FORTY FOUR. this sorrowful life

STANDING in the walker infested courtyard, Adeline gripped the handle of her machete tightly. The loud screams of Maggie and Carl echoed around the yard, the two of them standing in the dog run and clanging pots and pans together in attempts to attract the walkers over to the fence where the group inside could finish putting up barbed wire traps just incase the Governor attacked.

Turning back, Adeline heard the sluggish growl of a stalker nearing her. With one quick sweep of her eyes, they landed upon three walkers that failed to be tricked by the diversion tactic that Maggie and Carl attempted. They stumbled over towards the doctor, her hand curled around her machete as she took a quick step forward.

Roaring her blade down, the sharp surface carved into the rotted skin of the closest stalker, it's moans ceasing as it's body fell limp to the ground. Tugging the machete loose, strands of caramel colored hair framed her face as she looked to the two remaining walkers that had grown close enough to make her uncomfortable. As one snagged its hand out to grab her, the long blade of Michonnes' katana sliced it's arm off before quickly entering its skull.

Sliding her machete into its sheath, Adeline curled her fingers around one of her throwing knives before tugging it from its holster. Raising the sharp blade, the doctor didn't waste any time in slinging the knife in the direction of the approaching stalker. The sharp blade skimmed through the air, landing in the middle of the walkers mushy forehead and causing its body to tumble into the overgrown grass.

"Thanks." Adeline panted, watching as Michonne tugged the throwing knife out of the walkers brain before handing it out for her to grab. Taking it between her gloves fingers, the doctor rubbed the dark blood against her jeans before sliding the knife back into its rightful spot. Turning around, she watched as Daryl and Glenn pulled the last barbed wire out of the back of the truck.

Once they finished hammering it into the soft grass, the redneck gestured for the two women to get into the truck where they could retreat back to their safe haven behind the fences. Adeline nodded, rushing over to the truck as Michonne and Glenn slid into the backseats of the vehicle and Daryl reached his hand out to the widow who quickly approached the now empty truck bed.

Curling her gloved hand around his, the redneck hoisted her up into the vehicle. Hastily grabbing onto his arm for support, Adeline scrunched her face up in slight pain from the pressure on her shoulder before steadying her figure and letting go of his careful grasp. Turning around, the two of them shut the tailgate door before taking a seat on the sides of the truck. "We're good!" Daryl called out, signaling for Beth (who sat behind the wheel) to drive.

Gripping the sides for support, the clanging of pots and pans subsided as Maggie and Carl made their way up the dog walk and back into the prison. Rick opened the gate up for them, quickly rolling it shut once the truck drove through and put the group back into the arms of safety.

Feeling the vehicle slow to a stop, Adeline stood up from the bed of the truck and watched as Daryl hopped down. Grabbing his crossbow, she handed it out to him as he turned around and grabbed it before holding his hand out for her to grab. Adeline smiled down at him gratefully, but noticed he failed to meet her eyes before curling her hand around his and jumping down with the help of him softening her fall.

Releasing her grasp on him, she automatically retreated her hand to her sore shoulder where she massaged it with her fingers. The bullet graze had yet to heal completely, and she didn't want to use up all of the groups pain pills just for a small wound - so, she went without. Craning her head, she felt her neck pop as she looked around.

"They try to drive up to the gate again, maybe some blown tires will stop them." Glenn spoke, informing Rick of what they had done with the barbwire. The leader nodded, glancing at his sister before tearing his eyes away from her and back to the boy - "That's a good idea."

"It was Michonne's." Daryl stated, looking at Rick with
knowing eyes which Adeline was quick to spot. They were hiding something, and it didn't take her long to figure that out. Catching her curious stare, the two men broke eye contact just as the samurai walked up to them.

Michonne slung the walker blood off of her katana, "We don't have to win. We just have to make their getting at us more trouble than it's worth." She informed with a strong voice. Adeline nodded in agreement - "She's right."

Looking between Rick and Daryl, the doctor quickly caught on to the way they were acting. Avoiding eye contact, turning away from the subject and failing to meet Adelines gaze. They were keeping a secret away from the woman, something that they knew she would disagree with which made her even more determined to figure out what exactly they were hiding from her.

Shifting on her feet, she watched as her brother and friend nodded at each other before dispersing from the group. Adeline sighed, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked down at the courtyard and eyed the walkers that filed through the overgrown grass.

Why couldn't things just be easy for once?

It was the main question running through her mind. No one in this world was innocent, she knew that. But it didn't make them evil. If anything, it made them smart. Smart to adjust to the new world and the rotten minds that roamed the earth, begging for some fresh flesh and bones to dig into. The group was her family, and there wasn't anything she wouldn't do to keep them safe and alive.

Turning around, she watched as the rest of the group split up and went on to do their own things. Adeline stood by the fence, her eyes trailing over to the direction that Rick had went in. A deep sigh left her lips, a look of reluctance in her eyes as she took off in the direction to search for her brother. There was a part of her that wasn't sure if she wanted to find out what he was hiding, but she had to.

The boots she wore slapped against the concrete, hands wrapping around the sherpa lined trucker jacket that she wore. Tightening it against her body, the cold air that blew through the outside reminded her of the approaching season of fall that would soon fall into winter.

Nearing the bricked corner of the recreation yard, Adelines eyes landed upon her brothers figure bent down next to one of the dark green dumpsters. Staying quiet, she watched as he grabbed one of the telephone cords off of the ground next to trash before tightly wrapping it around his wrist as if to see how strong it was.

Furrowing her brows in confusion, Adeline anxiously ran a gloved hand through her hair before stepping out from her spot and making herself known - "Rick? What are you doing?" She questioned, her voice breaking through the air as he brother quickly stood up and unwrapped the wire from around his wrist.

"Nothing." Rick was quick to answer, slinging the wire to the ground. "I'm just checking out the perimeter, making sure there isn't any kind of breach for the Governor and his men to come through." He lied, Adeline taking notice of how he avoided her eyes which is always something he did when he was attempting to lie to her.

The doctor let out a hum before taking a step closer to him, "So, when are you gonna tell me what actually happened in that meeting after I left?" She questioned, getting straight to the point as she stood in front of him. "Because this whole going to war thing sounds like a whole lot of bullshit when you can't even meet my eyes."

Rick lifted his head, his eyes connecting with hers as he placed a hand on his hip before shifting on his feet. "I'm not hiding anything. If I wanted you to know something, Adeline, you would know. Trust me." He spoke, his tone harsh as he slipped past her. "I have things to do."

Groaning, the woman ran a hand over her face before frustratingly stomping her foot into the concrete below her. From any other perspective, she looked like a little kid throwing a temper tantrum- but she was actually just a sibling who was just talked to like she was three years old and didn't know how to put a puzzle together.

"Damn it." Adeline mumbled, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Turning her head, she looked to to the door that would lead her into the tombs and to the workshop that the prisoners would work at before the world went to shit.

Knowing it had been cleared out already by Glenn and Carl, and that Merle would go down there in his free time, she put her faith in her last resort to get answers. Walking towards the door, she curled her gloved hand around the knob before pulling it open and venturing into the tombs.

The name itself was creepy, but it had stuck to the group ever since T-Dog called it that on the day Hershel was bitten. The realization that that wasn't even that long of time ago slammed into the woman, her hand falling down to her pistol as she unholstered it and held it by her side.

Letting out a loud whistle, she cautiously awaited for the sounds of walkers. Although it was cleared out, she wasn't going to take the chance of a stalker popping out and taking a nice fresh chomp out of her skin. So, after several patience filled seconds, the widow took off down the corridors that had arrows spray painted on the walls.

Following the directions, Adelines eyes adjusted to the dark light as she clicked the safety of her gun off and silently creeped around the corners. Squinting her eyes, the hallways slowly became familiar to her. "Oh," She breathed, letting her guard down as she spotted the open door that was marked as an entrance to the workshop.

Hearing the sound of things clinking together, she furrowed her brows and snuck into the room. Hiding around the corner, she spotted Merle himself pulling a telephone cord from the wall before stretching it out to see how strong it was. That would make the second time she caught a man doing that same exact thing today.

"Oh, you have got to be shitting me." Adeline spoke, her voice echoing around the walls as she slid her pistol into its holster. Merle jumped slightly at the surprise, turning around with wide eyes as he hid the cords behind his back "Ohhh, hey there, sweetie." He smiled softly.

"Shut up." Adeline rolled her eyes, walking over to the man and carefully pushing him away. Spotting the wire on the ground, she scoffed underneath her breath before lifting it up to his sight - "Really? What is with the men today trying to find telephone cords? You do realize that the world has ended, right?" She questioned, throwing the cord to the ground frustratingly.

Turning to face the man who oddly enough stayed silent, she continued on with her rant. "I mean hell, your own brother won't even look me in the eyes! Tell me, Merle, what did I do for you to be able to know what's going on and for me be left out of the loop?" She inquired, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked to him expectingly.

"Don't get all upset now, sweet cheeks. Maybe they have a good reason." Merle answered after a few seconds, shrugging his shoulders as he pursed his lips. "Or maybe they just don't want you to find out." He added.

Furrowing her brows, she watched as he cooped up the cords and threw them into a duffle bag. "Find out? Find out what?" Adeline questioned, stepping closer to him.

"Find out what they plan on doing to that Michonne." He answered, causing the doctor to scrunch up her face in confusion at his words. Before she could hit him back with another round of questioned, he looked to her. "The Governor made Rick a deal... a deal to keep the group alive in exchange for Michonne." He informed.

"But he said-"

"But he lied." Merle quickly cut her off, zipping up the duffle bag. "And by the way," He started, walking towards the exit of the room before looking back at the woman - "My brother can't look you in the eyes because if he does, he knows he'll tell you everything that he ain't supposed to." He added, walking out of the room.

Adeline felt anger overwhelmingly fill her veins, frustration roaring through the blazing pit in her stomach. Her umber eyes looked around the room, glancing at the tools scattered across one of the workbenches. Walking over to it, she felt her hands tremble and shake at the thoughts coursing through her mind.

Give Michonne to the Governor? Do they have any idea what he'll try to do to her? The things he would do?

Remembering everything he had done to her, the blood splattering across her face from biting off his ear just to make his hands move away from the space between her legs - the nightmares that haunted her every time she fell asleep. And to think the two men she respected the most wanted to put another woman through that only added fuel to the blazing fire of anger in her stomach.

In one swift movement, she let out a cry as she swung her arms across the table and clattered all of the weapons to the ground. The crash echoed across the room, tears stinging her eyes as she curled her fingers around the wooden table and breathed deeply. Everything hit her at once; the lack of sleep, the fear of seeing someone she loved die, the remembrance of what she had lost.

A cracked sob left her lips, hands smacking against the surface of the table as pain soared from her shoulder and down to the tip of her gloved fingers. Pushing off of the table, she ran a hand over her face before eyeing the scattered tools littering across the concrete floor.

The doctor didn't even know how long she stood inside of the room, picking up after her own mess and putting everything back into place before thinking over ten choices laid out in front of her. Glancing at the clock on the wall, the realization that what she thought was ten minutes ended up being thirty.

"Damn it." Adeline breathed, wiping away at the tears that had escaped her eyes before quickly making her way out of the room in search of her brother.

She couldn't let him do it. She couldn't let him give the Governor the one thing that he wanted. She couldn't.

Rushing through the long corridors, Adeline felt her chest tighten as she neared the door leading out into the courtyard. Slinging it open, the sound of the metal smacking against the bricked wall echoed throughout the air. Her attentive eyes scanned the yard, spotting the two figures of Daryl and Rick talking by the bleachers.

"Hey!" Adeline called out, her voice ripping through the air as rushed over to them with angry eyes. They glanced at each other before looking to her, knowing exactly why she was upset. She figured out they had lied to her.

"Addy, I can explain-" Rick started, taking a step towards his sister only for her to jerk her arm away from him and out of his grasp - "Don't." She harshly spoke.

"You thought I wasn't gonna find out?" Adeline questioned, eyeing the two of them. "Huh? Do you think I'm stupid? What in the hell were you thinking? If you think for a second that I'm gonna let you take her to him,"

"We didn't tell you because we knew you wouldn't understand, Ad. If there was another choice here, I would choose it -"

"You don't understand!" Adeline snapped, her voice cracking as Rick took a step back. "Do you know what he did to me? What he tried to do?" She cried, tears welling in her eyes - "My body doesn't even feel like my own! That's what he took from me, Rick. I look at myself in the mirror and I don't even know who I'm staring at. You are the one that doesn't understand. What you'll be doing to that woman is ten times worse than killing her. Because she'll want to be dead... after he's finished with her, she'll wish that he would've just killed her." She admitted.

"That's what you're doing." Adeline added, her voice calm as she glance her eyes to Daryl's figure filled with guilt as he avoided her stare. Turning back to her brother, she swallowed her reluctantly- "If you go through with this... I'm gone." She informed, walking away from the men and into the cellblock.

━━━ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

ADELINE sat in her cell, elbows pressed against her knees as she anxiously tapped her boots on the concrete floor. She hoped that her brother would make the right choice, that he would see what he was doing and realize how much it would hurt her to go through with it.

She didn't actually want to leave, she said that to use as a scare tactic - which is why she was really hoping that he would change his mind. Because she didn't know if she could live with people who were willing to put someone through that just to save their asses. Even if it was her own family that she was leaving behind.

The sound of footsteps nearing her cell caused her to raise from her spot, shoulder aching with pain as she slung the sheet in front of her cell door open. Spotting Glenn with wide eyes standing in front of her, the anxiety only built up as he furrowed his brows and looked at her. "What?"

"Just waiting for someone." Adeline informed, stepping back to allow the boy inside of her cell. "You need something?" She questioned, walking back inside to sit atop the metal surface of her desk.

Glenn shrugged his shoulders, moving to sit in the chair under the desk. Pulling it out, he sat down nervously and fiddled with his hands. "I uh... yeah, I need some advice." He informed, looking up the widow with a nervous expression on his face. "And I wanted to apologize."

"You don't have to apologize for anything, Glenn." Adeline informed, brushing off the subject before crossing legs underneath her body on the desk. "What sort of advice do you need?" She questioned, grateful for the opportunity to get her mind away from the problem that burned tracks in her mind.

Glenn met her eyes, which gave the opportunity to see the amount of nerves anxiety lingering inside of them. "I just got Hershels blessing to marry Maggie." He informed, causing a wide smile to spread across the widows lips. "I don't know what the right time is." He added, "Do you know... how did Shane... how did he-"

"The moment he had the idea." Adeline cut him off, answering him with a small smile. "Do you have any rings for her?" She questioned, a curious look in her eyes.

Watching as the boy shook his head in denial, an idea sprouted into the widows mind. Sliding off of the desk, she pulled the drawer open with a tug. Her eyes landed upon the familiar velvet ring box, a soft smile curling around her lips as she pulled it out of the drawer and held it in her hands. "Well... It just so happens, that I do."

The sound of her words caused Glenn's head to turn up, looking at her with wide eyes as she slid the rings out of the box and held them in her hands. "I can't take those! Those are yours, they..." He stuttered, denying her idea.

"They used to be mine." Adeline corrected, grabbing his hand and uncurling his fingers. Pushing back her reluctance, she allowed the rings to fall into his palm. "Now they're yours." She informed, curling her hand around his and squeezing softly.

Glenn looked up to her with a grateful expression, and in one swift movement he wrapped his arms around her frame and pulled her into a hug. "I'm glad you're here, Addy." He reminded, feeling her arms slowly wrap around his figure as she chuckled softly into his shoulder.

The sound of rushed footsteps broke through the sheet over her cell door, her eyes opening to spot Ricks figure at the entrance. Pulling away from Glenn, she gave her brother and expecting look - "Well?"

"We went to call it off only to find out that Merle did it without telling us." Rick informed, "Daryl went after him." He added, causing the widow to run a hand through her hair anxiously.

No amount of convincing would have stopped Adeline on her warpath, taking the keys of the green Hyundai and leaving the prison in search of Daryl and Merle Dixon with her brothers reluctant permission. It was a death sentence, she knew that. But, there was a part of her that didn't care enough to stop driving until she reached the place she knew they'd be.

The distillery.

The familiar Hyundai rolled to a stop, the tires screeching across the gravel as she hurriedly opened the door and grabbed the rifle out of the passenger seat. Slamming the door shut, her attentive eyes looked around the dead walkers that littered the surrounding area.

Scrunching her nose in disgust, the sound of muffled cries and grunts caught her attention. Worry seeped through her veins, the tall overgrown weeds whipping against her jeans as she rushed towards the sound. Rounding between the space of two buildings, her heart dropped at the sight before her.

Daryl towered over the rotting body of his brother, loud cries leaving his lips as he repeatedly stabbed his hunting knife into Merle's forehead. Broken cries echoed through the air, tears stinging Adelines eyes as the rifle she held fell into the grass next to where she stood.

"Oh god..." She breathed, hurriedly rushing over to Daryl. In one swift motion, the widow wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him away from his brothers body. "Stop, stop!" Adeline pleaded, his body thrashing in her hold as the hunting knife fell out of his grasp.

"Get yer hands off of me!" Daryl grunted, not knowing who she was as she tightened her arms around his body and scooted around to place her face in front of his.

"It's okay! It's okay, it's me. It's me." Adeline repeated, pressing her hands against each side of his face as she made his eyes meet her own. "Look at me, look." She pleaded, running her hand through his hair. "It's me."

Meeting her dark brown eyes, Daryl soon realized who was holding him. His thrashing ceased, tears falling down his cheeks as a broken sob left his lips; "I couldn't make it." He whispered, his voice wavering over a whisper.

"I know..." Adelines voice cracked, her features softening as she eagerly wrapped her arms around his frame and pulled him into a warm hug. "It's okay. It's okay." She whispered, his head laying against her heart as the sound of it beating calmed him down.

"YOU'RE GONNA BE OKAY."