rag doll | TWD

[17] made to suffer

runaway --- bon jovi

♮♮♮
[JJ]

"Rick, thank God." Or at least, that's what it should've sounded like. All he probably heard was a muffled mess. I took a deep of a breath as I could, leaning back on my shoulders. I kicked the one I had just strangled away as Rick grabbed my arm, helping me up and untying the bandana as Oscar and Daryl and a woman I'd never seen before stood lookout at the door. 

"Bout time." I joked as he moved to cutting the tape that bound my hands. "What? D'you get stuck in traffic?" I had forgotten about my shirt being the way it was until I looked down. Damn, I really liked that shirt too. I felt more exposed now than I did with the two goons who supposedly interrogated me. But this was my brother. It was honestly just embarrassing. 

As Rick was cutting me loose, we heard the dude on the floor begin to turn. Daryl walked past, driving a knife into its head and then stopped in front of me. "Guess you showed him." He seemed almost impressed. I wasn't going to tell him it was his brother that did it and not the guy I strangled. He saved me from knowing the truth about what my brother did, figured I could do him the same.

He set his bow to the side and took his vest with the angel wings on the back of it off and handed it to me. "Here." I nodded in appreciation, putting it on. Not gonna lie- looked badass with my boots. "Come on, we gotta go." 

They came prepared, that's for sure. Smoke bombs, tear gas, whatever else was left at the prison came in handy. 

Maggie and Glenn looked worse off than I did. Glenn had clearly given the shirt he was wearing to Maggie...guessing she had a similar, if not worse, experience than I did. And Glenn- he was bloodied and bruised and looked like he was barely hanging on. 

We ran down the town's street into a nearby building. Glenn collapsed on the ground as soon as we got inside, Maggie kneeled next to him. 

Daryl did a quick scan of the room, "Ain't no way out back here."

"Rick, how did you find us?" Maggie questioned. 

He ignored her, looking to Glenn, "how bad are you hurt?"

"I'll be all right."

I noticed we had lost the random lady somewhere along the way, "Where's that woman who was with y'all?"

Rick noticed too. "She was right behind us."

"Maybe she was spotted." Oscar suggested. 

"Want me to go look for her?" Daryl asked. 

Rick shook his head, "no, we gotta get him out of here. She's on her own."

Glenn swallowed hard, "Daryl, this was Merle. It was. He did this."

"You saw him?"

"Face to face. Threw a walker at me. He was gonna execute us." 

"So, my brother's this governor?"

"No, it's somebody else. Your brother's his lieutenant or something." Maggie told him. 

"Does he know I'm still with you?"

"He does now. Rick, I'm sorry. We told him where the prison was. We couldn't hold out."

Rick squeezed Glenn's knee in a comforting way, "Don't. No need to apologize."

"They're gonna be looking for us." Maggie informed.

Rick looked out the window, "We have to get back. Can you walk? We got a car a few miles out."

"I'm good." Glenn groaned, sitting up.

"Hey, if Merle's around I need to see him."

"Not now. We're in hostile territory."

"He's my brother. I ain't-"

"Look at what he did!" Rick snapped but continued to whisper. "Look, we gotta- gotta get out of here now."

"Maybe I can talk to him. Maybe I can work something out." Daryl bargained. 

"No, no, you're not thinking straight. Look, no matter what they say, they're hurt. Glenn can barely walk. How are we gonna make it out if we get overrun by walkers and this governor catches up to us? I need you. Are you with me?"

"Yeah." Daryl agreed, going to get one of the smoke bombs, getting ready to set it off. 

"On three. Stay tight." Rick told us. "One, two, three."

Daryl tossed two of the bombs and we started to run, immediately being spotted. It turned into a war zone, quickly. We hunkered in a shop's opening. "How many?"

"I didn't see."

"Don't matter. There's gonna be more of them. We need to move." Daryl told us. 

"Any grenades left?" My brother asked. Daryl nodded. "Get 'em ready. We gotta gun 'em to the wall."

"You guys go ahead. I'm gonna lay down some cover fire."

"No, we gotta stay together." I protested. "I can get to behind the bench and take out the guy on the wall."

"Nah, too hairy. I'll be right behind you." 

Once the smoke filled the air, the chaos turned even more chaotic. 

I covered Rick, who led us to the wall. Then, as we were making our way over, Oscar was shot helping Maggie and the guy who shot him started making his way toward Rick. I didn't hesitate, but the closer I got, the longer I processed. The man looked exactly like Shane.

"JJ, let's go!" My brother yelled.  I blinked, thinking I was imagining it, but the shouts from Rick and Maggie pulled me out of my trance.

"Go! I'm right behind you!" I shouted, noticing Daryl taking out the guards on the wall. I joined in. "Daryl, come on! We need to go." More shots hit the ground near us. 

"Go on. I'll cover you." 

"I can cover myself. We both need to go."

He huffed, "Just go, I'm right behind you."

I ran to the school bus and climbed up, catching up with Rick and the others. "JJ, get down." He peered over. "Come on Daryl." I kneeled next to Maggie and Glenn, looking behind me, noticing Daryl was in fact, not right behind me. 

But the random lady with the sword did show up. 

"Where the hell were you?" Rick snapped, pointing his gun at her, "put your hands up. Turn around. Turn around." He unsheathed her sword, lowering his own weapon. "Get what you came for?"

"Where are the rest of your people?" She asked. 

"They got Oscar." Glenn didn't lower his gun. 

"Daryl is missing. You didn't see him?" I added.

"If anything happens to him-"

She cut Rick off, "I brought you here to save them."

"Thanks for the help."

"You'll need help to get them back to the prison or to go back in there for Daryl. Either way, you need me."

I nodded, "She's right."