"Accepting help is its own kind of strength."
- Kiera Cass
It was now daytime and a clear road is just a few meters away from them. A slinging of a sword being drawn and a gun cocking alerted Rick, putting his arm up in an attempt to calm the raging Glenn and katana woman. "Now we got a problem here, we all just need to calm down."
Daryl immediately positioned himself in front of his brother, protecting him from the others. Rick stood by Daryl's side, his gun drawn on the woman. Aliya's hold on her gun tightened as the temptation of blowing Merle's head off became more intense. Daryl looked back at her briefly and stared her down, his hand still up trying to get Glenn to put his gun down.
Merle looked around and chuckled nervously, "Hey, we both took our licks man!" his smile faltering a bit when he glanced at Aliya's expressionless face. Daryl immediately apprehended his brother, "Jackass." he growled before looking back at Glenn and the others. In the excitement of being back with his brother, Merle responded, "Hey! Shut up!" Which pissed Rick off.
He looked back at Merle and glared, "Enough!" before he looked back at the woman and demanded her to put her katana down. Seeing that Glenn wasn't gonna put the gun down, Daryl pushed it away, "Man, get that thing outta my face!" as Merle chuckled with his back on the trees.
Merle started moving his big ass mouth which broke Aliya's patience. She marched towards Merle and punched him in the face with all her might. "I'm sick of you talking!" she growled as she straddled him, landing punches after punches in his face. Merle smiled as his brother wrapped his arms around Aliya's waist and pulled her away.
"Hey!" Daryl growled in her ear before pushing her to the side. Aliya glared at Daryl who glared back at her. Merle chuckled teasingly as he wiped some blood off of his lips. "If ya wanted to get dirty, you should've just asked!" he winked at Aliya, grinding her gears. She tried to lunge at him but Rick's hand shot up to her arm and pulled her back. Daryl looked back at his brother in anger, "Merle! Shut the hell up!" to which Merle just shrugged and pouted.
Merle looked at the woman, "...his wood in your girlfriend Andrea." he licked his upper lip disgustingly. Glenn stammered, "Andrea is in Woodbury?" he was in disbelief. Daryl was the one who answered him, "Right next to the governor." his voice became low, a slight sense of betrayal in his voice.
Aliya stumbled slightly, the exhaustion and hunger was starting to settle in. Maggie held onto Aliya, "Hey." she whispered gently into her ear, trying to get Aliya to steady herself. She cleared her throat and nodded at her, "I'm okay." she wiped a cold sweat in her forehead as she tuned in on what the others were talking about.
Rick and the others were discussing about a woman named Andrea who spent all winter with the woman with the katana. Merle unnecessarily spewing out some of his rotten comments. "...kind of ironic now that I think about it." he chuckled at the woman, obviously trying to rile her up for a reaction. Daryl whipped his head towards his brother, "Shut up, bro!" he snarled at him, desperate to get his brother to shut his mouth.
Merle's forehead creased as s frown made a way into his face, "Andrea was close to dying when we found her." a rush of concern whizzed past his face. Maggie slowly made her way to the woman, "Is that why she's with him?" she asked lowly. The woman nodded solemnly. Merle suddenly went into a tirade about how pathetic everything was.
He looked at Aliya and rolled his eyes, "And Lone Ranger here thinks she can wipe out all those sum'bitches with a glare!" talking about her escape attempt.
Daryl once again attempted to get Merle to be quiet. "Merle! Shut the hell up!" trying to help his brother's case.
But when Merle stepped up to Daryl and screamed at him, Rick pistol-whipped him in the back of his head. Merle's unconscious body thumped on the floor, the dead leaves crunching under his weight. Daryl winced as he looked at Rick and his gun, grateful that he decided to just knock Merle out.
"Asshole."
==+==
Rick and the others were discussing amongst themselves in the middle of the road. Merle was hunched over while leaning on a tree, puking his guts out. The katana woman was propped up on the side of the silver car on the road, watching the others discuss.
Aliya was in between Merle and the woman, sitting on the forrest floor while watching Merle intently. She had no problems with the woman with the katana and the others, not feeling the need to look over them. Merle noticed her eyes on him and slowly looked back at her.
He lifted his brow at her, "Yes?" he questioned mockingly. She rolled her eyes as she blew a frustrated breath out of her lips, looking up to the sky for guidance. Her gaze momentarily landed on Daryl and the group before looking at Merle.
"Why do you get to live?"
It was a genuine question, she was sincerely asking for answers. Merle scoffed, "What?" he frowned and put his hand on his waist defensively. Aliya's jaw ticked, "Why do you get to live and the good ones don't?" she croaked out. Her self-control was thinning out by the second. Seeing Merle alive and smiling left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Merle's gaze dropped to the floor as he shook his head, wiping his chin. "I don't know, girl." he answered gently, looking at her in the eyes. Her forehead creased at his gentleness, feeling confused. She wanted to ask a question that she was afraid to know the answer to.
But if she doesn't ask, she would always wonder. The wind picked up as Aliya brushed her fingers through her loose hair, "Did-" she blinked and cleared her throat, "did anybody survive?" she frowned deeply, staring at the ground intently. She wanted to take back her question but now that she was free, if anybody survived the attack, she would come back to Camellia and rescue her people.
He watched Aliya struggle with herself, her pupils going back and forth wildly. Images of her shaking as the governor ran his hands through her body plagued his mind. Guilt and regret pulling him to the ground. He cleared his throat, caressing his head roughly. "Nah." he put his hands on his waist as he blew a breath.
Aliya's eyes shut tightly, hot tears flowing down her face. Merle was ranting but all Aliya could hear was the small growls that emitted from the storage room. Tanya's broken figure and swollen belly haunted her. She was suffocating but Merle kept on talking.
"...didn't know-" Merle's eyes widened as he put his hands up in surrender. Aliya abruptly stood up, aiming her gun at him. The others heard Merle's exclaims and ran towards her. Daryl immediately went in the line of fire, standing in front of Aliya's gun. "Put that shit down!" he too, aimed his crossbow at her.
The others stayed back, silently watching the three. Maggie could feel the intense rage seeping through Aliya's pores. Rick tried to get Aliya's attention, "Hey..." he coaxed her gently, trying to push the gun down. Merle stared back at Aliya with a wince. Aliya's hands shook as she tore her gaze from Merle and stared Daryl down, "Why does he have to live?" she loudly asked, agony in her throat.
"Why the fuck does he have to live!" she snapped, fully sobbing. Daryl's gaze faltered as he witnessed her break down. His crossbow lowered even though her gun stayed aimed. The others lowered their gazes to the ground, feeling for her. She demanded Merle's gaze, "You killed elderlies! The sick!" He looked away. "You killed kids!" her hold on her gun tightened.
Her jaw ticked as she gritted her teeth, "You killed a pregnant woman!" Rick's head lowered even more as his hands shook. Maggie's eyes moistened with tears as she glared at Merle who had his gaze on the ground. Daryl's gaze on Aliya's eyes wavered, his eyes lingering all over her face.
She looked away from Daryl and moved to the side, pointing her finger at Merle. Merle looked up at her, his face bashful. "You better kiss your brother's feet, asswipe." she jutted her gun, pointing at Daryl's feet. "He's the only thing keeping your ass alive." she wiped at her tears and sweat aggressively, dropping the gun on the ground.
Rick slowly took the gun and gave it to Maggie. He then signalled for Aliya to follow him to the side, a serious expression in his face. Aliya already knew what was coming, her face rigged with devastation. She nodded at him, "I already know." she mimicked his stance, her hands on her hips. His forehead creased in confusion as he shook his head.
"Nah, I don't think you do."
He caressed his chin, "We," he looked back at the others and looked back at her. "We were thinking that you should come with us." he looked at her through his lashes, gauging her reaction. Aliya's forehead creased in unbelief, looking around the others for validation. Maggie was nodding at her, a small smile on her lips.
Glenn nodded at her silently, his arm reaching for Maggie. That's when Aliya noticed that they were down one person.
Daryl was looking at her intently, his hand was holding onto his crossbow that was hanging on his shoulder. Aliya didn't even bother looking at the sky flake behind Daryl. Rick's step to the side made Aliya look back at him, "You proved yourself back there." he nodded as if telling her that he sees her.
He pointed at Daryl, "You didn't have to have his back like you did." he lifted his brow at her, "But you did," he pointed at her before signalling to the others, "and we owe you a lot." She started feeling self-conscious about the attention and took a step back. Maggie noticed this and called for her, "We," she pulled Glenn closer, "we never asked for your name." she shyly stated.
"Aliya."
Aliya's brow lifted at Daryl, amused that he spoke up. He noticed this and grunted, rolling his eyes before looking at his brother to engage in conversation. She sighed, "Aliya." she nodded at them as they introduced themselves. The katana woman and Merle didn't engage in the conversation. Daryl didn't need to.
She sucked on her upper lip, thinking deeply about all of it before looking at Daryl. If the angel wings on his back wasn't the sign she was looking for, then what is?
"I'd appreciate that." she whispered, toying with the hem of her shirt. When she looked up, Rick had a smile on his face, nodding at her. But that quickly dropped when Daryl carried on with the conversation that was cut, "We'll fend for ourselves." he stared at the ground, shaking his head.
It was obvious that he didn't want to leave them. But how could he leave Merle when all he did u pro this point was wonder when he'll see his brother again? Glenn shook his head, "That wasn't what we meant." he frowned at him. Daryl knew what they meant alright, but leaving Merle wasn't an option. Daryl shook his head, "No him, no me."
The others protested against the idea but he was adamant about his decision. Aliya allowed them some time to discuss within themselves. She glanced at the woman with the katana and nodded at her curtly. The woman only blinked at her once before looking back at the group.
Daryl looked at Maggie, "Say goodbye to your pa for me." before walking past them, Rick in tow. They exchanged words for a while, obviously Rick was trying to persuade him to stay with them and leave Merle. Aliya looked at Merle who was looking back and forth between his brother and the soil below him. It was obvious that he was anxious about the conversations going around.
Merle noticed her lingering gaze and lifted a brow at her, "What d'ya want?" he sassed, riling her off. She rolled her eyes and stood up from the ground, patting her butt clean. She rubbed her hands together before making her way to Daryl who was taking his things out of the car.
"Are you really leaving?"
He grunted as he glanced at her quickly, "What?" he breathed out, his biceps flexing as he moved things around. She blew a breath, "You're leaving?" she ground out, unhappy about the news. Daryl looked at her expression for a bit before glancing at his brother, "Yeah. Merle and me, we have to leave." he shrugged.
Aliya's forehead creased in discontent. She wanted to protest but she wasn't in a position to do so. She was nobody to all of them. Nobody. Fixing her ponytail, she called on him, "Just wanted to thank you." she smiled. This confused Daryl, "What?" he whispered.
"You saved my life."
She chuckled as she remembered the look on his face when he saved her, "You hesitated at first but you still dragged me out of there." A ghost of a smile caught Daryl's lips as he grunted in agreement. Aliya caught his gaze, "I owe you." she rasped out sincerely.
Daryl wasn't used to being acknowledged, let alone appreciated. The others being always on his business was hard enough to handle, but now Aliya? A different story.
He shook his head at her in disagreement, "You had my back back there." he lifted his arms to close the trunk. Nodding at her, he squinted his right eye, "Makes us even." he then tapped her on the shoulder before going to his brother. Aliya watched his retreating figure with a content look on her face.
Glenn called out for Daryl in desperation but it fell on deaf ears. Merle welcomed his brother with a wide grin and open arms while Rick watched them longingly. Daryl looked back at them quickly, his eyes going over everyone briefly before marching off with Merle.
Rick looked lost as he packed the guns into the trunk while Aliya stayed staring at the retreating brothers with a pit on her stomach. Maggie nodded her over, "Let's go." she waved, opening the car door for her. She walked slowly towards the car and watched Rick approach the woman with a cold look on his face.
It was evident that he didn't particularly enjoy her presence but the woman had the patience of a nun. She only nodded at him before walking past him into the car.
==+==
The ride to the prison was tense and angry. It was as if one wrong move will flip the switch on all of them, creating chaos. Aliya and the woman stayed in the car while Glenn, Maggie, and Rick took care of the fallen tree and abandoned car in the middle of the road.
Glenn laid it out on the walker that was in the car, pouring all of his scathing anger and rage into the stomp of his foot. Maggie too was heated, screaming at Glenn to keep his mouth shut about what the governor did to the two.
When they arrived at the prison, Rick was the one to break the news out to Carol. She didn't take it well, heartbroken that the only one who would ever understand her has left. She sobbed and asked Rick again and again if he was sure, becoming more and more bothered as he confirmed it with a heavy heart.
----
It's been a few days since Aliya arrived at the prison, not once did she sleep in the cells. It was too claustrophobic, too close to home as she felt like she was back in Woodbury.
It wasn't a secret that the others were worried about her. She dedicated her whole time being on watch, only going in the building to socialise for a while before retreating back to the watchtower. Carol tried to persuade her to sleep where Daryl used to sleep in but she kindly rejected the idea.
"He'll want to have some place to sleep in when he comes back." she reasoned with them, sure that Daryl will come back to his family.
A clanging on the ladder up the watchtower got Aliya's attention as she opened the door. In comes Maggie with a plate of food and some water as well. Seeing the state of her, Maggie became worried, "Did you sleep at all?" she asked worriedly. She smiled at Maggie, seeing Hershel in her, "You're really your father's daughter." she smirked, "I slept." she bluffed.
It was hard sleeping at night. Her dreams were plagued with death, fear, and heartbreak. Not to mention the guilt she was feeling that Tyreese, Sasha and the others were pushed away while she was welcomed.
Maggie sighed and put the plate down, "The redness of your eyes say otherwise." she pointed out, glaring at her. Aliya chuckled at that, taking the food in with gusto. Maggie watched her fora bit before speaking up, "D'you still see them?" she asked, pertaining to the ghosts of her people. Aliya froze, the figure plaguing her mind making her head rush.
"Yes."
She would often wake up violently from her nightmares, gasping for air. "You know, I was just like Rick too." she chugged down her water. Maggie inched closer, listening intently. "I was messed up. I did messed up things." she shook her head, "I was so lost." she wondered if she would ever stop feeling lost.
She sighed deeply, the memory of her people being there for her dug deeper in her heart. "But my people never gave up on me." a smile slithered its way into her lips, infecting Maggie. Aliya looked at her, a serious look on her face, "They were there to pull me up when I was drowning against the current." her voice shook a bit, making her clear her throat.
"Rick might not be able to show it but he is glad that you are there for him."
Aliya looked out of the tower, "He needs you guys now more than ever." her mind drifted to Daryl. He needs them too. Maggie walked towards her, putting her arm around her side, "We're your people now too." smiling at her widely.
Her heart warmed at that. Her mind drifting to Camellia.
They would've liked Maggie and the others too.