The Rest of your Life

Chapter 25

"Do you really want him sleeping in the same cell block as Carol, Rory or Beth?" Glenn asked.

"He ain't a rapist." Daryl snarled.

"Well, his buddy is."

"They ain't buddies no more. Not after last night." Daryl commented.

"There's no way Merles gonna live there without putting everyone at each others throats." Rick explained.

"So you're gonna cut Merle loose and bring the last samurai home with us?" Daryl hissed in offence.

"She's not coming back." Rick denied.

"She's not in a state to be on her own." Maggie countered.

"She did bring you guys to us." Glenn added.

"And then ditched us."

"At least let my dad stitch her up?" Maggie offered.

"She's too unpredictable."

"That's right." Daryl agreed. "We don't know who she is."

"She's gotta be good." Rory spoke up. "She helped me get back to the prison, helped us get Glenn and Maggie back..."

"Yeah, but Merle, Merles blood." Daryl continued.

"No, Merle is your blood." Glenn stressed. "My blood, my family is standing right here and waiting for us back at the prison."

"And you're part of that family." Rick concluded, looking to Daryl. "But he's not. He's not."

Daryl looked to Rory for a second before speaking up. "Man, y'all don't know... fine we'll fend for ourselves." Rory's heart stopped. She didn't want Daryl to go.

"That's not what I was saying." Glenn was quick to say.

"No him, no me."

"Daryl, you don't have to do that." Maggie spoke softly. Rory stayed quiet, tears gathering in her eyes.

"It was always Merle and I before this."

"Are you serious? You're just going to leave like that?"

"You'd do the same thing." Daryl spoke.

"What do you want us to tell Carol?" Glenn argued.

"She'll understand." Daryl stated before he begun to walk away. Rory ran up to the man as he collected his things out of the car.

"Please. Please don't go."

"Take care of yourself." Daryl smiled. "You're one tough kid."

Rory took a shaky breath as the man walked away with his brother. She furiously wiped the tears from her face. He didn't deserve her tears, he left them. She stormed into the car where the others were waiting.

Shortly after, they had to clear the road and Rory stayed in the car, hands over her ears as Rick yelled at Glenn. She wanted to go home.

•••

Rory stayed in the car as Rick got out to speak to Carol. She didn't want to see what Carol had to say about Daryl leaving them. She shut the door to the car as she got out near the cell block, Maggie guiding the child inside to go and find Hershel.

Rory paused as she walked into the block. There were new people. They stared as she walked into the block with Maggie.

•••

"Now, what did you get yourself into?" Hershel spoke softly to the girl as he stitched up the bullet graze, taping a bit of gauze over the wound as Rory hissed a little.

"Merle." Rory spat the name out. Hershel put some ointment over the blooming bruise on her face, it reminded her of when her father did it when she got hit by Ed. The thought made tears spring up and a cry tore from her throat.

"Hey, now. What's wrong?"

"I want dad... and I miss mom... and I want Daryl to come back. Everything keeps changing. It's not fair." The child sobbed, Hershel embracing the crying child, rocking her back and forth, trying to calm her down.

•••

"Can I speak to you?" Rick asked Rory as he walked into her cell. The girl sat up on her bed, moving over so that Rick could sit. The man sat next to her, sighing deeply before looking to the child.

"About, about before... at Woodbury... I'm sorry you had to do that. I'm sorry I put you in a position where you had to protect yourself from other people. And... and if I can help it, I won't have you put in that position again..."

Rory knew what he was on about. She was trying to not think about it. About taking the lives of two men. About how she murdered two people.

"Does... does it... does killing make me like dad?" Rory whispered, looking to Rick. The man sighed sadly, bringing the child in for a hug.

"No, never. You only have the best bits of your father." Rick continued, kissing Rory's curls. "Defending yourself doesn't make you bad. It makes you brave."

•••

The group walked into the cafeteria where the new people sat. Rory stood by Carl and Hershel as Rick walked to meet them.

"I'm Tyreese." The man greeted, holding his hand out to Rick. He didn't shake it.

"Sasha, Allen, Ben." Hershel listed, pointing out the names of the others. Sasha smiled at Rory as she leaned closer to Carl.

"How'd you get in?" Rick asked, straight to the point as always.

"Fire damage to the administrative part of the prison." The man informed. "Walls down."

"That sides completely overrun buy walkers, how'd you get this far?"

"We didn't. We lost our friend, Donna."

"They we're lost in the tombs." Carl spoke up from beside Rory.

"And you brought them here?" Rick snapped.

"He had no choice." Hershel defended. Rick nodded before looking to the people again.

"I'm sorry about your friend. We know what that's like." Rick shared.

"Hershel said you can use some extra hands." Tyreese offered. "We're no stranger to hard work. Well go out and get our own food, stay out of your hair. You got a problem with another group, we'll help with that, too. Anything to contribute."

"No." Rick spoke.

"Please." Sasha vocalised. "It's like 'ten little Indians' out there. It's just us now."

"No." Rick breathed out, shaking his head.

"Let's talk about this." Hershel said to Rick. "We can't just keep—"

"We've been through this." Rick snapped. "With Tomas, Andrew. Look what happened."

"Axel and Oscar weren't like them." Carol defended.

"And where's Oscar now?"

Rory spaced out, her head was fuzzy again. She saw Rick flip out at the new people, he was shouting at something on the platforms above. What was he yelling at? Maggie pulled Carl and Rory closer to her, arms resting on their shoulders, keeping them away from a spiralling Rick.

"I can't help you, get out! Get... get out!"

He got more mad, more aggressive, waving his gun about at people. Carol and Maggie now standing in front of the children who looked into Rick in fear. Glenn rushed the other group out as Rick spiralled.

What was going on with him?

•••
Anyone know the band Lovejoy? I'm gonna see them tomorrow and I'm so scared... send help.

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