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Safe Haven in the Chaos	By : IdrilsSecret Category: S through Z > The Walking Dead Views: 6517 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the walking dead or any of the characters. No money is being made from the writing of these stories

Chapter List
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Chapter 4 Boy in the Blue Jacket

Another day out on the road, and Daryl and Aaron were up at the break of day, bags packed, weapons loaded, minds set on finding someone wandering in the wilderness. They hated leaving the cabin, and hoped they would return that night, but one never knew what would happen out there. Still, they closed the place up as tight as they could, and did away with anything that might draw something to their sanctuary. It wasn’t far to where they’d left their vehicles. They didn’t want them at the house, for fear of someone finding it occupied. This place was pretty well hidden, and they wanted it to stay that way.
Now they were heading down the road, going west to scope out a new area. They found a good place to stop and hide the car and Daryl’s bike, and then they went into the woods. Eventually, they stumbled upon an old shack, usually a good place to make a base. Aaron got out his spy equipment, and Daryl prepared to go on a short hike around the area. When he came back, he was excited and out of breath. “Grab your stuff. I think I found something.”
Aaron didn’t hesitate and followed Daryl out of the shack. “What did you see?”
“I seen a guy in a blue jacket. Wasn’t no walker either.”
“Was he alone?” Aaron asked, stumbling along behind.
“He was when I saw him, but he could be going back to his group.”
“Let’s find him, and get close enough to hear any conversations.”
Daryl nodded as he kept running along. Then he stopped short, Aaron almost running into him. “Get down,” he warned, and they both ducked behind some foliage. Daryl pointed, “Just up there. See?”
“Yeah,” Aaron said, lifting the microphone with the cone attached. He stuck an earpiece in his ear, and listened. “I lost visual, but I can hear him walking. Sounds like he’s pacing back and forth.”
Daryl thought that was odd, but he waited. Aaron punched him in the arm. “There’s others, only two I think.”
“What are they saying?” Daryl asked impatiently.
“Hold on,” Aaron shifted the microphone to get the best reception. “It sounds like their making a deal.”
Instantly, red flags went up in Daryl’s mind. “What kind of deal?”
“I’m not sure. Guy in blue says everything is in his duffle bag.”
“Aw, shit,” Daryl complained. “I think I know these guys, and if it’s them, they are bad news.”
“What–”
“Listen,” Daryl demanded. “I want you to wait until I got these guys distracted, and then I want you to run. Get back to the car and back to the cabin.”
“Why? What are you going to do?”
“I’m gonna try and save this kid’s ass.”
Aaron shook his head defiantly. “I’m not leaving you here.”
“I can handle these guys, but I don’t want you anywhere near them. They’re dangerous.”
“But, Daryl–”
“No! Do as I say. Got it?”
Aaron nodded and crouched down low. Daryl cocked his head sharply and stood up. He sighed and made his way around some trees, drawing attention away from the bushes where Aaron was hiding. He raised his crossbow and stepped out into the open. The men were busy harassing the guy in the blue jacket, and they didn’t hear Daryl sneak up behind them. “Let him go,” he commanded.
The men turned quickly to see who their unexpected guest was, and found Daryl with an arrow pointed at them. One man in particular, with blond hair, tall and muscular, narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms as though he wasn’t one bit worried.
“Well, son of a bitch,” the blond man said. “If it ain’t that punk ass little shit we came across a while back. What you doin’ here, son?”
“I thought I told you to move on out of here.” Daryl was tense, but he tried not to show it too much. What was this guy’s name? Ron? Roy? He thought hard to distract himself. Reg, yeah, that was it, and never call him Reggie.
“We did move on. Looks like we moved in the same direction,” the blond man said.
Another man with black hair, and a protruding belly observed Daryl. “Hey, I remember you. This is the asshole I caught looking at my cock when I was taking a piss.
Daryl didn’t pay him any attention and let the comment fall from his shoulders. “I suggest you take your bag, let the boy go, and get the hell out of here.”
Reg shifted his stance. “We ain’t goin’ nowhere, and it looks like you ain’t either.”
“Says the asshole without a crossbow,” Daryl responded, training his arrow on the man, but he smiled arrogantly, and his eyes darted to the side. Daryl started to turn, feeling a presence behind him, but it was too late. A third man he hadn’t seen held a knife at his neck.
“Drop the bow, son,” said Reg again.
Daryl didn’t move. He weighed his choices. He could get one shot off, kill the blond man and then have his throat sliced, but there were still two more men. It wouldn’t do just to kill the one.
“I said drop it, or you’re about to get a real close shave, boy,” Reg warned again.
Daryl wasn’t through. He had a backup plan. He lowered his bow, and Reg signaled for the one with the knife to let up some. When Daryl had room to move, he leaned down as if to gently lay his bow on the ground, but while in that position, he dropped it and reached into his boot where he kept a dagger. As he came up, he swung his arm out and sliced his captor across the thigh, making him drop to the ground. With the same knife, Daryl threw it at the beer bellied man, sinking the blade into his arm. By now, Reg rushed him, and Daryl dove for his bow. He grabbed it just in time, rolling away from the man so he could get up and get a shot off. He lifted his bow and aimed, ready to take his shot, when suddenly, someone jumped out from behind Reg and grabbed him. Daryl’s quick reflexes kept him from shooting just in time, or he might have sunk his arrow into Aaron. Daryl mentally cursed the man. Why the hell didn’t he run like Daryl told him to? He had this whole thing under his control, even if it might not have looked like it. The two men scuffled until Reg rose from the ground, pulling Aaron up with him, a serrated hunting knife pushing against his jugular. Right away, Reg made eye contact with Daryl.
“Put it down now or I’ll slice off his head,” Reg said, viciously seething through his clenched teeth.
Daryl’s vision darted from the man to Aaron, and the fear on his partners face made his heart stop. The game was over. Daryl wouldn’t risk Aaron’s life. They’d just have to find another way out of this mess. Then suddenly, something struck him across the head, and the last thing Daryl heard was Aaron calling out to him in horror.
* * * * *
Daryl woke up in a haze, smelling a campfire burning, hearing the crackling of the flames, and noticing that his arms and legs were numb. The first thing that came to mind was that they’d cut off his appendages, but when he looked down, he still had legs. He was sitting on the ground with his arms tied around a post at his back. There was barbwire stretching out to either side of him. They’d tied him to a fence post. Daryl blinked several times, trying to make his eyes adjust to the dark, as well as come into focus from the blow on the head. He had a severe headache and his ears were ringing a bit. He could smell the metallic tinge of blood, and looked down at his shirt. He’d been bleeding from his head, hopefully it wasn’t a concussion. “What’s my name?” he asked himself. “Daryl Dixon,” he responded. Ok so he could remember. Maybe not a concussion, but he probably needed stitches. He had to get his bearings and figure out what was going on.
Daryl had met up with these men before, when he was out on his own once. They accepted him quickly into their group, once Daryl spoke in their redneck terms. There was a common language between men like them, and he knew how to talk the talk in order for them to accept him. These guys were rough and up to no good, but at least there had been a number of them, and it was better to surround yourself with human lives rather than go it alone. Soon, Daryl found out what a crooked game they were playing, coming across poor souls desperate for one thing or another. They would prey on these needs, get the individual to divulge information about groups, their hid outs, the kinds of weapons they stocked and the supplies they hoarded. They would make deals with these individuals, trade something simple at first, and eventually demand things that would begin depleting their supplies. Once there was nothing else worth trading for, these men would move in on the weaken group and destroy everything, plundering anything of value. Anyone who tried to fight back was killed. Women had other uses to them, and it didn’t always end with them. Daryl had witnessed Reg rape a young man once, when he didn’t bring him whatever he’d asked for. Shortly after that, Daryl planned his escape from the group, but not before they tried to recruit him with threats and violence. But he fought back and threatened them instead. He hoped to never run into them again. These were some of the lowliest humans on earth, and now he and Aaron were being held captive by them.
The memory of Reg attacking that teenager was at the forefront of his mind, and he wondered what happened to the guy in the blue jacket. That’s why Daryl didn’t take off when he saw who the guy was dealing with. All he wanted to do was save the youth from making a life changing mistake, but damn it … Aaron had to disobey his orders. And where was he anyways? He heard someone coming, and put his head down, pretending like he was still out of it, but not actually having to try that hard.
A steel-toed boot kicked him in the leg, and Daryl slowly looked up with narrowed eyes. Reg towered above him, smirking at him. “So, what have we got here?” the man sang. “I thought I’d seen the last of you.”
“The feeling’s mutual,” Daryl replied, and Reg gave a laugh.
“Well, I don’t know where you’ve been or what you’ve been up to since we last met, but something tells me you’ve got it good. I mean, look at you. Your hair’s been cut and your beard’s been trimmed. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve found yourself a nice little cubbyhole somewhere safe. Am I right?”
Daryl didn’t answer. He didn’t say a word. Reg backed away and reached down for something. He came back with the coned microphone and Aaron’s earpiece. “You wanna explain to me what this is, and what you use it for?”
Daryl still wouldn’t talk and Reg rolled his eyes. “I didn’t think you would. That’s why I’m having your buddy questioned as we speak.”
“He’s not my buddy,” Daryl answered, trying to separate himself from Aaron. If they didn’t think they were together—
“So that’s why he cried out your name when we captured you and knocked you for a loop. Come on, son, don’t try to fool me. Now, tell me what all this 007 shit is, and why you’re using it on me and my men.”
“Piss off, douchebag,” Daryl said.
“You see, that’s what I thought you were going to say.” Reg squatted down to Daryl’s level. “You know, you cost me some good men when you ran off that time before. You made a mistake by leaving the pack. We would have hooked you up and seen that you were well taken care of. But you made your choice way back when, and I don’t give second chances. However, I feel compelled to break tradition for you, Daryl. I’ve seen you fight, and you’d make an excellent addition to the pack. You can go far, if you just let it happen. Now, I don’t know what fancy little shindig you’ve got yourself set up with, but I can guarantee your talent is being wasted with them. You’re out here playing secret agent when you could be with us living life to its fullest.” He turned the microphone around in his hand, examining it more closely. “This is some of the craziest shit I’ve ever come across, but I’ll tell you what, I think it would come in real handy for my business. I bet there’s more where this came from. So where you holed up at, Daryl, some kind of FBI agency, CIA, some government facility?”
“Go screw yourself. I ain’t telling you shit,” Daryl said in a low growl.
“That’s almost exactly what your friend said to Lucas.” Reg replied. “And that kind of smart ass remark didn’t fare well for him.” Reg turned his head and called out. “Bring him over here Lucas.”
Lucas turned out to be the guy who held a knife to Daryl’s throat. Now he had a bloody rag tied around his leg from where Daryl slashed him in an attempt at escape. He also had a hold of a bloody faced Aaron, dragging him out for Daryl to see.
“Let him go,” Daryl demanded in a dark tone.
Reg shook his head. “I don’t think so. This little fag just might come in handy.” He ran his fingers along the side of Aaron’s face, and wiped the blood on his shirt. Reg looked at Daryl. “You do know he’s a fag, right? Wouldn’t surprise me if you didn’t. He hides is pretty well, and I know someone like our Daryl here wouldn’t be caught dead around some ass packer.” Reg nodded to Lucas, who dragged Aaron to the next fence post, shoved him to the ground and tied his hands around his back like Daryl’s. Reg regarded Daryl once more. “I’m gonna give you a little time to think over your prospects, but I’ll be back to discuss terms, or your friend here is going to take a little trip with one of my more ‘enthusiastic’ men, if you know what I mean.” He gave a disgusting laugh, and walked off.
Once they were alone, Daryl called out in a loud whisper to Aaron. “Hey, you ok? Aaron, you alright, man?”
“About as good as I can be. They beat me up pretty good, but I’ll be alright.” His left eye was swollen shut and blood was all around is nose and mouth.
“I’m gonna get us out of here, but I need your help,” Daryl told him.
“Ok, but that’s going to be difficult considering we’re both tied up.”
“One of us has to get untied, and it probably won’t be me. They know I can fight, but you’re weakened. They don’t think you have much left in you. What do you say?”
Aaron coughed and spit blood to the side. “I’d say they’re right, but give me a minute to catch my breath.”
“Alright, here’s what we’re gonna do. First of all, look over there. See that? Try and kick it over to me,” Daryl said. There was glass from a broken bottle in the dirt between them. Daryl needed something to help him start cutting through the rope around his wrists. Aaron spotted it too, and he maneuvered his legs, and kicked at it, but the glass didn’t make it all the way to Daryl’s reach.
“Shit,” Aaron complained. He tried again and again, but now it was out of his reach. “I think if I can just–”
“Get back!” Daryl warned when he saw Reg and Lucas coming back over. Things were not going well.
“I got this,” Aaron whispered.
“Aaron, no,” Daryl warned.
“Just follow my lead.” Aaron moved back into his slouched position.
Reg approached them, standing between them and looking from one captive to the other. “So, you make up your mind? You gonna tell us who you’re working with?”
“We aren’t going to say a damn thing, asshole, so you might as well just kill us now,” Aaron said.
Reg laughed at him, unconvinced by his bravery. “He’s a feisty one, ain’t he? But I’m not talking to you. It’s up to Daryl to decide what happens here, but there won’t be no killing. No … I’ve got something better for you, fag. I’ve got a client that would pay me well for just ten minutes with your sweet ass.”
“A client, huh? You sure about that? You sure you don’t want me all to yourself?” Aaron accused in front of Reg, Lucas and a couple more men that came to see what the fuss was about.
Reg postured his stance to defend himself, and Daryl could see what Aaron was doing. He was going to piss this guy off so he’d have to release him. Like Daryl had said, at least one of them needed to get free, and Aaron was taking it upon himself to do this. However, he was playing a very dangerous game.
“Are you–” Reg started, but Aaron stared at him with his one good eye.
“I’m saying you like dick just as much as I do … fag.” Aaron put emphasis on the word. “I know your type. You act like a redneck, talk like one, surround yourself with them, but when no one’s looking, your beating off to some muscle man magazine.”
“Why, you little shit!” Reg was clearly angry now.
“Takes one to know one,” Aaron antagonized.
“Aaron, stop!” Daryl demanded. He was trying to play along, but he was suddenly very worried for his friend. Reg was a dangerous man.
“Get him up,” Reg demanded, and Lucas cut the ropes, yanking on Aaron’s arm to get him to stand.
Daryl couldn’t do anything but watch. He had no way of getting out of his bonds, and the piece of glass was still too far from him. Aaron was getting himself deeper and deeper into shit. The whole thing was going down the wrong way.
Aaron was doubled over, as though he could hardly stand, forcing Lucas to hold him up. “Come on, asshole. Get up,” Lucas complained.
Suddenly, Aaron was no longer defenseless. He rammed his head into Lucas’ stomach, making the man stumble backwards. It was a surprise move that he didn’t expect. With the split second Aaron had before he was recaptured, he lunged towards Daryl, and his foot knocked the piece of glass right to Daryl’s feet. Instantly, Daryl pulled it with his boot, and covered it so no one would see. By the time he did this, though, Aaron was being dragged off by Lucas, and Daryl was very worried for him. Punishment would be swift, if not deadly.
“Your boy’s not too smart,” Reg complained when the commotion was over with.
“He ain’t done nothing,” Daryl said. “You want to mess with someone, mess with me. Just leave him alone.”
“You tell me what I want to know, and I won’t use him for target practice,” Reg replied.
“Don’t tell them shit, Daryl,” Aaron called out just before he was let into a barn.
Reg stared down at Daryl. “You better make your mind up quickly, son. I’ve got some around here who don’t care where they stick their cocks, as long as it’s warm.” He knelt down and looked Daryl straight in the eyes. “First, your boy Aaron, and then you. I got this retarded fella who would love to use you like a bitch.”
Daryl glared at him from behind the hair hanging in his eyes. “Fuck … you,” he said slowly and spit on Reg. The man didn’t even flinch, but Daryl could see red spreading up his neck from the collar of his flannel shirt.
“Maybe I’ll save you for myself,” Reg seethed. He pulled a knife out and held it to Daryl’s neck, making a small incision. A drop of blood slid down his collarbone soaking into the neckline of his t-shirt.
Just then, someone came up to them. “Hey, Reg, that kid’s talking. Max fucked him up a little, and he gave us a location.”
“Good,” Reg said, not taking his eyes off Daryl. “Be right there.” He glanced over his shoulder and watched the man walk away before continuing. “You see, Daryl, they all talk eventually, and so will you.” Then he got up and left.
Once Daryl was alone, he maneuvered the piece of glass until he could grab it with his fingers. Then he started working on cutting the rope. If he could just weaken it enough that he could break his bonds, he’d be out of there. It was taking a ridiculously long time though, and with ever second that went by, his thoughts were of Aaron. If they were going to do what he thought they were going to do to him . . .
Daryl cringed at the thought and tried not to allow his mind to take him back to that one memory that would not die, the one where he was in that garage, the leaky sink, the sickening sweet stench of rotting hay and wet earth floating in from a nearby window. He could feel the grease covered hands holding him down on the dirty mattress, the scent of motor oil so strong in the air he could feel it coating his mouth. He was suffocating as his face was pushed into the mattress, the fibers invading his tongue, and stink of the man’s body covering him made him gag several times, but not once did he scream for help.
“Get it together,” Daryl encouraged himself. He had to get free. He couldn’t let anything happen to Aaron, couldn’t let him go through what Daryl himself had experienced as a teen. Even though Aaron was a grown man, his dignity would be destroyed, and Daryl just couldn’t let that happen. He worked faster, not caring that the glass was cutting into his fingers from time to time. But once he was free and had Aaron safe, he was going to kill every last one of these sick sons of bitches so they’d never hurt another person again. This he swore to himself as he worked, and finally, with one more, hard tug, his hands were free.
They were stupid to leave him alone tied to the fence post. No one was paying any attention as he snuck around their camp. The barn was over to his right, and he knew Aaron was in there, but he couldn’t go until he had a weapon. From what he remembered about these guys, they kept mobile, never staying in one place for long. They would find an old building, or a barn in this situation, and keep all their treasure in a truck. That’s where he would find his crossbow.
It was dark, and Daryl couldn’t see too far out from the campfires, but it looked like there were trees past the barn. The fence went around the area, just a slight buffer against walkers. These guys kept a human perimeter around their camp, though, taking out any threat immediately. Finally, he spotted a box truck about thirty yards from the barn. There looked to be two men on guard, easy to take out unless there were others watching. He’d use the shadows to sneak up close, but he’d have to take the first man out with his bare hands. That’s when he realized the rope was still tied to one of his wrists. Daryl wrapped the loose end around his other hand and approached the smaller of the two men from behind. He moved swiftly, brought the rope around the man’s neck, pulled him down, tightened his grip and kept him from thrashing around too much until he stopped moving all together. There was a knife in his belt, and Daryl took it. Then he pushed the body under the truck. Next, he snuck up on man number two and used the same strangulation technique, found a hand gun, took it and disposed of the body with the first one. He checked the back of the truck, and found it unlocked. He quietly lifted the back door and began searching. There was everything you could imagine in the truck, from canned goods to girly magazines, from toilet paper to prescription drugs, bottles of booze, tools, car parts, you name it, it was in here. And then he saw it sitting on top of a pile of blankets, his bow. As soon as he picked it up, someone came to the back door of the truck.
“What the–” the guy started to question, but an arrow silenced him. Time was up. Now Daryl had to move fast before he was discovered missing. They’d figure it out real soon. He moved from the truck and made his way to the barn, peeked in a window, and caught a brief glimpse of Reg, but he didn’t have time to look for Aaron. There was a noise, someone coming up the side of the barn, another lookout. Daryl shot him before he even knew what was happening. He couldn’t keep this up much longer before they discovered people missing, and it wouldn’t be long before someone found him missing. So he moved along the barn until he found a door leading in from the side, and he carefully opened it and slid in. He hid behind a stack of hay, undetected, but it was very dark inside. He heard a muffled whimper and went in that direction. Coming out from behind the hay, Daryl saw the outline of a man, pants around his knees, leaning over someone, and moaning quietly. Daryl knew this scene all too well.
“No,” he thought to himself. “Oh God, not Aaron. He’s got Aaron.” He was too late. The damage was done. Aaron’s life would never be the same. With hatred coloring his world red, Daryl advanced quickly. He put his crossbow down and took out his knife. The closer he got, the more the memories invaded his mind. The bastard who’d raped him as a boy left town the very next day, and Daryl never saw him again. Not that he wanted to, but he never got his revenge on the pig that fucked up his life. He had always sworn that he’d find him and kill him, but he was probably already dead. Now, Aaron had fallen prey, another member of the ‘your life will be screwed up’ club. If only he’d gotten there quicker. At least he was here now to stop the violation. “I’m sorry, Aaron,” was the last thing Daryl thought before he attacked. He grabbed the man by the head, exposing his neck while he pulled him off the victim, and without giving it another thought, slid the knife across his throat from one side to the other. The fat bastard started choking and gurgling in his own blood, collapsed on the ground and convulsed until he stopped moving. It was the man with the beer belly from earlier.
Daryl stared down at the naked and bound prisoner, expecting it to be Aaron, but found himself strangely relieved when he confirmed that it wasn’t him. It was a boy, a teenager, and cast over a nearby bale of hay was a blue jacket. Daryl’s brief alleviation knowing it wasn’t Aaron was replaced quickly with sadness and regret that he couldn’t have helped this young man sooner, but the dirty deed had been done.
The boy was crying, shivering and whimpering. Daryl helped him up, but he didn’t remove the gag right away. He put a finger up to his lips to shush the boy. “I’m gonna get you outta here, but you gotta help me, you understand?”
The boy was shaking violently, but he understood and nodded. “Good, good,” Daryl responded. “I’m going to take this off of you,” he said, referring to the gag. “But I need you to keep quiet. Not a sound, ok? Can you do that?”
The boy nodded again, with a little more enthusiasm, now that he knew Daryl was not going to do anything to him. Daryl took off the gag and started undoing the ties around his wrists. As soon as the boy was free, he wrapped himself around Daryl, sobbing uncontrollably. There was nothing he could do but hold him the way he wished someone could have comforted himself after his childhood horror.
“It’s gonna be alright, boy. Everything is going to work out,” Daryl soothed as he watched the door for someone to come in. They couldn’t stay here any longer, and he still needed to find Aaron. Daryl pulled the boy away and took his chin in his fingers. “I need you to tell me if you saw another man, about my height and build, short hair, plaid shirt.”
The boy nodded. “He was here, but Reg took him. Your friend wouldn’t shut up, pissed Reg off, and he dragged him out to the woods. Reg told everyone to stay in the camp, and that he’d take care of the guy himself.”
“Shit,” Daryl mumbled to himself. “Ok, I need you to stay here in the barn. Find a place to hide, there’s plenty, and hunker down until I get back.”
“Don’t leave me, please mister,” the boy begged.
“You have to be brave for me, ok? I swear I’ll come back for you, but I gotta get my buddy first, and then we’ll all get out of here.”
“Alright,” the boy whimpered, sounding unconvinced and terrified.
Daryl searched the dead man and found a gun. He shoved it at the boy. “You know how to use one of these?”
“Yeah,” the boy answered.
“Only use it if you have to. Otherwise, stay out of sight and keep quiet. I won’t be long,” Daryl said once more before he left the barn, grabbing his bow on the way out.
There was no more time to lose. Daryl made his way to the woods behind the barn. A couple men came out when they saw him, but they met their fates by way of Daryl’s arrows. He kept moving until he heard Reg’s voice in the distance, and followed it. Soon he found himself on the scene of an old abandoned car, and Aaron bent over and tied to the hood. There were things here that proved this wasn’t the first time Reg brought someone out here, far from the camp and from the other men. This was his own personal playground.
“Can’t keep your mouth shut? I got something to stuff in it,” Reg was saying.
“Get away from him,” Daryl said quietly from the shadows.
Reg turned and looked into the darkness. “That you Daryl? Damn, boy, you got a knack for showing up at the wrong time, you know that? I was just fixin’ to teach this one a lesson. Guess I got room for one more.”
“Just go, Daryl,” Aaron said at barely a whisper. He sounded weak and injured. They must have roughed him up some more.
“I not going without you, Aaron,” Daryl said, determined to save his friend.
“Well, ain’t this a little love fest,” Reg said. “Is there something you’re not telling me, Daryl? You got a hard on for this sweet thing?”
“You’re a sick fuck,” Daryl said. “Taking the innocence of boys and men, destroying them, wrecking their lives, making them question everything they do, every decision they make. That boy back in the barn, he’s ruined now because of you. He ain’t never gonna be right again. He’s gonna see that fat pig’s face every time he … he–”
“You sound knowledgeable, Daryl. Something happen to you? It did, didn’t it? Someone tapped that, popped your cherry. Hmm, I do like a virgin, and I imagine whoever got to you had a hell of a good time with you. Too bad I didn’t get you first,” Reg antagonized.
Daryl knew what the man was doing. He was trying to distract him, mess with his mind, throw him off his game, and he was doing a good job of it. Daryl’s mind flashed back and forth from his childhood to present. Reg morphed between himself and the bastard who took his innocence. Tears stained his eyes, blurring his vision. The boy in the blue jacket, he couldn’t save him. His life was ruined just as Daryl’s had been. But Aaron, was he . . .? Had Reg done anything to him yet? Could he still save Aaron from the nightmares?
“You’re going to die now, motherfu–” Daryl was hit from the side, his bow flying across the yard. He hit the ground with someone landing on top of him, the wind knocked from his lungs. He was disoriented at first, and the darkness kept him from seeing his attacker.
“Tie him up, Lucas,” Reg demanded. “We’ll save him for later. But right now, I’ve got something for you,” he said to Aaron.
Time slowed for Daryl, and everything happened one piece at a time. He was paralyzed from lack of oxygen to his lungs, struggling to take a breath. Lucas was punching him in the face, trying to blind him and break his nose. Daryl tried pushing him away just enough to look up and see Aaron. Reg was completely oblivious to the scuffle between Lucas and Daryl. He went to Aaron, hovering over him, saying something that made Aaron struggle against his bonds. Then Reg started undoing Aaron’s belt and the button on his jeans. Daryl heard the slow downward zip of his zipper, saw Reg’s hands pulling at the waistband of his pants. Aaron struggled against him, but Reg punched him in the back of the head. The sound of Aaron’s head bouncing off the metal hood of the car made Daryl cringe. Aaron went slack, no longer able to fight back. Lucas had Daryl’s arms behind him and was attempting to hogtie him while he was weak. Daryl yelled, “No!” As he watched Reg pull his belt from the loops of his pants. Daryl found the strength he needed to fight Lucas and flipped onto his back, brought his knees up to his chest and kicked his legs out as hard as he could, sending Lucas flying across the yard. The ropes weren’t tight yet, and Daryl slipped them off. By then, Lucas was on top of him again, throwing punches. He managed to glance over at Aaron, and saw Reg lowering himself to him. It was too late, he thought. It was too damn late.
And then, a gunshot rang out, and another one and another. Lucas collapsed on top of Daryl. Time sped up to a normal pace. The iron tinge of blood filled Daryl’s senses and he waited to see if he felt any pain from a bullet, but it wasn’t him. It wasn’t his blood. Lucas lay dead on top of him. More gunshots rang out. Daryl pushed Lucas off of him and looked up to see the boy, now wearing the bloody shirt of the fat man, walking towards Reg, firing one shot after another, slow and deliberate, as though he wanted to see each bullet hit its target. Reg fell to the ground and the boy kept approaching, pumping bullets into him. He was taking his revenge, something Daryl had never had the opportunity to do. The boy kept advancing, pulling the trigger, but the gun only made a clicking sound. It was out of bullets. Daryl got to his feet and went to the boy, taking him by the shoulders.
“It’s over. You got them. They’re dead,” he said, taking the empty gun from his shaking hands. The boy collapsed to his knees and curled into a fetal position. Daryl looked at Reg, pumped full of holes, bleeding. “You gave him what he deserved,” he said to the boy.
Daryl went to Aaron, and checked him first. He was barely conscious. “Hey, Aaron. Hey, it’s me. It’s over.”
“Daryl,” Aaron said with relief.
“We gotta get out of here,” Daryl said as he untied Aaron’s arms. “Those shots are going to bring company any minute.” As soon as he said it, he heard the growling. Walkers.
“How many are left?” Aaron asked as Daryl yanked the loose pants up, giving Aaron back some of his dignity.
“It wasn’t a very big camp. Probably a few left out on the perimeter, but they’ll be dealing with walkers by now.” He thought about the men he’d killed, the ones that would be up and moving again soon. It all happened so fast and at the same time, Daryl was sure they wouldn’t have to worry about the rest of Reg’s men. They’d have their hands full just trying not to get bit. “We gotta go. Can you walk?”
“Yeah,” Aaron said, stumbling. “I think so.”
Daryl wrapped Aaron’s arm around his shoulder, allowing himself to be the man’s crutch. He glanced back at the boy. He was staring down at Reg’s dead body. “Come on, kid, unless you want to get stuck between someone’s teeth.”
“It was him,” the boy whimpered. “It was him the first time, before the guy in the barn.”
Daryl’s heart pained him, and he paused before leading them out of the camp. “He’s dead now. You killed him. He’ll never hurt you again.” Except in dreams, Daryl thought to himself. He knew it wasn’t really over for the boy. His nightmare was just beginning, but at least he had the satisfaction of knowing Reg couldn’t hurt him again. In time, maybe he’d be ok, but it would take a lot to get past it, and he’d never forget. This was Daryl’s experience anyways.
They made it out of the camp. Daryl had his weapons back. He had Aaron and the boy. They hadn’t had to deal with too many walkers. The sounds of the few remaining men in the camp and the gunshots was enough to draw them there. It gave these three the chance to get away. Finally, they made it back to the place where they hid the car and the bike. Daryl was going to leave his bike behind, drive the car because he didn’t’ think Aaron was in any condition to drive, but Aaron insisted it was alright. They didn’t argue about it long. Right now, he just needed to get everyone to the safety of the cabin, and it was a long way from here.
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Safe Haven in the Chaos