❛ YOU PROMISED. ❜
22. Saved
SEASON 03 EPISODE 08/09
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Skin. The skin was sensitive to touch; just one touch and the skin was popping with millions of goosebumps. Then there was the buzzing and the stinging, the feeling you get when the person touching you makes you feel scared or unsafe. I was feeling that way now— I am scared of touch even if it wasn't harmful. The skin never forgets that feeling and it would certainly take the mind a very long time to forget. In a sense, I didn't want to forget; remembering this will make me stronger, it will prepare me for this new and awful world now growing around us. This was a lesson learned.
Glenn and Maggie were against the wall closest to the door, muttering a few words back and forth which made it hard for me to hear. Though, I didn't make an effort to hear them, I didn't even make an effort to speak. I only turned my head a few times, just to remind myself that they were here with me; it was all I needed, reassurance. I couldn't stand to look at Glenn for more than a few seconds, he looked awful; it was obvious, to the both of us, that they beat him. There was blood all over his face, neck, and chest, and a black eyes, a few scratches to match.
"Kendall.." Glenn had gotten up from the floor, which to me seemed like a bad idea, seeing as how weak he was. "Kendall." He called me again when he didn't get an answer. Glenn was leaning over the dead walker, grunting and groaning as he pulls off its arm. Maggie stands and steps toward him slowly, watching with a face full of disgust. "You stand behind me and Maggie at all times." Glenn was ripping the corpses arm apart, pulling out the bone and using it as a weapon— smart. A bone for him and a bone for Maggie.
It was a smart idea; sneak attack the men patrolling us and get them when they weren't expecting. But what would be the outcome if they come into the room completely strapped and ready to kill. It wouldn't work out too well, we would be detained in just a few short seconds— possibly dead in another... and even if we did get out, how would we get pass all the people looking and hunting for us? There was no good outcome for this plan.
And like always my pessimism was right.
The doors opened and the two were able to get their hands on the two people that tried to walk inside. Maggie had killed the man that she grabbed but Glenn was too weak to detain Merle, it just wasn't going to work. Maggie's guy had a triggerfinger obviously, as he died the gun went off and I was sure it alerted everyone in town.
I wasn't able to do anything but watch in the background. Merle had Glenn on the ground and Maggie had her gun pointed at him but it was no use, more men showed up and had her put down her gun.
"Give me the gun!" He screamed at her, snatching the weapon from her hands. "Get up!" This time he was directing his words toward Glenn.
I was completely and utterly useless and weak— a bystander. I knew our lives were on the line, but still I was frozen. There is absolute fear in my gut; it made me feel uneasy and nauseous. It worsened when I was forced into my knees and bagged. I knew what was coming, instead of saying any kind of goodbye, instead of fighting, I just shut my eyes and succumbed.
"On your feet, move." A man grabbed me from under my arm and pulled me to my feet. "Let's go, come on."
But as soon as we stepped out from the room a flash-bang of explosions went off and the man holding me went down, causing me to go down along with him. I could hear groaning and coughing; before I was able do anything a new hand touched my arm and whisked me away. Then came the gunshots, it followed us until we were pushed out from a door.
The bags were pulled from our heads and yet I still saw nothing, just a blur as we passed buildings; I couldn't hear a damn thing either, my eyes were still ringing. I was shoved into the closest building, my back slamming against the wall as the door shut behind me. There were too many voices overlapping one another, my hearing was coming back but it was still too hard to understand them all at once.
"Where's that woman?" That was what caught my attention, I didn't see a woman.
"She was right behind us." Rick answered Maggie, peeking through the blanket that covered the window.
"Maybe she was spotted. Want me to go look for her?" Daryl asks, rocking on the heels of his shoes.
"No. We gotta get them out of here." Rick says referring to the three of us. "She's on her own."
"Daryl." Glenn choked out as Maggie put something over his shoulders to cover him up with. "This was Merle. It was. He did this."
"Yeah.. He kidnapped us." I mutter, before pulling my knees to my chest.
"You saw him?" Rick questioned us, his eyes glancing between the both of us.
"Face to face. Threw a walker at me. He was gonna execute us."
As Glenn continued on I noticed Daryl's shift in posture and emotion. What was anger and focus now morphed into a kind of softness and adherence. Daryl wasn't listening to anything bad that happened because of Merle; he seemed to be more interested in the fact that his brother was alive. I could see it, I could sense it; he was the loyal type and that even meant his shit brother.
"S—So my brother's this governor?" He asks, lowering his crossbow and shuffling closer to Glenn.
"No, it's somebody else." Maggie spoke for Glenn. "Your brother's his lieutenant or something."
"Does he know I'm still with you?"
"He does now. Rick, I'm sorry." Glenn apologizes before explaining, his eyes staring straight into his; he was geniune. "We told him where the prison was. We couldn't hold out."
"Don't." Rick stopped him, kneeling in front of Glenn. "No need to apologize."
This entire predicament we were stuck in was overwhelming me, it stressed me out and was currently making me anxious. It made my skin feel the same way your feet felt when they were asleep, like a million thorns poking and prodding at my skin. I was trying to surge through the feeling, as if this was going to rush by the process somehow; I had to push it down my throat and swallow the fat lump of emotions— there were more important things at hand, like surviving. It still made nothing better, I followed the group around aimlessly and it appeared that they knew as much about this town as we did. The smoke, screaming, gunfire and shouting of orders made everything ten times worse for me.
The group had a car a few miles out and all we had to do was get the fuck out of this town.
The prisoner places his hands on my hips, over all the noise, and helped me atop of the bus we were escaping on. Just as soon as he was about to jump onto the bus with me a bullet shoot him straight through the chest; he died instantly, his body dropping to the ground right ahead of me. I was stuck— frozen in my spot until a gunshot rung right beside my ear, zipping through the air right above me. I blinked, feeling the hands touching my skin and shaking my arms. Rick was trying to snap me out of whatever thought I was in and forcing me over the wall.
It still didn't feel like it was over; this was going to happen again, they knew where we lived.
Behind the other side of the wall we were waiting, for what, Daryl, but there seemed to be something else Rick wanted to wait for and it made me curious. The gunshots had stopped minutes ago, just the screams and shouts of the people who wanted to kill us not too long ago.
It was dark and even though it was unsafe for us to stand amidst it, the walkers have yet to find us. The sound of shoes tapping on the ground and noises coming from the leaves and branches makes us turn to look.
What we expect to be Daryl is actually...
"Michonne...?" I let out a quiet gasp, not even realizing the anger that radiates from Rick, while rushing into her with my arms wide open. She's dripping head to toe, but I couldn't find room to care about it. "Oh, my God, Michonne."
I was yanked away from her not a second later, Maggie's hand clasping the back of my shirt. Rick and Maggie had their guns aimed at her, glaring.
"Where were you?" Rick questioned her but she didn't answer, just bracing herself against the train and raising her hands in the air when he ordered her to. "Put your hands up. Turn around. Turn around." He shouted at her in a whisper and she did as told; he took her weapon away from her— a katana. "Get what you came for?"
"Where are the rest of your people?" She asked back, not even glancing at him.
"They got Oscar." Glenn answered and it took me a minute to register he also had a gun pointed at her.
"Daryl is missing. You didn't see him?" Maggie questioned her.
"If anything happens to him—" Rick was beginning to threaten her but she cut him off.
"I brought you here to save them."
"Thanks for the help."
"You'll need help to get them back to the prison or to go back in there for Daryl. Either way, you need me." She sounded desperate, they couldn't tell but her voice was strained and her eye contact is heavy and fierce. Michonne has blood dripping down her cheeks and skin, unnoticeable tears gathering in her eyes.
Michonne, Glenn, and I were forced to wait at the car, which was miles and miles out. Michonne isn't trusted; Glenn's in bad shape; and Me, a kid. We got there when the sun was starting to rise and as we wait for them, I couldn't help but to be worried.
And hungry, and tired.
It's too quiet; no walkers, no talking, not a sound between or around us.
In the car, in the back seat, I leaned back while letting loose quick, deep breaths of air. I feel it now; there's something heavy and wet, making a mess on the lower half of my shirt, and when looking down I see that it's blood. Lifting my shirt, I groan in disgust. It's a bullet wound.
"Shit."
Enter but no exit. The pain kicks in not even a second later. It just keeps pooling and pooling, like a leaky faucet dripping into a clogged sink. It's beginning to feel like absolute hell.
Fuck. I'm shot.
I groan in agony with a hoarse voice as I peel myself off the seat so I could tear off
a piece of my clothing to wrap around the wound. After finishing, I noticed shadows rushing behind and around the car, which provokes me to follow them. Hushed and yelling voices hit me immediately, just as
I got out the car; and when I could see the why, I understood.
The group was back from Woodbury and with them is Merle.
Michonne had her katana out, ready to swing at any given moment and Glenn had his gun aimed at the rednecks head.
"He tried to kill me!"
"Look what he did! If it wasn't for him Maggie and Kendall c—"
"He helped us get out of there." Daryl had his hand out, gesturing for them to lower their weapons.
"Yeah, right after he beat the shit out of you." Rick hissed at his friend, staring Michonne down.
"And after putting us in there." I had my arms crossed, trying to hold in the groan lodged in my throat. "He kidnapped us!"
"Hey, we both took our licks, man." Merle eggs it on, he didn't give a shit.
"Jackass."
"Hey, shut up."
"Enough!" Rick screamed at him. "Hey, hey, hey, relax! Put that down now!" He shoved his gun in Michonne's face when she tried to get closer to Merle.
"Hey, get that thing outta my face!" Daryl yelled at Glenn, swatting his hand in the air as if the gun was an insect.
"Man, look like you've gon' native, brother." Merle laughed, he found joy in this situation but the only thing in my mind was seeing his dead body.
"No more than you hanging out with that psycho back there." He yelled at his brother, turning around and ignoring all the weapons pointed their way.
"Oh, yeah, man. He is a charmer, I gotta tell you that. Been putting the wood to your girlfriend Andrea. Big time, baby." Merle teased Michonne, sticking out his tongue and fake moaning just to rub it in more.
"What? Andrea's in Woodbury?" Glenn asked, his voice cracking.
"Right next to the Governor."
Michonne tries to rush at Merle, but again Rick stops her, speaking to her like she's a disobedient dog. "I told you to drop that!" And she did. "You know Andrea? Hey, do you know Andrea?"
"Yep, she does." Merle spoke for her, humoring himself. "Her and blondie spent all winter cuddling up in the forest. Mm-mmm-mmm. Yeah. My Nubian queen here had two pet walkers. No arms, cut off the jaws, kept them in chains. Kind of ironic now that I think about it."
"Excuse me?" I spat with a coughy groan following; it's becoming unbearable.
"Shut up, bro." Daryl hissed at him.
"Hey, man, we snagged them out of the woods. Andrea was close to dying."
"Is that why she's with him?" Maggie asks next, a frown on her lips.
"Yeah." Merle answered for Michonne again. "Snug as two little bugs. So what you gonna do now, Sheriff, huh? Surrounded by a bunch of liars, thugs and cowards."
"Shut up!" Rick screamed at him; he was speaking for everyone's thoughts.
"Oh, man, look at this. Pathetic. All these guns and no bullets in them."
"Merle, shut up."
"Shut up yourself! Bunch of pussies you roll—" And that was all that came from his lips before dropping to the ground with a thump after Rick knocked him out with the butt of his gun.
I sigh with content, very thankful that he couldn't speak anymore.
A silent discussion between everyone but Michonne and I. The adults were worried about the risks that Merle would bring to the rest of the group, especially since he's
a backstabbing piece of shit. Glenn, Rick, and Maggie doesn't trust him about as far as I could throw him but Daryl wants his brother to be beside him. Understandable for each of them.
"And your mom... and Jamie are..."
"Dead." I answer her, monotonously. "I was with Jamie.. we both saw my mom.. Then Jamie got bit and we found a place but she told she wanted me to.. I couldn't do it."
"Do you know anything about your dad."
"No." I push out, releasing a horrible and torturous groan; pressing my hand on the covered wound. "fuck."
"What?" Michonne may've not sounded as worried as someone would be but the look in her eyes told me that she is. "Are you okay?"
"I was shot..."
"You were what?"
"I was shot in the stomach and there's no exit wound, is that a bad thing?"
"Yes, that's a bad thing!"
I grind my teeth together, crying from the overwhelming ache that yanks and builds across, up and down, my body. It's hell, it feels like shit; the worse feeling I've ever felt in my entire life. I press harder on the wound, which is now, again, spilling with blood again. I hyperventilate, dropping to my knees with Michonne's hands holding onto my shoulders.
Michonne says nothing, just lowering to the ground with me as I grow weaker and weaker, her arms wrapping around me. I blink, slowly, staring off in the distance at the group who continue to argue. First it's Maggie that glanced over and noticed me, she alerts everyone else but my eyes grow heavier. It helped nothing, one last breath and my eyes were shut; I fed myself to the darkness.
i know this chapter is a little short but thank you guys for waiting for this update. i have been a little busy and the love life area, it's about time i have a boy to talk to.
trauma, trauma, trauma. it's my favorite kind of writing.
please, comment and vote.