HEART OF GLASS
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE!

[ season three, episode sixteen ]

Glenn was back to parenting again.

"I don't think it's a good idea," he reprimanded, eyeing Marley nervously as she jammed a magazine into her rifle ━ albeit a little aggressively, "You should be going with Hershel and Beth."

"Why? 'Cause I'm vulnerable?" Marley retorted bitterly. She rolled her eyes and slung the rifle-strap over her shoulder, "I have two legs. I'm capable of holding and shooting a gun. I'm staying."

Glenn let out a defeated sigh, dropping his head against the side of the car, "Fine. But you have to look out for yourself."

"I will."

"I mean it. If I'm not looking or I get caught up, I won't be able to━"

"━I know," Marley interrupted hastily, "I can take care of myself. I did at Woodbury. The Governor has a limp and a wonky nose because of me. I'm not scared to attack him again."

He pressed his lips together, relenting with avid reluctance, "Alright. Just try to stay close."

"I'll stick to you like glue," she said.

She jerked her head in a nod and walked away. Everyone was scattered around the courtyard, prepping for the inevitable fight with the Governor. They were hiding their cars and supplies in the woods, making it look as though they'd ran before the war could start. But, in reality, they were planning an ambush. It was the only choice they had if they wanted to win. There was no doubt about it: the sick bastard was going to return with an army. After everything that had happened in the last few days, it was unavoidable.

His latest act of vengeance was taking Merle's life ━ that was what they assumed, anyway. Daryl found his brother's reanimated corpse yesterday ━ in a minefield of chewed-up dead bodies of those from Woodbury ━ with a bullet wound cutting through his stomach and milky-white eyes. Based on the surrounding evidence, Merle had taken down the Governor's best men in his last moments, giving the prison-dwellers a chance, and the Governor's only manner of revenge was through murder.

Merle Dixon had been murdered in cold blood.

Marley was indifferent on the matter. She appreciated his sudden act of selflessness, of course she did, but she would never forget the person Merle truly was; you couldn't change that fast. He tackled her to the ground, held a gun to her head, threatened her life. He led her, Glenn and Maggie to the depths of Woodbury, knowing what would become of them there. And he threw a walker at Glenn, beat him senseless.

A ten minute act of defiance against his old companions couldn't erase that. But she . . . slightly respected him now. Even if he was dead.

"I've got the flash grenades," Theo announced, sidling up to stand beside Marley at the gate, "Rick said we're in charge of setting 'em off. I don't think he wants us in with the real fighting."

"Of course he doesn't," Marley grumbled.

The chasm between Theo's brows creased in bewilderment, "Is that such a bad thing?"

She clicked her tongue in annoyance, turning on him, her eyes burning with rage, "Yes, it is. I want the Governor to suffer for what he did to Sage."

"That doesn't have to be down to you," Theo argued, "It shouldn't be. Getting blood on our hands is a last resort. You shouldn't want to kill."

"Well, I want to kill him."

"Leave it to the walkers."

Marley could feel her blood simmering beneath her skin, "Did you leave Helen to the walkers? You tried to kill her. You wanted to."

Theo swiftly lowered his head, shielding his face from her peripheral vision. He blinked rapidly, as if fending off tears, and his voice sounded oddly strained when he finally spoke, "No, I didn't. My arrow hit her in the chest. Not the head. It wouldn't have killed her."

"You're an idiot, then," Marley snapped, her voice harsh and bitingly cruel.

Theo's head shot up. The dejected glimmer in his eyes made Marley's insides swirl with regret, but she didn't back down ━ she couldn't. With a shootout on the horizon, Theo had to understand. Sometimes killing was the only way.

She hadn't yet taken a human life, but she would if she had to. When she had to.

"She's the Governor's right-hand woman, you said it yourself," Marley griped heatedly, "She's a threat. We're meant to dispose of threats ━ they hinder our safety. So why didn't you?"

"Because I don't want to kill," Theo bit back, his voice rising tempestuously. He seemed taken aback by his sudden lack of self-control, and pushed himself away from the fence ━ levelling Marley with a sullen look, "Maybe you'll understand when it comes down to it."

She blinked incredulously at him. What did he mean by that? Memories quickly rushed back to her, from the first shootout they had with Woodbury. She asked Theo if he'd killed someone before, and he admitted he had. Once. Why only once? What had caused his sudden reluctance around the matter?

"I'll see you in the tombs," he mumbled.

Theo turned on the heel of his shoe and stalked away before she could say anything else. Bloodlust clouding her senses, Marley clenched her jaw and stormed off in the opposite direction.

What would her Mom think of her now? She wanted her to protect Sage ━ but did she mean in any way possible? By killing to eradicate a threat? By letting her heart rot?

Probably not. But these days, they had to let themselves rot if it meant surviving.

✧.｡. *.

The tombs were a labyrinth of shadows and stone, twisting throughout the prison's infrastructure like a serpent. Marley was pressed with her back to the wall, a flash grenade clutched in her sweaty hand. Beside her, Theo had taken on the same stance. Every so often, he would throw her a dubious look ━ like he didn't trust her. Like he didn't know what to think.

She ignored him.

It only took twenty minutes of being hidden in the tombs for the Governor and his soldiers to arrive. There was a distant explosion outside, and the sound of rubble sputtering to the ground. Cars rumbled into the courtyard, a dozen footsteps sounded out, and then it was silent.

Marley clipped the flash grenade to her belt. She flipped the rifle strap over her shoulder, so the gun was resting between her clammy palms. Theo was too distracted listening out for the signal ━ a three-knock chorus against the wall a little further down, courtesy of Michonne ━ to notice her lack of attention to the plan.

The Governor and his crew were in the cell-block now, she could hear them wandering around. They didn't utter a word, but from the sound of their calculative steps, there had to be at least thirty of them in total. Maybe more.

He was determined to kill them all. Did his followers know what they were following? Would they trail along after him so blindly if did?

The metal door to the tombs creaked open, allowing a slither of light to filter through the gap ━ throwing some luminescence into the impenetrable darkness. Theo tugged Marley back an inch, just so she wouldn't be seen. But she shrugged him off, tightening her grip around her rifle, and he immediately withdrew his hand.

She peered around the wall.

Standing a mere few meters away from her was the Governor himself. He was limping, slowly making his way into the hollow chambers. One eye was concealed by a black eyepatch, and his nose was inflamed, crooked, with a slither of bandage stuck over the middle. Every step brought him pain, evident by the way his features crumpled into a wince ━ yet he still progressed.

Marley lifted the rifle. She brought the muzzle to rest just below her chin, and squeezed one eye shut, readjusting the crosshairs so they lined up perfectly with the Governor's head. 

Her finger hovered over the trigger. She inhaled deeply and squeezed━

"━No," Theo's voice hissed in her ear. Before she could pull the trigger, he dragged the weapon down, yanking Marley away from the corner of the wall with unprecedented force.

Her eyes bulged in surprise, and she attempted to wriggle the rifle from his grip, but he was much stronger than she anticipated. He snatched it from her and tucked it under his armpit.

She scowled, "What are you━"

Theo's hand clamped around her mouth. She externally grumbled in protest, but her internal voice screamed at her for her own stupidity. Her mind became clouded by realisation. The Governor would hear her if she didn't stop. Not only him, but his amass of soldiers, too. That was a sure way to end the day with a bullet lodged between her eyes.

Hesitantly, Marley relented. Theo gently pushed her back, and her shoulder-blades collided with the wall. His hand remained smoothed over her mouth, his chest pressing closely to hers. She felt oddly secure; yet her heart still thrummed rapidly. She looked up at him, searching for reassurance. But his dark-brown eyes were creased in confusion, flitting to the encroaching shadows making their way through the tombs.

They were close. Too close. Where was the signal?

A beat passed. And then the signal finally came ━ a distant thud of Michonne's fist beating against the wall. One, two, three.

Theo's hand fell from Marley's mouth. He unclipped the flash grenade, gave a short nod, and launched it into the tombs. The grenade clattered at the Governor's feet and exploded in a frenzy of bright-white, electric lights, prompting the soldiers to scream and wail in shock. Marley wasted no time from there on out. She grabbed the grenade from her belt and hurled it through the curtain of expanding smoke.

"Come on!" Theo yelled over the deafening noise of screams and cries, "We have to go!"

Jaw set with determination, Marley made a move to grab her rifle back,"I have to━"

"━You can't, Marley, there's too many of 'em," Theo reprimanded, moving aside so she wouldn't reach the rifle dangling from his shoulder, "We have to stick to the plan."

Marley curled her fingers into the palms of her hands, nails nipping at her flesh. She narrowed her eyes at him ━ he was getting on her last nerve. What was with him? He was becoming awfully fond of telling her what to do.

She had no choice but to follow him through the smoke, to the steps of the closest watchtower. They reached the top, and over the edge, Marley saw the Woodbury crew ducking from bullets. Glenn and Maggie were the culprits. She instantly spotted the duo in the catwalk between the cell-blocks, guns propped between the pockets in the fence, launching an assault on the people determined to tear down their home.

Theo nocked an arrow in his compound bow and aimed it at the truck. The pointed tip of the arrow sunk into the front tyre, and it popped and deflated with an audible hiss.

Whilst he was distracted, Marley grabbed her rifle back. She directed her gaze to the courtyard, eyes scouring for the Governor. She found him impossibly fast. He was ducking behind the prison-bus, shielding his head from flying debris. Much to her surprise, Helen was there next to him. Her arm was bound in a sling, her chest bandaged thickly, but she was still alive.

Marley squeezed the trigger. The kickback was a little disorienting, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself to push through.

The bullets streamed over the prison bus, clanging off the side of the overturned vehicle and slamming into the grass around Helen and the Governor. Uprooted chunks of dirt spat in their faces, splattering all over their clothes, and the psychopathic siblings swiftly shifted out of the way, disappearing behind the bus.

Marley didn't redirect the crosshairs elsewhere. She waited for the infamous duo to reappear ━ but when they did, a group of soldiers had gathered around them like a human shield. They ran to their trucks outside the fences, and only then did Marley see the Governor.

He practically launched himself into his truck, throwing an arm up as if to fend off the bullets. Fortunately for him ━ but unfortunately for them ━ none made contact with any vital organs. He managed to get into his vehicle unscathed.

Marley clamped her teeth together so hard she was surprised they didn't crack. She reloaded her rifle and lined it up with the Governor's truck. Just as it began to reverse down the narrow lane between the forest and the prison grounds, Marley pulled the trigger. A swarm of bullets rained down upon the truck and embedded themselves in the front window. It shattered and exploded in a rainstorm of glass-shards, some of the debris gushing into the front-seats; right onto the Governor's lap. She let out a sharp exhale of triumph and squeezed the trigger again ━ only this time the truck was too far for the bullets to make contact. It sped away, disappearing in the blanket of verdant trees.

She slammed her fist against the wooden-lip of the watchtower, "Shit!"

Theo warily approached her, "We made them run. We won this."

"As long as that man still breathes, we haven't won a goddamn thing."

She turned on the heel of her boot and stormed down the watchtower steps. Her heart was beating so inhumanly fast, she was slightly worried it would never calm down. Just breathe.

The Governor was to blame for this ━ nobody else. Glimpsing his broken face again was enough to uproot a side to Marley that she didn't know she possessed. A side set on vengeance. A side broiling with anger. A side that couldn't let go. She couldn't let go. She didn't understand. How was he able to live, to continue breathing? What he did to Sage was unforgivable, yet he was the one who got to come out on the other side untouched, time and time again.

Marley never truly wanted to kill a person, but she desperately wanted to put a bullet in the Governor's brain. She needed to.

Everyone gathered in the courtyard. They talked about heading back to Woodbury, and after a long debate, it was decided that only Daryl, Rick, Michonne, Marley and Theo were going.

After it was apparent the fight was concluded, Hershel came back with the others. He looked troubled, and Marley saw him take Rick off to one side ━ lecturing him about something. She didn't understand why. Not until Sage told her.

They hugged briefly, which felt strange considering all they'd done the last few days was ignore one another. It was nice to be back to normal. Marley never wanted to see Sage in such a state ever again; the only way to ensure that was by eradicating the Governor.

Sage lifted her hands, bringing her thumb and fore-finger together, "Carl . . .  He killed a boy who was surrendering." 

"Why?" Marley questioned, her hands slipping together vigorously.

"I have no idea," Sage signed. She sighed through her nostrils, shoulders slumping, "He was just a kid. Maybe your age. He was trying to hand me his gun, but then Carl just shot him."

Marley shook her head in disbelief. She never imagined Carl would be capable of such remorseless things. Killing a kid who was surrendering? She could faintly picture Lori's face in her head ━ the reaction she'd have if she'd still been here. Pure horror.

The car they were taking to Woodbury rolled up the driveway. Sage saw Marley tossing the strap of a rifle over her shoulder, and her face paled.

She grabbed Marley's arm and slammed her foot against the ground, "You can't go."

Marley chewed the inside of her cheek, "I need to. After what he did to you, Maggie, Glenn, me . . . He doesn't get to live."

"No, but we get to live," Sage argued. She lifted her dominant hand and flicked her pinky up. "I came to terms with what happened to me. I know it can't be reversed. No amount of wishing and praying is going to change that. Seeking revenge isn't going to reverse it either. You'll land yourself in a grave, just like Merle did."

Like usual, Sage had a point.

Marley wiped her hand down her grimy face and considered her sister's words. Merle went out in hopes of killing the Governor ━ according to Michonne's loose assumptions ━ and ended up being the one plunged six feet under instead.

If Marley crossed that same path, who was going to look after Sage? She couldn't die. Not if she wanted to honour her mother's dying wish.

So as the small group rolled out to Woodbury, Marley stayed behind. She didn't want to, but she came to the conclusion that she would seek revenge another time. She would. Right now, Marley wanted to be there for her sister ━ like she was supposed to.

And for the first time in a very long while, Sage looked happy.

How long until that flame was snuffed out?

━━━━━━━━━━

AUTHORS NOTE !

a short chapter but that's
fine because the next chapter
is the FINALE for this
book...what the actual f.

it's entirely theo's point of view
next chapter but marley will
make a slight appearance. i
just know im going to sob
uncontrollably writing the
next one but that's fine, it's the
finale so it needs to go out with
a bang - and lots of tears ofc.

LETS GOOOO!