Blessing or a Curse? ➳ Daryl Dixon

23. Prey

“There is no deal. Phillip’s asked for Michonne.”

“Rick would never agree to that.”

“Whether he hands her over or not, he’s gonna kill them all.”

Andrea’s head was spinning, and she knew now that she was filled with regret, that she should have listened to them and left easily when she could have. When Sydney had told her off, or when Hershel had told her that she belonged with them— God, how could she have been so stupid? It felt as though the entire time she’s been blind and only now has she opened her eyes when it already felt too late.

Just like Sydney had told her. 

Milton’s irregular breathing was all that could be heard in the room, showing the anxiety he was feeling through every mannerism he had, displaying to Andrea exactly how she felt. They were in some sort of room, a place that Andrea had never seen before, and they were staring through a set of blinds, and into the room below them was Phillip. 

“I have to stop this.”

“I don’t think you can.”

Andrea hadn’t understood what the other had meant by that until he had quietly led her to this room and showed her what Phillip had been planning. She felt sick to her stomach, a hand over her mouth in shock, or to stop the vomit that she felt was going to come up any moment now. 

What she was staring at was a torture chamber, a torture chamber that Phillip was designing specifically for her best friend. Or her ex-best friend, because God did she fuck that one up bad. How could she have turned her back on the person who had saved her ass all winter? She had spent the last couple of weeks being manipulated by a man she could trust, and she wished she would have come to this conclusion sooner. 

Phillip was stocking the room with all sorts of tools, knives, pliers, a thread, and a needle… her stomach lurched at the sight as she could only guess what he was going to do with that. Her shoulders shook in fear, and she glanced at Milton in absolute horror, and he just responded with this sad look.

“Leave,” He whispers to her softly, “Tell the people at the prison to get out of there. In time, he’ll move on.”

Andrea knew that he was right, that she couldn’t stay here any longer than she already had, and she especially couldn’t let Michonne be subjected to this kind of torture. Any kind of torture really, the idea of her in any kind of pain brought her an immense amount of guilt that she hadn’t done something to prevent this sooner. 

Milton grabs the sleeve of her jacket, and pulls her away from the scene that she couldn’t take her eyes off of, “Let’s go.” He tells her, just as Phillip begins to whistle a soft tune. 

No one stops them or asks any questions, despite Andrea’s paranoia overtaking her, as they manage to fumble into Milton’s apartment and shut the door behind them. She felt as if her skin was crawling with something gross, and she knew it was the feeling of Phillip’s hands on her, she doesn’t think she’ll ever be able to get rid of that feeling.