meanstreak
rick grimes 𝘹 fem!𝘰𝘤
© WANDARYEN ──── 2024

We continued following Joe's group the entire day. It was now nightfall and I felt my legs giving out from being so tired of walking. We never took breaks – not unless Joe wanted to stop or someone insisted we check a place for supplies.

Daryl and I stayed back on the last supply run — which was a small white house that truthfully didn't peak my interest at all. At this point I was anticipating starvation to get myself away from these men.

When I was beginning to limp, Daryl touched my arm to stop me from moving as the men kept walking forward. "Hey, you alright?" His facial expression flashed with concern.

I nodded with a sigh, tucking some hair behind my ear as I adjusted the strap of my rifle over my shoulder. It was becoming heavier and heavier as the minutes went by.

I focused my gaze on the direction in which the men disappeared before turning back to my friend. "Daryl, I don't want to be with them any longer. They're not good people. I know it — I feel it. It wasn't just Len, all of them — even Joe."

Daryl looked down at me, his hand on my shoulder as he nodded. "I know, me too. We have to wait a little bit longer. They're capable of anything but give me time to conjure a way out of this." I slowly nodded, straightening my back as we both started to walk again side by side.

"Nine Mississippi. Eight Mississippi."

My eyebrows furrowed hearing Joe counting down from behind a car, his men standing around in a wide circle.

"What's going on?" I mumbled nervously.

Daryl took a step ahead of me with haste before coming to a stop. "Joe! Hold up."

I cautiously stepped beside Daryl, afraid of what I'm about to see on the other side of the car. My eyes immediately found Joe's angered gaze and I followed the arm that extended out with a pistol — pointed directly at Rick's head.

Every cell in my body fell still and I suddenly didn't know what to do with my hands as I tried reaching for Daryl but then held them up towards Joe. "Wait — wait!" I couldn't peel my gaze away from Ricks — his chest was heaving heavily with every breath and his throat bobbed anxiously when he looked up at me.

Michonne was beside Rick with another man pointing a gun at her head. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Carl sitting in the car by himself.

"You're stopping me on eight, Daryl." Joe spoke but his voice was no longer soft like earlier. It was more stern — laced with pure indication that he was ready to spill blood.  "This is the guy that killed Lou, so we got nothing to talk about."

Daryl took a cautious step forward with his hands raised. "The thing about nowadays is we got nothing but time."

"Say your piece, Daryl."

"These people — " My chest shook with fear and I could sense the emotions building up under my skin. "You have to let them go, please." Rick's jaw flexed while his gaze burned through my body and I forced myself to look away and meet Joe's glare. "These are good people," my voice cracked but I didn't allow the tears to build.

Joe slowly shook his head. "Now, I think Lou would disagree with you on that. I'll, of course, have to speak for him and all 'cause your friend here strangled him in a bathroom."

Daryl slowly dropped his bag and crossbow to the ground. "You want blood, I get it. Take it from me, man. Come on."

"This man killed our friend." Joe's gaze flickered down towards Rick before returning back to Daryl and I. "You say he's good people. See, now that right there is a lie. It's a lie!" Joe shouted the last bit, nodding his head at his men.

One of them came up to me, their fist colliding with my jaw and sent me to the ground. I briefly noticed Rick tried to stand up before I repeatedly blinked to acknowledge the growing pain in my face.

I immediately rolled over on my side and cradled my face with tears welling in my eyes. I heard Daryl getting the shit beat out of him and I wanted to cry out — beg them to stop, until the man that punched me pulled my legs harshly and flipped me over on my back.

"Please, stop!" I cried out. Anxiety grew rapidly as the man purposely sat on top of me — applying all of his weight down onto me so I couldn't move. Not again, not again, not again.

I tried to smack him and throw several punches in the general direction of his face until he grabbed my wrists and squeezed them together before holding them above my head.

"No!" Rick's scream caused a chill to shoot down my spine.

I could hear the men still beating on Daryl although I couldn't see. "Teach him, fellas. Teach him all the way! As for Sienna over there — same applies to the women."

I bucked my hips upwards to try and throw the man off but he was too heavy. I started kicking my legs — intentionally aiming my knees at his ass to throw him off guard. "Get the fuck," I huffed heavily, bucking my hips once more forcefully which briefly caused the man to loosen his grip. I snatched my hand from his grasp and punched him directly in the nose. "-- Off of me!" I screamed the words out and the man started to chuckle in mockery.

"Listen, it was me!" Rick shouted with panic lacing his voice. "It was just me!"

"See, now that's right. That's not some damn lie. Look, we can settle this. We're reasonable men. First, we're gonna beat Daryl to death. Then we'll have Sienna." I heard Rick muffle a single 'no' over Joe's order. "Including the one right beside you — then the boy. Then I'm gonna shoot you and we'll be square."

"Fuck you!" I spat directly in the man's face above me — resulting in another strike across my face.

I could feel my body shaking violently. Convulsing with anger when I noticed Dan climbing into the vehicle with Carl. My eyes grew wide and I was growing desperate to do anything to protect him from that predator. I could take the pain — I was made to sustain anything that was thrown at me but I wasn't about to let this man have his way with Carl. Not my boy.

The man still sitting on my waist, no doubt crushing my bones with all the weight he was allowing on my body, finally freed my hands before grabbing my neck forcefully.

I mistakenly breathed inwards when his thumbs began applying pressure on the sides of my neck. I've read enough court cases to know he intended on rendering me unconscious — not enough to kill me, but to at least have his way without me fighting against him.

My gaze flickered back towards the vehicle where Dan tried dragging Carl out of the car. "Carl!" I screamed as loudly as I could.

A gunshot went off and the man above me flinched, tearing his gaze away from mine which gave me the advantage to punch him in the jaw.

I quickly swiveled back and forth under the man, giving me enough room to yank my leg out and roll him over on his back in one swift motion. "Sienna!" I heard someone call my name — at this point I couldn't make out who when I climbed on top of the man and started violently stabbing him in the chest with my knife.

He choked up blood — the liquid spurting over his face and my hands before I drove the knife through his skull with my teeth gritted angrily. "Fuck you," I whispered to him before jumping to my feet with haste.

I quickly spun around and immediately my gaze located Rick beating Dan to death on the ground. The others were killed by Michonne and Daryl — who was now hunched over the vehicle with his own arm secured around his chest.

"Sienna!" The one calling my name in the first place was Carl and I didn't have a second to react before his small frame collided into mine. His arms circled around me quickly, almost knocking us both over but I easily caught my balance while cradling the back of his head.

His small fingers gripped the back of my shirt and I carefully held his face between my hands, checking over his body for any visible injuries. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Are you hurt?!" The questions rolled off my tongue while he shook his head aggressively.

"No! No, I'm okay." Carl sighed before colliding his body into mine once more for another hug.

I held the back of his head with one hand while I used the other to rub his back — comforting him to the best of my ability until he felt calm enough to pull away.

"Sienna — " I spun around at the sound of Rick's voice, tears instantly blurring my vision as euphoria overcame my whole being. I didn't give him the chance to speak when I ran towards him and jumped into his arms.

I felt the same way I did back at Woodbury — when he came back to rescue Daryl and I.

His arms wrapped around me securely and I was practically crushed into his chest but not a single part of me wanted to complain.

His breath fanned against my neck from a heavy sigh and I quickly reeled my head backwards to see his face. Covered in blood and sweat but still the most handsome man I've ever seen in my life.

I opened my mouth to speak but he didn't give me the chance when he  crashed his lips against mine. My fingers gently gripped the curls at the back of his neck and my body voluntarily melted into his arms.

I didn't realize the tears that were streaming down my face until he pulled back and began kissing every single one away before tucking his face into my neck.

Repeatedly I would check over my shoulder to make sure Daryl, Michonne, and Carl were still close behind Rick and I.

There was a place called Terminus that we were trying to reach — some place that was supposed to be a sanctuary. A place we could potentially find the rest of our group.

My gaze lingered over Carl for another heartbeat, my chest tightening to see him smile at something Daryl and Michonne said.

Rick tugged on my hand gently, steering my attention away from the others and up at him. "He's alright." A smile tugged at the corner of his lips and I sighed knowingly, but still felt the need to occasionally check. "Are you okay?"

I slowly nodded, twisting my arm inwards to pull Rick's body closer to mine — as if we were teenagers walking through the halls of highschool. "Yeah," I squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Better now — actually."

I turned to Rick and detached my hand from his — placing both of mine over his chest to pause our steps. "Hey," I whispered while the others walked around us. "We can't get separated again. I don't think — I can't — " The words got stuck in my throat when my chest grew tight.

Rick cradled my cheek with one hand and the other holding my waist securely. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised. "I'm not leaving you again."

I allowed his words to settle in my system before I nodded. "Daryl, he — " I quickly looked over at our friend, who waited patiently with Michonne and Carl ahead of us. "He protected me. Beth and I — he was all we had and he kept us alive." Unwanted tears started gathering again but I couldn't control them any longer as a few slipped down my cheek. "I don't know where she is. She was taken and then it was just the two of us before — "

"It's okay," Rick whispered while using his thumb to brush away the few lingering tears on my cheek. "I already thanked him last night." His thumb gently held my chin and forced my gaze back on his. "He kept you alive for me."

I nodded knowingly, "yeah, he did."

The muscle in Rick's jaw twitched slightly and his hand traveled back to my cheek. "Last night, I wouldn't have let them — "

"I know, trust me," I quickly responded, exhaling softly. "I was going to kill them the moment I got the chance — I'm okay."

He slowly smiled while using two fingers to remove a single strand of hair from my face. "My little meanstreak." His smile turned into a smirk, causing me to roll my eyes before he leaned forward and kissed me softly.

"Alright love birds, that's enough — let's go." Daryl shouted from ahead, causing Michonne and Carl to chuckle.

I shook my head, unable to control my laughter when Rick pulled away with a defeated sigh. "I'll get my chance soon," he whispered — his voice thick with yearning and my face immediately grew warm.

Daryl stumbled upon a sign on the ground — using his foot to kick away the leaves that covered it. "We're getting close. Be there before sundown."

Rick nodded in agreement, "now we head through the woods."

Our fingers were still locked together while we traveled through the woods, coming up to a fence in front of a place called Terminus. "We don't know who they are. We all spread out, watch for a while, see what we see, and get ready. We all stay close." Rick insisted and Daryl was the first to turn away followed by Michonne.

"You want to stick with me?" Rick asked, looking down at Carl but he shook his head. "It's alright." I carefully watched as his small body jogged to be close to Michonne.

Rick chuckled under his breath, "those two are inseparable."

I nodded knowingly, "I'm glad he has her."

We continued our walk around the perimeter before Rick led us towards a large tree and pulled out a small shovel from his pack. He kneeled down next to the tree and began digging a hole — revealing a large blue bag.

I quickly hunched down beside him, "a precaution?"

He nodded, "just in case."

"Smart," I muttered softly, earning a chuckle from him in response.

He stored away extra ammo and weapons before he pointed inside the bag, gesturing for me to look. "What is it?" My gaze flickered down towards the gun in his bag, but not just any gun — the rifle Daryl gave me back before the prison.

I knew it was mine because I purposely engraved my initials — the one I've been carrying around was only an extra from the prison. A large smile slowly stretched across my face. "You grabbed it?"

"Of course I did." I offered him the other rifle to store inside the bag, watching him finally zip it close and cover everything back over with dirt.

When we regrouped, Rick was the first to hop over the fence, followed by myself, Michonne, Carl, and Daryl.

The first thing I recognized when entering Terminus was the silence. It was an unusual feeling that sat in the pit of my stomach. I was expecting to see people walking around — hear children's laughter, or any kind of commotion that indicated life.

We silently traveled alongside a building — coming up to a grey metal door that was opened by Daryl with his crossbow pointed.

Rick had a handgun, Michonne had her sword, and I had my knife.

Less weapons for anyone to take means making us a less likely group to rob.

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

My eyebrows knitted together, seeing a woman at a desk, speaking into a mic. There were others standing behind her with tables and maps before them. I stood close beside Rick and Carl took a stance beside me.

Michonne was beside Daryl — our bodies formed in a straight line.

"Hello?" I spoke softly, trying to gain the group's attention.

The woman stopped speaking into the mic, turned to look at us with a confusion written across her face. A man from behind the desk noticed us and sighed, throwing down his pencil. "Well, I bet Albert is on perimeter watch." He stepped around the table now. "You here to rob us?"

Rick slowly tucked his gun away in its holster, taking a step forward. "No. We wanted to see you before you saw us."

The man nodded, "makes sense. Usually we do this where the tracks meet." He took a step forward, raising his arms with a slight smile. "Welcome to Terminus. I'm Gareth. Looks like you've been on the road for a good bit."

Rick nodded once. "We have. I'm Rick. That's Sienna, Carl, Daryl, and Michonne." Gareth waved his hand at us awkwardly.

The silence in this place was killing me and it purposely put me on alert.

"You're nervous. I get it. We were all the same way. We came here for sanctuary. That's what you're here for?"

Rick nodded, "yes."

"Good. You found it." Gareth smiled. "Hey, Alex." He called out and a man from behind one of the tables came walking up with a smile on his face. "This isn't as pretty as the front. We 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, we need to see everyone's weapons. If you could just lay them down in front of you."

Rick glanced back at us before nodding his head. "All right."

He kneeled down and started placing the hand gun on the ground followed by his knife. I released the grip from my knife and let it drop to the ground in front of me then pulled out my handgun and placed it onto the floor.

"I'm sure you understand." Gareth smiled.

"Yes, I do."

Alex checked Michonne then checked Daryl's neck, eyeing the bruise that had formed on his eye. "I'd hate to see the other guy." I stood there watching Alex before looking straight forward at the other people in the room. "Yeah, you would," I responded.

Alex now checked Carl, "they deserve it?"

"Yes."

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other when Alex began patting down my arms, sides, and legs.

"Just so you know, we aren't those kinds 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." Gareth spoke before turning away.

Alex picked up Michonne's sword and handed it to her. Daryl picked up his crossbow and I quickly picked up my knife and gun from the ground.

Alex looked at us with an awkward smile, "follow me." He spoke before turning and leading us outside.

"So how long's this place been here?" Daryl asked, walking beside the stranger.

"Since almost the start. When all the camps got overrun, people started finding this place. I think it was instinct, you know? Follow a path." Alex turned a corner as we followed, coming to a stop now. "Some folks were heading to the coast, others out west or up north, but they all wound up here."

I looked around the area, eyeing the green plants that were set out around until my eyes landed on a man who held an orange backpack. Then I noticed a man wearing a guards uniform that looked exactly like the ones back at the prison.

"Hi." A woman spoke while standing behind a smoker, turning some meat over with a smile. "Heard you came in the back door. Smart. You'll fit right in here."

Alex nodded towards the meat. "Hey, Mary, would you fix each of these new folks a plate for me?"

"Why do you do it?" Michonne spoke up.

"Why do you let people in?" He turned to her and I couldn't peel my gaze away from the box of supplies. "The more people become a part of us, we get stronger. That's why we put up the signs, invite people in. It's how we survive." The woman Mary handed out plates to both Michonne and Carl.

Rick from beside me, tugged on my shirt before stalking towards Alex. He spun the man around after snatching something out of his pocket — his gun now pointed at Alex's head.

I immediately shifted in front of Carl with my hand reaching for the gun in my holster.

"Where the hell did you get this watch?!" When Alex didnt answer, Rick pressed the gun harder against his temple. "Where the hell did you get this watch!"

"You want answers?" Alex held up his hands, showing no signs of fighting back. "You want anything else? You get 'em when you put down the gun."

"I see your man on the roof with a sniper rifle. How good's his aim?" Rick growled. "Where'd you get the watch? Where'd you get the watch?!" He repeated, making Alex slightly jump then shout towards his people. "Don't do anything! I have this! You just put it down. You put it down! You want to listen to me. There's a lot of us."

Rick pushed the gun against Alex's throat now, holding up the watch in front of Alex's face. It was the pocket watch my dad had given Glenn back at the prison. They were here.

"Where did you get the watch?!" I bit out with my grasp on the gun tightening.

"I got it off of a dead one. I didn't think he'd need it." Alex whispered.

Rick narrowed his eyes. "What about the riot gear? The poncho?"

"Got the riot gear off a dead cop. Found the poncho on a clothesline."

Gareth came walking over after turning the corner, making Rick spin around with Alex still against his chest. "Gareth — we can wait."

"Shut up, Alex." Gareth spoke calmly from where he stood.

"You talk to me." Rick spoke with anger towards Gareth.

"What's there left to say?" He replied calmly as his hands rested in front of him. "You don't trust us anymore."

"Gareth." Alex mumbled out.

He held up his hand to silence him. "Shut up. It's okay. It's okay — Rick, what do you want?"

I anxiously took a single step forward, my eyebrows lifting with anger when Gareth turned to me. "Where are our people?" I demanded.

There was a brief pause amongst us before he spoke, "you didn't answer the question." My gaze flickered quickly down to Gareth's hand and I watched him clutch it into a fist.

"Move!" I shouted at the same moment a bullet flew through the air — catching Alex in the chest once Rick spun around.

Gun fire went off and I immediately aimed at the woman wearing a poncho. My finger hovered over the trigger but she sped off quickly, forcing me to kill the man standing next to her.

"Come on, go!" Rick shouted.

The five of us took off running past the gun fire and into a more open area before darting into a room.

It was pitch black with candles lit everywhere. Words written on the wall and the floor in a circle — something you would see straight out of a horror movie.

"What the fuck is this?" I stopped abruptly while lowering my gun.

"These people — I dont think they're trying to kill us." Michonne pointed out.

A door on our left was shut by an older man, making us run out the next and leading us outside in the open again. The men on the roof tops were firing at us but it only hit the ground.

They either had really terrible aim — or were trying to lure us somewhere in particular.

When we came up to a fence, we stopped in our tracks as a group of people stood on the other side with their guns raised at us. We were trapped.

"Drop your weapons! Now!"

I turned to see Gareth standing on a roof, a gun in hand. We were surrounded. I shook my head in anger, dropping my gun to the ground as did the others with their weapons.

"Ringleader, go to your left! The train car, go. You do what we say, the boy goes with you. Anything else, he dies and you end up in there anyway!" Gareth yelled out from where he stood. Rick glared at the man before walking over towards the red train cart. "Now the archer." Daryl followed behind Rick. "Now the samurai. Then blondie." I arched an eyebrow at the man, my hands curling into balls of fist. "Stand at the door, ringleader, archer, samurai, blondie, in that order."

"My son!" Rick yelled out.

"Go, kid." Gareth ordered and Carl slowly started to walk his way over. "Ringleader, open the door and go in."

"I'll go in with him." Rick shouted, gesturing towards Carl. "Don't make us kill him now." Gareth snapped back.

Rick cranked his neck before opening the train cart door, stepping inside. Daryl followed in, then Michonne, and myself.

Once I stepped inside, Rick immediately held my face in the palm of his hands until I stepped to the side, watching Carl enter the train cart. Both Rick and I reached out for him, pulling him close to us when the group outside shut the door and locked us in.

"Rick?"

My head snapped towards the right when I heard Glenn's voice until he stepped out from the shadows, followed by Maggie. A single sigh escaped my lips as I stepped closer to my sister — pulling her into a tight hug which she gratefully returned.

"You're here," I heard Rick speak from behind.

When we pulled away, I noticed other people were in the cart as well. Bob and Sasha but other faces I didn't recognize. "They're our friends. They helped save us." Maggie spoke softly as I took a step back.

Daryl from behind Rick nodded, "yeah. Now they're friends of ours."

"For however long that'll be." A man with red hair spoke up only to turn away.

"No." Rick spoke, making me turn to look at him. "They're gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out."

The man with the red hair turned to look at Rick again, his eyebrow raised. "Find out what?"

He shifted on his feet — silence taking over the train cart as we waited for an answer. Rick's gaze met mine and I slowly nodded my head — mentally communicating with him what needed to be done.

"That they're screwing with the wrong people."