Just like to apologise for any errors in either grammar, spelling or layout. I typed this thing up on my phone which, considering it was me, was pretty impressive. So thanks and see ya, keep commenting too please- I really need some support to keep me writing this at the moment. :(
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Day 302: Ghosts from the past
Electra wished she could say that she had never seen so much blood in her life but then she would be lying. So unlike everybody else, she was calm and collected when Rick chopped Hershel's lower leg off. Their appalled expressions were unseen by her as she started to press down on his knee and his falling into unconsciousness failed to phase her.
"Would anyone mind giving me a hand?" she enquired as if she were asking someone to help her move a cabinet rather than asking someone to help her tend to a man who had literally just lost a limb. However no reply came to her urgent request. "God dammit, is anybody even listening to me?" she half questioned-half growled at those around her.
"Who the hell are you?" A new voices came to be heard by Electra - a voice of one of the five prisoners that were in a close proximity to them. Electra noted this before looking back down at Hershel.
"Could ask ya'll the same question, mate." she said, adding the mate with an unfriendly tone rather than the friendliness it ought to harbour. "Except no time to." she stated casually before she turned to Rick with q rock-hard expression on her face. "He's bleeding out, we gotta go and we gotta go now." she told Rick whose eyes stayed with hers for a moment before he slowly nodded in agreement.
"Alright, alright." Rick mimicked Electra's current position. "Maggie, come around here. Put pressure on the knee." he ordered, allowing Electra to remove her hands from the knee. Hard, hard. Push, push." he instructed hastily.
"Why don't you come on outta there?" Daryl suggested, his crossbow aiming on the five individuals in a random pattern. "Slow and steady." Daryl ordered, dragging his words out for as long as possible working on keeping them all in the crosshairs of his crossbow whilst they gradually entered their territory.
"What happened?" The smallest African American, Andrew, questioned whilst glancing at the unconscious Hershel with a grimace
"He got bit." Daryl informed them.
"Bit?" he queried, confused as what he meant by 'bit? and why it was necessary to cut his leg off because he 'got bit'.
Carelessly, Electra wiped Herschel's blood off of her hands as she had decided it was A) Problematic B) Unhygenic C) Displeasing and D) Not a nice sight for Beth when they got back. The sight of a gun out of the corner of her eye brought her into the situation.
"Woah, woah, woah." Electra rose to her feet, gun in hand. "Easy now." she said in a patronizing manner as she aimed her gun at the hispanic man, Tomàs, who was wielding the gun. "Nobody needs to get hurt." she stated, raising her eyebrows as if to challenge the curly haired convict to do anything. She placed her other hand on the gun, remembering the rule she had made-axe for the dead, gun for the living....not that she had killed any living.
"I need you to hold this."
"Okay."
"As hard as you can."
"Yes."
Electra glanced down at Rick, Maggie and Hershel but her eyes were fixed on Maggie who was desperately pushing down on Hershel's leg, her hands covered with her father's blood. The hard-faced expression she held wavered a little and Daryl could have sworn he saw a look of pity in her mismatched eyes.
"You have-" Electra started to ask, her voice weedy. She cut herself off, coughing before she started again. "You have medical supplies?" she enquired strongly.
On that note, Electra glanced at Glenn who glanced back at her. She gave him a look of confirmation. Glenn rose to his feet and sprinted past the prisoners and into where the prisoners had vacated from.
"Wow." Tomàs glanced at the dry blood that caked both Electra's hands and violet plaid overshirt and the blood on Maggie's hand. "Where do you think you're going?" he demanded of Glenn who ignored him, exiting the room just as fast as he entered. "Who the hell are you people anyway?" he questioned, studying each one of them closely.
"Don't look like no rescue team."
Electra laughed causing all the five prisoners to turn and look in her direction.
"If a rescue team is what ya'll are waiting for don't."
"And why wouldn't we do that, Electra?"
Electra's blood ran cold at the sound of the voice. Slowly, Electra's head turned in the direction of the voice to face her biggest nightmare. Upon sighting, she squinted her eyes shut, repeating the words 'it's just a ghost' in her head.
"Come on, we gotta go." Rick hollered, but unlike the others Electra made no inclination to move. "Now!" Rick shouted. "Come on, I need a hand here." he growled.
"One. Two. Three. Go! Holy Jesus! T, the door!"
"Are you crazy? Don't open that"
"We got this." Rick assured the huge African American man, Big Tiny, who was scandalized by the whole situation, but more so to the other survivors.
"It's only a ghost." Electra murmured underneath her breath. Her eyes were still closed and she was bunching her fists up tight to try to stop herself trembling. She was quite unsuccessful. Daryl sprinted in her direction.
"Daryl! Daryl!"
Daryl ignored Rick's calls and sprinted until he reached Electra. Glancing over her, he put his hand on her arm in attempt to grab her attention.
"Mismatch." Daryl said softly, Electra opened her eyes but she was still thinking the words over and over. "Let's go." he said impatiently, grabbing her arm, ignoring her flinch as he dragged her along with him.
"This way. This way, this way."
"No, no, no. Back, back."
"Daryl!"
"Electra!"
"Go, go, go."
"Stop, stop."
"Follow the flashlight!"
"Electra..."
"I know, shut up."
"Come on, come on." Rick urged them forwards. "Go, go. Go, go, go." he said, his voice hushed. But now they were travelling too fast for Hershel, not paying any attention to him. "Easy, easy." he hissed at them.
"He's losing too much blood." Electra reiterated. "Open this door!" she hollered, banging on the metal bars that formed the door to cell block C. "Come on! We need this door open, it's Hershel!" she yelled. "Carl!" she shouted before he came into sight. "Carl." she sighed out of relief.
"Oh, my God."
"Carl, never mind that. Get this door open!" she ordered.
"I can't- I lost my keys."
"It's okay, I got one in my pocket." Rick reassured them. "But my hands are a little full." he pointed out the obvious. "Electra!" he called.
Electra went around to Rick's side. Hastily, she delved her hands into his pocket and retrieved the hoop of keys. Hastily, she unlocked the door and opened it wide, allowing the others to pass her apart from Daryl who made no attempt to pass her.
"Not going in?" she questioned him but Daryl simply shook his head. "Alrighty then." she breathed, locking the door to the cell block securely. "T, take this." she said passing Rick's set of keys through the bars. Electra caught her breath, placing a hand on her hip. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Daryl staring at her. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." she said bitterly, he didn't stop staring. "What?" she demanded.
"Who was that guy?"
"What guy?"
"The guy who knew yer name."
Electra's eyes widened as big as plates.
"You-" she stated unable to hide her surprise. "You saw him too?" she questioned.
"What d'ya mean?" Daryl squinted at him. "Of course I saw 'im, beard 'im too. Heard 'im call you Electra...who is he Mismatch?" he glanced over her. "More importantly, why did ya think I wouldn't have seen 'im?"
"Cause I'm goin' crazy." she admitted with a laugh in attempt to cover her worry. "D'ya believe in ghosts ?" she asked. Daryl stared at her- his answer to her question obvious even without words- No, he did not believe in ghosts. "I've been seeing...." She started. "I've seen my brother." she admitted, eyes avoiding Daryl. He was the only one who she didn't want to see judging her.
"So did I."
Electra gave him a side-long glance as he did her. They held each others gaze without a waver or twitch of eye for a minute or so before footsteps caused Daryl to break the hold.
"That's far enough." Daryl stated aiming his crossbow over Electra's shoulder. Electra sighed before drawing her gun and turning right around.
"Cell block C." Big Tiny read.
"Cell four- that's mine, gringo." Tomàs said, moving towards Electra and Daryl and cell block C. "Let me in." Tomàs ordered before backing away from Electra whose gun was now aimed at his head.
"Take one more step." Electra said, face menacing. "I dare you." Her eyes were fixed on Tomàs now causing him to take another step backwards. "Good choice." Electra commented, cocking her head briefly.
"Today's your lucky day, fellas." Daryl told them. "You've been pardoned by the state of Georgia." he 'informed' them causing Electra to smirk. "You're free to go." he explained-crossbow rising.
"But it looks like visiting day today." The man who knew Electra's name said, his eyes fixated on Electra who couldn't bring herself to look at him. "Not going to say anything, Electra?" he cocked an eyebrow at her. "Not going to introduce me to your little boyfriend?" No response. "Not going to-"
Unpredictably, Electra shoved the man backwards using all her being in order to do so, not stopping until she had him up against the wall- her gun pressing against the middle of his forehead.
"Mismatch!"
"You son of a bitch." Electra growled at the man, cocking her gun. "You bastard, you complete and absolute bastard!" she screeched at him.
Rather than being scared like the other inmates and Daryl, the inmate chuckled at Electra who was going batshit crazy seeming quite amused at the current situation he had been placed in. Electra was very much unamused however. The murderous glint in her eyes stayed with her as she breathed deeply using whatever willpower she had not to pull the trigger.
"Daryl." Electra addressed him before taking another breath. "This is my pathetic excuse of a father." she said, keeping the gun at his forehead. "Anthony Walsh." she said before reluctantly pushing her gun down into her holster as she shuffled back so she was beside Daryl. "The drunk who used to beat Shane and I to a pulp every single night of our lives until he got arrested for stabbing me in the stomach when I was 19 years of age." she revealed.
"Yes." Anthony nodded, brushing his grey hair out of his eyes revealing them to be the same colour as one of Electra's eyes. At this moment in time Electra pulled her hair infront of her violet eye leaving the other eye on show. "Now where's your brother?" he questioned her.
"Dead." Electra said with absolutely no emotion whatsoever, it was so emotionless it caused Daryl to cringe.
"Now, I asked you a quest-"
"And I answered it." Electra spat bluntly. "Shane is dead, has been for over 220 days, stab wound to the heart." she summarised still not allowing emotion to partake in her facial expressions nor in her voice. "Not that you would give a shit of course."
"Now wait a minute, lady." the light haired, moustached prisoner, Axel, said from the sidelines as he uncrossed his arms. "He's just been told his boys been killed, of course he cares."
"Oh, I envy you, man." Electra broke the tense atmosphere with an admiring smile that was directed to Axel. "Oh, I really do." she laughed a little. "You don't know my pa at all, I only wish I could be so lucky." she said changing the tone completely.
"Ur...." Anthony blinked slowly, coming from within his thought process and laying his eyes on his daughter. "You the cause of it?" he questioned her.
Daryl squinted at Anthony.
"Nope, it had nothing to do with me." she said casually. Daryl squinted at her, wondering how she accepted his question so calmly as Electra herself turned towards Axel. "See, he only wanted to try to blame his dearth on me. He centres all his blame and hatred on to me, you see. That way he doesn't have to turn it on himself." she explained to Axel.
"I have done no wrong." said Anthony causing Electra to scoff.
"What you got going on in there?" Tomàs questioned.
"It ain't none of your concern." Electra stated.
"Ain't no bitch be telling me what's my concern." Tomàs snarled, advancing quickly on Electra causing Daryl to take a step in front of her and aim his crossbow in Tomàs' face.
"Chill, man." Oscar told Tomàs who was currently glaring at Daryl who held his ground. "Dude's leg is messed up." he stated. "Besides we're free now." he attempted to distract Tomàs. "Why are we still here?"
"Wise words." Electra nodded.
"A group of civilians breaking into a prison they got no business being in....got me thinking there is no place to go." Anthony said with suspicion.
"You keep thinking that, pa." Electra said placing bitter emphasis on the pa. "Maybe you could go and find out for yourselves?" she suggested in a daring manner.
"Here, now why would I do a thing like that after being reunited with my daughter?"
"Survival."
"Survival?"
"Yes, survival." Electra confirmed. "If you leave you won't get a bullet through your head."
"Was that a threat?"
"Maybe."
"Sounded like a threat to me."
"Sounds like less of a threat to me." Daryl commented causing Electra to be taken off guard. Was Daryl going to side with her father? "More of a warning." he clarified. "But I'd make it a promise." he stated darkly.
"Who the fuck are you?" Anthony queried turning towards Daryl. "You her boyfriend or something?" He quizzed causing Electra to roll her eye's.
"I'll make you another promise too." Electra told him. "Even if you do stupidly decide to stay there ain't a way in hell you're going in there." Electra spoke confidently. "There ain't nothing for you here." she stated. "Why don't you just-"
It was then when Rick unlocked the door to cell block c, Electra could have face palmed. Rick, please, just this once: Don't be an idiot. Swiftly, Rick stepped out of the cell block but ensured it was locked as soon as he had done so. Good.
"How many of you are in there?" Axel questioned.
"Too many for you to handle." Rick said, glancing at Electra and Daryl briefly. 'Wise move.' Electra thought to herself, commending his choice of not informing the prisoners of their number yet letting them know there was no point of trying anything.
"You guys rob a bank or something?" Oscar asked confused, causing them to be confused along with him. "You guys a rob a bank or something?" he repeated causing Electra, Daryl and Rick to exchange looks of disbelief. "Why don't you just take him to a hospital?" he asked.
"What's your name?"
"Oscar, mam."
"Tell me, Oscar." Electra's eyes were glued to Daryl's. "Just humour me for a second.....how long have ya'll been locked in that cafeteria?" she interrogated him with a straight face.
"Going on like ten months." Oscar answered her question causing her to contain her shock, turning to Daryl and Rick who held straight faces. "A riot broke out, mam." he explained to Electra. "Never seen anything like it." Oscar breathed shaking his head.
"Attica on speed, mam." Axel tried to describe it causing Electra to slowly nod, her eyes on his. "Ever heard about dudes going cannibal, dying and coming back to life, mam?" he questioned. "Don't mean to scare you, mam, but it's crazy stufff."
"Yeah...sounds like it."
"One guard looked out for us, locked us up in the cafeteria, mam." Big Tiny took over the telling of their tale. "Told us to sit tight, threw Tomàs the gun, said he'd be right back." he continued.
"Yeah." Tomàs confirmed. "And that was two hundred and ninety two years ago." he finished the tale.
"Two hundred and ninety four according to my calcu-"
"Shut up!" Tomàs snapped at Axel.
"We were thinking that the army or the national guard should be showing up any day now."
"There is no army no more." Electra informed them. "There's no government, no hospitals, no police." she reiterated. "It's all gone." she stated. "No....no cell phones, no computers." she said, her mind trailing back to how she was informed by Mark about the apocalypse. "As far as we can see, at least half of the population has been wiped out, most likely more." she explained. "Welcome to the apocalypse, fellas."
"Ain't no way."
"See for yourself."
►►►.
"Damn, the sun feels good."
"Ri-"
"Good lord. They're all dead."
"Rick, I-"
"Never thought I'd be so happy to see these fences."
"Rick!" Electra yelled causing everyone (thankfully including Rick himself) to look at her. "I got somethin' I need to tell you." she said quietly, only Rick's attention was with her now and she had his one hundred percent attention. "Rick, my-" she began.
"Rick." Anthony's voice cut her off strongly causing Rick to turn in his direction. "Rick Grimes, isn't it?" he questioned before turning to Electra. "It is Rick, isn't it? Cynthia's and Nick's kid? The one you were set on marrying?" he queried. "Little Rick Grimes." he grinned. "So you did get him in the end."
"But I thought Daryl was supposed to be my boyfriend." Electra rolled her eyes. Rick looked to her for answers. "It's my pa-"
As soon as the words had left her mouth Rick shoved Electra behind him in a form of protection causing Anthony to laugh.
"Trained him well."
"You don't speak to her, you don't go near her, you don't so much as look at her." Rick snarled at him with malice and authority. "Now you hear me or am I going to have to shoot you?"
"I hear ya."
"So......what is this, like a disease?"
"Yeah, and we're all infected."
"What do you mean infected?"
"Say, if I was to kill you, shoot an arrow into your chest, you'd come back as one of those things." Daryl said with malice in his voice. "It's gonna happen to all of us." he explained.
"Ain't no way this Robin Hood cast's responsible for killing all these freaks." Tomàs told the other inmates, Electra rolled her eyes at his unoriginal name for them.
“Atlanta.” Rick responded.
“And we’re not headed anywhere.” Electra interjected. “Just sayin’ so you don’t have to go wastin’ your breath askin’.” She said her voice as sickly sweet as her smile.
“I guess you can take that area down near the water.” Tomás said, his voice seeming reasonable. “Should be comfortable.” He commented. “We’ll help you move your gear out.” He offered.
“Thanks for the offer boys, but I don’t think that’ll be necessary.” Electra retorted. “We took out these walkers.” She reminded him as he has seemed to have forgotten. “This prisons ours.” She insisted.
“Woah, slow down, sweet cheeks.” Tomás told her. “You snatched the lock off of our doors.”
“And we’ll give you new locks.” Rick interjected this time. “If that’s how you want it.”
“This is our prison- we were here first.”
“Yeah, you were.” Electra agreed with him. “Locked in a broom closet for two hundred and ninety two- sorry two hundred and ninety four days.” She reminded them. “We took it.” She stated. “Set you free, if I recall correctly.” She went on. “So yeah, I’d say this prison is ours.”
“We’re moving back into our cell block.”
“You’ll have to get your own.” Rick told him.
“It is mine.” Tomás snapped defensively. “I’ve still got personal artefacts in there.” He stated- as personal as you can get in a prison- but he still probably had more personal artefacts than the Atlanta survivors put together. All the Atlanta survivors has together were Lori and Rick’s wedding rings, the Greene’s stop watch and Electra’s and Shane’s friendship rings. “That’s about as mine as it gets.” He said aggressively lunging for Rick.
“Woah, woah, woah, woah. Maybe let’s try to make things work out so everybody wins.” Axel said hopefully.
“I don’t see that happening.”
“Neither do I.”
“I’m not going back into that cafeteria for another minute.” Tomás stated.
“There are other cell blocks.” T-Dog suggested.
“You could just leave.” Daryl suggested, a much more agreeable suggestion to Electra. “Try your luck on the road.” He stated.
“If these three pussies can do all this than the least we could do is take out another cell block.” Anthony said. “We’re not going out on the road, this has been my home for.....how old are you Electra?”
“Thirty two.”
“Thirteen years.”
“Atlanta here will spot us up with some real weapons, won’t you, boss?”
“How stocked is that cafeteria?” Daryl queried. “ Must have plenty of food. Five guys surviving almost a year.” He said nonchalantly. “And it sure don’t look like anybody’s been starving.” Daryl commented, his eyes looking over Big Tiny who was sure more Big than he was Tiny.
“It’s true.” Electra agreed with Daryl’s words. “I mean, look at the stomach on you, pa.” She said drawing attention to the older man’s overhanging pot belly. It was only a little jab but Electra would take any jab she could at her father no matter how little or pathetic. “We’ll take....” she looked in Rick’s eyes. “Half.” She asserted, no waver in her voice but a change in facial expression. Rick nodded. “In exchange, we’ll help you clean out a cell block.” She stated, making it sound as if it were a done deal. Rick looked to her, impressed by her ideas and proposition.
“There’s only a little left.” Tomás snapped at Electra aggressively, not liking her tone or attitude one bit. Rick, Electra and Daryl exchanged satisfied looks whilst T-Dog was pacing around in the background not liking their idea.
“Bet you uh....” Rick slid his thumbs through the belt loops in his trousers before looking up. “Bet you got more food than you got choices.” Rick hypothesized sending Axel and Oscar to entre deep thought, just as Rick had planned.”You pay, we’ll play.” He drawled on. “We’ll clear out a cell block for you, then you keep to it.” He set out the terms of their deal.
“Alright.”
“Alright.” Rick nodded. “But, let’s be clear with one another.”Rick stated, wishing not to give the prisoners a false impression. “If I see you out here anywhere near our people, if I so much as catch a whiff of your scent.” Rick focused his icy blue eyes on both Tomás and Anthony but mainly Anthony. “I will kill you.” He warned, looking dead into his eyes without wavering.
“Deal.”
►►►
“Foods here.” Electra informed the whole of cell block c judging by the volume of her voice, she was barely able to bang on the cell block door because of the heavy load she was caring. “Anyone?” she said, banging on the door before glancing back towards Daryl and Rick.
“Ahh, here we go.” Glenn said on exiting the cell that contained Hershel. “Let me just-” he hurried over to the cell block door and unlocked it using Rick’s keys. “Took you long enough.” He commented, opening the door wide. “What did you get?” he questioned.
“Canned beef, canned corn, canned beans....canned cans.” Electra said quite contently with a small smile on her face, Glenn smiled back having not seen her that happy in a long, long, long time. Quickly, she brought the smile back down into a frown. “Urm....there’s a lot more where this came from too.” She said in a heavier tone.
“Here, let me help you-” Glenn offered kindly, trying to take some of the load from Electra who- at his words- sped up and zoomed past him, placing the cans down on the floor before she enclosed herself in her cell with a bang of her cell door. “What’s up with her?” Glenn questioned, turning to Daryl who threw him a look as if to say ‘Seriously?’ “Well, apart from the whole hating everything and everybody thing?” he questioned.
“One of the inmates....you know the one with the greyish hair and light eyes?” Daryl questioned Glenn causing Glenn to scan through his memory before nodding. “Yeah, well, uh, that guys her dad.” He revealed, placing his load of cans down beside where Electra had abandoned hers.
“Oh.” Glenn exclaimed as he took the information in. “But....” Glenn started off unsurely. “Isn’t that a good thing?” he questioned, squinting his eyes out of confusion. “I mean...” he started off again. “She found him in this world against all the odds- alive. Not torn apart by walkers, not dead, not a walker himself.” He listed all the possible situations. “She found him whilst they both had breath in their lungs. She-”
Glenn carried on his speech on the happy story he picture in his head. It sounded like a cheap fairy tale. Father. Daughter. Son. The apocalypse. The daughter finds her brother- the son but then he dies. But through his death he reunites daughter with father. It sounded like a crappy book his mother would read whilst taking a drag, to Daryl.
“S’not a good thing when her father is in prison for child abuse and stabbing his daughter.” Daryl stopped Glenn in his tracks.
“What?”
“You ‘eard.” Daryl stated. “Probably seen too.” He mused causing Glenn to look at him with questioning eyes. “All the scars on her.” He explained. “What did you think? That she was in a freak accident or summin’?” he snorted. “There a scars of a beaten child, anyone would know ‘em.” He said lazily.
“No.....no they wouldn’t.” Glenn stated. “How.....how do you?”
Daryl stayed questioned.
“God knows what’s goin’ on in that crazy little head of hers.”
Chop. Chop.
Into the frying pan.
Chop. Chop. Chop.
Into the pan.
Chop. Chop.
Into the frying pan.
Chop. Chop. Chop.
SLAM!
In spite of herself, Electra jumped at the noise, nearly cutting herself on the kitchen knife she was wielding in the process. Breifly, she looked in the direction of the door to see her father looming in the doorway. She don’t know why she had bothered doing it, she knew he was there- she could smell the alcohol. Without words, she breathed heavily and turned back to the chopping board.
Chop. Chop. Chop.
“Claire.”
She froze.
Her heart hammered. Her breath came sharp and fast. He was fumbling towards her now but she dared not look. Ignore him, she thought. Maybe if she ignored him he would just trip over his feet, fall over and fall asleep or better yet, maybe he’d just wonder out of the room.
Chop. Chop. Chop.
“Claire.”
“No, pa.” She denied, still not daring to remove her eyes from the chopping board. Her voice cracked so much she placed her hand in front of her mouth in shock, abandoning the knife on the counter as she used the other hand to keep grip on the counter. “No. Pa. It’s just me, Electra.” She said strongly, turning her back on her father as she turned towards the other door that lead off from the kitchen.
“Claire.”
“It’s not Claire, it’s Electra.”
“Claire.” He ignored her protests to him thinking she was Claire, maybe it was because he was drunk or maybe it was because he wanted....needed to believe that she was Claire. “Claire, lovely.” He called her, it was pitiful. “Claire. Don’t turn away, lovely, turn to me.”
He placed his big, sweaty hands on Electra’s slender shoulders causing her to jump out of her skin. Her breathing rate raised as did her heart beat. His huge hands were clammy against her flawless, scarred skin. He began to stroke her shoulder affectionately.
“Shane!” She yelled at the top of her lungs. “Sha-”
A hot sweaty palm was placed over her mouth.
“Shhh, Claire.” He said, using the other hand to stroke her dark chocolate curls. Electra struggled against his grip, screaming against his palm, thrashing in his grip and tears burning her mismatched eyes. “I’m here, Claire, baby.” He moved his other hand away from her curls and back to her shoulder. She was sobbing now. “Turn around, baby. Turn to me.”
He moved his hand away from her mouth.
“SHANE!”
He placed his hands on either one of her arms forcing her to turn to him, his face inches away from hers, her body not far enough from his either.
“No, pa.” Electra sobbed loudly. “Please, pa, please stop it, pa.” She begged him desperately, her voice raw from the screams. “It’s me, pa.” She wailed. “It’s me, pa, Electra.” She said simply, insisting on it. “It’s Electra.” She repeated, desperately.
The dopey, love-struck expression on his face cleared. Electra choked out of relief. But that expression was immediately replaced with one of hatred.
“You!” His fingers dug right into her flesh, hitting the bone now, she figited and winced in pain. “You- you- you.....You stole her from me!” he screamed at her. “You- you ruined everything......you ruined everything!” he started off slightly calmer until he broke out into a full on rage.
“SHANE! SHANE! SHANE!”
“You angel of fucking death!”
“SHANE! OH GOD!”
“I wish you had never been born.”
“SHANE!”
“YOU KILLED HER, YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU FUCKING KILLED HER!”
“SH-”
Her scream was cut off as she felt something deep in her stomach, she gasped for breath. Her hands automatically dropping to her stomach, joining around something circular. She glanced down to see the kitchen knife stuck in her abdomen. Breathlessly, she looked at her father out of disbelief as he backed away slowly. She was frozen, watching as he backed out of the doorway.
“Ellie?”
Gasping for air, her knees went from underneath her causing her to land flat on the tiled floor with a bang, also hitting her head in the process.
“Ellie!” Shane yelled, running across the tiled surface, falling to the floor himself but near her. “Ellie” he reached out for her, getting up and kneeling for her. “El-” his voice cut off as he saw the knife sticking out of her stomach.”Oh my God, oh my God.” He placed both his hands over the wound, attempting to stop the blood flowing out of his sister. Electra tried to move her head. “Hey, hey, hey, don’t you move, okay? Don’t you move..”
“Shane.”
He removed one of his hands but kept the same pressure on her stomach whilst he reached for his mobile, dialling 9-1-1 without hesitation.
“I need an ambulance, now.” Shane snapped into the cell phone, skipping the pleasantries. “My- my- my- sister, she’s been stabbed.” He spoke into the phone. “Please just- police? I don’t know. I just need an ambulance, just get me an ambulance...please, she’s bleeding....it’s...it’s bad, please just-” he rambled, tears daring to leave his eyes. “66 Koontz Road, Kings County.”he spoke before the phone dropped out of his hand.
“Shane-”
“Shhhh, shhh, shhhh.” Shane told her softly, his other hand holding the hand that she was reaching out for him. Her eyes were searching everywhere. “Hey, you look at me, stay with me, you hear me?” he questioned, Ellie tried to nod but she couldn’t, tears were welling from her eyes. “Hey, stop that, shhhhh.” He told her, his own tears falling onto her face. “You are going to be fine. You hear me? Fine.” He assured her. “Shh, shh, shh, okay? You stay with me, okay?”
Her eyes slowly closed until darkness was all she saw.
Electra adjusted her position on the crappy canvas prison mattress. Now her hands were placed behind her head and she was staring up absentmindedly at the grey-paint peeling from the ceiling. All the feelings were popping up out of nowhere today, unwelcomed by her, just like her father had.
She tossed abruptly in her bed so that she was facing the wall.
In all the madness of it all she had nearly forgotten about her father and the awful memories that came with him. She laughed. Of course her father would never let her forget about him for aslong as he could breath, maybe even beyond the grave. He just had to come popping up out of the blue all these years- didn’t he? It was just his will and just her luck.
He had called her a coward and he had been right.
She was a coward.
After all the years, after all he had done, after all he had put Shane through, after all he had put her through....she couldn’t kill him. She still couldn’t kill the man who was wholey responsible for the worst moments of her life. Even when she had the gun pressed to his head and her finger on the trigger- she still couldn’t do it.
It was all comming back to her now.
Every fight. Every punch. Every slap. Every kick. Every hit. Every belt. Every burn. Every hospital bed. Every bottle of disinfectant.
She wouldn’t cry, she wouldn’t.
It was all comming back to her now, , even the good ones.
Every holiday. Every hug. Every touch. Every kiss. Every joke. Every time Every time she yearned to be in the arms of her mother and father and every time Shane held her in his arms and she felt like nothing hurt.
She wrapped her arms around herself.
Now she had no one to hold her tight in their arms, no one to make her feel invincible, no one to make her feel safe from all harm, no one to make her feel warm, no one to make her feel loved and no one to make her feel like nothing hurt.
She was alone- so alone.
“You’re afraid that’s what you are.” Daryl’s past words were brought to mind. “You’re afraid cause you’re surrounded by people but in reality you’re all alone. You can’t identify with any of them no more.” She could feel a stinging. “That’s why you’re here. You don’t know what to do with yourself anymore.”
The traitor tears began to gush down her face now, she was remembering more words now.
I can control my own damage thank you very much! -That was a blatant lie.
Sounds to me like you have a broken group. –True.
The weak get taken. –That they did.
The kids don’t deserve to die like this! These people don’t deserve to die like this! I don’t deserve to die like this!
“Stop crying.”
We’re grateful.
There’ll be a day where you won’t be.
That day had come.
/////
“No.”
“Look, Daryl, I-”
“I said no, Rick.” Daryl snapped at the man who was facing him dead on. “Are you deaf or summin’?” he questioned, as he went to walk away from Rick who then unpredictably pulled him back by his arm. “Why won’t you listen? If you want to know things about Mismatch, why don’t you go and ask her?” he queried, his voice was still fierce but not as fierce as it could have been.
“You know why, Daryl.” Rick stated, withdrawing his hand from Daryl’s arm and placing his hands on his own hips instead. “Just cause she hates me doesn’t mean that I hate her.” He stated. “I’m trying to do what’s best for her, Daryl. I want to...protect her from well....herself.”
“Then go and-”
“Everything I have done, is for her.” Rick explained. “She’s lost one brother, I’m not letting her lose another one and I don’t care whether she feels like I am her brother or not. She is my sister, she always has been and she always will be and I will always act as her brother.” He stated.
“Whatever.”
“I love her, Daryl.” Rick admitted. “You can relate to that, I know you can.” He stated. “I love her and I need to do right by her Daryl and to do that, I need to know what’s been going through her mind, Daryl.” He elaborated causing Daryl to avert his eyes. “Help me to help her.”
“Alright.”
////
A slam of a cell door dragged Electra back to reality where she was lying in her prison cell rather than lying with the fallen. Curiosity got the better of her, resulting in her rising out of her bed of self pity and onto her feet instead. Lazily, she threw her hair in a pony tail to keep it from sticking from her damp face that she now wiped dry with her hand. She walked outside and looked around cautiously. She flitted down the row of cells until she reached Carl’s cell where he was lying on his bunk bed, face down into his pillow.
“What’s up with you?”
“Mom’s angry at me.” Carl said, his words muffled by the plain pillow he had buried his head into. He lifted his head off of the pillow and looked at Electra instead. “Mom’s pissed at me.” He stated, spitting out the words bitterly as he propped his fathers hat on his head.
“Hey, watch your damn tongue.”Electra scolded him in a way which reminded him of his mother, however his mother wouldn’t have sworn in the same sentence. “Why’s she angry at you anyway?” she questioned him, picking the dirt from her nails. “How did you manage to piss her off whilst organising the damn food? What did you do? Did you mix up the canned corn and the canned peas?”she questioned overdramatically.
“I started out by organising the food but then I got bored so I figured I’d find the prisons infirmary and salvage some supplied and I did.” He elaborated.
“Alone?
“I came across a load of stuff, bandages that could lower the risk of Hershel’s leg both bleeding out or getting infected.” Carl continued his tale, ignoring her interruption until he was finished. He sighed. “Yeah, I went alone.” He answered her previous question. “Better that way.” He mused to himself. Carl sighed, expecting Electra to get pissed at him and lecture him like his mother had done before.
“Wow.” Electra exclaimed, honestly impressed by Carl. “Good going, kiddo.” She congratulated him.
“Not according to my mom it’s not.”
“Well you know what I think of your mom.” Electra said, crossing her arms across her chest whist leaning against the bars. “I for one think you did good.” She admitted. “May have even saved the Doc’s life.” She explained. “And whoever else gets a wound.”
“So you’re not piss-” Carl started before correcting himself. “Angry at me anymore?” he asked her sitting up in his bunk and twisting so his legs were on the floor.
“Why would I be pissed at you?”
“I don’t know,” Carl shrugged casually. “It’s just you haven’t spoken to or even looked at me since before….before Shane died,”
“I just, I find it hard to ya know?” Electra asked. “I still can barely look you in the eye, but it’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong Carl,” she stated. “You have your dads eyes, it hurts to look into them… you know how I feel about him at the moment too,”
“I shot Shane,” Carl confessed sheepishly causing Electra to look up from her shoes to meet his eyes for the first time in many months.
“You…” she stammered in shock. “You did what?!” she asked angrily.
“He has reanimated and I-” Carl started to explain causing Electra to calm down and slow her breath. “I panicked, I-” he stuttered. “I’m really sorry Electra,”
“It’s fine kid, you didn’t kill him,”
“No, not for that,” Carl butted in. “Well I am, but I’m sorry that he died in the first place, I’m sorry that my dad killed him,” Carl frowned. “And I’m sorry about Stacie,”
“You miss them?”
“Yeah,” Carl nodded. “You miss Shane?”
“Not a second goes past when I don’t think about him,” Electra admitted. “I wonder whether he’s approve of all this,” Electra explained.
“I’m sure he’s proud of you,” Carl stated. “Do you want to….stay with us?” Carl asked aware that he was treading on thin ice.
“Thanks,” Electra nodded. “And I don’t really, not after what your dad did,” she stated. “But it’s not like I have much choice in the matter, I have nowhere else to go,”
“I missed you,” Carl said. Electra turned to walk out of the cell. “Wait-” Electra barely turned when Carl wrapped his arms around her. Her whole body froze. She opened her mouth to speak but she couldn’t. She wanted to push him away but she didn’t. Instead, she slowly wrapped her arms around him hugging him back.
“LORI!”
►►►
Daryl entered Electra’s cell to see her lying on the bunk bed staring up at the ceiling up above her, her arms behind her head. This time her eyes weren’t fixated on the ceiling but a crack that appeared in the grey wall, she was secretly wondering who or what had done that.
“Hershel’s alive,” Daryl told her as her eyes lingered on him.
“Mmmmm….”
“Your dad’s dead.”
“Mmmmmmm.....”
“You know, this whole pretending not to care act is getting old?”
“Who says I’m pretending?”
“I do,” Daryl stated. “They called out for Lori, but apparently you were there in an instant giving him CPR and helping him in any way you could. Saved his life according to Carl,” he stated. “You care Electra, you may not want to but you always have and you always will because you are a good person,”
“I’ve changed Daryl, pain does that to people,” Electra stated. “I’m a good person, eh?” Electra asked him, her expression turning dark. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yes, Electra. Yes I am,” Daryl snapped at her. “You know? The old you bleeds through your act sometimes….They’ll be flashes of caring, flashes of weakness and to avoid them you cover them up with your flirting,” he observed. “But deep down you’re the same old good, kind, caring Electra, even if you don’t want to be,” he snapped before leaving her cell.
-Electra’s P.O.V-
Daryl was right.
I did care.
But I couldn’t.
Caring was out of the question, too much came from it. Feelings. Emotional ties. From caring came pain. I knew that first hand, better than anybody. All I should have cared about was Shane, but no. I let others get in the way of that and look how that ended up.
Shane was dead.
And it was nobody’s fault but my own. I had blamed Rick for so long but the truth was, I saw the darkness growing inside of Shane. I saw it but chose to ignore it because he was my big brother. My golden boy big brother. I should have seen it sooner, I should have set him on the right and narrow but I didn’t. And that ended up getting him killed.
I had to get out.
I had to leave, it had to be now before I start to care too much.
Silently, I shot up out of my bed and fumbled around for my possessions, stuffing whatever I came across into my black tattered rucksack. Grabbing what I assumed was my jacket I pulled it on, keeping the hood up before crouching down to retrieve the set of prison keys I had found on a dead guard from between the mattress and bedstead. Careful not to make a sound, I opened the cell block and slipped through the gate effortlessly. Using the darkness to my advantage, I creped down the never ending corridors.
“Turn....or I’ll shoot.”
I shivered at the feeling of the barrel of a gun being pressed to the back of my head through the thin hood of my jacket. How on earth did I not hear anyone creeping up behind me? And mostly......Shit.
Reluctantly, I turned around slowly to be blinded by a beam of light shining at my face point blank.
“Electra?” Glenn’s voice entered my ears as he lowered his gun. “You scared the shit out of me man, I thought you were a prisoner,” he shared his relief. “What’s up?” he questioned before his face was plastered with confusion. “What’s with the bag?” he interrogated.
“Glenn.” I addressed him in all seriousness. The last thing I needed was him causing a whole commotion. “Listen to me, I-” I started.
“You’re leaving aren’t you?” he said calmly, I opened my mouth to speak or at least to explain it with a commotion. You can’t leave,” Glenn complained, finally catching on to the situation. “Not now. Not when we’ve finally got our crap together!” Glenn yelled at me.
So much for not causing a whole commotion.
“Glenn!” I hissed at him in a whisper. “Can you keep it down man?” I demanded. “Now, would you just listen to me for a second? I-”
“What’s going on here?” I heard another painfully familiar voice before I saw another torch light coming up along the corridor.
Oh great now Rick was awake, who next T-Dog?
“Guys……?” Another torch light.
You have to be freakin’ kidding me.
“Are you two out of your mind?!” Rick barked at us. “Creeping the corridors at night? Anything could happen! How did you get out in the first place?!”
“Electra’s leaving!” Glenn blurted out, announcing my actions to the whole world judging by the volume of his croaking voice.
Could no one keep their damn voice down in this place?
Rick turned from Glenn to me slowly with a look of disappointment written on his face. “Is this true, Ellie?!” he questioned me seriously.
“It’s Electra,” I snapped at him. “And I honestly don’t see how my actions are any of y’alls business, especially when they don’t concern you,” I said with malice.
“I won’t let you,”
“I’m leavin’ and there’s nothing y’all can do about it,”
“The hell you are!”
“Why would you even care Rick?!” I was beginning to yell now. “You say that we’re all connected, that it’s all or nothing. Well I am nothing! I’m not together and I’m certainly not connected to you in any shape or form!” I shouted at him. “It’s not just walkers who tear people apart, Rick!” she spat.
“Would y’all keep your voices down?! Some people are trying to get some sleep here!”
Oh great.
“What’s going on?” Daryl enquired shining his torch on me.
F.M.L
“Your girls leaving.” T-Dog explained to Daryl.
“Hold up, hold up, hold up a minute.” I said, attempting to stop the conversation happening in between the men. “I ain’t nobody’s girl.” I clarified, the first time I felt the need to. “I’m my own person here.” I stated. “And as my own person, I am dragging my own ass out of this prison.”
“The hell you are.”
“Oh, not you to, Daryl.” I pleaded.
“You’re not leaving.”
“I’m doing this for me, Daryl.”
“Yeah, well....” Daryl trailed off, his eyes headed towards Rick. “I’m doing this for you.”
“Doing wh-” I started to question him as he was doing nothing. All of a sudden, Daryl grabbed me by the shoulders and spun me around so he was right up behind me. “Daryl, what the fuck are you doing?” I demanded, taken off guard. That was when I realised what he was doing.
He was restraining me as gently as he could manage.
“Daryl, get off of me.” I said, not wanting to yell at the man who I considered to be my only friend. “Please, just- just let me go.” I begged him, not fighting back anymore. “Please, Daryl, please.” I begged. Then, I saw what had happened. Oh, Rick.
“I’m sorry, Mismatch.”
I felt the cuffs slip on.
“I know you are, Daryl.”
I looked Rick directly in the eye feeling nothing but absolute hate.
“I know you are.”