Daryl didn't want to take my chair when we were sitting around the campfire that morning, but I made him take it because I knew how hard it was to get up from the ground when your side was in pain. Initially refusing, it only took me a threat that I would beat his ass if he didn't to get him to sit down.
He looked slightly amused at my comment and I honestly wasn't surprised. Our interaction was followed by a few snickers from the group before everyone settled down.
Carol came over with the pan of eggs and gave Daryl and I some more, having to bend down further to me since I was sat on the ground by his legs.
It was quiet, and the only sound was the scraping of forks and the crackling fire. Every so often I would look around at everyone, secretly assessing them.
Despite it being seemingly peaceful, everyone knew that everyone else were on the edge of their seats.
It all came from the unknowingness, and knowingness, whichever people wanted to choose to feel.
If people chose unknowingness, it would be like a tick or an itch on the back of your neck. Whilst also weighing heavily on your chest.
Knowingness was a lot more peaceful but it wasn't advised and I didn't choose it.
I wasn't going to think for a second that Sophia was dead, or that she was never coming back.
She had to be somewhere.
I felt so selfish because all this time I was worrying about what people thought of me, or what I could prove when there was a twelve-year-old girl lost in the woods that some of us were risking their lives for.
Glenn stood up, looking nervous as hell. An emotion he had on his face these past two days. His handled wrung themselves together, and everyone looked at him expectantly before he spoke.
"Guys," he breathed in. "There's walkers in the barn."
I felt heart stop for a moment, and I'm sure everyone else was experiencing that too. Anyone who wasn't paying attention was now, as everyone stared darkly at Glenn's face.
I was the first to say anything as I stood from my seat on the ground, abandoning my plate of food.
"What..." my wide eyes scanned his as he looked at me worriedly. All eyes were on me. "The hell?"
He tried to form words but if he did I didn't hear them because I was already making my way towards aforementioned, barn. Shouts and yells and panicked discussion took place behind me.
The only one that caught up with me was Shane but he didn't say a word as we both power-walked towards the barn that was surprisingly far away.
+
Peering through the tiny gap between the two doors holding back a mountainous measure of walkers, I jumped back when one of them snapped at me. I held my hand to my heart from the sight of the veiny eyes looking into mine. It breathed in my face, almost making me want to bend over and wretch.
Warm fingers brushed against my lower arm to pull me back further and I didn't look around to see who it was.
"You cannot tell me you're alright with this," Shane said lowly to Rick, glancing at me momentarily.
"No, I'm not, but we're guests here. This isn't our land," Rick replied sternly.
"This is our lives!" Shane shouted, his whole stance was upright like a toy soldier.
"Lower your voice," Glenn hushed, reminding us all that whilst we were discussing this we were discussing it outside a barn full of walkers that constantly growled.
"We can't just sweep this under the rug," Andrea said.
"She's right," I said. "It's not right, not remotely."
There was a pause as the doors rattled the chains that held them together, obviously the walkers were hungry. And right outside their doorstep was a main course of hopeful people with side-dishes of crazy.
"We've either gotta go in there," Shane started, gaining everyone's attention by going to the front of the group. "We've got to make things right or we've just got to go."
I didn't want to go.
"And where exactly would we go?" I asked, stepping forward and flicking some hair away from my mouth.
He said his hat back on his bald head, breathing out heavily. "We have been talking about Fort Benning for a long time."
"We can't go," Rick interjected, throwing an arm out in front of Shane.
"Why, Rick? Why?"
I felt Carol step beside me, and I saw from the corner of my eye her worried expression. Her arms unravelled from holding herself before she spoke, "Because my daughter's still out there."
I could sense everyone's stomach turn at the mother pining for her daughter's return.
There was always something about hope that made me feel sick.
I could see clearly that Shane was going to say something stupid. He put his hands up to cup his chin and he let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay," he started, looking to Carol. He lowered his hands. "Okay, I think it's time that we all start to just consider the possibil-"
"No, no, no," I interrupted looking into his eyes. "Shut the hell up. We are not leaving her behind."
I knew everyone had their eyes on me.
An angry Daryl stepped beside me, brushing my shoulder with his own. "I'm close to finding this girl," he spat at Shane. "I just found her damn doll a few days ago."
I noticed the way he said 'I'm' instead of 'we'. I could tell he had made a promise of some sorts - maybe even only with himself, that he would find Sophia.
"You founder her doll, Daryl. That's what you did. You found a doll." Shane annunciated.
I rolled my eyes, turning fully to my side so that Daryl could walk forward and get his opinion in. That was I wouldn't fly to the ground if he started throwing punches - but I'd doubt he'd do that, truthfully.
"You don't know what the hell you're talking 'bout!" Daryl yelled, throwing his arm out only to be stopped by Rick's.
Rick was trying to calm the situation down when the only real way to do that was for him to have a discussion with his friend. If I were in his position, I would not have brought the whole group to discuss it. Too many opinions, too many clashing personalities and not enough clarity.
But how could I speak in leading people when I'd have probably driven the group into the ground if I were in charge.
"I'm just saying what needs to be said," Shane yelled louder. Whilst trying to be hushed by his friend, constantly trying to get his word in but there was no stopping Shane's verbal diarrhea. "You get a good lead in the first forty-eight hours."
"Shane, stop!" Rick reached for his shoulder but he only turned around with a smile on his face.
"Let me tell you something else, man." We all cautiously watched the conversation unfold. Anger radiated off Daryl and if looks could kill then Shane would be dead a thousand times over. Everyone watched Shane talk and I kept my eyes on Daryl. Shane was pushing all the right buttons for possible detonation. "If she was alive out there and saw you coming all methed out with your buck knife and geek ears 'round your neck she would run in the other direction!"
"Shut up you stupid cop!" Daryl had enough and lashed out pointing towards Shane angrily. He yelled and Rick tried his best to separate the hunter and the cop who looked happy enough to get his hands on Daryl.
"What are you doing? Don't come at me, man!" Shane pointed at Daryl.
Everyone near sprung into action to try and calm the situation down. Between Shane and Daryl, I honestly wouldn't know who would win. It was all out war and they were throwing words like daggers, but blindly. Either one of them would have landed a good punch to knock one another on their asses if it wasn't for the crowd surrounding them.
To help - in some way - I placed my body between Daryl's and Shane's. This caused Daryl to stop lashing forward and gave Shane a death-stare that said "keep your fucking hands off."
I felt Daryl's body press up against the back of mine for a moment as I stepped backwards, then it was gone and I felt cold.
Shane pointed a finger at Lori, "Don't you touch me."
Rick, forever trying to be the voice of reason. "Just let me talk to Hershel. Let me figure it out."
"What are you going to figure out?" Shane yelled, looking like he was going lash out at his own friend any moment then before Lori placed a hand on his chest and screeched, "Enough!"
"If we're gonna stay, if we're gonna clear this barn, I have to talk him into it. This is his land."
Dale raised his arm in the air to have his say. "Hershel sees those things as people - sick people - his wife, his stepson."
Dale knew - it was that thing about people making decisions for me that was irking - I would have wanted to know I was taking a nap and reading books next to flesh-eating creatures. I was already angry enough at Glenn for keeping that secret and now I had another person to be annoyed with.
"You knew too, Dale?" I questioned, stepping closer. He, for some reason, looked cautiously between Shane and I. Something was off, and it wasn't the smell from the barn.
"Yesterday," he directed at Rick, avoiding my gaze. "I talked to Hershel."
"And you waited the night?" Shane exclaimed.
"I thought we could survive one more night. We did. I was waiting till this morning to say something, but Glenn wanted to be the one."
"That was neither of your decisions to make," I spat, widening my eyes and looking between the two culprits. "If something had gone wrong with... whatever this is, we wouldn't have been prepared - y'know you two aren't exactly fortune tellers."
"Marley, I'm-" Glenn tried to say, but I cut him off. I really didn't want to be angry with him but I couldn't help it.
"Save it," I snapped, turning away from them to face the barn and put my hands on my hips. I scrunched up my face in frustration. It was all just a massive ball of annoying things at that moment.
"It was in our best interest to keep it from you," Dale added.
"Best interest?" I scoffed. "You know nothing." I turned around to face him. "Stop trying to parent everyone!" I all but yelled in his face. An arm came to my chest, stopping me from stepping closer. It was Rick. I looked back to the prison for walkers speaking again; "It's in our best interest to deal with this situation."
"Now, hold on," Rick went to interject again before Shane did.
"The man's crazy, Rick, if he thinks those things are alive or not."
The argument cut slim when the walkers started banging on the doors rather loudly. It almost scared me out of my skin, and I stepped away from it further and further like everyone else around me. We could all hear the faint scratches and gnawing at the wood, some fingernails poking through the gaps like caged animals - that was basically what they were. Keep them in there for any longer and they wouldn't starve they'd maybe just become more desperate and eventually break out. The chains rattled and everyone started to walk away.
Warm fingers grazed my arm again but I shook them off, not bothering to see who it was.
+
"Marley, please, I'm sorry."
I wasn't going to give Glenn the time of day. He was currently trailing after me. Everything inside of me was telling to turn around and forgive him but I was not only sick with him but everyone.
"Marley," he tried again. This time he walked fast enough so that he was in front of me, blocking my path.
"Out of my way, Glenn," I seethed, hands clenched at my sides. As much as I wanted to lay a hand on something... something - it wasn't going to be him.
"I'm just- I'm sorry Marlster," he tried, his words coming out strained as he tried to find words.
"You could have told me."
"I know."
"Something could have happened."
"But it didn't!"
I smiled - not that I meant to. "Yeah, but," I stepped closer to him, trying to find the right words. "We can't live thinking things aren't going to happen."
He dropped his tense shoulders. "You're right."
I still wasn't okay with and wanted to give him a hug just to give him the piece of mind that I wasn't tremendously furious with him, but I decided against it in case I lashed out.
"It's okay Glenn," I whispered, feeling guilty for yelling at him. "You didn- it's fine."
The edges of his lips twitched upwards to give me a small smile but I couldn't return it.
+
I had been blankly staring at the stable for a few moments after Carol caught my eye when she walked in there only moments after Daryl had done so himself.
As was curious as to why they were actually talking to each other and whether Carol ever actually got a good conversation out of hm unlike I had.
If she was then... I was feeling some sort of jealousy and protectiveness.
I know I had denied it before - that he was my Daryl. He wasn't an item but I couldn't help it.
I really couldn't help it.
Curiosity got the better of me and I stopped leaning against the tree and crossing my arms to start walking towards the stable.
I could hear talking when got closer and was about to enter further when I saw Daryl throw a saddle to the ground before clutching his side where his wound still was.
They didn't seem to notice me watching them as Carol asked if he was okay only for him to throw back, "leave me be!"
I watched with wide, shock, and confused eyes when the redneck stormed towards me, muttering something he made sure was loud enough so that Carol could hear - "Stupid bitch."
He brushed past me angrily, and I tried to form words as I glanced hurriedly between where Daryl lead off to and Carol's teary eyes.
I took a breath before following him.
When Daryl was set on going somewhere, you could bet your bottom dollar that he would get there. And that was what he was doing now.
My breathing turned sharp as I tried to keep up with him and call his name at the same time. It wasn't working, and he was only just heading to our tent.
I wasn't going to let him get there, however, as I tried to grab his shoulder only for him to raise his arm up.
I couldn't help but flinch away from him.
And I could tell that he immediately regretted it as he turned towards me and lowered it.
"What did you say that to Carol for?" I asked, not meeting his gaze.
He was now pacing in front of me. "Says, 'we don't know if we're gonna' find her' and 'I can't lose you too'," he spat as if everything he said was disgusting. "What a bunch o' bullshit."
"Bullshit?" I almost laugh, now looking into his blue eyes with my green ones. "That bullshit is actually true."
"What?"
"Daryl look at me."
"Why? Why the he-"
"Just," I firmly grasped his shoulders, so that he would stop pacing and he could look nowhere else but my face. "Look at me," I whispered, as his eyes darted around in annoyance and he looked incredibly tense under my grasp.
"The truth is that we can't lose you."
"That a bunch o' crap, ain' nobody wanting me for anythin' but being their errand boy!" He squirmed away from me, and stood square shouldered with me.
"Look at me."
"I am, Marley. Goddamnit woman, what?"
"No, you're not actually looking at me," I stepped so my face was directly in front of his. "Now, really look at me."
He went to go say something else but it was obviously sucked back into his throat, he did what I told him to do. His beady eyes stared into mine for a moment, and I felt utterly too close to him for us both being stood in the middle of the field..
"See this," I gestured to my face. "This person cares, and no matter how much you don't believe that someone can ever care about you, you will never - you understand me? - ever think that I don't."
"It's quite frankly an insult after all we've been through."
I could see the gears turning in his head, nd I liked it when he did that. Although it was quite unhealthy for someone to keep all their thoughts to themselves but Daryl had a certain look on his face when he did it and I quite liked the look of it - it was... interesting.
Words were meagre things when you had to describe someone you... never mind.
I took my hands and brushed down the front of his shirt, slightly regretting it since he was extremely sweaty but I didn't have much to say since I probably looked as run down as he did.
"Just," I started, huffing out a breath and licking my lips. "Basically, uh? Just... when-when you go out and risk your life - by maybe falling off a horse - just remember the fact that. No, what I mean is you can't just run off and risk your life because you may be thinking about other people's needs when you're doing it but you're not thinking about the repercussions."
"So I ain' allowed to go out and look for Sophia without your say?"
"Basically," I furrowed my brows. "I thought we were supposed to be looking after each other?"
I let out a breath, and it almost sounded like a laugh. "So you're just looking out for me?" He tilted his head as he flicked some hair away from his face.
I couldn't help but smile slightly. "Why d'you always answer my questions with another question?"
He gave a lighthearted shrug, before hesitantly turning and walking away.
I watched as he walked away, back to our camp. But before he could be out of hearing distance I yelled over to him, cupping my hands over my mouth. "And Daryl?"
"Yeah?"
i ran after him, to get a bit closer, and when I was close enough. Out of breath slightly, I pointed at him. "You have to apologise to Carol. No getting out of it."
He looked worried.
"Don't worry just... by my own experience, to be honest, no girl really likes being called a 'stupid bitch'."
He nibbled on his bottom lip, bringing his hand up to his head to scratch the side of it - right where his stitches were.
"Don't," I slapped his hand away. "Don't touch your stitches, and apologise to Carol. Right?" I held up two digits. He grabbed that hand for a moment and shook it.
"Yes, ma'am," he replied dutifully, before continuing his journey to our camp.
+
I sat on the hood of the car, my back pressed against the front window and my knees curled up into my chest. started playing with the skin around my eyes, pressing it and pinching to see how much it hurt. All of my wounds had healed, but my face still held a purple splotchinesss around one of my eyes.
Glenn had wanted me to sit on top of the RV with him, but I just couldn't. I didn't really want to.
"S'up?" Glenn said - probably to someone.
After a few more moments, and Glenn talking to someone a hand rested on my shoulder and slid off the hood in fright.
"Marley, wake up," Shane said quietly. "Where did Dale go?"
"What?"
"Dale took the guns. Where did he go?"
"I don't know."
"Come on," he ushered, gently grabbing my elbow so that would follow him. I gave Glenn a quick glance over my shoulder.
"What's going on," whispered when we were out of earshot from, well anyone.
"Dale, huh, he took the guns cause he thinks it's for the best."
"But it's not."
"You got that right."
"Anything else?"
We kept walking but he looked straight at me as we started to descend into the trees.
"He suspects we did something that night," he coughed. "Mostly just me, but I told him not to talk to you."
"Does he know anything else?" I stopped in my tracks, flicking some hair away from eyes. He stopped too, his hands on his hips.
"Just that we're both threats - to him."
"Ah, hence-"
"Exactly."
Dale was not going to make another decision for me.
+
"Man, this is a good hiding place," Shane announced, making the older man turnaround and look at us.
I had helped Shane with my beginner's class of tracking skills to track down where Dale was going to hide the guns. Looks like he wasn't going to do that after all.
"We ain' been in the swamps much, huh?"
Dale sighed, disappointed, hurt. He started to stuff the remainder of the bag in a garbage one.
As Shane and I started to approach him, I had to hold the sleeve of Shane's shirt to steady myself.
"Imagine if you applied your tracking skills to finding Sophia."
I was about to lunge for him and give him my own piece of mind, but Shane clasped his hand over the one on his sleeve.
"How about," Shane suggested, and then we were in front of Dale, having to duck under a few branches in the process. I had gotten used to walking thorugh places like these, so there was no falling on the ground here. "You just give us that bag, huh?"
"I'm not gonna do that."
"Oh, do please," I added. It was slightly fun to treat Dale like a child. "Unless you really don't want to, then all you have to do is just get that rifle off your shoulder and..."
"You gonna shoot me like you two shot Otis? Tell another story?"
"You can pick whether it was heroic death or a pathetic one, Dale."
Shane chuckled from beside me, "No, man."
There was a moment when the two opposing forces stood silently between us. I could tell, that what I had said, Dale did not expect at all. I hardly expected it myself, but I tore the filter down when people started making decisions for me, again.
"Please," Dale begged, his hands praying towards me. "Please, Marley."
I took a sharp intake of breath. "'Please, Marley', what?"
He actually looked like he was going to cry. "Please don't let him do this to you."
I cocked my head to the side. Shane was not doing this to me, it was all my own doing because I let it happen.
"Please don't become like him. Where's the Marley back in the quarry who looked after Carl, and drew people's portraits when they were sad?"
"She's not gone," I whispered. "She's not buried either, you know. You're talking to the exact same person."
His eyes widened, and he looked scared. He actually looked scared.
"And I'd much rather end up like Shane, rather than you because if you look at it the right way-"
He looked between Shane and, now getting angry.
"-sweetheart, you're pretty much dead already."
The afformentioned man laid his hand on my shoulder and used the other to lure Dale towards him - like a man awaiting a tip. "Just give us the guns, do it now."
"You think this is gonna keep us safe?"
"Mm-hmm, I know it is."
"Rick is trying to get Hershel--"
"Dale, shut up. Just shut up and give me the guns."
The elder lay down the bag of guns and, and grabbed hold of his rifle - loading it. I stiffened at the sound but tried to not let it show on my face. I had faced that sound many times before and it wasn't going to make crumble just then.
"Am I gonna have to shoot you?" he warned, raising his eyebrows. "Do I have to kill you if that's what it takes?"
Both Shane and I harmoniously let out a short chuckle.
When he went to approach the elder, Dale didn't hesistate to bring his gun to his shoulder and point it straight through Shane's chest. If he was to shoot then, Shane was definitely done for - then there was me on the side.
Shane hesitated walking forward but ended up confidently with the barrel of the gun pressed firmly between his ribcage. "Yeah, that's what it's gonna take."
Sudden realisation, all a little too late, echoes off Dale's face. He realised who we were. He held nothing but pity in his eyes ad he lowered the gun.
"This is where you belong, Shane."
"How's that, Dale?" Shane challenged, narrowing his eyes momentarily.
"This world, what it is now, this is where you belong." Then he looked to me. "And you dragged her down with you."
I scoffed, I was perfectly capable of doing this myself and who I was, was the perfect example.
"And I may not have what it takes to last for long, but that's okay." He knelt down and picked up the bag and I felt a sense of achievement soar through me. "'Cause at least I can say when the world goes to shit I didn't let it take me down with it." He shoved the guns into Shane's arms.
He hooked it under his arm, already starting to walk away.
He left Dale breathing heavily, and as I passed him I gave him one last glance and sentence; "The world was already shit, in my opinion."
+
team shane and marley 4 life
#sharley for brotp of the year
wtf Marley that came out of nowhere omg
can she be my mom?
no, that's problematic
it's been so long, but here's an extra long chap 4 u
whose hand pulled her back?
(and also sorry if there a re any spelling erros and such, i know they suck)
- sylar