Freya's POV
"Think Roxy is gonna help us skin these?" I ask, holding up the three dead bunnies, Duane shrugs.
"No, she no like that. Cooking it she prefer" Amethyst says, looking at the sky, her bow across her shoulder and axe out.
"That is true. One time, Roxy was left at camp and we asked if she could skin the animals we found. When we got back, the animals were only gutted and Roxy was behind a tree throwing up" Duane says, laughing at the end, Amethyst nods, putting her axe into the head of a stray walker.
"Then she told us she would never ever touch a dead animal again. Me and Amethyst were left to the skinning" Duane says, stabbing a walker with his sword, I giggle. Stabbing a walker through its chin, I pull my tanto blade out of its head and draw my bow to get one starting towards us.
"Amethyst and I" I correct Duane, he rolls his eyes and wipes his sword on the walker's shirt as Amethyst and I look around, she picks up the dead bunnies and puts them on her belt.
"I'm so sleepyyyy" I yawn, stretching my arms above my head, Duane nods.
"Me too" he says, patting down the walkers, he pulls out a wallet and opens it.
"I don't understand why you do that" I mumble, shaking my head, he grins and holds up 40 dollars.
"You never know!" he says, putting it in his pocket and putting the wallet in the walker's pocket again.
"Should we head back?" I ask, Amethyst shrugs and I roll my eyes.
"Sometimes I wonder if you really like Alexandria or not" I say, she points at Duane.
"She does but she feels like a caged animal. She likes it out here also" he says, walking in between us, Amethyst claps her hands and points at him then puts her fingers to the lips of her mask and does it like chef's kiss.
Duane and I laugh at that.
"She said I worded it perfectly" Duane translates their sign, I nod. Amethyst suddenly stops and growls.
"What's wrong?" I ask, she suddenly hisses and holds her heart, falling to her knees.
"Amethyst!" I call, Duane kneels down in front of her and waves his hand in front of her.
"What the hell? Why does she keep growling?" I ask, Duane shrugs but Amethyst suddenly reaches into Duane's backpack and pulls out the radio.
"Amethyst, hand it to me" Duane calmly says, Amethyst puts it in his hand but grips his shoulder.
"R- Ro- Roxy. Someone check Roxy" Amethyst whispers, trying to get Duane to turn on the radio, Duane nods and turns it on.
"The battery's almost dead" he says, putting his ear to it and then going to the channel for Alexandria.
"Hey, Toby! Could ya get someone to check on Roxy?" Duane says when someone answers, but then it goes quiet.
"Fuck. It died" Duane says, Amethyst stands up and starts going back towards Alexandria.
"Amethyst!" Duane and I yell, running after her but she doesn't stop.
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We finally reach Alexandria and the gates open.
"Hey, Duane. I know you were saying something but the connection got messed up or the batteries died" Toby says, Duane tosses him the radio and we run after Amethyst. She dropped all her weapons here.
We finally see her when we get to their house, she tells us to stay here and we stop following when we reach the stairs. After she goes up, we hear thumping and banging sounds, Duane and I look at each other before running up the stairs.
"Is Roxy oka-" Duane stops his sentence when our eyes land on the sight before us.
Amethyst is holding a walker against the wall, her arm against it's throat.
Roxy.
I go to help her but the walker stops moving and falls to the ground, Amethyst stands there, looking down at the walker, a tiny dagger in her hand. Duane doesn't move beside me. Shock.
"Roxy" he whispers, Amethyst kneels down and puts her hand over Roxy's eyes and moves her hand over them. She stands up and looks at us from the few feet between us.
Duane doesn't do anything but he takes a step back, not realizing the stairs that are behind him. When he falls back, Amethyst grabs his arm and pulls him towards her, and they both just sit on the floor as I stare at the body.
Roxy's wrists are slit, and her husband's dog tags are wrapped tightly around her hand keeping a picture of a little girl there also. I look back at Duane and Amethyst, Duane is crying, Amethyst too I think and she's rocking them back and forth.
Tears roll down my cheeks as I run down the stairs to the front door. I run down the porch stairs and I see Dad, Maggie, Eugene, Michonne, and Rick already walking towards the house.
"Dad!" I yell, running up to him, he catches me and asks me what's wrong.
"Roxy-" I choke on the name and Dad just goes towards the house, Maggie holds me, asking me what happened.
We go to the house and I follow dad up the stairs.
"Shit" Rick whispers, seeing the body only a few feet from Amethyst and Duane, Amethyst is staring at the body while she is comforting Duane.
Rick kneels in front of them while Dad and I go in Roxy's room, he pulls the sheet off the bed and goes back in the hallway, putting it over Roxy's body.
"Amethyst was the first one in here, she put her down" I tell Rick, he nods and reaches for Duane but Amethyst growls like a protective mama critter.
"Rick. Don't. She's been like this before. You have to wait it out" I say, grabbing his arm, he shakes his head.
"Duane, come here" Rick whispers, I see Michonne's belt and frown. Are they going to cuff her?
"Rick" I warn as Duane starts to move from Amethyst's grasp, Rick pulls Duane behind him and Michonne is quick to grab Amethyst and cuff her.
"What the hell, Rick?" Dad says as Amethyst starts screaming and freaking out. Then she just goes quiet and stops doing anything all together.
"I believe she's gone into traumatic shock" Eugene says, looking at her.
I grab Rick's arm.
"Someone needs to keep an eye on her" I whisper, he nods and looks at Duane who has moved towards Dad.
"Yeah, but it's not gonna be you or Duane, understand?" Rick says, I nod. He looks at Maggie who just nods.
"I'll take care of her, Duane. Don't worry, okay" Maggie says, Duane doesn't say anything, his eyes focused on the lump under the sheet a few feet away.
"C'mon" Dad says, making Duane and I leave, him following us. Duane doesn't speak the whole way to the Grimes's house.
3rd Person POV
"Careful" Maggie scolds as Rick and her move Amethyst onto the couch. She sits there, staring at nothing. Maggie stands next to her and unties the mask. Rick looks back at the stairs when two men are walking down, carrying Roxy's wrapped body.
"Can you open the door?" one of the men asks, Maggie stands up and quickly opens the front door while Rick helps them. Maggie watches them go down the street and towards the cemetery. When she finally goes back to the living room, Amethyst is gone.
"Amethyst!" Maggie calls, running up the stairs and checking all the rooms only to find no one.
"Amethyst!" Maggie calls again, runs out to the backyard, not finding her. Maggie searches for her until she bumps into Abraham and she asks if he's seen Amethyst.
"Uhhh, she went out the gates. Why?" he asks, Maggie's eyes widen and she instantly goes to find Rick.
"Rick!" Maggie yells when she reaches the Grimes's house and sees him on the porch talking to Rosita and Tara.
"She's gone" is all Maggie needs to say before Rick is up and running down the porch.
Daryl, hearing the stomping on the porch, walks out and asks Rosita and Tara what's up.
"Maggie came and told Rick that someone's gone" Tara says, Daryl glares before walking back in the house and grabbing his crossbow.
"Watch those two closely. Don't let 'em out of your sight" Daryl says to Rosita and Tara before following after Rick and Maggie.
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"Think you know where she went?" Rick asks the skilled tracker, Daryl grunts.
"Yeah, she always goes the same way when she hunts" he says, noticing the blood on some trees.
"Stay here" Daryl mumbles to Rick, but Rick goes to disagree and Daryl gives him a look.
"Ya really think she'd want to see you after you snagged the kid from 'er?" Daryl asks, Rick backs off and leans against a tree.
Daryl walks through the trees, trying to keep his steps silent. After a few minutes, he doesn't find anything until he is suddenly pushed on the ground and a familiar masked woman is holding his arms above his head. When she seems to realize who it is, she lets him go and rolls onto the ground next to him.
Daryl sits up and looks down at her.
"You scared Maggie. She thinks ya gonna do something" Daryl says, grabbing her bloody hand and pushes up the sleeve to see a long cut running down her arm.
"Sorry" she whispers, pulling off her mask, Daryl ties his bandanna around her arm to slow the bleeding, his eyes glance at her red eyes and tear streaks on her cheeks.
"Fence" she says, shaking her arm, he watches her with a tired glare.
"Got snagged on a fence?" he asks, she nods and hands him a tiny knife.
"I thought about it. But, Duane need me. I can't do to him, what she did to us" she says, Daryl puts the knife away.
"Now you just gotta live with it. C'mon" Daryl says, standing up and she follows. Walking back where Daryl left Rick, Amethyst stares at the mask in her hands.
"Time for change" she whispers, putting it on and following behind Daryl.
"I found 'er" Daryl says when they walk up on Rick, Amethyst looks at Rick and walks up to him, he looks at Daryl confused when she hugs him.
"Thank you" she whispers, letting him go and walking back to Daryl.
"She'll be okay" Rick says to Daryl as they walk behind her, Daryl shrugs.
"I know. Tell Duane that. Far as I know, he's the only family she got" Daryl says, Rick shakes his head and hands Daryl a folded piece of paper.
"Michonne and Abraham found papers in her room. Letters. One's for you" Rick says, Daryl opens it when Rick walks ahead.
Daryl,
If you're reading this. I'm dead. But I have some words for you. Make sure my sister isn't the one to put me down, I tied myself to my bed before...you know. Take care of Freya, she's a special girl. She talked about your group a lot, especially you. She's a teenager and it might seem like she hates you, but trust me. She loves you more than herself. And this might be asking too much but keep an eye on my baby sister. Duane, Freya, and you are the ones she's most likely only going to trust after I'm gone. She probably is going to tell you to leave her alone, but protect her. Someday you'll understand.
Don't make me come back and haunt your stupid ass.
PS. I started teasing her by calling you: Her Redneck. That'll be between you and me.
-Roxy Bow Tracy
Daryl looks ahead and sees Rick handing Amethyst a paper also. Daryl stuffs the paper in his vest pocket and continues.
"I'll see what I can do" Daryl mumbles a response to the letter.
Meanwhile, Amethyst is on the edge of a breakdown.
Amethyst,
My dear baby sister. Please don't be mad at me. I couldn't take the pain anymore. I need to be with my daughter and husband again. I felt okay to do this now. Because now I know you'll be safe with family. And girl, before you scoff or hiss at this, finish reading. You have a real family now. This group you've only known for a couple months. I feel better knowing you'll be loved and protected when I'm gone. Don't leave Duane and Freya alone in this world. Don't even think about taking yourself out. You have so much to live for in this world even though it's basically gone. Hehehe, you still got your Redneck to deal with. I trust he'll take care of you. And don't roll your eyes at this. Even you need protecting and I know your godamn redneck is perfect for that. I already know you'll protect each other. He needs to be protected also. Promise me you'll live and not just survive. Hell, have a kid someday. I should probably stop writing now. But I have one more thing to tell you.
Sadie's death was never your fault. It wasn't mine either. Or hers. It was the world's fault. I'm sorry for always blaming you. I know her death was one of the reasons you stopped talking and became this emotionless robot.
I'll always love you, sis.
-Your big sister, Roxy Bow Tracy.
Amethyst holds back a sob at her sister's letter.
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When they get back to Alexandria, they walk through the gates and Amethyst's head is held high, the blood dripping down her hand goes ignored as she walks through the town, Rick and Daryl next to her. Reaching the Grimes's house, she is quick to hug Duane and hold him close to her.
"We going be okay, Nugget" she whispers to him, he nods and hugs her tighter. The only thing going through her head now is that she has more family to protect.
"We have a Guardian Angel now" she whispers, he laughs slightly about her comment about Daryl.
"I know we will"