CHAPTER SEVEN,
woodbury.

Aiden's eyes peeled open, she could hear screams and loud bangs outside wherever the hell she was. She sat up with a grunt of pain and pushed her shelf against the metal wall.

She heard the door push open and heard her name, "Aiden!" She felt arms pull her up and drag her out of the room.

Aiden held onto whoever had pulled her up and ducked her head as people shot at them. "You're gone be okay." She heard the person who held her grunt.

"Daryl?" She recognized the voice instantly.

"Yeah." She heard a reply. Aiden and Daryl followed after  the others, which was Maggie and Rick helping Glenn who was just as beaten and bloody as Aiden, Oscar and a women she'd never seen before. But she had a katana and looked like someone Aiden wouldn't want to piss off.

The group of six ran into a random building and Daryl frantically grabbed Aiden's face. "What the hell happened?" He asked her quietly.

"A lot." Aiden grumbled as a shot of pain shot through her side.

"Wha'? What is it, Aiden?" Daryl asked her quickly.

"I think that son of a bitch broke some ribs," she gasped.

Daryl pulled up her shirt and saw the deep bruising along her sides. "Oh shit, Aid." He whispered before he moved away from Aiden and looked for a back exit but found nothing. "Ain't no way out back here."

"Rick, how did you find us?" Maggie asked.

Rick ignored her question, "how bad are you hurt?"

"I'll be alright." Glenn replied.

"And you?" Rick asked Aiden with raised eyebrows.

"I've had worse." She replied.

"Where's that woman?" Maggie asked.

"She was right behind us." Rick looked out of the window.

"Maybe she was spotted. Want me to go look for her?" Daryl asked.

"No. We gotta get them out of here." Rick responded and moved away from the window and back towards the others. "She's on her own."

"Daryl, this was Merle." Glenn said suddenly. Daryl stopped his check up on Aiden and looked at Glenn. "It was. He did this."

"You saw him?" Rick asked gruffly.

"Face to face. He threw a walker at me. He was gonna execute us." Glenn spoke.

"So, m-my brother's this governor?" Daryl asked.

"No, it's somebody else. Your brother's his lieutenant or something." Maggie said.

"The Governor's a lot worse than Merle." Aiden stated, "but Merle's still beat the hell outta me and Glenn."

"Does he know I'm still with you?" Daryl quizzed. Maggie nodded.

"He does now. Rick, I'm sorry. We told him where the prison was." Glenn said and Aiden glanced over at the Asian. "We couldn't hold out."

They had family back at that prison, now all she could think about was this Governor taking his people and taking the prison from them. Killing Carl, Beth, Hershel... the baby.

"Don't. No need to apologize." Rick said.

"They're gonna be lookin' for us." Maggie said frantically.

"We have to get back. Can you two walk?" Rick asked Aiden and Glenn. "We got a car a few miles out."

"I'm good." Glenn said.

"I can take it."

"Alright."

"Hey, if Merle's around, I need to see him." Daryl said as he helped Aiden off the counter. His arm instinctively wrapping around her waist.

"Not now. We're in hostile territory." Rick replied.

"He's my brother. I ain't-

"Look at what he did! Look, we gotta- we gotta get out of here now."

"Maybe I can talk to him. Maybe I can work something out."

"No, no, no. You're not thinking straight. Look, no matter what they say, they're hurt. Glenn and Aiden can barely walk. Aiden's got broken ribs and broke hand. How are we gonna make it out if we get overrun by walkers and this governor catches up to us? I need you. Are you with me?" Rick spoke to Daryl.

"Yeah."

»

Aiden was given a gun by Rick as the group left the building.

Aiden stuck close to Daryl as they shoot at the people of the town.

Rick yelled for them to get cover and they listened. Aiden stood between Daryl and Rick. "You guys go ahead. I'm gonna lay down some cover fire."

"No, we gotta stay together."

"Too hairy. I'll be right behind you." Daryl said.

"Ready?"

Daryl threw a smoke bomb more into the town as everyone ran and laid down cover fire. Aiden watched helplessly as Oscar was shot in the heart. "Oscar!" Glenn and Maggie both were already on top of the bus as Aiden shouted for the others, "Rick! Daryl!"

Aiden looked for the two men before firing a bullet into Oscar's head, not wanting her own to turn. Maggie helped the injured women up and over.

»

The group made it back to the cars on the road, leaving Glenn and Aiden before returning back to Woodbury. The two sat in the car and Glenn kept watch while Aiden tried to sleep.

Every time she closed her eyes she saw Dalton. She saw Merle. She saw the Governor. "I'm gonna kill that man." Aiden suddenly spoke causing Glenn to look at her in the mirror.

"The Governor. What a stupid name." Aiden hissed. "That man has got to fucking die." Aiden decided.

"Don't be reckless, Aiden." Glenn said to her.

"You know me Glenn," Aiden replied, "my middle name is reckless."

»

The sun had risen and the group hadn't returned yet. Aiden began to grow worried for the others.

Aiden had decided to sit on the hood of the car with a gun resting on her lap while Glenn day on the side of the road. The black women, Aiden learned her name was Michonne had found the two.

Footsteps from in the woods alerted the three. "Daryl?" Aiden asked. The three walked into the woods and saw four people. "Oh, thank God."

"Now we got a problem here. I need you to back up." Rick said to the three. Aiden pulled her gun out quickly and aimed it at the man.

"What the hell is he doing here!?"

"Why the fuck is he here, Rick!?"

"Hey, hey, hey! Hey, put it down!"

The group continued to yell but Aiden didn't focus on that. Her focus was on Merle Dixon.

"Put it down!" Rick ordered Michonne.

"He tried to kill me!" She countered.

"If it wasn't for him-"

"He helped us get out of there." Daryl said.

"Yeah, right after he beat the shit out of you." Rick said.

"Hey, we both took our licks, man." Merle said.

"Shut the fuck up." Aiden said with a snarl.

"Jackass." Daryl said.

"Hey, shut up." Merle said to Daryl.

"Enough!"

"Man, get thing out of my face!" Daryl yelled at Glenn.

"Man, looks like you've gone native, brother." Merle remarked.  

"No more than you hanging out with that psycho back there." Daryl said back.

"Oh, yeah, man. He is a charmer, I got to tell you that. Been putting the wood to your girlfriend Andrea. Big time, baby." Merle moaned.

"What? Andrea's in Woodbury?" Glenn asked.

"Right next to the Governor." Daryl replied. Michonne stepped towards the group with her katana and Aiden turned her gun to the women.

"I told you to drop that!" Rick hissed. "You know Andrea? Hey, do you know Andrea?"

"Yep, she does. Her and blondie spent all winter cuddling up in the forest. Yeah. My Nubian Queen here had two pet walkers. No arms, cut of the jaws, kept them in chains. Kind of ironic now that I think about it." Merle made a racist comment.

"Shut up, Dixon!" Aiden took a step closer to the man, her gun back on him.

"Shut up, bro."

"Hey, man, we snagged them out of the woods. Andrea was close to dying." Merle said to the group.

"Is that why she's with him?" Maggie asked

"Yeah. Snug as two little bugs. So what you gonna do now, Sheriff, huh? Surrounded by a bunch of liars, thugs, and cowards." Merle said snarky.

"Shut up!" Rick yelled at the man. His reaction only caught a laugh from Merle.

"Oh, man, look at this. Pathetic. All these guns and no bullets in them." Merle said.

"Wanna test that theory?" Aiden remarked, her fingers itching to pull the trigger.

"Merle, shut up!" Daryl yelled at his older brother.

"Shut up yourself! Bunch of pussies you roll-" Merle was cut off by Aiden slamming her gun down on the back of his head.

He crumpled to the ground and the others stood around for a moment in silence, staring at the man.

"Asshole." She mumbled.

__________________________________

word count: 1,442
episode: made to suffer & the suicide king

and an edited chapter folks!!

aiden is a badass. i love her point blank.

her hatred for rick is slowing fading, but it'll always be there. even in season nine.

next chapter daryl leaves aiden and i'm not prepared for the trust issues it gives her.

but my life here lately has sucked so bad. i've been nothing but sad for the past month.

i'm struggling with anxiety, social anxiety. i'm emotionally attached to this boy but it's so weird between me and him because he's older than me. i'm struggling in geometry. home life isn't perfect either.

we don't have a lot of money rn and my dad is constantly yelling at me for no reason. like a little earlier today, i asked for a five dollar bill for school and he yelled at me for it.

i almost broke my hand today by punching a wall.