I woke up, sitting upright with my legs wrapped around Daryl's waist, curled up to his chest. He was still asleep, and his arms were wrapped tight around me, one over my shoulders and the other curled around my waist to my hip. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been held like this.
It had to have been before Dale was born, but I can't remember it. I let myself lay there for awhile, thinking, trying to come up with a way to get us and Dale out of this hellhole, and trying to ignore the pain burning through my core, when the door to the cell flew open, and Daryl jerked awake, his arms tightening around me.
It was Fat Joey, one of Negan's lower down men who tended to just do thing like man the cells and make dinner, but he was apparently working Daryl's cell now. He froze when he saw the two of us curled up together.
"Uh... I... Riley? I thought... Negan said you left?" Joey hissed out, and I stiffened, realizing that meant that Dale thought I left him. I'm going to fucking kill that man.
"No. I didn't." I growled out, and Joey ducked his head, and stuck his hand out, a dog food sandwich gripped in his large hands.
"Here. I'll... I'll go make you another." He whispered, and dropped the sandwich into Daryl's outstretched hand, smiled sadly at me, and closed the door. But the lock didn't shut. I could hear him, walking back up the hallway, and i knew now was our chance.
"Daryl. Daryl we have to go." I hissed, clambering awkwardly out of his lap, and he stood up stiffly behind me.
"How long before he gets back?" He hissed, glancing between me and the door and I shrugged.
"Maybe ten minutes if they are out of dog food in the kitchen. Five if they're not. Fifteen if he's going to get me real food." I whispered, and he nodded.
"Good enough. Let's go." He grabbed my hand, and nudged the door open slowly, peeking out to see if there was anyone around, and when there wasn't he open the door just enough for us to slip out, and then I closed it behind us.
"Which way?" He asked, glancing back at me, and I pointed to the hallway leading up.
"Dale will be that way." I said, and he took off, pulling me closely behind him as we creeped down the corridors, me whispering instructions in his ear at every turn, and him checking the corners and pulling us into alcoves when people were around.
We finally reached the wives' quarters, and I knocked on the door quietly, while Daryl kept a watch for anyone. The door opened, and Sherry, Dwight's wife, was standing in the doorway staring at us.
"Give me my son. Now." I hissed, and she blinked at me.
"Riley? Go back to the cell! They'll kill you, and Dale, and Daryl. Or worse." She hissed, glancing past me at Daryl who was frantically looking down the hallways.
"Sherry. If you do not give me my son, right now, I will kill you. Right here, right now." I growled, and it seems like my message got through, since she turned around, and a moment later, Dale was at the door.
"Mommy?" He asked, and then he was jumping on my legs, desperately clinging to them, and I was holding in my cries of pain.
"Hey baby. I'm sorry, but Mommy's hurt really bad, so can you hold my hand? We need to go, right now." I said, and he didn't hesitate to take my hand and wait for instructions. I turned my gaze back to Sherry, who was almost shaking in the doorway.
"If they catch us, I'll find a way to kill you. You can count on that." I hissed, and then I turned to Daryl, who was staring at Dale and I, a look in his eyes I couldn't quite recognize and then I heard the strangest thing.
"Hey Daddy." Dale whispered, and Daryl run over to us, and bent down to give him a hug.
"Hey bud. Time to go. Don't let go of your ma's hand okay? This is a secret mission." He said softly, and when Dale nodded, Daryl stood back up, took my other hand in his, and I directed him towards the only place I thought we could escape from.
Which just so happened to be the furthest point away from us, but it was the least guarded. The back of the sanctuary, in the direction of Oceanside, was a small door connected to a small shed that we used as a garage, with one, maybe two cars in it. We used to use it a lot, before Simon killed all their men and we cut them off, but now it was a place to store the extra shit, and was probably the only possible way for us to escape.
But we would. We had to now, it was the only way to do it without having anyone die. This is all we have left now.
We skirted around soldiers, and slaves, and other people that seemed to be somewhere in between, going through side doors and tiny little hallways, using the most roundabout way to get wherever we were going. But I trust Riley, she knows this place, and she's smart. She'll get us out.
I could tell that most of the soldiers were heading in a different direction than we were, which made me feel a bit better about our escape plan which was taking a lot longer than the max fifteen minutes that Riley had predicted, but obviously, this place doesn't have an alarm system, because no one seemed to be freaking out that we had escaped yet.
I kept a tight grip on Riley's hand, urging her along. I could tell she was lagging now, the exhaustion and the pain from last night was wearing on her, I could see it in her face. And the malnutrition from how they'd been treating her, it was all taking a significant toll, and I was starting to get worried that she wasn't going to make it out on her own, and if she passed out then we were super screwed because I had absolutely no idea where we are.
"Mommy? Are you okay?" Dale had asked that question maybe ten times since we grabbed him, and every time I glanced back, worried that she had deteriorated even more.
"I'm fane baby. Not much longer." Is what she would say, every single time.
"Left." She whispered, and I held her back, peeking around the corner before pulling the family train along behind me.
"How much further Ri?" I whispered, glancing back at her. The bags under her eyes were so dark, they looked like they had been painted on with black paint, and the bruises on her face were horrendous, but what was worse was that I felt like I could see every single bone in her face, and she was pale. So pale.
"Two turns. Right." She said, and I stopped again, peeking out, and waiting for the two women gossiping about something to walk into the room they were heading to and close the door, and then I pulled them along again.
"Right, after that light." She whispered, pointing to the light mounted to the wall, and I nodded, and walked the last twenty feet to the light, and moved them agains the wall again to peek. There were two guards there. They had guns, but they were hand guns, and they weren't drawn. These guys were kids. Maybe late teens, but definitely not into their twenties yet. They were guarding the only door that was at the end of the hallway, and there were no other hallways leading off it, so I knew that was where we needed to go.
"Riley, what's beyond the door? I need a cover." I whispered, turning back to look at her, and her eyes widened.
"There's guards? Shit. Okay... uhm, it leads into a garage, and outside the garage is the fence. There's... there was a walker back there, it needed to be restaked soon when I was in charge, but we hadn't done it yet. Say... say that Dwight told you to go retake the walker on the back fence." She whispered, panic swirling in her eyes, but I figured the story was as good as any.
"Okay. If I make it through the door, I'm going to find something to use, knock them out. You wait until I come get you. If anyone comes, go through a door and leave it cracked, I'll find you." I whispered, and she nodded.
I leaned forward, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and watched the lone tear streak down her cheek. She had her eyes closed, and I desperately wanted to kiss her, just in case. But I knew it was too soon for that, so I leaned forward and kissed away the tear, and then I knelt down to look at Dale.
"Watch after your ma, okay bud?" I whispered, and he nodded, glancing at the hand he was holding, and I watched him squeeze it before he looked back at me.
"I love you kid. I'm sorry I wasn't around, but I do love you and your ma so much. Remember that, just in case." I whispered, and he nodded, sniffled once, but tears didn't fall.
"I love you Daddy." He whispered back, and I ruffled his hair, stood up, and looked at Riley one last time.
"I love you." I said, and then I turned away, went around the corner, and headed to either our salvation, or our death.