"There are no dangerous weapons; there are only dangerous men."
- Robert A. Heinlein
In between the prison being attacked and them being ambushed by the people of Terminus, something changed between them. Daryl and Aliya were now done with holding back the feelings they have been suppressing, the feelings they were ashamed to feel in these times. It felt silly now, but it was an issue back then, the feeling that they were being selfish by liking each other.
Daryl is the brother of the man who had a hand in, quite frankly, destroying Aliya's life. He felt like he was taking advantage of her vulnerability, pushing his feelings and attraction onto her. While Aliya still felt guilty, guilty about being attracted to another man other than Arden, the man who has been there for her since the beginning of this apocalypse. She felt pathetic, being attracted to the first person who quite literally pulled her out of her hell.
Was she that desperate for love?
She has been holding back painfully, trying to silence herself when it came to Daryl but it has been straining, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. She had slipped up a few times, not being able to hold herself back and it was bittersweet. She knows he appreciated it, her standing up for him even if it was just volunteering to do the tasks he was ordered to, but she also felt intrusive, like a parasite trying hard to slip in.
She now understood what Arden told her then, what he meant by letting go.
==+==
The air was thick with tension and rage as they all used their zippers, belt knuckles, shoe laces and anything they could use to try and make a bigger and more efficient weapon. A shank to stab in their rotten hearts. There was no way they would mope around and wait for the door to slide open without a fight. This would either be their final destination or just a bump in their road to survival.
All of them were silent, focused on making their weapons when Daryl demanded their attention, "Got four of them pricks coming our way." he informed them quickly, rolling his shoulders, readying himself. Aliya looked towards Rick who nodded, "Y'all know what to do." he nodded at each of them, telling them to get ready. Aliya nodded frisky, "Aim for the eyes." she repeated, looking at Daryl who nodded at her curtly.
The pricks outside shouted instructions, demanding them to put their backs on the walls but they fell on defiant and deaf ears. They steadied themselves as they anticipated the opening of the door, fists up and weapons aimed. But all of their readiness flew out of the window as a latch opened up on top of the car, one they haven't noticed at all.
Something dropped, making a loud clank but it took them a while to understand what it was. Even then, it was too late and if not for Abraham, they would've been hurt worse. "Get down!" he screamed as he pulled everybody away from the smoke grenade. Aliya's ears started ringing painfully as she lifted her head up to look at the opening door. A masked man marched in, heading straight for her, and all she could do was blink rapidly.
----
When Aliya came to, she noticed that Daryl was nowhere to be seen, making her look around frantically. Her eyes widened as she saw also realised that Glenn, Bob and Rick wasn't there. Holy shit! She looked around to check who was still with them and tried to calm herself down, Sasha looked at her and tapped her back lightly, helping her breathe. After a while of breathing in and out, she nodded at Sasha, "I'm gonna kill those sum'bitches."
Daryl's breathing hasn't calmed at all, something about the way this was going down felt incredibly freaky. They weren't just executing them, they were butchering them. If he could only see the calm and almost smug look on Rick's face, one that only says that he was waiting, waiting to win. The strong stench of warm blood only intensified the creepiness of their situation. Monsters.
Gareth crouched down in front of Rick as he tried to push for the contents of the bag he buried. Like he was gonna sing. Rick stood his ground, staring sharply into Gareth's eyes as he kept his mouth shut. Realising and accepting that Rick wasn't gonna talk, Gareth resorted to pointing his dagger into Bob's eyes.
"Let me take you there." he nodded slightly towards Gareth, tilting himself a bit. Come on, let me show you. Gareth's lips turned to a pout as he winced mockingly, shaking his head. It wasn't gonna happen, Gareth wasn't dumb enough to let Rick loose. Don't let loose the man with loose screws. Gareth was growing impatient and agitated so he pushed forth the tip of the dagger dangerously close to Bob's pupils.
Rick's face turned to stone as his eye twitched. Oh, how enjoyable it would be when he kills Gareth and every prick in this place. But patience is a virtue, so he stalled. "Guns." he started off, "AK-47, point 44 magnum, automatic weapons, Nightscope." he listed casually while staring Gareth down. A light flickered in Rick's face as he looked up, like he was trying to remember what else was in the bag. His right eye flinched a bit as he measured his words, "A compound bow," he nodded lightly before his face turned cold.
"And," he drawled off, "a machete with a red handle." Rick finished as he zoned in on Gareth's face, eyes clouded by dangerous rage, body tense from self-restraint, "That's what I'm going to use to kill you." his grainy and low voice was shiver-inducing, it held so much promise that Gareth released a denial laugh. He should've known better, each smile, smirk, chuckle he lets out just adds to the pile of encouragements in Rick's rage-filled head.
Who will be laughing then?
----
A huge grin embedded its way onto her face as the booming sound of explosion reached her ears. Terminus was in chaos, burning walkers were making their way in, people were running around frantically, order was broken. Whoever was doing this was their friend; the enemy of the enemy is a friend. She looked up at the others and noticed their worried faces, Tara's fidgeting fingers and frowned when Eugene quite literally barged through them towards the door.
Eugene was told to shut up, thanks to Tara's quick reflexes. Thank you, Tara. Aliya watched as Carl and Maggie stepped forward, "My dad's gonna be back." he looked at each of them in the eye, "They all are." he added, his tone left no room for doubt. Aliya's eyes shone in proudness as she nodded, agreeing that they had to be ready for them. So they did.
Aliya's leg bounced up and down as she chewed on the sides of her nails, a telltale sign that she was anxious. I hate waiting. She snatched her hand away from her face and looked at it, she winced at how shaky it was. A hand gently wrapped around it, making her eyes trail upwards, towards Maggie's face. They held each other's hand in silence as they anticipated the return of the others, offering each other support like they always did.
There was a scraping sound from the other side, a hungry walker desperate for flesh. There was also a scraping sound from the inside, an angry group desperate for a fight. Eugene was still focused on the shell he was trying to open the door with, Michonne was banding the handle of her makeshift sword and the others were sharpening their tools. Aliya gave up on trying to listen and comprehend what Eugene was explaining when the door slid open.
Their stances relaxed a bit once they realised who it was. They immediately jumped out of the car, Carl going straight towards his father, Maggie straight to her husband, while Aliya ran towards Daryl and hugged him quickly. They immediately pulled away, focusing on the bigger task at hand - escaping to safety.
Once they have escaped through the fence, they regrouped where Rick's bag was buried. Rick wanted to put an end to this indefinitely, make sure there were no survivors, successfully eradicate the threat. Aliya agreed while the others were hesitant, all they wanted was to go far away, let the walkers and the elements take care of the rest. A set of light footsteps made Aliya turn to see Carol. Her eyes went wide before she lightly poked Daryl's side.
Daryl immediately ran towards Carol and engulfed her in a hug. Aliya smiled warmly as her eyes filled with tears, Carol was here. Daryl made way for Rick and walked towards Aliya's side, his hand smoothly wrapping itself around hers. Carol saved them all. Aliya squeezed his hand gently as she let out a breath of relief. "Come with me." Carol nodded at them.
Once they arrived at the small cabin Tyreese and Judith were in, Rick ran towards Tyreese and gently took Judith from him, giving him a look of appreciation and gratitude. Daryl and Aliya's hands were still clamped together while they watched the families reunite. Carl, Judith and Rick, and Tyreese and Sasha. They all watched, with smiles on their faces, Rick cradle Judith in his arms while Carl caressed his sister's head softly.
==+==
A gentle and soothing breeze enveloped Aliya's face as her eyes fluttered close. Carol reached her hand out to her, "I believe this is yours." she offered. Aliya's eyes trailed down towards the quartz in Carol's hand, such a small yet significant rock. Carol's lips turned to a loving smile as she looked at how moist Aliya's eyes has become. There she is, finally.
"Thank you so much, Carol." she breathed into Carol's neck as her arms squeezed Carol's torso gently. It was a phrase that held so much meaning: thank you for saving us, thank you for giving me back Daryl's gift, thank you for being a comforting soul, and thank you for caring for Daryl the way you do. Aliya could only hope that Carol could feel the weight of her gratitude, the weight of her affection. She found her answer when Carol kissed her temple.
It didn't take long for the sun to come out, for the time to get up and get going. They were walking through the forest, trying to be alert yet in the moment at the same time when screams for help was heard. Carl urged for Rick to follow him towards the screams but everybody could see the hesitation in his eyes. Trust and faith always got them butchered just a few days ago.
The way Gabriel looked was suspicious and eerie to say the least. The cleanliness, the seemingly innocent sparkle in his eyes, the weakness and vulnerability. How did he survive this long when he screams bloody murder for a handful of walkers? Daryl nudged her shoulder with his, "He's weird." he voiced out making Aliya look at his face. Daryl slowly looked away from Gabriel and turned to her, lowering his face to her ears, "Stay close to me."
Much like his appearance and presence, his jokes are distasteful as well. He quickly looked away from Aliya when he saw the sharp glare she gave his way once his joke fell out of his mouth. But beggars can't be choosy, as eerie and as creepy as the church may seem, it had four walls, a roof and some food - shelter. After scoping out the place, they entered cautiously, picking their own spaces and pews.
It was a dreamless night for the first time in a long time for Aliya, her heart feeling lighter in the morning. She looked around her surroundings, taking notes of where everybody were staying, where everything was. She watched the windows for a while, looking for anything suspicious when Daryl's face came to view. An involuntary smile crept up towards her lips as Daryl turned around, facing her.
He pointed at the window where he just was, "Wanna come with?" he squinted his eyes slightly as he waited for her response. She couldn't help but smirk as he fidgeted under her gaze, glad that she could affect him like he does her. Aliya's head tilted towards Carl whose whole attention was focused on his baby sister. Pretty girl is already getting spoiled. She was about to say no when Carl looked up, staring at her, "Go ahead, Aliya. We'll be alright here." he smiled, urging her to come with Daryl.
She looked at Tyreese and snuck a glance at Michonne before nodded at Carl, "We'll be back." she smiled before accepting Daryl's stretched out hand. Daryl hummed in satisfaction before pulling her along until they exited the church, their hands clasped together like tight clamps. They could get used to this, not holding back their attraction towards each other anymore. Being affectionate.
"Is this our first official date?" she couldn't help but tease him. Daryl immediately looked at her with his forehead creased. Aliya felt embarrassed, not expecting his reaction. She was gonna take it back when he scoffed, "Nah." he shook his head, "You deserve better." Aliya's cheeks reddened at his sweetness, "Yeah, I do deserve some booze." she shrugged jokingly. She pouted her lips in order to keep her laugh in as she waited for his reaction.
Daryl's eyes slowly focused on her as the corner of his lips turned up, "Damn right." he bantered back, chuckling lowly. He knows that she knew what he meant but was just too shy. She deserved a proper table with a table cloth, cooked food in a proper plate, booze in a proper glass, and a man with proper flowers. But Daryl could only appreciate her simplicity, how easily she has adapted to the reality they were thrusted in.
They were enjoying the night breeze when a speeding car suddenly zoomed past them. Daryl ran after the car and stared at it intently before turning around abruptly. He went straight to the taillights and bashed it, breaking it completely. Aliya was confused as she watched him silently, "What's going on?" she asked while she followed him inside the car, getting in the passenger's seat.
"They got Beth." he explained briefly, and it was all she needed to hear.