.06 | terminus

{ Forgive me...it's been way too long. I don't know who is even interested in this story anymore, but the inspiration is back in full swing and I'll be posting as much as possible for this story! I've been binging Season 4 so I feel like I'm taking a trip down memory lane. LOL I really missed Vicki and Daryl so much!!! }

After combing the perimeter, we regrouped. I was relieved to see Daryl again, despite us splitting up briefly. Merle grated on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard, and although we had a tentative alliance, I still didn't trust him completely.

He may have made his way back to the group, but he still felt like an outsider to me. 

The unease in which I felt around Merle stemmed from the fact that he had been part of the Juno crew. There was no denying his involvement, even if he took part in the less grisly moments. And those memories, still so fresh, haunted my mind like a phantom wraith.

However, for Daryl's sake, I was willing to extend an olive branch and try.

"We'll approach from the back." Rick shifted his gaze from us as he trained his steely blue eyes on the back of the Terminus building. "That way, we have the element of surprise."

Michonne and I exchanged a brief, curt nod, silently acknowledging our agreement. 

The fact that Terminus was finally within our reach was almost too good to be true. I had always held onto a glimmer of hope that a haven existed somewhere, and now that we were close, my heart raced with anticipation. 

But...Rick appeared more cautious in his stance. 

After everything we had experienced, especially on the road, how could he not be? 

My gaze drifted to Carl, and I smiled lightly in his direction. 

Hershel's conversation with Rick at the prison about settling down and sowing their roots, so to speak, was valid, but danger still loomed at every turn.

Carl had grown so much and was a brave kid...but at what cost? 

Every waking moment felt like a constant battle for survival. 

That fact that survival was becoming all he'd ever know made my heart clench.

Brushing aside the morbid thoughts, I exchanged a fleeting glance with Daryl, knowing that our unspoken language was enough. I didn't need to hear it spoken aloud to know Daryl was onboard with Rick's plan.

Merle, however, squinted apprehensively at everyone, especially Rick. "Whatever you say, officer friendly." A sardonic grin splitting his lips.

My fists tightened in response to his infuriating smirk. 

I could feel Daryl's scrutinizing gaze as he assessed the tension between Merle and me. There was a silent question brewing in his eyes, but I discreetly shook my head and avoided making eye contact. 

Now wasn't the time to discuss the olive branch. Or how much Merle annoyed me.

Silently as we could, we took turns scaling the chain length fence. I gripped the rusted fence, making quick work climbing over with my nimble body until my boots hit the ground with a thud. 

One by one, we slowly drifted through the common area in the back, our footsteps non-existent as we had nearly perfected the art of stealth in a world where silence hedged your bets of surviving. We huddled together, forming a tight line of vigilance, and then dashed past the set of train tracks that brought us all here.

My eyes scanned the large haven. The building stood tall, its exterior a unique fusion of a sprawling warehouse and the warmth of red brick. It looked worn and weathered, but still held firmly intact amidst the horrors of the world. 

Rick and Daryl assumed the front position, with Michonne and me in the middle, keeping an eye on Carl. Meanwhile, Merle took charge at the rear. I hated I had to trust him to keep us covered with a firearm. If he wanted to stay with Daryl, he was going to have to be on his best behavior. When I looked back at him, I was surprised to see that he had changed his usually indifferent and arrogant expression to a hardened and prepared one, ready for battle.

We maintained a soldier-like stance, constantly scanning our surroundings, turning our heads in all directions to cover every angle. My hands gripped my gun like a vice, though the sickles that were holstered on my back thanks to Michonne's patchwork were a reminder that if all else failed, I could count on these to get me through. 

But I had to have faith in this place. If there was a sanctuary here, that means there are more of them out there. There was no way in hell we were the last people alive on earth.

A red door marked the fire exit was all that stood between us and the inside of Terminus. 

The intense silence was shattered as Rick cautiously swung open the door. It emitted a faint groan of protest, making me wince. It was loud, but hopefully not too loud to alert our arrival. 

Daryl, taking the lead, had his crossbow at the ready, prepared for anything.

We were like an impenetrable line of warriors, ready to strike first and ask questions later.

I hurried in after the others, Merle bringing up the rear. I faltered slightly when I heard the echo of a woman's voice that sounded eerily like a recording carry down the hallway.

"Terminus - those who arrive survive. Follow the tracks to the point where all lines intersect. There are maps at the crossings to help you with your journey. Sanctuary for all. Community for all. Those arrive survive. Terminus, sanctuary for all."

"Tha' hell.." Merle grumbled lowly to himself in confusion. He looked around as if the woman we were hearing would pop out from around a corner at any second.

I put a finger to my lips and fell in line.

Daryl was still leading the front line before he carefully sidestepped a filthy and tattered steel door. The door was slightly ajar, allowing him to catch a glimpse inside and hear the woman's voice growing louder. He turned back to us and nodded, a confirmation of the room being all clear and to follow him inside. 

A woman sat at a lengthy wooden table, speaking into a vintage microphone. A ratty, old brown sweater adorned her while black headphones concealed her ears. Her visibly greying hair and faint eye bags hinted at her age and fatigue.

Rick started walking towards the woman. "Hello.." 

"Community for all. Those who s-"

Upon our intrusion, the woman's words died instantly in her throat. 

"Hello." Rick repeated, but this time more commanding. 

I rapidly surveyed the scene before me, using my keen eyes. 

On the far right side, there were small steel work tables lined up with four people working behind them. The tables were cluttered with unfolded Terminus maps, and markers were strewn about. 

A few maps were left empty, while others had the word TERMINUS deliberately marked in thick black ink. It was evident that multiple copies had been made as one set of maps had been wrapped in plastic. 

Why so many?

A man with a blue and white plaid shirt, a worn jacket, and brown pants turned around to approach us. "Well, I bet Albert is on perimeter watch." The sharpness of his voice contrasted with his clean cut appearance.

Nothing about this place had given me any warning signs, but for some reason, my body instinctively reacted, and my fingers curled around the trigger of my gun.

"Might need to rethink the men you send out on watch." I responded brazenly, meeting his gaze with an unimpressed arch of my brow. 

The man had a lazy gaze about him, almost like he was bored. "You here to rob us?" 

I looked down the row at all of us and realized how the situation might look from the opposite point of view. We looked like a gang of outlaws - armed to the teeth and ready for anything. 

Rick walked forward without hesitation. "No. We wanted to see you before you saw us." 

The man averted his gaze, almost as if he were chuckling to himself for his careless error.

I had a feeling we were the first group to have thought better of using the front door. 

"Makes sense. Usually we do this where the tracks meet." He cleared the distance between us casually before turning around to the others and clearing his throat. Probably a silent signal to his people to stand down, since we had unceremoniously entered their home through the back. 

"Welcome to Terminus. I'm Gareth. Looks like you've been on the road for a good bit." 

Rick acknowledged him with a curt nod, still on guard. 

"We have. I'm Rick That's Carl, Daryl, Vicki, Michonne and Merle."

Merle waved his makeshift prosthetic, the raw hunting blade glinting dangerously in the light. 

There was an awkward moment before Gareth broke the silence. "You're nervous. I get it. We were all the same way. We came here for sanctuary. That what you're here for?" He casually strolled closer to us until he was standing right in front of Rick.

Rick was like a statue, every muscle in his body seemed to coil tightly. 

Finally, after a beat, he answered, "Yes." 

"Good. You found it." 

Gareth turned around and motioned for a young man to join him, calling out, "Hey, Alex."

My gaze shifted to the man named Alex. He had on a repulsive yellow flannel and a dark red drawstring hoodie. Without even hearing the guy speak, I could already tell he was someone who had grown up like a good little boy, falling in line and doing exactly as hew as told. And judging from the dopey smile that was plastered on his face, he was a follower, not a leader. 

Gareth carried on as Alex obeyed, walking to stand next to him. "This isn't as pretty as the front. We've got nothing to hide, but the welcome wagon is a whole lot nicer. Alex will take you, ask you a few questions. Uh, but first.." He paused and his eyes scanned our brandished weapons. 

"We need to see everyone's weapons. If you could just lay them down in front of you." 

I instantly paused and met Daryl's skeptical gaze. We all exchanged a look before turning our attention back to Rick. I trusted him to lead us and at the end of the day, it all came down to his next move. But I was relieved when he nodded and agreed. "Alright." He was slowly kneeling on the ground, laying his weapons down in front of him for a show of good faith. 

"I'm sure you understand." 

I pinched my lips together and knelt down on the cold ground, placing my handgun on the floor before pulling my sickles from the safety of their resting spot against my back. Even putting them on the ground for a few seconds made me feel far more vulnerable than I'd have liked, but we had to play along for a show of good faith.

Rick looked up, a shadow passing over his eyes. "Yes, I do." 

Arms spread, Gareth and Alex started patting us down, one at a time. 

Alex started with Daryl, his nervous eyes roaming over his face, taking in the split lip and the gnarly bruise that had blossomed into a swirl of green and blue colors around his right eye. 

"I'd hate to see the other guy." 

From down the row, Rick peered down and answered coldly, "You would." 

"They deserve it?" Another question.

This time, Carl answered. And he didn't hesitate. "Yes."

Gareth finished frisking Michonne before making his way over to me. 

For a split second, I froze. Memories of unwanted advances and insidious gazes from Juno consumed me. I reactively jerked back and Gareth quickly put his hands up as if they were two white flags waving for peace. 

"If you want to keep both of your hands, then you better frisk me like a gentleman." I nearly snarled at Gareth, the heat of my anger prickling my skin. Memories of past horrors seared behind my eyelids, a fiery warning for him to tread carefully when handling me. Or else.

Merle let out a low chuckle, capturing Gareth's attention. "That one there is feisty. Got a smart mouth too." He cut his eyes to me before redirecting his gaze back to Gareth.

Gareth's eyes landed on Merle's makeshift prosthetic. "Are you speaking from experience?"

Merle smirked, his eyes twinkled with something like sarcasm. He inspected his prosthetic blade lazily before shaking his head. "Nah, not personally, but I wouldn't put it put it past her. Though I think you'll find tha' most women are more bark than bite," 

My hand twitched with the urgency to slap Merle into next week, but I refrained. It took every ounce of my dwindling self-control not to do it. So, I bore holes into the side of his head with my eyes, which reflected the molten fiery core of my anger.

Daryl tsked to himself and shook his head in response. He knew better than to take the bait and get riled up over Merle's stupid comments, but I was still quick to latch onto the bait.

Returning his attention back to me, Gareth smirked, but it quickly disappeared when he saw my sweet smile laced with danger. "Would you like to see if I'm all bark and no bite?" My tone was as frosty as Christmas morning.

"I'll pass," he said, averting his gaze and proceeding to frisk me.

Daryl's eyes, sharp as a hunting knife, bored into Gareth. He watched the man's every move, his predatory gaze a silent threat. Our eyes met while he frisked me, and I subtly nodded my head at Daryl to let him know I was okay.

Finally, Gareth stood, his face inches from mine. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Our breaths mingled, a warm, humid cloud between us. The scent of sweat and intensity hung palpable. 

The dynamic had clearly shifted. This close I swore I saw a flash of something cold and calculating looming at the edges of his irises. 

"Just so you know, we aren't those kind of people, but we aren't stupid either. And you shouldn't be stupid enough to try anything stupid. As long as everyone's clear on that, we shouldn't have any problems. Just solutions." 

As I snuck a glance at Michonne, I noticed her stoicism did not betray any emotion to these new people. But I knew her well enough to notice the way her brown eyes, dark and piercing, scrutinized every detail of our exchange.

She was just as on edge as Rick.

"Okay." Rick stared at Gareth. 

Alex bent down and help us pick up our weapons, but Daryl snatched his crossbow up before the kid could grasp it. Alex shrank back and paled considerably.

When he politely handed me my weapons, I placed my sickles back in their secure place on my back and holstered my pistol. Relief swept through me as they were securely back within my reach. I silently watched as everyone's weapons found their way back home. 

As Rick holstered his gun, I noticed he kept the flap unbuckled, ready for a quick draw. Daryl seemed to have noticed too. Our eyes met before flickering over to Merle, who also cautioned us with a knowing look. I guess he was back to business after his unsavory commentary.

Our gaze followed Rick and then we followed in a single file line after Alex. 

A nagging doubt, like a persistent itch, scratched at the back of my mind, but I refused to scratch it. Perhaps it was just nerves, excitement, or even the lingering effects of finally being here at Terminus. Whatever it was, I pushed forward and held onto the only thing I knew. 

Hope.

Author's Note:

THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!

WE ARE BACK!!!!! 

Our favorite zombie apocalypse couple is back in action! I've been binging season 4 and I really want to start it over from the beginning at some point, but for now I'm just re-watching season 4-6 so I can reconnect to the storylines from those seasons. 

Also, I love Merle. Even though he annoys me!!! :p 

Also, I know that WE know that Terminus isn't a good place, but Vicki doesn't know that. She's been so gung-ho about getting there and having a place for them to feel more safe and we know our girl Vicki is full of hope, which she's been teaching Daryl to have more of himself. 

She wants it so bad to be good place she's willing to override her intuition which people do allll the time so I'm giving her a little grace at this point because I know she just wants to believe it's a good place. :/

Thank you all for reading. Thank you for sticking out the wait. I apologize for the super duper long delay. Please forgive me! LOL

PS: I would love some new sign off gifs and graphics for this story, but I don't have the time to make them. I'll be on the hunt on for a graphic shop or if someone wants to try their hand at some just let me me on my profile or leave a message here. :)