▎SAFE HAVEN   ▎ 
»»————　act one. game of survival
CHAPTER FIVE  ━━ TRADES

Josie glared at the kid in front of her. She wouldn't take her eyes off of him. "Those men you were with, we need to know where they went." Rick said calmly to the kid which made josie kiss her teeth, annoyed. She wanted to find glenn and get back to camp. She knew that she and Glenn should of stayed.

"I ain't telling you nothing." The kid smirks at Rick which makes josie bite her lip from saying anything.

"Jesus, man. What the hell happened back there?" T-dog asked, clearly confused.

"I told you, this little turd and his douche bag friends came out of nowhere and jumped me." Daryl growled.

"I went to help him and I ended up getting thrown to the damn floor and a bruised rib." Josie pulled up her too to reveal the bruise. She noticed ricks worried look, making her shrug. "I'm fine."

The kid rolled his eyes before looking at Daryl. "You're the one who jumped me, puto, screaming about trying to find his brother like it's my damn fault."

"They took Glenn. Could have taken merle too." Daryl fired right back at the kid.

The kid chuckles. "Merle? What kind of hick name is that? I wouldn't name my dog merle." Daryl went to kick the kid but Rick held him back. The kid was clearly amused which made josie tilt her head.

"Man, shut up, you're making things worse for yourself." Josie sighed out, sitting down on the table.

Daryl shook his head at them all before walking over to Glenn's bag and pulling out his brothers hand. "Want to see what happened to the last guy that pissed me off?" Daryl said as he threw merles hand on the kids lap.

The kid squirmed as he fell out of the seat and Daryl strangled the kid. "Start with the feet this time." Daryl spat at the kid.

Rick held him back again and turns back to the kid. "The men you were with took our friend. All we want to do is talk to them, see if we can work something out."

The group arrived at the hideout. Josie held her gun tight as Rick had a look at the doors. Rick turned back to T-dog. "You sure you're up for this?" Rick asks T-dog. He nods at Rick and Rick nods back.

T-dog grabs the bag and walks off with his sniper, into his position. "One wrong move, you get an arrow in the ass. Just so you know." Daryl warned the kid.

"G's gonna take that arrow out of my ass and shove it up yours. Just so you know." He fired right back.

"Has anyone got a gag to shut this kid up?" Josie asked tiredly, watching as t-dog get into place.

"G?" Rick interrupted, frown on his face.

"Guillermo. He's the man here." The kid told them.

"Okay then. Let's go see Guillermo." Rick said as he cocks his gun, josie doing the same. She didn't have any intention to hurt any of these people, it was just for protection.

The four of them walked up to the doors, the kid in the lead. They all had their weapons high, ready to shoot. They waited for the doors to open and when they did, a man walked out. He looked at the kid. "You okay, little man?" He asked the kid.

"They're gonna cut off my feet, and that one said she was going to gag me, carnal." The kid whimpered, pointing to the brunette, which made her scoff at the kid.

"Cops do that?" G asked as he tilted his head, looking at Rick.

"Not him. This redneck puto here. He cut off some dude's hand, man. He showed it to me." The kid cried out.

"Shut up!" Daryl and josie yelled in sync at the kid, clearly annoyed with his bullshit and his cries.

"Hey, that's that Vato right there, homes. He shot me in the ass with an arrow. And she's the one who jumped on my back and tried to choke me. What's up, homes, huh?" The bold one aimed his gun at the two which made the pair step back, weapons raised.

"Chill, ese, chill. Chill. This true? They want Miguelito's feet? That's pretty sick, man." G turned to Rick.

"We were hoping more for a calm discussion." Rick tried to reason but G scoffs.

"That hillbilly jumps Felipe's little cousin, beats on him, threatens to cut off his feet, Felipe gets an arrow in the ass and almost gets chocked to death by the innocent looking one and you want a calm discussion? You fascinate me." The man chuckled.

"I only tried to choke him because he was jumping the hillbilly, man." Josie points to Felipe then Daryl. "I wasn't going to kill him." She defended her self.

"We took our licks." Rick added, giving a look to josie. "Heat of the moment. Mistakes were made on both sides."

"Who's that dude to you anyway? You don't look related." G said, talking about Glenn.

"He's one of our group, more or less. I'm sure you have a few like him." Rick says. Josie tilted her head, 'more or less?' Glenn saved him.

"You got my brother in there?" Darryl added, worried about his now one handed brother.

"Sorry, we're fresh out of white boys. But I've got Asian. You interested?" G said, cockily.

"I have one of yours, you have one of mine. Sounds like an even trade." Rick tried to reason with him. G tilts his head, thinking for a second, before shaking his head.

"Don't sound even to me." G shrugged as josie narrowed her eyes at the man.

"How the hell is it not even? Your man for ours, quite simple." Josie fired at the man.

"My people got attacked. Where's the compensation for their pain and suffering? More to the point, where's my bag of guns?" He turned from josie to rick.

"Guns?" Rick asked, confused.

"The bag Miguel saw in the street. The bag Felipe and Jorge were going back to get. That bag of guns." G says as he pointed to his friends.

"You're mistaken." Rick told G but he shook his head.

"I don't think so." G said, hands over his chest.

"About it being yours. It's my bag of guns." Rick told G.

"The bag was in the street. Anybody could come around and say it was theirs. I'm supposed to take your word? What's to stop my people from unloading on you right here and now and I take what's mine?" G said, tilting his head.

"Man he was a cop, he knows what are his guns and they ain't yours." Josie told him, pointing to Rick. "I mean you could take his stuff, or not." Josie turned to where T-dog was and everyone turned to where he was in the roof.

G turned back around and smirks. "Oye!" He shouted. They all turned their heads to the opposite roof. There was three people, one with a bag on their head. They pulled off the bag to reveal Glenn which made Josies eyes widen with panic, her grip onto her gun becoming tighter. "I see two options. You come back with Miguel and my bag of guns, everybody walks. Or you come back locked and loaded, we'll see which side spills more blood." G said before walking back in.

Josie had her pistol in her thigh holster and
a shotgun in her hands. She had never fired a shot gun in her life, finding it quite difficult to hold it in her hands, but it was all for show.

She followed behind Daryl, who had his gun to the back of Miguel's back. The group lead Miguel back with his hands tied behind his back. The doors opened and Rick pushes Miguel in. "I see my guns but they're not all in the bag." G said, pointing to the guns in their hands.

"That's because they're not yours. I thought I mentioned that." Rick reminded G.

"Let's just shoot these fools right now, ese. All right? Unload on their asses, ese." Felipe fired at them.

"I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of the situation." G said, holding up a hand to Felipe to tell him to shut up.

"No, I'm pretty clear." Rick told g, tilting his head. He cut Miguel free and pushed him into G. "You have your man. I want mine."

"I'm gonna chop up your boy. I'm gonna feed him to my dogs. They're the evilest, nastiest man-eating bitches you ever saw. I picked them up from Satan at a yard sale. I told you how it has to be. Are you woefully deaf?" G asked.

"No, my hearing's fine. You said come locked and loaded." Rick said and everyone cocks their gun, aiming them at someone's head, josie turning the closest person to her.
"Okay then, we're here."

Suddenly, an old woman came out from behind the group and shouted. "Felipe! Felipe!" She called out making josie tilt her head.

"Abuela, go back with the others... now." Felipe warned the old woman.

"Get that old lady out of the line of fire!" Daryl spat, aiming his gun somewhere else.

"Abuela, listen to your mijo, okay? This is the not the place for you right now." G said calmly, turning to look at the old woman.

"Mr. Gilbert is having trouble breathing. He needs his asthma stuff. Carlitos didn't find it. He needs his medicine." She told Felipe.

"Felipe, go take care of it, okay? And take your grandmother with you." G fired at Felipe, which makes the four of them confused.

"Who are those men and the pretty woman?" She asks, pointing to josie, Daryl, T-dog and Rick. Felipe talked to her in Spanish.

"Don't you take him. Felipe's a good boy. He has his trouble but he pulls himself together. We need him here." The older woman begged as josie stepped forward, lowering her gun slightly and carefully walked over to the older woman.

Daryl frowned at josie, clearly confused as he watched her. Rick and t-dog, aimed their gun at anyone who aimed it at josie. "Ma'am, he's not here to arrest your grandson." Josie says gently, holding one of the older woman's arm.

"Then what does he want him for?" The old woman asked josie, confused. Josie looked up at G then Rick and sighed, turning back to the older woman.

"He's... Helping us find a missing person. A guy named Glenn." Josie told her, nodding her head as the woman smiled.

"The Asian boy? He's with Mr. Gilbert. Come. Come, I'll show you." The older woman held josie hand and gently, leading her away. Josie sighed, relived glenn was okay. "He needs his medicine."

G sighed as he watched how careful josie was with the older woman, noticing she was probably the calmest out of the five. "Let 'em pass." And they let them past.

-MADDIES NOTES
4TH SEPT 2023

softie josie has my HEART. Literally end of. She's the most cutest person ever.
1887 words