Spider Monkey

Chapter Forty - Four - Crazy

( ( Notes : Thank you for all the love! Just FYI - I kinda made Enid a bit of a bitch so .... sorry in advance :3 )) 

Daryl rolled up to the gates on his motorbike, crossbow strapped to the back of it. Aaron was behind him in his car.

Hedley was off to the side, watching them. Daryl saw him and gave a gesture to Aaron to hold. He then got off his bike then went to his kid.

"Hey." He ruffled Hedley's head of black hair, "I'm off for a couple days with Aaron. Be good."

"I-I-" Hedley stuttered, closing his eyes to concentrate, "I-I wi-will."

"I'll see if I can find ya a bike while out there, yeah?"

Hedley nodded, a huge smile on his lips.

Daryl hugged him, kissing his crown, "I love ya, kid."

Hedley responded with a happy hum, clapping his hands when they parted. Daryl went back to his bike, calling out from over his shoulder, "Stay outta trouble!"

Once Daryl and Aaron were gone, the gate reclosed and Hedley had no idea what else to do. That was until he saw Carl follow Enid out the gate from a secret opening just at the side of the main gates. He went over and watched them go off. He was quick to follow.

He went up into the branches, being the eyes from above. He swung to keep up. When he stopped, it was because Carl and Enid were talking, not noticing Hedley watching.

"You shouldn't sneak out by yourself. Two people just died." He said.

"Oh, come on." She rolled her eyes, "People always die. You know that."

Hedley didn't care for the words she chose.

"We should go back." Carl insisted.

"Why?"

"What do you mean? You're out here a lot."

"So are you." She smirked then started running. Carl went after her and Hedley followed once more, out of sight from his place in the trees.

After a while, when they were both panting, the two sat down next to a fallen tree trunk.

"We're supposed to be out here." Said Enid, "We're supposed to feel like this. I don't want to forget. And running makes me feel better."

"I can't forget. I dream about it. Being in the forest with them."

"I do, too." A moment of pause. She took her knife from out her bag and started to carve at the bark.

"Cool knife." Carl said, nodding to the weapon.

"It was my mom's."

"What happened to you before you got there?"

"Does it matter?"

"It does." He told her, "I know. Something bad has happened to me, too. Something bad has happened to all of my group."

"Hedley?" She guessed, "So those scars weren't from before?"

"No. He was attacked. Three men. He managed to fight them off and save my sister... but those scars were the result."

"And you? What bad thing happened to you?"

"I'll tell if you do."

She looked away, obviously not liking that plan.

The snarling of walkers was heard and the chat was cut short. The two stood as a walker stumbled closer towards them. Carl reached for his gun while Enid raised her knife... but Hedley was quicker, shooting it with his crossbow, sending an arrow through its eye socket.

The two on the ground looked up.

"Hedley?" Carl frowned. "What are you-"

Hedley jumped down, a face of anger, too overwhelmed to speak. He took out his flipbook and wrote down what he wanted to say in a hurry, 'What is wrong with you?! You being out here without telling someone?!'

"You're out here too." Enid sassed.

"Enid." Carl said, a sign for her to be quiet. He looked at Hedley, "I couldn't just let her be out here on her own."

'Have you been out here before?'

Carl was going to lie and say no but he knew that he couldn't. He nodded.

'With Enid?'

He nodded again.

"Don't be such a tattle tale, Hedley." Enid said, "We know more than anyone that we can handle ourselves out here."

Carl agreed, "You of all people should know that."

Hedley wanted to say more but more groans of walkers were heard and the three looked at one another and began to run once more. They found a hollow tree and they squeezed inside, watching the walkers as they shuffled past.

"It's their world." Enid whispered, tucking herself close to Carl. "We're just living in it."

Hedley watched as she breathed against Carl's ear and he looked down at her face, almost ignoring Hedley was there.

A new feeling stirred in Hedley. An unknown feeling.

Anger? Not that aggressive. Sadness? Kind of. Hurt? Not physically.

Carl glanced up at Hedley, red blooming his cheeks, "We-We should get going."

Hedley nodded, his heart hurting from within his chest. The three went back to Alexandria and Enid went off to her own place and Carl shuffled on his feet as he refused to look at Hedley.

This new feeling inside Hedley confused him, he rocked on his toes, making pulsing movements of his fingers as he tried to organise his thoughts.

"Hedley," Carl said quietly, "Me and Enid-"

Suddenly, shouting was heard and the two boys went running over to see Rick and Pete fighting in the middle of a crowd. Blood poured from both men's wounds as they hit and punched and kicked.

"Pete, stop it!" Jesse screamed.

"No! Stop it!" Another person yelled.

"Deanna!" Jesse turned to the woman for help as she came forward with her husband.

"Ah!" Pete yelled as Rick put him in a choke hold.

"Dad, get off!" Carl shouted but was ignored, Hedley pulling him back.

Deanna roared, "Stop it! Stop it right now!"

"You touch them again and I'll kill you." Rick whispered to Pete.

"Damn it, Rick! I said stop."

"Or what?" Rick let go of a now unconscious Pete, taking out his gun, "You gonna kick me out?"
"Put that gun down, Rick."

Rick panted, almost laughing in disbelief, "You still don't get it. None of you do! We know what needs to be done and we do it. We're the ones who live. You, you just sit and plan and hesitate. You pretend like you know when you don't. You wish things weren't what they are.

Well, you want to live? You want this place to stay standing? Your way of doing things is done!"

Hedley turned to glance at Carl, reaching out hesitantly to hold onto his hand - it was something they always did for comfort but the image of Carl and Enid made Hedley pull his hand back with a shake of his head.

Rick continued, hysterical, "Things don't get better because you-- you want them to. Starting right now, we have to live in the real world. We have to control who lives here!"

"That's never been more clear to me than it is right now." Said Deanna, eyes firmly on Rick.

"Me? Me? You--" He laughed, "You mean-- you mean me? Your way is gonna destroy this place. It's gonna get people killed. It's already gotten people killed. And I'm not gonna stand by and just let it happen. If you don't fight, you die. I'm not gonna stand by--"

He didn't get to finish.

Michonne punched him hard in the face and he fell down next to Pete, unconscious. Michonne looked around her, shocked and not knowing what to do next.