Learning to Live Again - Book One

Chapter 9

As the day wore on, Tamara felt more and more scared. No one had come to check on them and the guards outside the door didn't come into the room even to taunt their captives. The idea that Daryl would so easily give up his life to save her made her feel as if she was drowning in her own fear. Whenever she tried to wrap her mind around the idea of him not being there, terror choked her and she felt sick.

As the door to the bare room was unlocked and swung open, Daryl got to his feet and put his body between Tamara and the four grim faced men that filed into the room, sacks and duct tape in their hands, guns at their hips.

"Time to go." One of the men said with a cruel smile.

Daryl didn't make it easy for them. It took three men to subdue him and put a sack over his head before they could even get close to Tamara. Fighting them every step of the way, Tamara alternated between digging her heels in and relaxing suddenly into dead weight until her captors, tired of dragging her, threatened to shoot her or Daryl if she didn't walk quietly.

Swallowing hard, Tamara did as she was told.

The sound of a large crowd screaming and yelling as they were dragged closer to the destination made Tamara renew her efforts to get free.

And then the Governor's voice rose above the deafening noise, silencing it. "These are two of the terrorists!"

The sack over Tamara's head was ripped off and bright fire-light pierced her eyes before everything came into focus. She was in the middle of a circle of people, all listening to the Governor, all glaring at her and Daryl.

Daryl was dragged forward and the Governor grabbed onto his arm and pulled the sack from his head, "Merle's own brother!" he yelled to the crowd.

Tamara's stomach dropped when she saw Daryl freeze at the sight of his brother, guns trained on his back, opposite him and the Governor. And then she saw a familiar blonde standing in the crowd, Andrea was staring at Daryl and Tamara with wide astonished eyes.

The crowd was starting to become angry again and the Governor knew just how to whip them up into a frenzy. He let go of Daryl and started to circle him, his gaze on the crowd. "What should we do with them, huh?"

Shouts of "Kill them!" erupted around the crowd as even the children and elderly of Woodbury called for their blood.

Tamara struggled to pull away from the men holding her back near the edge of the crowd only to have the Governor move to stand near her, grab her by the hair and drag her to stand in front of him as he revelled in the chaos he had created. Seeing the fear in Daryl's eyes as the yelling of the crowd grew, Tamara tensed ready to pull away from the hold the Governor had on her.

Then, Andrea was there, fighting against the restraining hold of the Governor's men to try and convince the tall leader that Tamara and Daryl were innocent.

"Phillip, they're friends." She told him.

"It's not up to me anymore." The Governor drawled lazily, his attention fully on the growing rage of the crowd. "The people have spoken."

Tamara twisted suddenly in his hold, breaking it. She flew across the small space between her and Daryl and threw her arms around him, holding onto him for dear life.

"Run." Daryl rasped out, his hot, shaky breath curling through her hair.

Shaking her head, close to tears, Tamara pressed herself closer to him. His bindings were cut and his hands came up to grasp her upper arms, torn between pushing her away and pulling her closer.