#shane walsh x original female character

[rickmymanrick]

one rule | chapter six

[rick grimes x original female character slowburn]

series masterlist

summary: rick confides in daphne, for reasons unknown to her. as she offers him counsel, daphne is also grappling with conflicting feelings of her own.

notes: if you're disappointed by this reaction, this is a friendly reminder that season 1 rick was mr moral high ground. but trust me when i say there WILL be a catalyst for rick's entire wrath and fury. this is just one step closer to that. do not fear, rick will be kicking shane's ass very soon :) also, the pacing is so bad in this, i might rewrite this whole chapter soon. but feel free to comment, i love talking to you all!

I froze. In fact, I think all three of us did and I realized with a jolt how out of my depth I was here. This had nothing to do with me and of course, here I was, in the smack dab middle of it.

Daryl scoffed one more time and then trudged into the woods, mumbling all sorts of things. I stared after him until he disappeared within the trees. His words dawned on me and my eyes slowly traveled over to Shane.

Sure, Rick's sudden appearance had served as a nice distraction from the big glaring problem I had waiting here for me if I got back alive, but reality had to be faced eventually. My inner conflict since last night had been tearing me from the inside-out, as I tried to figure out my feelings for Shane Walsh. After all, he has been generously kind to me in all the years I've known him, albeit flirty but in a respectful way. He didn't cross any lines I'd deemed uncrossable and I wouldn't deny that his concern and priority over my well-being filled me with sensation far beyond gratitude.

The kiss caught me off guard. But now this bucket of ice cold water had been dumped over my head. Just as I began to entertain the idea of harboring romantic feelings for him.

His words from last night echoed in the back of my mind.

"For what it's worth, it's always been you."

Something inexplicable gripped at my throat. But I stayed as silent as possible. Watching these two was like a ticking bomb, any second away from detonating.

Shane stared at Rick with a troubled expression, his foot twisting into the dirt uncomfortably.

I knew in an instant Daryl Dixon did not lie.

Did he know this was my usual spot to gather berries and other edible plants? With his tracking abilities, I wouldn't doubt it, despite not talking to the man much but...

Of all the miles that surrounded our camp, why stretch out the smug admission of a hidden truth, a treacherous affair, until this very spot, just steps away from where I was crouched in the bush, picking for blueberries?

I reprimanded myself at the thought. Why would Daryl Dixon care about my knowing of Shane's personal escapades?

"She..." Shane started quite hesitantly. "Lori... she thought you were dead, man."

"Did you?"

Shane scoffed as if the accusation baffled him. "You heard 'em. I... I tried, Rick. I saw you every chance I got. The day it all went down— I didn't have a damn clue what was going on. Screams from left to right, the military raining fire on anyone who was still breathing. Hell, I tried to get you out of there, man! But it couldn't be the two of us dead because you still had a wife and a child out there! And if I couldn't save you, I could damn well save them!" He was unexpectedly set off, angrier than he should've been. "And let me tell you somethin', I did it for you. I did it for my brother. L-Lori, we were comforting each other in the only way we knew how—"

"I thought you were gone."

His partner's face was crestfallen. His lips parted like the shock was threatening to sink him under, his eyes glazed over from the betrayal.

"After I woke up in that hospital bed, when I saw what the world had become. The first thing I thought about was Carl and Lori. And then you. Our unit. For a moment, I thought you were all dead—"

Rick choked up and Shane's face morphed into something reminiscent of guilt. I couldn't quite tell though. I'd like to think that after years, I knew this man. But now he was completely unreadable.

Running a hand over his face, down his glistening eyes, Rick squared his stance and stared his longest friend in the eye.

"Our marriage... fell apart a long time ago," he shook his head and clenched his jaw. "But that doesn't make this okay."

There was a long moment of tense silence and I didn't realize I was holding my breath until my chest began to burn. I tried to control the air releasing from my lungs.

"I appreciate what you did. Saving 'em. I owe you everythin' but—" Rick cut himself off, glaring at the grass between them. He seemed to be saying these words through his teeth, forcing himself to say them. His hand began to flex angrily and his feet kicked the dirt beneath them in warning.

I stared at them with a mix of emotions.

One was a man that had changed my life forever, taught me how to survive in a post-apocalyptic world where I should've died. He cared for me, never shied away from making it clear that I was his priority. And maybe I was too blinded by the attention to see that there was something going on between him and Lori. That she was also carelessly pushed to the side in the weeks we'd been forming a new life together. And to know that she'd been having sex with him all along, I could only hope that she didn't have actual feelings for him, because it would explain the strange looks I had been catching from her, and my guilt would only increase tenfold.

And on the other hand was her husband, a man I have been pining over since the moment I laid eyes on him in the precinct.

Rick Grimes had an instant hold over me, no matter how minuscule or undetectable it had gotten over the years, and no matter what, he had always truly been the most gorgeous man I've known inside and out.

What does that say about me? Lusting after my friend's husband and then fucking around with the feelings of her goddamn side piece.

I suddenly became nauseous.

"I get it, man. I'll go back to the camp," said Shane after a long stretch of silence. I kept my eyes on Rick, unable to look at Shane with the turmoil brewing inside me. A simmering anger was twisting my insides at the mere sound of his voice.

"Uh— yeah, yeah," Rick mumbled distractedly, not bothering to even look up, fists clenching and unclenching by his sides.

A pair of footsteps stomped away, crunching along the grass until the only thing that could be heard was the chirps of the nearby insects.

As soon as Shane disappeared within the trees, Rick spun around to send his fist flying into a tree, a muffled yell leaving his pressed lips. He was beyond angry, tears lining his lash line, face turning red. I stared with wide eyes, trying not to make a single sound.

I felt incredibly bad for him. I couldn't imagine fighting tooth and nail to make it back to your wife just to find that she had moved on to your best friend so quickly. That although their marriage had already been suffering, she had chosen to sleep with the man he trusted more than anyone else.

Something wet touched my hand. I uncurled my fist to find a handful of crushed blueberries.

"How long you been there?"

I jolted up in surprise, my curls tangled into the bush and the pouch of berries slipped out of my other hand.

"I was here first," I replied defensively, still hidden in the bush.

Rick didn't say anything, just peered past the leaves as if he couldn't quite spot me. But somehow he knew I was there, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"You were," he eventually said, slowly. "I saw you just before Daryl left."

Relief flooded through me. I slowly untangled myself from the branches, stepping out into the path with tinged cheeks. "I was picking berries. Found the patch a few weeks ago."

His cheeks were flushed, his hands shaking very slightly by his side.

"I can leave you alone," I said after some silence. "I'll go back to camp—"

"No." Rick said firmly, meeting my eye very briefly before glaring back down at the ground.

I halted my escape. "Oh, um, okay."

The awkwardness was threatening to eat me alive. I shifted on my feet, wondering where to look and what to do with my hands.

"Do you..." I eagerly looked up at Rick, glad one of us was talking. "Did you know?"

I studied him. Really, there should be no reason for him to be upset with me too, but I braced myself for his wrath anyway. He'd spared Shane because they were partners, but we were nothing. As much as it bothered me, Rick and I didn't owe each other an ounce of respect in this new world.

"No," I told him honestly. A surge of anger towards Shane rushed through me again. My cheeks felt hot.

"I keep wondering... if I have the right to even be upset. I wasn't a good husband to her, I know this, and you're the last person I should be telling this to but—"

The last person? Should I be offended or something? I decide now wasn't the best time to press for details. "It's fine. I know this can't be easy for you. To wake up to... this."

Rick scoffed a little, but not in a rude way. It was as if I'd said something outlandish and absurd.

"I woke up and the hardest part was done. Seeing the world change— changing with it— becoming the leader of a group you have no responsibilities or ties to. You, you did the hard part."

"Oh— did Shane—?"

"Shane didn't hafta tell me nothin'. Lori and I talked last night. She told me everything that happened since the day I got shot," explained Rick solemnly.

I cringed at the thought of them spending time alone last night. Not that it was crazy to imagine; they were still married.

"I guess I have a lot to be thanking you for," Rick looked up at me with an intense sincerity in his gaze. I tried not to squirm under the pressure of it. He continued. "You saved my family. That is something I will never be able to repay."

He stepped forward and laid a large hand on my shoulder. I could feel some heat rush to my ears. "You have my gratitude."

"Carl's a great kid. And Lori's my friend. I would do it a million times over," I told him truthfully.

He stared at me for a few moments, his hand still holding my shoulder as his eyes scanned every bit of my face. Sighing, he stepped away and brought himself to the ground carefully, sitting with his knees bent and leaning an elbow against them thoughtfully.

It was silent again, but it didn't feel as awkward as before so I sat next to him and began to wash the berries off with the bottle of water I'd brought with me from camp.

"What... what do I do?"

My head shot over to stare at him. "You're asking me."

I didn't state it as a question, more as a statement of shock, thinking about how ironic it was that the fate of a marriage I had once upon a time envied was now partly in my hands. The guilt was still there, painfully tugging at my heartstrings.

Rick shrugged and made a show of looking around at the empty trees around us.

"I can't really tell you what to do, Rick."

"What I really wanna do is break his jaw in. Watch him choke on his teeth."

I'm surprised at the restraint it took for him to not send his fist flying in the first place. I was fully prepared to watch Shane's ass get beat.

"He deserves it," I instigated slightly. I couldn't possibly be as angry as he was but I understood. Shane does deserve a good punch.

He sighed and shook his head at the ground.

"I don't know how to go on. How to look him in the face—" he scowled. "We were brothers. He was my best friend. He knew." Rick snapped.

"He knew...?"

"He was the one person I confided in. I told him about Lori and I. I told him when things started going south. I never thought in a million years I'd have to worry." He spat, shaking his head angrily.

I felt some of that bitterness surge in me as well. I felt completely and utterly deceived by the same goddamn person.

"We never do," I projected a bit. I couldn't help it, the anger was swelling in me as well. Just the thought of Shane's stupid face made me want to punch something. "They fill our heads with all these stupid promises and reassurances just to stab you right in the back anyway."

Am I being overdramatic? Most likely. Hell, I probably deserved this. I led Shane on for so long, I couldn't be mad that he moved on to someone else. I just couldn't understand why he'd said the things he did last night. The kiss.

I've never been more goddamn confused in my life.

It was quiet for a few minutes, my last comment brewing in the silence but I didn't think Rick would pay much mind to it. He had bigger problems of his own.

"Carl— he's so young..." he said idly as if it had just occurred to him.

Too young for a divorce was what he meant.

I couldn't disagree with that. There's no age that seeing your parents separate becomes easier to deal with. But he's not the same nine-year-old Rick had known before he got shot.

"Rick, the world isn't the same anymore. It doesn't excuse Lori's actions or Shane's, but all of that doesn't matter so much when you're trying to keep yourself from getting eaten by dead cannibals. I can't tell you what to do but in the grand scheme of things, I think Carl will learn to understand."

I didn't know whether this brought him any comfort because he seemed to have nothing else to say on the matter. Maybe I was too straightforward, after all Carl was his kid at the end of the day. Despite how much I'd grown to care for him...

"I've been thinking about the man we left behind."

I looked over at him in shock. It was the last thing I'd been expecting him to bring up. But as soon as I looked at his blue eyes, I could almost see the plans he was concocting.

He wanted to go after him.

"You can't be serious," I scoffed. I'd been pushing aside my own thoughts about Merle Dixon. Just one more thing to add to my consciousness. As much of a dickhead as he was, we'd left a human being for dead.

"It isn't right. Leaving him up there to die," insisted Rick.

"He would do the same to any of us," I argued. "You just escaped the city. Survived alone against all odds. You're willing risk that for a douchebag like Merle?"

I observed the incredulous look on his face with disdain. It's different for him. He was just introduced to this new fucked up reality. He still has hope that we can be the heroes of this story-- that we can afford to care about anyone but ourselves.

"This-- what we have here-- this is what we focus on. It's unfortunate but Merle dug his own grave. It isn't worth risking your life, Rick."

I hated the way he was looking at me but I steeled myself. He'd learn soon enough. Men like Merle weren't worth compromising your safety for. It was every man for himself in the old world, and even more so in the new one.

I shoved every silly feeling I've had for Rick to the side and gave him a stern look back. I willed myself not to care about the disgust on his face because soon enough, he'd understand.

He'd understand what we've done to keep his wife and son alive.

Rick opened his mouth and I braced myself, ready to hear something along the lines of me being a murderer and a split second thought ran through my head.

Shane would agree with me.

A blood curdling scream cut through the dense silence.

"MOM! DAD!"

I was up before I could even process it, tearing through the woods with Rick at my heels.

"CARL!" Rick and I yelled in unison. I gripped the pistol Shane had given me tight, not caring if my face was torn up by the stray branches I ran against, heart pounding in my chest as I willed my legs to move faster than they ever have.

"Here!" I tossed a knife back to Rick as I pushed ahead of him, beating him in speed by a milestone.

"MAMA! MOMMY!" A high-pitched voice screamed.

Finally, I stumbled upon where Sophia and Carl were huddled. Making a beeline towards the kids, despite the walker that stood yards away.

I grabbed them by the shoulders, looking them up and down frantically. Trying to find a bite, a scratch, anything.

A body came slamming into mine and I suddenly heard their screams, the rest of the group had been searching as well.

Lori grabbed her son frantically, snatching him from my grasp and patting his arms down in a panic. "Carl! Nothing bit you, nothing scratched you?"

"No, I'm fine," Carl shook his head.

Jacqui came running out of nowhere.

"Soph?" The small blonde girl shook her head frantically before sprinting in the direction of camp, no doubt searching for her mother.

"She wasn't bit. We're both okay." Carl reassured.

I gripped my pistol and set my sights on the walker. It was feasting on a deer, crouched over and ripping its neck to shreds. I grimaced, inching forward with Rick and Glenn at my side.

Shane made brief eye contact with me before the walker suddenly straightened up and whipped around.

Rick wasted no time, slashing its face with the knife I'd handed him. Shane used the end of his rifle and Glenn started beating the damn thing with a stick. Even Morales had a turn before Dale swung his axe and chopped its head off clean.

It was silent as we all stared at the mess of guts and blood in shock.

"That's the first one we've had up here. They never come this far up the mountain," said Dale shakily.

"Well, they're running out of food in the city. That's what," replied Jim, another survivor who was normally a man of few words.

A branch snapped and we all raised our weapons, my safety turning off once more.

I curled my finger around the trigger as the steps got closer.

"Oh, Jesus," Dale sighed in relief as Daryl came stomping out from between the bushes. I lowered my gun and shook my head.

"Son of a bitch! That's my deer! Look at it. All gnawed on by this filthy—" Daryl kicked the headless walker angrily.

"—disease-bearing—"

Kick.

"—motherless—"

Another kick.

"—poxy bastard!"

"Calm down, son. That's not helping."

"What do you know about it, old man?" Daryl sneered at Dale, getting in his face. "Why don't you take that stupid hat and go back to 'on golden pond?' If it wasn't for you idiots running it off earlier, I would've taken it back to camp. Maybe I can cut around this chewed up part. Take some for the road."

"Wouldn't risk that," Shane sighed.

"That's a damn shame," Daryl said, giving Shane a nasty glare before raising his bow and shooting an arrow into the walker's reanimated head.

Huffing, he shoulder-checked Glenn as he passed by, ripping the arrow out with a squelch.

I couldn't blame him for being angry. As much of an asshole as Merle was, he was still Daryl's family.

Glenn rubbed his shoulder and rolled his eyes.

"Daryl!" Rick rushed after him, disappearing into the trees with my knife. I was briefly confused until I remembered where our last conversation left off.

"God help us all," I smacked a hand on my forehead and began to make my way back to camp. Slowly so I wouldn't catch up to Daryl and Rick.

"Hold up, Daph," Glenn caught up to me with a huff. "Were you ever going to tell me about Rick being the Rick?"

"What?"

Glenn glanced behind us. Likely looking for Shane.

"Rick Grimes? Like super hot hip-swaying coworker Grimes? I'm fucking offended, Daph."

"Do you want everyone to hear you?" I whispered harshly, scanning the woods to make sure Rick or Shane weren't lurking about.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"Sorry, it wasn't really at the forefront of my mind yesterday. I was more thinking about all the dead people trying to eat us."

"What are the freaking odds?" Glenn marveled. "Out of all people, he runs into us. You know, anybody else would've left him for dead."

"Yes, you're a goddamn hero, Glenn."

"Damn right I am. Saved your man from certain death."

My eyes widened comically and I whacked him in the side. "He's not my man. Don't say shit like that around Shane or Lori."

"Of course not. I'm not crazy. You see 'em around here?"

"I dunno. Shane has eyes and ears everywhere."

"True," Glenn nodded, staring at his feet as we walked. Suddenly, he stopped.

"What's up with you two? You've been weird since yesterday morning."

Fuck. I knew it wouldn't slip past him. Glenn knew me too well for this to just slide and the only reason I'd been keeping it from him was because of how selfish and ashamed I felt.

"Don't judge me, okay?"

His eyebrows pinched together in confusion. "Okay?"

I seized his sleeve and took us a little ways off the trail, closer to the blueberry patch. Speaking of which, I left all of the ones I'd collected in the dust. Goddamnit.

"Um— two nights ago, Shane and I... well, we kissed."

His jaw dropped slightly.

"He kissed me." I defended quickly, before Glenn could give me a judgmental look.

"Did you want it?" He asked carefully.

"Yes— well, no— I don't know."

Glenn narrowed his gaze, sending a glance in the direction of camp. His cheeks tinted red and he shifted uncomfortably.

"He didn't force himself onto me, if that's what you think." I said quickly, recognizing the signs of Glenn's impending anger.

His chest fell in relief.

"I just... I screwed up, Glenn. I led him on. I let him kiss me and I kissed him back. I didn't even know if I wanted it. And then Rick of all people shows up! The one person I was holding out hope for. I'm not a homewrecker but I am delusional."

Glenn stayed silent so I continued with a sigh.

"I should've given Shane a chance before the world went to shit. But I didn't and now everything is so much more complicated... he, um, he told me there's no one else."

"Damn."

I closed my eyes frustratingly. "I know."

"That's clearly a lie."

I gave him a side-eyed glare. "I know."

Glenn pursed his lips awkwardly and looked away.

"How long have you known?" I asked with a sigh. Wouldn't be surprised if I was the last one to find out.

"Not long. I stumbled upon them in the woods the other day. I can't get the image out of my head, I think I'm scarred for life." He grimaced. "I would've told you if I knew he was trying to make a move."

"It's fine," I began to walk back over to the path again. "You couldn't have known. It happened late at night and I was wallowing in self-pity yesterday."

I stomped on the fallen leaves, trying to release some of the pent-up frustration before getting back.

"It's just... I told him it'd take time but I was willing to give us a try. All this time I've felt guilty for even missing that part of my life when Lori was still grieving her husband. Just to find out her and Shane are having sex this whole time."

Glenn readjusted his cap. "Gotta wonder if this started now or before."

That's a good point.

I wasn't a good husband to her, Rick had said to me earlier.

I don't know anything about their lives from before. I only knew Rick at a professional level. And whatever Shane would tell me when he was trying to chat me up every other day at work.

I can't really judge Rick or Lori. She thought he was dead and Rick... well, I don't know what he meant by not being a good husband.

This was truly a mess I had no part in.

"I'm taking myself out of this equation. I have enough on my plate for me to worry about this love triangle."

"More like a rectangle."

I gave him a confused look.

"You like Rick. Rick likes Lori. Lori like Shane. Shane likes you and Lori?"

God, I love and hate his out-of-pocket comments sometimes. But Glenn keeps it real. I gotta respect that.

Rick likes Lori.

Well technically, Rick should love Lori and he probably does. She's the mother of his child and I can't pretend to know everything about their relationship, but if what Rick said earlier was true, there wasn't much of a relationship anymore.

"I could really use some vodka," I groaned, feeling a headache forming between my eyes.

"Same," Glenn said sadly as we approached camp.

Everyone had resumed to their usual activities. Lori and Carl were nowhere to be found but I assumed they were in their tent or the RV. Carol was folding clothes with little Sophia at her feet.

I did a double-take when I saw Rick and Shane speaking to the side. I could faintly hear their conversation.

"So that's it, huh? To hell with everybody else? What about Lori?"

"Don't talk to me about her. I'm not saying to hell with anybody. Especially not to my son." Rick said firmly, buttoning up his sheriff's uniform. He started walking past his former partner.

"Tell them that."

Rick whipped around, an unreadable expression on his face as he stared back at his friend.

"They know. You'd best leave me alone. It's in your best interest. This ain't got nothing to do with you."

I started walking over, feeling a fight begin to stir up. Shane didn't look like he was deterred by Rick's unapproachable attitude and there's no way Rick wasn't still upset about his best friend's actions.

"Well, look, I--I don't, okay, Rick? So could you just throw me a bone here, man? Could you just tell me why? Why would you risk your life for a douchebag like Merle Dixon?"

"Hey, choose your words more carefully," threatened Daryl, who was standing nearby.

"No, I did. Douchebag's what I meant."

"You have something in common then," said Rick jarringly. I was taken aback, not expecting that type of insult to fly out of Officer Grimes' mouth. He was always the passive one.

Glenn chortled next to me.

Shane took it unflinchingly. "Merle Dixon-- that guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dying of thirst, man."

"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me. I can't let a man die of thirst. Me. Thirst and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being. I don't recall asking for your opinion either."

"So you and Daryl? That's your big plan?" Lori asked, more at ease than I would've expected given the tense circumstances.

I observed her easy posture, other than the frustration she was likely feeling over the fact that her husband was trying to go on a damn suicide mission. I watched as her eyes subtly traveled from Rick to Shane. Then I realized Shane must not have told her a damn thing.

Rick looked at her with hardened eyes. And then switched his gaze over to—

Glenn groaned. "Oh, come on."

There's no way in hell.

"You wanna drag someone else on this suicide mission?" I interjected exasperatedly. I gave Rick my nastiest glare, unable to believe his audacity.

"You're really okay with letting a man die?"

"It's like I said before. He'd do the same to any of us," I lowered my voice and stepped closer to Rick, eyeing Daryl's angry pacing over his shoulder. "He was going to get himself killed eventually. And he would've dragged us all down with him."

I'm not evil. I'm not. I just don't want to see Rick die.

Rick stared at me for a moment before setting his attention onto Glenn.

"You know the way," I scoffed as he ignored me completely. "You've been there before. In and out, no problem. You said so yourself."

Glenn took his cap off and started rubbing his head-- a nervous tick of his.

I've never felt so angry with anyone. Knowing he was asking this of Glenn. Asking him to risk his life once more when he already had just to save Rick's skin.

"It's not fair of me to ask. I know that." Rick glanced over to me apologetically. I guess he isn't deaf. "But I'd feel a lot better if you came along."

"That's just great." Shane scowled, stepping closer to me. "Now you're gonna risk three men, huh?"

"Four," said T-Dog from the edge of camp.

Daryl scoffed. "My day just gets better and better, don't it?"

"Be grateful anyone's willing to save that dick," I bristled.

"Yeah, you see anybody else stepping up to save your brother's cracker ass?"

"Why you?" Daryl asked T-Dog.

"You wouldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language."

"That's four," said Dale exasperatedly.

"That's not just four. You're putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that, Rick. Come on. You saw that walker. It was here, it was in camp."

Despite it all, Shane and I usually saw eye to eye on most things. We weren't afraid to make hard decisions to keep the camp safe. The first week or so when it was just the five of us, Shane and I would stay up late into the early hours of the morning. Talking about our limits— what we were willing to do to make sure our loved ones stayed alive. Even if prioritizing our safety meant leaving others behind.

It's why I still can't believe Ed Peletier is still a good-for-nothing member of our camp. After his and Shane's scuffle, I was certain Shane and I would find a way to get rid of him. Whereas douchebag volatile Merle contributed brawn and hunting game, Ed contributed nothing.

"They're moving out the city. They come here, they get to camp-- we need every able body we got. We need 'em here. We need 'em to protect camp." Shane emphasized.

"You went through hell to find us," added Lori. "You just got here and you're gonna turn around and leave?"

"Dad, I don't want you to go." Carl pleaded.

"Shane is right. Merle Dixon? He's not worth even one of your lives! Tell me. Make me understand." Lori said angrily, standing up.

Rick sighed and crouched in front of Carl, making a point to speak mostly to him. "I owe a debt to a man I met and his little boy. If they hadn't taken me in, I'd have died. It's because of them that I made it back to you at all. They said they'd follow me to Atlanta. They'll walk into the same trap I did if I don't warn him."

"What's stopping you?" Lori asked from the side.

"The walkie-talkie. I dropped it in the tank I hid in," Rick looked back at Glenn and I. "He's got the other one. Our plan was to connect when they got closer."

"I feel for them. I really do but I can't listen to this shit any longer," I hissed quietly at Glenn before stomping away towards our tent.

Footsteps crunched behind me and I knew he was following me. I slipped off my shoes and threw myself onto my sleeping bag, irritated beyond belief. The second Rick mentioned the walkie he'd left behind, it reminded me of what I had left behind too— the medicine. A shit ton of it. Stuff that we'd need eventually and the vitamins the kids were so desperately lacking.

Goddamnit. Carl was one of my weakest spots. I'd grown to care for him immensely, more than I expected. His now-hallowed cheeks stabbed at my heart.

I watched as Glenn gathered his gun I'd given him from the bag I retrieved for Rick yesterday and the CB.

"You're going."

"He'll die if I don't. He's gonna go with or without me," Glenn sighed.

I stood up and pocketed my pistol. "Then I'm going too."

"What? Weren't you against this whole plan? Number one Merle hater?"

I shoved my shoes back onto my feet. "That's before you decided you were going to put your life on the line too. And I still hate that fucker. I'm not doing it for him. I'm doing it for you."

"You don't have to," Glenn grabbed my arm, halting my exit. "You should stay here."

I shot him an incredulous look. "While you go out there and risk your life?" I lowered my voice so that no one else could eavesdrop. "None of these people mean as much to me as you do. I know this is what you do but if there's any way I can help, I need to be there. Besides, I'm going back for the medicine. We're running low."

With that, I freed my arm and left our tent, beelining for the truck where Daryl was loading his bow and arrows into. I got into the passenger's seat, ignoring Shane as he threw yet another fit at the sight of me. Slamming the door shut, I groaned and closed my eyes, throwing my head back as I wondered why we were all willingly putting ourselves in danger once more.

"Yer comin' too?"

I opened an eye and peeked at Daryl through the side mirror. He was crouched behind my seat, busy with his arrows.

"Clearly."

His lip curled and he shook his head.

I couldn't give less of a fuck if he was mad. He could get over it.

The driver's seat opened and Glenn got in, readjusting his cap and giving me a glance. "Thanks," he whispered.

My anger dissipated a little and I gave him a tiny smile, knowing both of us felt a lot better going into the lion's den together. That smile quickly fell when a foot appeared between us, slamming into the wheel twice.

"Come on!" Daryl hollered, honking the horn obnoxiously.

"Don't do that. There might be other walkers close by, you idiot," I seethed.

He ignored me. "Let's go!"

taglist: @lovelyygirl8 @aleemendoza2425-blog

let me know if you'd like to be added/removed from the taglist!

series masterlist!

#the walking dead #rick grimes x reader #glenn rhee #twd #rick grimes x daphne ayala #rick grimes x oc #rick grimes x original female character #the walking dead fanfic #shane walsh x original female character #rick grimes #daphne ayala #one rule #the trail of annihilation #the walking dead x reader #the walking dead season 1 #twd fanfic #celestedvst

[darlingshane]

Aiming in the Dark

Shane Walsh x OFC (Read at AO3) 

Rating: 18+ (Explicit)

Word Count: 150k+

Chapters: 36/? (WIP)

Warnings/Content: Angst, Smut, Fluff, Romance, Crack, Hurt/Comfort, Violence, Blood, Gore, Scars, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Implied Sexual Assault, Weapons, Military Inaccuracies, Medical Inaccuracies, Light bondage, Dom/Sub Undertones.

Summary: A very resourceful woman ends up alone after the outbreak. On her way to Atlanta, she meets the group and joins them in their search for Sophia. She goes unnoticed for most of them, except for Shane, who quickly sees her as an asset to have and maybe something else.

— You can read only at AO3 (LINK)*

—  Excerpt from Chapter 32: Stowaway

Olivia is his home, that’s a fact.

Some days, it feels like a lifetime has passed since he laid eyes on her for the first time. In reality, it’s been roughly a year and a half. When his eyes close, he only sees her. His best friend, partner, and wife. She's been the brightness beacon and his true compass, giving him direction in this messed up world. Kind and passionate, she quiets his mind and eases his ache without even trying. She’s tough as nails and sharp as a tack. A raw beauty with a marshmallow core; tragically vulnerable and stubborn at times. She can be too damn cocky for her own good and can straight up kill you with a stare if you even cross her. He wouldn't have her any other way. Good and bad, he cherishes it all.

*A/N: I posted a couple of chapters on tumblr: here and here, that can be read as stand-alone stories. I can post the rest here individually. If anyone is interested, let me know.

#jon bernthal #shane walsh #the walking dead #shane walsh x ofc #shane walsh x original female character #twd fanfiction #shane walsh fanfiction #jon bernthal smut #fanfiction #aitd #shane x liv #darlingwrites #oh look #i finally made a proper edit and post for this fic after 3 years #i rewrote the first 17 chapters #and fixed the punctuation of the whole thing #i think it's more readable now than it was before #but you let me know #i cant tell

[thegreatwicked]

Oh, my Macabrlings, it's wild to see how much more I've written in the last year. It'd been a long time since I wrote anything back when I started up my Tumblr and y'all have been so lovely to me with your likes, comments, reblogs, and asks. So, I'm sitting in a pretty good spot with my two main stories being Shadows of Deception and Unbreakable Bonds BUT, a couple of my WIPS are growling at me every time I look at them so, so I'm going to challenge myself for what's left of the month of March!

I'm going to pick three of my oldest WIPS and try to finish them by the end of the month, if I don't, well, I guess they remain a priority until... I finish... them? Is that how this works? Meh. Whatever, without further ado here are the top three WIP contenders in no particular order!

Healing Hands: Set in the Arkham Verse following a first-person narrative of Jason Todd, the second Robin and formerly the Arkham Knight. Grappling with demons is lonely and dirty work that Jason Todd often does alone, but tonight he needs backup, following a brawl in the rain-slicked streets. The ghosts of his past are nipping at his heels and in the absence of Batman or his bat siblings, he turns to the one person he knows will understand his pain. A kindred spirit, his girlfriend, the Omen. Jason Todd/Wrenna Jameson (OFC) Smut, and fluff.

The One That Got Away: The sequel to Bet You Wish You Had Me Back and personally requested by @sodasbqe The follow-up to Shane and Austin's story, I see you there and I have been kicking around a few ideas for their story but they've been slow coming but I am working on it! Austin's been running for something for a long time and after the night she and Shane had together he's not willing to let her keep running. The past isn't so scary with a man like Shane Walsh at her back and in her heart. Shane Walsh/Austin Walker (OFC) Smut and fluff.

1001 Nights of Mischief: Follow Loki as he searches for his fiance, Sigyn; seems she's led him on a little bit of a scavenger hunt to Midguard. How does one keep the God of Mischief from getting into too much mischief? Simple. Make sure he's too busy and sated to cause any trouble. Loki/Sigyn Smut.

These are the top three I will be focusing on outside of my two main projects so if you've got any thoughts on the subject or words of encouragement let me hear them!

#jason todd deserves better #jason todd smut #arkhamverse #original female character #walking dead smut #shane walsh x oc #shane walsh fanfiction #shane walsh smut #jason todd x oc #alternate universe #loki x sigyn #loki smut #loki fanfic #loki deserves better #these were all meant to be one shots #smut writing #sweet smut #Anti hero smut #fanfiction is life #i have too many stories #original character #Work that WIP list #wips for days #Finish the WIP

[shewritesinblackink]

The horizon of Dawn - a walking dead universe fanfic - part 1: the edge of time

twdxf!oc!

part 2 part 3 part 4 ( links to come)

summary: Every day since the end of the world as we know it, Dawn watches the sun set on the horizon, and the moon rises like an ancient goddess watching her from above. Accustomed to the silence of solitude, she suddenly finds herself tangled up with a group of survivors. And the great scheme of things is disturbed.

Beginning at the quarry, before Rick is found by Glenn. Merle finds Dawn snooping around their camp and brings her to the others. What will they do? Will they trust her? Everything changes, but is it for the better?

reposting this fanfic because i think i mainly posted it on AO3, btw here's the link if you prefer to read there.

Dawn stumbled on some hidden roots as she walked in the forest, careful not to make too much noise. Who knows what lies in this forest..

A branch suddenly snapped a little farther ahead and she immediately scooted down, hiding behind some bushes. Voices erupted from nearby and a rustle of leaves being stomped on came to Dawn’s ears. Someone, possibly multiple people, were somewhere near and the thought alone made her stomach turn into a tight knot. People.. alive..

Frankly she didn’t know what to think nor do. She stood frozen in place, listening to the voices and sounds. She heard laughter and yelling. Those people weren’t really discreet, they could attract any geeks roaming around.

Put up a giant sign that says “eat me!” that’ll be the same.

Letting a soft sigh escape her lips, Dawn stood up slowly and scanned the area, searching for any signs of a human presence near her, when the shuffling of leaves started again. This time Dawn located where the sound seemed to come from. After a few seconds the young woman started walking slowly, as silently as she could, and soon enough she could make out the outline of a camp. a camp! From her hiding spot she could see a few tents and people. A woman was skinning fishes and another one was putting the laundry to dry. Rising against the trunk of a tree Dawn tiptoed to see further and noticed a lot of cars and a man on the roof of an old looking RV. He had a rifle by his side and looked toward the only road leading to and out of the quarry.

Some kids were running around, laughing and playing with toys. A man was carrying an ax and another one dry branches– presumably to make a fire later in the evening.

Dawn left her spot for another, nearer the tent and the woman preparing the fishes. She was talking to someone else and they were laughing.

Who are they? Why are they laughing like nothing ever happened? The world went to shit and they are just camping like a big friend group would.

Getting a little bit closer, she listened in to the conversation, hoping to learn something about this group.

Maybe they have food.. that thought made her stomach growl and she stopped moving, hoping the women didn’t hear it. She waited a little but they didn’t move so she changed her position again, walking along the edge of the camp, hiding behind tents and running bent down when she had nothing to cover her but bushes.

What Dawn didn’t realize was that someone was also watching her.

Merle was silently standing a few meters away hidden by low branches and bushes, his hands in his pockets, as he was watching someone going around their camp. When he first spotted the silhouette behind the trees he’d thought it was another geek, but then he noticed how the shadow had moved, from trees to bushes, careful not to step on crunchy leaves and to stay low. He thought that whoever was that person, they were used to walking silently even before the world went to shit, or they were smart enough to understand the basics of surviving.

Not like those jackasses we’re stuck with, a scowl appeared on his face at the thought. 

At the beginning, he and his little brother Daryl had decided to follow the train of cars leaving the main road because they were heading in the opposite direction– not going for Fort Benning. They quickly drove on a dust road and arrived at the quarry and the brothers had thought it would indeed be smart to find a place to stay for a few days instead of being stuck on the road with all those things roaming the area.

But now, weeks had passed and they weren’t so sure of what to do anymore. Should they leave the group and try to survive by themselves, or should they stay? Merle couldn't bring himself to make a decision and Daryl didn’t seem much interested in leaving. A few nights ago they’d just talked about it and he had said to his big brother what’s the point o’ leavin’? Merle opened his mouth to retort something but felt silent, short on words. He didn’t know what to do so they silently agreed on staying until something happened, maybe an opportunity presenting itself or whatever.

A soft noise of leaves being moved brought the man back to the present, and his blue eyes moved frantically when he noticed the silhouette was gone. But he quickly remained calm as he spotted the person a little more on his left, peeking through the tents. Probably planning on stealing our stuff. His jaw tenses.

Quickly, he moved silently through the forest and came behind the silhouette as if hunting his next dinner. A sweet little deer would be perfect. Grabbing the person by the upper arm, he tossed them around and without giving a damn whether or not he was hurting them, he dragged them toward camp. “Look what i found!” he yelled at the others. The stranger immediately started to wiggle, trying to break free from his rude grasp but they were so close to the camp she didn’t have the time to throw a kick his way that he threw her to the ground heavily. The gravel hitting her sweaty palms, she quickly got up in a small cloud of dust, eying her surroundings expectantly.

Here under the hard sun of the early afternoon he could see the person more clearly. It was a young woman, probably in her early twenties, shoulder length hair the color of hazelnuts. Her eyes were scanning the people slowly gathering around her, jaw tight and twitching. They were whispering things and it made her feel uneasy, he saw her fingers move near her leg, as if they were itching. itching to grab somethin’ to defend herself, he scoffed to himself. Her gaze met his and it was defiant. Merle could see different emotions passing in her eyes, she was trying to suppress them, to control them. Anger, disorientation, fear.

He detailed her from head to toes; the hunting knife hung at her belt, her cargo pants, dirty hiking shoes and flannel button-down shirt. She was ready for the apocalypse, he thought and a smug smile appeared on his lips. She looked like the type of person who’s always ready for whatever comes their way.

This should be fun.

The women and men of the camp gathered around the stranger and were doing just like him; detailing her, watching every little detail about her. Her dirty face and hair, long nails untrimmed since a long time were dirty and bloody, some were broken or bite down. Multiple cuts on her fingers and hands had left soft scars on the flesh, and on her right arm he saw weird black lines running from her middle finger to hide beneath her sleeves. That detail picked his curiosity particularly.

Shit-head-Shane, like he called him in his mind, came closer than the rest of the crowd and held out a gun. S’he gonna shoot the deer?

“What the hell’s goin’ on?”

“Found ‘er snoopin’ around yer tents.”

Shane threw a weird look toward Merle, exhaling sharply as if the sound of his voice was enough to draw the worst in him. Shane opened his mouth, wanting to ask him what he was doing alone in the forest but he kept his mouth shut for once. He had to deal with something new. 

“And you are?” His eyes were now fixated on hers, dark like charcoal and his brow furrowed. She didn’t speak, didn’t even open her mouth.

Shane’s patience was thin, Merle knew it. She’d better start talking or she’d end up with a bullet in her pretty head.

“Hey! I asked you something!” He took a step closer and moved the gun toward her head, almost yelling. Everybody watched as she swallowed hard, thinking.

“Name’s Dawn.”

“Dawn, okay. Well, what were you doin’? Planning on takin’ our food?”

“No.”

Her brow was furrowed as if she was telling the truth but Merle wasn’t a fool. What a girl, alone in the forest, good as sneaking around, would do close to their camp if not steal their food or anything useful to her? Maybe she even had a settlement with people waiting for her. But it seemed odd as Daryl and him had spent the last weeks hunting in the forest, they never saw anyone, not even the smoke of a campfire.

“What were you doing? I’m not gonna ask this a third time.” Shane’s tone was low and sounded like thunder. He seemed so angry, so on edge, Merle thought he’d shoot the poor thing right here right now, in front of the others, with the children watching in horror.

The girl– Dawn, took a look around her. She observed the people gathered in a large circle far from her but not too much. They were scared but still wanted to witness what would happen, they wanted a show, drama to unfold. Life at the quarry was becoming too dull and boring now that they were all settled in a little routine.

Her chest rose and fell heavily, as though she was out of breath. And maybe she was from trying to get free from Merle’s grasp. Maybe she was scared. But a second and a blink later, she became an entire new person, as calm as the surface of a lake. She rose to her full height, scanning the crowd once more, her breathing became more regular and calm.

“I was walking when i heard noises so i went to check it out.” her tone was flat, not pleading, not asking. Almost confident. Almost. 

Shane let out a small laugh. hu-hu, mister shit-head is making fun of the new chick, that ain’t good.

“Why would you do that?”

“Do what?”

“You playin’ stupid on me?” Shane shook the gun, cocking his head to one side.

She didn’t answer, it was almost defiantly. Truly she didn’t even have an answer. Anything she would or could say would be for nothing as they would find something weird about it. As if during a zombie apocalypse a young woman traveling alone was the most bizarre thing.

Her gaze dropped to her dirt covered shoes, her hands hidden along her pants and too big shirt, making fists like she was trying to hold herself together.

“Don’t know,” she trailed off, looking up at Shane, eyes watery. “I was just alone when it all went to shit and..” She drew in a shaky breath, becoming another person again, Merle furrowed his brow in confusion. “And i didn’t know where to go.” She glanced at the crowd surrounding her like she was an actress on stage checking her audience, making sure everyone was listening. “Figured the woods would be safe enough for a few weeks.”

Merle noticed how everybody shifted from one foot to the other, crossing their arms or putting their hands in their pockets. Nobody knew what to do, and nobody wanted to deal with the situation if they were being honest. But they enjoyed the distraction. So did he.

***

When a big man walked up to her, Dawn didn’t know how she should play it so she started getting a hold of herself ; getting up to her full height, calm and unreadable face, arms on each side of her body. But she saw how the man talking to her felt more uncomfortable by her stance and attitude. So she shifted back to the scared young girl, maybe with a hint of naivety on her face. Eyes open big and watery, brow furrowed, mouth shut tight as though she was trying not to piss herself or burst into tears. She hoped her little character would convince them she didn’t mean any harm. Truly she was just alone in those woods when she heard the noises. But why would they believe her? why would hey believe anything i have to say?

The first to speak from the crowd of survivors was a woman. Short gray hair and worry written all over her face, she was clutching a little girl’s hand.

“Shane, i think you’re scaring her.” Her voice was soft and calm, almost a whisper.

So the big man’s name was Shane, okay, Dawn took notes mentaly.

“She’s just a lost girl, have a little sympathy.” And at that the short haired woman took a few steps until she was close to Dawn. So close she thought she was going to embrace her in a hug. The little girl stayed behind clutching her dirty teddy bear, eyes wild open.

“Carol.” Shane’s voice sounded like a warning but an old man stepped in. He had a hat and a sniper-rifle, Dawn recalled seeing him on the RV’s roof.

“Hey.” He offered her a warm smile and for no reason it made Dawn feel a little less scared. Because she was really scared, she just didn’t want to show it in the first place. She’d learned that, in life, showing weakness to the wrong person could end badly, so she always pulled on a stern face, trying to appear tough and hard.

The old man took off his hat, put it in the hand holding the rifle and held his now free hand out to Dawn. Was she supposed to shake it? Like everything was normal and this was just an encounter like they would’ve had before?

She shook it nonetheless. Her sweaty palm felt small and weak in his warm one. He smiled again and Dawn sniffed back tears, nodding slightly at him.

“Dale what the hell you doin’?” Shane had dropped his gun, but still held it firmly as if the newcomer would suddenly turn into one of those things and aggressively start eating whoever came too close.

“Welcoming a lost young girl by making her feel not scared, Shane.” The old man– Dale, threw a scowl at Shane. He insisted on each word, trying to put some sense into Shane’s head.

“He’s right,” another woman said, taking a step forward. She had long brown hair, curly from the humidity that stung in the air of the quarry. A little boy was clutching her tight.

Shane’s shoulders seemed to drop as his face distorted into something between laugh and incredulity.

“Lori–”

“No, Shane! Damn it! Look at her and tell me she looks seriously threatening to you?”

Dawn took it at her clue to look as scared and inoffensive as she could, and when Shane turned his head toward her she tried to muster some tears to make her appear even more frightened. He huffed in exasperation, not very convinced but turned on the safety of his gun and put it back in his holster at his waist.

Dawn took a good look at that scary man; he was wearing military boots and his pants and t-shirt looked awfully like some cop’s uniform. So he’s a cop, uh.

The young woman was trying to register as much information as she could while still appearing harmless. She hoped no one had seen her knife at her belt, even though she could easily make them believe she didn’t know how to use it. I’m not dangerous, she wanted to tell them, but was it true? Was she really as nice as she tried to appear?

Dale, placed a hand on her shoulder and started to walk her to the RV, the crowd started to dissipate as the show was ending. Carol and Lori followed them inside the vehicle.

***

After Dale took the new girl to the RV for whatever chit-chat he, Lori and Carol wanted to have, the rest of the crowd disappeared, everyone going back to their chores or whatever they were doing before. But as he stood in place, he saw the worried looks on some faces and the curiosity on some others, glancing toward the RV from time to time. Would they welcome her into the group or send her on her way? Or something else? He didn’t want to stand right there like an idiot but he was curious as to what kind of conversation the four of them were having.

Before even taking a step toward the RV, he saw in the corner of his eye the way Shane looked at him. That ain’t good. Merle spat on the floor.

Shit-face-Shane walked over to where Merle was still standing, his arms on his hips like he was the high commander of the quarry and the others his little obedient soldiers.

“How’d you find her?” It was a simple question but Merle found great pleasure in playing around with the cop.

He just shrugged and put on his best “go fuck yourself” kinda smile.

“Merle.”

“What?” Merle tried to seem surprised like a child caught with his hand in the candy jar, but he was more annoyed than anything. “ ‘was just walkin’ back to camp when i saw someone snoopin’ aroun’.” Shane didn’t know what to say, he was just angry and frustrated and needed to unleash his emotions on someone, and what better someone than Merle Dixon, the outcast of the group, uh?

“What now? You’d have preferred me to shoot ‘er before bringin’ her lifeless to camp?” He threw his arm open in a grant gesture and walked away before Shane could say anything back. If he stayed one more second in his presence he’d have his brain splattered all over the place in the blink of an eye.

After a long time in the RV, and a curious Andrea eavesdropping from the small window on the roof while she was on duty keeping watch, the three members of the group and the newcomer went out. Dawn was the last one to get out, her plaid shirt in one hand and her backpack in the other. The man noticed the black lines on her right arm he saw a few moments earlier, it was running along her arm from the fingers and was hidden by her t-shirt's short sleeves. From afar he couldn’t tell what it was supposed to look like.

curious.

Carol got back to her daughter and husband but Lori and Dale walked the young woman to Shane. They spoke a little and like a defeated man, Shane held up his hands in a surrounding motion. He then gestured toward the trunk of his truck and gave the girl a sleeping bag.

Her backpack wasn’t big and Merle couldn’t see any tent or camping materials. She’d have to sleep with the sky as only roof, but if she survived in the forest all this time without a tent nor a sleeping bag, he guessed she’d be just fine. Hell, who’s she?

That evening, the brown haired woman sat with the others around the campfire, eating one of the squirrels Daryl had brought back from his hunt. The man wasn’t there when Merle had discovered the woman so he had a curious look on his face upon seeing a stranger at their camp. His older brother vaguely told him the story.

She was now silently sitting between Dale and Glenn, staring at the embers in the foyer while eating her share with appetite. Obviously the young man had sympathized with her, they were about the same age and she probably felt less anxious with him. He was easy to be around, but even if she smiled shyly when he talked to her, she seemed more comfortable in the silence. When nobody seemed to notice her presence.

Shane didn’t took his eyes off of her, as if he could read her very deep secrets just by staring at her.

The others also noticed how hungry she seemed to be, and when the sweet Amy gave her half of her own share, she looked up at her in surprise. Merle knew that look. Afraid someone might snatch the plate away from her. 

It seemed like no one wanted to go to sleep after dinner; beers were being opened and some people started asking questions to Dawn.

How is it being on your own? How did you survive the outbreak? Why didn’t you leave for Fort Benning like everyone else? Where is your family?

She started to shut off at that last question, which led a very thoughtful Glenn to ask other questions about her past, before telling her a bit about his.

“I was a delivery guy. What about you?” he gave her a weak smile, trying to be comforting maybe.

But she hesitated.

“Nothing special,” she let her sentence in suspens, shrugging.

 An awkward silence fell onto the small circle of survivors, some of them sipping on their warm beers– no more cooler in the apocalypse.

They talked a bit more but she seemed exhausted like the rest of them, so one by one they started to head toward their tents. Dawn settled her sleeping back next to the fireplace.

***

The next few days went by pretty simply; Dawn took part at the activity around camp, helping with the laundry, collecting woods and helping preparing the food. But Shane made it a clear point that she wasn’t allowed anywhere near the kids nor in the forest without surveillance. She wasn’t allowed any weapons, so she had to, reluctantly, give her knife to the cop– he eyed her suspiciously when he saw the hunting sharp blade and almost made a comment, but decided against it.

She slept in the open air, under the stars and she liked it, even though it could get a bit chilly at times when the embers of the small fire wouldn’t last long.

She felt a bit like an outcast even if people would smile at her, they would still throw side-glance her way and whisper in her back. Thankfully some women tried to make her feel more at ease, usually by talking, they would laugh and have some good time.

Still, Dawn felt weird. Sure the people were nice, nicer she could have hoped and Glenn and Amy were about her age so she mostly spent her time with them. The other women were good people as well, Carol was really nice and gentle, Andrea was honest and straightforward, Jacqui was a sweetheart too; they all were really nice to Dawn. It was something she wasn’t used to and didn’t really know how to deal with. Usually she was by herself, not talking much to people or interacting with strangers, so everything was new for the young woman.

She didn’t have much friends before, and certainly won’t make a lot of friends now that the vast majority of humans had turned into eating-flesh monsters. She hoped this group would grow to like her more, and vice versa. She really wanted it to work, now that she had a taste at living in a small community fighting together against the rest of the world. It seemed surreal.

Eventually those people would abandon or reject her, and she would feel worse than she already felt. And maybe she won’t even survive this time. She tried her best to cast the dark thoughts out of her mind, and it was easier when she had something to do. It was easier when she was not alone with herself, alone with her thoughts running and running like mad dogs in her head. So, everyday since she arrived at camp, she watched as the sun would set on the quarry and how life would become quieter. It seemed everything became calmer and safer at the end of the day. But she wasn’t a fool, she knew what it meant when the sun would start his race toward the horizon to hide and let the moon rise.

She knew it meant she would soon enough be alone in her sleeping bag, staring at the stars silently while her mind would play tricks on her. Sometimes a single tear would escape but she’d quickly sniffle and whip it away, closing her eyes she’d try to think about other things and eventually fall asleep.

And the next day would be the same.

any comments or recommendations/thoughts on this first part is welcome! or if you have some ideas on where the story should go, let me know!

#the walking dead #twd fanfic #rick grimes #twd daryl #twd rick #twd merle #daryl dixon #merle dixon #shane walsh #fanfic #twd imagine #fmc #female original character #merle x reader #daryl x reader #rick x reader #carol peletier #reader x twd

[kaizenwaus]

five hundred sixteen days gone

The worn off denim did nothing to protect the woman's knees from the sand and small stones that made the gravel adorning the forest's ground, not even shifting her weight from one knee to another would ease the pain of her skin fighting not to break. Although all the stinging on her skin and burning on her muscles was nothing compared to the fear and uncertainty that surrounded the clearing.

Everything was... Perfectly set for this exact moment. Almost as if they had taken their time preparing this area for this. The woman could imagine the bald man with the thick mustache cutting down trees that morning, meanwhile the blond man with the burnt face cleaned everything off as well as he planned how to lure the group to this location. Then one of them had to tell the rest of their friends about the place and the time to meet up, and they had to decide the formation of all their vehicles and the armed men. If that had been the case, they did a good job. The scene was, in fact, quite... Intimidating.

The group of survivors, sinners of innocence and naivety, were on their knees, forming half a circle in front of the motorhome that Eugene had been driving just minutes ago. There were also a couple of cars and other vehicles on the sides, their headlights dazzling the survivors and their engines loud in contrast to the silence of the night.

Behind them stood the army of men and women that called themselves the Saviours, each of them holding a firearm if not two. In front of them there were only three men: the bald man with a distinctive mustache, the blond dude with a burnt face, and... The man. The boss. The leader. Negan himself.

He looked just like Sierra had imagined him: disgustingly smug. He wore dark pants, with a leather belt hanging way too low to be comfortable. It was a cold night, so he also wore a leather jacket with a red scarf around his neck. All of this paired up with leather boots and his weapon of choice: a baseball bat.

This bat, whose name was Lucille (as the man had introduced her), had barbed wire around the top of it, which seemed kind of useless against the undead but was incredibly painful for the living.

Eenie...

After introducing himself and the bat, the man explained the reason why they decided to meet up on this beautiful starry night. He paced from one end of the line of survivors to the other, swinging his bat around as he talked and talked and talked...

The survivors were sweating, the bravest ones looking around frantically to find a way to get out of this situation, but the man did not even let them finish a thought as he laughed loudly or got too close to someone with Lucille.

Meenie...

It was nauseating how free and careless he was, walking around as he sang this stupid little song for kids. Even though he was intimidating, Sierra truly questioned if the man was capable of killing one of them randomly. Deep down she thought this was just his little show, that his random pick was going to be a core member of the group: Rick, Daryl, Michonne, or even herself, she thought. There was also the possibility that Negan only wanted to weaken the leader by killing someone close to him: Carl or Michonne.

Would he really pick someone randomly?

Miney...

Sierra wanted to think a human would not be able to murder someone in cold blood, without a true motive. There was a motive, denying it would be straight up lying, but there were a fair amount of people in this line up that did not participate in said killing.

Questioning human behavior in the context of a literal zombie apocalypse was somewhat difficult if they were trying not to be hypocrites too, so maybe he was going to do as he said. Maybe, as he sang and as he pointed randomly at different survivors he was truly picking someone to kill. Maybe, for him this was just a game.

Mo...

The wielder of the named bat stood in front of Carl, causing everyone to cringe at the thought of the teenager becoming this psychopath's victim. But they were able to breathe again as the man continued his game – ironically, considering that if Carl was not the one tagged then the odds of being of them just rose.

Catch...

Rosita.

A tiger...

Rick.

By...

Eugene.

His toe...

Daryl.

My mother...

Michonne.

Told me...

Glenn.

To pick...

Aaron.

The very best one...

Maggie.

And you're...

Sierra. Negan left his bat staring at the blonde for a few more seconds than anybody else before her, he even bent down to stare right at her, taking in the hateful look the woman was giving him. Without breaking eye contact, the man smirked, winked at her and took blind aim with his bat as he sketched the last word of his song: it.

Abraham.

"Anybody moves, anybody says anything..." the man started speaking with a smirk on his face after he looked at who Lucille had chosen, slowly and almost teasingly walking away from the blonde woman to face his victim "Cut the boy's other eye out and feed it to his father, and then we'll start"

The bravery and strength with which Abraham presented himself to his soon-to-be murderer was highly admirable. The red-haired man refused to be submissive to the man's inflated ego, he could not forgive himself if his actions fed that man's grotesque and disgusting attitude. Much to Abraham's dismay, this façade only made Negan both flattered and challenged, making him want to prove what he could be able to do. To prove how much of a cold-blooded killer he could be. How much he truly did not care about their lives and only about what they could do for him.

"You can breathe, you can blink, you can cry..." the man chuckled, firmly gripping his beloved bat and lifting it up slowly "Hell, you're all gonna be doing that"

Abraham was standing straight, subtly giving his most recent lover the hand signal they had translated to "I love you" as she silently broke down before everyone. On the opposite side, his ex-girlfriend could not even watch the scene. Watching the man she had learnt to love standing tall on his knees, keeping eye contact with the monster that was about to end his life. Not everyone was able to watch, it was not only Rosita (his former partner) that looked away into the distance as tears streamed down her face. Others, who were not as close to Abraham as Sasha (his lover) was, also dared to watch as Negan cruelly attacked the man.

Gasps, sobs, cries... Those were the noises that took over the crickets as the bat was smashed against Abraham's skull. The echo of the hit was painful, you could almost hear the metal spikes digging into his skin, the blood gushing down his face, Abraham's incoherent mumbles as he tried to speak his last words: "Suck... My... Nuts"

Negan laughed at him before hitting him again, this time harder and leaving him on the ground. He even taunted him, repeating his last words as he looked to his followers to further enjoy his mockery of the victim. He hit him again, and again, and again, and again... He fully raged at the corpse, letting all his anger out on the innocent man's man until his red hair was too faded with the blood to point it out. In Negan's head, this was his revenge for all the Saviors Rick's group had murdered.

If the roles had been reversed, Sierra would not have considered this enough of a punishment. But her perspective of the situation could not let her think too much about it, at least rationally. Her mind was occupied by the little drops of blood that had fallen on Rosita's face, or how Sasha just had to witness the death of her lover very much like she had to a few years ago (without all the cruelty, surely).

The violence and helplessness surrounding the scene were too overwhelming for the woman to be able to have any other thoughts that did not involve wishing for Negan's death or planning how to murder him and his entire group. It was not only overwhelming for her, but also for everyone and everything around her. It was visible, palpable... So noticeable that not even the undead (or walkers, as Sierra had grown accustomed to call them) dared to approach the small clearing in the forest. Not even the walking dead dared to interrupt Negan's moment, his superiority and control over everyone else scarily good as well as incredibly infuriating.

Sierra's stomach was growling in disgust, her breath going faster, her heart pumping what felt like lava in her chest... She bit her tongue, pinched the skin on her wrists to keep herself from fighting back or talking back to him.

"You guys, look at my dirty girl!" the man yelled, showing off his bloody bat and swinging it around in the air – bits and pieces of Abraham's something flying off, until he just pointed the weapon at Rosita, who still could not dare to look at it "Sweetheart... Look at this"

Her eyes were fixated on the red tinted gravel, too shocked to even register tha taunting words of the man responsible for it. Negan enjoyed the state she was in, he watched her and smiled at how miserable she was and how powerful that made him, continuing his tormenting: "Oh, were you together? That sucks!"

Each word that left his mouth was one more log of wood thrown into the fire growing within Sierra. Her chest was growing tighter, her heart pumping faster and her skin getting hotter... Her whole body became a bomb, the clock showing how many seconds until it exploded being each and every word Negan directed towards her friend.

"But if you were, you should know there was a reason for all this" he laughed.

Ten seconds. Ten more cruel words is all she needed...

"Red -- and hell, he was, is, and will ever be"

The blonde woman growled in an animalistic way as she jumped off the ground and lunged towards the man, grabbing him by his crimson scarf to hold him in place and punching his face with her other hand. She was fisting the scarf so hard that he did not even move one inch, his neck and jaw taking all the pain and movement. Before she could land another hit, two of his men grabbed her from behind and pulled her away from him, attempting to tackle her to the ground.

Attempting.

Sierra managed to avoid being immobilized by the two Saviours, pushing and punching them until one of them was knocked out by the motorhome and the other one was in a headlock.

She heard Rick calling her name as a warning, while Negan frowned at her in pure and raw anger. He huffed, and she watched. Everyone watched, holding their breaths, as Negan and Sierra stared at each other in a silent war.

"Let him go" a man behind her talked as she felt a crossbow she knew too damn well pressed against the back of her "Or this will be the last thing you do"

She looked briefly towards her found family, all of them scared of what was about to happen to either them or her. It was Carl that slightly nodded to her, letting her know that the best thing she could do right now is listen.

Very slowly, she let go of the man and raised her hands in the air. The man walked away from her, holding his neck in discomfort, meanwhile the man behind her kicked the back of her knee and grabbed her hair to make her look up at Negan.

"Who do you think you are?" he spat angrily at her, almost in a whisper.

"Your worst fucking nightmare" she smirked.

As soon as those words left her mouth, she was hit by the consequences of her own actions. Lucille collided against her cheek with almost superhuman strength, breaking her skin with the force of impact and the barbed wire dragging against her flesh. It was such a strong blow that Sierra fell to her side, barely managing to collect herself with her hands.

"That!" Negan spoke to the rest of the group while pointing at the injured woman with his bat "That is a no-no! That whole thing! Not one bit of that shit flies here!"

His words reverberated against her skull as her heartbeat moved to the bleeding wound on her face, her whole vision turning red and in her ears growing an uncomfortable ringing. Someone close to her, probably the man that threatened her with Daryl's crossbow, dragged his unconscious colleague away from the motorhome – thus leaving a clear path for Sierra to crawl under the vehicle and hide as Negan ranted.

"Now, I don't know what kind of lying assholes you've been dealing with... But I'm a man of my word. I already told you people, first one's free, then what'd I say? I said I would shut that shit down!"

Sierra was halfway under the motorhome when someone dragged her out by her ankle, exposing her torso and dragging her skin against the gravel. The man turned her around, making her face him as he pointed the crossbow to her head. She blindly tried to cover her face, her hands clumsy as her vision was deprived of focus and other colors beside red, still she was able to see the blond man with a burnt face speaking to her: "Where do you think you're going?"

"Please..." she whispered, struggling to speak as her mouth filled up with her own blood.

"You've got guts, lady" Negan looked down at her, before turning to the blond man "Dwight, load her up, I like her"

The man, now known as Dwight, grabbed the woman by her hair and dragged her towards a black van. She kicked her legs and yelled in pain, in way too much pain to try to put on a façade in front of the Saviors. In a desperate attempt to avoid being taken, she went to grab... Something. Her left hand flew to the floor, trying to grab some kind of anchor that would keep her from being abducted.

But it was the anchor that found her. Glenn's hand went over hers and gave her a reassurance squeeze, too fast to be noticed by anyone else besides them. She knew what it meant. She knew it was a silent promise, an oath to her that she would not be held against her will too long – and he was going to make sure of that.

Dwight threw her in the back of the van rather aggressively, making her whole body ache more (if that was even possible). She used the last bit of her strength to lunge towards him, but her fist was met by the van's doors being closed right in front of her.

"Feisty, just how I like them" she could hear Negan talking to her people, dwelling on his own gain and the group's loss of a great asset "She's mine now, so... Back to it!"

Sierra only managed to hear a loud thud, similar to the sound of Lucille crashing against Abraham's skull, accompanied by gasps and a woman crying out: "No!"

She hit the van's doors in frustration, hearing the suffering of her friends combined with her own physical pain becoming too much for her, until she eventually felt herself give up to the blood loss and overstimulation. Her knees got weaker and she could no longer hold herself up, her stomach growled as her chest heaved, her heart finally relaxing and her face going numb. She brought her hand up to her open wound, feeling the wetness and roughness of blood mixed with gravel against the tips of her fingers – perfect cocktail for an infection, she thought.

Her back was resting against the van's walls, feeling how they vibrated from the noises coming from outside. She tried to fight off the tiredness that overcame her, but her eyelids seemed to have grown independent from her brain's orders. Slowly all the tension left her body as she felt herself weighting more as she let go... Pain and life threatening anemia made her shut her body down to a comatose state, the last words she was able to register from outside echoing through the van's walls:

No exceptions.

#the walking dead #shane walsh #fanfic #original character #sierra walsh #jon bernthal #negan smith #lucille #glenn rhee #maggie rhee #shane walsh x oc #rick grimes #carl grimes #daryl dixon #katheryn winnick #original female character #shane walsh x ofc #twd fanfiction

[harttiklr]

Apart at the Seams - Part 3

A Shane Walsh/Lori Grimes Walking Dead Fanfiction

Available on my blog or on A03

Summary: This is the third and final part of my Shane x Lori Walking Dead Fanfic. The group has become divisive and has thrown their support behind one of our two leaders, who have major differences in goal and operation. Lori and Shane are getting closer as her marriage to Rick deteriorates. The split in the groups after the farm see them both living life in two very different ways. Enjoy!

Notes: This portion of the story transitions from mostly following show cannon (with some slight additions and changes) and into my own full-fledged story. The post-farm portion of it fits into the space of time between the group leaving the farm and finding the prison. Obviously, this is going to include my major detour from the series into my own creation of where I envision things playing out for Rick, Shane, and Lori. Once again, I do try to stick to more realistic ideas rather than TV show glam. I put one epilogue portion after the main sequential storyline and forgo my second epilogue. Originally, I had planned to write a whole series up to this epilogue portion, but I found I had told the story I wanted to tell. Maybe I’ll fill in the blanks one day. The letters concept is lightly borrowed from the Carl letters in the series to Negan and Rick – which I feel obligated to admit to, but I’m not sure why.

Tags: The Walking Dead, Shane Walsh, Lori Grimes, Rick Grimes, Carl Grimes, Shane Walsh x Lori Grimes, slow burn, sexual engagement, mature content, not explicit but definitely ‘R’ rated, adultery, infidelity, male/female exclusive, some descriptive gore for killing walkers, some descriptive violence against living humans, use of weapons, guns, knives, some language consistent with the tv show, minor character death, secondary character death

Apart at the Seams – Part 3 – FLOURISH OF WORDS

[ao3feed-destiel-02]

Don't Blame Me|| Dixon D.

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/hEQ0d8a by XOastorybynatxoxo "For you, I would cross the line I would waste my time I would lose my mind They say, "She's gone too far this time" Don't blame me, love made me crazy If it doesn't, you ain't doin' it right" - Don't Blame Me, Taylor Swift OR IN WHICH The Winchester Sister is away from her brothers during the apocalypse and fights to get back to them.   Winchester Sister x Daryl Dixon Words: 10026, Chapters: 4/?, Language: English Fandoms: Supernatural (TV 2005), The Walking Dead (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: F/M Characters: Original Winchester Character(s), Daryl Dixon, Rick Grimes, Lori Grimes, Shane Walsh, Sophia Peletier, Carol Peletier, Glenn Rhee, Maggie Greene, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Beth Greene (Walking Dead), Original Male Character(s), Connie (Walking Dead) Relationships: Daryl Dixon/Original Female Character(s), Lori Grimes/Rick Grimes, Rick Grimes/Michonne, Castiel/Dean Winchester Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/hEQ0d8a

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #(your tags here)

[ao3feeddestiel]

Don't Blame Me|| Dixon D.

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/TogMVNw by XOastorybynatxoxo "For you, I would cross the line I would waste my time I would lose my mind They say, "She's gone too far this time" Don't blame me, love made me crazy If it doesn't, you ain't doin' it right" - Don't Blame Me, Taylor Swift OR IN WHICH The Winchester Sister is away from her brothers during the apocalypse and fights to get back to them.   Winchester Sister x Daryl Dixon Words: 10026, Chapters: 4/?, Language: English Fandoms: Supernatural (TV 2005), The Walking Dead (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: F/M Characters: Original Winchester Character(s), Daryl Dixon, Rick Grimes, Lori Grimes, Shane Walsh, Sophia Peletier, Carol Peletier, Glenn Rhee, Maggie Greene, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Beth Greene (Walking Dead), Original Male Character(s), Connie (Walking Dead) Relationships: Daryl Dixon/Original Female Character(s), Lori Grimes/Rick Grimes, Rick Grimes/Michonne, Castiel/Dean Winchester Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/TogMVNw

#IFTTT #Don't Blame Me|| Dixon #D. #XOastorybynatxoxo

[wackyart]

HI I'm sleep deprived and have too many ideas so here's chapter 2 because technically it has a prologue but 3 it is of my Witcher x TWD fic with some Negan/Maggie, Beth/Daryl and more ! If you don't like the ship, get out of the harbor Bestie 💖

Rating:

Explicit

Archive Warning:

Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories:

F/M

Gen

Multi

Fandoms:

The Walking Dead (TV)

The Witcher (TV)

Relationships:

Maggie Greene/Negan Smith

Negan Smith & Maggie Smith

Daryl Dixon/Beth Greene

Daryl Dixon & Beth Greene

Daryl Dixon & Maggie Greene

Rick Grimes/Michonne

Daryl Dixon & Judith Grimes

Judith Grimes & Rick Grimes

Judith Grimes & Michonne

Judith Grimes & Everyone

Rick Grimes & Shane Walsh

Daryl Dixon & Shane Walsh

Shane Walsh & Maggie Greene

Shane Walsh & Beth Greene

Gabriel Stokes & Everyone

Characters:

Negan Smith

Maggie Greene

Daryl Dixon

Beth Greene (Walking Dead)

Original Characters

Original Witcher Character(s)

Original Female Character(s)

Shane Walsh

Michonne (Walking Dead)

Rick Grimes

Gabriel Stokes

Additional Tags:

Alternate Universe

Alternate Universe - Fantasy

Alternate Universe - The Witcher

Basically the characters are thrown into The Witcher (Netflix)

But The Witcher characters are not there

Witchers Are Not Human (The Witcher)

Witchers Have Feelings (The Witcher)

Soft Witchers (The Witcher)

Protective Witchers (The Witcher)

Blood

Blood and Injury

Blood and Gore

Blood and Violence

Blood Drinking

Emotional/Psychological Abuse

Psychological Trauma

Canon-Typical Violence

Violence

Magic

Alternate Universe - Magic

Beth Greene Lives (Walking Dead)

Beth Greene Deserves Better (Walking Dead)

Tags May Change

Tags Are Hard

Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Author Is Sleep Deprived

Language: English

#twd #the walking dead #the witcher #negan smith #negan twd #negan x maggie #maggie greene #maggie rhee #twd dead city #toss a coin to your writer #fanfic rec #ao3 writer #fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #ao3fic #archive of our own #thanks to the writing peeps for the motivation #no beta we ride at dawn

[ficnation]

Chapter 2: Not Alone Anymore

Series: Way Down We Go // Season 1

Word count: 4,1k+

Pairing: Rick Grimes x Female! Reader; Shane Walsh x Reader

Warnings: usual twd themes (e.g. descriptive gore, death, use of weapons, violence, cursing)

A/n: Finally, after months of not writing anything at all, I finished this chapter. Sorry for any mistakes I've made. Lots of love, and please let me know in the comments what you think <3

*my own aesthetic* // *twd universe doesn’t belong to me, but the original characters do*

𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐖𝐄 𝐆𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 || 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑

You were sitting on the bed beside a closed window of the small trailer that immensely reminded you of your fucked up childhood. The cigarette between your fingers did nothing to cease your anxiety and the guilt bubbling in your stomach. You exhaled deeply, letting the smoke swirl out of your system and create a foggy cloud above your head. A hand slid down the window made of thick plastic that was supposed to imitate glass, and you didn’t even flinch at the annoying squeak and hungry groans of the undead.

“Oh fuck you, Angela, you’ve always been a cunt. No wonder you’re haunting me even after your death.” You scoffed at the older woman, turning around and sitting on your knees to look her dead in the foggy eyes. One side of her face was pressed flatly to the window, and you couldn’t help but flinch when her exposed teeth scraped over the plastic surface.

She didn’t look like the woman you once knew. Her skin had a greyish color and was slowly starting to rot. The pearly white teeth she once sported were now yellow, and some of them fell out while she was trying to bite a hole through the plastic window of the trailer. The only thing that stayed the same was the silver necklace clinging to her neck. It was a gift from Ally, her drug-addicted son that you dated for a few months in high school. 

He was a nice boy, kind and funny but everyone knew that your relationship wouldn’t last long. You had fun and lived life like there was no tomorrow, but there was a significant difference between you. Ally didn’t have any plans for the future; he lived every day like it was his last, and he never planned on leaving the corrupted trailer park.

You were complete opposites in this aspect; you wanted to be someone. You didn’t want to stay there, work a shitty job that barely paid you anything, and raise five kids by yourself because your trashy husband was too high to function like a normal human being.

There weren’t any hard feelings left behind when you parted ways. At least not between you and Ally. His mother was a different story; she was ready for the wedding and looking after her grandkids that you were supposed to push out of your uterus while her son smoked a joint in the hospital’s waiting room. She sent you dirty looks when you passed her on the street and often threw mean comments to accompany her hatred-filled glares, and there was nothing you could do about it. You even punched her in the face once when her remarks got too personal. After that incident, she called the cops on you, but luckily Ally convinced his mother to withdraw her accusations.

“Karma is a funny gal,” you whispered under your breath before turning away from the window, throwing your cigarette on the floor, and stomping it out with your combat boot.

You got up from the squeaky mattress and shouldered the rifle you found behind the fridge in the tiny kitchen. You didn’t know why it was still there. Were your brothers in such a rush that they couldn’t even take it with them? Did those flesh-craving creatures surround them and force them to run?

A loud bang sounded outside, making you tense up, but before you could freeze in one place, your instincts kicked in, and you gripped the rifle in your hands, aiming it on the locked door of the small trailer. For all you knew, it could be a stray biter that bumped into a dumpster or a living and breathing person. You couldn’t decide which option was supposed to reassure you. 

The undead were easy to deal with; you just had to remember to aim for the brain. It’s already been two days since you were left standing in the alley behind the bank, all alone and vulnerable; after that moment, you had learned to deal with those monsters. It was terrifying at first when you didn’t have any weapons besides the pocket knife in your boot. You had to avoid running into places where the biters grew into larger groups. There was no way you could’ve taken them down by yourself with your pathetic little knife.

You strained your ears to hear if any sounds followed the loud bang, and for a second, there was just silence and faint shuffling when Angela started dragging herself away from the trailer and towards the noise. You listened to her growls before a thought popped into your head. The necklace, you couldn’t let her leave with it. 

“I’m definitely gonna regret this,” you mumbled to yourself before banging your fist on the door of the trailer.

The shuffling stopped for a moment before Angela’s very much alive corpse threw itself at the door, chipped nails pawing at the plastic surface and loud growls emitting from her mouth.

You hesitated, taking a deep breath and popping the lock. The door instantly slammed open, and you stood face to face with what was left of Angela.

“I’m sorry,” you huffed out before a shot rang through the air.

But it wasn’t your rifle nor your bullet that lodged itself into the creature’s head. You felt like your heart was going to explode any second. The corpse, now lifeless, fell to the dirty floor of the trailer. Your brain played the scene in slow-motion, trying to comprehend what has happened right in front of your eyes. 

“Damn, Baby, it took ya a while to get ‘ere.” 

Your head shot up at the familiar voice, your orbs locking with the pale blue color of his irises.

“Merle!”

Before he could react, you threw yourself at him, arms enveloping him in a tight embrace. Your older brother tangled his hand in your messy hair with a relieved laugh, holding your head close to his chest, the other hand clutching your jacket securely. He couldn’t believe his eyes. How long has it been since the last time he saw you? It must have been at least four years, but he had to admit his memory was quite hazy.

You pulled away rather quickly, taking his face in between your palms and searching for any bruises marking his skin, an old habit that you could never get rid of, not even after your father’s demise. 

“Ya don’t hafta do tha’ no more,” he said, eyes concerned but a cheeky grin on his face. He took your hands in his larger ones and patted them before moving away. “The geeks gonna catch up soon. We should leave while we still have time.”

“Where’s Daryl?” You looked behind Merle, trying to spot if your younger brother was hiding anywhere, too mad at you to even say hi.

“Stayed behind. Now c’mon, sis, we hafta get the hell outta ‘ere.” Without further explanation, he pushed you towards the door.

“Wait!” you protested, remembering why you invited Angela’s walking corpse into the trailer in the first place. 

You stepped towards the body lying on the rubber flooring and crouched down next to it. Angela’s face was facing the floor, saving you from seeing her lifeless eyes that lost their shine the moment she turned into this monster. Your hands delicately brushed her grey hair away from the nape of her neck, careful not to touch her skin. Just being in such close proximity to her corpse made your head spin. She smelled dead, very dead. 

“Whatcha doin’ kid?” Merle bent over you, hands placed on his knees to keep some stability and not fall over the dead body. That’d be tragic, but seeing how many lines of cocaine he had snorted a few hours ago, it was also very possible. “Damn, doesn’t she smell jus’ like daisies,” he mocked, an uncontrollable hoarse giggle escaping his lungs.

You couldn’t help but shake your head and snicker at his words. He hadn’t changed a bit since the last time you talked, which was also the time he called you asking for bail money. You didn’t even show up to pick him up, choosing instead to send your lawyer over to get him out of jail. You had to admit it wasn’t one of your brightest ideas, and he ended up making her very uncomfortable. Especially by calling her a “pencil skirt slut”. You had to pay her extra for the trouble.

“If you really think that daisies smell like a rottin’ dead body, then I’m afraid it’s too late to save you.” 

“Nice to see ya haven’t lost yer wit.”

Your head was going to start hurting if you kept shaking it every time Merle decided to open his mouth, so you chose to focus on the task at hand and unclasp Angela’s necklace.

“Shake a leg, will ya?” Your older brother straightened up, popping his back with a satisfied groan before he moved towards the kitchen, probably remembering where he stashed some of his drugs.

You finally managed to get the jewelry off the dead woman and took a moment to admire it despite the tiny chunks of flesh that got tangled up in it. It was very delicate, with a small tear pedant that sparkled when it caught the light streaming through the open door. You had to admit that Ally knew his way around gifts. 

“Merle, I’m done!” you yelled loud enough for him to hear you from one of the rooms. “Let’s get out of here!” 

You hoped he didn’t bail, even if you did deserve it. But your brothers weren’t like you, right? They wouldn’t just leave their kin behind like you did, so you had nothing to fear.

“I’m comin’!” Merle responded just as loud, making your worries disappear.

Damn, he didn’t care that you left them back in the day, even if you cut all contact with them. He was salty about it sometimes when he drank too much, but other than that, he did understand you. It was shocking even for Daryl, who held a lot of hatred towards you after you left, unlike his older brother. He was mad that you didn’t take him with you, even though you proposed it at least ten times, furious that you didn’t keep calling him even though he rejected every call. He knew it was mostly his fault that you stopped trying, but it didn’t prevent him from feeling hurt. 

Merle swaggered back into the room, and your frown immediately turned into a bright grin. “Ya done plunderin’ corpses now?”

“Yeah,” you replied shortly, nodding and getting back on your feet. You dusted yourself off before tucking the necklace into the pocket of your dirty jeans.

You were so casual about the whole situation; it was like the apocalypse didn’t even touch you in the slightest. It bothered Merle immensely; he couldn’t help but wonder where the little girl afraid of stepping foot in the graveyard was? You were different, and it was weird that he hadn’t noticed it at first.

“C’mon then. Don’t forget yer rifle. Daryl left it for ya ‘ere.” His words made you smile a little. You were pleasantly surprised by your younger brother’s gesture.

“How did you know I’ll come back here?”

“Jus’ a feelin’.” He winked at you before swaggering away and out of the trailer without looking back at it for even a mere second.

You trailed behind him, grabbing your bag and shouldering your rifle yet again. Leaving that trailer behind was cathartic; it made you feel free, and at that moment, you decided that it was the best feeling in the world.

The two of you broke into one of the abandoned cars sitting on the outskirts of the trailer park, and you hotwired it, saving Merle the trouble and embarrassment. You had no idea where he was taking you. You thought that he and Daryl decided to stay at one of the trailers further away from the park’s center. It seemed safer than the one you lived in most of your childhood. 

To your surprise, Merle jumped into the driver’s seat and drove you out of the trailer park, and headed southeast towards Yonah Preserve Trail, but before you could reach it, he stopped the car. You rolled down the window on your side and stuck your head outside in curiosity. 

The lake stretched for long miles, disappearing beyond the horizon where your eyes couldn’t reach. The glorious greenery of the forest surrounded it, reflecting in the sheet of clear water. Everything there seemed so peaceful, almost as if it dodged the vice-like grasp of the apocalypse. In fact, on the drive there, you counted only six geeks, no more, no less.

“You set up camp near Turner Reservoir? That’s pretty damn smart.” You nodded your head in respect, grasping the strap of the rifle that laid across your lap.

“Ya can already guess whose idea it was.” Merle chuckled under his nose, getting out of the car and slamming the door behind himself ungracefully. You followed in his footsteps taking your few belongings with you and jumping out of the vehicle.

You walked into the woods, trekking for ten minutes before an army green tent emerged from between the trees. You halted in your steps, feet heavy as if glued to the litter. Merle turned in your direction, confused when he noticed that you stopped in one place.

“Wha’s wrong, Baby?” he asked, furrowing his greying eyebrows. He looked at your face for a few minutes before a realization hit him. “For fuck’s sake, don’ chicken out on me.”

“He won’t like that I’m back,” you protested stubbornly, ready to turn around, leave and not look back. 

Goddammit, you really were a coward, fleeing away from the consequences of your little run away to Atlanta like it was your biggest sin. You shouldn’t be afraid of the confrontation with Daryl because there was no way to change the past now. You’d just have to deal with the pain his words were going to cause; you knew you could survive it. 

“Yer damn right!”

Your head whipped around in the new voice’s direction. Speak of the devil, and he’s sure to appear, you thought when Daryl’s figure emerged from the trees. He looked different, grown-up, and much more grumpy. It’s been more than ten years since you last saw each other. Daryl wouldn’t have recognized you at all if he didn’t overhear your conversation with Merle. He didn’t even want to hear about you when Merle came back from his “visits” to Atlanta.

“Daryl,” you mumbled out his name in disbelief. You wanted to hug him so badly, but you knew that he wouldn’t let you. His grudge towards you ran deep, and physical contact wouldn’t make it any better; it would just anger him more. “You look different.”

Daryl only scowled at you before side-stepping you and walking away towards the camp. You grabbed his wrist quickly, head spinning to find something to say while your younger brother whipped around, forcing his hand out of your grip and almost growling at you. 

“Daryl, you have to understand me. I couldn’t just stay there my whole fucking life!” you argued, hands tangling in your messy hair and almost ripping it out. You were angry beyond words, at him, at his stupid coldness towards your person, and at the whole world for letting him act like that. Couldn’t a cone fall from a nearby tree and slap that stupid scowl off his face? Was it too much to ask for?

“Naw, yer done explainin’.” His voice was sharp, and his blue eyes almost froze you on the spot. He didn’t want to hear a single word out of your mouth. 

Merle leaned on one of the nearby trees, observing the brewing storm between his younger siblings, uninterested. It was funny to him how stubborn both of you were acting, unwilling to try talking it out. He thought the argument was pointless, especially considering that the dead just started walking, and you were acting like little kids about something that happened more than ten years ago. He immediately decided that the best option was to let you both fight it out and intervene only if it was absolutely necessary.

“That’s funny ‘cause I don’t remember even gettin’ a chance to explain.” You met his gaze, voice unwavering despite your whole body trembling from the overwhelming emotions.

“Yer the one tha’ left!” Daryl yelled out in retaliation, clenching his hands into fists before he stepped towards you to show you he wasn’t intimidated by you at all. He wanted to make you feel like a helpless child, but you weren’t going down, not even in his dreams.

“You’re acting so high and mighty now, huh? You were supposed to go with me but you chickened out and decided to follow Merle around like a lost puppy instead.” 

“I didn’t leave my kin like ya did,” he raised his voice at you, even more, making you wince when his hand shot up in the air to gesticulate wildly. For a moment, you had to remind yourself that your father was long dead, and Daryl, though hot-headed, was nothing like him; otherwise, you would already be cowering.

“’m too sober for this,” Mere grumbled out, making Daryl and your heads whip around simultaneously to send him a “get lost” look. So he strolled away towards the makeshift camp, rolling his eyes, probably already planning to get high and drown out all the noise you were making. It was a miracle that the undead hadn’t heard you.

“Yeah? How ‘bout Merle? Did you already forget how he left us behind to go serve in the army?” you tried to reason with him, and just when he wavered, and you thought you won this round, he opened his mouth to talk.

“Tha’ was different.”

“Because he came back? Is that it?” You started laughing like a maniac, making Daryl shiver unconsciously. Something sinister flashed in your eyes, but it was gone before he could recognize it. It made him nervous, but he was too stubborn to back off. 

When your laughter stopped, you threw your arms in the air in resignation with yet another scowl. “Here I am. I came back, are you happy now?” The words barely left your mouth, and you were already walking away, swearing under your breath. 

“Yeah, walk away why dontcha? Tha’s the only thang yer good at,” he mumbled out, following close behind just to spite you.

You spent the rest of the day trying to avoid Daryl at all costs, but he kept getting on your nerves and shoving your shoulder when passing by. Merle was amused by the whole situation and often received glares from both of you for bursting into laughter.

He inhaled the nicotine before puffing out a cloud of thick smoke into the brisk night air, chuckling under his nose when he saw Daryl stare at the back of your head in absolute silence. He reminded him of an angry kid outraged that his mom didn’t want to buy him ice cream. 

“Whatcha laughin’ at, dickhead?” you asked, plopping onto the dirt next to him with a huff. 

The night summer breeze washed over your bare shoulders all the way down to the tips of your fingers, making shivers run down your spine, and annoying goosebumps break out all over your skin. You outstretched your arms towards the bonfire to warm them up a little bit. Merle shrugged, handing you the cigarette with another chuckle.

“Nothin’, Baby.”

You furrowed your eyebrows and accepted the smoke. “I have a name you know,” you tried to sound mad, but the tiny smile on your face exposed your fondness for the silly nickname.

“Yeah? Like what?” His lips curved into a teasing grin before a string of atrocious names that seemed ridiculous when pinned to your face and personality left his lips. You snorted twice by the time he finished reciting them. Merle stopped for a second to take the cigarette from between your fingers before speaking up again, “Better tell yer old brother what the hell were ya up to in Atlanta.”

“If we’re bein’ completely honest, not much. Same old shit, just a change of scenery.” Your vague response didn’t seem to discourage Merle from digging deeper into your history in the big city.

“Naw, that,” he started, pointing his finger at you in a manner that warned you that he knew everything you tried to hide from him, “I don’ believe. I know mah little sistah like the back of mah hand.” Merle threw his arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer with a deep chuckle. "Have the same damn blood runnin' thru our veins." You threw his arm off with an exasperated huff.

You hesitated, looking around to ensure that Daryl was nowhere to be found before you tried to decide if telling Merle about your “career” would be a good idea. He was your older brother, the same one that used to listen to your teenage ramblings about dating and then give you poor advice that you usually ignored altogether. You trusted him once, so why was it so difficult to do now?

“Seriously, Merle?” you asked when he poked you in the arm with his finger to rush you into answering. You couldn’t help but quirk an eyebrow at his childish behavior. You caught his finger in a tight grip and twisted, making your older brother wince and mutter a quick apology.

“When did ya get so strong?” 

You left his hand alone with a sigh. “I wish I could ask you when did you get so annoyin’, but I guess you’ve always been like that.”

“Oh, I missed this!” Merle threw his arm around your shoulder yet again. “It’s gonna be just like good ole days; just me, you, and Darylina. Campin’ in the woods and huntin’.” 

“‘s not gonna be like “good ole days.” Wake up, Merle,” Daryl’s voice came from behind your backs. “She ain’t a part of this family no more.”

You haven’t seen this coming, neither did Merle guessing by the frown on his face. You rolled your eyes in exasperation, but inside, you felt like your heart just cracked in half. It was a low blow, and it hit you right where it hurt the most.

“She ain’t family, and she’s never gonna be. I regret even leavin’ that rifle behind.” Every word coming out of his mouth made your brave facade crumble piece after piece. Who were you kidding? Not even a true masochist would be able to stand this kind of emotional torture. 

“Maybe I’m not,” you muttered, chin quivering in your attempts to drown the sobs that fought their way out of your lungs. Why did it have to hurt so much? Merle was ready to charge at Daryl for making his little sister so sad. He got up with a grunt and took a step towards the archer, flicking away the remnants of his cigarette. “Merle, it’s not worth it. Please, stop.” You caught his hand in your and tugged him back. You knew it wasn’t wise for the two of them to start fighting.

“‘m gettin’ tired of this crap, little brother,” he growled out, shaking away from your grip. “Corpses started walkin’ ‘round, and ya think ya have the right to decide who’s a part of the family and who ain’t?” 

“Why are ya defendin’ her?! Can’t ya get it through yer thick skull tha’ she didn’t want to have anythin’ to do with us after she left?” Daryl spat on the ground as if talking about you left a bitter taste in his mouth.

You’ve never felt as worthless and helpless in your life as in that moment. Your little brother hated your guts; your own flesh and blood didn’t want to have anything to do with you. You didn’t even dare to wonder what he’d think about you if you told him what you have exactly been up to in Atlanta and what awful shit you did to survive.

Merle and Daryl screamed at each other, getting angrier and angrier with every sentence, but you couldn’t even decipher their words. You just wanted to blurt everything out and be done with it. If they told you to leave, you’d do that and make sure never to step a foot near their camp again. Like an idiot, you listened to your panicked heart and not to your head.

“I killed seven people!” your shriek made both men freeze. Maybe you were a masochist, after all.

@thatcucumberwhore @yttricuz @twdeadlysins @donttelltheelf-x @jessica-mikaelson18 @spidergirla5 @depressedfrog2 @kpopandharry @daryldixonstorm @clemscult @lonewolf471 @yes-sir-hotchner @btsiguess-kpop @notquitecannon @the-daily-multi-fandom-post @xhannahbananax03 @sourwolf-sterek32 @wonderful-writer @apolloloki97 @kamieshep @huffledor-able541 @phoenixblack89 @yolobloggers @sexyseabass​ @sweetpotatospock @whiskeypowder @witch-of-letters @capsiclesdoll​ @kingtwhiddleston​ @incorrectcapsicle

If your name is crossed out it means I can’t tag you for some unknown reason.

#the walking dead #the walking dead x reader #rick grimes x reader #shane walsh x reader #daryl dixon x sister!reader #merle dixon x sister! reader #dixon reader #y/n dixon #twd #female reader #x reader #reader insert #way down we go #way down we go series #the walking dead x female reader #the walking dead rewrite #ficnation #my writings #my writing

[snarkwrites]

found ➼ s.walsh

┇ᵖʳᵒᵐᵖᵗ  ┇

nothing. this is based on an idea I’ve had for a few years now that I haven’t ever really been brave enough to write out a fic for.. I figured that I could do it this way, see how it goes and where it leads..

Just curious, is everyone else enjoying the reader/you format more or would you guys prefer it if I went back to writing I or original characters better? Anyway, yeah, here this is. Have it, please?

┇ʷᵃʳⁿᶦⁿᵍ ┇

besides angst and mention of injuries, none.

┇ᶜʰᵃʳᵃᶜᵗᵉʳ | ᶠᵃⁿᵈᵒᵐ | ᵖᵃᶦʳᶦⁿᵍ┇

past hints of Rick Grimes x Reader and present Shane Walsh x Injured!Past Lover Female reader, the walking dead ┇ᵗᵃᵍᵍᶦⁿᵍ ᵐʸ ᵇᵃᵇᵉˢ;┇tag list here

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@kyleoreillysknee

@mrsstevenbuchananstark

Your eyes flutter open slowly and you lie there, taking in the strange surroundings you’ve awoken to. The first thing that you notice is that you’re not wearing your own clothes and this is followed shortly by the fact that everything -even your hair, hurts.

The door to the bedroom gives a slow creak as it’s pushed open and a man you’ve never seen before, -albeit a handsome one, muscular with buzzed dark brown hair and dark brown eyes, leans in the doorway and watches with arms folded over his chest as you attempt to sit up clumsily.

There’s a bottle of Southern Comfort sitting on a table by the door and it’s got wildflowers sitting inside, you notice. The room you find yourself in reminds you in some ways of a hospital. Or a prison infirmary, though you’re not sure why that last one comes to mind.

“W-who are you?” You wince at the sound of your own voice as you ask the question and you fall silent again, waiting on the man to answer.

“Shane Walsh, darlin. Wouldn’t advise movin around too much.” he nods to the way you’re still fighting to sit up in bed a little better as he moves across the room and sinks down to sit at the bottom of the bed. It hurts a little that you can’t just look at him and remember who he is, but Herschel’s warned him that you may or may not have significant injury to your memories because you’d taken a blow or two to the head at some point in time before Shane got lucky enough to find you.

You repeat his name. “Shane Walsh.” but nothing about it stirs any kind of memory at first.. After a second or two, you feel this tug. Its’ as if you should know him like the back of your hand but the more you try, the more it frustrates you when you can’t seem to for the time being.. You stop trying to force anything to come and you focus on what you do know, which isn’t much at all. This, of course, prompts you to ask your next question. “Where am I? What happened to me?”

Seconds pass and the man says nothing. You’re sitting up a little better and Shane gets up, walking to the top of the bed. Leaning you up slightly as he fluffs the pillows at your back. You can’t help but stare at him with a brow raised as you wonder why he’s helping you and wait on some kind of an explanation as to what happened to you in the first place. 

It almost seems as if he’s not going to answer, you’ve nearly given up on it, but Shane sits down beside you and after a few more seconds of staring at calloused hands, he answers quietly. “Yer safe, that’s all that matters. As far as what happened to ya, best I can tell is you were runnin from Walkers when I found ya. Covered in blood. Looked like ya got beat pretty damn bad too. You collapsed so I carried ya back here.”

The door to the room opens a little wider and a man with graying hair and a kind but tired and wrinkled face wanders in. You notice that he barely seems to look Shane’s way as he asks the question, “How long has she been awake, Walsh?”

“Couple minutes now. Think y’ can make her realize it ain’t a good idea, all the movin she’s doin?”

Rick gazes at Shane for a few seconds. It’s on the tip of his tongue to tell the man to get lost, get away from you but instead, he turns his attention to you and all your assorted injuries instead. Telling Shane to stay away isn’t going to do any good and deep down, Rick has a feeling that maybe Shane having something -or someone else other than only Judith, to focus on might just keep him from going too far down a dark and lonely path.

You are the one that got away, after all. He never got over losing you years ago and since he’s found you again and saved you from whatever dastardly plan Negan had in store for you he hasn’t left your side more than a handful of times.

Rick leaves the room and pulls the door closed behind him. Just like it used to be, the air is thick with tension and it’s enough to make him feel like he’s invading a very private moment between two people all over again. It was always like this between the two of you, he thinks to himself. Carl wanders over and nods to the door. “Did she wake up, Dad?”

“She did.”

“ You left Shane in there with her?” Carl questions the wisdom in his father’s decision. Rick shrugs as he nods. “Shane’s not gonna hurt her, son. Everybody else is questionable, but he’d never hurt her. Might even do him some good, finding her..” Rick goes quiet and he glances at the closed door. He was wary about leaving the room himself but the tension between you two was so damned thick that he couldn’t stay. ... not to mention your own past ties with her and that little green eyed monster that started to creep it’s way in when Shane brought her back a few nights ago... the thought comes but Rick shoves it out. You only ever really loved Shane. Shane was it for you like Lori, at one time, was it for him. ... now all that’s been shot to hell and she’s gone... the thought comes and it has Rick grimacing as the pain washes over him all over again. 

Carl eyes his father warily and glances at the closed door before shrugging it off and making his way out into the ‘yard’ of the prison to tend the garden because it’s his turn to water and weed the vegetables planted.

Your vision clears just a little better and you find yourself looking at the dark haired man again. Swallowing hard when you do because everything about him still seems familiar and yet, you can’t put a finger on it. Memories you should be able to call up easily just aren’t coming.

Just random little bits that you feel aren’t connected, they can’t be.. Men shouting, laughing. A man with a barbed wire bat grabbing you up. The impending sense of doom. And lastly, darkness. None of it explains why you feel like you know the muscular,dark-haired man like the back of your hand. None of what you can recall even seems to even be about him and you’re frustrated with this.

“You seen that man you think had her holed up? The one y’ think might’ve hurt her?” Rick asks quietly when he walks back into the room to check on how things are going. For all he knows, Shane’s the instigator in the incident that occurred between himself and the man with the barb wire wrapped baseball bat. It’s not like it’s a stretch, Shane’s taken a dark turn since this whole thing started. Rick can’t help but feel that whatever happened the night Shane came back to the prison carrying you in his arms might well have been antagonized heavily by whatever course of action Shane chose to take.

“Naw, it’s like him n’ his group up and disappeared. Wish they would come back though. I’d fuckin kill him for whatever it is he’s done or was plannin to do.” Shane seems angry and tense as he says it and when he looks at you, the anger seems to fade out of his eyes just a little. They’re softer as they fix on you and he leans in a little, brushing hair out of your eyes. 

“ We’ll keep an eye out.” Rick answers quietly before leaving the room again. He goes off to find Daryl and check the perimeter around the prison to make sure it’s secured.

 You swallow hard, your eyes dart to thick and calloused fingers for just a second or two.

A name keeps repeating itself in your mind.

Negan.

“Who’s Negan?” you ask before you can stop yourself. Just mentioning the name calls forth more of the same random flashes of memory and thought. This deep seated fear comes right along with it.

Your question seems to have Shane tensing up all over again and he growls quietly. But when he answers you, you know what he says is a lie, or at very least a half-truth, because if he didn’t know something, he wouldn’t have had the reaction. “Some weird guy I ran into on a supply run. Nothin for y’ to worry yer pretty little head over, darlin.”

Shane’s right fist clenches when you ask about Negan because all he can see in his mind is the way Negan had you locked away in some room with all the other women. Kept calling you one of his ‘wives’. Guy said he treated all of the ‘wives’ decent - and insisted that he’d saved your life, and yet, your injuries came from somewhere. Guy also said that you didn’t know your own name and you didn’t talk, either.

“O-oh.” you answer before falling silent. The light overhead catches on something silver around your neck and you gingerly raise a hand, trailing your fingers over a delicate silver chain. You pull it from beneath the oversized khaki colored shirt you’re wearing and you gaze at it for a few seconds, lost in thought as bits come flooding back.

This time, those bits involve the man sitting right beside you.

Shane happens to glance over at you and as soon as he sees the way you’re staring at the locket around your neck, he knows to stay quiet. He knows that something is coming back to you.

He just hopes it’s enough to ease your mind. Make you realize that you’re safe and he’s not a threat -at least not to you, everyone else, they can go straight to hell as far as he’s concerned. He’s only stuck it out this long because of the child he possibly shares with Lori, his - or Rick’s,  infant daughter, Judith. There’s no way in hell he’s taking off and leaving her with this group -and Rick won’t allow him to take Judith and leave the group either because neither man is entirely sure who Judith’s father is and Rick doesn’t trust him as far as he can throw him these days,  despite the fact that at one point in time, he trusted Rick more than anything. Rick was a brother to him. As the thought surfaces, he attempts to shove it out because he knows he’s at fault for this no longer being the case and while he does feel guilt over it, he also knows that deep down, he’s right. They’re not going to survive if they don’t learn how to embrace the fact that dark and desperate times call for dark and desperate measures.

“S-shane?” your breath catches in your throat as you begin to remember exactly how well you know the man sitting right beside you. And deep down, you’re remembering that you’ve always regretted having to leave him behind years ago.

Shane clears his throat, nods but doesn’t say anything. “What’d you remember?” he finally asks after a long pause that feels as if it lasted hours.

“You gave me this locket. We were gonna run away together.. I couldn’t meet you in time.” you answer quietly as your past with Shane starts to piece itself together. You feel safer now, a little more at ease.

You can remember enough about yourself now to know who you are. And you were found by Shane and Shane Walsh would die before he allowed anything to happen to you, so you know you’re safe now.

It’s something you haven’t felt in a really, really long time. The thought creeps in and you take a shaky breath or two as you sit quietly beside him. 

Shane’s the first one to speak up. “ I need to check your bandages, darlin. Make sure they’re still good n’ tight.” he mumbles after a few seconds. He turns slightly so that he’s facing you and he reaches out, thick fingers catch in the hem at the bottom of the khaki shirt you’re wearing.

It has to be one of his, you find yourself thinking, because it smells exactly like the cologne he always wore when you were his girlfriend back then. The scent is comforting as what remains of it fills your nose. The shirt is pulled away from your body and as soon as the bandages are revealed, you grimace.

“The doc said he thinks you got yourself a few bruised ribs.” Shane explains gently as his eyes settle on you. He feels the bandages to make sure they’re still secure around your upper body and for a few seconds, his hands linger on your curvy frame. Then he raises his hand and his fingers catch on the thin and delicate silver chain at your neck as he bites his lip and his eyes settle on you.

 If these were different circumstances, he’d probably still be holding on to the emptiness and the hurt, the bitterness that came with showing up to your favorite spot to go and be alone together and finding out you’re not there. But that was years ago and now, with everything that’s gone to hell in a handbasket, it seems so small and insignificant somehow. His eyes settle on the heart shaped locket.

It took him an entire summer working to save up to get it.

“Shane?”

“Yeah?” he glances up at you when you say his name softly, lost in thought. 

“I didn’t show because my dad, he.. Found out. And he packed me up, shipped me off to live with the grandparents. I wanted to leave with you, I swear I did.” you mumble the words quietly and as they start to trail away and die, you add in a whisper, “I never stopped loving you. I tried so hard, I just.. I couldn’t.”

And after all the years that have passed since that last night he saw you, he’s faced with one simple truth. After you left, he stopped looking. He got more into the here and now as opposed to the long-term. And he starts to realize that everything that went down between himself and Lori was nothing more than two lost people. Two lonely people.

Coming together to make the best out of their own individual bad situations.

“Darlin, I..” Shane starts to say it back but parts of him feel as if he doesn’t have the right to, after all, he’s not the same man. He’s older. He’s turned into someone he doesn’t really recognize anymore.

But at his core, he knows that he still loves you and he always will.

Life is too short. Life also isn’t fair.

But circumstance has brought you back into his and he’d be an idiot if he didn’t take the chance, the thought comes just as he fails a final time at pushing the words he’s dying to say to the back of his mind instead of allowing them to come out. 

“What, Shane? What’s wrong, baby?” you ask the question quietly and it just sort of...breaks… him. He gazes at you for seconds that seem to stretch lazily into hours. And finally, he takes a shaky breath and leans in a little closer. “I ain’t the same guy. But I still love you too, darlin. You’re safe now, okay? I gotcha. I promise.”

It’s not much, but it’s the best he can promise because absolutely no one is promised tomorrow, let alone five seconds from now. It’ll have to be enough. He hopes against hope that it’s enough -that he’s enough, and he takes a few shaky breaths, waiting. Wondering what your reaction to what he’s just told you will be.

You grimace as you try to move yourself closer to him and he shakes his head, moving to squeeze himself into the bed beside you as best as he can given it’s lack of space. An arm slips around your shoulders and you lean your head against his. 

“Everything’s gonna be alright.”

“ Yeah.” you manage to respond as you glance up at him. You know he’s not the same man, there’s just something different, something darker in his eyes that wasn’t there before and despite seeing it, you know one thing beyond all doubt. He still loves you and you still love him and now that you’ve finally found him again, you never want to leave.

Ever.

#shane walsh #the walking dead #shane walsh imagine #shane walsh imagines #shane walsh fanfiction #my writing ; shane walsh #my fics ; shane walsh #my oneshots ; shane walsh #angst fic ; shane walsh #// is anyone out here interested in me developing this? #// also what do we think about me writing in primarily you/reader terms unless I have a specific idea and developed oc in mind? #// am curious #// injury tw

[rickmymanrick]

one rule | the walking dead

[ rick grimes x original female character! ]

there's only one rule in the new world… survive.

In which best friends Daphne Ayala and Glenn Rhee form a ring of survivors that would pave the way for the new world.

** This story will eventually have a Rick Grimes romance (SLOW BURN) but focuses on Daphne's story after the fall. It may deviate from the events of the tv show and at times won't follow a specific script or season. There will be switching POVs (Characters/1st/3rd Person).

chapters!

prologue —

in the present time, rick grimes experiences what hell on earth truly is.

chapter one ; partners —

unbeknownst to them, best friends glenn rhee and daphne ayala spend the last 48 hours of normalcy they’ll ever have before their lives are changed forever.

chapter two ; the evacuation —

the statewide evacuation is underway and it goes terribly wrong terribly fast. daphne and glenn undergo an impromptu rescue mission and soon their group of two becomes a group of 5.

chapter three ; the group —

it's been a month since the complete collapse of civilization. when daphne and glenn realize this is their new way of life, they begin to strategize the best ways of survival. along with the new members of the group, they fall into a steady routine, until a one-sided fight breaks out and everything is knocked out of order.

chapter four ; the idiot in the tank —

a supply run goes wrong and daphne finds herself reunited with an old acquaintance. old feelings unwillingly resurface but she forgets one big glaring problem back at camp.

chapter five ; maneater --

glenn and rick try out a new technique in order to survive and reunite with the rest of the group. back at camp, daphne and shane reach an understanding.

chapter six ; love rectangle —

rick confides in daphne for reasons unknown to her. as she offers him counsel, daphne is also grappling with conflicting feelings of her own.

chapter seven ; chef boyardee —

the plan goes wrong. daphne and glenn find themselves in a precarious situation but at least they have each other, right?

chapter eight ; the attack —

in a rush to deescalate what they presumed was merle's fury on camp, daphne and the crew arrive to something terrifyingly different.

extras;

rick’s pov (chapter six)

Important Character Info:

Daphne Ayala. She's a 23-year-old Latina woman who's working towards becoming a detective (hopefully for the FBI or some higher agency one day). As part of her training, she has to complete a few years of service in whatever local police department has an opening. You can see where this is going right? Her best friend is Glenn Rhee, with whom she shares an apartment with, and they're practically attached at the hip.

Rick Grimes has been aged down a bit though his actual age was never mentioned in the show. I imagine he's around 29, nearing 30 at the beginning of season 1. That would make Carl 9 years old (rather than 12 as he was in the show).

Hello AO3/Tumblr! I write under the pseudonym, Elle (She/Her)! I'm a Caribbean, South American brown writer who loves wayyy too many universes/fandoms lol. Current hyperfixation-- you guessed it: The Walking Dead. I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to comment anything that comes to mind while reading. I absolutely love reading what you all have to say (I have previously written for Wattpad and Tumblr).

ORIGINALLY TITLED THE TRAIL OF ANNIHILATION

#the walking dead #rick grimes #rick grimes x original female character #Rick grimes x oc #rick grimes x reader #rick grimes x daphne ayala #the walking dead fanfic #the walking dead x reader #shane walsh x original female character #shane walsh x reader #Glenn Rhee #the walking dead season 1 #twd #twd season 1 #twd fanfic

[thegreatwicked]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you for the tag @pickleprickle!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? Currently seven but there will be more oe shots soon...

2. What's your total A03 word count? 149,505

3. What fandoms do you write for? Currently Star Wars and the DC verse are my top two, but I also write for Assassins Creed, the Walking Dead, Once Upon a Time, Supernatural, and some Marvel.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Bet You Wish You Had Me Back (Shane Walsh x FOC) SMUT one shot

Unbreakable Bonds (Obi-Wan x FOC) Slow burn, eventual smut/romance

Shadows of Deception (Roman Sionis x FOC) SMUT. SMUT. SMUT.

After the Storm (Hux x FOC) One shot; smut, sex polle troupe... kinda.

1001 Lonely Nights (Dean Winchester x FOC) Smut, one shot

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yes! I love talking to you guys, your comments make my day and make me want to write more!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I suppose it would have to be 1001 Lonely Nights, I don't currently have much angsty stuff right now but trust me thats about to change very soon as i'm dipping my toes into the murky Sith Obi-wan waters...

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I think it would have to be Bet You Wish You Had Me Back, and only because as of right now that story is complete.

8. Do you get hate on fics? I haven't but I'm sure theres someone out there with something shitty to say...

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? YES. All the smut. All the time. Give me more of that sweet and spicy capsaicin.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? I haven't but there cold be a good one out there I haven't gottent o or discoveed. Truthfully I'm not a huge fan and I much prefer leaving fandom easter eggs for you guys to find.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, but that could be fun!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship? Oooh... Thats tough, I love my OCs... But If i had to choose I'd say Bruce Wayne/Batman x Selina Kyle/Catwoman. The Bat and the Cat.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I don't really know, I have lots of WIPs and I think I'm doing an ok job on all of them writing fairly frequently, for me its simple matter of 'It''ll be done when it's done' but lovely comments do tend to speed up the process. ;)

16. What are your writing strengths? I've been told my smut is very poetic and emotionally evocative and you can get a sense of more than just the physical interactions between the characters adn you have a feel for what they're going through and thinking. I've also been told I write very good first person. I like to write first person POV from established canon characters like Jason Todd, Obi-wan Kenobi, Darth Maul, etc because we don't often get a look into their minds and it's fun to wear their boots.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I really don't know, I know I tend to bite off more than I can chew...

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? It depends, I have a story I'm writing from the POV of a British character and thats similar, but I feel like, if I can't do it right and believably then best not to do it at all.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Probably Lord of the Rings. MANY moons ago.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written? It's a tie between Unbreakable Bonds and Shadows of Deception. I love them both because both OCs are different and both male leads; Obi-wan Kenobi and Roman Sionis are VERY different, despite being played by the same actor. That wasn't planed, I swear...

No pressure tags! @heyhawtdawgs, @split-spectrum. @firstofficerwiggles, @ladyinwriting18. @blueeyedheizer, @thenightmarketofdathomir @acciotwinz, @221bshrlocked. @littleredwing89. @murdockussy. @kittyofalltrades. @jedianjakenobi. @eloquentmoon. @amhrosina. @rebelbluerobin @anatee, @wickedscribbles on AO3 @thefamilybruno (you too, you fantastic writer you!)

If I tagged you then I've read your stuff and its amazing, have a lovely day you fantastic people you!

#20 questions for fic writers #fic writer asks #obiwan x original female character #roman sionis x original female character #original character #fanfiction is life #star wars au #fic writer problems #wips for days #shane walsh x oc #i need more smut in my life

[lightblindingme]

Hey, y’all! During the month of July I started a new concept of writing fics that's really fun and so exciting for me. I'm bringing it back in September!

The idea is this:

SEND A PIC, GET A FIC

Basically, you send me a photo and tell me which character/couple you want me to write about and I write a fic inspired by it, ranging from 500-2000 words.

If you want your prompt to be anonymous, just let me know and I won’t tag you 😊

It can be about:

- Shane x Tess Walsh (my my original female character)

- Shane Walsh x reader

- Frank x Maria Castle

- Frank x Karen (Kastle)

- Sam Rossi x reader

- Sam Rossi x Cleo (my original female character)

- Matt Rayburn x reader

- Matt Rayburn x ofc

Note: Any distasteful pics will be ignored! 

You can check out all my works here and the fics I wrote during the previous round here

I’m planning on posting every couple of days and I’m looking forward to any and all prompts :D 

tagging: @allinourprivate-traps @kteague  @outofbluecomesgreen @frankcastlestanktop  @the-punishers-coming-for-you  @officialpunisher @lpdwillwrite4coffee @thisgirl-knm @misanthr00pe @deansdirtywhore in case you guys want to send anything though you are in no way expected to so no pressure :)

#frank castle #kastle #frank x maria #shane walsh #shane walsh x reader #matt rayburn #matt rayburn x reader #sam rossi #sam rossi x ofc #sam rossi imagine #sam rossi x reader #matt rayburn imagine #shane walsh imagine #shane x tess #mimi writes stuff #send me prompts! #pleaseeee!

[rickmymanrick]

one rule | chapter three |

[rick grimes x original female character slowburn]

summary: it's been a month since the complete collapse of civilization. when daphne and glenn realize this is their new way of life, they begin to strategize the best ways of survival. along with the new members of the group, they fall into a steady routine, until a one-sided fight breaks out and everything is knocked out of order.

notes: you'll hate me for this. sorry. also, daphne might seem a bit weak but we'll see her character grow and learn how to live in this new world as the book goes on. i gotta allow some room for growth.

A month later…

Daphne’s POV

The first two weeks were absolute hell.

It didn’t dawn on me just how accustomed we had all been to technology and conveniences until the first night. It was uncomfortable and terrifying, the heat creating a layer of sweat that made it hard to even breathe. Every noise made me jump and it took a while for me to get more than an hour of sleep most nights.

I felt even more horrible for Glenn who, for all the years I’d known him, slept like a log. But even he was struggling and it was mostly due to my constant tossing and turning.

On my worst nights, I usually liked to open the trunk of the Jeep and just sit, legs curled up against my chest and staring at the clear sky with my head on my arms. It’s amazing how many stars you could see now that there wasn’t much use for electricity. For those who had survived the initial outbreak, I assumed they were smart enough to figure out that light attracted the dead.

Glenn called them geeks, but we mostly agreed on walkers. Made them sound less goofy I guess.

During Glenn and Shane’s runs, they encountered some survivors and we’d slowly been adding to our group. Each person had something to offer thankfully — well, most of them at least — and though we were all complete strangers to each other, we were slowly but surely falling into a comfortable routine. This was life now; we had to accept it.

Glenn was out on a run now. The first time he had made his solo trip to the city, he had made the smart decision to do it while I was finally asleep (needless to say, it wiped out all my progress and now I woke up every half hour expecting him to be gone). But he survived and even more, he brought back things we didn’t think we’d ever see again.

Canned foods, appliances, blankets, mosquito spray. Too many things to even keep track of — thankfully, Lori was good at stock.

I would’ve gone with Glenn — I have a few times before — but he was more familiar with the city. Knew shortcuts and alleys I couldn’t even navigate in my wildest dreams. Unfortunately, I only slowed him down. So he mostly goes alone now, to my dissatisfaction.

”Grab me my beer. Hurry up!”

I clenched my jaw, picturing every single way I could knock Ed Peletier on his ass. I tried not to look up from my task, scrubbing my knife clean, to avoid an argument.

“The dead can move faster than that,” he snarled again. I saw his wife Carol rushing to bring him a lukewarm beer from my peripheral.

Him, Carol and their daughter Sophia were new additions to the group; Glenn found them maybe a week ago in the woods close to the interstate. 

It was clear from the day they were brought in they weren’t a happy family. There was tension; it almost felt as though one wrong move could inflict Ed’s rage on every single person in the camp. It wasn’t until the second day of their arrival that Shane had caught Ed being less than friendly towards his wife. It led to a nasty discussion, but Ed didn’t take it as far as I thought his peasized brain would. 

Even a vile man like him knew being with other people was the only chance at survival. It was unfortunate he used his time on this earth to be the shittiest man alive. 

I finally looked up when Carol crossed in front of me, a forced smile on her face, and her posture looked small. Despite not knowing her for long, my heart broke.

Carol approached her husband with the beer (the cooler and the alcohol being his only contributions towards this group in terms of supply searching) and stretched it out with a shaky hand.

Ed looked up with an easy smile. It was sinister. He didn’t thank her, instead brought his hand back and slapped her from the back as she walked away.

I automatically jumped up, disgusted and infuriated out of my mind. My feet were pulling me towards him before my brain could catch up.

”You fucking pig—!”

I had no idea how or when Shane had crossed the camp so quickly but his hand was wrapped around my arm firmly. He held me back, feet away from where Ed was now standing, sneering down at me with an amused glimmer in his eyes.

”Daphne—” gasped Carol, red in the face.

Shane’s hand held me back from acting on every murderous thought I’d had about him ever since he set foot on our terrain.

"You wanna know something, Ed," Shane spat the name like it was poison. "I don't see why you're here. It's thirteen against one. We can have you out on the street before you get the chance to pull your head outta your ass."

I noticed how Shane gave Merle Dixon, a survivor who had joined our camp with his brother Daryl weeks ago, a side-eye. 

"20 if you include the kids and jackass over there-"

Merle wasn't paying attention, too far away to hear the brewing conflict and probably too high to care. Just the sight of him made me angrier.

"Screw you and your little bitch too," grunted Ed, drinking his beer like it was a regular Tuesday night. I stiffened in anticipation, knowing Shane wouldn't let this one slide. Ed had said some pretty stupid shit since he's gotten here, but I could feel Shane's patience thin out each and every time. 

"You know what, man, I've been-" Shane chuckled strangely. He seemed to simmer down, smiling easily as he reached a hand out to Carol who stood nearby with another beer bottle on hand for when Ed finished his. I watched tensely as Carol reluctantly gave it to him. The confusion on her face was evident and I knew the pit in her stomach that must've formed if she thought Shane, our sort of guard dog, was actually about to make peace with her abuser. "I've been going about this wrong. You and I -- I guess we haven't been seeing eye to eye. It's tense, I get it, it's a new world now-"

Ed had been eyeing him distastefully, probably angered that he'd taken one of his beers, but as Shane kept talking, his guard began to come down, a pleased look in his eye as Shane fed him exactly what he wanted to hear. "To the new world," Ed said gruffly, clinking his bottle against Shane's.

A nauseous feeling arose as I watched the scene, but I liked to think I knew Shane fairly well and I wasn't an idiot. Anyone with eyes could see Shane had a little more than a soft spot for me. Was he actually going to let that comment slide? Because I sure as hell wasn't. My lip curled, ready to fire insult after insult at Ed but the words fell short as Shane moved unexpectedly. 

His bottle swung in the air faster than Ed's two brain cells could comprehend it, straight for the side of Ed's head, shattering loudly against the bone of his temple. A strangled noise left Ed, his big body stumbling to the side before falling with a loud thud. 

Carol had gasped, jumping back what seemed like a few feet but maybe I had just run forward as soon as the violence started, and little Sophia screamed, face red. Even with all the abuse, Ed was still the only father figure in her life, but it wasn't enough for me to stop Shane. 

Blood was seeping down the side of his face, gargled sounds leaving his mouth as he weakly tried to fight Shane off. I guess his large structure was the only thing giving him any strength at all- the force Shane had put into that bottle swing was enough to incapacitate anyone. It only got concerning when Shane didn't stop his assault even after Ed had fully given up, slumping unconscious on the floor. His fists kept crashing into Ed's face, red on the ground and on both of his hands and you could barely tell Ed's nose from his mouth. His entire face was swelling up rapidly and it was only when our lookout, Dale, came running along with the others that I snapped out of my stupor. 

One glance at Sophia was all I needed to rush forward and grab Shane's shoulders. 

"You're killing him!" yelled Dale, ramming the bottom of his rifle against the ground, face screwed up in a mixture of anger and disappointment. I gave two of the other survivors, the burliest of them, an exasperated look, struggling with Shane's relentless movement, unable to pull him off alone. 

The two came rushing forward, huffing as if it were the biggest inconvenience - and I supposed it was; no one was a fan of the abuser and in fact, if the sight of his mangled face wasn't so grotesque, I doubt anyone would be complaining. I wanted nothing more than to let Shane kill him, even though the thought made my stomach churn because I wasn't this murderous a month ago, but Sophia's cries were hard for me to ignore. Getting rid of Ed had to be done in secret, away from prying eyes and especially from Sophia's. As we pulled Shane off, I glanced over at Carol, out of breath and still shaking in fury, and she was not as shaken as her daughter was. In fact, I'd say that beneath that shocked expression, there was a glimmer of hope and satisfaction in her eyes. 

"Don't you let me hear you insult her again, you bastard!" Shane yelled as T-Dog and Morales, the two survivors, pulled him away by the arms. I stepped closer to Carol, debating whether I should even breathe in her direction.

”Ed,” gasped Carol quietly. “I—he—Soph-Sophia—”

”Carol, you’re going to be okay. You…” I glanced back at my tent. It was large enough for two more. If Glenn were here, he’d insist. “You two can stay with me.”

”He’s… he’s my husband, Daphne,” Carol said in a shaky voice, barely above a whisper. “I—I did this to him—”

”No, you listen to me. You didn’t do this. Shane did.” I glanced over to where Dale, T-Dog, and Morales were dragging Ed. Our little “med-bay station” under a small tarp with a stack of first aid kits. “And if he hadn’t, I would’ve.”

Carol didn’t say a word. She just clutched Sophia tighter. Even with her young ears latching onto my every word, I couldn’t find it in myself to take it back. I wanted her to know she had someone willing to fight for her and her mother. 

“He’s my husband.” Carol repeated a bit firmer this time. She looked more upset as she gazed at the med-tarp. I couldn’t tell if it was whatever care she had for the man or if it was because he was still breathing.

I knew my limits. All I could do was hope he wouldn’t lay another hand on them, because then I would have a murder to deal with.

Carol and Sophia walked away, probably to the med-tarp but I couldn’t bring myself to turn around. I was drenched in worry and sadness, for them. For their situation.

I felt the burning of a pair of eyes on me. I removed the hand shielding my eyes from the sun. Squinting against the brightness, I found Shane by the tree line, as far as he could get from Ed without abandoning the camp altogether. Other than the blood on his knuckles, he looked otherwise alright. No surprise though— Ed wasn’t able to lay a finger on him.

I walked over to him. He was still seething, his shoulders pulled back as if he were ready to send a punch flying. His lip was curled and he was now staring at the ground furiously.

”He needs to be sent away,” I said quietly. It was my turn to look at the ground, afraid to see the disgusted look on Shane’s face.

Murder was a line we hadn’t crossed yet. We don’t kill people — just the dead and any wildlife we need to consume… and that’s what it would be— exile was just as good as murder in the new world.

”I agree,” said Shane gruffly. “But- but what we’re building here. All of us—” he gestured at the group of twenty. “We need the numbers.”

”Ed doesn’t do a damn thing for the numbers—”

”Yeah, but Carol and Sophia do.” Shane sounded a bit disappointed as he said so. I couldn’t blame him— it would be much simpler if Ed wasn’t a manipulative bastard who had his family wrapped around his stubby finger. “That little girl is Carl’s best friend and Carol—”

”You don’t have to explain,” I sighed. “I get it.”

”I know you don’t like it. Hell, I don’t like it, but this isn’t forever, Daph. I promise—”

I didn’t mean to flinch away, but his hand reaching toward me, covered in fresh blood, with the nickname Glenn so often used for me— I was automatically moving away in discomfort. I made a promise to myself to toughen up. Like Glenn and Shane have.

A hurt look crossed Shane’s face. I quickly placed a hand on his arm, loosely clutching his elbow. The warmth of his skin grounded me.

“I’m sorry. I just…” I sighed. Shane’s eyes were glued on me intensely. “I want us to be safe. You, me, Lori, Carl, Glenn… every second he’s out there and I don’t hear his voice over this damn radio, I can’t breathe.”

His gaze followed my other hand, that wrapped around the walkie clipped to my belt, and it made me aware just how bad they were shaking. The tears welled up before I could help it. God, I wish I was stronger—

“Hey," Shane said in a demanding tone. I looked up through unshed tears. "He'll be okay. How many times has he not come back?"

I didn't answer, caught up in my thoughts about Glenn. Even if I tried, I wouldn't be able to make Shane understand. He was my best friend, the only person other than my parents that I'd ever cared about more than myself. In a world where there was nothing left but survivors, I couldn't lose him. 

"You're right," I said eventually, getting a grip. Crying wouldn't do me any good. The sun was slowly setting and he would be back any second now. He had to. 

"Damn right. In fact, there he is," boasted Shane. I turned around so fast I should've gotten whiplash. How did I miss the sound of the van pulling up the trail? I gave the thought less than a second of attention before rushing over to the driver's door. I pulled it open before Glenn could. 

"Woah, Daph," gasped Glenn, barely making it out of the van. I tackled him into a tight hug, gripping his shirt tightly. It was familiar, the feeling of his body and the sound of his voice. Relief flooded me like an icy bucket of water. 

"You asshole," I pulled away and smacked his chest. "What took you so long?"

Half of our group already crowded around the trunk of the car, taking whatever Glenn brought back to where Lori was waiting with her little inventory list. It was only a few crates full of small things, maybe three or four. 

We sat down by our pile of logs, unlit but everyone stared at them as if they were ablaze. It was silent, disappointment and a feeling of loss reeking in the air. 

“Hopefully, I’ll find more on the next run,” sighed Glenn, eyes stuck on the ground. 

”I’m coming with you,” I said firmly.

Glenn’s mouth opened in automatic protest. 

“I’m serious, Glenn. I don’t know the roads like you do but I’m fast. Faster than I used to be. I’ve been hunting in the woods with Shane—” who was currently shaking his head furiously, pacing with a frustrated look. “— and we could get more for the camp if there were two of us.”

”Even more with three,” drawled Merle Dixon from behind us. His little brother was nowhere in sight.

I spun around to glare at him. “I’m sorry. I think I missed the part where I invited you.”

”Lighten up sweetcheeks. You’d be hotter if you kept that mouth of yours busy doing something else.”

”Fuck you,” I spat. Merle smiled as if I gave him a compliment.

”No. No, no, absolutely not,” Glenn protested. 

I nodded fiercely. “I agree. Merle won’t be coming.”

”Neither will you. I don’t think this is a good idea. We’ve got a good thing going here. I bring any more people and we could mess that up,” he said exasperatedly.

”No offense Glenn, but the lack of supplies here isn’t a good thing,” Andrea Harrison said from across the circle.

“He’s trying,” I snapped before Glenn could even defend himself.

”We know that,” said Andrea quickly. “We'd just like to help out more.”

”Who’s we?” Glenn asked, sounding more and more frustrated by the second.

“Andrea, Morales, Jacqui, and I were talking… it doesn’t have to be every run. But the numbers could be better for you. We’d cover each other and get more supplies in one run,” explained T-Dog. 

“You were in on this?” Glenn asked quietly, giving me an exasperated look. I shook my head. This was news to me. Sure, Andrea had mentioned something to me about “picking up some harder shifts” around camp the other day, but I hadn’t thought much of it. I figured she was just going to go fishing more often with her sister or something.

”Glenn, like it or not, I’m coming. As for the others… you know the risks,” I gave them each a pointed look. At the end of the day, the others didn’t matter to me like Glenn did. I would make sure the two of us got home alive if shit were to hit the fan. 

They all quickly nodded in agreement. Glenn stared at them for a moment and then let out a hefty sigh. “Fine.”

There was a silence that fell over the camp. Shane was still seething, holding his knuckles to his mouth and glaring daggers at me.

”So,” Merle began. Everyone turned toward him with a glare. “When do we leave?”

”You’re not coming,” I scoffed.

”Sorry, sweetheart, but you could use an extra set of hands. I’m getting a lil too comfortable in this five star hotel, I’m in need of a little fire under my ass—”

”You sure it’s not drugs you’re in need of?” I rolled my eyes.

”Now that you mention it, I am running low. All the more reason I’ll be joining your little crew for the time being,” Merle said snarkily.

”This is gonna be a disaster,” groaned T-Dog, stomping away from the gathering. We all took it as a cue to disband, knowing there was nothing any of us could say that would keep Merle Fucking Dixon from joining us into the city tomorrow.

Glenn and I shared a worried glance. 

"It'll be fine," I tried to sound reassuring but I think it had the opposite effect. Glenn's face dropped even more and he trudged over to our tent without another word. 

I waited a moment, listening to the sounds of the insects that seem to come alive at night, and I stared at the sun that was slowly slipping beneath the horizon. Everyone had gone to their tents or were now sitting close to the small fire Lori had started. Jacqui, a sweet woman I'd talked to once or twice within the two weeks she'd been here, and Andrea sat close together, her little sister at her side as usual and T-Dog joined the circle too. Even Morales was sitting close by, his family surrounding him but he seemed engaged in whatever conversation they had going on. I furrowed my eyebrows in frustration or confusion... maybe both. They were surely discussing tomorrow's supply run and I tried not to be angry with them. It was obvious they wanted to contribute more and while the thought was appreciated, I'm not sure a larger group would do us any favors in a city that's infested with the dead. 

I dragged my gaze away from them, but not before Lori's eyes met mine and she gave me a weak smile. Carl was sitting beside her silently, staring at the burning embers with disinterest. I weakly smiled back and followed after Glenn's footsteps, mentally preparing for another restless night. 

Later that night, I was up long after everyone had fallen asleep, with my legs pressed against my chest and my chin resting against my knees on the back of the black jeep we’d stolen when all of this started.

My anxiety kept me awake as usual. After tossing and turning for a full hour, I’d resorted to my usual activity, stargazing. I laid down, thankful the roof of the jeep happened to be stored away from Shane's last water run. I let out a quiet sigh, feeling the tense muscles in my back forcefully relax. It was a bit painful letting my guard down because my body was so used to being alert.

 A sudden branch snapping sent me sitting up again, hand flying to the blade I kept in the sheath on my belt. 

"It's me," Shane said as he stepped into view. I let go of the knife and pulled my knees up to my chest again. I had nothing to say, knowing exactly what Shane was dying to discuss. It was the only reason he'd be joining me at this hour instead of patrolling the edge of the woods. The group alternated night shifts, Shane volunteering to take most of them, but it was supposed to be T-Dog's night. It wasn't out of the norm for Shane to take his place but I knew T-Dog must've been patrolling if Shane was here now.

He sat next to me silently, staring at the ground and clicking his tongue. I kept my head forward, staring at the outline of the city stubbornly. 

“I don’t approve of this,” Shane finally said quietly.

”And I’m not asking for permission,” I responded with a bit of a bite. I knew Shane was just concerned for my well-being, but it didn’t ease the pent-up frustration from the last few days. Between Ed’s arrival and Merle’s stupid little jabs at anyone who wasn’t what he considered superior, I was beyond over trying to remain civil. Maybe Shane didn’t deserve it, but I was done trying to please everybody.

”Since the moment the others arrived, we’ve been bending over backwards trying to make sure they’re fed, safe. Sure, some of them have earned their keep but others? Shane, we’re risking our lives every damn day.”

I felt horrible even saying this. But I needed to think beyond our natural instinct to protect anyone who was still alive. At the end of the day, this was about us. What used to be just Glenn and I become a group of five and I’m willing to admit I’d do just about anything to make sure we survived.

“I’m not going for them. I’m going for us. I’m not going to sit here while Glenn is out there every other day. If I can help him find even one children multivitamin pack, it's more than enough for me to try."

“Carl will be fine,” Shane said sternly.

”Maybe. But he’s a boy. He’s growing and we need him to be strong if he wants to survive—”

”I won’t let anything happen to him or you,” Shane cut in, looking more determined than I’d ever seen him.

“I appreciate that, Shane. I really do,” I placed my hands over his and he stared down at our contact, entranced almost. “But I can take care of myself. Or at least, I’ve gotta learn how to... I’ll be fine tomorrow. Glenn will be with me.” 

Shane tilted his head, straining the muscles of his neck. "That's... that's what I'm worried about..."

I rounded on him suddenly, pulling my hands away as if his skin burned me. "Glenn has proven time and time again he's more than capable of keeping this camp safe. He knows how to avoid the walkers--" I didn’t know why I was repeating this. Wasn’t he the one reassuring me of Glenn’s skills earlier? 

"But has he killed any?" Shane hissed. "The world ain't ever gonna be the same again and it's either kill or get killed, Daphne. See, me? I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty and do what needs to get done. Would he? Let's say you tear your bullet wound open and one of the walkers got their hands on you--"

"Then, I would be dead anyway," I cut him off fiercely. "Where the hell is all this coming from? I can't keep playing it safe while you're both risking your lives everyday for the rest of us. I was able to handle myself pretty damn well on the field--"

"That was then. This is now. This ain't like the field, Daph. We're not tracking down petty criminals, wearing our little bulletproof vests with backup around the corner. If I can't stop you then I need to know you'll be safe. I can't go with you, I can't leave Lori and Carl--"

"I wouldn't ask you to," I shook my head, feeling my temper rise to the back of my neck, bubbling as if I wanted to open my mouth wide and breathe fire. I looked away from Shane and stared at the dark outline of the skyscrapers against the moonlight. "Lori and Carl need you here."

Though reluctant, he nodded in agreement. "I...I just want to make sure you're okay. If I-if I can't stop you, at least take this with you. Please." He held out his handgun, safety on, but I could tell it was loaded. I eyed it for a long moment, knowing it was one of the few weapons we had to protect the camp. 

"Take it," he pressed one more time. Hastily, I took the gun before he could retract it. If it came down to it, I'd be grateful Shane gave me something to defend myself with. God knows what we'll encounter tomorrow. Even if Glenn was pretty much desensitized to the dead, I sure as hell wasn't. 

"Thanks," I muttered, turning the pistol over in my grip. It was a semi-auto pistol and almost always in Shane's hands. It didn't go past me the sacrifice he was making for my safety. "Thank you, Shane," I said more clearly, finally meeting his gaze. 

He was staring at me intensely, a bit closer than I expected him to be. His eyes were filled with worry and something similar to...to longing? I thought his crush on me had died the second our lives at the precinct did. 

I debated whether I should get up and put some distance between us or let whatever was gonna happen, happen. The rush of the last few weeks, the turn our lives took, it didn't give me the time or luxury to even feel lonely. And even if I did, even just for a second, I would catch a glimpse of Lori Grimes and her boy wherever they were in the camp, and the guilt would squash any of that loneliness away... Was it selfish for me to want attention from a lover when a mother and her son had just lost their husband and father so recently? And besides, it wasn't like I was dating anyone before the world fell apart, it had been some hookups here and there, and my embarrassingly huge crush on my coworker I interacted with once.

Add in the fact that the subject of my embarrassing crush was the husband and father of who I now considered family... 

I didn't let myself think about it... until now. I should feel horrible for letting Shane lean in slowly, especially since I had no strong feelings for him, just mindless lust driven by my loneliness and the fact that he cared so deeply for me didn't help. 

He was probably a breath away from me now. I could feel the warm puffs of air leave his mouth, fanning against my lips gently. The only thing I could hear was this, the chirps of the night, and my relentless thoughts badgering at my conscious.

Did I have any feelings for Shane? His hand slipped over the fabric of my jeans, resting on my thigh lightly and my eyes followed the movement. He's always been so attentive... so adamant in keeping us safe... keeping me his priority. My head started to feel light and I allowed my eyes to shut... my head to tilt up the slightest bit...

Our noses brushed lightly and his mouth was on mine, a shuttering puff of air escaping his nostrils. He was nervous; I wasn't. In fact, I wasn't feeling anything. It was mindless, chasing the movement of his lips because it was familiar and nostalgic. It reminded me of before...

I'm not sure Shane would've ever pulled away, his other hand had even slipped under my jaw, tangling in the curls behind my ear with passion. But my brain finally caught up with my body and I felt too guilty for leading him on. It was obvious he had feelings for me and if I even wanted to pursue anything with him, I couldn't do it under a pretense. Under a guise.

"Shane," I mumbled against his lips, trying to pull away gently. He hummed back, pulling me closer and trying to slip his tongue into my mouth. I pushed against his chest firmly and it seemed to snap him out of his daze, his mouth pulling away from mine slowly. Like he wished he could be this close forever. An unpleasant feeling settled in my stomach.

"I'm.." I looked down at his heaving chest, my hand resting against it. I could feel his hair brushing against my ear as he tried to duck his head and meet my eye. "I shouldn't have let that happen," I whispered, afraid to shatter whatever we had here, for his sake. "I'm sorry-"

"You don't mean that," he rumbled against my hand. "Almost three goddamn years... you finally said yes."

"To dinner," I shook my head and looked up at him. He was still too damn close. I pulled my hand away. It sounded ridiculous, discussing things from before. A fucking cancelled date of all things.

Shane looked like he was at a loss for words. "You don't mean that," he repeated with a sudden guarded look. 

It dawned on me how serious he was. How did I not realize this sooner?

Shane didn't scare me, but his commitment did. Almost three goddamn years. You finally said yes. 

"I'm sorry." It was the only thing I could think to say. 

Shane stared at me as if I'd spoken a different language and I shifted uncomfortably, my cheeks stinging with shame. And without another word, he got up and walked around the jeep. I stood to watch him stomp over to T-Dog and they switched shifts. T-Dog looked surprised to see me but waved as he walked over to his tent tiredly. I forced a small smile, not that he could see it from this distance, and waved back weakly. I was suddenly quite glad I was leaving tomorrow and set off for my tent with a newfound eagerness to fall asleep and wake up to a new day. If I was lucky, we'd leave before Shane could wake up from his morning nap. 

I spared him one more glance, seeing his body turned toward me and the faint outline of his head shaking from side to side. 

Guilt stabbed at my stomach for the rest of the night. 

next chapter…

#rick grimes x daphne ayala #rick grimes x original female character #rick grimes x reader #rick grimes x oc #the walking dead #the walking dead fanfic #shane walsh #shane walsh x original female character #shane walsh x reader #lori grimes #carl grimes #glenn rhee #andrea twd #twd

[rickmymanrick]

one rule | chapter seven

[rick grimes x original female character slowburn]

series masterlist

summary: the plan goes wrong. daphne and glenn find themselves in a precarious situation, but at least they have each other, right?

notes: double update. i couldn't help myself. i love this chapter so much for some reason. it just flows together so nicely to me. scratched my brain the right way.

also if you’d like to read a little bit of rick’s pov in the last chapter (6), be sure to check this out.

Glenn's POV

The plan was simple. It wasn't my walkie-talkie lying abandoned in the middle of the intersection, but I was the fastest out of the group.

If we wanted any chance at succeeding, it would have to be me.

And things were going as smoothly as possible, up until I turned into the alley I planned to meet Daryl in, finding a group of strangers instead.

"Who are you?" One of the men snapped immediately.

"Uh—um—" I had no idea what to say, wondering how to stall until Daryl got here. If shit hit the fan, the odds of me winning against three of them weren't high at all.

"He asked you a question, pendejo," said another one.

"He's got a gun," one of them observed quietly, nudging the burliest dude in interest.

Yeah and I'm about to use it on you fuckers if you try anything.

The fence behind me rattled dangerously and I twisted instinctively. The walkers had caught up, pushing against the gate in a chorus of groans.

The next movements happened too fast.

The back of my shirt was seized aggressively and I was thrown into the brick wall, my gun grabbed from my pocket and pointed against my temple.

One of the other guys grabbed my radio and showed it to the other curiously.

"Where did you get the gun, huh?" The guy who held me against the wall by the collar asked.

What the fuck do I say? What do I say? I panicked, a nervous sweat breaking out on my hairline. Where's Daryl?

"Where did you get the goddamn gun? There's gotta be more wherever they came from!" He clicked the safety off.

"Uh, I found it. On—on the road. There was just one." I lied horribly.

"He's lying," the guy with the radio sneered.

"Are you alone? Are there others?"

I thought of Daphne and how she had no clue how badly shit just hit the fan. "It's just me." I said quickly.

"I don't believe you, puto. Tell the truth before I blow your goddamn brains out!"

The fence creaked dangerously. I side-glanced, hoping it wouldn't collapse.

"I am," I winced at the harshness of the barrel.

"Glenn?"

Fuck. We all looked at the CB in the dude's hand, my heart dropping to my feet.

"Glenn, can you hear me?"

"Alone, huh?" He pressed his gun even harder and grabbed the radio from his friend. "Who the fuck is this?"

"Glenn, I'm at the store. We missed some things. Are you guys finished?"

Daph, for the love of God, shut the fuck up. Please.

"The store? Y'all found a place that hasn't been ransacked?"

I stayed silent.

"Listen to me, boy. I want you to answer her. No funny business. You understand me?" He curled his finger around the trigger.

"Okay," I gasped, watching as he brought the radio close to my mouth. He pressed the button.

"Daphne?" The first sign I hoped would give her a hint thatsomething was not right. I usually called her Daph. "Daphne, uh, we-we found Hector. Um, but I think he's with Shane."

We didn't even know a Hector. Before the fall or now. But these guys didn't know that.

"What?" She responded.

I made tense eye contact with the gunman.

"The signal must be cutting out. He's with S—Shane."

"Um, okay... can you meet me here? I think there's a good amount of things we can take back."

"Ask her where she's at," the buzzcut demanded.

"You're on the corner of Penn and Seventh, right?" I prayed to any force above that she wasn't a complete idiot.

"No, on the corner of Peachtree and Third. What the fuck is going on?"

I cringed instantly. She is an idiot.

The three men all stared at me blankly.

"I'm geologically challenged?" I winced, hoping he wouldn't shoot.

Keeping the gun pressed to my head, they began to drag me to the opposite end of the alleyway where there was a running car.

"HEY!"

Daryl came running down the alley all of a sudden, crossbow at the ready as he tried to figure out which guy to shoot at.

"Let's go!" The burly dude yelled, slamming the back door open.

Daryl got tackled by one of the smaller guys, a tussle breaking out on the concrete.

Quickly, I was thrown into the car before Daryl could break free. I watched as they willingly left the kid behind, shifting into drive.

"Let's check out this store."

Daphne's POV

I'm scared shitless.

I wasn't afraid to admit it. At least not out loud. I had no idea why I thought this would be the best option, and had less of an understanding why Glenn agreed with me.

At least Rick had the sense to disagree with the plan. Looking back, I should've just listened to him instead of being petty.

Still, I forced myself to hustle, crossing the empty streets of Atlanta with my heart in my throat.

I was alone. At first, it wasn't my preference but I didn't want to drag anyone on my side mission to retrieve our supplies we'd put aside yesterday. I knew exactly where to go and Glenn was the only one who could safely take the rest of the group back to Merle's rooftop.

I almost dropped to my knees in relief once I safely made it into the mini market tucked at the bottom of a large corporate building.

There was bound to be a few dead stragglers. They did invade this building yesterday. Creeping silently, I held my knife up (Rick gave it back to me before I left) and counted my breaths.

At 3, I lunged out behind the first aisle, ready to stab into walker skull.

There was only three and thankfully, they'd been dead for a while now. Slowly limping with flesh barely clinging to the bone. I could see their skeletons staring back at me, wasted away and rotting. Suppressing this morning's breakfast, I made quick work of the first one, stabbing into its head swiftly before the second one set its sights on me.

Its long hair swung as it turned towards the noise, limping at me with a broken leg. I grunted as it tried to grab onto me, forcing me to back away into the aisle, cans of food rolling by my feet.

"Shit," I hissed, its nails scratching the air beside me. I swung my bloody knife into its temple and grabbed one of the cans, chucking it at the last walker.

It smashed into its forehead, a chunk of skin and brittle bone falling off and effectively knocking it to the ground. Quickly, I stomped on the head without thinking, the crunch giving away to brain matter as it died beneath my foot.

I gagged as I pulled my foot out, shaking the slimy stuff off my shoe. After waiting in silence for a minute, I finally moved again. There was no sound but the rushing wind between the skyscrapers.

Fortunately, our pile of stuff was untouched. Piles of diphenhydramine, ibuprofen, antibiotics, vitamins. Packs of non-perishable food items.

I grabbed my CB, simultaneously stuffing all the medicine into my pack. "Glenn? Glenn, can you hear me?"

I was met with staticky silence. Undeterred, I readjusted some knobs.

"Glenn, I'm at the store. We missed some things. Are you guys finished?"

Dread began to fill me the longer I waited for a response.

"Daphne? Daphne, uh, we-we found Hector. Um, but I think he's with Shane."

I let out a sigh of relief before realizing what the fuck he just said.

"What?" I answered, wondering if he was on drugs.

"The—the signal must be cutting out. He's with S-Shane." Glenn's voice sounded distorted, shaky. Why did he sound so nervous?

Something definitely wasn't right. Unless I'm losing my marbles, Shane definitely threw a hissy fit and stayed at camp and we don't know a single person named Hector.

"Um, okay..." I tried to think of what to say. Were we being listened to? "Can you meet me here? I think there's a good amount of things we can take back."

It took a little longer for Glenn to respond this time. I clutched the walkie in confusion.

"You're on the corner of Penn and Seventh, right?"

"No, on the corner of Peachtree and Third. What the fuck is going on?" In hindsight I probably should have went along with what he was saying, but I got fed up and I'm clearly an idiot.

Silence.

"Glenn?"

I looked at the CB, banging it against my thigh but still there was nothing but static. I rolled my eyes, knowing Glenn can handle his own if nothing else. He'd meet me here.

I went back to the aisle where I'd left the corpses, stepping over the mess of guts and brains. I did two rounds, making a nice pile of Chef Boyardee next to the rest of our supplies.

My arms were aching as I looked down at all the stuff proudly.

"Hands up."

I jolted in surprise, feeling the cold barrel of a gun at the base of my neck.

I did as I instructed, heart pounding against my chest. I didn't know what was worse— finding another walker in here or this.

"Turn around slowly. I wanna see those hands."

I tried not to make any sudden movements, not wanting to die at 23.

Standing before me was a man with buzzed hair, tanned skin and a scowl etched on his lips. He stared at me behind his pistol, just as another man came through the broken windows on the other side of the store.

"She gave herself away," the other one snickered, stepping over the walkers and heading toward the pile behind me.

A horrible thought crossed my mind and I was paralyzed in fear of what they'd do to me.

"You play nice and I won't have to pull this trigger, preciosa."

We waited in tense silence as the other guy stuffed all the canned food in a large sack.

"Other guy had a gun. Check her too."

Other guy? They must have Glenn, Rick or T-Dog.

I made the connections in my head as he patted me down for any weapons, taking my trusty knife that was covered in walker blood.

Glenn sounded nervous, not at all his usual self minutes ago. These assholes must've taken him and tracked me through the CB. Fuck.

Fuck fuck fuck.

"Alright, lights out, princess."

Alarmed, I looked up at the gunman before he swung the gun against my temple hard enough to knock me out.

My head was throbbing as I regained consciousness.

"What the fuck just happened?" I groaned, rubbing my temple and trying to adjust my sensitive eyes to the brightness of wherever I found myself.

"Hey, welcome back to the world of the living."

I pushed myself up into a seated position, giving myself whiplash as I spun to look at Glenn.

He was on the ground next to me, looking as roughed up as I felt.

"What happened?" I demanded, bringing him into a quick embrace. At least he was alive. "Where are we?"

We were in a room with four white walls, empty aside from an empty medical cart and a window that was barred up. The floor was surprisingly clean.

"We ran into some guys. They took my gun. I guess their plan is to lure the others so they can steal the rest of them."

"Fuck," I threw my head down into my hands. "I practically baited them over the walkie, huh? Guns and supplies."

"Yeah," sighed Glenn. He looked utterly defeated, staring at the wall with pure regret.

The door suddenly swung open and in came the same guy that knocked me out. Two other guys came in after him.

My muscles tensed.

"Your little friends are here," he sneered at us before turning to one of the dudes. "Hermano, get them tied up."

I knew better than to try to fight back. I'm pretty sure I'm concussed.

Hastily, they put sacks over our heads and tied cloth over our mouths, the world becoming distorted and incredibly itchy on the eyelids. They tied around our hands, hoisting us up and dragging us out.

I tried to gather as much information as I could, listening for any unusual sounds but the men who were dragging us were too damn loud. Talking about a kid named Miguel and 'some hillbilly.'

Daryl.

I didn't know whether to feel relieved or even more terrified that they were here. God knows how many of them were in this group. How many were loaded with weapons.

A door slammed open ahead of us and suddenly the piercing Atlanta sun beamed onto our bodies, wind whipping my air around. The hand around my arm tightened, halting our walk.

"Oye!" I heard from... below?

I was dragged a few paces before the bag was roughly snatched off my head, a few strands of my hair along with it.

The sun beat mercilessly into my eyes but it wasn't the first thing I noticed.

It was the three story fall that awaited me half a step away.

I gasped against the gag, feeling the man behind me push me forward threateningly. My eyes scanned the scene below.

Daryl and Rick stood in the courtyard, weapons raised, across from a large group of armed men. I found Rick's gaze first, his eyes wide in fear. His grip on the pistol slipped the tiniest bit before his eyes hardened in anger and his lips twisted into a scowl.

He turned back toward who I assumed was the guy behind this entire operation.

"I see two options. You come back with Miguel and the rest of your arsenal. Everybody walks. Or you come back locked and loaded, we'll see which side spills more blood."

The leader looked up and I followed his gaze to find T-Dog on one of the rooftops, aiming a long-distance gun at his head.

Rick kept his gun up, his gaze once more flickering between Glenn and I before resting on me.

I wanted to shake my head and tell him to go back to camp. But my captor was holding the back of my head steady.

Our eyes remained locked for what felt like minutes before Daryl began to tug the back of his collar, slowly retreating from the courtyard.

His eyes stayed on mine until they reached the doorway and the doors were promptly shut.

"Alright, the theatrics are over," the guy who held my arm said with a sigh and loosened his grip significantly. I threw him a confused look over my shoulder as he walked me back toward the door, leading me down a staircase and taking us back to our empty room.

"I'm sorry for all the manhandling but we needed to make sure y'all weren't a threat."

Glenn and I both looked up with a startle, the leader of the group was standing in front of us looking genuinely apologetic.

"Nope," I said weakly. "Just mildly concussed."

"And you?" He looked at Glenn.

"Uh, mildly terrified."

The guy laughed and the hairs on my body stood up. It wasn't common to hear something like that nowadays.

"Look, my name is Guillermo, but everyone around here calls me G. We don't wanna hurt you guys."

"Didn't seem that way earlier," I said. "I got smacked in the temple."

"You know how it is. If you've stayed alive this long, you know you gotta protect your own."

I did understand. But I didn't believe we were in the clear here. This is the first group we've encountered since the world went to shit. Who knows what they've done to survive?

"Look, if your friends make the deal or not, you can stay here. You seem like decent people." He said with a shrug. "We need the muscle. You'll see what I mean soon enough."

I shared a glance with Glenn.

We in fact did see what he meant. My throat went dry as he led us out of the room, our hands finally untied. I stuck close to Glenn, keeping a hand wrapped around the bottom of his shirt.

This was a nursing home. Elderly people lived in each room, some in hospital beds, some playing board games with each other, others knitting.

"Are you kidding?" I asked without malice. "You had us thinking you were all some mafia."

"Appearances," Guillermo shrugged. "Hey, Judy. You doing alright?" He asked an older lady as we passed by. She waved at him with an adorable toothless smile.

"I'm hoping we can talk about those weapons you got."

We stopped at the end of the hallway, all three of us facing each other and I made brief eye contact with Glenn. Out of the both of us, I was the better liar.

"Look, what you've seen is what we've got. The guy in the cop uniform brought a small bag of weapons with him from his precinct. A few pistols, a revolver, and a rifle." It wasn't the complete truth but it wasn't a complete lie either. That was what we brought with us on this mission. Everything else was at the camp.

"That's it?" He looked unimpressed. "He didn't grab anything else?"

"It was just him. I guess that was all he could take on him."

"Where were you?"

"He joined us later on. He's from the outskirts of Georgia. He was looking for his family."

"Did he find 'em?"

"No," I lied, not fully trusting this random man. I made it a point to look disappointed, like I felt bad for Rick.

He looked disappointed as well, but likely not for the same reason. I felt a little bad for them. I could see that they weren't bad people, they'd stayed behind to care for the elderly. I could respect that.

"Y'all can make yourselves useful for now. We could use the extra help," he said.

"Uh, sure," Glenn glanced at me. I nodded at him in agreement. "What can we do?"

We ended up on housekeeping duty— checking in on the patients and making sure they weren't missing things like clean towels, soaps, blankets. Anything of that sort. I could tell we weren't being threatened anymore. In fact, the elderly seemed delighted to see us, even more so when they realized I also spoke Spanish like some of them.

My heart felt lighter than it had in weeks, my cheeks aching from how many smiles I'd handed out to all the grandmas and grandpas that greeted us warmly. No one was giving us strange or mean looks, there was not a weapon in sight.

Everything was going smoothly until one of the abuelitas came running down the hall, clutching our wrists and pulling us along with a panicked look.

"Can you help us? Mr Gilbert, he's having trouble breathing! Carlito can't find his asthma stuff!"

"We'll try, ma'am," said Glenn politely. She took us into a large room, people huddled around a hyperventilating man. We rushed over.

"I'm going to find Felipe! He—he knows where the medicine is!" She hobbled off quickly.

She returned in a few minutes, but it seemed like it had been seconds. I'd been distracted looking in every nook and cranny for an inhaler.

Felipe, the asshole that took all our chef boyardee, stood by Mr Gilbert, whipping out an inhaler and bringing it to the elderly man's lips.

Glenn and I gave each other a relieved look.

"What the hell is this?"

My head shot over to the back of the group, finding Rick standing there with a perplexed look. My eyebrows rose in confusion and surprise.

"An asthma attack," Glenn answered, barely sparing him a glance. "Couldn't get his breath all of a sudden."

"I thought you were being eaten by dogs, man," exclaimed T-Dog angrily.

Rick scanned me from head to toe before turning toward Guillermo. I tuned out most of their conversation, walking over to T-Dog and placing a grateful hand on his shoulder.

I knew it couldn't have been easy getting in here. Despite these people being mostly passive, they were still heavily armed. I don't even know why they want any more guns.

I gave Daryl a nod and then walked over to Rick, staying close as he followed Guillermo to the same room they put us in before.

"What about the rest of your crew?" Rick asked.

"The vatos trickle in to check on their parents, their grandparents. They see how things are and most decide to stay. It's a good thing too, we need the muscle. The people we've encountered since things fell apart. The worse kind— plunderers. The kind that take by force."

"That's not who we are," said Rick firmly.

"How was I to know? My people got attacked and you show up with Miguel hostage. Appearances."

"I guess the world changed," T-Dog mumbled.

"No, it's the same as it ever was. The weak get taken. So we do what we can here. The vatos work on those cars. Talk about getting the old people out of the city. But most can't even get to the bathroom by themselves so that's just a dream. Still, it keeps the crew busy. That's worth something. So we barred all the windows, welded all the doors shut, except for one entrance. The vatos, they go out. Scavenge what they can to keep us going. We watch the perimeter night and day and we wait. The people here— they all look to me now. I don't even know why."

"Because they can," Rick said, handing Guillermo a rifle and a pistol before turning around and unexpectedly grabbing me by the wrist. I startled, looking up at him in alarm. He didn't even spare me a glance, instead leading me out into the hallway where we encountered Felipe and the other guy that knocked me out.

Just the reminder made me glare at them, rubbing my temple with my free hand. My other hand was hyperaware of Rick's warm grip.

It was silent for a moment as we stared each other down. Then he reached back and the guy who knocked me out handed him my pack. Felipe offered it to me slowly and I took it. In it— the children multivitamins and about half of the medicine we'd scavenged.

None of the cans of food though.

"Fine, keep all the chef boyardees," I grumbled, instantly annoyed once again.

"Oye, yo no te crié así!" Felipe's grandmother cried, appearing all of a sudden to give him a solid whack in the side. "En mi hogar se..."

The man gave her a halfhearted glare, rubbing his ribs tenderly.

She raised her little wrinkly hand again.

"Se comparte," he said quickly with a sigh as he took the small plastic bag she was holding. I could see the fondness in his eyes as he looked back at his abuela.

"Thanks," Rick said, his grip on my wrist tightening ever so slightly as he leaned forward to grab a few cans. He shoved them into my bag.

"Alright, well this was cool but I'd rather we go now," I quietly told Rick, leaning up on my toes to get closer.

"Yeah, yeah," he finally looked at me now. His eyes dropped to our hands as if he hadn't realized he'd been holding on the whole time. Slowly, he dropped my arm, looking back up into my eyes. My breath hitched in my throat, cheeks burning slightly as I looked at his pale blue eyes. I'd never been this close to him other than the hug he'd given me yesterday.

"I'm glad you're okay," he told me as we let the rest of the group lead us out, falling to the back easily. There was this underlying need for privacy, as if our conversation was sort of intimate.

"Thanks for coming back for us," I told him with a serious look. "You could've just gone back to camp but you stayed."

Rick gave me an incredulous look. "Like I'd leave you."

We weren't anything to each other. We weren't even friends. Just former coworkers. But the way he said that made my heart flip in my chest.

Stupid emotions. Stupid, stupid crush. I felt like a giddy teenager.

Feeling a little brave, I placed a hand on his forearm. "Thank you," I looked him in the eyes, trying to convey just how grateful I was.

Maybe Guillermo would've let us go with or without Rick's interference but without any weapons or a vehicle, there was little chance we'd have made it back to camp alive.

I couldn't stay here and leave Shane, Lori or Carl behind. Even if Glenn was with me because I knew he felt the same. We'd all grown to care about each other, despite how many times I deny it. Glenn isn't the only important person in my life anymore.

We were all, like it or not, a family now.

"You don't have to thank me, ever." He grabbed a pistol tucked into the back of his belt loop and offered it to me smoothly.

I eyed it and then accepted with a small smile. "Tha—"

I cut myself off as Rick rose his eyebrows. His previous words repeated in my head.

"Sorry," I whispered, pocketing the gun with a wider smile and taking my hand off his arm.

Both smiling like blithering idiots, we rushed to catch up with the rest of the crew, heading back to reality.

"Hey, wait," I said loudly as we walked outside. "Where the fuck is Merle?"

taglist: @lovelyygirl8 @aleemendoza2425-blog @catlalice @ho3forchr1sevans

i wrote a little rick pov for chapter six if you'd like to check it out :)

#the walking dead #rick grimes x reader #twd #glenn rhee #rick grimes x daphne ayala #rick grimes x oc #rick grimes x original female character #the walking dead fanfic #rick grimes #shane walsh x original female character #daphne ayala #the walking dead x reader #original female character twd #twd fanfic #twd rick #shane walsh