The Lady Claimers

Chapter 40

"Go, I've got him," Beth assured Katie as she shifted the woman's son into her lap. Katie gave Beth a nod of appreciation and a quick kiss for her boy before she bolted out the door behind Daryl and Merle. Addy was already behind the wheel of one of the faster golf carts and as Katie slid into the front seat next to the woman she grabbed for the bar on the side and braced herself for the sudden speed that would come when Addy inevitably slammed her foot down on the gas pedal.

Recent events had put everyone in the compound on edge. Because that was the only explanation that Daryl could come up with to explain the scene he happened upon once Addy had driven them at breakneck speeds down the wooded drive towards the main gate. About a dozen women were standing in a loose circular formation, surrounding an older black man and a teenage girl that were kneeling on the ground looking absolutely horrified. The man looked familiar and it only took Daryl a moment to realize why. He had met the man on the recent trading run he had gone on with the girls. His name wasn't coming to mind but he was the one they had traded with for all the peaches. He and his family ran the orchard together. Daryl remembered it well because he thought the way they kept themselves hidden and safe from the walkers was ingenious. They lived above the ground in treehouses.

"Hey," Katie hollered out as she leaped from the cart, "Back off! Stand down! Everyone get back, we know these people." Some of the women looked hesitant but they did as Katie asked and backed away, lowering their weapons and pointing them at the ground. Katie extended her hand to the man and helped him to his feet. Addy did the same for the girl that was kneeling down next to him.

"Patrick," Katie said, offering up the man a smile that she hoped was pretty enough to make up for the rough way he had been treated by her people, "I'm sorry. We had some trouble yesterday. A few of our people were taken and one of my brothers got hurt. We're still a little on edge." The man nodded his understanding as Addy handed him back the weapons that had been taken from him. She knew as well as Katie did that they needed the trading they did with Patrick and his family. He drove a hard enough bargain without them pissing him off.

"I understand," the man said, unable to stop himself from smiling down at Katie. Even if he had been pissed about the way he was treated he wasn't in a position to make demands. "I need your help," he added, eager to get right to the point. He and his daughter had rode all night on the two lathered horses that were panting heavily near the gates. He only came because he had no one else to turn to. And he didn't have any more time to waste. Patrick needed to know now if these women were going to help him. If not he had to get back in time to get his people out.

"What's wrong?," Addy asked, taking her place by Katie's side. Katie turned and gestured to a one of the girls, telling her to bring Patrick and his daughter some water.

"A man came," Patrick said, "he said he was looking for save harbour. We fed him and let him stay the night. He took my granddaughter. Then he came back with his group. He said if we don't leave the orchard he'll kill her. He gave us until tomorrow to decide."

TWD

Beth pulled Katie's son onto her lap and hugged the boy close. An action she immediately regretted as he thrust his syrup covered fingers into her hair. Gripping the boy by the wrists to keep him from touching anything else, Beth walked him into the kitchen and washed his sticky hands. The boy seemed to enjoy the soapy water so Beth pulled a chair over to the sink for him to stand on and let him help her wash up the breakfast dishes. The boy was much more interested in splashing her with water than he was in actually helping but after her frightening experiece the day before, Beth welcomed the distraction his playful behavoir provided.

"Go fish?," the boy asked once the water was drained and Beth had wiped him up as best she could with a dry towel. Bash scuttled over and began gesturing to a pile of fishing equiptment that someone, likely his mother, had the foresight to place up on top of the gun safe and well out of his reach. "Fish fish fish," he chanted.

"How would you like to go see Maria's new baby?," Beth asked in the hopes of distracting the boy. After what happened the last time there was no way she was taking this kid fishing again. Not today. Not ever. Beth knelt down and smiled at the boy. "Would Bash like to see a baby?," she asked. The boy's face lit up with excitement and he grinned wickedly at her.

"Bash punch a baby!," he declared. For emphasis the boy pounded his small fist into his palm. Beth tried her best to keep a straight face which she was finding nearly impossible to do.

"You can only give nice touches to babies," Beth informed the boy. To demonstrate what she meant Beth reached over and stroked the round curve of his chubby baby cheek. While he was quick to dispense violence, Bash was also very affectionate with people he had deemed worthy of his trust. And since she had been the one to help him when he hurt his lip, Beth had been earned herself admitance into a very exclusive club. The boy leaned into her touch before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her neck. Beth hugged him, rubbing her hand over his back. She hadn't known how badly she needed a hug until that moment.

There was a knock on the door. Beth waited for it to be thrown open but when that didn't happen she rose from the floor lifting Bash with her and balancing the boy on one slender hip. That was the way Katie carried him and she always made it look easy. Beth was struggling to keep the boy from sliding down and she had to brace one arm under his butt as she pulled the door open with the other.

"Hi daddy, hi Maggie," Beth said, greeting her family members as they barged inside the house. Maggie rushed at Beth, wrapping her arms around the smaller woman. Bash wriggled down, not wanting to be so close to the unfamiliar woman. Hershel was more known to the boy and so he darted over to yank at the man's pantleg.

"Fish fish," he requested. Hershel smiled as he pulled the small boy up into his arms. Despite the sobering events that took place, Hershel had still been married the day before. And that meant his family had expanded and now included one small and very spirited grandson named Sebastian. Hershel wasn't sure whether to be overjoyed or a bit scared but he was leaning towards the former. After losing so many people he cared about, Hershel welcomed the new connections he and his daughters were making.

He hoped that he might form a closer bond with not only Katie's son but with his new wife's other family members as well. But at the moment his main concern was for his youngest daughter. He had not been given a lot of details but he had been told she was held captive by the same group of men that Hershel had seen from the safety of the bus on his way from the prison to the compound. But no one had offered up any further information. The night before Hershel had focused all his energy on saving his other new grandson's life. He had not had time to consider that his own daughter might be in need of his support.

"How would you like to play in the sandbox while I talk a little with Beth?," Hershel asked the boy. Bash nodded his head making the soft blonde curls on the back of his neck bounce with his movements. He wriggled down from Hershel's arms and ran to the greenhouse door, pounding on it with his fists until Beth appeared to open it for him. Once he was settled in the large sandbox with his buckets and shovels and little toy trucks, Bash was more than happy to entertain himself and allow the adults some time to talk.

Beth sighed as she glanced at Maggie's already tearstained face. She knew Maggie was pregnant. But Beth was the one that had been taken by force, beaten and molested. She was feeling slightly irritated that Maggie felt the need to get emotional and dramatic about it. But it had always been Maggie's way to make everything that happened about her. It was her role in the family dynamic. Beth was the quiet one that tried to appease everyone. Shawn had been the realist. Before he very realistically got bitten by their walker mother and then turned into a zombie himself.

"I'm alright," Beth announced before anyone could suggest otherwise. Until she spoke the words out loud she hadn't realized how true they were. She was actually alright. The side of her face was bruised and her lip was split. There was a cut down the center of her chest that she knew was probably going to leave a scar. But she was alright. In fact she felt much more like swooning a bit over that fact that Daryl had kissed her than she felt like rehashing what had happened to her the day before. Which was actually nothing compared to what had happened to Gannon and Lexi and Kristin. Maybe she was in shock. But she didn't think so. Beth felt it was more likely that after watching half her family being gunned down in front the barn that used to house sick horses that she was just less affected by the horrors around her.

"Maria said to tell you...," Hershel's voice wavered as he struggled to keep his emotions under control. He took a deep breath before forcing himself to continue. He reached for Beth's slender hand and held it between his own. "She said to tell you that she has pills at the infirmary. The kind can be taken to prevent an unwanted pregnancy." It took Beth a moment to realize what her father was implying.

"Oh!," she squeaked, "oh no.. He didn't... I mean... That's not..." Beth stuttered and stammered for a moment. She didn't think her father needed a mental image of exactly what had happened to her but also wanted to assure him that the pills Maria was offering her were not needed. "Daryl got there in time to stop that man," Beth finally said, choosing her words carefully this time. The relief on her father's face was palpable. He had tears in his eyes and Beth couldn't stop herself from going to him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"God bless him," Hershel mumbled. Whatever Daryl had been before the end of the world he had been nothing but a blessing to them all since. Hershel couldn't even count the times that Daryl had been the only reason he and his family had gone to sleep with full bellies at night. And now he had saved Beth. Hershel felt he owed the man a great debt. One that he could never begin to repay.

TWD

Rick had woken in the very early morning to the sound of someone knocking on the door of his cabin. Carl had been too afraid to sleep alone. He refused to talk about it. But whatever he had seen had gotten him so upset that he had been shaking and crying. Roberta had headed home. Rick figured she was gone for the night, maybe unable or unwilling to accept her new role as a sort of stepmother to his children, but she had reappeared a few minutes later with a small blue pill in her hand. Carl swallowed it down without complaint and a short time later he was so tired that Rick had to carry him to bed like he hadn't done since the boy was a toddler. He and Roberta sat up and split what was left of a bottle of champagne that had been opened for Hershel's wedding.

They didn't speak about the bear or what had happened. Her hand twined into his and they sat together drinking in comfortable silence. She had still been clothed in her sexy gold party dress but with a pair of leggings pulled on underneath, her hair softly rumpled and a splash of dried blood on one of her arms. After her second glass of sparkling wine her eyes blinked shut. Rick lifted her shapely legs onto the couch and covered her with a blanket before he crawled in bed next to his son.

Not wanting the knocking to wake Carl or Roberta, Rick hurried to the door and pulled it open. He was surprised to find Merle standing on his porch. The man was fully dressed despite the early morning hour and had an extra rifle slung over his right shoulder. Casting an amused glance down at Rick's boxers and bare legs Merle suggested that he might want to get some pants on.

"Where are we going?," Rick asked the man. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go anywhere with Merle but since the man had never even bothered to speak to him since they arrived at the compound his curiosity was piqued.

"Bear huntin'," Merle informed him with a wicked grin. Rick wasn't sure how he felt about hunting a captive animal. Even if it was technically already dead. And he really wasn't sure about how he felt about doing something that was likely to get him into trouble with the women here. But instead of standing at the door arguing, Rick headed to the bedroom and pulled on his pants and boots. He shut his door and reluctantly followed Merle down the porch steps. The man picked up a travel mug of coffee and thrust it at him, a gesture that Rick found unsettlingly thoughtful.

A lot of possible scenarios began to play out in Rick's mind. Maybe Merle was still angry about his hand and the part Rick had played in the loss of it. Maybe the man was leading him out into the woods to kill him. Like Shane had done. If that wasn't the case, Merle was still smart and sneaky. Maybe he meant to release the bear and then blame it on Rick to get him into trouble.

Sipping the coffee, Rick took the gun that Merle handed him. Rick checked and found that it was fully loaded. He decided that this greatly decreased the possibility that Merle was taking him out to kill him. Rick felt himself relax a little. Merle had a golf cart waiting at the end of the row of cabins. They rode it in silence to the outside of the inner wall. From there they would have to walk.

While Rick didn't know the elder of the two Dixon brothers at all, he had gotten to know Daryl quite well. And Daryl always responded best to very direct and honest questions. Rick figured he had nothing to lose and decided he might as well try the same approach with Merle.

"If you wanted someone to help you kill that bear," Rick asked, "why didn't you just take your brother?"

"Think I'm leadin' ya out to slaughter?," Merle retorted.

"The thought had crossed my mind," Rick admitted. That thought and a lot of other thoughts that were equally as bad. He noticed how quietly Merle walked through the woods. He made the leaves crunching under Rick's feet sound twice as loud as they actually were.

"Yer sleepin' with t'otha boss lady," Merle told him with a low chuckle. Rick assumed the man meant Roberta but he still wasn't sure what his sleeping with her had to do with why Merle had asked him to help him get rid of that bear. Noticing Rick's confusion, Merle was more than happy to elaborate without any further enouragment. Getting him talking took far less effort than it took to get Daryl talking. "Didn't want to get little brother into any more trouble after he got shitfaced and went after that little douchebag t'otha day. Figured the girls would be less willin' to throw out the men that warm up their beds at night."

Rick nodded his understanding. Merle hadn't chosen Rick because he wanted Rick's help specifically. He had asked him to help only because he happened to be sleeping with Roberta. Rick wasn't sure if he ought to feel relieved or insulted but mostly he was just glad that Merle appeared to have gotten over the grudge he had been holding onto. Having what appeared to be a happy home life had changed the man. Not that he had given up his crude form of humor. But it was obvious even to Rick that Merle was less angry and hateful than he had been back at the prison. Rick had even seen the man playing with Katie's son and letting the small boy climb all over him.

"You go in and unlock the shed," Merle suggested, "I'll cover ya." When Rick outwardly balked at that idea Merle rolled his eyes at the man. "Fuckin' pussy," he grumbled under his breath. Merle unlocked the gate with a set of keys that Rick was fairly sure he had stolen, probably from Katie while she slept. Before he entered the fenced area he glanced back at Rick. "Better fuckin' cover me then. I got no interest in being bear chow."

Rick moved away and held up his gun, pointing it at the entrance to the metal shed. Merle unlocked that door as well. Once the lock was off he moved fast. He bolted out of the enclosure and slammed the gate shut behind him. He chose a spot near Rick and lifted his gun, also aiming at the door of the shed.

The two men waited but nothing happened. The only sign of the bear was a few grunting snorts from inside the shed. Merle and Rick were forced to holler and kick at the metal fence in order to encourage the bear to come out of it's hiding place. Unlike the night before the bear moved slow and sluggishly, padding on all four of it's large rotted paws. It's muzzle was covered in blood and Merle realized that the reason it had been so reluctant to escape was because it had still been snacking on the two men it had killed the night before. The remains of a human arm hung from it's jaws, the hand dislocated from the wrist and dangling loose.

The bear seemed mildly interested in the fresh meat that was visible outside it's enclosure. It headed for Merle and Rick, dropping the ripped off arm and using the fence to pull itself up on it's back legs. The fence bowed out from the weight and both men gripped their guns tighter and backed up a few yards. The bear sniffed at the air before it let out a loud growling grunt. With that everything and everyone the undead animal had consumed the night before came splashing and streaking out the opposite end of it.

Fecal matter never smelled good. Not even from a normal healthy animal. But the half digested goopy human remains that came flying out of the south end of the undead bear along with the general rotten stink of the thing resulted in a smell so terrible that even Merle could not think of words foul enough to describe it. Having had the misfortune of eating something before he left the main house to get Rick, Merle turned and headed behind the closest tree to empty the contents of his stomach. The gagging sound of him vomiting in combination with the smell of what had come out of the bear sent Rick over the edge. He leaned forward and puked up his coffee.

"Let's get this over with," Merle suggested as he staggered out from behind the tree. His words were muffled from his shirt being yanked up over hir nose and mouth. He raised his gun and started shooting, aiming at the animal's head. Rick followed suit, covering his own nose and mouth with his shirt before lifting his gun and firing at the animal. It took several direct head shots from each of them before the creature went down. So many that Rick realized how unsafe it was for the girls to be holding such and animal captive in the first place. If it had gotten loose it would have been able to kill several people before they would have been able to take it down.

"What now?," Rick asked once the bear was dead on the ground and they had fired a few extra rounds into its head just in case.

"Now let's get the fuck out of here," Merle answered.

TWD

Milton had never seen a woman cry before. Maybe on tv or in a movie he had seen it. But never up close and personal. And certainly never in his arms with her tears wetting his neck and the collar of his freshly laundered shirt.

Women had always been a bit of a mystery to him. He didn't really understand them. And this had never been so true than it was about the woman he was currenty sharing his bed with. He often wondered what Hex's interest in him was. They had little to nothing in common. She wore cowboy boots that were scuffed and broken in. The muscles in her arms were defined and her stomach was toned and taunt. Her skin held a deep tan from all the time she spent working outside in the sun. Her hands were rough and calloused. She wasn't scared of wild horses even though it was plainly obvious that the animals were capable of trampling her to death at any given moment. There was even a large scar on one of her shoulders where she said a horse had bitten her. And other scars on her back and the insides of her thighs that she never offered up an explanation for. The truth was that Milton found her a bit intimidating.

So when she fell apart in his arms Milton had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do. In an instant she transformed from someone that hadn't been afraid to catch the large snake that had somehow found it's way inside their bathroom to a fragile creature that needed him to protect her from the horrors of the world. He hadn't been given the details of what happened but Milton knew that some men had taken a few of the younger members of the group captive and hurt them. Hex had gone after them with the people that Milton considered to be the enforcers of the place. And Hex had killed one of the men. Shot him dead with her gun and then stuck her knife in his face to make sure he wouldn't turn.

Milton waited up in the kitchen for her to come back. He was suprised by how worried he was about her. And by how kind and comforting the other members of the group were towards him. Katie's grandmother even hugged him. But nothing had shocked him more than Hex's behavior when she finally got back. As soon as she saw him her face crumpled up and she rushed at him, clinging to the back of his shirt and sobbing into his neck. Milton had no idea what to say so he just held her until she calmed down. Then he led her over to the table and sat her down in a chair. He offered to make her some tea. Even as the words came out of his mouth he felt like the lamest man alive. But she had looked up at him with so much gratitude, like he had offered to lasso the moon for her.

Later on that night they went home together. Hex suprised him again when she led him to the bedroom they shared and immediately began pulling at his clothes. Milton had been under the impression that most women didn't like having sex when they were angry or upset. That said he wasn't going to object. If she wanted him, which she usually did almost every night unless her shoulders were hurting her, he was more than happy to oblige her. Because despite all their differences he found her more sexually desirable than any women he had ever laid his hands on. She was sexually uninhibited. Not that Milton had any odd demands. He just wanted to look at her. And she was more than happy to leave the light on so he could do just that. Or spread her legs for him to reveal the glistening pink folds of her opening. She even had a few flimsy lacy underthings that she would put on just so he could peel them off her. He didn't even know women actually wore things like that outside of porno videos.

The morning came and Milton woke up pleased to find that Hex was actually still in bed with him and not already down at the barn as was her habit. He didn't bother to reach for his glasses. Instead he snuggled closer to the naked woman beside him, enjoying the smell of her hair and the soft press of her backside against his hips. She rolled onto her back, shifting him on top of her. Her eyes weren't open yet but she had a soft sleepy smile on her face as she gently wiggled her hips into him, encouraging him not to waste his morning erection. Milton would normally have had reservations about penetrating a sleeping woman but he had woken up enough times to find Hex riding him like one of her horses that he figured consent between them was clearly implied. Sinking into her, he was rewarded with a satisfied moan as her eyes fluttered open.

"Good morning," she sighed, her hands sinking down under the covers to grab at his ass. Her legs spread wider and her hips shifted, allowing him to sink a little deeper inside her. No other words came out of her aside from soft mumbling sighs and moans. When they were finished Milton collapsed on the bed next to her.

"Breakfast?," she asked, her voice still soft and breathless. He groaned.

"Let's go back to sleep," Milton suggested, pulling her closer to him and yanking the covers up over both of them. Normally Hex was an early riser, more eager than anyone he had ever seen to get up and get moving in the morning. So he was suprised when she sighed and nestled into the crook of his arm instead of tossing the covers off and thrusting his glasses at him.

Just as Milton was drifting back to sleep someone began pounding on their door. And not the door to the cabin. Their bedroom door. Milton groaned. Not only did someone always want Hex for something, they were always very demanding about it. Many times he had wished for his old life. The one were he made enough money that Hex wouldn't have had to work. But he often reminded himself that he never would have met the woman if he was still living his old life.

"Go away!," Hex hollered at the door. She snaked her hand under the covers and let it roam over the soft line of blonde hair on his stomach as she whispered to him that she didn't give a flying fuck if every single horse in that barn got out. The contact on Milton's sensitve skin along with her teasing words made him laugh. He muffled the noise in her hair and pulled the covers up tighter over them both. But whoever was on the other side of the door was having none of their games.

Another loud knock was followed by the door being swung open, the knob banging against the wall behind it. Hex peeked out to see who it was. Roberta was standing in the doorway with one hand resting on her ample hips. Hex dove back under the covers.

"Go away," she repeated. Roberta laughed.

"Sorry," she told the couple, "Merle needs you up at the main house."

"What the hell does that fucking pirate need me for?," Hex groused. She took orders from Katie. Not her one handed foul mouth pain in the ass boyfriend. In her opinion that guy was still new around here and had been overstepping his bounds for some time now. Hex knew Katie's sister agreed with her but since the man hadn't actually done anything wrong it was hard to think up a valid reason to complain about him. And unlike Mandy, Hex cared too much about Katie's feelings to make a stink about what really amounted to nothing.

Milton had already been laughing from the ticklish way she was touching him but when Hex referred to Merle as a fucking pirate he really let go. Roberta waited for him to get his laughter under control before she pointed at him.

"Not you," Roberta explained. She pointed at Milton, "He needs you."