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Forever Rising Phoenix	By : ImagineLayla131 Category: S through Z > The Walking Dead Views: 7147 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NOR HAVE ANY AFFILIATIONS WITH THE WALKING DEAD FRANCHISE. ALL PROPERTIES OWNED BY FRANK DARABONT, AMC, ROBERT KIRKMAN AND TONY MOORE. NO MONEY/PROFIT IS BEING MADE OFF OF THIS FANFICTION!

Chapter List
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Hello world and my wonderful readers! It's been a slow week but I'm glad to finally be posting the latest chapter! Soon, I'll be doing it from my brand new laptop and/or with Dragon Dictation!
I have been planning this with Eugene since I decided to put the trio in the story. I think it's both hilarious AND sad, I'm anxious as to what all of you will think, my mother thought it was ingenious!
I know a lot of you don't like the sudden change in Delilah's demeanor, but she has a chemical imbalance and emotionally disturbed. She also made a VERY huge AND selfless sacrifice for the sake of the twins by allowing Billy and Christine to stay at Jellbany, her sister and the love of her life that deceived her, Billy was practically dragged into it. Naturally, Delilah is going to be feeling and acting very confused and angry and discombobulated. I know I would! What she does in this chapter may have been a bit underhanded, but it was necessary at the same time and she was doing it other than for herself.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NOR HAVE ANY AFFILIATIONS WITH THE WALKING DEAD FRANCHISE, GHOSTBUSTERS, THE CHRISTMAS SONG, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, INDIANA JONES, PSYCHO, THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, THE L WORD, BEETLEJUICE, THE WIZARD OF OZ, 30 ROCK, OR HAUNTED. ALL PROPERTIES OWNED BY FRANK DARABONT AND AMC (TELEVISION SERIES), ROBERT KIRKMAN AND TONY MOORE (COMIC BOOK SERIES), DAN AYKROYD AND HAROLD RAMIS, NAT KING COLE, HARPER LEE, GEORGE LUCAS, ROBERT BLOCH AND ALFRED HITCHCOCK, PATRICIA HIGHSMITH, ILLENE CHAIKEN, TIM BURTON AND MICHAEL MCDOWELL, L. FRANK BAUM, TINA FEY AND LORNE MICHAELS, AND TAYLOR SWIFT, RESPECTIVELY. I ONLY OWN MY OWN ORIGINAL IDEAS AND CHARACTERS.
WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE AND HEAVY VIOLENCE!
Chapter Forty Nine: Disconnected
This was all getting to be too much for Rick, Madison could tell. "Alrighty, gang! Why don't we give these newbies a tour, hmm?" She grabbed Delilah by the arm and walked off, which shook her out of the daze she had been lost in. The trio said good bye to Billy, who stood back and watched them leave. Rick didn't even bother looking behind him, because if he did, all he would see was red.
INVENTORY RANGE, AN HOUR LATER
"Last stop, Inventory Range. This is where we keep our stock pile, where I teach the dance classes, and where the council meetings are held." Delilah peered over her shoulder as she watched the trio looking around in wonderment on the last leg of their tour, priding herself on first time reactions. She was thankful that Madison had suggested a tour, things were starting to get too nostalgic with Billy. It still scared Delilah about these feelings, she couldn't allow herself to fall down that rabbit hole again. Last time around, it had almost cost her her life.
"You've done a mighty fine job with this place, Little Bird." Abraham complimented.
"The smell here is amazing!" Rosita said with a smile, referring to the permanent waft of sweet candy.
"Thanks, guys. I didn't do it alone, though. Everybody contributes, that's the policy if you want to stay."
Abe nodded. "Sounds fair."
"This place is superb, Delilah. Can we get to fixing my phone now?" Eugene turned to Glenn. While showing the trio around, they ran into Glenn and Maggie, who were filled in on the situation and tagged along to the factory where the tools were, with Daryl accompanying them as well.
"No problem, I'll see what I can do." Glenn took the phone and headed over to the tools.
"In the mean time, let's give your chums a call and inform them of your whereabouts." Delilah watched Eugene's smile disappear.
"Oh, I don't think that's necessary." He started fidgeting, scratching the back of his head.
"Why not? You have to let them know you're alive. Would it ease things up a bit if I made the call for you, that way your sister won't get mad?" Delilah offered with a comforting smile, which Eugene immediately melted over.
"A-alrighty."
Rick knew that Delilah meant well, but at times, he couldn't help but wonder if she used her beauty and sexuality to get ahead or manipulate people.
No, she would never do anything like that. How can I even think that, especially after everything she told me… Am I really doubting her this much?
"Great. I appreciate it. I'd feel better if I made the call, also. It's just easier all around." She whipped out the Iridium phone. "You know, I've always wanted to go to Washington D.C. and work on Capitol Hill, be a hot shot correspondent on CNN and maybe run for Congress. I actually drafted a bill when I was seventeen years old for cleaner bathrooms and a better special education program in our nation's schools, but I never went further with it."
Abraham and Daryl both smirked, with Abe speaking. "Impressive. You're far beyond your years."
Often times, people were quick to assume that Delilah only got by on her looks or personality, but it was so much more than that. Already naturally gifted, she made a conscientious effort to know more than others and obtain knowledge of anything and everything possible. "Ha, thanks. Don't underestimate me, I've got a lot of bark and bite." Delilah turned the phone on and got ready to dial. "Ok, what's the number, Eugene?"
"555-2368."
Delilah paused and gave a quizzical gaze as the trio looked around the factory.
Where have I heard that number before?
She pushed her thoughts aside and dialed anyway, only to hear the wrong number signal, and again when she tried a second time. After the third time, her skepticism returned and the reason why the number sounded familiar hit her hard. Abraham happened to notice the puzzled look on her face.
"Everything alright?"
"Huh? Yeah, it's fine, just a low signal. I'm going to try outside." Delilah turned to Rick. "Rick, come with me?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I'll come with you."
"We'll be right back, it shouldn't take long."
Rick followed Delilah outside the side entrance, noticing she had picked up the pace. "What's going on?"
Delilah took a deep breath, hating to crush the shred of newly instilled hope. "Rick, I'm starting to get a sketchy vibe that something isn't right here."
He raised an eyebrow at her, looking confused. "What? How?"
"The number Eugene gave me isn't real. I dialed it three times and nothing happened. I'm pretty sure it's the number for Ghostbusters." She felt embarrassed admitting that, but she had to be honest.
Now Rick looked really perplexed, and he wasn't sure whether to believe her or not, it all sounded so odd. "Where did you come up with that? For sake of argument, let's say that it is the Ghostbusters number, why would you dial it?"
"I dialed it because a few years ago 555 numbers became actual telephone numbers with sequences after 555-0000 and 555-1999, so I thought it was legit."
"Ok, but why Ghostbusters?"
"What, you don't believe me? Here, I know exactly who can back up my claim." Delilah whipped out her walkie-talkie and turned it on. This was the first time Rick had ever really doubted her, and it wasn't a pleasant experience. "Lila Loo to Bull Rider, got your ears on?"
The walkie crackled before Madison answered. "Affirmative, Bull Rider to Lila Loo."
"What's the 20 on Bill?"
Rick watched her looking intently at the walkie-talkie. What did Billy have to do with any of us? The walkie-talkie crackled once again.
"He's with the babies."
"10-4. I need you to send him out here, tell him Delilah said to leave the twins in the nursery and meet her at the side entrance of Inventory Range, I have an important question for him. Do you copy?"
"Copy and Roger that, loud and clear. I'll do it right now, Lila Loo. Oh, and I'm going to be testing the speakers in about five minutes, so don't be alarmed by the sound."
"Thanks, Bull Rider, and that's fine. Over and out." Delilah put the walkie talkie back in its holster and looked over at Rick. "This will be quick, I'm sure. Why would I make this up?"
"It's not that I think you made it up per sae, it's why would Eugene make it up?"
"I don't know, we need to find out more information. It could just be the phone, but I doubt it."
With that being said, Rick figured this might have been a good time to tell Delilah about how Billy's Iridium phone wasn't working so well when he looked for Delilah. "Well, actually-"
"Delilah!"
They turned around and saw Billy by one of the trucks. Delilah waved him over.
"Hey, can you come over here for a minute, please?"
"Yeah, sure."
She turned back to Rick. "Again, he'll confirm whether or not it's real. He's seen the movie more times than he'd probably like to admit."
"I'll take your word for it."
"Hey there." Billy came running up and nodded politely at Rick. "Hey, Rick."
He returned the nod. "Billy."
Billy turned back to Delilah. "Everything ok? Madison said you needed me?"
Delilah nodded. "Yeah, I need to ask you something. This is kind of embarrassing."
He shrugged. "I don't mind, ask me anything and I'll answer."
"Alright." She let out a breath and straightened herself up. "Do you happen to remember the number for Ghostbusters?"
They watched Billy nod as he tried to hide a smirk. "Yes, of course I do. It's 555-2368. I've seen that movie more times than I'd like to say."
Delilah glanced over at Rick. "I told you."
Billy gave them a quizzical look. "Why, what's going on?"
Rick shook his head. "It's noth-"
"This is the number Eugene gave us to Washington, where he says he has government contacts that can help cure the virus."
Billy raised an eyebrow. "It's not working? If it's over 0000 and 1999, it's a real number."
"I know, but it's invalid. I think this might be a swindle, we need to find out more information."
"How? He's limited in what he says, remember?" Rick wasn't sure what to make of it that she involved Billy further than asking about the number, or the fact that they thought alike.
"What are you going to do?" Billy asked.
She nodded. "Yes, I'm aware. I have an idea. It's a little unconventional, but I think it just might do the trick." Delilah stepped back and bent over, dramatically flipping her hair and teasing the sides with her fingers as it fell to make it look higher. Rick and Billy watched her straighten out the top of her pants enough to where the blue lace of her thong was showing. Rick happened to catch the look on Billy's face, which was the same as his, bemused, but with a hint of something else. Was he checking her out? This whole display made Rick a bit uncomfortable.
"Uh, Delilah?"
They watched her reach into her top and push up her left breast, then repeating the action with the right one before scrunching them in place. "I said it was unconventional, I didn't say it was practical. When we win the Noble Peace Prize for being part of curing the virus and restoring the world back to its original order, this part won't be included. Don't worry, I've got this." She shot them both a confident wink and walked off, not even knowing what to think of what she just did. This probably wasn't the right move and Delilah knew, but she was also a bit anxious if the trio would try anything.
Not gonna happen, I won't let it. Besides, like I told Abraham, there's more of us than them, so they're already outnumbered. I can't show my fear. Remember, you're doing this not just for yourself, but for everybody else here. Rick, Carl, Judith, Gleggie, Madison, Mika, Santino and Serena, Billy… Wait, what?!
"Oh, Eugene?" Delilah stood off to the side, one hand on her hip and twirling a strand of her hair. Her voice had the familiar Valley Girl hint that Billy hadn't heard in ages.
"Yes, Delilah?"
"Can you come here for a second, please? This won't take long, I have a question." She motioned him with her pointer finger.
"Y-yeah, yes, absolutely." Abraham and Rosita were too busy wrapped up in conversation with Daryl, so they didn't mind when he walked off. "Is there a problem?"
"Kind of. There's a directory and I don't know who to ask for. Can you please give me the names of your party?"
Eugene nodded. "Of course I can. It's a whole team of them, actually. Atticus Peck, Greg Finch, Marion Jones, Indiana Ravenwood, Norman Radley, Scout Bates, Lee Truman, Jem Harper Greenleaf, and Dickey Capote. My sister is Professor Bette Porter. I hope that helped."
JESUS CHRIST, THIS GUY IS FULL OF SHIT! OH, MY GOD! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?! STAY CALM, DELILAH! IT'S GOING TO BE OK, BUT I THINK ABRAHAM AND ROSITA WILL BE INFURIATED AND CRUSHED.
She forced a smile on her face despite her rising panic. "Yes, it helped a lot. Thanks so much, cutie pie!" Delilah pinched his cheek affectionately and watched him blush, she already knew that Billy was trying not to laugh wherever he was.
"Y-you're welcome." He rushed back to the others.

"Has she done this before?" Rick leaned in and asked Billy, they were both watching from a few feet away. He watched the young man smirk.
"What, you mean "Sassy Girl"? Yeah, it's one of her personas from when she did The Vagina Monologues. How do you think we got backstage at the KISS concert? Even without "Sassy Girl", Delilah is a total eccentric character. To loosely quote Nat King Cole, kids from one to ninety two are charmed by her." They watched her walk back, both knowing that even though she was modest, she was well aware of the bedazzling effect she had on people. Those eyes, those lips, that body, her smooth melodic voice-
"Like you still are, Billy?" Rick boldly asked, and his response was a look that was a mixture of bewilderment and unease. Luckily for him, Delilah walked up before he could answer.
"Did you hear all of that, the names he gave me? You recognize them, right?"
They nodded. "Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood from the Indiana Jones movies." Rick said.
"Atticus Finch, Gregory Peck, Scout, Jem, Boo Radley, and Harper Lee from To Kill A Mockingbird." Billy added.
"Don't forget Norman Bates from Psycho, Dickey Greenleaf from The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Truman Capote. That and Professor Bette Porter is from The L Word."
"He's making this all up, isn't he?" Billy asked.
"As he goes along, it seems like. He had to be." Delilah added. "What should I do?"
"Delilah." Glenn rushed up to them with the phone in his hand and Maggie following behind. "This phone isn't working. The batteries are from 1991 and the phone itself is busted."
Delilah looked at him and she became almost baffled. "Are you serious?"
He nodded. "Mmhmm."
"Something definitely isn't right here, I don't know what it is." Maggie said.
"He's making this all up as he goes along. Washington is a farce." Rick said.
"What if the three of them try to ambush this place?" Billy asked.
"I thought of that, but there's three of them and four times as many of us, if not more. They're outnumbered, but we need to nip this in the bud before it's spun farther than it already is." Delilah knew her integrity was put into a sticky situation, she had to think quickly on her feet. "Daryl!" The arrow slinging BAMF looked over at her. "Hold tight to Eugene until we get there."
Daryl nodded and wrapped his arms firmly around Eugene from behind, who immediately became panicked, as did his two companions.
"Hey, man, what the hell are you doing?!" Abraham barked.
"Put him down, now!" Rosita demanded. They both tried to pry Daryl's hands off of Eugene, but to no avail.
"Please, let me go!" Eugene pleaded, to which Daryl shook his head.
"Boss lady has got a reason to keep him put, and that's what I'm doing until she says otherwise."
Abraham watched as Delilah and the others walked over, feeling incredibly angry. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, is this part of some damn ambush?!"
"No, but whose to say you aren't trying to pull something, like trick us into this whole Washington farce?"
Eugene's eyes widened, looking back and forth from his comrades to Delilah. "What?! No, it's not!"
"You have no idea what you're talking about, Delilah." Rosita stepped forward with a scowl on her face.
"Yes, I do. The jig is up, Eugene, cut the shit."
"Everybody stop and somebody tell me what the motherfucking hell is going on here!" Abraham threw his arms up and stomped his foot. The whole scene was a little frightening, which made Delilah worry at how much worse it would become, but she had to be honest.
"His contacts are nothing more than characters from books and movies, his phone is a decoy with outdated batteries, and the number he gave me is for Ghostbusters." Delilah folded her arms across her chest and stared them down, watching as Eugene's fear increased and Abraham and Rosita were a cross between mystified and irritation. "I have absolutely no reason to make any of this up."
"Everything she said is the truth, all of us here can vouch for that." Rick said.
"Delilah's never lied about anything." Billy spoke up.
"Yes, and this phone might as well be a play toy." Glenn added as he held up the phone, they all watched as Rosita and Abraham were now stunned.
The former army sergeant turned to the so-called scientist. "You've been stringing us along this whole time?!" He huffed as his face twisted up in a snarl. Eugene knew that he was screwed and would most likely be killed.
"No, not at all! Why would I make it up?" He started nervously laughing.
"Atticus Peck, Greg Finch, Marion Jones, Indiana Ravenwood, Norman Radley, Scout Bates, Lee Truman, Jem Harper Greenleaf, and Dickey Capote. Translation: Atticus, Jem, and Scout Finch, Gregory Peck, Harper Lee, Boo Radley, from To Kill A Mocking Bird, Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood from the Indiana Jones series, Norman Bates from Psycho, Dickey Greenleaf from The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Truman Capote."
"No, no! This can't be happening! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!" Eugene started slapping his hands on his forehead and clicking the heels of his boots together in a frenzy. "There's no place like home, there's no place like home! Come on, Eugene! There's no place like home, there's no place like home! Damn it!" His whole spaz attack almost made everybody want to laugh awkwardly, but they also felt a little bit sorry for how pathetic he really was.
"Glenn, show him the phone." Delilah nodded her head to the side, prompting Glenn to toss the phone to Abraham, who inspected it. Upon realizing they were telling the truth, he threw the phone to the ground and smashed it.
"You goddamn no good little liar! I oughta kill you!" He hauled back and roared as he punched Eugene with all his might, so hard that it even sent Daryl stumbling backwards, who scurried out of the way as Abraham dove for Eugene, not holding anything back.
The weaker man whimpered as the much stronger man pummeled him, landing furiously punches all over. Eugene tried to block Abe, but it was pointless.
"Abraham, stop! You're going to kill him!" Rosita pleaded, trying to pull him back.
"I should kill him! He fucking lied to us, girl!" He kicked Eugene in the groin. "Son of a bitch bastard motherfucker cocking sucking piece of dog shit liar!" Abe kept punching as Eugene screamed for freedom. It had reminded Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and Maggie of the night Tyler tried to attack Delilah and was subsequently beaten up.
"I'm sorry! Please, Rosita, don't be mad at me!"
"How can we trust you? I thought we were friends!" Abraham and Eugene were the first real friends Rosita had had in a very long time, she considered them part of a new family, was it really going to dissolve this quickly?
"We are friends! You two are the best friends I've got!" Eugene cried.
"Best friends don't lie, jack ass!" Abraham barked.
Delilah knew the reaction was justified, but the violence had escalated quickly and was getting out of hand. She now understood what the others felt when her and Christine were beating each other up, but since Abraham was much bigger and stronger than both girls combined, it was even more intense and Delilah felt guilty. "I have to stop this." She tried to move forward when Billy and Rick fully processed what she said.
"No!" They simultaneously spoke and grabbed on to either one of her arms before looking over at each other, realizing what they had done, the atmosphere now becoming even more tense.
Delilah was aware of what had happened as well, but there was no time to further delve into it. It was the second time today that physical contact between her and Billy had been established, and she started feeling weird all over again, forcing herself to shake it off. "Rosita's right, he's gonna kill him! I can't stand by idly and watch this happen! I brought it on, I have to clean it up!" Delilah ran over to one of the nearby tables and pulled something out from the arsenal, pressing it repeatedly as a terribly loud screeching sound emitted through the air. Everybody stopped what they were doing and covered their ears as Delilah walked in the middle, raising her arm and blaring the foghorn.
"STOP IT! NOW!" She released the button on the fog horn and everybody went silent. Delilah looked over at the trio. "Ok, I know that we're all pretty upset here, but perhaps we should give Eugene a chance to explain himself?"
"Why? He's a no good lying asshole, I don't want to hear a word he has to say!" Abraham shouted, full of anger.
"What if he just lies again?" Rosita asked.
"Well, come on now, maybe there's a reason behind it." Delilah glanced over at the barely conscious Eugene. "Why did you lie to us about having big named connections in Washington and knowing what caused the outbreak?" She felt almost sorry for the poor guy. His clothes were ripped and his face was covered in blood, he actually looked worse than how Christine looked after their fight, and he was hyperventilating.
"I-I-I…"
"Spit it out, pansy!" Daryl hissed at him.
"Everybody chill out! He needs breathing room or he's going to give himself a damn heart attack!" Delilah demanded, which everybody did. They watched as Eugene sat up and pulled something out of one of the front pockets of his vest, an asthma inhaler. He took two puffs of it and started speaking.
"Ok, everything I said was true except for the people in Washington. I really have been studying all the different kinds of walkers and I'm a science teacher, not an actual scientist, more of a underground scientist. I actually had my own cable access science show, GENEtics, where I was like Bill Nye, but it didn't work out. To the best of my knowledge, my brother and sister are more than likely dead. I wasn't prepared for the world to end like this, I was the weak link in a group of much stronger chains, and I hated that. I decided to toughen up and use my natural intelligence to make myself stronger and more knowledgeable, and I merged that with my own belief that I could be a good liar, that I could convince somebody that I was somebody important and worth protecting, not somebody that deserved to be left alone. I'm a loser, that's how I was born and that's all I'll ever be! I'm forty three years old and I'm still a virgin!" He started wailing again, and nobody knew whether to feel compassion or revulsion towards him. "You might as well just kill me, I'm of no use to anybody, not even my family cared. I'm better off dead." Eugene sniffled and wiped the blood off his face. His words made Delilah's face fall and immediately think back to what Christine had said that day on the ranch.
"You're nothing but an albatross around our necks, dragging and pulling us down! We're better off without you, the world is better off without you!"
She could feel the tears threatening to build up, but she wouldn't let it, not after crying so much for the past year and for the past week. As much as she wanted to doubt her decision and rescind her invitation, Delilah couldn't do that to Santino and Serena, she wasn't going to let her issues with their asshole parents get in the way of protecting them. Like Billy and unlike Christine, Eugene appeared to be authentically guilty and shameful. Delilah walked over to him and looked down. "Hey, look at me, Eugene." He looked up at her, utterly devastated. "It was pretty messed up what you did, but you are clearly not a stupid guy. Anybody who makes up such an elaborate story like that has to have a mind. You've got potential, and I think you could actually repent yourself and be a valuable asset to us all. Have any ideas?"
The others were confused by her words until Rick spoke up. "Delilah, are you serious?"
She glanced over at her boyfriend and nodded. "Yes, I am. He's docile, but not entirely an idiot savant. Eugene is very articulate in his shyness, he's got to have some kind of untapped skills." Delilah turned back to him. "Again, any ideas?"
Eugene began to ponder heavily. "Uh, yes! My grandpa taught me how to create homemade gun silencers and bullets. I can lead a team of the other workers here and gather supplies from different hardware stores and such, all I need is a Yellow Pages and a map. I made the silencers on all our guns." He held his up to point out the silencer.
Delilah glanced over her shoulder at Rick, Billy, Glenn, Maggie, and Daryl, who had joined the quartet. "What do you guys think? I can tell by the tiny blemishes that it's homemade."
"It might be worth a shot." Glenn spoke first.
"If it doesn't work out, we can always kick his ass to the curb like we did with Tyler." Daryl added.
"Rick?" Delilah asked.
He sighed heavily, still unsure, but maybe this would work out in the end and they could use Eugene to their advantage. "Don't let him do this unsupervised."
She nodded. "You've got it my thoughts exactly. Bill." She glanced over at him. "You're in charge of him when you go on supply runs and throughout the whole process, got it?"
He nodded. "Anything you want, Delilah."
"Good, thanks. I appreciate it. It will give you something to do instead of following me around all day." Delilah turned back to the trio and watched as Abraham looked down and shook his head with Rosita rubbing a hand on his back as she tried to console him.
"How could I have been so naïve? I go from being a hard-hitting sergeant to a unassuming idiot. Why couldn't I have figured it out? I'm a poor excuse for a leader." He crouched down on the ground, feeling sorry for himself. How had he ever succeeded in the army? Abraham was unable to prevent his family's demise, and now he, along with Rosita, had been falsely lead by Eugene. Everybody around him could feel his anguish and they wanted to say something, but didn't know what. Delilah finally made the first move by walking over and getting on his level. She put her hand on Abraham's shoulder, making her look into her eyes with sadness.
"Listen to me, Abe. You can not allow somebody else's wrongdoings to doubt what you're capable of. Both of you." She glanced up at Rosita, who looked equally as sad as he did. "The two of you have been through a lot, I can relate. Thanks to one selfish bitch, my existence was both ruined and reincarnated. She took the love of my life at his weakest point, and he didn't try hard enough to stop her because he was over medicated on anti-depressants. My own sister tried to kill me, and to this day, I'm not even convinced if I was supposed to make it out of there alive or not, but maybe I was. Maybe it was fate's plan, because the keys to the stockpile truck were left behind, and I came across other wanders. I was given a second chance to survive, and I thrived on it. I created all of this, and I reunited the prison group. So many good things have happened since finding this place. Except another cruel twist in fate brought those two back to me. Why it happened, I don't know. Perhaps to prove that they needed my help when before it was me that needed theirs? I know I probably should have killed them, but I didn't. I once heard that the events in your life don't shape the quality of your life and don't ever say you're just you, because you are better than you. You can't let somebody else's fuckups doubt your own capabilities and beliefs. You're a bad ass, dude! Sergeant Big Red Bad Ass, and you always will be! Even though he betrayed you. Eugene believes in you, so does Rosita. We've only known each other a couple hours, but I believe in you, too. I can see your courage and determination. Sometimes that's all you need, is to know that somebody has your back."
In her speech, Delilah never once said how if it weren't for being abandoned, she wouldn't have met Rick, like she usually did, and it only made his apprehensions skyrocket that much higher. Maybe she just wanted to cut to the chase and boost Abe's confidence, but he really didn't know what to think.
"She's right. We're behind you, man." Rosita said.
He nodded over at her. "Thanks." Abraham looked at Delilah again. "Why didn't you kill them though? They more than deserved it. We all know that."
It was a question that Delilah had been asking herself long before she even knew they were still alive, if she ever saw them again, what would she do? Even after already beating them up and humiliating them, she couldn't stoop that low. She took a deep breath before answering. "I'm better than them, that's why. If I did, I'd only kill Christine, because she's still ruled by an evil greater than herself that's only suppressed under heavy medication. Billy's already dead inside knowing that he lost me, and joins the part of me that died inside along with him."
At that moment, heavy drum and string beats in dark tones blared through the speakers. Delilah recognized the song right away, it was "Haunted" by Taylor Swift, and one of the last routines she had performed in a dance competition before the apocalypse, it had also been Billy's first competition. They had actually placed second that night. They thought it was beginner's luck, but they progressed to the semi-finals placing in the top five and later on the finals, where they won first place. She looked over at him, her regretful yet slightly mystified gaze meeting his distressed one. Both of them were aware of the other one's thoughts, and apparently, so was everybody else.
Why did things end up this way?
Delilah was forcing herself to push everything away, and because of that, she was on the verge of explosion. She shouldn't be having mixed feelings, but she was and she couldn't hide it. What scared her is that she didn't know if anybody had caught on, even though she was sure Billy had a feeling. She was starting to feel suffocated and she couldn't be there anymore. The song personified how she felt, haunted, haunted by what might be the truth. Delilah got up, still looking at Billy before turning around and almost running out of the factory, with everybody only having a guess as to why.
POOR DELILAH! SHE CLEARLY IS HAUNTED BY HER PAST STILL! WHAT WILL RICK OR BILLY DO NOW? WHAT DO WE THINK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO EUGENE? WHAT I MENTIONED ABOUT 555 NUMBERS IS ACTUALLY TRUE, AND THE QUOTES DELILAH GAVE TO ABE ARE FROM TONY ROBBINS AND 30 ROCK, RESPECTIVELY. CHAPTER FIFTY, LIGHT IN DARK BLACK, WILL BE COMING SOON! PLEASE VOTE IN THE NEW POLL ON MY PROFILE ABOUT WHO IS BEST SUITED FOR DELILAH! CHECK OUT THE PICTURES ON INSTAGRAM!
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW AND SPREAD THE WORD! NO FLAMES!
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Forever Rising Phoenix