𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐒.
chapter twelve; Hungover Interrogation
" Don't look at him, look at me. "
RICK ASKED VEX if she'd be willing to question Randall alongside Daryl Dixon. She agreed, and at first light met the man himself outside the towering barn.
"I can handle this. No need to get your hands dirty."
"What, you're gonna torture the kid?" Vex laughed.
"I'm gon' do what I have to."
"Then we can agree on that much," She quipped, pushing the doors open.
Randall was a scrawny-looking kid, who Vex guessed was in his early 20s.
Daryl closed the door behind himself as Vex approached the boy, tugging down his blindfold before removing his headphones.
"Please--"
"It is very rude to speak to someone without introducing yourself," Vex sighed, taking a seat in front of the boy, "My name's Vex. Yours is Randall. Now we can talk, like normal people."
Randall nervously glanced at Daryl, who stood looming mere feet behind Vex.
"Don't look at him, look at me," Vex said calmly, earning the boy's attention, "Tell me about your group, Randall."
"I'm not like them, I don't--"
"I don't want to hear about you yet," She cut off, "Tell me about your group."
Randall hesitated, licking his lips nervously.
"I barely knew 'em, I met them on the road."
"How many?"
Randall looked to the ground, clearly not wanting to give away all too many details.
"Listen, if we're being frank here," Vex said, leaning forward, "I have no issue ripping out fingernails and pulling out teeth. But I'm hungover, and I'd like this to be easy if it can be."
"You-- you don't have to do that," Randall said quickly, "Come on, I-- I'm innocent here."
"Then prove it to me," She shrugged, "Prove to me that you aren't a threat here. Or I'll let him talk to you."
Vex nodded to Daryl, who seemed all too menacing to Randall.
"I-- I can't--"
Vex stood swiftly, turning on her heel.
"Come get me when he asks for me," She told Daryl, patting the man on the shoulder in passing, "Don't forget I gave you a choice, Randall!"
It took all but ten minutes for Daryl to call Vex's name from inside the barn.
She'd heard the shouting, from both parties-- and heard Randall call her name more than once.
But Vex waited for Daryl.
"Ooh," Vex winced as she entered, seeing Randall's bruised face matching Daryl's bloodied knuckles, "Hey, I warned you."
She looked down, also noticing Daryl had removed the bandages from his freshly healing wound.
"How many people are in your group, Randall?" She questioned.
"30," He answered quickly this time, "30 men."
"Where?"
"I-- I don't know," Randall said, his eyes bulging when he saw Daryl unsheath a knife, "I swear-- I swear-- we were never anyplace more than a night."
"Just scavenging?" She questioned, "Looking for a place to set up camp?"
"I-- I don't know," Randall said, "They-- they left me behind."
Daryl was growing agitated, with both the boy's hesitation to answer, and Vex's relaxed attitude about the whole thing.
He moved toward the boy, ready to take over the whole thing again, but before he could, Vex Williams kicked a boot between his collarbone and shoulder, earning a scream from Randall.
"You-- you broke my shoulder!"
"It's just dislocated, you pussy," Vex scoffed, "Just start talkin'."
"Listen, I--"
Vex set a foot on his knee, pressing on the fresh wound.
"Wait-- wait!" He yelled, breathing heavily, "They-- They have weapons. Heavy stuff, automatics. Bu-- But I didn't do anything!"
"Your boys shot at my boys, tried to take this farm," Daryl yelled, "You just went along for the ride? You tryin' tell me you're innocent?"
"Yes!" Randall shouted, taking a breath before continuing, Vex's foot still hovering above his knee, "These-- these people took me in. Not just guys-- a whole group of 'em. Men and women, kids too-- just like you people. Thought I'd have a better chance with them, you know?"
Vex retreated as Daryl did, the two standing over the boy, side by side.
"But. . ." Randall said, swallowing harshly, "We go out, scavenge-- just the men. One night we-- we found this little campsite. A man and his two daughters. Teenagers, you know? Real young. Real cute."
Vex felt a fire ignite in her stomach.
"Their daddy had to watch while these guys-- they--" Randall said after a long moment, "And they did even kill him afterwards. They just-- they just made him watch. As his daughters. . . just-- just-- they just left him there."
Randall looked up, meeting the cold stares of Vex and Daryl.
"No, but- but-- but I didn't touch those girls. No I swear--"
Vex's fist met the boy's face before he could finish his sentence. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, sitting him back upright, her nose inches from his.
"But you watched?"
Randall didn't speak.
"Then you're just as guilty."
"No, no, I ain't like that! Please, you gotta believe me--!"
Daryl Dixion watched as Vex Williams beat Randall to unconsciousness, and he let her.
He allowed himself to be guilty of her crimes because he knew damn well if she hadn't, he would have.
Daryl informed Vex he'd relay the information back to Rick, to which she thanked him, departing for a shower.
"Better scrub hard if you wanna get rid of what you did."
Vex eyed the man.
"Nothin' I haven't done before, Dixon."
And that was that.
Until, of course, Vex took Zeppelin to scatter feed for the chickens, and Dale approached them.
"Hey," Vex greeted, throwing more seed on the ground, "Got another book for Zep?"
"Oh, uh, yes," Dale said with a laugh, pulling out a copy of 'Journey to the Center of The Earth' and passing it to the girl, "That's a good one."
"Yeah, I can't believe Uncle Dale didn't keep any Jules Verne," Vex laughed.
She looked to Dale, whose face read discomfort.
"Hey, Zep, baby?" Vex said, "Why don't you go play with Carl awhile? I have to talk to Mister Dale for a second."
"Okay," Zeppelin grinned, "Thank you for the book."
"Anytime," Dale smiled.
The girl hurried off, running as fast as her legs would carry her to the camp.
"This about that Randall kid?" Vex questioned, setting down the bucket of seed.
"You are wildly perceptive," Dale pointed, "Listen. . . we're convening at sunset to decide his fate."
"And you want to sway me," Vex pointed.
"No, no," Dale said, "I want to see what you think."
Vex sighed, looking to the camp and quickly spotting Zeppelin and Carl playing tag.
"I think I need to keep my kid safe," She said, "His group is dangerous. Murderers, pillagers, rapists. They find their way here, I can protect her. I can't protect anyone else."
"So you just want to kill him?"
"Is that what Rick's leaning to?"
"Yes, but," Dale said, "I-- I can tell he doesn't want to. I think it was Shane's idea."
"What's his deal?" She asked.
Dale let out a long breath before he responded. He knew it was a slippery slope, telling Vex, but he also got the idea she was one of the only people who would be able to protect the group from Shane if need be.
"I think he killed Otis."
Vex visibly recoiled at this.
"I think he sacrificed him at the high school," Dale continued, "He's not safe, Vex, and I don't want to follow that man on this. I won't lose my humanity, too."
Vex nodded, picking up the bucket of feed again.
"If Shane steps out of line, I'll handle him," Vex said quietly, "Listen, if possible, sure, I say let the kid live. But how do we know he won't bring his group here?"
"How do we know he will?"
"We don't," Vex shrugged, "But in this world, we have to assume the worst. There is no innocent until proven guilty. If this is your route, you have to be able to carry that weight, Dale. To shoulder the responsibility of if that boy running back to his group, and having thirty men with heavy weaponry showing up, pillaging this house, your people-- my people. That's the weight of your choice."
"The weight of yours is your humanity."
"I've killed more people than I can count," She said, "Innocent or not-- I was handed a photo and I shot. No questions, no hesitation. My humanity is not reliant on that. I'd rather kill one innocent man than risk my daughter being killed or worse. I'd make that choice a thousand times over."
"Well, I. . . I can't hold that against you," He said quietly.
"I admire your heart, Dale, I really do," Vex said, "And if I'm outvoted if it's decided that he lives, I won't go against that. But I won't protect you if they come back."
Dale nodded, thanking the woman for talking before leaving in pursuit of the next person.
And Vex remained there, scattering the rest of the feed to the chickens, somehow coming to terms with what she'd done and who she would be.
WORD COUNT : 1554