In the Shallows

I swatted his hand away from my throat, sucking in air, I tried to think of a way around the whole situation but my mind ended up drawing blank, I was too scared to even think of what was going to happen, "How bad?"

Glenn's face had said it all, "Bad." He cleared his throat and ran his hand through his hair, "I didn't know bruises could show up that fast."

I chuckled but didn't say anything. We stood for a few more minutes before I ended up sighing out, "When we get back just let me deal with it, okay?" I chewed my lip and pressed a finger into the burning spot and winced, "Just trust me."

Rick nodded and looked towards Glenn and Hershel, "I think it's best if we take her word for it, alright? She knows him better than anybody and if she's telling us to trust her, we gotta do it." He glanced at me and gave me a long stare before uttering out, "I'm real sorry though. That shouldn't have happened. I should have-"

"-Rick, stop. It's not your fault." I stuck my gun back in it's holster and glanced towards the door, "Let's go now so we can get it over with." They all nodded and we headed for the exit but then we saw car lights, "Car, get down!" I hissed. We all lowered ourselves towards the floor and booked it for the door. We all exchanged glances, all of us unsure of what to do.

I froze the second I heard the engine of the car stop and the sounds of murmurs and cars being slammed shut. I closed my eyes tightly when I heard voices, "Dave? Tony? They said over here?"

"Yeah."

I bit my lip as a third person spoke up, "I'm telling you, man. I heard shots."

"I saw roamers two streets over. Might be more around here."

"It's hot, we gotta get out of here. Dave! Tony!"

"Shut up, you idiot. You wanna attract 'em. Just stick close, we're gonna find 'em."

I held my breath as I heard them come close towards the bar doors, it took a few seconds after I knew they were gone to let it all out. I pulled out my handgun and looked over at Rick, we both stood up, our backs pressed tightly against the wall. We both looked out our windows and nodded towards one another once we saw the path was clear.

Glenn's harsh whisper broke the silence, "Why won't they leave?"

Hershel questioned him, "Would you?"

I chewed my lip, I was absolutely a hundred percent sure that they could hear my heart pounding against my rib cage, it was even flooding my ears. "We can't stay here any longer, we need to move, now."

Rick agreed, "Let's head out the back and make a run to the car." We all nodded and went to stand up before we heard gun fire, we all ducked back down, our breaths shallow and short. We heard some more of the strangers conversation and immediately I groaned internally when they started to head for our direction. I glanced over at Rick who gave me a worried look. The door started to open but Glenn rushed in front of it and pushed it in, causing the strangers to question why it was pushed close.

"Yo, if someone's in there, we don't want no trouble. We're just looking for our friends." I blocked out the rest of their one sided conversation and tried to think really hard on our next move could be, I looked around us, but failed to even think of something.

"They drew on us."

I quickly looked at Rick, my eyes narrowed, what the hell?! I gritted my teeth as he gave us an apologetic look. I ran my hands through my hair, Rick had to be out his damn mind. It would have been easier for them to keep on walking and then we could slip out without them knowing. I groaned internally again as I listened to his explanation, these people weren't going to tolerate the fact that we just killed two members of their group. Would we? Hell no. I'd make every single one of those assholes bleed if they killed anyone I've come to love.

I yelped as glass shattered above Glenn, we all ducked down as Rick stood up and started to shoot out the broken window. "Get outta here! Go!" I watched as Hershel and Glenn try to make they're way out towards the back, I quickly stood up with my weapon drawn and shot through the other glass and into the streets. I'd be damned if I let Rick have a shoot out against three men on my watch. He gave me a death look but I firmly replied,

"I'm all you got right now." He nodded and ducked down as shots started to fire inside the bar, I was quick to follow. After a minute or so the shots stopped, we all exchanged looks.

"Hey! We all know this is not gonna end well! There's nothing in this for any of us! You guys just back off, no one else gets hurt!" After his words were followed by silence except for the sound of a bottle being rattled in the back, Glenn looked back at us and I motioned for him to go check it out. He gave me an apprehensive look but proceeded towards it.

I jerked upwards the second I heard a gun shot, at that point I didn't care about myself. All I cared about was Glenn, "Glenn!" I rushed towards the door and gave a sigh of relief to find him all in one piece.

"I'm all right, I'm all right."

I nodded as he started to guard the back door, my heart was still racing but at a time like this what's the use of a normal beating heart any way? I felt Hershel's hand on my back, he looked straight in my eyes, "You go cover Rick, I'm going to cover Glenn." I nodded and made my way back towards Rick. We had only been keeping a look out in the front for a only but a few seconds before we heard another set of gun fire, we both exchanged glances and booked it towards the back.

I exhaled deeply as Rick asked Hershel what happened, my brain went fuzzy when I heard Hershel say the man must have shot Glenn. I poked my head out from the door and sure enough I saw Glenn's feet sticking from the dumpster, my heart sank. I watched as Rick made his way towards Glenn, Hershel and I covered him as he approached him. A huge sigh came from my lips as I saw Glenn and Rick stand and head for the car, I groaned as shots ricocheted off the dumpster and sent them back.

I heard faint yelling and then screams which was followed by the truck peeling away. I looked at Hershel who responded with a confused look, "What the hell?" I heard Glenn yell for us but I was distracted by the sound of geeks, turning my head in the other direction I winced as three geeks started chowing down on the man Hershel shot. Quickly recovering from the scene I was bound to see for the rest of my life, I followed Hershel and Glenn further into the streets and into a short alley way.

I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw what Rick was tending too, a boy no less or older than Beth's age; who had his leg impaled on a fence. My stomach churned as I witnessed him screaming and crying out for help. I looked at Hershel who told the boy that we had to go. But then my eyes were glued back to his wound, it was gnarly and it made my insides feel queasy.

He sat up, tears running down his face, "No no, don't leave me please."

"We have to go, Rick."

His voice was firm and his face was determined, "We can't."

I squinted my eyes, "Him and his friends were just shooting at us, you can't be serious."

Rick turned back towards me, his face full of anger, "He's a kid!"

I backed off, shaking my head. I guess he had a point but the I didn't like it. I stood there with my mouth clamped shut, I didn't like the idea of trying to save this poor soul and risking our lives with a herd of walkers coming up fast. I rolled my eyes as they decided to cut his lower leg off. I kept my weapon drawn and started to shoot off the strays that started to lurk and wander too close. It had to have been a little over five minutes before there were too many to keep away. I turned around, "We need to go, now!" I emptied the casings from my gun and ran back towards Rick who had just ripped the kids leg up and out from the fence. Immediately after I felt everything I had consumed that day come spewing out of my mouth.

I felt Glenn's hands wrap around my waist as he tried to rush me towards the car. I was amazed and slightly disgusted as more and more came out of my mouth, it was the damn apocalypse, I hadn't really eaten anything. Once Glenn had me in the car, the kid was sat next to me, I gagged again when I saw his leg leaking blood. And then I was positive I was going to pass out.

The second I woke up it was daylight and we were heading back towards the farm. I quickly looked around me and realized the kid was behind me with a blindfold and ear buds in, exchanging a few words with the rest of the group, I was caught up with what had happened. When we reached the farm, everyone except the kid and I got out. I was dreading the whole situation that was going to go down. It was one thing having just me getting hurt by someone else but now we had this kid to worry about. After countless amounts of seconds, I stepped out of the car as gingerly and quietly as I could.

I tried to quietly and swiftly maneuver around the car but I felt Daryl's eyes on me. He squinted those blue eyes and immediately his temper was plain and day on his face, "Ay!" He hollered out, "What the hell happened to your neck?"

I closed my eyes, "Daryl." I firmly said, "Please don-"

"-Rick! Glenn! What the HELL happened?" He started to rip off his crossbow as his eyes drilled darkly into their heads.

I was thankful that T-Dog spoke up but it wasn't until I heard what he said that made me sigh, "Who the hell is that?" He pointed into the car and Glenn responded with his name but Daryl wasn't having it.

"Forget that!" Daryl threw his bow onto the ground and marched up to me, his hand reaching for my chin as he turned it up, "You better start explain' what the fuck happened." His blue eyes were clouded with anger and right now I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell him.

I pulled away from his touch, "Nothing-"

"-bullshit." He turned away from me fast and headed towards Rick, with his finger pointed and his eyes squinted, "Don't make me ask again, you ain't gonna like what I do if I gotta ask." He pointed back towards me, "I ain't ever said she could go on ya little mission to get gramps over here. Now start doin' some explainin'!"

Rick sighed, he scratched the back of his neck and glanced at me. He held out his hands as if that was going to calm him down, "Now look, Daryl, you don't give her enough credit-"

"-she's got a damn bruise on her damn neck!" He growled, "Whatcha' mean I ain't givin' her enough credit?!"

He gritted his teeth, "I know that. We just came across a few men who took a liking to her. We didn't think it was gonna escalate."

"What the hell you mean they took a liking to her? You let 'em get close enough, " he pointed back towards me, "to do that?" Daryl stared hard at Glenn and I was sure that he probably thought he was going to die right then and there, "Start talkin' little man!"

Glenn stuttered, "I don't know what you want me to say!" He backed away from him, "I-I-they just-he just-it all happened so fast." He flinched from Daryl's reaction, "All they did was talk about how pretty she was, we didn't think they were going to hurt her."

"Oh so they were callin' her pretty and it didn't cross your damn mind that they were gonna try somethin'?" He pointed to his brain, his husky voice getting loud, "You ain't stupid, obviously. But apparently you must be."

He whined out, "We all think Alex's is pretty but we wouldn't do anything to her."

Shane took a step forward and at this point I was just preparing for a blood bath, "Now hold on a sec. What exactly happened-"

"Ain't it obvious what the hell happened. One of those assholes got to her." He snapped.

Shane nodded, placing his hands on his hips as he stared at me, "Alright, alright. Just calm down-"
"-don't tell me to calm down." He spat.

"Well we ain't gonna solve anything with you acting like a rabid dog, now are we?"

"You better watch your mouth."

Shane ignored him and looked at me, "Did they do anything aside from leaving a bruise?"

I shook my head, "No-"

"I don't care! Take me to 'em." He picked up his crossbow and gave me a dirty look, "See why I don't let ya go anywhere?"

I narrowed my eyes, "Take a fucking seat, Daryl." I crossed my arms, "You can't go seem them anyway. Rick and I handled the situation." I uncrossed them as he gave me a mad but questionable look, "I told you that one night that if someone ever laid a hand on me like that again, I was going to kill him." I sucked in air as everyone gave me an astonished gasp, "So I did."

Shane rose an eyebrow, "So you killed a man?"

"I'm not happy about it, but yes. He was going to do things to me and people like that shouldn't be allowed to have a chance in his world, even with it gone to shit." I chewed my lip, "It looks bad but it isn't. It stings but all bruises do. Now that we all know let's just drop it okay. We've got other things to worr-"

Daryl growled, "We ain't droppin' this. You come with me." He pointed at me and then at Rick and Glenn, "I ain't done with you two yet." He marched onward and grabbed my arm, hard. I was dragged all the way towards his little camp that he had set up away from everyone. He sat me down on a log just as hard and inspected me, "Ya drivin' me insane, Lex." Once he was satisfied that the bruise was all there was, he rocked back on his butt.

"Why couldn't we have settled that like civilized people?"

He scoffed, anger still lingering in his voice, "Jus' like when you slapped Andrea or punched Shane? Ya lucky I wasn't there."

I shrugged, "Either way you would have acted like this crazy psychopath."

Daryl frowned, "Hey! I'm tryna' keep ya safe. It's a real fuckin' pain when ya don't let me."

"I don't need you to keep me safe, I'm my own person, I'm my own responsibility. If i get bit then it's my own damn fault."

"No, it's mine. It's always been my responsibility. Ever since we was kids, Lex." He looked straight into my eyes, his voice low, "I tried to let ya do your own thing, but it eats me alive. I can't let anything happen to ya. I jus' can't."

I looked away from him, "I don't see why not. As in letting me make my own decisions."

He started to get angry again, "Cause shit like this happens!" He motioned towards my neck and scoffed, "Next ya gonna get shot or some shit." He stood up and gave me a look, "I'd say we're even now, so stop bein' a little bitch and jus' talk to me now."

This time I scoffed, "I don't see how we're even, I still got hurt, twice."

Daryl groaned, scrubbing his face with his hands, "Lex, ya know I didn't mean it. I swear I didn't. I jus-"

"-you just pushed me." I stood up from the log, "I love you, I really do, but I don't think I can ever forgive you for that."

He gave me a strange look before he spoke up, "Fine don't forgive me but jus' talk to me." Daryl took a step forward, his hand tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear, his voice almost a whisper, "I need ya to talk to me."

My breath hitched, hearing those words made my stomach flutter, "Daryl,"

He closed his eyes, "Lex, I'm sorry. I'd never want to hurt ya. Ever." He opened them slowly, his eyes trailing down to my neck, his thumb softly running over it, "Stop runnin' off without me. I need ya alive, can't do it without ya."

I sighed, I bit my lip and hugged him. I felt him tense up but he slowly loosened and hugged me back. I didn't know what it was about his hug that made me just want to melt. Sure he's had his arms around me but feeling it just now made me feel so woozy. How did he just fucking make me go from pissed off to feeling like I'm floating on cloud nine?