Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners.  The original characters and plot are the property of the author.  The author is no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.  No copyright infringement is intended.

Warnings: Rated Mature for language, gore and adult situations.  Readers under the age of 18 are discouraged from reading.

Scars of Survival
Chapter Eight

My eyes snapped open as terrified screams filled my ears and my first instinct was to jerk up, thinking we were being attacked.  It took me a minute to remember what had happened, how that sick fuck knocked me out.  Guess I was right about Daryl bein’ pissed, I was just wrong when I thought it be at me.  Sorry Ed, but you’re my ticket out of the dog house and I more than willing to throw your fat ass under the bus.  He’s gonna be lucky if Daryl didn’t kill ‘em.

The sound of Carol shrieking had me rolling over to get to my feet and shaking my head to clear the fog.  I had to help her, it was me who had put her in danger with my stupidity, I should have just called out to one of the men instead.  In my muddled mind it took a second to realize that it wasn’t just Carol screaming, but all the girls and they were yelling at… Shane?

My body turned as my eyes fluttered over to him and I smiled at the wonderful sight.  Shane was, as Daryl would say, puttin’ the boots to that fuckin’ prick. What I couldn’t understand in all this shit was, why everyone was yellin’ at him to stop.  Why would anyone want Shane to stop, the bastard deserved everything he got and then some.  Had I been able, I would have jumped up and gave a high school cheer.  Go Shane, go.

With another punch, Shane pulled him up by the collar, finger in his face.  “You put yer hands on yer wife, yer little girl or anyone else in this camp one more time, I will not stop next time.  Do you hear me?”  He growled, squeezing Ed’s battered face in his large hand.  “Do you hear me?”  He repeated.  “I’ll beat ya to death, Ed!” 

As soon as Ed was released and Shane stepped back, Carol flew to his side, crying over his body and muttering over and over again that she was sorry.  It kind of made me want to cry and be sick all at the same time.  Sad because Carol deserved better than to shed tears over a man who wouldn’t have even thought twice about doing the same thing to her.  Sick because Carol had been suffering his abuse for so long, she didn’t know how to live any other way.  Whether Ed was a cocksucker or not, she was in for the long haul.  Kind of made me want to puke.

I stood there for a while after Shane walked off and the others helped Ed to his vehicle.  I wasn’t ready to go back to camp just yet, not when so many would be staring again, not when I wasn’t ready to deal with what would happen once Daryl returned.

I think I stayed out at the quarry for about ten minutes or so before I had enough of a head on my shoulders not to snap at anyone who came near me like a rabid dog.  Trying not to pay much mind to my stinging face, I gathered up what wash I’d completed, which wasn’t a whole lot and headed my ass back to camp. 

As soon as I made it within the old geezers range, Dale climbed down from the roof of his camper, concern evident on his face.  It caught the attention of Morales and Miranda who all gathered around me.  “My god, your face!”  Miranda gasped. 

I grimaced, not really ready to know how bad it was yet.  I knew that I was bleeding, I could tell that much from the blood that was quickly accumulating on my shirt at my bust.  From the look on their faces though, I’d say I busted a few stitches, if not all of them. Bastard must of hit me square in the cheek. Fuckin’ tub o’ lard.

Dale, against my protests, ushered me over to the main fire-pit and forced me to sit down while he asked Miranda if she’d fetch some drinking water.  Shane came forward, his face turned up as he whistled.  “Damn, screw the water,”  he said, kneeling before me.  “You Dixon’s got any whiskey in that tent?”

I just nodded.  It was all I could do, the adrenaline was wearing off, my eye was swelling and I was starting to feel sick.  Looking at me with remorse, he asked.  “Ya mind?”  Again I shook my head, telling him without words that it was alright.  He got a moment later,  heading in the direction of the Dixon camp.

Lori rushed forward the moment he was out of sight, a wet rag in hand.  “My god.”  She said as she started dabbing lightly at the wounds. 

“Yeah,”  I laughed, shakily.  “I’ve been hearin’ that a lot lately.”  I tried to joke as tears started falling from my eyes.  When was the last time a man hit me?  Well other than the recent events that had my face looking like this in the first place, it had been eight years.  No wonder I was shakin’ like a leaf. 

Shane came back a moment later, one of the new first-aid kit in one hand and Merle’s bottle of Turkey in the other.  Lori whisked off, offering to get him a chair as he retook his knee in front of me.  He cringed again as he pulled my wet, sandy hair back from my face and commented.  “Looks like ya tore ‘bout nine stitches at least.” 

Great, I thought petulantly.  Those fuckers hurt goin’ in the first time and I was still high on adrenaline then, this was gonna hurt so fuckin’ bad. 

And it did. 

Shane tried to keep it light as he went about putting my face back together, joking about this and that.  “Ya know, I don’t think Ed’s ever gonna come outta that tent once he realizes who he hit.” 

You can say that again.  Ed’ll be luck if he can walk outta the damn tent when Daryl finds out he was the one who done it. 

While it was funny and we all laughed, it was clear by the look on Dale’s face as he stepped forward, that to him this was no joking matter.  “Look, I know this is all in jest, but in reality what are we gonna tell Daryl,”  he gestured wildly.  “About all this?” 

Shane and I scoffed at the same time.  “Ya ask that question a lot, Dale.”  I told him with an amused smile, well as amused as it could get when Shane was stabbing my face with a needle.  Cutting my eyes to his I said.  “First there is no we.  Second, I tell him the truth.  I ain’t never lied to him yet, and I ain’t gonna start now.”

Dale looked incredulously at me then at Shane, thinking or maybe hoping he’d interject, but I was pretty sure Shane and I were on the same page in this book.  “You’re not serious?”  He asked after a moment of silence.

“As a heart attack.”   I snapped.  “Or would you rather me not tell him and have him tear this entire camp apart lookin’ for answers?” 

He went to say something else but I held my hand up.  “Look, as far as I’m concerned, it’s already been handled.”  I said with an appreciative nod to the man pulling at my face.  “But,”  I added.  “That ain’t gonna make no never mind to Daryl.  He’s gonna be pissed… murderous even and their ain’t damn thing I could say edge wise to stop that.  So just give it up, old man.” 

He went silent after that and I’m not really sure but… I think I pissed him off pretty good for a second.  Not that I cared.  He wasn’t the one who nearly got his head caved in by that maniac.  Not to mention all the years of Hell he’s put Carol and Sophia through.  So what if Tubby gets his ass beat, in my opinion, he needed it.

A sharp pull at my face brought me back from my thoughts, and I glared down at Shane.  “Fuck!”  I hissed as he finished knotting off the string that held my line of stitching together.  That last pull for some reason hurt worse than the rest.  Motherfuck!

Shane chuckled, “Stop bein’ such a girl.”  He teased.  “Ya wasn’t whinin’ when ya took that hit.”

Sneering at him I barked.  “Contrary to the apparent popular belief ‘round here, I am a girl!  What the fuck do I look like to you?”

He smiled, a kind of friendly but uncomfortable one.  Definitely not one, I’ve ever scene on his face before.  “All woman.”  He muttered with a wink. 

I flipped off the teasing prick as he went to stand up but I held his shoulder.  He looked at me, confusion building in his dark eyes.  “Seriously though, thank you.  I know the others might think what you did was a little much, but I’m in yer corner on this one.”

His face lit up like a Christmas tree, big smile transforming his face from the sick-hearted man I met to something… else.  It looked like he had an incredible weight lifted from his shoulders.  I had no clue what but it was nice to see him happy for a change and not wandering around camp like grouchy bear he was. 

As things started to calm around camp, I decided I take it easy for a while and mend some of Daryl’s button downs with Lori.  I did sulk a little at Andrea and Amy boasted fishin’ trip.  Damn Ed and damn me too for being hot-headed. 

Working through Daryl’s pile of hole ridden shirts, watching the sun set. As worry started seeping into my bones, I couldn’t help but noticed Dale as kept looking at the ridge across the quarry.  At first I thought maybe he came across a deer or some kind of bird.  After all, old men did that kinda shit, right?  But as his face grew more and more concerned, my anxiety rose. Whatever it was, it made him mighty nervous.

About the time my curiosity got the better of me, Dale climbed down and asked if I’d keep watch for a minute.  I checked my weapon and nodded but I was practically burning up with the need to know myself.  So, like every cat, I picked up Dale binoculars and took a peek.  What I saw was neither a bird or a deer, it was… odd.

Up on the bluff was Jim, and he was… digging? 

Huh?

I stood up, thinking it might do well to let Walsh know about this when Carol approached hesitantly with tears in her eyes.  Knowing what she was about to do, I waved off her apology before she could even start.  It wasn’t her fault her ol’man was, excuse me is a fascist pig. 

A small cheer erupted from Morales and I smiled as well when Andrea and Amy walked smugly into camp, a full stringer full of Bluegill.  Lori clapped and asked where they had learned how to do that.  I scoffed but bit my tongue.  Somehow I just knew Lori would be an indoor kinda girl.

Everyone was still ooohing and awing, the sister’s big catch when Dale walked morosely back into camp.  Andrea jerked her chin at the old man.  “Hey Dale, when’s the last time you oiled those line-reels, they’re a disgrace?”  she teased. 

Dale looked absolutely panic stricken and it had everyone at full attention.  “I.. I un, I don’t wanna alarm anyone, but… we may have a bit of a problem.”  He stated, looking back at where Jim was still goin’ to town with that shovel. 

Shane was the first to react, tossing his hat onto his head and jumping to his feet. He took of towards the bluff with most of the group following after him.  Personally, I didn’t give a flippin’ fuck what Jim was doin’, he wasn’t bothering anybody.  So stayed by the fire and offered to start guttin’ and scalin’ our catch of the day. 

As I was cutting the belly open of my sixth fish, I heard scuffling and Jim crying out.  My eye darted back, looking for Jim’s figure, I didn’t see it and figured maybe this situation was worse than I previously thought.

Surely enough, five minutes later, Shane came strolling up to camp, a restrained Jim on his arm.  It took a while but the uneasiness settled, well for most of us.  Me, I was highly freaked out by Jim’s explanation of his actions. 

~

Dark had just settled over camp and everyone was gathered around the main fire, laughing and sharing in the spoils of Amy and Andrea’s catch.  It almost felt normal again, like we were all old friends, simply sitting by a camp fire enjoying a fish fry.  It made me miss Daryl and I could tell by the look in Lori’s eyes that she was worried too.  We had all expected this to a quick run, in and out, like Glenn had said.  Yet, here it was, dark, and there was still no sign of them.

I tried not to pay attention to the building dread in the pit of my stomach, instead I listened to the story of Dale’s watch.  He really was an odd man.  A good hearted man, with good intentions and smart as a whip, but he was still weird as hell.  He reminded me of the strange uncle in the family that usually embarrasses the hell out of everyone at reunions with their quirks.  That was Dale.  Quirky.

None the less, I was enjoying the higher fire tonight, after Morales’ little stroke of genius.  Quite honestly, I was a more than red in the face that I hadn’t thought of it myself.

Amy looked over at Dale when he finished his story, her eyes were lit up with mirth as she declared.  “You’re so weird.”

We all chuckled. 

Taking a deep pull from the luke warm, long neck in my hands, I closed my eyes and tried to pretend this was just another night on the back porch in Dalton… 

There would be a small fire in the outdoor fire pit and Daryl and I would be snuggled on the weather resistant sofa, probably entertaining Merle or one of Daryl’s buddies from work.  The beer would be ice cold and it didn’t matter how late we stayed out, there was nothing in the shadows to harm you.  It would be us, it would be perfect.

Andrea stiffened next to me, jerking me out of my daydream.  “Where are you going?”  she asked Amy, who blushed hotly and hissed her reply.

“I’m going to pee.  Jeez, I was trying to be discreet around here.”  She huffed and turned towards the R.V. 

Everyone chuckled at her embarrassment but it really seemed to have struck Carl funny, he was damn near bouncing up and down in his seat he was laughing so hard.   I just rolled my eyes and Andrea as we shared a look.  Yeah, teenagers. 

A few minutes later, Amy came stomping out of the motor home.  “We’re out of toilet paper?”   She yelled just before she screamed.  All heads whipped around as a walker took a chuck out of Amy’s arm. 

Then everything was chaos.  More of those things were approaching as everyone panicked.  Carl and Sophia screaming for their mothers and Andrea screaming for Amy.  Shane stood, pulling the pump from the ground at his feet and opened fire. 

Standing next to him, I drew my weapon but waited a bit longer before taking aim or firing; it wouldn’t do any good to waste bullets on anything but a clean head shot. 

Tremors were wracking through my body so hard that I was surprised I could keep my gun steady.  A female walker approached from my right, and I fired.  Kill confirmed.  Then another and another.  I wasn’t exactly counting but I knew it wouldn’t be long before I ran out and I didn’t have an extra clip.  Shane pump wasn’t long for the world either. 

Dropping my pistol to the ground as I fired my last round, I pulled my bow over my head and lined up the sights.  I had a farther range with this weapon but in the time it took to reload, I might be dead.  Finding a man with two walkers already attached to him, I swung around and had just enough time to let my arrow fly before a big walker took a chunk out of Carol.  She was screaming for help and holding little Sophia tightly to her front.  I wanted to move closer to her, to help but I was too far away and there was no way I was going to move from my position. 

The screams all around us were deafening, and it was starting to get to me. My breathing was shallow and almost painful but I ignored it and pulled another arrow from my quiver. Reloading the bow as quickly as I could I whirled around and fired at another but I was quickly running out of those too. 

This was getting serious. 

We were all going to die. 

Amy screamed again as another walker bit into the crook of her shoulder and tears blurred my vision as I thought about how my pain she had to be in.  Andrea lurched forward, ready to protect her dying sister with her bare hands. I moved forward,  ready to take the shot on the walker closet to Andrea but Jim beat me with a wooden bat. 

Getting disoriented as I continued to turn this way and that, in a constant circle to keep my back safe and trying to figure out what shot to take.  People were dying everywhere and I was freely sobbing now as I tried to decided who to help.  Carl let out a shriek as Shane had his back turned, he didn’t see the walker coming up behind him.  I couldn’t reload in time, I knew that.  Unsheathing my blade, I sent up a little prayer to God to let my aim be true.  Luckily for Shane, Lori and Carl, someone up there was listening.

Shots where still being fired from everywhere and Shane was screaming at us to get to the R.V. and I had no choice but to follow.  I was out of arrows. 

Like out of a movie, I heard more shots, this time from a distance and voices.  Suddenly out the corner of my eye, I could see Daryl.  He was screaming my name as he bashed in the head of a walker with the stock of his rifle. 

“Lillian!”  He screamed. 

“Daryl!”  I sobbed, throwing an arm out to reach for him.

He rushed to me and crushed me in his arms as the screams died off and Andrea’s wails began.  Amy was dead.

“Baby, are ya bit?”  I shook my head.  “Were ya scratched?” 

“No.”  I cried hoarsely, burying myself into his chest as we all huddled together, too afraid to move.

As Jim somberly reminded us of the six graves he dug, Daryl’s eyes zeroed in on my face and tried to pull me from the group, but I wouldn’t budge, I don’t think I could take a step if I tried. 

I had seen and killed walkers before, but never to this magnitude.  I had been really careful in populated cities, and I guess I was just lucky.  Now, I was terrified. 

I couldn’t tell you if it was minutes or hours that I stood there, trembling in Daryl’s arms but after some coaxing, I tried to take my first step away from the center of camp.  It was one foot in front of the other, until we were far enough away for Daryl to really look at me.  He set me down at our burn-pit and started a fire as the others did much the same with the their woman and children. 

“Baby, yer bleedin’?”  Daryl said, his eyes concerned and frantic. 

With wide eyes, I started tearing at my clothes, trying to locate my injury.  I didn’t remember getting bitten but after that, I wasn’t sure of anything. 

Strong hands gripped at my wrists, pulling me flush against an equally toned body.  “Shh, baby.”  He murmured softly.  “Ya ain’t bit.” 

Calming myself, I pulled back wondering what the hell he was talking about then. 

He came forward, cupping my face before pulling back the gauze around my eye.  His face went from concerned to his mouth pulling down in a deep frown, framed by two blue eyes, flashing bright with anger.  “Those are fresh.”  He stated.

Oh, my stitches. 

I nodded quickly before turning back to the fire and closing my eyes, praying that this day had been a nightmare, that the last three months were a nightmare and that I’d wake up in my feather-down bed.  That I wake to the smell of fresh brewed coffee before I gently climbed out of bed so I wouldn’t wake Daryl as I snuck downstairs to start his breakfast.  As I heard his small sob, my eyes flickered open and I was still looking into the fire as the morning cries of others surrounded me. 

Daryl jumped down in front of me, his eyes flaming as he twisted my face into the light to get another look.  “That’s a fuckin’ bruise!”  He yelled.  “Who done it?  Who done it?” 

“Dar-”

Standing to his full height he walked back towards the middle of camp, his arms wide in invitation.  “Who done it!”

“Dary-”  I tried again, my voice only coming out in a small squeak as Rick stood as well and told Daryl to keep his voice down.

He snarled at the sheriff’s deputy.  “Keep ma voice down?”  He asked incredulously.  “Did ya see her fuckin’ face?” 

Shane stepped up at the same time I finally found my footing and stumbled over but it was Carol who finally explained.  “It was Ed.”  She said quietly, low enough that I barely heard her.  “Lillian was trying to protect me.” 

Fat tears rolled down her cheeks and for some reason I didn’t believe they were all for me, actually up until that moment, I hadn’t even thought about where Ed was but it was obvious now that he wasn’t with the group.

Daryl didn’t know this, though.  His face burned brighter than Hell’s fire.  “Where is ‘e?”  When no one answered.  “Where is ‘e?”

“Daryl!”  I screamed and he stopped his raging and turned to face me.  “I think he’s dead.”  Carol nodded lightly from behind Daryl and I confirmed this to him as well. 

He stopped his raving just long enough to catch the tears streaming down Carol’s cheeks, as he muttered a quick.  “Serves the bastard.”  before he stomped of towards the tent. 

Carol’s head dipped, hiding the shame on her face and I didn’t say anything to stop her.  I couldn’t.  What could I say?  Sorry Carol that your abusive, prick husband’s dead.  Sorry, that just wasn’t me at all.  As much as I felt bad for the woman, who had just had her whole life turned up on end, I just couldn’t find it in me to apologize for his death. 

~

Daryl and I didn’t say much to each other that night, or what was left of it and I don’t think a single one of us slept that night, not even the kids.  Some of us that were still too restless to do anything else started with the cleanup, while the others wordlessly packed.  No one had brought up leaving yet but it didn’t need to be said, we weren’t safe here anymore.  Even if we were, so many of us had lost people we loved that I don’t think it would have been a good idea to stick around, anyways.

Apparently I had dozed off sometime around sun up because when I woke up again, the sun was high in the sky and there was a big commotion going on outside.  Daryl’s voice was the first one I picked up, he was going off about something and I had no idea what over.

When I exited the tent, whatever had been the problem had been dealt with but I was told that Jim had actually gotten bit during the attack the night before.  Daryl was dead set on putting the poor man out of his misery, but I don’t think the other campers took it that way.  They most likely thought he was just worried about this own ass.  As if. 

Not long after Rick put a gun to Daryl’s head for the second time, or so he told me it was decided that we would make a break for the Center of Disease Control.  Daryl was on the fence about going but I thought it couldn’t hurt to try and find out more about what we were up against. 

Since we were, for the most part, packed up all we had to do was break down our tent and load Merle’s bike into the back of the pick-up.  I refused to go to the funeral, or whatever they were calling it.  There was enough bad vibes floating through the air that I didn’t feel that Daryl and I should be adding to by adding his volatile ass to the mix, he agreed.

It was another couple of hours before all was said and done and we were headed down the highway.  As much as the late start we had bothered me, it was blissful to be on the road again. 

With the windows down, hair whipping my face and Daryl’s arm slung around my shoulders, again, I almost felt normal.  If I could only close my eyes and pretend. 

Bog Segar was blaring on the radio, Daryl was humming along which, was always funny.  Bastard couldn’t carry a tune to save his life but it always made me feel good that he was comfortable enough around me to do it. 

I can’t say that I drifted in and out of consciousness, because I didn’t but I did remember many things as I took in the surrounding sights and smell of the pines. 

Giggling suddenly, Daryl jumped beside me, startled by my sudden movements but I couldn’t help it.  A memory appeared in my mind unbidden, like the flash on a camera.  A snap-shot. 

“What’s funny?”  He asked, chuckling at my uncontrolled laughter.

Catching my breath I turned an amused smile on him.  “Just thinkin’ about the suicidal elk.” 

He threw his head back against the rest and laughed, hard.  I knew he’d remember, it was one of the biggest huntin’ blunders he’d done that I’d seen with my own two eyes. 

“Ya remember then…”

October 2004

Daryl looked liked an excited child as we cruised the back roads of Wahaa, Idaho; prime hunting grounds just south-east of Lewiston.  His head was hanging out of the window, on high alert to anything that might move. 

I wanted to laugh as I watched him through the passenger side visor mirror. He looked so damn cute when he was like this.  I cut my eyes to my dad in the driver seat and smiled, he smiled back as if we were both thinking the same thing.  Which we probably were.  This was the best vacation we could have ever thought of for Daryl. 

After some big words last summer about huntin’ and after his claim that I was a woman and therefore had no idea what I was doing out in the woods, Dad declared that we would be venturing up to his sister chapter of the “Club” this winter for some big party. 

I didn’t give a shit about the party, I’d been to literally, thousands of them but the prospect of getting Daryl out of Georgia to show him what big game was about was just to appealing to pass up. 

We had to put him through Hunter’s Education to finally get him his legal license, which was hilarious because he was the only one under the age of thirteen to attend and he bitched the entire time, but I believed he’d changed his mind now, after seeing this. 

It was fuckin’ freezing this morning and I was happily, if not sleepily sipping on a little whiskey and coffee from my mug as I waited for dad to make the left hand turn off where I had spotted my big bull the year before. 

Daryl was practically giddy as we pilled out of the pick-up, rifles in hand and made our trek up the mountain side. 

It wasn’t all that long that’d we’d been walkin’, maybe an hours or so when I heard the familiar sound of horns against brush.  It sounded like a dozer on hooves.

Daryl’s eyes widened comically as he heard the crashing sounds coming the trees just in front of us.  Both of us crouched, but he just squatted there staring.  My Remington 30-06 was raised as I watched through the scope for what I knew was coming.  It was, at the very least a fuckin’ pig of a Spike. 

Jerking one in the chamber, I waited. 

Sure enough, two minutes later I see horns, than a massive chocolate body but it wasn’t no spike.  Hell no, I was my big Bull.  He jerked through the tree-line and stopped dead in front of us, not fifty feet from where we were squatted.  His body was horizontal across the road in one of the most beautiful shots I think I’d ever seen in my life.  This fuckin’ elk had to be suicidal because we weren’t downwind and there was no way he didn’t smell us.  But yet, he stood there, lined up in my sights for a heart shot. 

I waited, expecting to hear the sounds of Daryl’s rifle any second but it never came and the elk still wasn’t moving.  Chancing a glance at Daryl through my peripheral I saw something I didn’t think I’d ever see again.

Daryl was frozen, eyes as big as dinner plates. 

Snorting to myself internally, I pulled back up and fired.  It wasn’t a shot to brag about but my bull didn’t even move, he took one step and fell over. 

Daryl snapped out of it all at once, shouting and crowing like he was the proudest man on the planet as he picked me up and swung me around in a circle. 

“Holy shit!”  He bellowed.  “Holy shit!” 

I giggled at his enthusiasm.

He turned from me to the big animal laying dead a few feet away, then back to me before his lips crashed down on me hard.  “I’m gonna marry ya one day.”