FALLEN ANGELS.

chapter twelve, speak of the devil
and he shall come.
[ season three, episode ten ]

AS DALE HORVATH ONCE said, "there's nothing but time in this world, Dessa." He had been right. There's an endless ticking in her cell from Dale's watch. Days have passed since Rick sent Tyreese's group on their way. Odessa is given the time she needs to process the last week. She's spent time crying the tears she needed to cry. She's spent time walking deep within the tombs and took her anger out on any lingering walkers. Then she would return to the cell block covered in blood and Beth would help her wash off. She and Glenn have sat down and discussed ways they could kill Philip Blake.

Speaking of Philip Blake, his son and Michonne are still at the prison. With their trust somewhat gained, they're given the ability to leave their cell and roam freely.

Theo's spent a lot of time in the guard tower. He likes being able to see what's around him. It makes him feel safe and in control. Something he hasn't felt in a long time.

Theo and Michonne also spend a lot of their time together. They grown close, closer than they expected. They talked about Woodbury and the Governor, Andrea and Cole, if the group would keep them around.

And as for their leader. . . Rick continues to spiral further and further down this dark and twisted path. Odessa is beginning to fear he won't come back from it. Losing Lori destroyed him. It's making him angry, it's making him lose sight of everything he watched his daughter kill Shane for.

Beth. Beth is there while Odessa heals from her wounds, Beth is the first person she speaks to when she's finally able to, Beth is the one who holds her while she cries over what the Governor did to her. Beth is there. It's always Beth.

Odessa starts to take care of Judith, forming a bond with her. Her sister. Her baby sister. When Lori said she to be here, she didn't know her mother meant Odessa would quite literally be raising her.

As she walks through the yard, someone calls out, "hey!" She stopps and looks up to. Theo looking down at her from the guard tower he's made his own. "Where you goin'?"

"Nowhere," she replies. "What's it matter to you?"

"Just wondering cause your dad ran outta here like he was chasin' a damn ghost," he informs her before pointing at the water branch outside of the fence. "He's down there."

Odessa furrows her brows. She walks around the side of the watch tower, her eyes falling on her father. Theo is right. Her father stands down on the bridge over the branch, with his arm up like he's touching someone's face. Michonne stands down by the gate, watching Rick as well.

Concern takes over Odessa's features. "What the hell is he doing?" She whispers to herself.

"So what happened to make him like this?" He asks her.

She looks up at Theo, squinting her eyes to block out the beaming Georgia sun. "You're one nosy bastard, you know? Just cause you got a fucked up dad doesn't mean I do."

Theo tuts. "He seems pretty fucked up to me."

The two of them both look back out at Rick.

"We all are," Odessa shrugs before looking back up at Theo, "talk about my dad again and I'll spoon out your eyes, got that?"

"Mention mine again and I'll knife you to death in your sleep," Theo says immediately, not missing a single beat.

The two teenagers can't help but grin. Odessa stifles a laugh and it comes out as a sort of snort causing Theo to burst into laughter. Odessa starts to laugh too. It's a good laugh. A moment of happiness in their horror.

Once the two are done with their laughing fit, they turn their attention back to Rick. Odessa's eyes flicker when she sees movement. Hershel is crunching his way down the gravel path to the fence beside the branch.

"Hershel," Theo starts again, "he was bit?"

"Yeah," Odessa says softly, her eyes locked on the old man. "It wasn't a good day."

"I'd imagine not," Theo huffs. "My mom died. Right at the start. I was holding her hand and my sister's. Then the biters ripped her right from me. Watched as they tore her apart."

Odessa looks down at her feet as Theo continues to share his story with her. "Dad turned mean after that. He didn't start. . . hitting me yet. But when Penny died— after my sister died that's when it started. When I was playing with Penny outside the walls, she convinced me to sneak out. So we did. It was just us and the biter came out of nowhere. Tore into her neck. I screamed. I ran back into Woodbury and told my dad. He hit me for the first time then he went hunting for her. Brought back her reanimated corpse and chained her up in a closet."

"Jesus," Odessa mumbles because, what the fuck? This boy has been through hell and back. His mother ripped right from his arms. His sister bitten right in front of him. Beat by his dad an innumerable amount of times.

"Your mom—"

"Yeah, she's gone, too," Odessa cute him off before he can continue. "She died during childbirth." That's where she leaves it. She doesn't want to talk about her mother. Not now, not yet. Maybe not ever. She's still grieving the mother she once had.

Odessa glances over her shoulder to where Carol and Axel are talking in the courtyard. A short distance away Beth and Carl stand talking.

"This place and these people," Theo tells her. "It's a good thing y'all got going on."

All is well in the prison until the first shot is fired.

Odessa gasps as Axel's blood sprays across Carol's face. As the blood trickles from his head where he just took a bullet. His body falls onto Carol, taking her to the ground.

Odessa yelps when a bullet lands at her feet. She slams her back against the wall of the watch tower. "Where's it coming from!?" She screams up at Theo.

Though her mind is racing. Is Carl okay? Us Beth okay? What about her dad who's outside of the fence or Hershel who's on one leg and crutches? Axel is dead.

She pulls out her pistol and uselessly fires at the men beyond the fence. The bullets doesn't even reach them. Theo on the other hand jas an automatic rifle. He lines the sights directly on his father's head. For a moment, he sees his daddy. Not his father. He sees the man who taught him how to throw a football, who taught him how to be a man. And he hesitates.

His hesitation is why the bullet tears through his stomach.

Odessa can hear the thump and the cry of pain from below. Horror grabs her heart. "Theo!?" She calls out. Nothing. Without hesitation, she races around the side of the watch tower and throws the door open. She climbs the ladder and as soon as her head is through the trapdoor, her eyes widen in horror.

She doesn't understand why there's so much blood.

She finishes the rest of the climb. She doesn't even think about the gunfire as she grabs him beneath his armpits and pulls him inside the watch tower. She grabs the gun as well beige slamming the door shut to protect them from the bullets that ping against the outside walls.

"Oh, my God," Odessa breathes out as she presses her hands against the wound. "Theo, Jesus."

"Hershel—" Theo raped. "Get him."

"I'm not leaving you." Odessa says firmly. "Okay? Not right now."

His eyes start to flutter shut. "Hey!" Odessa shouts, slapping him in the face with one of her bloody hands. "Stay awake! Do not close your fucking eyes!"

He doesn't listen.

He loses consciousness right there beneath her hands. "Fuck," she whispers as she presses her fingers to his neck. Desperately searching for a pulse. And to Theo's luck, she finds one.

Her eyes move to the door, then the rifle. She bares her teeth, snatching the rifle off of the ground. She leaves Theo on the ground. She throws the door open, ready to return fire at the people below but the gunfire stops.

Her brows furrow when the roar of an engine fills her ears. And she can do nothing but watch helplessly as a van comes tearing down the dirt road, and plows straight through their gates, leaving them open and vulnerable to walkers on the outside.

All is silent. The back of the van opens.

Then the walkers start to stumble out.

Hershel! Her mind screams at her. Hershel's in the yard!

As the walkers start to stumble towards Hershel, the gunfire resumes. She flinches as a bullet pings on the railing in front of her. But she can't even hear the gunfire. She can't feel anything except the rage in her bones and her blood.

Someone gets out of the van, their face covered. They have a pistol in their hand, using it to fire bullets at Michonne who is desperately trying to reach Hershel.

The person's life is cut short by a bullet through their cold heart. Odessa pulls back from the rifle, watching as the person she's just killed drops to the ground.

"Hershel!" She screams wildly. "Get outta there!"

Seconds later, the Governor and his minions are tearing out of there. The panic doesn't leave though. Odessa watches as Glenn who had left returns to the yard; he and Michonne help Hershel into the truck.

And so, Odessa returns to Theo.

She drops to her knees beside him, abandoning the gun on the ground. She uses her blood covered fingers to look for his pulse again. It's there. Fainter then before but there.

"Wake up," she shakes him. "Damnit, Theo! Wake the hell up!"

When he doesn't wake, she has to drag his sorry ass down the ladder. It takes her longer than expected but once they're both on the first level, she yanks the door open, dragging him out.

"Help!" She screams to the others. "Someone help!"

It doesn't take long for Michonne to reach them. Followed by Glenn and Maggie and Rick and Carl and Daryl.

Daryl?

The fuck?

Odessa quite literally does a double take to make sure that the man is real and not a hallucination. And he's real. Here and in the flesh.

Rick and Daryl hauls Theo inside the prison and into his cell. Hershel is there seconds later.

Despite there being so much blood, Theo had been hit in a nonlethal spot. Thank whatever God is out there.

Odessa sits on the steps when Daryl approaches her. "You did good," he tells her. She looks up at him before glancing at Merle, who is standing outside in the common area. His arms are looped through the bars as he watches them all inside.

"If he's not careful, I'm gonna blow his brains out."

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word count: 1,861

okay so a lot of shit just happened.

axel's dead :/. he and oscar should've had so much more screen time. i would've loved to see that.

that interaction between theo and odessa. LOVE THEM!! they're so cute already and they still barely know each other. theo is such a sarcastic sweetheart. i love him so much.

while we're on the topic of theo his own father just fucking shot him. what a dick. i can't stand the governor. he's an abusive psychopath and he deserves everything i have planned for him.

cole is the only one of my oc's who didn't have an abusive (emotionally & physically) parent.

but guys what do y'all think about this line, "odessa did a double take to make sure he was real and not one of her hallucinations." one of her hallucinations 🤨🤨? what do you guys think that means? we get to find out more in act two and everything finally comes together in the next book. but i'd like to know y'all's speculations.