Status: This is the first walking dead fic I've written, so please leave feedback if you have the time: ) thank you
Arrow to the Side
Something breaking
Rick was standing over the fire in the small tent city they had created.
Anna gave him a look of pure fury as she approached.
"What the hell is going on in that barn, Rick?. Did you tell Daryl to do that?"
The confrontation gathered various looks of surprise from the others. Rick swallowed, obviously unsure of what to say.His usually calm exterior had cracked just a little before his surface hardened. He cast a look towards the barn.
"Anna, we need to know what's happening. I will do whatever it takes to protect this group."
"Okay, I get that. But getting Daryl to torture a kid for information, That's a reasonable way to go about this. Is it?" Her sarcasm flowed out of her mouth like a river but there was no humour in her voice. Rick put a hand to the back of his neck. As if to rub a kink out of it. Before he had the chance to speak, Dale had joined them.
"What's she talking about? Torture?" Anna shot Rick a piercing gaze as her words sliced across the air.
"Rick told Daryl to torture Randall down in the barn."
Dale looked at her with disbelief. But the conversation was interrupted by Daryl approaching from behind. He avoided Anna's stare like the plague. Rick turned his attention completely to Daryl.
"They've got a group of 'bout Thirty men."
Anna refused to hear any more and she turned her back on the men and walked away. Dale gave Daryl and Rick a disapproving glare before following after her. Tears brimmed in Anna's eyes. She felt ridiculous for crying but not as bad as the sinking feeling that there was something breaking in this group. Dale put a hand on her shoulder and guided her down to sit on a log.
"Are you okay,Anna?" Anna felt like crap and she was grateful that the old man was there with her. Her breath shuddered a little but she nodded at Dale and rubbed her sleeve over her face unceremoniously.
"This is so wrong." Anna's voice came out raspy and sour.
Dale nodded.
"Of all things I didn't think they would get pushed to this."
"I feel stupid. I knew Daryl was going to ne unstable after finding that little girl. But this is so wrong." The repetition hung in the air before Dale sat down beside Anna and put his hands on his knees.
"When I lost my wife I felt so angry. I felt like I had failed. It was my job to protect her and I couldn't do it. I told Andrea before that I felt cheated and that drove me to push people away and resort to violence. I think Daryl still feels like that after Sophia. Andrea and her sister pulled me out of my grief. The more you try with Daryl the better he will get..." He trailed off.
"Thank you, Dale." Anna met his eyes with a warm smile.
Dale coughed and stood up.
"I'm gonna go see what else there is to do about this. You good?"
Anna nodded, so Dale smiled before turning away.
***
Anna jogged over to the RV where T-Dog and Maggie were looking over a map for a run into town.
"Hey guys, mind if I join you on this one?"
T-dog looked surprised but nodded.
"The more the merrier. We could use the extra hand."
Anna was surprised to see Maggie going out so soon after the barn and with her sister getting better, but said nothing. It didn't seem to matter, though, as if Maggie had read her mind.
"I just needed something to clear my head, ya'know."
Anna nodded
"Tell me about it." She smiled grimly before walking to her tent to tug out her rucksack and followed the pair into the car.
Anna gave him a look of pure fury as she approached.
"What the hell is going on in that barn, Rick?. Did you tell Daryl to do that?"
The confrontation gathered various looks of surprise from the others. Rick swallowed, obviously unsure of what to say.His usually calm exterior had cracked just a little before his surface hardened. He cast a look towards the barn.
"Anna, we need to know what's happening. I will do whatever it takes to protect this group."
"Okay, I get that. But getting Daryl to torture a kid for information, That's a reasonable way to go about this. Is it?" Her sarcasm flowed out of her mouth like a river but there was no humour in her voice. Rick put a hand to the back of his neck. As if to rub a kink out of it. Before he had the chance to speak, Dale had joined them.
"What's she talking about? Torture?" Anna shot Rick a piercing gaze as her words sliced across the air.
"Rick told Daryl to torture Randall down in the barn."
Dale looked at her with disbelief. But the conversation was interrupted by Daryl approaching from behind. He avoided Anna's stare like the plague. Rick turned his attention completely to Daryl.
"They've got a group of 'bout Thirty men."
Anna refused to hear any more and she turned her back on the men and walked away. Dale gave Daryl and Rick a disapproving glare before following after her. Tears brimmed in Anna's eyes. She felt ridiculous for crying but not as bad as the sinking feeling that there was something breaking in this group. Dale put a hand on her shoulder and guided her down to sit on a log.
"Are you okay,Anna?" Anna felt like crap and she was grateful that the old man was there with her. Her breath shuddered a little but she nodded at Dale and rubbed her sleeve over her face unceremoniously.
"This is so wrong." Anna's voice came out raspy and sour.
Dale nodded.
"Of all things I didn't think they would get pushed to this."
"I feel stupid. I knew Daryl was going to ne unstable after finding that little girl. But this is so wrong." The repetition hung in the air before Dale sat down beside Anna and put his hands on his knees.
"When I lost my wife I felt so angry. I felt like I had failed. It was my job to protect her and I couldn't do it. I told Andrea before that I felt cheated and that drove me to push people away and resort to violence. I think Daryl still feels like that after Sophia. Andrea and her sister pulled me out of my grief. The more you try with Daryl the better he will get..." He trailed off.
"Thank you, Dale." Anna met his eyes with a warm smile.
Dale coughed and stood up.
"I'm gonna go see what else there is to do about this. You good?"
Anna nodded, so Dale smiled before turning away.
***
Anna jogged over to the RV where T-Dog and Maggie were looking over a map for a run into town.
"Hey guys, mind if I join you on this one?"
T-dog looked surprised but nodded.
"The more the merrier. We could use the extra hand."
Anna was surprised to see Maggie going out so soon after the barn and with her sister getting better, but said nothing. It didn't seem to matter, though, as if Maggie had read her mind.
"I just needed something to clear my head, ya'know."
Anna nodded
"Tell me about it." She smiled grimly before walking to her tent to tug out her rucksack and followed the pair into the car.