Chapter 10 Who's the redneck?

"Why you letting her stay?"

"Not now Daryl."

"What the hell Rick? She ain't gonna do nothing but bring hell down on us and ruin what little good we've got! Is that what you want?"

Lucy stood at the window watching Rick and the man named Daryl fight in front of her newly appointed house. Michonne moved next to her and gently touched her shoulder. "Don't worry about it Lucy. He'll come around."

"I don't want anyone fighting over me. I don't want anyone upset over me."

"No one is upset. Daryl's just being a dick."

"Who is this redneck anyway? I only remember seeing him one other time."

"Are you really calling him a redneck?" Michonne asked slightly offended.

"I have a feeling he would take it as a compliment not a derogatory term. Besides the rednecks were the only ones really prepared for the shit to hit the fan."

Michonne twisted her nose up but didn't say anything else.

The fight raged on for several more minutes before Daryl finally stormed off and Rick threw his hands up in the air before climbing the stairs to the front porch and walking in the door.

"So what's the verdict?" Lucy asked Rick with a smirk.

"He wants you gone," Rick said with a sigh. "He thinks that what little bit of ground we've made with Negan will end once he finds you here."

"You've made ground with him?" Lucy asked comically. "I was under the impression that you tried to kill him and the only reason you guys aren't dead is because of a damn tiger."

Rick snorted. "It just means that we've come to a mutual agreement. Negan doesn't mess with us and we don't mess with him. Of course, given the opportunity either one of us would kill each other and not bat an eye."

"So it's not a truce, but a cease fire until one of you gets the upper hand."

Rick nodded. "Which we want you to help us with Lucy."

Lucy nodded. "So he's mad because I won't tell you what I know about the Sanctuary."

Rick nodded again. "That and some other things."

Lucy frowned. "Does he know about the people from the Sanctuary? Does he know about Thomas?"

Ricks lips became a thin line. "No, and I wasn't planning on telling him until it became necessary."

Lucy nodded, but didn't speak again.

Daryl was crouched down next to his motorcycle when Lucy approached him. "Can we talk?" she asked.

"What the hell we got to talk about?"

"Daryl, it is Daryl right?"

Daryl grunted at her but didn't speak.

"I know you don't like me being here and that you think I should have told Rick what I know about Negan a long time ago."

Daryl stood from his squatted position and wiped the wrench he was working with off on his blue jeans. "What the fuck do you know about what I think lady?"

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not a bad person."

Daryl chuckled. "Yeah you are. Anyone who has lived this long is a bad person."

"Including you?"

"Yeah."

Lucy swallowed hard. "It's a big place, the Sanctuary I mean. I… I didn't get to see much of it because I stayed in our room. He only took me outside two or three times and most of the time I had an escort."

Daryl didn't say anything so she kept talking. "It's like a grain factory or something. Only one way in now because they sealed off the other entrances. There are… walkers… mounted to the fence and in the yard around the building."

Daryl suddenly threw the wrench he had been holding at the wall of a nearby house where it hit with a loud thud and clattered to the ground. "You don't think I know that you dumb bitch!"

Lucy stepped back from him, suddenly nervous about being around him. "You don't think I know about the walkers and the yard!" he screamed at her. "While you were shacked up in a nice clean apartment fucking Negan I was locked in a dark closet eating dog food and wrangling walkers!"

"What is your problem?" Lucy shouted at him suddenly angry and finding her gumption. "What the hell have I done to you?"

"You are such a dumb bitch," Daryl said before spitting on the ground. "You don't think he's a monster."

Lucy gasped. "Wh… why would you say that?"

"Because I see you lady. I see how you day dream about him and how when his name is mentioned you shy away from the ugly truth about what he is and how he uses and abuses people."

Lucy's mouth flopped open to respond but Daryl cut her off. "You bought the act. You bought into the trick and let him pull the wool over your eyes. I know you think we are just as bad as he is, but I promise you we ain't. We are family. All of us, except you. You are the intruder. The trespasser who needs to get as far away from here as possible."

"Why?" she whispered.

"Because when the time comes to kill him," Daryl whispered back. "You are going to try and stop us and get yourself killed in the process."

Lucy swallowed. "I… I know what kind of monster he is Daryl. I know he's not a good man."

Daryl looked up at her and glared. "Then why the fuck are you day dreaming about him."

"I don't…"

"Oh hell Lucy! I see it! I see it in your eyes that you dream about some picture perfect life with him that just ain't real. Get your shit together girl and get over him. Better yet get your shit together and get out of here. We've lost too much to him and when you go back to him, it's going to hurt so much more."

Lucy bit her cheek to keep the tears from flowing. She didn't know why in the hell she was so emotional lately, but she had to get away from him because he wasn't going to see her cry.

Back in her little house Lucy leaned against the door frame and grimaced. Was she really romanticizing the man that Negan was? "Yes," she whispered into the empty house.

"Did she like the apples?" she heard the guy with the scarred face say.

"Sh… she didn't want to ta… take them at first. She… she asked me to play cards wi… with her. She's lonely," she heard Thomas reply.

"He won't like that one bit," the scar face replied. "What did you tell her?"

"Tha… that I nee… need to ask Negan first."

"Did you call him Negan?" scar face said in a hissing voice that was obviously filled with anger.

"N… No, Dwight."

"Good, we have to be careful. At least until he's ready to tell her the truth."

She heard scar face sigh and Thomas coughed. "Sh… she's lo… lonely," Thomas said. "Sh… she nee… needs a friend."

"I'll ask him ok. I don't know if he'll care or not but I'm not taking any chances."

"Wh… where is he?"

"His place. Some of the wives were getting pissy because he hasn't been paying them attention," Dwight said with a cough. "Not a problem I would wish on my worst enemy."

"Is… is h… he going to te… tell her?"

Dwight laughed. "Not now. Don't know if he will or not eventually, but I think he's trying to get her in so deep she can't leave when she finds out who he really is."

Tears filled Lucy's eyes as she sprinted back to their little apartment. She made it inside and to the little bathroom before she vomited in the toilet. She had the wherewithal to close and lock the bathroom door before she lay down on the cool tile of the bathroom floor. "Rule number one," she murmured against the tile. "Do not trust anyone. Of all the rules this one is the most important."

"It's hard to pretend when it's staring you in the face," she whispered into the darkening room.