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Safe Haven in the Chaos	By : IdrilsSecret Category: S through Z > The Walking Dead Views: 6520 -:- 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
- 80
- 81
- 82
Chapter 82 Keeping Secrets

Aaron slowly paced back and forth across the narrow bridge where he set up patrol. Daryl would be angry to find out he was doing this alone, but this wasn’t a two man job. It wasn’t a popular crossing or an area where the others hunted or traveled, but it was part of the border, and the bridge marked it. As he walked, he swung his new sword, getting a feel for its length and weight. It was easy to swing around, and it felt just like an extension of his arm. Earl had outdone himself, and Daryl had been so sweet to have it made.

It was a simple weapon, only about two feet in length. The shiny blade was wider than other swords Aaron had seen. It had a simple metal hilt that would protect his fingers, and the handle was wrapped in leather to give a good grip. It was curved just right so that it fit in Aaron’s hand naturally. He found that he could easily swing it around at different angles so that he could attack in just about any position he found himself in. Was it wrong to say he couldn’t wait to use it for the first time? After all, that would be the real test.

He heard movement in the woods next to the bridge, and thought he would finally get to test his weapon. Aaron moved with stealth along the edge of the tree line, and peered into the close growing forest. He saw a pair of walkers shuffling toward the stream that ran beneath the bridge. He decided to wait until they got closer before he moved in on them. But before they crossed the shallow stream, the walker in front stopped and turned to examine their surroundings. This was no walker. It was a Whisperer. Aaron’s heart sped up at an alarming rate as he watched the imposter pull a knife out and stab the actual walker in the head. The body fell to the ground at the water’s edge. The next thing that happened confused Aaron. The Whisperer proceeded to slash open the dead corpse’s belly, allowing its intestines to spill out. Then they pulled the walker into the stream and left it there. Aaron watched as his enemy left, moving deeper into the forest.

He should probably leave and report his findings right away. That was protocol. That was what he had taught others to do, but he decided to stay and keep observing. After a few minutes, the Whisperer came back with another walker and repeated their same ritual. A second walker was added to the first, as the Whisperer began to cut this one open too. Why would they do that, Aaron wondered? Perhaps it was part of the process of skinning them. Was this Whisperer gathering walkers to prepare a new skin suit?

“Ouch! Dammit!” the Whisperer exclaimed, and Aaron could tell by the voice that it was a woman.

He watched her hold her shaking hand, and noticed a good amount of blood begin to drip into the water. He took a moment to think of what to do. He could take her by surprise, kill her and be glad there was one less Whisperer in the world. She probably wouldn’t hesitate to kill him if the chance arose. However, Aaron had tried being the tough guy, the guy who didn’t give a shit, who behaved recklessly. That didn’t pan out too well for him, and he had been uncomfortable with the role. That just wasn’t who he was. Aaron had been a recruiter. He had been the guy who saved the less fortunate, brought them in and helped them become a part of something much larger. That’s the man he had always been throughout his entire life. He decided that’s who he needed to be now, even if this was his enemy. Quickly, he searched his bag and found a roll of gauze. He moved forward with caution and allowed himself to be exposed. The Whisperer saw him and brought her knife up in a defensive stance. Her eyes were wide with fright. Even her mask couldn’t hide that fact.

“It’s all right. It’s okay,” he said to calm her. “I’m not here to harm you. Actually, I have something I think you could use.” He tossed her the package of gauze. It landed in the dirt on the other side of the stream. She stared at it a moment and then brought her attention back to Aaron. He held his hands up to show her he had no weapon aimed at her. “That’s for you,” he gestured toward the gauze. “I had it in my bag. Take it. Please.” He pointed to her hand. “You need to take care of that so it doesn’t get infected.” He watched her snatch up the gauze, barely taking her eyes from Aaron. He decided the best thing to do was to keep talking. “My name is Aaron. What is … Oh, that’s right. You guys don’t do names anymore.” He waited to see if she would say something, but she wasn’t talking. He continued. “You must be from somewhere … I mean before. Everyone is from somewhere. I’m originally from Vermont.” He paused and gave a slight smile. “So, where are you–” He started to ask, but she ran off without saying a word. At least she took the gauze with her. “You’re welcome,” he called after her as though he was finishing a conversation. Aaron waited a moment to make sure she was really gone before he moved back onto the bridge.

He was short of breath after playing a role of being the nice guy. It was the first time he made contact with any of Alpha’s people in a one on one situation. The fact that she didn’t try to kill him was a good sign. Perhaps she could be dealt with. She was as skittish as a rabbit, but maybe she would come around. And that’s when a plan came together. What was the best way to attack an enemy? From the inside, of course. Alpha was the true enemy, and those who were loyal to her. But there had to be Whisperers who only followed her because they were frightened. It had been the same way with Negan and the Saviors. Once Negan was captured, some of his followers were relieved. They joined the communities and found their way back into a normal society. Aaron felt this way about the Whisperers, and after only seeing this woman for a few minutes, he got the feeling she might be like that too. She was scared even under Alpha’s protection. She had probably forgotten what it was like to live a normal life, as though brainwashed by Alpha and her twisted look on survival. If he could gain this woman’s trust, he just might be able to gather some vital information about the Whisperers, mainly where they keep their horde. Of course, this would only work if the Whisperer woman came back. Aaron wasn’t so sure of this. She seemed extremely frightened. He would have to come up with a way of keeping her from running if he ever saw her again. He decided for now to keep this a secret, at least until he knew whether or not it would work.

>>------->

The next day, Aaron was up with the sun. He wanted to get to the bakery first thing so he could get an extra loaf. He was hoping to see the Whisperer woman again when he went on patrol later. It was for this reason that he didn’t want to attract attention, and since the bakery was a popular place in the morning, he was there before anyone else. At least he thought he was.

“Aaron,” said Carol, surprised to see him. “What are you doing here so early?”

“Oh, I … uh … just wanted to beat the crowd.” Shit, she would know something was up.

Carol waited with him, since the bread wasn’t quite ready to leave the oven. She didn’t say anything, and that was bad. When the bread finally came out and the baker made it available for them, Aaron hesitated, allowing Carol to take her pick first. Instead, she smiled at him with that grin of cynicism he’d come to know. “Go ahead. I insist,” she said stepping back.

Great. Now she would see him pick up two loaves. He quickly came up with a plan. “Hey, I need a little more than one loaf, but not two. Do you want to split one?”

“Are you cooking now?” she said with an accusatory tone. She knew Aaron didn’t cook anything beyond heating up food.

Now the baker lady was looking at him with questioning eyes. He smiled and tried to come up with a reason, but Carol spoke instead. “Oh, I forgot that Gracie loves French toast. You know what, hit me up with that extra half.” She smiled politely at the baker, who divided one of the three loaves and gave each a half along with the whole loaves they requested.

Aaron hurried and wrapped his in a cloth he had brought along, and then slipped it inside his bag. “Thanks, Carol,” he said as he turned and headed back toward his house.

“Hold on a minute. I’ll walk with you,” Carol called out sweetly. That tone was a good as the kiss of death, and he had no choice but to stop and wait for her to catch up. Carol came up next to him and they started walking together. “So, is it French toast Tuesday, or am I missing something here?”

“I’m going on patrol later and I thought I’d take some extra with me. You never know when you’ll need extra food. You know, in case something happens or–"

“It’s the ‘or’ part I’d like to know about. Spill it,” she demanded politely.

“If I tell you, you have to promise you’ll keep it to yourself. Okay?” There was no use going on with this failed charade.

“Scout’s honor,” she said giving him a three-fingered salute.

“All right,” he said with reluctance. “I was out on patrol yesterday, at the footbridge, and I heard something in the woods. At first, I thought it was a pair of walkers, but then I realized one of them was a Whisperer. I stayed hidden and watched her. She killed the walker with her, but then she opened it up and gutted it for some reason. While doing so, she cut her hand. It looked pretty bad, and I had gauze in my pack and–"

“Aaron,” she said with a look of concern. “Did you make contact with her?” Aaron nodded and she shook her head. “You have to be careful round these animals.”

“I know, but there’s something different about her. I think I might be able to talk to her, maybe even befriend her. Well, to a point. I think that if I can show her that we are good people and we aren’t just surviving but thriving, maybe something good will come of it. There might be others like her. If she tells them about us, maybe more will follow. I want to put doubt in their minds, break them down from the inside. If not, maybe I can save at least one of them from Alpha’s twisted way of thinking and living. Look, I don’t have my whole foot in the door, but maybe just a toe. It’s worth a shot.”

“Does Daryl know what you’re doing?” she asked.

Aaron closed his eyes, bowed his head, and slowly shook his head back and forth. “I don’t like doing this. I don’t like keeping him in the dark, especially now, but this is something I don’t want anyone knowing about. Not yet anyway.”

Carol observed him a moment, but then she gave a half smile. “Your secret’s safe with me. You know, it’s probably a good thing at least one person knows, just in case you end up missing.”

“Oh, ye of little faith,” said Aaron teasingly with a bow.

“So, what are you going to do, tempt her with bread?” Carol wondered.

“Kind of. I have my ways. Trust me, I’ve done this sort of thing before. I know how to subtlety put something out there so that she will think she’s discovered it. I know what I’m doing.”

“Just be careful. Things can go wrong in a flash,” she told him with caring.

They parted ways and Aaron went home. He wished Carol hadn’t found out what he was up to, but he trusted her not to say anything to anyone, especially Daryl.

Finished with his task, Aaron made it back home just in time for Gracie to get up and ready for school. It wasn’t a normal morning where Gracie was doing most of the talking. Today she was quiet because she missed Lydia, who had decided to stay in the open jail cell. Gracie couldn’t understand why Lydia chose to do this. Aaron explained that she was feeling scared, and she felt like the cell gave her added protection. At least, that’s what Aaron thought was the reason.

“Why doesn’t she feel safe here with us?” Gracie asked.

“I don’t know honey, but for now we need to respect Lydia’s wishes.” He had no other explanation. This was just one more reason to try and have some kind of trust with this Whisperer woman. If he could gain that, and somehow work with her, maybe there would soon be an end to this whole situation. The underlying fear that affected the entire town was due to Alpha, and it needed to end. The Whisperers needed to end.

Finally, it was time to get Gracie off to school. Aaron was walking her to class when he heard Daryl’s bike. He looked up and saw the gate open. Dog came running in as fast as his four legs would carry him.

“That dog loves to run,” Gracie commented. Dog spotted them and came to them right away. He ran a circle around Aaron a couple times, and then stopped to lick Gracie’s face. “Yuck,” she said, but she was laughing and smiling too.

Daryl rode up to them, shut off the motor and jumped from the bike. He went to Aaron first and clasped a hand to his shoulder. Aaron was the one to initiate a kiss. Gracie smiled and turned her attention back to Dog.

“I missed you,” Aaron said, taking Daryl’s pack from him.

“Missed you too. Anything happen while I was gone?” Daryl asked, roughing the hair on Gracie’s head.

“Hey,” she complained, like she always did. “Don’t mess my hair up. I have to go to school.”

“It’s been quiet around here,” Aaron answered, fixing Gracie’s hair for her. “Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“No news is good news,” Daryl replied.

“Rosita has come down with a cold or a stomach bug. She’s feeling under the weather. Dante’s been taking care of her, but you might want to let Siddiq know.” Aaron glanced past Daryl’s shoulder and saw Siddiq ride in on his horse. “How did it go at Hilltop?”

Daryl rolled his eyes and shook his head. “That place is a mess right now. The wall is still compromised, but Yumiko and Magna are heading up a patrol to keep watch until it’s fixed. Eugene and Earl have different ideas for what to do with the massive amount of wood from the fallen tree. Earl and Alden came up with a plan to make catapults in case the Whisperers decide to attack. Eugene wants to use it to fix the wall. Yumiko said their both good uses, but that the Kingdomers who lost their housing due to the tree should come first, and they should use the wood to build new homes.”

“Sounds like some crazy times,” said Aaron.

“I’m gonna be late, Daddy,” said Gracie.

“Oh, sorry honey. Go on along. I’ll see you went you get out,” Aaron leaned down and kissed the top of her head. She kissed his cheek and skipped up the sidewalk to the school building, which was only a couple buildings ahead.

“And don’t forget to learn something,” Daryl called after her. Then he turned his attention back to Aaron. “I didn’t even tell you about the supplies thief.”

“What? Someone is stealing from Hilltop?” Aaron was surprised to hear it.

“Turns out it was an inside job. Kelly and Magna, of all people.”

“No, are you sure? They don’t seem the type.”

“Connie and I caught them red handed, after Kelly didn’t come home from patrol. But I think we got it all straightened out.”

“How is Ezekiel doing?” Aaron’s concern for the former king was genuine. Ezekiel hadn’t been right since losing Henry and then Carol.

Daryl shook his head. “He looks worn, tired. He’s become somewhat recluse. Yumiko has been taking the lead in his stead. She’s doing a good job, but the people need their King. He didn’t even ask me about Carol, and he always asks how she is.”

“That’s a shame,” said Aaron. He looked around a moment and then turned back to Daryl. “Lydia’s still here. She stays at the jail. Says she feels safe there. I don’t know. It doesn’t seem right to me, but I won’t argue with her.”

“Well, at least she doesn’t have Negan to talk to anymore.” As Daryl spoke, he noticed Carol coming out of the mess hall. She had a fully packed bag, and carried a couple guns with her. She looked like she was in a hurry, and Daryl became suspicious. “Do you know where Carol’s going?” he asked.

Aaron’s sight followed Daryl’s and he saw Carol too. “No idea, but it looks as though she might be gone more than for the day.” He didn’t mention the fact that he had talked to her in the morning. It didn’t matter because she didn’t say anything to Aaron about leaving town.

“I’m worried about her. If she’s going out there, she shouldn’t go alone.” Daryl stuck his hand out, gesturing for Aaron to hand him his pack. Aaron did.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Look, someone needs to keep an eye out for her. She’s not quite right lately. I think she’s hunting Alpha, and I can’t let her do that, not alone.” Daryl kept his eyes trained on her. “I’m going with her wherever she’s going.”

“But you just got home,” Aaron complained.

Daryl kissed Aaron’s cheek quickly. “I know, but … it’s Carol.”

“Well, be careful. You know I don’t like it when you leave without a plan.”

“I promise I won’t be gone long. I’ll talk her into coming back in a day or two. More than two days, send a patrol for us.”

Aaron gave him a smug look. “Don’t talk like that. You know I don’t like that either.”

“I’m sorry.” Daryl moved closer so they were touching foreheads. “I love you.”

“Love you too, even though you drive me crazy.” Aaron backed away. “Okay. Hurry up. Go.”

Daryl gave a half smile and hurried after Carol before she got too far. He looked back and waved at Aaron. He hated doing something like this, especially when it upset Aaron, but he needed to go with Carol. Something wasn’t quite right with her lately, and he felt he was the only one who could connect with her. They were the best of friends, always had been. Daryl quit counting all the times Carol had been there for him. Now it was his turn to pay her back, and watch over her, whether she wanted him to or not.

“Hey,” he called out from behind as he approached her. “Where you goin’?”

Carol stopped and turned around. “Out looking for Negan.”

“Can I go with you?” he asked.

“Didn’t you just get back?” She smiled but it did feel genuine.

“Yeah but that’s okay. I’m already packed.” He waited for her to answer. After a few moments, she tilted her head, gesturing for him to come along. “Cool,” he said quietly.

They traveled in silence. Daryl followed her, letting Carol lead the way. If they were looking for Negan, they were going in an odd direction, but he didn’t mention it. Instead, he suspected that she had an ulterior motive. Before long, they came to the edge of a lookout area, high enough to see over an open field.

“This is our spot for the day,” she told him, dropping her pack on the ground next to a fallen tree. She sat down and rummaged through it, pulling out a pair of binoculars.

“So, you think Negan is going to wander through a field like that, out in the open where anyone can see him?” he asked with skepticism. “Come on, Carol, it’s me. What are we doing here? You’re looking for her, aren’t you?”

“I never could get one by you,” she admitted. “I’m looking for Alpha’s horde so that we can destroy it.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me that to begin with?” Daryl wondered. “Why you gotta be all secretive lately?”

“Because no one wants to see things as I see them. Look, I’m more worried about this horde of walkers than Alpha. If she sends them to Alexandria, they will level the town. It’s her greatest weapon. If we find them first, and do something with them, that eliminates a huge part of the threat,” Carol explained.

It sounded good and genuine, and honestly, Carol was right about finding the horde, but Daryl still wasn’t convinced this was her only motive. He went along with it though. He needed to help Carol and keep an eye on her so she didn’t do anything stupid. Daryl would know. He’d been the king of stupid more times than he would admit. “All right. Then we settle down here and watch to see what happens.”

Carol glanced at him with suspicion. “You sure about that? Don’t you think finding Negan is more important?”

“Finding Negan is important, but you’re right about Alpha’s horde. Besides, you’re what I care about most right now.”

Carol smiled and nudged him with her shoulder. “Better keep that between us. Don’t want Aaron to find out,” she teased.

“Lucky for both of us, he isn’t the jealous type,” he replied with a jest.

They looked out over the field, but there was nothing going on for the moment. Then they settled down on the fallen tree. There was no telling how long they would be there. After a while, Daryl pulled out some jerky from his bag and offered a piece to Carol. She took it, but picked at it instead of eating it. Daryl continued to evaluate her behavior, and he knew she had other things on her mind.

“I know of something that will help pass the time,” he said, after spotting an old can on the ground. He retrieved it, and put it on the ground across from where they sat. Then he picked up a number of acorns that littered the forest floor, divided them up and gave half to Carol.

“What are these for?” she asked.

“You gotta throw them at the can. First one to knock it over wins.” Daryl threw one right away, and it bounced off the side of the can. “Three tries each,” he said as he threw a second one.

Carol was looking at him like she didn’t know who he was. Daryl threw his third acorn, hit the can, but didn’t knock it over. “It’s harder than it looks,” he said. “Now it’s your turn.”

“We aren’t out here to play games,” she said with seriousness.

“You gotta loosen up, Carol. Remember when we were at the prison and we used to find things to do to pass the time?”

“We didn’t have a herd of thousands breathing down our necks back then.”

“We didn’t have a lot of the things we have now, but we always had a threat waiting for us just around the corner. We just didn’t know it like we do now. But we still have to find the time to give in and make the best between battles.”

“Yeah, well, we were stupid back then too,” she said, playing with the acorn between her fingers.

“Not sure I’m any smarter now than I was then, but I can’t be on edge and tensed up like I was either. Hey, I know things have been rough for you lately. You’ve lost a lot in the past year, and you’re still dealing with it. I’m just here to let you know you don’t always have to be the angry one. You can’t or you’ll lose your mind. I know better than anyone about that, and I lost a lot more than my mind. So throw the damn acorn.”

Carol narrowed her eyes, but she couldn’t help the smile that threatened the corners of her mouth. She reluctantly threw an acorn and missed the can completely. By the third try she had hit the edge of the can.

They played their game for a while, always keeping one eye on the field beyond. There had been no movement since they came to the site, but they weren’t ready to give up just yet. While they played, they talked or reminisced. It was nice to be together, just the two of them again. Daryl had missed his friend. First he missed her when she was out sailing for the past several months. Now, he missed her because she hadn’t been herself since returning. She swore she was done with the pills, and realized it wasn’t a good way to be. When she got tired of being the subject of conversation, she switched it over to Daryl.

“So, how are things with you and Aaron? Good I hope.”

Daryl threw an acorn, and it made the can wobble. “Yeah, everything is fine. He’s taken a patrol shift out to the south. Why, did you hear something?” he said jokingly.

“No. Actually you’re both disgusting, living your perfect lives and so in love you both probably puke rainbows,” she commented with a facetious edge.

Daryl huffed a laugh, knowing she was only kidding. “All joking aside, it’s been really good between us. I almost feel like I need to do something ridiculous just to cause some turmoil, like it used to be.”

“God, please don’t do that. You two could be the most stubborn idiotic fools sometimes.” Carol stopped and shook her head.

“Yeah, but you know you loved being the moderator,” he said, giving her shoulder a nudge.

“I always had job security when you used to fight all the time,” she laughed.

“We still argue, but we settle our differences better now.”

Carol smiled at him, proud of his maturity. “So, he’s patrolling now?” she asked, although she already knew this. “That’s different. He always takes guard duty on the gate, doesn’t he, so that he’s not far from home?”

“Yeah, it’s a new gig for him, but he wanted to do it. I’m okay with it,” said Daryl.

“Who’s he partnered with?” she asked. She wanted to see if Daryl had any suspicions or not.

“I don’t know, actually. It changes day to day. Aaron meets them there.” Daryl paused and gave her a side glare. “What’s the sudden interest?”

Too far, she thought. “Oh, nothing. I was just curious is all. You know I always need to know what my boys are up to.” She prayed she didn’t do anything to screw up Aaron’s secret. It wasn’t just the fact that she was doing it for Aaron. This was something she might be able to use somewhere down the line. For what, she didn’t know, but it was good to keep information like that on a back burner. You never knew what kind of problems might arise.

She smiled, and did her best to charm Daryl. “Well, I’m just glad you two are in a good place now. You both deserve it. You guys will be together forever.” As she spoke, she reached down to pick up another acorn, only to find two of them still attached. “Ha, look at this.” She handed the double acorn to Daryl.

“Naw, it’s your turn to throw,” he rejected.

“No, look at it. It’s a double. You know what that means? As long as they are still together, you’ll always have good luck. Kind of like you and Aaron. Keep it.” She pushed the acorns into his palm, and Daryl closed his fingers around it.

He opened his hand and observed them. It wasn’t like finding a four-leaf clover. He was pretty sure it was an easy thing to find two acorns still stuck together, but he didn’t tell her that. “Thanks,” he said, stuffing them into his shirt pocket.

Carol gave a nod and threw the other acorns she had found, knocking the can onto its side. She lifted her arms in the air in victory, but her celebration was short lived. A herd entered the field below, and her smile faded. She jumped up and grabbed the binoculars.

Daryl was instantly on alert when Carol turned serious. He saw the herd and moved to join Carol at the edge of the cliff. Bushes and undergrowth hid them so they could observe. “You think that’s Alpha’s horde?” he asked.

Carol handed him the binoculars. “It’s part of them. Look, you can tell by the way they’re moving that there’s Whisperers mixed within. Come on. We need to get closer for a better look.”

“Why?” Daryl said with insistence. “I thought we were just watching.”

“We are, but maybe if we get closer–"

“You’re not just after the herd, are you?” Daryl interrupted with suspicion. “You’re looking for her.”

Carol turned to Daryl and gave him a look of sincerity. “I don’t want her, not yet. I swear to you, I’m only after her horde. There’ll be time to deal with her later.”

To anyone else, Carol would have seemed to be telling the truth. And it was a good plan to take down Alpha’s horde before they dealt with the skin queen herself. Daryl knew Carol better than anyone else in her life, and that was a statement he would stand behind time and time again. However, there was just something about the situation that wasn’t sitting right with him. Carol was a chameleon, and she could easily manipulate anybody. Daryl wanted to believe her, but he still had a niggling in the back of his mind. She had already tried to kill Alpha once.

“I want to get closer so we can find out as much as we can,” Carol told him. “I want to cross the border.”

“No,” he said without having to think twice.

“It’s the only way, Daryl,” she pleaded. “We find out how many skins are inside the herd so we’ll know what we have to work with. Then we’ll go back and figure out a plan to take the horde down.” Daryl was watching her, trying to figure her out. “Just think about it a moment while I go to the bathroom.” Carol went to her bag and retrieved what Daryl thought was toilet paper before she disappeared into the woods.

Daryl was left with Carol’s bag sitting there, inviting him to take a look. He knew it was wrong, but he had to know if Carol was telling the truth or not. Quickly, he riffled through her things. He was looking for her gun, but it wasn’t there. Actually, there wasn’t much of anything in her bag that she could use, so he abandoned it and went back to his previous position. With hardly a moment to spare, Carol came back.

“Find what you were looking for?” she asked.

Damn, he wasn’t fast enough. “Okay, you got me. I was looking to see if you brought your gun,” he admitted reluctantly.

“You don’t trust me, is that it?”

“Come on, remember the northern border? You were hiding a gun then. Hell, you took a shot at Alpha. You could have gotten us all killed,” he accused.

“I didn’t bring it,” she said putting emphasis on each word. “Want to take another look in case you missed it?”

“I believe you. Get off my case,” he complained. They both took a couple moments to regroup, and then Daryl spoke. “Fine, we’ll move in closer, but there are a couple rules to remember, so listen up. We stay hidden. We can’t let them see us if we’re crossing into their territory.”

“Fine. What else?” she asked with irritation.

“We can’t kill anyone or anything. No trail, not a trace of anything that will tip them off. Once we move in, we observe only. We need to spread out a little, so if something happens and we get separated, we meet back here. No excuses.”

“Okay. I got it,” she said impatiently.

“All right. Let’s move out.”

They gathered their things and moved down the hill, closer to the herd. They spent a short while watching, but this wasn’t all of them. This was probably a group the Whisperers gathered together to add to the much larger horde. They were collecting them to grow their numbers. Daryl was nervous and he wanted to leave. He felt like they had their answerer, and there wasn’t anything else they would learn. He signaled across the way to Carol, telling her it was time to go. But rather than agree, Carol slowly shook her head back and forth. Daryl’s gesture insisted that they leave before they were discovered, but Carol refused. As she took a few steps forward, closer to the herd, she stepped down on a stick and it snapped loudly. She looked over to Daryl, who was telling her to stay put. Unfortunately, the walkers closest to her had heard the noise, and they began shuffling away from the herd toward the sound. This was bad because the Whisperers among the herd saw the stragglers moving away. Carol and Daryl had to get out of there before they were seen. They had no choice but to separate. He just had to hope Carol remembered to meet him back at their camp, and hopefully she would make it. He had confidence in her.

Daryl made his way through the forest, dodging walkers and trying to avoid any Whisperers. He knew he couldn’t kill anyone or anything that would give away the fact that they had been in Alpha’s territory. The last thing they needed was for her to release her herd on Alexandria. Still, Lydia was his insurance that this wouldn’t happen. As long as Lydia lived in Alexandria, Alpha wouldn’t bring harm to her. At least that’s what he hoped. That bitch was just crazy enough to make the sacrifice just to deplete her enemy.

Eventually, he made his way back across the border to the place where he told Carol to meet him. First thing he saw was her, and relief washed over him. It only lasted a second, as he noticed she was not alone. Carol had an imprisoned Whisperer with her.

“What the fuck?” he said angrily.

“He saw me. I had no choice,” she said innocently, but Daryl knew better.

He noticed right away that the man’s hands were tied behind his back. Daryl checked and saw that she had used a plastic tie wrap. “Wasn’t no accident,” he grumbled in her ear. Seeing that the man was secure, he grabbed Carol by the arm and pulled her away to have a word with her. “You lied to me. You were planning this the entire time.”

“Yeah, well, it’s too late to do anything about it now. And we need to go,” she said gesturing through the trees. There was a large group of walkers advancing on them.

Daryl huffed in anger and roughly pulled the prisoner to his feet. Then they hurried off back to town. They didn’t talk the entire way. Daryl was fuming to know Carol put everyone at risk. She never consulted anyone about this, and took matters into her own hands. She was behaving recklessly. Ever since coming home from her stint on the ocean, she had been acting alone, lying to everyone, playing the part. What upset him the most was the fact that she did it to him. Daryl and Carol had always been honest with each other. Even if she had a secret to keep or another agenda to carry out, she had never used her deception skills on him. He could always tell when she was lying. Even now, he had been suspicious, but he gave her the benefit of the doubt. This time, though, she not only dragged him into her mess, but she had involved all of Alexandria, and that made him madder than anything. What was she thinking capturing a prisoner? She was right. It was too late. They had to bring him back, so they might as well see what information they could extract from him.

>>------->

They returned to Alexandria, and of course, Gabriel was the first to see them with the prisoner. He approached, serious concern on his face. “What’s this?”

“He saw us,” Carol answered right away. “We couldn’t let him go or he would tip off Alpha.”

“So, you were beyond the border?” Gabriel accused angrily. “What the hell were you two doing?”

“We were looking for the horde,” Daryl said as he glanced at Carol, perturbed by the situation she’d put him in. “We were being careful, but–"

“Not careful enough, apparently,” said Gabriel looking at the captured man with the sack over his head.

Daryl and Carol wasted no time, and marched the man toward the jail. Daryl went in first and saw that Lydia was still down there. He flung the door open and went inside. “Leave,” he barked at Lydia, and she jumped up from the bed and went to the door. As she passed the man, she looked at him as though she recognized him, but didn’t say anything. Then she left the jail all together. Carol watched her, looked at the prisoner again, and followed Lydia out of the jail. Daryl wasn’t sure what Carol wanted with her, but he felt that he needed to be there too, just to make sure Carol didn’t have any ulterior motives. He shoved the prisoner into the cell, and then shoved him onto the bed. He slammed the door shut and hurried out of the jail.

When he got upstairs, Gabriel was arguing with Carol, as he should have. Daryl knew this was a bad idea, bringing one of Alpha’s people here. Blindfolded or not, there was no way they could let the man go. He would report back to Alpha, and then there would be a massive herd of walkers on their doorstep. With no other choice in the matter, he decided he needed to side with Carol. As he approached Gabriel and Carol, he heard Gabe accusing her of making decisions without the council, choices he felt the council would not have agreed on.

“None of that matters now,” Daryl interrupted. “We’ve got this guy here so we should take advantage of that. We need to find out where this horde is.”

Gabriel was reluctant, but he finally agreed with conditions. “I will be in the room while he’s questioned, but none of that will happen until after Siddiq treats his wounds.”

“Son of a bitch can bleed until I’m done questioning him,” Carol muttered.

Daryl moved to her. “What make you sure this guy knows anything?” he asked as a deterrent.

“Lydia recognized him. I talked to her. He’s one of their guardians. It means he watches and protects the herd. I’m pretty sure he knows where they are,” Carol told him.

“All right, fine. Get Siddiq over here. The sooner we do this, the better,” Daryl said to Gabriel. Then to Carol he asked, “Where’s Lydia now?”

“She’s upstairs,” Carol answered. Daryl started for the steps, but Carol stopped him. “Why don’t you let her stay here. I want to pick her brain a little.”

Daryl was skeptical. “I don’t know.”

“I just want to see what she can tell me so I’ve got the upper hand when I question this guy,” Carol convinced him.

Daryl observed her a moment before he nodded in agreement. He knew he had some time before they would begin questioning the prisoner. “I’m going home, but I’ll be back.”

“Wait,” she called out, stopping him. “Thanks for having my back with Gabriel.

“I think you’re right … about the horde,” he said, and then he turned to leave. What he didn’t say was that he still wasn’t convinced if she was telling the truth about her motives. And although he wanted to see what the prisoner knew, he was also going to be there to make sure Carol didn’t do anything that would bring harm to Alexandria.

Daryl went to his bedroom and took the double acorn from his shirt pocket before removing his shirt. He dropped his shirt on the floor, and laid set the acorns on the dresser, looking at them and thinking for a moment. Carol had him worried. She behaved like two different people sometimes, and he never knew which one he was going to get. The acorns, that was the woman he knew … kind, generous, concerned about everyone’s wellbeing. But the Carol who captured a Whisperer to interrogate without consulting with anyone, especially him, that was a different woman altogether.

Suddenly, eager hands roamed across his skin, and strong arms surrounded his waist. Aaron’s warm body contoured to his back as he held Daryl. “I didn’t know you were home already. That was a quick trip.”

Daryl turned in Aaron’s arms so they were facing each other. They kissed, and Daryl let himself forget about the outside world for a few short seconds. “Well, there was a change of plans,” he said sounding concerned.

Aaron separated from him. “Why? What happened?”

“We brought home a new toy. Carol’s getting ready to play with it.”

Aaron’s brows furrowed. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

It was time to tell Aaron what happened. “Carol wasn’t going out to look for Negan or Alpha’s horde as she led me to believe. She planned on capturing one of the Whisperers to interrogate, and … she was successful. He’s being held in the jail as we speak.”

“You brought one of them here?” Aaron said out of fear and anger. “What the hell were you thinking? The council should have been included in that kind of a decision, and they would have said no.”

“I know that, but by the time I knew what Carol was up to it was too late. She already had this guy tied up. He saw us. There was nothing else I could do. Definitely couldn’t let him go. You know that. He would go straight to Alpha.”

“Let me guess. You were over the border into her lands when this happened?” Aaron questioned accusingly.

“Carol convinced me she was looking for the horde. I didn’t know she was going to kidnap one of them or I would have stopped her. We got separated. She did it then and brought him back to our side of the border.”

“For Christ’s sake,” Aaron complained, palming his forehead.

“Look, what’s done is done, so we’re going to use this opportunity to try and extract information from him. Gabriel sent for Siddiq to patch the guy up, and then–"

“He’s injured too?” Aaron continued to gripe.

“A cut on his shoulder. He just needs a few stitches. Once Siddiq is done with him, Carol, Gabriel and I are going to ask him a few questions. You can sit in if you want,” Daryl offered to try and calm Aaron down.

“I can’t. I’m just heading out on patrol.”

“Now?” Daryl seemed surprised by this. He thought about Carol’s reaction to find out Aaron had taken up this new position. “Who are you patrolling with?” he asked.

“Not sure. Donny maybe? It could be Marie. I heard her asking for a shift. I’ll find out when I get there.” Aaron abandoned the argument and seemed slightly frazzled by Daryl’s sudden interest.

Daryl went to the closet and put on a clean shirt. Dog ran into the room and jumped on him. He stopped to say hello and praise him for being a good dog. “Hey, why don’t you take Dog with you?”

“Oh … um … I probably shouldn’t, not this time at least,” Aaron stammered.

Daryl considered Aaron as he buttoned up his shirt. He was acting a little scattered, which wasn’t unusual for Aaron. There was no time to question him. Daryl needed to get back to the jail. “When will you be back?”

“I’ll be home before it gets dark or just after. I’m not pulling an all nightery because I thought you wouldn’t be home yet, and I didn’t want to leave Gracie with Sarah again,” Aaron answered.

“Alright, well, I gotta get back,” Daryl said and kissed Aaron quickly. “Be careful out there. I love you.”

“Love you too,” Aaron returned, and he watched Daryl leave. Once he was gone, Aaron breathed a sigh of relief. He thought for sure Daryl was on to him, and he would start asking questions. He didn’t want to tell him yet about the woman Whisperer he helped at the border. He was going back to see if she would show again. He hoped to befriend her and maybe learn something new about Alpha, her people or the horde. Now, with the kidnapped man in the jail, it seemed they might get information about the herd, but Aaron could still try and get this woman to trust him. Sometimes the best way to attack an enemy was to put doubt in one person’s mind. It would spread like a plague, and maybe start to breakdown Alpha’s hive. It was worth a try at least.

Daryl got back to the townhomes and Carol was just coming out of hers. She was carrying a large tray covered with a white cloth. It was very suspicious looking. “What you got there?”

“Temptation,” she said with a sly look on her face.

Daryl could only imagine what was beneath the cloth, tools of torture perhaps. He wouldn’t put it past Carol to do something like that to extract information. That’s why he was here, to keep her under control.

She must have noticed the look of concern as his mind wandered because she let out a slight giggle of amusement. “Go on. Have a look,” she said.

Daryl peeked beneath a corner of the cloth and was surprised by what he found. “Bread, honey and jam?”

“I talked to Lydia while you were gone. She said this guy won’t give up information easily, if at all. He will be solely dedicated to Alpha. But,” Carol paused and smiled down at her tray. “She brought up a good point about showing him what we have here, things that he probably thought would never come back. She said that showing him that a place like Alexandria exists and can survive could be more dangerous than sticking him with needles. Alpha keeps her people oppressed. They don’t think there’s any good left in the world. Knowing that a place like Alexandria not only exists but is thriving and growing, that kind of knowledge would spread through her people, and there’s nothing Alpha could do about it. It’s worth a try anyway.”

This was the Carol he knew well. “I think it’s a great idea, but that means setting him free to run back to Alpha. You sure that’s smart?” Daryl challenged.

“Yeah, he’ll run back and tell her how we fed him real food, not leaves and roots. How horrible are we?” she teased.

“Well, let’s see if this works first,” Daryl said, and he followed Carol down the stairs into the jail below the townhomes.

Dante was just finishing up putting stitches in the man’s shoulder. Gabriel was keeping watch, but Siddiq wasn’t there. When Carol asked Gabe about it, he told her that Siddiq had to leave. Apparently, the man said something to Siddiq about knowing him from when he was taken by Alpha and held captive. Siddiq had witnessed his friends being killed, and he suffered some mental trauma from that time.

Gabriel asked Dante to leave them alone, and Carol stepped forward with her tray. She very ominously approached the man, set the tray on a small table, and had a seat in front of him. “Let’s get started,” she said, and she removed the cloth. The prisoner looked at the tray of food, confused by her actions.

Daryl stood in the back and watched her as she offered the man his choice of honey or jam on the bread. He noticed that she had her knife at her side, and kept a close eye on it. He wished she had removed it before getting in such close proximity with the man. It would only take a second for him to lunge at her and grab the knife.

So far, the prisoner was cooperating. He asked for everything on the tray to be put on a piece of bread. Maybe they were onto something. Daryl wasn’t sure this would work, but after Carol handed the man the bread, he ate it almost in one bite. He closed his eyes as he savored the taste of the honey, jam and fresh baked bread, probably the first he’d had in years.

“Is it good?” Carol asked.

The prisoner stopped chewing to smile, but then he spit his mouthful at her face. Daryl didn’t wait. He went into action, moving into the cell to stand by Carol. She was done playing games and being nice. As she stood, she demanded to know where Alpha was keeping her horde, but he refused to answer. Carol reached out and grabbed his injured shoulder, pushing her thumb into the wound, opening it back up, and making it bleed. The man cried out in pain as she insisted that he give up the information.

“Lady, you have the animal in you,” the man said with a sickening smile. There was something about him that reminded Daryl of the kind of people he knew growing up, the womanizers, the abusers, the trash that his father used to call his circle of friends, and one particular friend who raped Daryl as a boy. The man continued to offend Carol. “If we were out there, I would take you like a bitch in heat.”

Carol stood back from the man. It was obvious that she was suffering from bad memories too. Daryl took her place and grabbed the man’s shirt, lifted him slightly and readied to punch him. Carol put a gentle hand on his raised arm, and Daryl calmed. He released the man and backed up so Carol could move forward again. He watched as she took something from her pocket. It was the wedding ring that Ezekiel had given her so long ago. She slipped it on her finger, and began punching the prisoner. Each time her fist connected with the man’s face, it left a deep cut. She punched him several times until she pulled back and was favoring her hand.

“That’s enough,” Daryl said lightly, not for the sake of the prisoner, but for her injured hand.

“You’re all weak,” the man laughed.

That was all it took and Daryl was on him as fast as lightening. He grabbed his hand and lifted it over his head, pinning it to the wall behind him. Daryl held his hunting knife in his other hand and brought it to the prisoner’s index finger. “I’m gonna take your fingers first. Then both ears, and then your teeth,” Daryl seethed, his voice dark and dangerous.

“You lie to yourselves and each other. You fight but for what? Sandwiches? You ignore the truth even when it’s staring you in the face,” the man said, ignoring the fact that Daryl’s blade was about to sever a finger. He just didn’t care. “I would never betray Alpha. She rescued me. She protects me. She loves me. She loves us all. She sacrificed her own daughter for us.”

Daryl and Carol glanced at each other in shock, not sure they understood him properly. “Did she kill Lydia?” Carol asked, needing him to clarify what he meant by sacrifice.

The man nodded. “She did. And I’m willing to give my life for her. I’ll never tell you where her horde is. You might as well stab me in the heart because taking my fingers and ears won’t do you any good.”

Daryl could see Carol’s mind going a mile a minute as she processed this new and unlikely information. She moved away from the prisoner and walked out of the cell. “Lock him up,” she said over her shoulder, and she hurried up the stairs.

“We’re done here for now,” Daryl told Gabriel. They both left the cell, and Gabe locked the door as Daryl followed Carol upstairs.

She was about to run up the stairs to the townhouse, where Lydia was at the moment. Daryl knew what she was thinking. She was going to get the girl and take her to the jail, show the prisoner that his precious leader lied to him. But then what?

“Carol, stop. You can’t do this,” he called to her.

“We can end this now,” she said excitedly.

“You’re not going to get Lydia mixed up in this shit,” he demanded.

“He swallowed every ounce of Alpha’s bullshit. He thinks she’s some kind of messiah. If he sees that Lydia is alive, and realizes that his great leader lied to him, then maybe that changes things.”

“Please, Carol. That kids been through enough already,” Daryl said desperately.

Carol gave an irritated sigh. “Let her make up her own mind then. But this is the only way, and you know it.” She stormed off up her stairs.

Daryl knew this was a major development, and she was right that it could change things. But this was Lydia, the kid he took in under his wing. She trusted him, and it had taken a lot to get her to this point. There had to be a better way to use this information without using Lydia like a meaningless device.

Just then, Gabriel came running out of the jail. “Something’s wrong with the prisoner.”

“What?” Daryl asked.

“I don’t know. He’s having trouble breathing and he’s in pain,” said Gabriel.

“Get Dante and Siddiq,” Daryl ordered.

“I’m right here,” Dante said, coming out of nowhere. “Siddiq is just around the corner.”

Gabriel called out for Siddiq as Daryl and Dante ran back down to the cell. In just a few seconds, Gabriel and Siddiq were there. They unlocked the cage, and both doctors went in. Siddiq checked him over quickly, ruling out infection as the cause. It came on too quickly. Dante suggested a possible reaction to the food he had just eaten. As they tried to narrow down the cause, the man started coughing up blood. His body seized up and he fell to the floor in a fetal position. And just like that, the man stops moving and he was dead.

Carol, unaware of what was happening, came in with Lydia in tow, but Daryl stopped them. “Something’s wrong. Go,” he told them, and they left, heading back up the stairs. When he turned back, Dante was holding a vial with some kind of root inside. Siddiq took one look and accused Dante of killing the prisoner, after learning he’d given the man some of the plant earlier. Dante swore it was yarrow root, but Siddiq corrected him, and told him it was hemlock. Dante claimed his innocence when he mentioned that it was Siddiq who packed the medical bag that morning. Instantly, Siddiq was a mental mess, and Dante took him out of the jail to calm him, leaving Daryl and Gabriel behind.

“I’ll clean this up,” Daryl said solemnly.

“I’ll help. Besides, this isn’t your mess to clean.” Gabriel gave a sigh. “We have to keep this under wraps. I’m afraid if the townspeople find out, they will start to panic. The atmosphere around here lately is a fragile one. And then there’s Alpha. If she finds out that one of her people was kidnapped and died in Alexandria–"

“No one will find out anything,” Daryl insisted. “Let’s get this over with and then we’ll start trying to figure things out.” He moved over to the body. “First things first,” he said as he took out his knife and shoved it into the dead man’s skull.

Daryl left to go find a tarp and some rope to wrap the body in. For now, they decided to leave him in the jail and lock the door that led downstairs until they could think of a way to get the body out of town and disposed of. Above ground, he saw Carol and stopped to talk to her. “How’s Lydia?”

“She fine. She didn’t see anything. What happened?” she asked.

“The man’s dead. It was an accident. Siddiq may have accidently mixed up some plants, and one was poisonous,” he said, giving her the short version of the story. Carol looked at him with confusion, but he didn’t have time to explain. “Look, for now, keep Lydia away from this. I don’t want her to know this guy is dead since she knew him. I’ll explain it to her later, but we need to deal with the body first.”

“Sure thing. Maybe I’ll take her out hunting, get her out of town for a little while,” Carol suggested, seeing an opportunity for following out her original plan. There was another Whisperer she could use to show Lydia to. The one Aaron was secretly meeting at the footbridge.

“Thanks,” Daryl smiled and he left to gather the items he needed.
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Safe Haven in the Chaos