𝓗𝓮𝔂 𝓐𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓵 | 𝓓𝓪𝓻𝔂𝓵 𝓓𝓲𝔁𝓸𝓷

Chapter 25: Interogation

I headed down to the shed with Daryl who had been tasked with seeing what the kid knew. I had insisted on coming with hoping that together we may be able to get some information out of him.

"What's the strategy here then? Good cop, bad cop?" Daryl joked slinging his crossbow over his shoulder.

"More like two bad cops but ones deciding to be less violent...maybe,' I replied glancing at the redneck as he unlocked the makeshift prison cell.

Randall panicked as soon as we entered attempting to push himself further backwards hoping if he tried hard enough he may sink into the wall.

"Quit squirmin," Daryl spat slamming the door behind him.

He stopped moving about but still quietly whimpered to himself. He couldn't have been more than maybe 20 at the most but currently, he was acting about five.

"Now, all we want is info on your group you give us that and this won't be too painful," I declared settling myself against the back wall.

"What you gonna do if I don't?" He questioned in a panic eye flitting between me and Daryl as he set down his crossbow. He seemed to be debating. Probably deciding who was scary. Us or the group he would be selling out.

Daryl punched Randall splitting his lip.

"Where is your camp?" I asked still undecided on whether I should just let Daryl do the dirty work.
"I don't know." He spluttered.

Daryl paced about a little before hitting Randall again. This seemed to be a seemingly endless cycle for a while. Both Daryl and I becoming more frustrated.

"Fine let's try something else. How many in your group?" I asked popping myself of the wooden wall my hand resting on the hilt of my knife.

"I already told you-" Daryl's punch came before he could finish the sentence. It knocked him to the floor and he groaned loudly before Daryl yanked him back up.

"You ain't told us shit!" He snapped.

I felt along the ridges of the handle as I noticed Daryl removing his own weapon causing Randal to cry out in objection not that either of us cared.

"How many?" Daryl yelled driving his knife down in the wood between the guy's legs. Randall cried out in terror again.

"Thirty--thirty guys," he finally gave us some information but he needed to be pushed further still. If I wanted to protect our camp I was going to have to get my hands dirty but this was a new world where new methods were needed. Gone were the days of threatening someone with more year's on their prison sentence or bargaining over a deal to be made for their information.

"Where?" Daryl asked glaring at Randall.
I crouched down next to Daryl ripping off her bandage.

"I don't know, I don't know," Randall insisted in a high pitched voice. I pressed the point into the thick scab. "I swear. We were never in one place more than a night."

"Scouting?" I asked.

"You plannin' on staying local?" Daryl added.

"I don't know they left me behind," he answered and I rolled my eyes. If he didn't want to be hurt he was going the wrong way about it.

"You ever pick off a scab Daryl?" I asked cocking an eyebrow as I dug the blade deeper into the wound.

"Come on lady I'm tryna cooperate!" He cried eyes fixated on the blade that glinted in the sun peeling through the wooden slats.

"Yeah, you gotta start real slow at first. But sooner or later you just gotta rip it off," he informed aggressively.

"Okay! Okay. They-they have weapons...heavy stuff. Automatics." He conceded but not feeling particularly satisfied with the answer I dug into the wound a little more. "But I didn't do anything!" He insisted with a stutter.

"Your boys shot at my boys and this lady here too, tried to take this farm. You just went along for the ride? You trying to tell me you're innocent?" Daryl yelled in his face. Randall seemed to look to me for some sort of help only to meet my hard stare.

"Yes! These-these people took me in. Not just guys-a whole group of 'em. Men and women, kids too--just like you people." He explained. I scanned his eyes looking for any sort of lie as I sharply removed the knife but left it trailing above the scab.

"Thought I'd have a better chance with them, you know? But...we go out, scavenge--just the men." He continued as I stepped away putting my knife back in its sheath but my hand still resting on the hilt, fingers tracing over the grooves.

"One night we--we found this little campsite. A man and his two daughters--teenagers, you know? Real young. Real cute."

My head snapped in his direction glaring at him in disgust, hand gripping my knife tighter.

"Their Dad had to watch while these guys--they--and they didn't even kill em afterwards. They just--they just made him watch as his daughters--they just-just--just left them there. No,but-but--but I didn't touch those girls. No, I swear I ain't touch--" I rammed my boot into his side.
"Please. Please. You gotta believe me. I'm not lying. I ain't like that. Please. Please. You gotta believe me," he cried as I kicked him again.

"You think you're any better for watching? Do you think it makes it any better to those poor girls that you just watched?" I yelled attempting to lunge at the guy again only for Daryl to grab me. He shoved me out of the barn.

"That's enough." He snapped slamming the door shut and locking it back up. "What's gotten into you huh?" He jabbed me in the shoulder. "Thought you were supposed to be the rational one of us?"

"I am! I just can't stand fuckers like that. Think they're better just because they didn't do it themselves!" I yelled at Daryl immediately regretting the action. I looked at the floor. "Sorry. I shouldn't be taking it out on you," I muttered digging up the ground with the tip of my boot.

"You brits and ya apologies." Daryl lifted my head with fingers under my chin. "Not needed. Guy deserved it anyway."

I smiled gratefully at Daryl then dragging him off by a bloodstained hand back towards camp where I saw the rest of the group huddles no doubt already arguing over what was going to happen.

Rick was the first one to notice our arrival; he nodded towards us grabbing the rest of the groups' attention as I let go of Daryl's hand suddenly realising it was still in my grasp.

"Groups got about 30 guys with heavy artillery." I began.

"So they ain't looking to make friends. They roll through here our boys are dead," Daryl added.

"And our women...they're going to wish they were." I sighed my eyes flitting between the members of the group; some were eyeing Daryl's bloodied hand, others were looking at me with fear and concern. "Look, no one else goes near this guy. And I hate to say it but...we need to decide what we're going to do about him. Knowing what I do know about his group makes me reluctant to want to let him leave." I toyed with my hands not proud of what I was saying but I was stating the truth. What other choice did we have other than risk the safety of the entire group and the farm. If I had to choose between one guy and this group it was ultimately not a hard decision to make. That being said I didn't like that it had to be made.

"We have no choice. He's a threat. We have to eliminate the threat,' Rick decided with a slightly stone fade.

"You just gonna kill him?" Dale questioned, looking at Rick as if he'd gone mad.

"It's settled. We'll do it today," Rick confirmed turning away ultimately not happy with the choice he had just made.