Fighter

~214

A few days had passed and Isabell still hadn’t had a chance to talk to Rick about what happened while he, Hershel and Glenn were out in town. It almost felt like it was weighing heavily on her, not knowing exactly what had happened and why Rick would have killed those people. Isabell kept tiptoeing around the sheriff, unsure about him. Sure, she believed that Rick wouldn’t kill someone without a good enough reason. But there was always that chance he’d go “dark side” like Shane was quickly doing. Isabell was nervous for herself, for Daryl, and for the others of the group, even taking Glenn into account.

Glenn came back from town even more jumpy than Isabell had ever seen him. He couldn’t sit still and, in the rare chance that he did, Glenn was a statue, staring off at a wall or even at nothing. What ever had happened had clearly fucked him up.

The only information Isabell had from the trip was about the boy they kept in the shed, Randall. Still, even then, she didn’t know much. Isabell had kept watch some, but only for a few hours at a time. Daryl had made sure of that. During the time Isabell stood guard at the door, she heard the boy pleading inside. Whether he was trying to convince her that he wasn’t a bad guy or claiming that the handcuffs were hurting his wrists, Randall wouldn’t shut up. Isabell felt a little bad. He couldn’t have been more than twenty years old. He was a kid. Randall was someone’s kid. He didn’t deserve to die if he hadn’t done anything wrong. But that didn’t mean Isabell wanted him in the camp.

Randall was an outsider. He was someone no one knew anything about and he wouldn’t share a lick of anything. Isabell didn’t think anyone had the urge to try to know him. Randall was always going to be the boy with the torn calf muscle who was helped and released from the group’s hold, eighteen miles away from the farm.

Of course, now that he was gone, Isabell could breathe again. She was sure she’d be able to sleep at night now that Randall was no longer a threat. Isabell wasn’t worried that he’d get out somehow and hurt Carl or anyone else in the group. She still wasn’t completely over Sophia’s death and had no idea how she’d survive Carl’s.

Isabell had grown much closer to the boy over the past few days. With Randall on the farm, Rick and Lori refused to leave Carl alone, so Isabell spent a lot of her free time playing babysitter. Not that she minded. Isabell liked hanging out with Carl and he enjoyed being with her. She wasn’t as crazy controlling as Lori so he was able to relax instead of having the constant scrutiny hanging over his head. Together they played a lot of games. Card games, checkers, even working their way up to teach him to play chess.

The Greene family had been extremely accommodating, under the circumstances. Even with Beth being out of sorts, they were still nice to their camp. Ever since Maggie had talked to Isabell the night she visited Beth, the two had gotten very close. When Maggie wasn’t sitting with her sister and Isabell wasn’t busy, the two would relax out in the sun. They didn’t have much to talk about, but they enjoyed the comfortable silence.

One day though, Maggie hadn’t been able to sit with Isabell. She wasn’t even able to sit still at all. Isabell, of course, questioned as to why and was told that Beth had tried to kill herself earlier in the day.

Isabell was shocked. “No way.” she said to the brunette. “There’s no way Beth would do something like that. She’s so lively.”

“I don’t think it was her idea.” Maggie responded in her thick country twang. “Andrea was the last to talk to her. She told me she’d keep an eye out so I could get some air and she left Beth alone.” Maggie sniffled. “Beth, she broke the bathroom mirror. Tried to cut herself.”

Isabell groaned the second she heard Andrea’s name. “I wish I could say Andrea didn’t know, but she’s been responsible for too many almost deaths recently.” The blonde shook her head. “God, I can’t believe that bitch would do that. Beth’s been in too sensitive a state lately for Andrea to be pullin’ that shit.”

Maggie paused. “You care about my sister.” she pointed out.

Isabell had shrugged and nodded. “I care about you, too. This group is all any of us have. Gotta treat it like a family.”

!@#$#@!

Daryl had been on edge just as much as Isabell was, if not more. He knew that he had a lot of weight pushing on his shoulders. With Shane hanging on the edge of the sanity cliff, Daryl was next in line for a lot of the responsibility. Isabell knew Daryl was good for the obligation. Even he saw things that she didn’t. Daryl was smart. A good man for the job.

He was just as shocked as Isabell when Rick and Shane came back all bloodied up, toting a restrain Randall behind him.

Isabell approached Rick as Shane secured the boy in the shed. “What the hell?” she questioned. “The whole point of you making that trip was to leave him out there. What happened?”

“There was a herd. We were cornered.” Rick explained.

“Doesn’t mean you bring the bastard back! He doesn’t belong here!” Isabell stressed.

Daryl looked to her with eyes squinting from the setting sun.

“He knew Maggie from school. He knows where we are.” Rick shook his head.

Isabell scoffed. “Even more reason to leave him.”

“We couldn’t.” Rick paused. “I couldn’t.”

“So what do we do?” Daryl asked, quietly.

Rick looked to him, thinking. He rubbed the sweat from his forehead. “We need to know what he knows. Find out about his group. Where they are, what they do. Make sure there’s no one coming for him. Or us.”

“He won’t just tell us those things.” Isabell assured, gaining Rick’s attention. “Randall’s a kid, but he’s not stupid. Even if his group wasn’t looking after him, he’ll look after the group.”

“I can do it.” Daryl said. “I’ll get him to talk.”

Isabell shook her head. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Wha’?”

Isabell grabbed Daryl’s arm and tried to pull him away from Rick. “We’ll just be a second.” She promised. Once they were out of earshot, Isabell continued. “D, this is not the backwoods of Georgia. You can’t do those things any more. Especially not here.”

“We need answers. This is how we get them.”

‘We’?” Isabell repeated. “‘We’ might have been you, Merle and Robby doin’ that shit years ago. But it ain’t you now. Robby wan’t good and you know that.” She snorted. “God, how many time did that son of a bitch almost kill you? That alone should tell you this ain’t right.”

“I told ya long time ago, I’m gonna protect my own. This is how I do it.” Daryl insisted, marching towards the shed. As he passed Rick, he mumbled “I got this.” When he opened the door, Shane was exiting.

Shane angrily made his way to Rick. “The hell is he doin’?” He asked, jerking his thumb to the shed.

Isabell joined the two men, cautiously with Sane being one of them. “He’s gonna interrogate him. Or at least something of the short.” She pursed her lips, looking to Rick. “This is your doing, by the way.”

Loud screams and groans of pain echoed throughout the farm. It started to gain the attention of the others of the camp.

Isabell sighed. “It’s getting late. You go deal with them. Tell them what’s going on. I’ll get him. This information you need; it can wait until morning.” She turned toward the shed.

“Isabell.” Rick said, making her pause her steps. “We’re gonna handle it.”

Isabell swallowed, her mind flashing to her saying the same thing to Daryl about Harley before she was born. “I’m not sure that makes it any better.” Isabell continued to the rundown building slowly opening the door. She entered seeing Daryl was bent over a bit, holding the front of Randall’s shirt. Daryl’s fist was poised, ready to swing.

“Your group.” Daryl shouted. “How many?”

Isabell came up behind Daryl, taking loud steps so he wasn’t surprised. She grabbed his fist and held tight, preventing him from swinging.

Daryl turned his head, glaring at her questioningly.

“We’re not doing this.” Isabell said.

“‘Course we are.” He forced his fist from Isabell’s grasp and clocked Randall hard in the face.

Randall groaned and fell onto his side. “I told you I don’t really know anything.” Randall promised. “I didn’t need to know anything, so I didn’t know!”

“Shut up!” Daryl ordered.

“Hey!” Isabell screamed. “I said you were done.” She pushed him away.

“Y-you should listen to her.” Randall nodded.

Isabell tilted her head to look at Randall. “Listen, kid. I’m not doing this for you. The people here need to rest and they can’t do it with your screaming. You’ll tell us what we want to know.” She smiled. “Tomorrow. When my friend pays you another visit.”

Randall looked up at Isabell in fear. “You can’t let him do this! It’s torture!”

Isabell shrugged. “I tried to stop him.” She said, putting a blindfold over his eyes. With that, the blonde left the young boy in the darkness, pulling Daryl roughly until he came on his own will.

Daryl scoffed once he was clear of the shed. “Good job in there, boss.” He said sarcastically. “Makin’ me look like a bitch. How the hell do I get anythin’ outta him now?”

“I wasn’t tryin’ ta do that, Daryl, I swear.” Isabell insisted. “You wouldn’t have listened. He needs a break or you’ll kill him before you can get anything.”

Daryl shook his head, walking towards his camp. “His blood shouldn’t be on our hands, literally or figuratively.” Isabell said, making him stop. “He’s just a kid, D.”

“A kid who could bring a whole lotta hell our way. You know that it’s better we find them before they find us.” Daryl explained, taking angry strides towards her.

“His people aren’t looking. They think he’s dead.” Isabell shook her head. “So, what? We do this for everyone we meet? Every single person we come across, they are all trying to kill us.”

“Might as well be. ‘Specially if we got something they want.” He reasoned. “There ain’t no nice for the sake of bein’ nice anymore. That ain’t the world now.”

“There are fourteen people in this camp. Do you really expect us to try and get the world back to normal?”

Daryl groaned. “You don’t get it, do ya? It can’t ever be normal. There will always be dead walkin’ or lyin’ in the streets. We are so screwed to hell we are far passed fixin’ any of this.”

“That’s not true.” Isabell said, quietly.

“God, Izzy. Just let it go.” Daryl said, walking off towards camp.

Isabell stared off after him, not bringing herself to stop him or even follow him back to their tent. she sighed, deciding that she should stand watch over Randall’s shed. Someone had to do it and since no one else was in her sight, Isabell took on the responsibility or standing guard.

Daryl wasn’t himself anymore. Losing Sophia had taken more of a toll on Daryl actually believed they would find someplace safe to stay. Someplace they could build. Now the world was a hopeless place in his eyes. If that were the case, what were they holding out for? What were they fighting for?

“Hey!” Randall’s voice shouted from inside the shed. “Hey! I know you’re out there! Can’t a guy get some water?! I’m dyin’ in here!”

Isabell groaned, rolling her eyes. She went to the nearby well and filled a bucket full of water, returning to the shed. Isabell slowly made her way inside and stood in front of Randall. She tore off his blindfold.

Randall let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God. I thought it was your boyfriend.”

Isabell held the bucket and tilted it so Randall could take a drink. “He’s not my boyfriend.” She stated. “And he probably wouldn’t be as accommodating as me.”

Randall took a large gulp of water and pulled his head back. “You’re probably right.”

Isabell sat the bucket across from the boy and crouched in front of him. “It’d be a lot easier for you if you’d just tell us what you know.”

“And give up my crew?” Randall questioned. “Hell, no.”

“So, you’d rather have my friend torture you and beat the information out of you? He could kill you.”

Randall shrugged and looked away.

Isabell thought for a moment pursing her lips. “How’d you wind up with them anyway?”

Randall hesitates answering her question.

“I’m just curious.” Isabell assured. “You don’t have to give specifics if you don’t wanna.”

The boy nodded. “Like how you get with anybody these days. They found me. Walkin’ the side of the road. Picked me up.”

“And you were by yourself?”

Randall nodded.

“What about your family? You’ve gotta be what? Sixteen? Seventeen?”

“Nineteen.” He quickly corrected.

Isabell showed an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Nineteen. Even still, ya should have a mom or dad. Maybe a sibling or two.” The blond studied Randall as he slowly looked away from her. “I guess not.”

Randall sighed. “Before I was with my mom and my brother. They didn’t make it.”

Isabell nodded, unsure of how to respond. “Well, uh, you know I don’t think she’d like you bein’ around those guys. I know my people and they wouldn’t have hurt yours unless they were threatened first.”

Randall scoffed, suddenly angry. “You don’t know my mom. And you don’t know my group. Your guy killed my friends.”

“And rescued you!” She reminded. “We took you in when your friends left you to the walkers. Our doc fixed you up.”

“Of course. You’ve all been extremely hospitable.” Randall said, sarcastically. “The two other guys tying me up, taking me to the high school, planning to leave me for dead.”

“But they didn’t.”

“And your boyfriend, who can’t keep his fists to himself. Y’all’ve been great hosts.”

“I’m sure we’re treating you a hell of a lot better than some others would.” Isabell said. “And, again, he’s not my boyfriend.”

“You think so?” Randall questioned angrily.

“Kid, I know we are. I haven’t always been with this group. I’ve been out there like everyone else.”

Randall shook his head, not wanting to hear anymore. “Look, lady. All I wanted was the drink. I don’t need you lecturin’ me. Or keepin’ me company.”

Isabell nodded and stood to her feet. “I was trying to help. What he’s doing is wrong and I didn’t want you to get hurt again. I can’t stop him from doing what he will tomorrow. So I hope you decide to tell us everything.” She didn’t wait for a response and quickly left the shed.

Maybe Isabell had gone slightly overboard in talking to Randall. Of course, she knew that if Daryl were to find out he’d be furious, but she didn’t care. The kid didn’t deserve to be beat to death. Isabell didn’t see his old group as a threat. They had abandoned Randall and weren’t coming back for him. He was left for the walkers.

Isabell felt bad for the kid, it wasn’t really her fault that she did either. She was a mom. Randall didn’t deserve Daryl’s beatings. He hadn’t do anything wrong. It was true, but he still didn’t believe as part of their camp. Not after being with the bad guys’ group for so long. He wouldn’t be able to change.

Her relationship with Daryl, whatever the relationship was anymore, was certainly strained because of the drama with Randall. Isabell didn’t like when they disagreed. When it came to one of the very few things they disagreed on, it was like mixing oil and water. Nobody wanted to get in the middle of their fights, all of which could last for days before they dropped the subject altogether, never mentioning it again.

!@#$#@!

Seven Years Earlier


“Daryl, are you sure?” Isabell asked, nearly biting her nails. “I’m not so sure she’s ready.”

“I wanna ride, Momma! Let me ride!” Harley begged, jumping up and down at her mother’s feet. “Please, Momma, please!” The little girl looked at Isabell with her big eyes, matching the blue color of her father’s.

Isabell bit her lip and sighed, moving her attention to Daryl.

“Yeah, Momma.” Daryl smirked. “Let ‘er ride.”

“Okay.” Isabell nodded. “Put her on.”

Daryl grabbed his daughter under her arms, picked her up and placed her on the bike. “I think yer overreactin’ anyway, Iz. It’s a tricycle. It ain’t like she can tip it over.”

“But she can crash it.”

“She’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, Momma. I’ll be fine.” Harley insisted.

Daryl crouched down next to the bike and smiled at his girl. “Alright, Baby Girl. Put yer feet on the pedals. Hands right here.” He pointed and she complied. “Mkay, use this to steer and push yer feet to the pedals to move it forward. Got it?”

“I got it, Daddy. Let me go.” Harley cried with an excited smile.

Daryl let go of the red tricycle and stood to his feet. “Go on, Little Girl.” Daryl insisted.

Harley looked up at her mom, who hesitated before she smiled and nodded. Harley smiled back and took off like a lightening strike.

Isabell held in a breath. “She’s growing too fast.”

“I’m sure that’s why yer really freakin’ out about this bike thing.” Daryl assumed, smirking at her before continuing to watch his daughter ride around the empty space in the living room.

Isabell shrugged. “Maybe, but still.”

“Look, while I got ya here, I gotta talk to ya about something.” Daryl said seriously. “Merle’s gettin’ out next week.”

Isabell turned her head quickly towards him and narrowed her eyes. “No.” She said simply.

“Izzy, c’mon.”

“No. I finally got his mess cleaned out for Harley’s room. And now we don’t have the space.”

“We can give him your room.”

Isabell laughed. “You’re joking, right?”

“You don’t sleep there anymore anyway. Always stayin’ with me or Harley. You don’t need that room.”

Isabell paused, thinking. “Is this why you brought home that bike for her?” She whispered. “Thought you could butter me up with a happy kid?”

“No. I did that for her. Thought she’d like it.”

She scoffed. “Daryl, I cannot let him back in this house.” Isabell insisted. “I won’t. Especially now that Harley talks and understands what we say. Imagine what would happen the second that he walks through that door.”

“He’s family. What else am I supposed to do?”

“Not push him on me, that’s for sure.”

“Izzy… C’mon. It’ll only be for a little while. You can kick him out whenever you want to.”

Isabell bit her lip, thinking. “He has two weeks.” She said finally. “Just two. And you need to get him a job or something to do. He’s not staying home all day with me and Harley.

Daryl smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “I love ya.”

“Two weeks.” Isabell stressed. “Two or I will kill him.”
♠ ♠ ♠
This chapter took a while for me to get the ideas. When I did, it came out so quickly that I got a hand cramp. Hope it’s good enough for you guys, though.

I’m considering not posting on Mibba anymore and moving strictly to FanFiction. I’m only considering it at this point, I haven’t made a final decision yet. Let me know if it would be awful for you guys to make the move.