickling my skin. It was one of the rare moments I felt home, safe, even if I wasn't, even if safety wasn't existent anymore.

Soon enough the familiar gates of the prison came into view, filling my mind with the memories of last night. How I knocked them out, how I escaped, how I messed up and got Giro killed. I didn't really know if this even could turn out good, they were probably pretty angry after what I did to them. Slowly all the cars came to a stop, lining up near the fence. The people began walking up the small hill, their weapons loosely gripped, exhausted. Rick waved us over to him, inviting us to follow them to the prison. "So, your daughter said you were a surgeon, that true?", he asked. "I am", my father answered, stroking his baldness. It made him look way younger than he actually was, no grey hair, no grey beard, people often thought he was just around 50 years old. Rick turned to Nico and me, "What about you guys?", I swallowed, "I'm a studied agronomist, specialised in botanical ecology and nonpollutional food production", I mumbled, facing the ground. People always asked me if I was gonna study medicine like my parents did since my mom was a doctor too but I hated everything with bacteria, blood and organs. I got used to it by now, but I would still sometimes cringe when I saw guts or something like that. People just mustn't notice. "I just started highschool", Nico explained to Rick, pushing my thoughts away. "So you're not that much older than my own son", he smiled.

"Look George, I didn't just bring you back here, because Margo knew our location".