Deadland

Chapter 94- Batshit Fuckin' Crazy

(TW!! Mentions of abuse and s/a!!)

"So, do you think they'll trust Cato?" Damien asks. 

I groan quietly, "I don't fuckin' know. Maggie won't, I don't know about Daryl. I'm really trusting Rick on this one." I pause and think for a moment, "If Cato leaves I can't guarantee that I'd stay." 

Damien nods understandingly, "Well, you know I'll follow you." 

I was allowed to move Damien back to my house since his gunshot wasn't fatal and neither was his head injury. 

I nod, "Thanks. But I have some pretty high...not hopes but- whatever." 

Damien smirks, "Well, I never got to see his face because I was...you know...dying, but I'm trusting you that he's hot." 

"Oh, just you wait. He's exactly your type."

Alyssa walks inside the house laughing with Carl. "Ah, the newlyweds." Damien smiles. 

"Shut up." Alyssa giggles, walking into the kitchen and sitting on one of the stools. "Something's different." She notes, looking around as Carl sits next to her. 

Damn it.

"Um...Daryl, uh, moved his stuff out like twenty minutes ago." I sigh, staring into my cup of coffee, watching my rippling reflection in the murky liquid.

Alyssa's smile falters, "Oh." She says, looking at Carl. Though, in typical Alyssa fashion, she smiles again to break up the tension, "Carl gave me a gift."

Carl rolls his eyes, "Alyssa." He groans. 

"Sh! Look!" She hands me a small, forest-green box. 

When I open it, a glittering, silver necklace with two interlinked hearts sits neatly. In each of the hearts, tiny diamonds reflect the light from above us. 

"No shit!" I whisper, staring at it. 

Damien smiles, "Carl, you hopeless romantic." 

Carl scoffs and rolls his eyes, "When I was getting gas for our ambush I found it on a Walker. Cleaned it and polished it." 

Alyssa giggles flusteredly, "For me." 

Seeing Alyssa all giddy and happy is enough to make every single Walker drop dead out of guilt for taking so much away from her. 

Carl nods, "For you." 

Damien chuckles, "Better be my turn soon." 

Alyssa smiles, "Well, Cato is um...auditioning for residency here so..." She wiggles her eyebrows and giggles, laying her head comfortably on Carl's shoulder.

At night, when the sky is coated with thick black paint and tiny white dots of outer space pricks the sky, Inejra and Alyssa run inside from star-watching. 

Their faces are panicked and Alyssa is playing with her necklace nervously,  looking for something to allow her hands to do. Inejra is sweating nervously and is picking at her nails, doing the same thing Alyssa is doing and trying to distract her hands

They don't say anything, they just leave the door wide open. 

Damien and I look at each other confusedly before our eyes widen from realization as soon as we hear it, a loud familiar voice coming from something like a speaker.

"You may be wondering why the hell your lookouts didn't sound the alarm. See, we are polite. I mean, I don't know when they're gonna wake up from that kinda shot but they should wake up."