From the Shadows

Teagan's voice was stunted by the cloth gag in her mouth. She tried screaming to get Merle's attention. He hadn't moved since he was stabbed and left for dead. She began to panic and writhe against her restraints. Merle propped himself up on his intact arm. Teagan held her breath. Please be alive. Merle sat up and leaned against the wall behind him, facing Teagan.

“Ain't dead yet, girl.” His breathing was ragged and harsh. Teagan tried to muffle a response. “Can't hear ya through that shit. Stop talking and save yer breath. Ain't got time ta waste.” Teagan moved her gaze away from Merle, guilted by her choices. “Listen here sweatheart, I'mma die no matter what you choose. Don't drag yerself down with me.” He paused. Teagan could hear the strain in every word Merle spoke. “I meant it when I said it'd be you ta get back ta Daryl alive. My mind hasn't changed. You got one shot at this.” Merle winced in pain. His voice fell quiet. “Don't leave 'im.” The words struck Teagan. She spoke those words for Merle's mercy, and now he spoke them to get T to save herself. She struggled against the restraints, and stopped when they didn't budge. “That ain't gonna help. Y'should know better.” Merle lowered his head and squinted his eyes. Merle pointed behind Teagan. “Messy clean-up.” Teagan turned her head as far as she could and saw a sloppy jar full of tools. Teagan thought for a few seconds and hoisted her right foot onto her left knee. She strained her wrist and fingers to try and untie her boot. This was the only time she could remember regretting wearing sturdy shoes. She unlaced her boot and used her other foot to kick it off. “That's a girl. Keep goin' now.” Teagan could see Merle struggling to keep consciousness. Teagan pulled off her sock and bent her leg to reach around the back of the chair. “Too short.” Merle coughed, and some blood was splattered on his chin. Teagan twisted her body as far as she could and stretched her leg and toes to reach the jar. She managed to grab on to one of the tools with her toes. She tried to slide the jar closer to her, to avoid more strain. The jar caught on a crack in the floor and tipped over. Teagan swore to herself. She looked down and saw drill bits, screwdrivers, and Yes! Pliers. She placed her foot on the pliers and slid it in front of her. “Might consider that screwdriver, too. Better for killin'.” Teagan tried to ignore the fact that once free, she'd have a decision to make. If I get free in time... She grabbed the pliers by her toes and tried to bring them to her hand, but she dropped them. “Try again.” Teagan could hear delusion in Merle's voice. He's lost too much blood. He doesn't have much time. She tried again, and was successful. The tricky part was using her hand to free the wrist on that same hand. The angle was nearly impossible. Once she twisted one of the links on the handcuffs open, she could free that hand. Freeing the other hands would be easier with a free wrist. After several long minutes, the handcuff chain on her left hand was broken, and her hand was free.

Teagan pulled the gag out of her mouth and started freeing her other hand. “Almost there. Stay with me.” Merle didn't respond. The cold silence was broken with Merle's groan. She looked down at him and saw that his skin had turned to a sick, pale green color. His eyes were yellowed. Shit. Shit. Shit! She struggled to open up the chain link, and was working sloppily under pressure. Merle slowly stood and cocked his head to the side. She struggled to free her right hand. Merle staggered towards her and got too close. She didn't have time to reach for the screwdriver, so she kicked Merle in the chest with her booted foot. She couldn't help but scream. Merle was dead. She worried more about Daryl than about her own potential fate. She scrambled for the screwdriver when she heard someone at the door. She looked away from Merle for too many seconds. He was almost on her again, but she looked back in time and held Merle back with her free arm, unable to reach for any weapons. Merle's weight pressed heavily on her one arm, and she felt fatigue flourish. This is it. I was so close. So close to reaching the prison, so close of getting out of here. So close to surviving. Then, she heard the door open.

Daryl's heart pounded in his chest. The distant scream resonated in his ears. “Teagan.” Daryl ran towards the voice. The sounds of struggle grew louder and louder. He reached the door and found it locked. “Shit!”

“Hold on.” Michonne got down on one knee and picked the lock. Daryl swung the door open and saw Teagan holding a walker back with one arm. At the sound of the heavy door opening, the walker turned it's head towards Daryl. Daryl saw the familiar face, and a brick slid down his throat, into the pit of his stomach. He raised his crossbow and aimed.

“Daryl, no!” Teagan screamed. He shouldn't have to do this. This shouldn't be happening.

Daryl ignored Teagan. He knew that walker wasn't Merle. Merle was dead. He wanted to put the pathetic, bleeding walker out of it's misery. He aimed and hesitated. He had never hesitated before killing a walker before. When the walker got bored with Daryl, he turned back to Teagan. Her arm was about to collapse when the walker fell to the ground, arrow through the head. The body hit the floor with a squelching thud.

Eerie silence fell in the cramped, prison cell. Teagan was still strapped in the the chair, but collapsed to the ground anyway. She had a hard time processing everything that happened. She looked at her bleeding, raw wrists but felt no pain. She couldn't feel the cold, damp floor on her bare foot. The awkward angle of her shoulder and trapped wrist didn't phase her. She scanned the room, starting at the large blood smears on the wall and floor, and moved to Merle's lifeless body, where a small puddle formed around his head. She started shaking, and tears started to form in her eyes. Michonne rushed over to Teagan to release her other hand. She grabbed the pliers and started to pry open a chain link. Teagan couldn't even look at Daryl. “I-I'm so sorry Daryl. I j-just couldn't... I tried to-”

“Shhh, we're getting you out of here.” Michonne's voice was softer than Teagan had ever heard it, almost motherly. Michonne's grip was soft and tender. Michonne succeeded in freeing her right hand, and Teagan's wrist dropped with little resistance. Teagan looked down at her wrists. The handcuffs were still on her, but with broken chains. “We'll get those off.” Michonne pulled a bobby pin out of her pocket and jostled both cuffs open. An echo shot through the room as each metal cuff hit the floor. Michonne helped Teagan put on her shoe. She guided Teagan to a standing position, which Teagan could hardly hold. Her legs were exhausted from running. Stones from guilt weighed heavily in her stomach. Her body was there and free, but her mind was floating much farther away, trapped.

Daryl stood completely still, staring at Merle's body. Michonne had Teagan under her arm, helping her walk. Michonne sighed. “Daryl, we have to go.” Daryl didn't respond. Teagan could see Daryl have an internal breakdown. Not a muscle of his moved; it was even hard to tell he was breathing. Michonne reached out to touch Daryl's shoulder, but he aggressively jerked away.

“Don't!” His eyes were wet and enraged. He wouldn't make eye contact with either Teagan or Michonne. He kept staring at Merle.

Michonne shook her head and started to walk Teagan out of the room. Teagan struggled against her. “Wait.” She pulled out of Michonne's grip and clung to the wall to hold her up. She walked over to Daryl and held his hands. He tried to protest by pulling away but she didn't let go. Daryl refused to look at her, but Teagan looked directly into his eyes. “Daryl, please... I won't leave without you. I-” Her voice shook. She spoke quietly. “I can't.”

Daryl looked down at their intertwined hands and clenched his jaw. He closed his eyes and pulled away from Teagan's grip. He walked over to Merle and pulled the arrow from his skull and the knife from his pocket. He marched past Teagan without even looking at her. “We gotta go.” He left Michonne and Teagan behind.

Michonne walked over to Teagan. “Come on.”

“He hates me.” Teagan didn't intend for her thought to escape her lips.

Michonne didn't have much to say besides “He doesn't.” She couldn't speak for Daryl, and she didn't want Teagan to think the wrong thing. By now, Teagan could walk for herself. “Listen, we need to get out of here before the Governor comes back. I know what happened here was awful but... you're alive.” Michonne grabbed onto Teagan's shoulders and looked in her eyes. “Don't waste it here.” Michonne smiled at Teagan, but Teagan could only choke back tears. Michonne let go of Teagan's shoulders. “Let's get those wrist bandaged. Come on.” Michonne gently guided Teagan out of the room. At the gates, they saw two vehicles ready to leave. Daryl was driving the leading armored car, and a bus full of strangers was behind him. “Let's go.” Michonne guided Teagan towards the armored car.

“Who are those people?” Teagan was confused by the few dozen people she had never seen before.

“Some new friends trying to escape the fate of their old ones. Come on.”

Teagan tried to shake the confusion as she walked to the armored car. Daryl looked straight ahead, gripping the wheel tightly. “Com'on. Ain't got all day.” His voice was rough. He sounds like how he did when I first met him. Michonne opened the rear door and let Teagan in. She motioned for Teagan to scoot over, and Michonne got in next to her.

“Daryl, do you have handkerchiefs?” He groaned, reached into his pocket and handed Michonne two handkerchiefs. “Thanks.”

Daryl revved the engine and they drove off, with the bus close behind them. It was dark by now. Michonne gently wrapped the handkerchiefs around the raw, bleeding spots on Teagan's wrists. “Just for now.” Michonne smiled at Teagan, but Teagan did not reciprocate. Michonne sat back and simply watched, bouncing between Daryl's intense, but slow driving, and Teagan changing her own gaze between Daryl and the window. After a few minutes, Daryl took his free hand and tried to discreetly buckle his seatbelt. Michonne watched as a smile crept over Teagan's face as she watched Daryl. Teagan bit her lip and went back to looking out the window. After awhile, Daryl pulled up to the warehouse and parked. He unbuckled, and left the keys in the ignition.

“What are you doing?” Michonne asked quickly before Daryl got out of the car.

“Gettin' the other car.” He mumbled so strongly, he was hard to understand. He slammed the door shut and disappeared into the darkness. His crossbow was left in the passenger seat.

“Want me to drive?” Michonne asked Teagan.

“Sure.”

By the time Michonne got behind the wheel, Daryl was already on the road. Michonne started the car and followed, with the bus behind them.