𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 | 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴

Cass - part two

- Rick's POV -  present

I slowly exhale through my nose, as if I could breathe out the rage that's threatening to consume me. I close my eyes for a moment, attempting to calm the erratic pounding of my heart and the searing rage simmering beneath my skin. It's a fire burning through my veins with every passing second, rushing through me, distorting my hearing and overwhelming my senses.

With painstaking effort, I lift my gaze, my vision tainted red. Through my haze of fury, I lock eyes with Daryl, who stands on the other side of the living room, clutching a full glass of lemonade that Carol had given him earlier. A glass he hasn't touched.

The room feels as though it's closing in on me and the rest of our family gathered. Daryl's just finished explaining to all of us who Negan's wives are.

What Cass has to endure there.

What Negan does to her.

Daryl's expression is a grimace of pain, mirroring the distress on the faces of the rest of our family, who've just absorbed the shock of his words. The weight of his words hangs in the air like smoke, burning my lungs, suffocating me.

Every fiber of my being is aflame, screaming with a fury that intensifies with every word that escaped Daryl's mouth. It's as if a storm of anger rages within me, thundering louder and growing more tumultuous with each syllable he utters.

Swallowing back the bile in my throat, I nod, my nostrils flaring with anger at the unbearable truth.

She's being forced, against her will, to be in that fucking place. And Negan... Negan forces her to-

Exhaling sharply with a resolute nod, I swiftly unbuckle and snatch my axe from my belt. The familiar weight of the weapon in my hand grounds me, providing a semblance of control in a world spinning out of it.

He's dead.

I turn without a word, storming towards the nearest exit. My vision pulses, so strong that I can barely see the front door. I don't even know where to go, all I know is that I need to find that asshole and kill him.

"Rick!" Daryl calls roughly, the urgency in his voice making me pause, my hand on the doorknob, my chest heaving.

"Yeah, come on, Rick. It's the middle of the night," Glenn adds, his rational words piercing the charged air and hitting my chest.

[ A/N: I'M WEAK!! COME ON, OFC I DIDN'T KILL GLENN! ]

I clench my eyes shut for a fleeting moment, attempting to regain some semblance of control, to try to reel back the wall of blinding anger threatening to take over. When I turn to face my family, I see them gathered, watching me with a sympathy that makes me nauseous.

Reluctantly giving in, I take a few slow, deliberate steps forward, my body shaking with pent-up anger, my grip on the axe handle so tight that I'm surprised the wood hasn't splintered at this point.

Maggie watches me beside her husband, their expressions soft with compassion. Carol is behind them, her brows furrowed deeply in thought. Luckily Carl and Judith are in bed.

"Don't go, Rick. Cass told me not to let you," Daryl breathes, his eyes searching mine desperately.

I let out a short exhale, my anger momentarily suspended as I shift to face Daryl, blinking in confusion. "What do you mean?" I ask roughly, my heart pounding.

Daryl sighs, looking down. "When she helped me leave, the first thing she said was to tell you not to go after her," Daryl tells me, his brows pulled together tightly, panic written across his exhausted expression.