The Best of Me ( Rickyl )

Chapter 10

*20 Years Ago*

Rick was in the garage with Dale, not really doing much. He sat on his usual stool by the work bench handing Dale any tools or equipment he asked for while he waited for Daryl, Glenn and Maggie to come home from school.

The four of them were all gonna get ready for their chemistry final together and Dale had given his permission for them to form a study group in the garage as long as they stuck to studying and didn't start some kind of teenage party inside or something.

Rick had a free period at the end of the day and figured he'd head over to Dales and wait for the others instead of going home. He didn't want to deal with his parents questioning him about why he was going out on a school night and having to make an excuse about studying with Shane. He knew his best friend would cover him for, but he didn't feel in the mood to deal with his parents overprotectiveness at the moment.

"Shoot, I forgot to get the spray-paint out the truck." Dale muttered, closing the hood of the car he was currently working on as Rick jumped off his stool, wanting something to do anyway.

"I'll go get it." He said, not waiting for the older man to responded as he walked around the corner and stepped out the garage. He blinked at the sudden bright sun after being inside the dark garage for so long when suddenly something hard collided with stomach causing him to groan and double over.

Before he even knew what was happening a set of hands grabbed his shoulders and threw him to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. He tried gasping for air when a set of boots slammed into his stomach causing him to cry out in pain.

"Rick!" Dale's voice suddenly shouted and Rick only just managed to lift his head to find Dale rushing outside before he spotted Daryl's father grabbing Dale from behind and slamming his head against the side of the garage, knocking him unconscious before he turned his attention back to Rick.

He quickly tried to crawl away only to be stopped by Daryl's two cousins, blocking his path. He didn't even get a chance to say anything before one of them grabbed him from behind, pinning his arm behind his back painfully.

He heard Dale groan to his left and Rick glanced in his direction as Will walked back over to him and lifted him to his knees, but Rick didn't miss the deep gash on Dale's forehead that was dripping with blood.

"Stay awake. You're gonna want to see this. Now, look at that." Will instructed, grabbing Dale's chin as he pointed towards something behind Rick. The sound of a car roaring to life filled the air before the man who was holding Rick turned him around so he could watch.

It took his clouded brain a few moments to process what he was seeing before he realised that the other Dixon cousin was in Will's truck and driving over Dale's garden bed. He watched in horror as the truck skidded across the tulips, tearing them up.

"There it goes! Whoo! Now, let me ask you something. Did you and your wife plant those tulips?" Rick heard Will question, but he couldn't hear Dales response as Ted revved the engine and drove over to the next flower bed of tulips and began to destroy the flowers that Rick knew meant so much to Dale.

"Stop this!" Rick shouted, thrashing in Kyle Dixons hold, but it was no use the other man outweighed him in muscle easily, but he wasn't about to just sit by and watch this happen.

"Shut up, fag!" Will's voice boomed and Rick barely had any time to respond before Kyle suddenly let go of his arm only for a vice like grip to grab hold of it a moment later and he knew those hands belonged to Will.

"Fuck you." Rick spat, but immediately regretted it when Will snapped his arm on an angel that was not natural before the sound of bone crunching filled the air followed by Ricks pained screams.