❪ 𝗗𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗟'𝗦 𝗔𝗗𝗩𝗢𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗘 ❫
𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗋 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━
breaking the silence. ╱ season four, episode nine.
FRANKIE WAS ALWAYS described as a hyper child. There was never a time when she would just sit down, she was always moving. While doctors called it rapid ADHD, her mother just thought she just had an exuberant soul. Frankie liked being the life of the party, always trying to get people to smile or laugh. She felt like she had accomplished something if she was able to get someone to crack a smile. While she thought it was an important thing nowadays, making people laugh was harder than it once was. Now with the constant death and horror, Frankie had a more difficult time finding things to joke about. No one wanted to smile, there wasn't a reason to.
Sometimes she wasn't the greatest at reading social cues, so occasionally she would push a few buttons by spitting out a small joke, which would usually get accompanied by strange stares and silence. And especially with the predicament they were in right now, there were constant quiet and odd stares following her jokes, and it was eating her up inside. Most of them came from Charlie, who stood broodingly in the corner of the room with his arms crossed. Practically every time she opened her mouth a dramatic eye roll would get thrown at her Charlie.
She knew he didn't like her, she knew that ever since the glare he threw her when he pointed his gun at her face. But his dislike for her wasn't going to make her go silent, she wasn't gonna take it sitting down. While there was a part of her that knew she shouldn't push him further, the bigger part wanted him to like her and become her friend. So she decided that she was going to try to make him like her no matter what. But there had been some hiccups in her plan. Every time she attempted to nonchalantly wander over in Charlie's direction, he suddenly decided to move to another place in the house.
While she was most definitely getting the hint, it didn't stop her. She was going to wear him down. Even if they had a small conversation and got to know each other, she was sure Charlie would begin to like her, like who wouldn't?
And there wasn't really much else to do, they were all just sitting around waiting for Carl's father to wake up. Gabi, Sydney, and Carl all sat together in the living room, taking shifts either watching over the unconscious man or making rounds within the house, making sure nothing or no one was trying to get inside. There was a bit of hesitance stirring in Frankie due to the supposed leader of Carl's group. While looking at him now, he seemed intimidating, even with the puffy bruises and gashes on his face. She just knew he was not one to mess with.
As time passed, Frankie could still not believe she had ended up here. At the beginning of the day, there was no way that she would've thought she would save a stranger from biters and be asked to find the rest of his group. There was an adventure in the midst and Frankie was ecstatic. But she contained her new sense of purpose because, at the end of the day, Carl's father got the last word. If he didn't like the look of them, he could easily tell them to take a hike or even kill them. But something bubbling in Frankie's stomach made her think he wouldn't do that. Call it a gut feeling, but she felt like he would accept their help. And it would give Frankie's life new meaning.
Constantly running from that joke of a group had begun to get tiring and she just wants new people that can hopefully help her get rid of them forever. Maybe they had forgotten her, but the crusted and dried blood that lay under her fingernails most definitely tells a different story. While she didn't murder a man, she regretted that she didn't. They were all over them, if she closes her eyes she could feel herself getting transported to the moment the group of men hounded them. Frankie's heart drops in her chest at the distant memory, she could still feel the tight grips of the men as they latched onto her, trying to rip her out of her fur coat.
She remembers the tears cascading down her cheeks, sending helpless glances toward Sydney and Gabi who had their guns pointed directly at the rest of the men, demanding that the one who had gripped Frankie let her go. But the demands didn't seem to ease the grip on her arm. Instead, a whimper of fear escaped Frankie feeling the man's hot breath waft over the skin of her neck and towards her ear.
"I'm going to absolutely rip you apart sweetheart,"
That was the breaking point for Frankie, fidgeting in his grip, she swung her free arm, instantly landing a rough punch to the man's jaw. In shock, he stumbled back, finally releasing her from his hands. The action made people pause, flashing their eyes toward the small fight that broke out. That's when pure chaos erupted within the conflicting groups. Gunshots rang through the air, coming from both groups. But that wasn't Frankie's concern as her blood began to burn as she turned to the man who held her, sending a swift kick to his crotch.
The man tumbled to his knees, clenching his eyes shut in pain. His frown lines deepened from his cringe and it made Frankie's skin itch with further anger, wondering how many other women he'd attacked. Frankie was going to make sure he wasn't going to do it again. Reaching down, she roughly grabbed his right hand, gripping a finger and snapping the bone to the side. A shrill call of pain escaped the man's lips as the sound of finger fracturing erupted throughout the air.
The sound brought a sickeningly sweet smile to Frankie's face watching the man who brought her pain, in it himself. Without thinking, she began to do the same action to each and every finger on that hand, she saw the tears in his eyes as he tried to pull away, but she wouldn't let that happen. Something switched in her brain and suddenly she had superhuman strength. This was the first time she felt true feminine rage and she was instantly addicted to it. Her nails had become claws as they dug into his wrist to keep him still. She was drawing blood, but she couldn't care less. And digging herself into an even deeper hole, she heard a sickening crack come from the man's wrist as she snapped it violently.
The cries from the man sounded like music to her ears, and she would've continued to hurt the man if it wasn't for Gabi dragging her away from the flying bullets and toward Sydney who was already fleeing into the woods. The last thing she heard was a yell from the man who she had left crumpled on the ground.
"I'm gonna get you stupid bitch!"
The yells and thudding footsteps behind them didn't stop until the early morning hours when they had lost them. Frankie was on the verge of passing out from exhaustion, but she didn't dare stop. Behind her lay her fate, the men wouldn't stop until they were dead. Frankie couldn't let the two next to her take the fall as well and that was certainly going to happen. So they ran and ran until they couldn't run anymore. They hide and then ran some more until they thought they were in the clear, or at least until the group of men was clearly days behind them.
Staying in one place was making her antsy, she was scared that if she turned around they would be standing right behind her, ready to rip her apart like the dead. If they found her, there was no possible way that she would make it out alive. And she had accepted that she didn't regret the things she did, just sometimes she wished that her problems would disappear.
The weight on her chest would fade slightly if she didn't have to deal with the idea of her possible impending death. The guilt and the blame wouldn't exist because of her choices. She didn't have to live with putting her family in danger. But at the same time, what would've happened to them if she didn't fight back? If she submitted to his cruel intentions? Frankie knew the outcome would remain the same because men like that only exist to inflict pain. They think they own the world and they were bound to get a wake-up call. And that's what Frankie gave them. And it was very apparent that they did not enjoy that.
She was even more hesitant to let her newfound "friends" about what went down, worrying that they would immediately send them packing due to her mistakes. Frankie couldn't tell them, there was anxiety festering in the pit of her stomach that made her incapable of telling them. She was avoiding the narrative she created in her head, she believed that it was the only way it would go down. They wouldn't react exactly positively to it, there was only a negative outcome. So she refused to let that tale bubble up her throat. She just couldn't do it, call her a coward, she didn't care. She couldn't ruin something that could benefit her friends' lives.
The sun had begun setting a long time ago, leaving the world in a still darkness. Frankie had rummaged and scraped together some candles that were illuminating the dining room and seeping into the living room where Sydney and Carl stayed, watching over the unconscious man. Carl had a scowl on his face as he stared down at his father, but Frankie could see a sense of fear swirling in his eyes. She wanted nothing more than to make it better, to put a small smile on his sullen face, but she would never be able to do that right now. While he put on a tough act, she knew he was scared. Scared of what he had just faced, and scared that his dad might never wake up.
That was a shared feeling as it loomed over the room, suffocating itself in the air. No one wanted to think of that possibility, no one dared to utter it. But everyone was thinking about it. What if he never wakes up? Who would make sure he doesn't turn? Those lingering questions never stopped coming as they all sat impatiently waiting for any signs of his return to the living. Frankie didn't even know him, but the worry that washed off of Carl and Charlie made her heart heavy. She couldn't watch Carl lose his only parent, in a sense, she knows what it feels like and the heartache that comes with it, he shouldn't suffer through that after losing his home and his family.
Frankie sat at the dining room table next to Gabi, tapping her nails. The two survivors occasionally sparked up a conversation with each other, but right now exhaustion hit Gabi like a semi and she was slowly dosing off, leaning her head on Frankie's shoulder. Charlie sat across from them, often flicking his eyes toward the two, almost examining them, when he was usually caught by Frankie, his gaze snapped back to the living room.
Frankie didn't hesitate to notice every time, usually sending him a curious glance, to which he rolled his eyes. But it didn't stop her from noticing the small redness that flushed his neck following her stare. She was so close to asking him what he wanted, but deep down she liked to watch him redden.
There was something that itched at her skin, a feeling that made her want to tease him. To see that flush go further up into his cheeks. There was nothing that was gonna stop her until she heard a raspy breath break through the silent air. Frankie froze, her eyes jumping between the living room and Charlie to see if he heard it too. And by the tenseness of his shoulders, he most definitely heard it. Frankie shook Gabi lightly, the girl lifted her head, eyes jumping around in a sleepy panic.
There was a clear feeling of alarm that washed over the group, watching the unconscious man's arm flutter as it hung off the couch. Frankie jumped to her feet as did the other two who here sitting at the table as well. Carl scrambled back and away from the couch, fear and pain striking his features as he stared at his father.
Time seemed to stand still as everyone watched the man on the couch pick up his head. Sydney didn't hesitate to lift her gun, aiming it at the older man. The candles barely lit up the living room, making it difficult to see the man's face. Frankie jumped at the sight of the gun.
"Wait, don't shoot him!" Frankie's loud plea sliced through the tension, all eyes instantly jumping to her.
Sydney gave her a look of complete confusion, "Why the hell not? That is a biter."
"How do you know? You can't see his face," Frankie insisted, wildly flailing her arms, in an attempt to gesture to everyone, "Someone find a goddamn flash light or shine a candle, we need to make sure he's not dead."
The three around her began to hurriedly look for a flashlight, and every time they attempted to bring a candle in the direction of the living room, they moved too fast and the candle went out. All the group's dread deepened when the man on the couch flopped off and slammed right into the flooring below, not producing a groan or anguish of pain. Frankie instantly dashed over to a panicked Carl, pulling him further away from the possibly dead man.
Carl latched onto Frankie, even in the dark she could see tears starting to trail down his cheeks. The girl's heart ached to watch the boy become vulnerable in his fear, and she pulled him into her. Carl's pain and terror began to influence Frankie and she whipped out her gun and aimed it at the dark figure in front of them as he drew closer. His hand reached out of the darkness, towards the gun, and towards the two. Frankie's hand began to shake as his fingers grazed the barrel of the gun just as Carl's tears had turned into loud sobs, the girl hesitantly wrapped her finger around the trigger, ready to shoot.
"Carl..." A raspy and broken voice sliced through the panic and the boy's rough sobs. Frankie paused, dropping her gun to her lap in surprise. At the same time as her gun clinked against the hardwood flooring as a bright light seeped into the dark room, shining towards the man who was reaching toward Carl and Frankie. The man looked beaten down, but most certainly alive. "Don't go outside...stay safe."
And with that the man flopped beside Frankie and Carl, quickly fading back into unconsciousness. Everyone paused, staring at the man on the floor, pure shock swimming in their features. No one moved, no one talked, and everyone just stared straight at the man. Carl still had a tight grip on Frankie, and she had a tight arm wrapped around him.
As if something in the boy snapped back to reality, he squirmed out of Frankie's grip and slid towards his father, putting the man's head in his lap. Leaning his forehead on his father's, tears still cascaded down the boy's face. "I'm scared."
Frankie's heart ached to hear the quiet yet pained words escape the boy's lips in a repeated fashion. His words were only meant for his father to hear, it felt like the boy forgot about the others in the room. The repeated statement was vulnerable and caused the others to leave them alone. Frankie comfortingly squeezed the boy's shoulder as she quietly got up from her position on the floor, knowing that she should leave the boy with his father.
As she walked back into the dining room and plopped down in a chair, it suddenly washed over her in waves how truly exhausted this day had made her. She wanted nothing more than to slip into one of the beds upstairs and get some much-needed rest. And that was exactly what she was going to do.
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FRANKIE STARED AT the chipping and welted ceiling above her with a blank look on her features. She wasn't focused on the now, her mind was transported to the past, reliving moments in her childhood that meant everything to her. Just by staring at the blank ceiling ahead, she could vaguely hear the familiar sounds of Fleetwood Mac pouring out of her mother's speakers in her studio. Frankie suddenly felt the warmth of her mother's hands as they intertwined with hers. Her heart thudded in her chest as the older woman twirled an eight-year-old Frankie, there were smiles of adoration and serotonin painted on their faces as they gazed at each other, getting lost in the moment.
Frankie was wrapped in one of her mother's many shawls, the fabric practically swallowing her whole but it didn't falter the smile on her face. She could feel her dad's stare as he lovingly watched them dance around the studio, only deciding to join in when a gap toothed Frankie begged him too. She was soon scooped up and spun around while loud and vibrant giggles escaped her. It was all perfect. Too perfect. Moments like that never fail to cause tears, knowing that she'll never get that feeling back. Reliving the past was all Frankie had, the perfect defining moments are what she tries to hold dear. Those memories of her father and mother are what she wanted to remember. She wouldn't dare keep the memories of her last days with them, it still hurts watching the people she loved and admired fade away, in any circumstance, they both lost the core pieces of themselves to either death or to the adaption of the new world.
The death and loss of them both created a hole that Frankie could never fill no matter how hard she tried. Even creating a new life and family, Frankie could never have what she had when she had her parents. Even with her mother withering away due to her cancer, her mother was still herself, and she held and gave Frankie the amount of love she needed. Losing her was hard, watching the woman she looked up to for the entirety of her life become a reanimated corpse still haunts her to this day. But it never hurt as much as watching her father turn into a blood-thirsty monster that strived to hurt people in exchange for power. The monster that was created hurt her most.
Watching his sadistic smile, thinking that he was doing the most for his group, his people. But they only feared him in response. He towered over everyone with an evil glint in his eyes, leading his people to steer clear of him and only doing what he asked. He had people that the same amount of evil inside them as well, he was growing an army of psychos by his side, and he always tried to get Frankie to be his right hand. But no matter how hard he tried, she always fought back, making sure he knew what he was doing was wrong. She knew a part of him hated her, every day she was a reminder of what he had lost.
The resentment was clear and Frankie wanted nothing more than to leave, but old idea of her father, the one that she loved so much, the one that lived on in her memories, that man made her stay rooted in the impending mess that he was creating. But things change and she got tired of being a part of something that altered people's lives forever and she got out. But what was that worth, the only thing she seemed to have was memories. She felt like she was living on borrowed time, reliving the same cycle, the same day over and over. Things became routine, the constant running created that pattern. Frankie ached for it to change. But right now, staring up at this ceiling, laying on a stranger's forgotten bed, with the watchful eye of someone who didn't trust her, she worried that it wouldn't change.
When Frankie had wandered upstairs seeking a comfortable bed to rest on, she had left Gabi and Sydney with Carl as they all surrounded Rick, making sure that he was okay. Charlie noticed her absence and requested Carl to keep an eye on the two with him, while he made sure Frankie wasn't up to anything. Charlie's distrust for the strangers didn't subside and he didn't like the idea of Frankie alone, thinking that she would be up to no good.
So that's how the two ended up there, with Charlie looking out the window absentmindedly and Frankie staring blankly up the ceiling. The girl had insisted on him leaving her alone, explaining that she wouldn't do anything and that he needed to "chill out". Those ending words cause a rough glare to be sent her way, but she didn't mind because there was a part of her that liked getting on his nerves.
Frankie's eyes occasionally wandered from the ceiling above to the boy at the window. She examined him and the frown on his lips. Frankie was disappointed that they got off to a rough start because he was actually cute in her eyes. But the annoyance and burden-like energy he felt toward her always made her recant that observation. The frown on his face and overall disappointment made her wonder what he was thinking about. He wasn't very expressive and it seemed like he kept things to himself and she hated that. She hated not knowing what he was thinking. But it just meant that she needed to try harder to get into his head.
There was nothing else better to do than try to get to know him. There was no way Frankie was going to be able to get to sleep with him watching over her all night. She had a hard time sleeping these days anyway due to the silence. While she detested silence during the day, the night was even worse for her. The silence came like a plague and it irked her to hear her own breathing and the shift of her own body as she moved.
And now it was even worse when she heard the soft shuffling of the boy across from her. It happened every ten minutes or so, the boy would shift from putting his body weight on his left foot and then switching to the right. The sounds following up those movements were eating her alive.
"Are you just going to stand there all night?" Frankie's voice broke through the silence, her words letting out some annoyance toward the situation. Her blurt seemed to surprise Charlie as he instantly tensed.
The boy flicked his eyes from the window to her as he shrugged, "Yeah, probably,"
A sigh left Frankie's lips as she turned from facing the ceiling to lying on her side as she stared at him, "Why? You don't trust me enough to sleep alone in a room?"
"Nope,"
"I get that you just met me and all, I get not having trust, but can't you like stalk me from the hallway or something?"
The boy snorted, rolling his eyes at her comment, "I'm not stalking you,"
"Oh really?" Frankie questioned, giving him a knowing stare, "Could've fooled me,"
The boy didn't reply to her sarcastic comment, only turning his attention back to the window. Charlie had seemingly fallen back into his thoughts, but Frankie wasn't going to let him. "If you don't trust me, tell me something about yourself,"
Charlie's eyes jumped back to her as he sent her a confused stare, "What?"
Frankie readjusted her position, folding her pillow so she could look at him more comfortably, "I mean, you don't know me and I don't know you, so get to know me,"
"What is your angle?"
Frankie stared at him incredulously, slowly sitting up with frustration burning in her lungs, "My angle?"
"Why are you trying so hard?" Charlie hissed, making his way toward Frankie so he could tower over her.
His words stung Frankie as she tried desperately not to take them to heart, but his harsh voice made it impossible not to. "I'm just trying to get to know the people I'm going to help,"
Charlie stiffened at her words, seeming like they left a bad taste in his mouth, "Why do you want to help us so bad? You don't even know us,"
"I know Carl,"
"You literally met him today," Charlie snides, his eyes scrutinizing as he examined her with a cruelness she absolutely detested, "There's no reason that you need to help us,"
"Carl wants my help,"
"Carl's just a kid, he doesn't know what he needs,"
"Exactly he's just a kid," Frankie snapped, jumping up from her seat on the bed so suddenly that it surprised Charlie, he stumbled back slightly but quickly caught himself. "He's lost so much already, his home, his family, his baby sister for christ's sake. All he's got is you and his severly beat-up dad, other than that there's no one. And if I can be someone for him, someone that can help him, I'm sure as hell gonna do that,"
The boy paused as he took in her words, staring at her intently. The intense gaze made Frankie falter slightly awaiting his response. After a few antagonizing seconds, she got it, "Why do you care so much? You just met him."
"And?" Frankie snorted loudly at his words, she crossed her arms in defense. "He's a good kid, a little bit of a dick, but I'm chalking that up to what he's just lost. I want to help him, he needs people like that now and I'm willing to be one of them,"
"Are you always this giving?" Charlie questions, her whole personality confusing the living daylights out of him. A part of him yearns to know the root of her person, but it's too early for him to give into his needs. He doesn't know if she's worth it just yet.
"Not usually," Frankie answers curtly as she shrugs, "But if I like your vibe then I'm more inclined to be kind,"
"What're you gonna do if Rick doesn't like your "vibe", huh?" Charlie asked with sarcasm lacing his tone, making good use of air quotes in his question.
Frankie rolled her eyes, sending him a knowing glance, gesturing to herself, "Please, he's gonna love me, I mean how can he not?"
The boy snorted loudly in response, eyebrows shooting up in astonishment due to her confident words. "I wouldn't be too sure about that,"
Frankie looked at him with bewilderment swirling in her eyes. Without hesitating, she stepped closer to him, testing her limits. "Are you always this rude?"
"Only with people I don't know," Charlie countered, trying not to act bothered by the sudden closeness. As she crossed into his personal bubble he noticed a soft smell of the earth washing off of her. He didn't mind it, but he refused to acknowledge it.
"Well, it's a good thing we're getting to know each other," Frankie stated curtly, her eyes slitting as she stared up at him.
Charlie glanced down at her, looking as if he was trying to decipher her meaning, "What makes you think we're getting to know each other?"
"Because I said so?" Frankie answered with an indisputable tone as if it was the most obvious thing ever. Seconds after it she sent him a sarcastic smile, "And plus if you don't agree, I'm only going to annoy you more, and that's a promise,"
"Sounds more like a threat," Charlie stated, eyebrows raising to emphasize how he felt about her words.
Frankie only snorted, waving her hand leisurely, as if she was waving away his comment, "to-mato, to-moto,"
The boy tightened his jaw as he took in her words, the seriousness glazed over her eyes made him think he would lose this battle. He tilted his head up towards the ceiling, closing his eyes in defeat. "Fine,"
Frankie ignored the unenthusiastic tone and sigh following her triumph, only giving him a bright smile, "Great. Now leave,"
"Excuse me?"
Frankie rolled her eyes, slowly starting to lead him toward the door by placing her hands softly on his chest. Charlie froze feeling her delicate hands touching him, they both instantly ignored the magnetic feeling that itched in their brains due to the action. "Now that we've established that we're going to get to know each other, I'm tired, and if you're going watch me or whatever, you're doing it outside of the bedroom. Got it?"
"I-"
"I don't care, let me sleep, I'm not gonna do anything and you know that," Frankie interrupted, slowly shoving the boy through the threshold of the door. She didn't bother to wait for his response as she twirled around and made her way back to the bed.
Charlie stood silently, wavering in the doorway with a look of surprise on his face. He wanted to talk back but he felt awkwardness wash through him, watching as she just completely ignored his existence and flopped back on the bed, slowly sliding under the covers. Charlie moved back, finding a place against the wall across the hall. He scoffed in astonishment at how quickly this girl got him to shut up. At that moment he knew she was going to be a pain in his ass, and he didn't know if he liked it or not.
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𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥'𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘:
A LENGTHY CHARLIE AND FRANKIE
INTERACTION WOOP WOOP!!!!
they still got some beef or whatever.
but that's gonna change when he gets
to know her more. Shawty gonna be
protective as fuck abt her.
next chapter is gonna be crazy as
fuckkkk I'm so pumped to get that
to y'all and Frankie's gonna meet
rickkkkkkkkk so slay for her
Plussssss Frankie's baddie sides
gonna shine through when the
claimed comeeeee
A little hint: she's gonna leave
Rick and Charlie like :🧍♂️🧍♂️
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