From the Shadows
On One Condition
Rick, Daryl and Hershel arrived at the prison before dark settled around them. Maggie and Michonne opened the gates to let them in. Rick pulled in and parked the car. Without a word, he headed straight for the prison.
“Is everything alright? What happened?” Maggie asked her father.
“Not sure. He hasn’t said a word since we left. Hardly said anything on the way there. We got in an out without an ounce of trouble.”
Daryl and Hershel walked into the prison after Rick. Everyone greeted them with smiles and inquiries. They waited for Rick to tell them about the meeting.
He stood awkwardly and coughed. “It, uh… went well. The Governor is willing to discuss peace.” He smiled slightly and walked away from the group. He eyeballed Hershel and Hershel followed. Rick looked around to make sure they wouldn’t be heard by the rest of the group. “Can I talk to you?”
“Of course, Rick. Is it about the Governor?”
“Can you promise not to say anything?”
“Probably not advisable to keep important information from the group.”
“I just have a decision to make and only two days to do it. I need your counsel, not theirs.”
“Alright, what did you need?”
Rick sighed and closed his eyes in guilt. “The Governor is willing to discuss peace on one condition.”
“And what condition is that?” Hershel lowered his gaze to look at Rick’s lowered face.
“He wants Teagan.”
“Rick that’s... unspeakable.”
“All we have to do is bring her there in two days and the Governor will leave us alone. Nothing and no one else. Just her.”
“Rick, she is part of this group. She has more than earned her place here.”
“The rest of the group would be safe again. Right now, we’re trapped animals. We could save everyone here. Carl, Glenn… Beth and Maggie. All safe.”
“Rick, we can’t trust him to keep his word. Do you remember when she wanted to leave with Merle not too long ago? You told her what I am telling you now.”
“It’s different this time.”
Hershel shook his head in disbelief. “No, it isn’t. Just a poor attempt at saving everyone’s life, except this time, you’re sending her straight to her death.” Hershel paused. “You saw how she was when you rescued her, Glenn and Maggie. I know you did. You’re a better person than that Rick. I know you are.”
Rick didn’t have anything to say. He looked up at Hershel with confused, guilty eyes and spoke quietly. “Two days.”
Hershel watched Rick walk away into the prison. Hershel swallowed hard and began to pray. “Make the right choice Rick. Don’t be fooled.”
Rick walked by himself for several minutes and thoughts flooded his head. He replayed he conversation with the Governor over and over. He saw the twinkle of promise in The Governor’s eyes. He saw dim hope in the distance. Maybe Hershel was right. Can’t trust the Governor… what he did to our people… what he could do again… or do to her… He clenched his eyes and fists tightly and shook his head back and forth. No! Lori’s dead because of her… no, because of him. But if she left… would it make a difference? Can I save these people? My group… my family… He pounded a fist against the wall and breathed heavily. He clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut. He rested his head on his forearm against a wall as thoughts swarmed his head. Making a choice felt like blindly throwing a dart at twenty different boards. After several minutes, he eased off the wall. His posture straightened and his shoulders squared off. He took a deep breath and kept walking. I know who I need to talk to.
He walked down the dim, quiet hallway until he came up on the person he was looking for. The ruckus could be heard several doors down. “I need to speak with you.”
“Officer Friendly, what brings you here?”
“I have a favor to ask you.”
A wicked grin spread across Merle’s face. “Do ya now? What might that be? Hmm?”
“In two days I need you to make a trade with the Governor.”
“Trade? I ain’t surrendierin’ for yer dumbass. Sorry Charlie.”
“Not you. Teagan.”
The smile dropped from Merle’s face. “Teagan?”
“That’s who the Governor asked for. Nobody else. Just her.”
“What’d he offer you in return?”
“Safety. Peace. No more fighting, no more death.”
“’Cept fer hers.”
“They have their own business to hash out. I have a group to look after.”
“Ain’t much hashin’ in murder.”
“Are you going to do it or not?”
“What’s in it fer me, hmm? I’ve seen what she can do. She can take me down. I’d be riskin’ my life for your problem. Besides, walkin’ up to the Governor myself ain’t safe neither.”
“We give her up and he leaves us alone. Period. You save your own skin. You save Daryl’s.” Rick knew bringing up Merle’s little brother would hit a nerve.
“When and where?”
“Two days at noon.. Warehouse down the road. “I’m sure you know the place.”
Merle clenched his teeth. “Yeah, I know it.”
“Keep this to yourself. Nobody needs to know what’s going on.”
“What are ya going to tell ‘em? They won’t accept her disappearin’ outta thin air.”
“The truth.”
Merle raised his eyebrows. “And that is?”
“She left as a safety interest for the group. Just like she tried to last time.” Rick’s voice was low and guiltless. He nodded his head at Merle and exited the room. Merle sighed heavily and spit on the ground. He shook his head and went back to rummaging to clear his mind.
The day’s excitement quickly settled and silence fell upon the prison. Teagan wandered outside the prison within the fences, breathing in the cool, clear air. She watched the darkness swallow up every bit of light from the setting sun. She heard footsteps approach and awaited the accompanying voice.
“You ready?”
She couldn’t help but smile at the gravelly voice. “Yeah. It’s been awhile.”
“Most people don’t miss night watch.” Daryl chuckled.
“Can’t sleep anyway. Besides, can’t hear snores up there. It’s nice and quiet.”
Daryl laughed. “The only snores yer hearin’ are yer own.”
Teagan lightly hit his arm. “Quiet.” She laughed lightly. “You joining me?”
“Yeah. Gonna grab some food, meet ya there.”
Teagan headed up to the watchtower and waited for Daryl. She kept her eyes open and ears ready. It was usually too dark to actually see anything, but you could easily hear a car or horde of walkers if you were paying attention. She settled herself onto the balcony and looked up at the cloudless, star-filled sky. In a few minutes, she heard Daryl climb up the stairs with an armful of stuff.
“What is all this?”
“Grabbed a blanket. A bit cold out. And some food. Not much, but close enough.” Daryl handed her the blanket and sat down near her. “Somethin’ wrong?”
Teagan smiled weakly. “Nah. Just…” She paused. Daryl stayed silent, waiting for her to speak. “Rick didn’t say anything about what was said between him and the Governor?”
Daryl shook his head. “Nope. Not a thing. All I heard was the Governor say ‘two days’. Whatever that means.”
“Means whatever deal they struck needs to be met in two days time.”
“You worried about it?” Genuine concern flooded Daryl’s voice.
“Just doesn’t feel right. Why wouldn’t Rick share what happened? At least with you and Hershel.”
“Saw him pull Hershel aside today. Maybe Rick told him.”
“But not you?”
“Can’t say I mind too much. Never was one fer politics. Rick’s gotta decision to make. Fewer hands involved, the easier. Remember what happened with Randall? Decision took days. We don’t have that time now. Just got tomorrow, and the next day we gotta act.”
“What deal could be so bad he doesn’t want to talk about it?”
“Hey, I trust Rick. And if not him, I trust Hershel. Hershel won’t let Rick make a dumb choice. And Rick’s got too many people countin’ on him to make one himself.” Teagan didn’t respond. “Look, whatever it is, it’ll work out.”
Teagan sighed. “Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
“Not as long as the following day. And that’ll only be half. Just gotta find somethin’ to distract yourself with.” When Daryl didn’t get the response he wanted, so he kept going. “Alrigh’, how ‘bout this. Tomorrow, you ‘n’ I will go huntin’. Hmm? Sound good?”
Teagan chuckled. “Yeah, sounds good. You think Rick will let us out?”
“Don’t see why not. Anything happens to us while we’re out, any deal they struck is done for. Nobody’ll try anything.”
“On one condition.”
Daryl raised his eyebrow. “And that is?”
“Teach me how to shoot that damn crossbow.”
Daryl laughed heartily. “Alright. Deal. Though, you can shoot a regular bow just fine.”
“Expanding my horizons. You never know what you’ll be stuck with in a tight spot.”
After a few more hours, Daryl and Teagan were relieved of their watch. They walked quietly into the prison and up to Daryl’s room. Teagan crawled into bed and Daryl followed her. Once settled in, Daryl’s arm wrapped around Teagan’s waist without thinking. He felt her body shift and realized his action and began to pull away, apologizing under his heavy breath repeatedly.
“It’s alright.”
Daryl could feel Teagan shaking. “Are you sure?” Teagan responded by reaching for his hand and lacing her fingers into his. Her breathing settled as she traced the back of Daryl’s hand with her other fingers. She started to hum the song she had previously promised to sing to Daryl. His eyes grew heavy with sleep. Soon I’ll here ya sing that song. After all this is over, I’ll finally hear it.
“Is everything alright? What happened?” Maggie asked her father.
“Not sure. He hasn’t said a word since we left. Hardly said anything on the way there. We got in an out without an ounce of trouble.”
Daryl and Hershel walked into the prison after Rick. Everyone greeted them with smiles and inquiries. They waited for Rick to tell them about the meeting.
He stood awkwardly and coughed. “It, uh… went well. The Governor is willing to discuss peace.” He smiled slightly and walked away from the group. He eyeballed Hershel and Hershel followed. Rick looked around to make sure they wouldn’t be heard by the rest of the group. “Can I talk to you?”
“Of course, Rick. Is it about the Governor?”
“Can you promise not to say anything?”
“Probably not advisable to keep important information from the group.”
“I just have a decision to make and only two days to do it. I need your counsel, not theirs.”
“Alright, what did you need?”
Rick sighed and closed his eyes in guilt. “The Governor is willing to discuss peace on one condition.”
“And what condition is that?” Hershel lowered his gaze to look at Rick’s lowered face.
“He wants Teagan.”
“Rick that’s... unspeakable.”
“All we have to do is bring her there in two days and the Governor will leave us alone. Nothing and no one else. Just her.”
“Rick, she is part of this group. She has more than earned her place here.”
“The rest of the group would be safe again. Right now, we’re trapped animals. We could save everyone here. Carl, Glenn… Beth and Maggie. All safe.”
“Rick, we can’t trust him to keep his word. Do you remember when she wanted to leave with Merle not too long ago? You told her what I am telling you now.”
“It’s different this time.”
Hershel shook his head in disbelief. “No, it isn’t. Just a poor attempt at saving everyone’s life, except this time, you’re sending her straight to her death.” Hershel paused. “You saw how she was when you rescued her, Glenn and Maggie. I know you did. You’re a better person than that Rick. I know you are.”
Rick didn’t have anything to say. He looked up at Hershel with confused, guilty eyes and spoke quietly. “Two days.”
Hershel watched Rick walk away into the prison. Hershel swallowed hard and began to pray. “Make the right choice Rick. Don’t be fooled.”
Rick walked by himself for several minutes and thoughts flooded his head. He replayed he conversation with the Governor over and over. He saw the twinkle of promise in The Governor’s eyes. He saw dim hope in the distance. Maybe Hershel was right. Can’t trust the Governor… what he did to our people… what he could do again… or do to her… He clenched his eyes and fists tightly and shook his head back and forth. No! Lori’s dead because of her… no, because of him. But if she left… would it make a difference? Can I save these people? My group… my family… He pounded a fist against the wall and breathed heavily. He clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut. He rested his head on his forearm against a wall as thoughts swarmed his head. Making a choice felt like blindly throwing a dart at twenty different boards. After several minutes, he eased off the wall. His posture straightened and his shoulders squared off. He took a deep breath and kept walking. I know who I need to talk to.
He walked down the dim, quiet hallway until he came up on the person he was looking for. The ruckus could be heard several doors down. “I need to speak with you.”
“Officer Friendly, what brings you here?”
“I have a favor to ask you.”
A wicked grin spread across Merle’s face. “Do ya now? What might that be? Hmm?”
“In two days I need you to make a trade with the Governor.”
“Trade? I ain’t surrendierin’ for yer dumbass. Sorry Charlie.”
“Not you. Teagan.”
The smile dropped from Merle’s face. “Teagan?”
“That’s who the Governor asked for. Nobody else. Just her.”
“What’d he offer you in return?”
“Safety. Peace. No more fighting, no more death.”
“’Cept fer hers.”
“They have their own business to hash out. I have a group to look after.”
“Ain’t much hashin’ in murder.”
“Are you going to do it or not?”
“What’s in it fer me, hmm? I’ve seen what she can do. She can take me down. I’d be riskin’ my life for your problem. Besides, walkin’ up to the Governor myself ain’t safe neither.”
“We give her up and he leaves us alone. Period. You save your own skin. You save Daryl’s.” Rick knew bringing up Merle’s little brother would hit a nerve.
“When and where?”
“Two days at noon.. Warehouse down the road. “I’m sure you know the place.”
Merle clenched his teeth. “Yeah, I know it.”
“Keep this to yourself. Nobody needs to know what’s going on.”
“What are ya going to tell ‘em? They won’t accept her disappearin’ outta thin air.”
“The truth.”
Merle raised his eyebrows. “And that is?”
“She left as a safety interest for the group. Just like she tried to last time.” Rick’s voice was low and guiltless. He nodded his head at Merle and exited the room. Merle sighed heavily and spit on the ground. He shook his head and went back to rummaging to clear his mind.
The day’s excitement quickly settled and silence fell upon the prison. Teagan wandered outside the prison within the fences, breathing in the cool, clear air. She watched the darkness swallow up every bit of light from the setting sun. She heard footsteps approach and awaited the accompanying voice.
“You ready?”
She couldn’t help but smile at the gravelly voice. “Yeah. It’s been awhile.”
“Most people don’t miss night watch.” Daryl chuckled.
“Can’t sleep anyway. Besides, can’t hear snores up there. It’s nice and quiet.”
Daryl laughed. “The only snores yer hearin’ are yer own.”
Teagan lightly hit his arm. “Quiet.” She laughed lightly. “You joining me?”
“Yeah. Gonna grab some food, meet ya there.”
Teagan headed up to the watchtower and waited for Daryl. She kept her eyes open and ears ready. It was usually too dark to actually see anything, but you could easily hear a car or horde of walkers if you were paying attention. She settled herself onto the balcony and looked up at the cloudless, star-filled sky. In a few minutes, she heard Daryl climb up the stairs with an armful of stuff.
“What is all this?”
“Grabbed a blanket. A bit cold out. And some food. Not much, but close enough.” Daryl handed her the blanket and sat down near her. “Somethin’ wrong?”
Teagan smiled weakly. “Nah. Just…” She paused. Daryl stayed silent, waiting for her to speak. “Rick didn’t say anything about what was said between him and the Governor?”
Daryl shook his head. “Nope. Not a thing. All I heard was the Governor say ‘two days’. Whatever that means.”
“Means whatever deal they struck needs to be met in two days time.”
“You worried about it?” Genuine concern flooded Daryl’s voice.
“Just doesn’t feel right. Why wouldn’t Rick share what happened? At least with you and Hershel.”
“Saw him pull Hershel aside today. Maybe Rick told him.”
“But not you?”
“Can’t say I mind too much. Never was one fer politics. Rick’s gotta decision to make. Fewer hands involved, the easier. Remember what happened with Randall? Decision took days. We don’t have that time now. Just got tomorrow, and the next day we gotta act.”
“What deal could be so bad he doesn’t want to talk about it?”
“Hey, I trust Rick. And if not him, I trust Hershel. Hershel won’t let Rick make a dumb choice. And Rick’s got too many people countin’ on him to make one himself.” Teagan didn’t respond. “Look, whatever it is, it’ll work out.”
Teagan sighed. “Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
“Not as long as the following day. And that’ll only be half. Just gotta find somethin’ to distract yourself with.” When Daryl didn’t get the response he wanted, so he kept going. “Alrigh’, how ‘bout this. Tomorrow, you ‘n’ I will go huntin’. Hmm? Sound good?”
Teagan chuckled. “Yeah, sounds good. You think Rick will let us out?”
“Don’t see why not. Anything happens to us while we’re out, any deal they struck is done for. Nobody’ll try anything.”
“On one condition.”
Daryl raised his eyebrow. “And that is?”
“Teach me how to shoot that damn crossbow.”
Daryl laughed heartily. “Alright. Deal. Though, you can shoot a regular bow just fine.”
“Expanding my horizons. You never know what you’ll be stuck with in a tight spot.”
After a few more hours, Daryl and Teagan were relieved of their watch. They walked quietly into the prison and up to Daryl’s room. Teagan crawled into bed and Daryl followed her. Once settled in, Daryl’s arm wrapped around Teagan’s waist without thinking. He felt her body shift and realized his action and began to pull away, apologizing under his heavy breath repeatedly.
“It’s alright.”
Daryl could feel Teagan shaking. “Are you sure?” Teagan responded by reaching for his hand and lacing her fingers into his. Her breathing settled as she traced the back of Daryl’s hand with her other fingers. She started to hum the song she had previously promised to sing to Daryl. His eyes grew heavy with sleep. Soon I’ll here ya sing that song. After all this is over, I’ll finally hear it.