Spider Monkey

Chapter Eighty - Eight - Chokepoint

((Notes: Who else loves Connie x Daryl? Good because it's what you're getting! :3 )) 

It was daylight and the small group of four humans and a dog made it to an apartment block.

Connie pointed to it, then at them, then at the block again.

Daryl nodded.

Connie wrote something down, showing it to the older Dixon. 'Chokepoint'.

"Good Idea." Daryl said, a little impressed.

"I don't understand." Lydia said, lightly hitting the side of her head.

Hedley took her hand and gently put it down. Lydia looked at Hedley as if she was scared of him judging her but instead he had a face of complete understanding.

"They use walkers to protect themselves, right?" Daryl said, getting Lydia's attention. She nodded. "So we go up someplace the walkers can't go." He gestured to the apartment block. "We separate the living from the dead. They travel in a herd, but there's only like five or six of them in the middle, right?"

"Yeah, but if we go up there, we're trapped." Lydia said, voice a little shaky, "Alpha's not gonna send an army 'cause she doesn't have to. She'll send Beta."

Daryl sighed, "I'm sick of running." He then nodded, getting an idea, "This Beta... He their best?" She nodded again. "Good. We'll kill him first. Come on."

They went over to the building and got ready to form a plan.

****

Hedley watched as Connie uncovered a secret stash, handing him a bottle of water.

'Thank you. I'm so thirsty'. He signed before unscrewing the lid and taking a big swing.

'Where did you learn how to sign?' She asked.

'I'm autistic' He had to fingerspell the word as he didn't know the sign for it. She nodded when she read the words. He continued, 'Sometimes I feel like I can't talk. My boyfriend told me about sign language and we learned together so I could communicate whenever I couldn't speak.'

'Very smart. Your boyfriend sounds like a good person'.

'He is.'

'You're dad never learned?'

'He's trying. Only knows basics. He's not much of a talker in both words and hands.'

Connie chuckled silently.

Hedley looked at where Lydia had tucked herself into the corner of the room, legs to her chest, rocking back and forth with her eyes firmly closed. She looked so scared.

Connie touched Hedley's shoulder, getting his attention. She raised an eyebrow.

'I think she's like me.'

'Is that why you helped her?'

Hedley shrugged, tapping his toes in nervousness.

Daryl came stomping in, " That stairwell's already barricaded." He then saw Connie in her hidden stash. "I guess you know that." Connie handed him a bottle of water. "Thanks."

Connie took out her notepad and wrote something. 'We've stayed here before'.

Daryl looked impressed (again), "Yeah. A little secret stash for emergency? Smart."

Hedley smiled and wiggled his eyebrows when catching his dad's eyes which made Daryl look down and clear his throat.

Connie then took the Dixons to a wall where a map of the apartments blueprints were taped to it. Daryl took it in before speaking, poking his fingers at points on the paper while making sure his lips were lined with Connie's eyesight.

"There's only two ways up... That's good. I think these barricades are a little too barricaded. So, we'll cut open holes so that they can walk up here. All right? This place is good. This might work."

Connie wrote something down. 'Then what?'.

""Then what?" Then we go."

She wrote something else. 'The girl stays'.

Daryl shook his head.

Connie underlined the words.

"No. No."

"Dad-"

"We can't, Hedley. If we take her back, our friends die..." He looked at Connie, "Your friends, too." She looked at him confused, not gotten the words. "Give me this." He took her pad and pen and wrote down his words.

Connie looked angry, took back her pad and wrote something then ripped the page out, gave it to him then walked off with a strut.

Hedley looked over his dad's shoulder to what she had written.

'We have friends. She doesn't.'

Hedley gave his dad a look then went over to where Connie was sorting the supplies.

Daryl sighed tiredly, knowing he lost this argument.

****

Lydia was distressed, rocking violently, crying. "I shouldn't be here! I shouldn't- These are my people. They've looked out for me for most of my life. I shouldn't be- I can't- No!"

Hedley knelt to her level, "You're okay, Lydia. We're not gonna let them get to you."

"Why are you doing this?!"

Hedley frowned, "She hurts you."

"B-but that... That's no reason!" She cried, hitting her head again. "You risked your life for me. You still are! You made my mother look weak. She won't let this go. Why are you helping me?"

Hedley took her fists in his own, soft by firm in his grip. He rocked with her and the two just stimmed together as Hedley waited for Lydia's breathing to even out.

"Do you know what Autism is?" He asked her. She shook her head. "Its a neurological disorder. My brain works very differently to others. I've never met someone else who has a mind like me... until you."

She frowned at him, "You think I'm deformed?"

Hedley shook his head, "No. I just... see myself in you. I used to be so alone and so scared."

"You're not anymore?"

"Scared - I am. Kinda have to be in this world. But for different reasons. I used to fear my old father. How he'd treat me like some sort of alien that could do nothing right. But now I fear losing my new family. My new father. I'm not alone anymore and that is what fuels my fear but I'd rather be scared of losing someone then being alone again."

She took in the words, still rocking but her tears have stopped. She spoke quietly, "You think I'm Autism?"

"Autistic." He corrected, "Autism is something you have. Autistic is something you are."

"What does that mean? Will you tell me?"

He smiled gently at her, "I'll tell you whatever you want to know."