𝘽ad idea overall. That was what coming to Terminus was.
They'd been given the food and then they were stripped of their weapons and loaded into a train car by some son-of-a-bitch named Gareth. None of them knew what was going to happen. Adalyn was shaking as she sat in the corner of the pitch-black train car, her legs pulled close to her chest. Tara stood near her, squeezing her shoulder, trying to be encouraging.
Adalyn jolted at the sound of the car opening. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to God that it wasn't Gareth, coming to do whatever he was going to do.
But then there was darkness again. She blinked as she opened her eyes, watching Glenn slowly step forward. "Rick?" he asked, his voice soft.
Maggie stepped forward, and Bob, and Sasha.
There were four new people in the car. Two men, a woman, and a little boy. "You're here," one of the men, Adalyn could only assume it was Rick, said. "You're here."
Tara helped Adalyn to her feet, leading her forward. Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene followed.
Maggie spoke up. "They're our friends," she said. "They helped save us."
"Yeah," said the second man with Rick. "Now they're friends of ours."
"For however long that'll be," Abraham said.
Rick shook his head. "No."
It was as if a switch had flipped inside his head. He was planning, now. Taking charge. "They're gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out," he said.
"Find out what?" Abraham asked.
Rick's reply almost made Adalyn smile.
"They're screwing with the wrong people."
They settled down for now. It seemed their best bet. Trying to get out of the train cart would bring the Terminus assholes down on them. Adalyn sat in the middle of the car. She was the closest to the door, staring at the little bit of light that came through. She had never liked the dark. Now she had good reason. They started making whatever weapons they could. Sharpening belt buckles to fashion into brass knuckles, things like that.
Abraham took it upon himself to do what he did best; start talking. "They seemed nice enough, but I was ready to go. We just got here, but, damn, it was time to go. When I told them about D.C., a wink and a nod from the head asshole in charge, they pulled their guns and it was right back to our regularly scheduled shitstorm."
Sasha's eyes drifted to Rick's people. The little boy was Carl, Rick's son, the other man was Daryl, and the woman was Michonne. Names were all that Adalyn got for now. There wasn't time to get to know anybody.
"Before they put you in here, you didn't see Tyreese?" Sasha asked.
"No," Michonne answered.
"Good."
Daryl spoke up next, telling Maggie about a girl, Beth, who Adalyn could only assume was Maggie's sister. "Black car with a white cross painted on it. I tried to follow it. I tried.
"But she's alive?" Maggie asked.
"She's alive," Daryl confirmed.
Voices were chattering outside. Adalyn swallowed hard at the sound. "Shut up!" one was shouting.
Daryl was stationed just by the door, peering outside. "All right, got four of them pricks coming our way," he said.
"Y'all know what to do," Rick said. "Go for their eyes first. Then their throats."
Adalyn stumbled to her feet, smoothing her fingertips along the sharp edge of her belt. It would do some damage, that would be certain. She threaded her fingers between the prongs, keeping a tight hold.
"Put your backs to the walls on either side of the car now," instructed one of the men outside.
No one moved, braced for whatever was about to come through the door.
And then a hatch in the ceiling opened, bathing them in bright Georgia sunlight. "What the- -" Adalyn began, but the next words wouldn't come because a canister fell through the hatch and she realized with startling clarity what it was.
"Move!" cried Abraham, and so they did, running to either side, rocking the train car with the quick movement.
It was tear gas.
It exploded with a bang. Adalyn crumbled to the ground, arm flying up to shield her eyes with her sleeve. She tried to hold her breath as the car door opened, but it really was useless. She dissolved into a coughing fit, her eyes glued shut.
Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and Bob were loaded out of the car. Adalyn had tried to grab blindly at one of them, only to be thrown back against the wall of the car. She hit her head and went down hard.
She could only pray that she didn't have a concussion.
It was Tara who helped her off the ground and kept an arm around her, trying her very best to make sure that Adalyn didn't fall over as her head swam.
Adalyn heard the gunshots start. She didn't know what they meant. Didn't know who was doing it.
She heard the explosion next, felt it rock the boxcar and send a wave of nausea through her.
Abraham pounded at the door. "What the hell is going on?" he said through gritted teeth.
"Someone hit them," Michonne said.
"Maybe our people got free," Sasha offered.
Eugene shoved toward the door. "Excuse me," he urged.
He dropped down in front of the door, working at something. "What the hell are you doing?" Rosita asked him.
"I might be able to use this shell to compromise the door," Eugene said, flashing the tear gas canister in her direction. "From the sound of things, there may not be anybody left to open it."
"Eugene, I'm sorry, but shut up," Tara stated.
"Okay," he said softly.
"Hey," Carl said, stepping forward. "My dad's gonna be back. They all are."
"They are," agreed Maggie. "And we need to get ready to fight our way out with them when they do."
Maggie checked a pocket watch in her hands before she began to grind the chain against a wooden post.
Tara looked Adalyn over. "You okay?" she asked.
Adalyn managed a nod. "Yeah," she said. "I'm right as rain."
Shouting was sounding from outside, along with biters, growling and groaning.
Whatever was happening out there, it was bad.
