Violent Silence • Rick Grimes ✓

-34-

andrew and declan

SCARLETT REALIZED THEY WERE NEVER GOING TO CATCH A BREAK IN THIS NEW WORLD. Everything just kept getting worse. One win. Four losses. She did not understand how some people kept their hope up. Carol and Hershel were two people who always had their hopes high... Glenn, too. She did not get it. Scarlett felt like she was surviving each day, not living.

She thought back to when she laid down feeling like she would never wake, staring at Rick and smiling at him being the last thought in her head. Then, she woke.

Times like this... she wished she did not wake.

Walkers were everywhere.

Scarlett's first priority was Carl and Sophia. She saw them rushing to protect Lori. With them was Maggie, so for the time being, she had to pretend they were going to be okay so she could help the others. They were going inside the cell block, but the herd was following them.

Hershel and Beth managed to lock themselves in a gated area while T-Dog and Carol were pushed into the tombs by the herd. They were losing.

Daryl and Rick were not inside the gate at the time of the attack, so they were trying to get in while Glenn rushed to Scarlett, helping her kill another walker.

"Go! Find Maggie!" Glenn pleaded as he pushed her toward the cell block. "We got this!"

Did they?

Scarlett could only nod as she rushed into the tombs and shot any walker in her way. Changing her clip, she whistled to get one's attention.

Her eyes widened as she saw T-Dog's body being torn apart by them.

She felt sick.

Shooting them in the head, she screamed for Carol, knowing the woman had to have moved from this scene. She did not see her body, so she had to hope she was okay.

All of a sudden, an alarm began blaring.

Scarlett winced at the sound, yelling Carol's name over the loud alarm. Carol did not answer, however, so Scarlett pushed on to find any of the others who went into the tombs.

She took out her hunting knife, slicing through a walker just as she felt the tip of something pressed against her back.

"Turn around," his voice was eerily quiet.

Scarlett felt her throat close up as she turned slowly to see her Daddy standing too close to her. Behind him, there was a walker, but before Scarlett could say or do anything, Declan turned and sent the knife he held through the roamer's head. He picked it up and turned back to her with a glare.

"Let's go," he muttered, grabbing her arm roughly.

"No!"

He paused, eyes widening. "What did you say to me, Marina?"

The alarm seemed to grow louder as she snarled out, "My name is Scarlett Greene."

He chuckled, bringing the knife to her neck. "Say it again. I dare you, you little bitch. Here I am trying to save you. We're gon' escape this place and live on our own. Be like old times."

"My name is Scarlett Greene, and I'm not goin' with you," she snapped, ripping her arm from his grip.

In a split second, Declan pushed her against the wall just as the alarm stopped blaring. Someone must have stopped it.

"Like that party trick? Andrew and I fixed it up so I could get you out of here. Revenge on the Sherrif." He took the knife, cutting her hair raggedly out of nowhere. "Now, let's go."

Scarlett whimpered as Declan kept the knife against her as he led them outside of the prison.

When the light hit her eyes, she heard her family yelling to see who was okay and who wasn't. Scarlett could see Rick and Daryl first, which made her sigh slightly. Declan roughly pulled her chin to face the car they were going to steal.

They would not even know she was gone. They'd think she died.

She could not make a sound as the knife was too close to her, and she did not trust Declan.

Some luck was on her side, she thought, because Declan shoved her forward to keep moving and she tripped. Due to this, the movement caught Oscar's eye. The prisoner yelled out in anger.

"Aye, D! What the fuck!?" he called out.

Declan picked Scarlett up, putting the knife to her throat as the group who had come out of the tombs rushed over with their weapons drawn. Maggie, Lori, Carl, Sophia, and Carol were nowhere to be found, but those out there all stared at Declan with malice.

Declan's tongue flew out to the corner of his mouth with a manic look in his eye. "Hey big bro," he spoke to Hershel. "Like the leg."

Hershel rose his hand softly. "C'mon, Declan. You don't have to do this. Let Scarlett go."

Rick's hand shook as he held his gun. He saw Scarlett trying to plan a way to escape in her mind, but there was nothing.

"What? Can't stand to see your whore in her place?" Declan taunted Rick. "Well get a good look 'cause if y'all don' drop them weapons, her blood is yours."

Daryl stepped forward, crossbow raised.

"You helped Andrew. He told us," Glenn snarled out. "You're lucky you aren't dead yet."

Daryl snorted. "His luck's run out."

"Let her go," Rick said with an even tone.

Declan was about to make another taunt when they all heard the cry of a baby.

Everyone's attention focused to Maggie coming out of the tombs with blood all over her body and a screaming baby in her hands.

Scarlett did not see Lori.

Taking the opportunity, Scarlett head-butted her father causing the knife to graze her neck but otherwise not harm her as she turned and got out of his grip. She managed to get her knife out again and was about to stab him, but she hesitated. Declan took that moment that everyone was watching Maggie to run toward the gate.

Glenn turned back for a moment and saw him. "Hey!"

Rick turned as well, his eyes already glistening with tears as he did not see his first wife come out but rather his son looking more defeated than he had ever seen him.

Rick shot his gun getting Declan in the arm.

Declan was already climbing the gate. He was running away.

Oscar and Axel ran with Daryl and Glenn following but Declan was getting away.

Scarlett had no moment to breathe as she watched Rick approach his baby. Approach his boy. Sophia. He glanced at them all before shouting out, "NO!" And Scarlett fell to her own knees in grief.

Lori was gone.