Last One Standing ~ TWD Daryl Dixon

47

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Jo

When I came to, I was laying on my side on the ground. I flexed my hands and found my wrists were bound behind me. I rolled my wrists, shifting my jacket sleeves so whatever I was tied with was against my skin. It felt like rope. I could work with rope.

"There she is," a gravely voice called cheerfully from behind me.

I blinked a few times trying to clear my head. I rolled up into a sitting position. My head swam as I moved but I would not lay here like a sack of potatoes and stare up at him from the ground.

"You took quite the blow to the head. Billy there got a little excited when he found ya." The man in front of me was probably in his late fifties. He had a look about him that made me think he didn't have a camp. It was a combination of overall wear on his clothes, how many layers of dirt covered his skin and the visible weapons. He had a friendly, open smile but it did not reach his eyes. His eyes were hard, like granite. I glanced from him, to the group beyond. There were six men that I could see, all armed and tough looking.

I didn't respond to his calm explanation as I took in my surroundings. It was still dark so I couldn't have been out more than a few hours. I was still wearing all my clothes, which was a relief, though my jacket was now unzipped. A little wiggling made it clear all of my weapons were gone and whoever had tied my wrists had done a good job. I didn't like the idea of one of these men searching me and removing my weapons while I was unconscious. It made my skin crawl to think of them touching my body when I was out, but I couldn't think of that. I needed to focus.

"Now, Billy got the claim on you before any one else could," the man had continued to speak pleasantly as though his words made total sense. "But we got us a little business to take care of before that happens. So, we're gonna bring you with us while we take care of that." His face turned serious and he pointed a finger at me. "Now, if you behave yourself, things will go better for you later. If you don't...well, things can take an awful turn."

The man flashed a predatory smile and I resisted the urge to shudder. There was something about him that reminded me of The Governor. Though, he was more charming than The Governor. I had managed to keep The Governor mostly away from me by being scary. I had a feeling this man didn't scare easily. I wasn't sure how I was going to get myself out of this one. My heart started to pound, but I was surprised to find I was not as afraid as I should be. The quiet numbness that had surrounded me the last few days was still there. It provided a temporary clarity which allowed me to think rather than panic. 

I glanced around at the men, and spotted my kukri knife tucked into the belt of one of them. The grey haired man in front of me followed my gaze and smiled. "Yeah, Harley there got the claim on your blade. It's real nice..." He scratched at his head thoughtfully. He was both a talker and a bit of a showman. It was good, it would buy me time to find my moment. I wasn't as good against people. They moved and reacted differently than Walker's did, but given the right circumstances I could handle myself against this man.

The man cleared his throat. He had noticed my focus on him had wavered. I looked back at him and looked him levelly in the eye. Something in my gaze pleased him, because he smiled a real smile and it was nothing like the put upon fake ones I had seen before. This was an oily predatory smile that showed too many teeth. "You like cats?"

I didn't respond, just glared at him. He glanced back at his men, indecision seemed to weigh on him for a moment. Whatever he was thinking about resolved itself because when he turned back to me, his fake, friendly smile was back in place. "Never mind. Don't matter anyhow. There's rules," he said in a confiding whisper. Then he straightened and cleared his throat. "Lotta blades for sucha little girl." He reached behind him in the waistband of his jeans and pulled out my handgun. "Nice gun too, full clip...seems improbable a little girl like you out here all by your lonesome..."