❛ Here we come reach for your gun and you better listen well, my friend, you see. It's been slowed down below aimed at you, we're the cowboys from hell. ❜

SEASON 4, EPISODE 13 & 15
alone & us

━━━━━━ October 20, 2011

HOURS SLIPPED INTO A BLUR blur as Cal and Daryl sat on the hot concrete and moped. Beth had slipped from their fingertips in seconds, just taken from them when they thought they could escape. Many ifs ran rampant in Cal's mind, wondering how they could've avoided it. If he hadn't gotten upset with them. If Daryl hadn't opened the door. If he asked Beth to wait for him. If, if, if, if, IF, IF, IF, IF!

⠀⠀⠀A group of men exited the trees and noticed them. Cal could hear them a mile away. They walked over, shouting over one another and loud laughter. Cal noticed Daryl's fingers twitch, telling him to stay where he was.

⠀⠀⠀"Well, lookit here," one man, the leader, spoke up as he stood before Daryl.

⠀⠀⠀He bent down, and Daryl punched him across the face and readied his crossbow. The men pulled out their guns, half on Daryl and the other on Cal. Cal stayed where he was and raised his hands slowly.

⠀⠀⠀"Damn it, hold up!" the leader shouted.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm claimin' the vest," one behind him said. "I like them wings."

⠀⠀⠀"I'm claimin' the jacket. Looks warm," another said with a sadistic chuckle.

⠀⠀⠀Cal's shoulders tensed. He was not about to give up his jean jacket to these jackasses. He glanced at the guns pointed at him. Maybe he would if it came between him and his life.

⠀⠀⠀"Hold up," the leader snapped. He raised his hand to his nose and pulled back to see the blood. He laughed, a bit manically, and stood. "A bowman. I respect that. See, a man with a rifle he could've been some kinda photographer or soccer coach back in the day. But a bowman's a bowman through and through. What you got there, 150-pound draw weight. I'll be donkey-licked if that don't fire at least 300 feet per second. I've been looking for a weapon like that. Of course, I'd want one with a bit more ammo and minus the oblongata stains."

⠀⠀⠀The group laughed, and the man behind Cal asked, "Get yourselves into some trouble, partner?"

⠀⠀⠀The leader grinned in a way Cal hated. It was kind with a malice behind his eyes. He recognized it. Oh, did he recognize it. That smile that seemed specially reserved for the Governor and his cruel kindness. But no. Another out in the wild claimed it, and he found Cal again.

⠀⠀⠀"You pull that trigger, these boys are gonna drop you and your friend several times over," the leader said, raising a brow. "That what you want? Come on, fella, suicide is stupid. Why hurt yourself when you can hurt other people? Name's Joe."

⠀⠀⠀Daryl put the crossbow at his side. "Daryl."

⠀⠀⠀The others put their guns down as well.

⠀⠀⠀"And your friend?" Joe asked, eyes turning to him with that familiar look. Cal had come to some cruel fate where he lost Bianca and found someone bare-bones evil again.

⠀⠀⠀"Cal," he hissed.

CAL AND DARYL SPENT the night with their new 'friends' from the crossroads. The look in Joe's eyes haunted Cal to the point he couldn't sleep. Cal was sure that in the middle of the night, one of his men would crawl over and stab him in the throat. His eyes stayed wide open, watching the bodies stay still, and he held his knife in a vice-like grip under his jacket. When dawn broke, Daryl stirred, greeted Cal, and slipped off into the woods to hunt.

⠀⠀⠀A biter passed through the woods an hour later. Despite all the traps they'd set up, Cal hoped it'd find a way to get through and kill one of them. Maybe all of them! Cal watched as it crept closer until barbed wire caught its mouth and stopped it from getting closer. Cal cursed that his wish wasn't granted.

⠀⠀⠀The campsite was awake in seconds as the snarling grew louder, and the rattling of cans broke the stale air. One man claimed the walker and lodged his gun up into the walker's throat and through its brain, killing it. Then, he zipped his pants down to piss on it.

⠀⠀⠀"Looks like that Robin Hood cat cut out on us after all. I didn't think he had the sack to go out on his own."

⠀⠀⠀"He don't. His friend's here," Len pointed out. Cal smiled faintly and waved at them. "Dude also left his stuff here. Probably just stepped out to drop a morning deuce."

DARYL BRIEFLY EXPLAINED TO Cal what happened with his rabbit that morning. They were supposed to claim things if they wanted it. What they ate, where they slept, anything. Daryl scoffed at the rule and said he wouldn't be doing that.

⠀⠀⠀Then, the group moved on. Daryl and Cal walked behind the tumor as they started down a set of tracks. Joe waited behind to walk up beside the newbies with a fresh smile.

⠀⠀⠀"So, what's the plan, Daryl?" Joe asked Daryl.

⠀⠀⠀"How so?" Daryl gruffly asked.

⠀⠀⠀"You're with us now, but you ain't soon?" Joe suspected.

⠀⠀⠀"Yep."

⠀⠀⠀"So, what's the plan?"

⠀⠀⠀"Just, uh, lookin' for the right place is all," Daryl explained, unwilling to give much away.

⠀⠀⠀Cal was relieved to hear him say it. They hadn't had much space to talk, and Cal wasn't sure of his feelings. Daryl had good instincts but wasn't exposed to the Governor as much as Cal was. He worried that maybe Daryl didn't see past what Joe was.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, we ain't good enough for you, huh?" Joe teased.

⠀⠀⠀"Some of you ain't exactly friendly," Daryl muttered.

⠀⠀⠀"You ain't so friendly yourself. You know you need a group out here."

⠀⠀⠀"Maybe I don't."

⠀⠀⠀"Maybe. But what about your friend," Joe said, smiling at Cal. He raised his brows as if saying Cal couldn't handle it without a big group to protect him. Cal scowled. "You should be with us."

⠀⠀⠀A walker appeared a few feet ahead of them.

⠀⠀⠀"People don't gotta be friendly," Joe pressed, unbothered. "We don't have to be nice. We don't have to be brothers in arms."

⠀⠀⠀The biter went toward Tony, who pushed it back with his gun into the arms of Len while Earl stabbed it through the head.

⠀⠀⠀"Just gotta follow the rules. You claim. If you steal, you keel. I know that sounds a little funny, but nobody laughs when something goes missin'. And you don't lie. 'Cause that's a slippery slope indeed."

⠀⠀⠀"What happens if you break 'em?" Daryl asked, glancing at Cal with a twinge of worry.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, you catch a beatin'," Joe said with a shrug. "The severity of which depends upon the offense and the general attitude of the day. But that don't happen much 'cause when men like us follow rules and corporate a little bit, well, the world becomes ours."

⠀⠀⠀Cal didn't like how he said that. 'Men like us.' As if he knew him and Daryl at a deep enough level to know they were one and the same. Cal knew he was nothing like Joe, and Daryl had grown away from being that kind of man. However, it seemed like they were sticking around until they found out.

⠀⠀⠀Joe whistled, calling attention to himself, then pointed to a rusted building they were passing.

⠀⠀⠀"Right there. It's our abode for the evenin'."

⠀⠀⠀"Hey. There ain't no use," Daryl stated, clearly bothered by Joe's claim.

⠀⠀⠀"You leavin' right now?" Joe asked, glaring at Daryl as he waited for a response. "No? Then it sure seems like there's an us." He started walking away before he paused and turned back to him. "You a cat person, Daryl? I am. Loved 'em since I was three years old. Vicious creatures. Anyway, I'll tell you, and this is true, ain't nothin' sadder than an outdoor cat that thinks he's an indoor cat."

⠀⠀⠀Joe shrugged and then walked away. Cal and Daryl stood on the tracks until Joe was out of earshot.

⠀⠀⠀"We can leave," Cal said urgently. He pressed his hand into Daryl's shoulder, ready to shake him to see reason. "We can make a run for it. Never look back."

⠀⠀⠀"Nah. We should stay with them. It's safer for now," Daryl muttered.

⠀⠀⠀"We're never gonna find Beth or Bianca if we stick with these jackasses," Cal seethed.

⠀⠀⠀"It's safe here," Daryl snapped at him. "I'm keepin' us both safe. Trust me."

⠀⠀⠀Cal clenched his jaw but nodded.

⠀⠀⠀"I trust you."

⠀⠀⠀They walked into the building with the rest of the group. They took a minute to clear the building for any biters but came up empty.

⠀⠀⠀"They ain't here," Tony said. Cal glanced at him, confused by the phrasing, but didn't question it. He didn't want to know, anyway. "Nobody's been here for a while. Whoever was, they got all the gas."

⠀⠀⠀"That doesn't matter. We're gettin' closer. I can feel it," Joe said with a thin smile.

⠀⠀⠀Daryl walked to a car, but someone else beat him to it, claiming it. Cal tried another but was short of touching it before someone else claimed it. Every car was claimed until all that was left was the floor. At least no one could claim that.

CAL DIDN'T MEAN TO fall asleep. He was going to stay up until they ditched this group and pass out once they found real security. However, he was out after running for miles and not getting a wink the previous night. When he woke up, he'd jumped awake from Len, shouting at Daryl. It was still daylight, so he hadn't been asleep for long.

⠀⠀⠀"My half was in the bag. Now it's gone!" Len pointed at Daryl, scowling. Cal glanced at him in confusion, and Daryl raised his hand to signal Len to stay back. "Now ain't nobody around here interested in no half a damn cottontail except you. Ain't that right?"

⠀⠀⠀"You're the only one still thinkin' about that crap!" Daryl snapped at him, standing to his feet. Cal followed his lead.

⠀⠀⠀"Empty your bag."

⠀⠀⠀"I said step back."

⠀⠀⠀Joe moseyed on over to them and glanced between the three.

⠀⠀⠀"Did you take his rabbit, Daryl? Just tell me the truth," Joe asked. Nothing was accusing in his tone but something else. A secret hung between them like he knew something they didn't.

⠀⠀⠀"I didn't take nothin'."

⠀⠀⠀"It could've been the boy, too," Len said, pointing exaggeratedly at Cal. "Sent over so Daryl wasn't really lyin'."

⠀⠀⠀Joe sighed, tired of this argument already, and asked Cal, "You?"

⠀⠀⠀"No, sir."

⠀⠀⠀"Sir, huh?" Joe laughed. He grabbed Daryl's bag and dumped the contents between them. There was Daryl's leather jacket, some small knick knacks he'd picked up, and finally, the top half of the rabbit. "Well, look at that."

⠀⠀⠀"You put that there, didn't you? When I went out to take a piss," Daryl snarled, throwing his hands out to his side.

⠀⠀⠀"You lied. Didn't you? One of you. You lied. You stole. We gonna teach these fools or what, Joe?" Len asked, practically demanding his leader.

⠀⠀⠀"Whoa, whoa. Now, Daryl and Cal say they didn't take your half of the rabbit. So we got a little conundrum here. Either he's lyin', which is an actionable offense, or..." Joe said, slowly turning to Len with a dry laugh. "Or you didn't plant it on him like some pussy, punk-ass, cheatin', coward, cop, did you? 'Cause while that would be specifically breakin' the rules, it'd be disappointing."

⠀⠀⠀Len glared at Joe and spat, "It would."

⠀⠀⠀"Mm-hmm."

⠀⠀⠀"I didn't."

⠀⠀⠀"Good. Well..." Joe smiled thinly as he shrugged his shoulders at Cal and Daryl. Cal was sure Joe would turn on them immediately. Then, Joe curled his fist and slammed it into Len's stomach. Len fell to the ground with a groan. "Teach him a lesson, gents. He's a lyin' sack of shit. I'm sick of it. Teach him all the way."

⠀⠀⠀The men swarmed on Len like vultures to roadkill. Cal's eyes widened. Joe was right, they weren't friends or brothers. They would turn on each other with a snap of their fingers and never think of those they killed again unless it was for a good laugh.

⠀⠀⠀Joe walked over to Daryl and Cal. He said, "I saw him do it."

⠀⠀⠀"Why didn't you try to stop him?" Daryl asked.

⠀⠀⠀"He wanted to play that out. I let him. You told the truth. Both of you. He lied. You understand the rules. He doesn't." Joe leaned down with a groan and picked up the rabbit's head. "Looks like you get the head, too," he said, tossing it to Daryl.

THEY LEFT THE RUSTED building in the early morning, but Cal was up a few hours before that. He'd watched them drag Len's body outside before settling back to sleep. The sun rose, and Daryl woke up with the rest. He glanced at Cal and then at the blood-stained floors. They needed to be more careful.

⠀⠀⠀Outside, Daryl found Len's body on the front steps. His face was bruised, and an arrow was shot clean through the head. Daryl found a sheet and played with the idea of covering Len but abandoned it, and the two moved on.

⠀⠀⠀The group walked for hours. Cal's legs were still sore from their night of running after Beth, but he pushed onwards. Joe always kept close. It felt like he was closing in on them, keeping them trapped so they couldn't talk. Cal was growing anxious at this. He wanted to leave, but Daryl kept leading them with the group even after they showed what shitty people they were. How unsafe they actually were. Cal trusted Daryl, but Daryl needed to trust him, too.

⠀⠀⠀It didn't help that Joe seemed to find companionship in Daryl. He saw some of himself in the hunter, unlike the other men he was surrounded by. Like how he spoke of Daryl's crossbow, concluding he didn't have some 'unmanly' job before the turn.

⠀⠀⠀They entered a field when Joe offered Daryl a sip from his flask.

⠀⠀⠀"White Lightnin'. Easiest thing to make with the least amount of supplies. I'd start slow if I was you. Your stomach's probably emptier than you think," Joe warned, but Daryl took a mouthful. He tried to hand it over to Cal, but he declined. He still felt tipsy from the other night.

⠀⠀⠀"Mm, I ain't been lit at dawn since before everything fell apart," Daryl said.

⠀⠀⠀"Fell apart," Joe mused. "I never looked at it that way. Seems to me like things are finally startin' to fall together. At least for guys like us. Livin' like this, survivin'. We've been doin' this from the start, right?"

⠀⠀⠀"No," Cal said. He didn't know why. He just felt like he had to say it. He needed to distance himself from this man. "I was just in college, man."

⠀⠀⠀"Well, maybe not just like us," Joe said with a laugh, a knowing smile coming to the edges of his lips. "But you get it. You've got some demons in your closet you don't like to share. Mommy didn't love you, daddy hit you, girlfriend used you. Somethin' along those lines where you get this," Joe explained, dragging out his words for dramatic effect.

⠀⠀⠀Cal clammed up. His eyes darted away. Joe was the group's leader for a reason. He knew people and how to pick them apart. It wasn't just a guess, he understood them in a way others couldn't. He'd seen the worst of humanity and used that to find correlations in others. He deduced Daryl wasn't some man doing a nine-to-five just off his crossbow. He figured out Cal by his skittishness and his reliance on Daryl.

⠀⠀⠀"Gettin' closer," one of the men called ahead as the three approached the tracks.

⠀⠀⠀Daryl and Cal picked up their pace to take a look at the sign. It read: SANCTUARY FOR ALL. COMMUNITY FOR ALL. THOSE WHO ARRIVE, SURVIVE.

⠀⠀⠀Cal couldn't help it. He smiled, and a small laugh escaped him. If Bianca had seen this, that would be where she was headed. Even if she didn't believe what it said, she might head in that direction, assuming Cal could've seen it.

⠀⠀⠀"You seen this before?" Daryl asked Joe.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, yeah," Joe said, and Cal realized there were more signs around. The chances were even sweeter, and hope swelled in his chest. "I'll tell you what it is. It's a lie. Ain't no sanctuary for all. Ain't gonna welcome guys like you and me with open arms."

⠀⠀⠀Joe walked away from them, their first moment of seclusion, as the others continued down the tracks. Cal hit Daryl on the chest and smiled.

⠀⠀⠀"Don't listen to Joe. That's where Bianca's headed," Cal said, giddiness filling his voice as he smiled.

⠀⠀⠀"How d'you know?" Daryl asked, his frown unmoving.

⠀⠀⠀"If she saw one of these signs, she'd've gone there thinkin' we'd seen 'em, too," Cal explained.

⠀⠀⠀Daryl scoffed and followed the group. Cal threw his hands out and jogged to catch up.

⠀⠀⠀"C'mon. You can't stop hopin', Daryl," Cal claimed.

⠀⠀⠀"That's what got Beth taken," Daryl muttered, his brows furrowing. He signaled their conversation was over when he caught up with Joe. "So, is that where we're headed?" he asked and glanced back at Cal.

⠀⠀⠀"So now you're askin'?"

⠀⠀⠀"That's right."

⠀⠀⠀"We were in a house mindin' our own business, and this walkin' piece of fecal matter and his side piece was hidin' in the home. Strangled our colleague Lou and left him to turn. Lou came at all of us. They lit out. We tracked 'em to these tracks, one of those signs, and thus, we've got a destination in mind."

⠀⠀⠀"You see their faces?" Daryl asked.

⠀⠀⠀"Only Tony. That's enough for a reckoning."

⠀⠀⠀Tony stopped on the side of the tracks and looked down at something. Daryl found his gaze and said, "Claimed." He bent down to pick up a strawberry growing in the weeds and pulled it up by the roots. Cal smiled to himself, knowing that he'd find Bianca again.

AUTHOR'S NOTE —

Daryl is now protective of Cal and just trying to keep him safe... Daryl's just so traumatized and doesn't want to get his hopes up for Bianca or Beth after what happened to Sophia. Cal doesn't get it since he never went through that with them. 

SONG: Cowboys From Hell by Pantera

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.