CHAPTER THREE
iii. LIKE THE WOLVES THEY WERE

RUTH

THE COLD WOODEN structure was quiet, even in the middle of the day. Cold from the night before did not linger long in the Georgia heat.

Ruth's body slumped forward in exhaustion, her eyes closing slightly before shooting back open. Her hands ached, the metal handcuffs on her wrists rubbing them raw from her struggles the night before. The skin on her lips cracked and bled. Her leg throbbed as the small dosage of morphine wore off. She could feel the swelling of the damaged muscle as her small time of pain relief faded. She didn't dare say a word.

She would have happily left if the group gave her the option. The farther she could get away from Andrew and Jack, the better off she would be. Ruth wanted to escape, but this wasn't exactly what she had in mind. She wanted time to mourn her sister, who was surely dead at this point. She also wanted to survive, but she knew if she sat here in this barn, that wouldn't happen.

"C'mon Ruthie, you're smarter than this. I figured you would have gotten out of this pickle by now." A feminine voice mocked from across the barn. Ruth glanced up to see a tall brunette who closely resembled herself. Her sister Erin.

"You aren't real. You're dead." Ruth muttered, shaking her head.

"Yet here I am, sweet little sis. I'm not leaving either." Erin chuckled, leaning against the wall. Her arms were folded against her chest, and one of her feet crossed over the other as she leaned back.

"Just go away." Ruth said quietly, her gaze spotting an asleep Randall out of the corner of her eye.

Erin strolled over to the withering girl on the barn floor. She crouched down in front of her, smirking as Ruth didn't meet her eyes. "Tell me, why didn't you save me? You left me to die with Jack."

"Shut up."

"You left me there. You didn't come back. You really didn't care though, did you?"

"I said shut up."

"You didn't care, Ruthie. You were always so selfish. I was just a way for you to escape, wasn't I? You were always so weak."

"Shut up!" Ruth shouted. "Shut up! Get out of my head! Leave me alone! You're dead. You're dead!"

The girl felt the walls of the barn close in around her. She wanted to leave her imprisonment before she went insane. The oxygen left her lungs like it was sucked out with a vacuum. She hit her head against the wooden post repeatedly, hoping to find some peace with the striking pain she felt. She gasped for air, choking on the lump in her throat as she refused to cry.

The loud noise of the lock unlatching interrupted her panic and she quieted herself. The man with the shaved head from before, Shane, walked in. He held a stone face, so Ruth couldn't read his thought process like she could with most.

Randall moaned in pain from beside her, and Shane moved his eyes from her to his body. He stormed over to the boy, pulling him up by his shirt. The kid cried in pain, and Ruth saw why. His wrists were cut deep from the cuffs and the wounds oozed blood. Shane dropped him back against the pipe.

The man drew out keys from his pocket and unlocked Randall from his post. He yanked him to his feet, tugging him out the door.

"Hey! What are you doing? Leave him alone!" Ruth yelled. She pulled on her own handcuffs, wincing as the raw skin stung. Randall started struggling, pleading not to go.

Shane turned back to her, throwing Randall to the ground and moving towards her.

"Wait, I'm sorry-"

"Shut up."

The man slammed her head back against the wooden post, and she slumped over unconscious, blood oozing from the back of her head.

"Nighty night, Ruthie."

••

"Yo, Randy." T-Dog banged on the barn door. He fumbled with the lock on the door, sighing wearily. "Governor called. You're off the hook." He yanked the door open, but paused as he saw what lied beyond it.

Where Randall once sat was an empty pile of blankets, and an unconscious Ruth remained slumped in the corner across from him.

"Oh hell no." He muttered and ran back towards the truck.

••

Rick and Daryl stormed into the barn, confirming what T-Dog saw before was real. Ruth remained slumped over, unaware of the current predicament. Rick walked slowly over to the girl, his eyes following the trail of blood that ran down her neck. His fingers reached slowly towards her, finding the wound on the back of her head. Blood caked her dark hair and matted it to a point where it became a mess upon her head.

"Ruth?" He whispered, seeing her shoulders move up and down almost unnoticeably. The man shook her shoulder, and the girl's eyes shot wide open. Heavy gasps erupted from her mouth as the man narrowed his eyes.

"R-Randall he-"

"Where is he?"

"Gone. He's gone." Rick turned back to Daryl and nodded. The archer soon left, leaving the two alone in the small space.

Rick sighed, and spoke quiet enough to where only Ruth could hear. "What happened?"

"I-I was knocked out. I don't remember much, but Randall was taken out. I tried to fight back, I think. I can't-" She paused, her brows scrunched together.

Only one word came from her mouth, and it left Rick in shambles. A name that he hoped would never come from her lips. The name left him betrayed and angered. It was his best friend.

"Shane."