Red ~ TWD (Daryl Dixon)

You Want a Fight, I'll Start a War

"Stop here." Glenn did as he was told, the screech of the breaks loud as the car rolled to a stop. "Now y'all just sit tight."

Where the hell else would we go? Two doors opened and closed, but I waited another 10 seconds just to be on the safe side.

"You guys OK?" I heard Maggie shifting in her seat. "Don't turn around," I all but yelled, instantly regretting my tone, but needing her to stay still less what little time we had to strategize be taken away entirely. "We don't want to give them any more reason than they already have to hurt us."

"What do we do?" Glenn asked, his voice low. He sounded a million miles away, not a few seats.

"They're going to separate us. You've seen what they can do." Maggie sucked in a harsh breath that rapidly descended into muffled sobs at the reminder of my torture, but I kept talking, trying to prepare them as best I could. "Hold out as long as you can, but do what you have to stay alive. Maggie, I don't think they'll hurt you physically, but be ready for anything. They know you two are together and if you hold out long enough they will use that to their advantage."

"You don't think they'll...." Glenn trailed off, his voice dangerous and I swallowed down the bitterness in the back of my throat. I wanted to reassure him that he didn't need to fear that, but the truth was everything was on the table at this point.

"I don't know, but if it comes to that you tell them what they want to know. Do you hear me?"

"But the others," Maggie cried.

I didn't have an answer for that so I ignored it. We would just have to deal with the consequences later. If there was a later.

"You tell them. No information is worth that," I insisted. "Keep your eyes and ears open. We may be outnumbered but these guys are sloppy. They will make a mistake and when they do you need to be ready. When you find your opening take it." My voice was full of authority as I tried to pump them full of the confidence they would need to survive this and escape. "You find each other and get the hell out of here any way you can."

"What about you?" Glenn's sounded incredulous, his voice high-pitched and panicked.

I shook my head even though they couldn't see it. "I'll be fine. Worry about each other."

"We're not leaving you." Maggie had stopped crying.

She sounded determined which normally would be better than falling apart, but I needed to stomp out that fire. I wouldn't allow either of them to risk their lives for me.

"You can and you will," I stated, my tone leaving no room for argument. I heard muffled voices outside the car and knew we were almost out of time. "They don't know who I am, not really. Don't worry about me. I'll find a way out."

"But Daryl..."

I cut him off, "Keep him out of it. Focus on what they know, not what they don't. They'll want to know where the group is, how we got there, that will be their focus. Leave it there. Listen to what you're being asked and only answer that question. Offer no additional details unless you have to." The voices were getting closer. "They already see our group as a threat, but they think I'm new and have no real ties. We can use that. If they find out that's not the case we lose the only advantage we have." And even that wasn't much of an advantage.

"Alex." Maggie's voice wobbled and I squeezed my eyes closed, forcing thoughts of Daryl from mind. I needed to be strong and the thought of never seeing him again made me feel anything but strong.

"I know." I took a measured breath, men visible through the window now, trying to get myself under control before the shitstorm began. "Just tell him..."