❛ Oh, I'm just a girl, living in captivity. Your rule of thumb makes me worrisome. Oh, I'm just a girl, what's my destiny? What I've succumbed to is making me numb. ❜

SEASON 4, EPISODE 11
claimed

━━━━━━ October 18, 2011

THEY WEREN'T QUIET. THEIR vulgar shouts could be heard a block down the road. When they arrived at the front door, they jiggled the knob with the force of a hundred men. Their loud nature was the only reason Bianca knew they were coming. She moved from the couch and fell to the floor when she sensed eyes peering in. They ditched the front door but circled the house to use the back. Bianca picked up her signs of life and flew up the stairs before they walked in.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca hovered over Rick as he slept. He looked peaceful and like he needed to sleep. She almost didn't want to wake him. Then the men laughed, and she remembered they needed to move. Bianca pressed her hands firmly against Rick's shoulder and shook him violently.

⠀⠀⠀"Rick. Rick," she hissed, fearful the men would hear her.

⠀⠀⠀Rick didn't wake up. Hardly even stirred. For a moment, Bianca worried he might be dead. Then, Rick's eyes moved underneath his lids, and his chest rose up and down.

⠀⠀⠀"You're a lyin' coward. That's all you'll ever be," one man shouted to the other. It was loud enough that every inch of the house could hear him.

⠀⠀⠀Except Rick, who slept like a dead man.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca took the book out of Rick's hand and dragged him off the bed without much other choice and nowhere else to run. His weight slowed her down. The men downstairs continued to argue—now pissed at each other—but Bianca ignored it.

⠀⠀⠀A sweat broke across her brow, and she wondered if Rick had an Adamantium skeleton like Wolverine. Her muscles tightened, and she removed Rick's upper half off the bed and only had to get his legs down. She worried that the thud of his feet against the hardwood would alert the men of their presence.

⠀⠀⠀Then, a scream burst from one of them, followed by raucous laughter. Rick ripped himself out of Bianca's grasp, startled awake. He nearly took her out as his body tensed, and he hit the floor. The men were so consumed with themselves that they didn't notice.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca could see Rick about to demand what was happening, but then he recognized her and held his tongue. It was smart as a pair of footsteps started to climb the stairs.

⠀⠀⠀"Y'all stay down there if you want," one of the men called to the others.

⠀⠀⠀Rick pointed under the bed, and Bianca scrambled down. Rick followed. He paused for a second before he wrenched himself back out to grab the book and water bottle.

⠀⠀⠀As the man walked the hall, they lay on the floor, tense and heavy breathing. He returned to the room they hid in and decided that this was the one he wanted. Bianca could see him from the waist down—jeans, boots, and a gun at his side.

⠀⠀⠀He paused at the foot of the bed. Fear rose in her that he might check underneath. Her hands shook, and she wanted to hold her breath. She knew it would eventually make her louder. The boots pointed away from them. He kicked a shirt out of his way and opened the closet. There was nothing inside, but his precaution made the worry grow.

⠀⠀⠀Rick moved beside her, and Bianca darted her eyes towards him. He was on her left, which probably wasn't the best layout for them. She didn't understand why he was risking it until she saw him pull out his watch and turned it off.

⠀⠀⠀The boots returned to the edge of the bed, close enough that Bianca could see the fresh coat of blood shine. The man wasn't worried enough to check under the bed. If there were any walkers in the room, it's not someplace they'd hide.

⠀⠀⠀Instead, the man flopped onto the mattress, making the springs squeak and lower toward the ground. Bianca moved with the bed as she felt like she was suffocating. The man sighed while Bianca and Rick stayed silent even after he started to snore.

NOT LONG AFTER THE fell asleep, Rick tried to escape. He pushed himself toward the side of the bed and was halfway out before their time ran out. A set of footsteps climbed the stairs and forced Rick back into hiding.

⠀⠀⠀"Yo," the new man greeted. He wore a pair of cargo pants and leather boots. He didn't have a gun strapped to his hip, but that didn't mean he was unarmed. His heels clicked against the wood floor as he stood at the door. "Comfy?"

⠀⠀⠀"You wakin' me up to see if I'm comfortable?" the man on the bed asked, annoyed.

⠀⠀⠀"I wanna lie down."

⠀⠀⠀"Two other bedrooms up here to choose."

⠀⠀⠀"Them's kid's beds," the man at the door said. He walked further into the room until he stood beside Rick. "I want this one."

⠀⠀⠀"It's claimed."

⠀⠀⠀"I didn't hear it. You gonna have to lay claim somewhere else."

⠀⠀⠀The two started to scuffle. Punches landed, and Rick raised his hand to tell Bianca to stay where she was before fight or flight kicked in. She did as he said but feared what may come of it.

⠀⠀⠀The man on the bed now lay on the floor. A punch landed on the side of his face, turning his eyes to them. He called out to the man choking him, but it was useless. The air in his lungs was choked out, and he was dying in front of them as they watched.

⠀⠀⠀"My bed now, jackoff," the man from the door claimed.

⠀⠀⠀He took the bed, and the mattress sunk on top of them again. His foot hung over the side of the bed. Bianca and Rick both took a second to stare as it impeded their one way of escape as the knocked-out guy blocked their path straight out.

BIANCA TRIED TO ESCAPE first this time. Her skinnier frame made it through the thin hole between the bed frame and the man's leg, trapping them in. When she was up, she walked quickly but silently across the hardwood and waited at the door.

⠀⠀⠀Rick moved next. His side hit the man's foot, and he cringed in anticipation. Thankfully, the man was dead asleep, so Rick kept moving. He made it out and stood behind Bianca as they waited a second to listen.

⠀⠀⠀"Tony, Len, get your asses down here," a man downstairs shouted. A ball bounced against the wall as he ambled up the stairs. Before he noticed, Bianca and Rick had just enough time to slip into the hallway and back into a kid's room. "Yo, you hear me?"

⠀⠀⠀The kids' rooms were attached by a sliding door, allowing the pair to move through one into the other. The man walked into the first room. Bianca and Rick backed up to press against the wall. The man in the other room casually strolled through, picking things up and letting them clatter back down. He stepped into the doorway of the room they occupied—just out of sight—and bounced his ball against the far wall before leaving.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca let out a sigh, surprised by their luck in this house.

⠀⠀⠀Rick pointed to the window, and they moved to open them. They'd rusted shut, and I couldn't force any of them open. Their luck dried up pretty quick. They paused as voices started shouting, echoing around the house.

⠀⠀⠀"Claim, claim, claim!"

⠀⠀⠀"Shut the hell up. I'm tryin' to sleep!"

⠀⠀⠀"There's a woman shackin' up in here!"

⠀⠀⠀"Say what?"

⠀⠀⠀"C'mon down."

⠀⠀⠀Rick noticed a trophy on the shelf and grabbed it. Bianca didn't see anything in her reach to use as a weapon, so she stayed half a foot behind Rick.

⠀⠀⠀"She hot?"

⠀⠀⠀"Don't grab your pecker just yet. She ain't here."

⠀⠀⠀Rick moved to the door but backed up when Len and Tony left the parent's bedroom.

⠀⠀⠀"What the hell are you hollerin' about?"

⠀⠀⠀"Found her shirt. Must have washed it this mornin'. Smells good."

⠀⠀⠀Rick held up his hand to signal 'wait' to Bianca. He moved around the door frame to check the stairs before quickly returning.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, you found a shirt? She could be miles away by now."

⠀⠀⠀"Why'd she go to all the trouble of washin' a shirt when she's just gonna ditch it? She'll be back."

⠀⠀⠀"I call first when she gets here."

⠀⠀⠀"Who knows who else she got with her. We need to be ready for anythin'. Len, take the side room."

⠀⠀⠀"Hold on, let me get a gun."

⠀⠀⠀Bianca and Rick left the kids' room and headed back toward the parents. They nearly made it to the gun on the bed just as Len headed upstairs.

⠀⠀⠀"I'll watch the front door. You've got the other side room."

⠀⠀⠀They retreated back through the hallway and into the bathroom at the end.

⠀⠀⠀"I thought Tony got that."

⠀⠀⠀"Where the hell is Tony? Tony!"

⠀⠀⠀"Get him the hell up."

⠀⠀⠀Rick shut the door as Len walked into the hall. Bianca glanced to her side and noticed a man on the toilet staring up at him. She jumped into Rick, startled. Rick turned and immediately jabbed the trophy into the man's stomach. They scrapped silently while Bianca pressed herself into a corner. Rick wrapped a tie around the man's neck. Bianca's eyes pinned to a pair of scissors left on the sink and went for them just as the choking man did.

⠀⠀⠀Rick eyed her as she gripped them and pulled back to jam it into his skull.

⠀⠀⠀"No, no, no," he whispered firmly.

⠀⠀⠀Rick fell back with the man and tightened his grip around the tie until he stopped breathing. Rick took out his gun and held it at the door while Bianca went to the window. She could've cried with happiness as it opened.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca stepped through first and waited outside for Rick. She watched as he cracked the bathroom door before heading over. He handed her his jacket and gun before he stepped out beside her. He returned his gun and placed it on the strap over his shoulder before putting on his coat.

⠀⠀⠀They walked to the edge of the roof by the backdoor. Rick went first this time. The gutter creaked under his weight before he dropped and rolled. He waited for someone to run out screaming, but no one did. Bianca followed after him when he called 'clear.' She dropped to the ground, her legs splintering with pain.

⠀⠀⠀They circled the house and reached the front, where the door squeaked open. That dreaded ball hit against the floor, and the two waited just out of sight under the deck. The man stood at the edge spat three times on the ground before getting comfortable on the ledge and spitting again. He started to whistle as they waited.

⠀⠀⠀Around the corner of the house, Carl and Michonne returned, unaware of the danger. Rick steeled himself, his hand raised to the edge of the porch, ready to shoot, when a scream came from inside.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca realized Rick left the door to the bathroom open so the man on the toilet would turn and terrorize the others. It worked in their favor as they were covered to make their escape. Bianca and Rick sprinted across the lawn, ushering Carl and Michonne away from the house and back toward the road.

THE FOUR WALKED DOWN the train tracks silently as they took in the day. Bianca wasn't sure what Michonne and Carl had been through, but it seemed like they'd also had a rough go of it.

⠀⠀⠀A sign displaying the train schedule caught their attention. In big, black words was 'SANCTUARY FOR ALL. COMMUNITY FOR ALL. THOSE WHO ARRIVE, SURVIVE' with a map underneath. A bloom of hope sprouted in Bianca's chest.

⠀⠀⠀"What do you think?" Michonne asked Rick.

⠀⠀⠀"Let's go," he said, turning to the tracks. "Let's go."

AUTHOR'S NOTE —

:(

I just love all the pairings I have in these chapters to be honest. Bianca and Rick, Cal and Daryl, etc.

SONG: Just A Girl by No Doubt

Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you'd like, they keep me motivated! However, this is an all kind of reader safe space. So even if you ghost read or comment every chapter, I hope you know it means the world to me that you've come into this fic ♡ I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and until the next one.