Chapter 14
“Okay, close your eyes,” Sam instructs cheerfully.
Zoey does, squirming a little in excitement. She stills when Felicity tuts at her. Zoey can't help it! She’s never had the chance to play around with makeup before. Zia had some, yes but Zoey wasn't allowed to even look at them back then. With no friends her age and being the straight A student she had been, Zoey had only ever wished she could experiment with makeup.
“You are going to look so pretty,” Felicity says intently as the first strokes of the eyeliner begin.
“I think so, too!” Sam chirps. Zoey tingles with happiness at that. She feels fingers examining her braids. “By the way, these are sick. Did you braid them?”
Zoey opens her eyes to look at Sam, “No-”
“Girl, don't move,” Felicity interrupts with a severe expression, pencil held aloft but pulled back a bit. “I could've poked your eye out!”
Zoey quickly shuts her eyes, “Sorry,” she mumbles contritely. “Um, no, I didn't. Braid my hair, that is. Harry did. He’s my brother.”
“Okay, I need the deets on him,” Sam says eagerly. Zoey looks at her funny, only to jerk back into place at Felicity's hiss. “Is he really your brother?”
“What?” Zoey asks, bemused and somehow manages to keep her eyes closed. “Yes? Of course he is.”
“Not trying to be racist or anything,” Felicity states as she continues applying the makeup. “But you're Black and he's British.”
“We just don't see the resemblance,” Sam shrugs. “Does he have a girlfriend?”
Zoey accidentally flinches away from the new makeup brush as she whips her head to Sam, “Harry? A girlfriend?” Zoey's mind goes blank. Has… has Harry ever shown interest in anyone? Zoey would notice… right? Sure, she's seen more than a few girls be overly friendly to Harry since everyone was vaccinated but he's only ever been cordial to them. He never paid one more attention than the others and never failed to turn someone down in favour of spending time with either Zoey or Sirius. So the very thought of her brother having a girlfriend is just… so weird.
“Stop moving or I'm gonna stop,” Felicity warns.
“Sorry,” Zoey mumbles again, resolving to sit still. “No? And he's my brother in all the ways that really matter.”
“Cool. That's cool,” Sam murmurs to herself.
Felicity snorts, “Girl, you have it so bad.”
“Says you, climbing Rory likes he's the last dude on the planet,” Sam teases boldly.
“What?” Felicity challenges. “He risked his life to bring me makeup and stuffies.”
“I guess that is kinda romantic,” Sam sighs longingly.
Zoey remembers the picnic Darren set up and blurts out, “The guy I like made me a picnic.” Zoey feels her cheeks heat up at the confession. As far as Zoey is aware, only Harry knows about her and Darren. She couldn't bear the teasing if Dad knew.
“Seriously?” Felicity and Sam speak at the same time. Sam continues, “That's just so damn unfair. How did you manage to land the one actual romantic guy left?”
“So much better than makeup and stuffies,” Felicity mumbles in a petty but unaggressive tone as she carefully applies makeup to Zoey's eyelids.
“So how'd he do that?” Sam asks curiously.
Zoey shrugs, feeling shy at sharing what had only been private before. She didn't actually talk to Harry about any of it beyond their initial conversation. “He um… he took on extra chores for a few days. Then… um, he bought everything with his own points and set everything up in a secret place.”
As Felicity and Sam express their adoration at the simple explanation, Zoey's brain, regrettably, begins turning. Zoey's always had a knack for numbers and retaining information, so as the girls continue to talk between them - and Felicity applying more makeup - Zoey's sharp mind remembers all the snacks and goodies from that day. The point prices often fluctuate due to availability and fresh food will always be more expensive than the packaged food. Junk food, though, is priced between the two. More expensive than dry goods but much less than fresh. Soda is considered a luxury drink so it's a fair amount of points. How many points were laid over that blanket?
Why is Darren's claim to have worked extra chores for points suddenly sound off?
“Zo?” Felicity waves a hand in Zoey's face, suddenly distracting her from her spiralling thoughts. “You in there?”
Zoey flinches back a little and automatically replies, “It's Zoey.”
“Yeah, no,” Felicity shrugs. “Friends don't call each other by their real name.”
Zoey's heart thumps hard and hope kindles in her chest. Don't get Zoey wrong, she has friends. Emillia, Jake and Darren, along with Cindy, Sandra and Diego. However, Zoey and Emillia rarely hung out with just each other anymore. Not because they can’t but because Emillia always wants to hang with Jake, too. Zoey doesn't really hang out with Jake alone and Darren - he's complicated. Her Savior friends do come around to visit her on occasion but they have actual jobs to take care of.
What Zoey's never had is other girls to really, really talk to and hang out with. Do each other's makeup and trade stories and eat junk food and share secrets. The kind she always enviously watched from her seat at lunch, trying not to seem more like the weirdo they used to call her.
“Wait, you call me Sam all the time and that's literally my real name,” Sam accuses in a suspicious tone.
Felicity’s smirk is apparent in her voice as she tells Zoey in a conspiratorial whisper, “She hasn't caught on yet.”
Zoey giggles as Sam gasps dramatically and gently slaps her friend on the arm, “Hey!”
Felicity laughs, “Just kidding. It's kinda hard to shorten Sam.”
“So I need three letters in my name to keep people from shortening it?!” Zoey bursts out dramatically, her heart hammering anew. Oh, she didn’t mean to blurt that out. She hopes it wasn’t the wrong thing to say!
“Wait?” Sam counts her fingers as she sounds out, “Zee-Oh-E. Zoe. Isn't it already three letters?”
“Mine is spelled with a Y at the end,” Zoey laments. Then again, Zoey doesn't have to keep that spelling… no, nevermind. Everyone already knows because she has a terrible habit of spelling out her name when making a point. Even then, it wouldn't matter because it wouldn't keep people from shortening her name, anyway.
Like Cindy, who just calls her just Z for some reason. Zoey has yet to figure out what it means and her friend refuses to tell her. Zoey allows it because it’s not Zo and it’s Cindy but she’d still like to know one day.
Sam scrunches her nose, “Why?”
“Yeah, it seems kinda pointless to me, too,” Zoey shrugs. Sam blinks at her in confusion.
Felicity snickers, “No, she's asking you why.”
Zoey flushes a little, embarrassed at her slip-up, “O-oh! Uh, I've no idea, actually. Didn't think to ask, you know?”
“I asked my Mom,” Sam shrugs one shoulder. “My name was some great Aunt's middle name and my middle name was her best friend's name.”
Felicity looks barely interested in what Sam is saying. Maybe they're such good friends that it's come up before?
“I never really cared,” Felicity gives a half smile when Zoey looks at her. “Barely anyone uses my full name anyway. My friends call me Fe.”
“Doesn't that get annoying?” Zoey asks curiously.
Felicity tilts her head and then shakes it, “Nah. It's more annoying to be called Felicity all the time. Fe just sounds better.”
Zoey sits back, “Oh, that makes sense.”
“You don't like nicknames?” Sam inquires.
“Well, it's not like I hate them,” Zoey admits, picking at her shirt. No, she doesn't hate nicknames, as long as it's not meant to be demeaning. Her Dad's ridiculous nicknames are an example, which she puts up with because they remind her too much of her bio-Dad’s teasing. She's just been called way too many mean things before and after the world ended. In her experience, any name other than her own isn't affectionate. On top of all that, she prefers just her family to shorten her name, not every overly familiar survivor out there. “I just haven't… had good ones, I guess.”
“Zo sounds pretty good to me,” Sam shrugs.
Should Zoey share why she doesn't like people calling her that? It wouldn't hurt… would it? What if they decide she's not worth hanging out with anymore?
“Hey,” Felicity says softly, drawing Zoey out of her anxious thoughts. “If you don't like it, we won't call you that. Don't worry so much, you'll get wrinkles.”
Feeling like she has to share now, Zoey pushes through her insecurities, “No-it's just that… well, my Dad called me that before he… um,” Zoey swallows back the lump she feels every time she remembers her biological Dad. She misses him everyday, even though Negan has filled some of the void in her chest that her Dad used to occupy. “Anyway, I really prefer that my family call me Zo.”
“Okay,” Sam shrugs, both of them easily accepting it.
“That just means you get a different nickname,” Felicity states, her tone edging with excitement. “Sam, have any ideas?”
“She could be Shortie,” Sam suggests too quickly.
“Nope,” Zoey practically chirps, trying to avoid that unfortunate nickname. She doesn't want her new friends calling her that horrible word. Why does everyone focus so much on her height? For that matter, why can't they call her Zoey?
“Could,” Felicity allows, both of them winking at Zoey and grinning.
Zoey rolls her eyes and huffs, “Please, I get enough short jokes from my Dad.”
“What does he call you?” Sam asks.
Zoey crosses her arms and mumbles. Felicity leans in with a smirk, “Sorry, what was that?”
“He calls me Thumbelina!” Zoey blurts out louder, scowling at their resulting giggles.
“That's it?” Felicity asks, smirking. “That's not so bad. Could be worse.”
“Oh, yeah! I remember that movie!” Sam grins. “I’m surprised you know it. It's pretty old. It came out way before you were born.”
“You're not that much older than me,” Zoey squints suspiciously at Sam.
“Sam is an old crone in a young body,” Felicity supplies with a smirk that only grows when Sam tries to slap her leg.
“Don't listen to Fe, she's full of shit,” Sam states cheerfully, ignoring Felicity's tongue sticking out at her. “My Dad didn't like Disney, so we only got to watch non-Disney animated movies growing up. Thumbelina was one… I think there was one about dinosaurs?”
“God, I forgot about that,” Felicity says in mystified awe as she stares at Sam. “Those were such good movies.”
“They were!”
“Oh wait! I've got it!” Fe lights up, grinning widely. “Little Foot!”
Little Foot?! Zoey doesn't know if she should be offended. She's got small feet, yes, but she's still growing!
Sam gasps in excitement, “Ooo! Yes! That's perfect!”
Zoey keeps a straight face, “Another short joke?” She had such high hopes…
“What?” Fe blinks. “No, it's not… well, kinda… what I mean is-”
Sam giggles at Fe's stuttering, “Little Foot was a baby dinosaur in these movies called Land Before Time. Little Foot was actually a cool little guy that went on adventures with his other dinosaur friends.”
Zoey isn't entirely convinced, “What kind of dinosaur?”
“A long neck?” Fe asks Sam, who shrugs and nods at the same time.
“Cool,“ Zoey replies, smiling. If she remembers right, long necks are massive! She feels warm and invigorated as the new nickname settles over her. “Sure.”
Fe and Sam bump fists, “Nice. Let's get back to your makeup, girl.”
All three girls flinch and squeal when the door of the shelter opens abruptly. Zoey recovers first, her hand on her chest as she reflexively scowls at her Dad, “Dad! You scared us!”
“There you are!” Dad says, his voice rough and relieved.
Zoey stiffens as she hesitantly stands, “Dad?”
“Come on, let's go,” Dad waves her towards him. He's sweaty and there's a large, red st-
“Dad, are you hurt?” Zoey asks as she approaches, eyeing his blood stained shirt and pants. “What happened?”
Dad sighs, looking down at himself, “This ain't mine.”
Zoey's brows go up, “Whose is i-” a panic inducing thought whips through her mind. “That's not Harry's, is it?”
“Enough questions, come on.”
“Dad!” Zoey demands, forgetting everything else in her increasing concern for her brother. “Is that Harry's blood?! What happened?”
“Zo!” Dad pinches the bridge of his nose and grits his teeth. “I love you and cherish you but if you don't get your little ass going, I'm going to pick you up and carry you. Now, let's go.”
Zoey is suddenly hit by a wave of stubbornness at his tone and her scowl grows, “Dad! Just tell me what the hell is going on!”
“For cryin’ out loud!” Dad sighs in aggravation as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Harry is fine, you gremlin! I'll fucking explain later!” He glances at Zoey's new friends. Zoey quickly realizes that Dad just wants to speak to her privately.
Why doesn't he just say so?!
Zoey rolls her eyes, turning to her new friends, “Um, guess I gotta go.”
Sam doesn't look worried but Fe keeps glancing between Zoey and the Leader of Sanctuary with concern.
“You aren't leaving Hilltop yet, are you?” Sam asks pleadingly. Zoey has a feeling the other girl is asking more for how much longer Harry will be here than how long Zoey will.
Zoey looks at her Dad, who sighs in aggravation, “I don't know yet, okay? Can we get going now? I feel my feet growing fucking roots.”
Zoey rolls her eyes again and turns back to Sam, “I'll come find you guys if we leave, okay?”
Sam nods reluctantly. Fe straightens and says seriously, “Hey, if you need anything, let us know, okay?”
Though a little taken aback, Zoey nonetheless nods, “Okay? Um, thanks for doing my makeup. I had fun.”
Dad grumbles to himself.
Sam and Fe grins. Fe replies, “It was fun. Don't be a stranger, okay?”
Zoey grins back, “Okay!”
“Let's go!” Dad yells in exasperation, sounding dramatic.
Zoey makes a face at her friends and turns on her heel before she can see their reactions. She throws up her arms, “Okay, geez! I'm coming!”
“Oh Princess Thumbelina, I thank you for your kind gesture,” Dad ushers her out the door, his voice heavy with sarcasm.
Zoey ignores her Dad's ridiculous antics and follows along with her arms crossed. She wasn't expecting to be grabbed and hauled aside into a modicum of privacy a moment later.
“Dad! What the hell?” Zoey snaps, ripping her arm away.
“Zoey, I'm only going to say this once,” Dad's voice is ice cold and tight. Now that he's closer and in the bright light of day, Zoey can see the flecks of dried blood on his face. She pales at the implication as he continues, “I give you a lot of leeway in Sanctuary, much more than I should. But here? This is Hilltop, not Sanctuary. Here, you will listen to me the first time I tell you or else you’ll be taking the express train back home! I will not put up with that level of disrespect from you again, hear me?”
Shaken and feeling very small, Zoey nods quickly and shallowly. Dad studies her for a long few moments before he nods once. The angry countenance melts away into exhaustion and with it, Zoey's alarming wariness towards her Father.
“Good,” Dad nods again, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly.
“What…” Zoey starts pausing to see if her Dad will get angry again. When he just attentively looks at her, Zoey tries again, “Can you tell me what happened?”
Dad sighs explosively, “… fuck. Yeah, come on. I'll tell you on the way.”
Zoey relaxes a little, dutifully following and unwilling to risk her Dad's ire so quickly.
“Harry is fine,” Dad prefaces as they go. The entire community feels empty, as only a few walk around and the remainder either hiding or guarding the walls. “But we're going home. Soon.”
Zoey stops short, “What? Why? What about-”
“Zoey, I really don't need this right now, okay?” Dad cuts her off, his hand going back up to rub his face this time. The crusty blood flecks he rubs off fall to the ground.
“But-”
“Zo!” Dad snaps. Zoey snaps her mouth shut, moodily looking to the ground. Dad sighs heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose again. “Look,” he says, motioning her to follow him to the infirmary door. Sirius is standing guard, arms crossed and a scowl in place. Unlike her Dad, Harry's Godfather has no blood on him anywhere. But why is he standing outside? “There was an incident earlier.”
“I thought you said Harry was fine?” Zoey faces him accusingly.
Dad nods in exasperation, “Yes, he is now.”
“So you're saying he wasn't?”
Dad grimaces, “I don't know the specifics yet, okay? No one does but Harry and he's out. Probably for the rest of the day.”
“Dad, just tell me, okay?” Zoey pleads. She's deeply concerned for her brother now. What happened in the short time since she saw him? “I can handle it. I'm not a kid anymore!”
Zoey's rising indignation sizzles out when her Dad's expression cracks, “I know, sweetie. Every single day you do or say something that reminds me. I know you're not a kid anymore, I'm just-” Zoey's alarmed to see her Dad's eyes red and misty. He abruptly pulls her into a giant, encompassing hug, his voice muffled as he continues, “Fuck, Zo. I thought you were in there, too and that terrified me. I thought those fucking disgusting monsters got to you like they did to-” Dad cuts himself off, pulling back to gather himself.
Bereft and now cold, Zoey isn't sure she actually wants to know.
“Harry and that other kid got nabbed from behind,” Dad says after clearing his throat. Zoey's heart leaps into her throat. What the hell? She left him alone for an hour. “Snuck up on ‘em, the fucking cowards. I don't know how they got them into the house, the kid-”
“Dad,” Zoey interrupts, “What kid? Are you talking about Rory?” Dad wouldn't lie about Harry being okay. Not to Zoey. He's got to be resting in the shelter Sirius is guarding; he wouldn't be doing that if there was something wrong.
It's strange how her perception of him changed in only a few weeks.
“Is that the moron that didn't tell anyone about that very useful secret passage?”
“Yes, that's him,” Zoey confirms and asks sarcastically, “Would it kill you to call him by his name?”
“Yes,” Dad deadpans in an even tone, his face blank. The next second, he continues, “so anyway, Moron got taken with Harry. Some shit happened. Moron got shot, Harry tried to save him, blah, blah, Sirius and I pop in to save the day.”
“Dad,” Zoey doesn't whine but it's damn near. When will she ever be taken seriously?
Dad grimaces. He looks around, as if seeking an escape. Then, he leans down and grasps Zoey's shoulders in a firm, almost too tight hold, “Zoey, do you remember what Sirius said about the women to men ratio?”
A dreadful inkling creeps down the back of Zoey's neck like ice cold fingers. She nods, swallowing thickly. Dad's face is deadly serious - more serious than she's seen him in a long time. Not since the last-Zoey's heart sinks into her gut.
Dad shakes her shoulders a little to snap her out of her whirling thoughts. Once he's sure she's paying attention to him, he says, “You do not tell your Mother what I'm about to tell you. As far as this whole shit show is concerned, you know nothing.”
Again, Zoey nods.
Dad sighs, gritting his teeth as he reluctantly admits, “Sirius was right. Only one of the girls made it out but not unscathed. You have no fucking idea how lucky you are that you didn't get caught up in this, Zoey. No fucking clue. If you hadn't dawdled off with your friends-” Dad cuts himself off, looking down to the ground to gather himself.
Zoey needs that second too, her heart pounding with sudden realization. Horror ripples through her at the confirmation. Those poor women. Zoey had really wanted to go find the secret door, too but Sam and Fe distracted her with makeup. If they hadn’t... would they be-
Zoey turns her mind away, a shiver running up her spine. She doesn't need to think about it. Dad said everything is fine.
Dad heaves a sigh, shaking his head, “Anyway. My men and I managed to capture a couple of guys and Sirius had two in his custody. We're going to be dealing with them soon, so I want you to stay in the house with Harry, alright?”
Reluctantly, Zoey agrees, “Fine. What are you going to do to them?”
Dad looks down and then pulls away, clearing his throat, “Get going, Zo. I'm entrusting Harry's protection to you.”
“Dad,” Zoey says firmly, crossing her arms.
Dad swears under his breath and says, “Didn't we just have a conversation about listening?”
Zoey scoffs, sharply turning away from him to stomp to the metal shelter. She hears him muttering more. Sirius gives her a smirk as she approaches. She glares at him in response. When she gets close enough, Sirius dramatically opens the door and bows deep, “Your Majesty.”
Despite the wide range of negative emotions she's been feeling, she can't help rolling her eyes in amusement, “You're ridiculous.”
“Oh, no, my dear!” Sirius says with a flourish as she steps through the door. “I'm not ridiculous, I'm Sirius!”
Zoey snorts, reluctantly amused at the bad joke, “That's terrible.”
Sirius clutches his chest, “Oh no, she doesn't like my jokes! Whatever shall I do?!”
Zoey, grinning, reaches back and closes the door, “You'll figure it out!”
“Tough crowd!”
Zoey's giggle fades away when she sees her brother lying on the bed. His clothes are rumpled and there are bruises on his face, neck and peaking out from his shirt. He's paler than normal. There are blood stains on his shirt, sleeves and… his knees-he had to heal someone. Was it Rory?
Zoey opens the door again, “Sirius, can you tell me what happened?”
“Nope!” Sirius states cheerfully. “If I do, your Dad will do something horrific to something very important to me. You’re on your own, kid!”
Zoey sighs, “Can you at least tell me if Rory is okay?”
Sirius’ face falls, “Last I heard, the kid was in rough shape. Harry didn't heal the bullet wound all the way and he lost a lot of blood. Their doc is working on him now.”
Zoey frowns, bewildered at how much she missed in the last hour or so. What the hell?
“Go be with Harry, yeah?” Sirius says quietly, his attention beyond Zoey. “He had a rough time of it.”
Zoey doesn't want to imagine what Harry had seen in the mansion. She just nods and closes the door again. She looks at Harry, who hasn't moved so much as an inch. She feels relieved that Harry will be okay but anxious and scared that Rory may not. Does it make her a selfish person when she says she's happy Harry isn't in Rory's place? Does it make her a bad one?
What if Rory doesn't make it? Will Fe blame Harry? And if she does, will she stop talking to Zoey? She's never had friends that wanted to do her makeup or give her a nickname or share secrets…
Why is she thinking this? Of course Rory is going to live! Zoey believes in Harry's healing. She knows Rory will be okay. God, what kind of friend is she?
Feeling miserable, Zoey finally approaches the bed. She takes off her shoes and climbs in, tucking herself under Harry's wiry arm. Then, she settles in comfortably, her head on his shoulder. She can hear the calm beat of his heart and relaxes at the audible assurance. He's here and he's okay.
Zoey doesn't know how long she dozes for when she hears some distant voices through the thin walls. Curious, she rolls off the bed, pausing a moment to adjust Harry's arm back into place. Then she heads to the door.
Upon opening it, Sirius half turns and shakes his head, “Nuh uh. Get back in there.”
“What's happening?” Zoey asks him, peeking out around the doorframe to see what’s going on. It’s darker now, almost sunset.
“Nunya.”
Confused, Zoey looks at Sirius and parrots, “Nunya?”
“Nunya Business,” Sirius smirks in delight.
Rolling her eyes in exasperation at his unfunny joke, Zoey presses on, “Come on. Just tell me!”
Sirius shrugs, throwing his arms up, “Well, I tried.”
Zoey blinks, “What?”
“The men from the mansion,” Sirius says grimly. “Negan isn't a man that tolerates that kind of behaviour.”
Oh, Zoey thinks. She knows exactly what her Dad is doing.
“They just started, you don't need to see that. Get back in there.”
“You're not my Dad,” Zoey snaps as she goes to grab her shoes. Surely the people of Hilltop wouldn't allow that? “You can't tell me what to do.”
“No, you're right,” Sirius’ agreement throws her off for a moment. She had somehow expected him to argue the point. “I'm not telling you to control you. I'm telling you, from experience that I'll never be able to get rid of, that if you go, you will never be able to forget it.” The warning catches Zoey off guard. Sirius doesn't look like he's joking. His tone is grim and tight. “It will follow you. So, from my experience, you shouldn't rush into seeing something like that.”
Zoey pauses at the door. She breathes in, the memory of the man in the dark pinning her down flashing through her mind. It haunts her dreams to this day. What has never once made an appearance in her dreams was Dad killing the man in front of both her and Ma. If Zoey dreamt about the sounds of the hammer hitting flesh or the man's screams or the scene out of a horror movie starring Dad With a Sledgehammer, she doesn't remember. Seeing her Dad kill someone is very unpleasant, so she's glad that the ones that happened at Sanctuary didn't allow minors. It meant Zoey didn't have to make an excuse to save face. That being said, she doubts anything happening over there will be something she hasn’t seen before.
Zoey doesn't want to go but she feels she needs to. She can't really explain it. It's the most horrible thing her Dad takes responsibility for and the last thing he wants is for Zoey to see him like that. However, Zoey made friends here. Two friends that might have been hurt in a terrible way had they gone through with their plan together. Not only that but Rory's life hangs in the balance. Even if Fe and Sam miss out, Zoey can tell them that the men responsible paid for it.
“I'm going and if you stop me, I'll tell my Dad how I learned what a Walk of Shame is.”
Sirius narrows his eyes, “You cunning minx.”
Zoey steps out primly with a sniff. Just as she turns to go, Sirius says, “I went for a quick piss behind the house and you slipped away. Don't get caught and come back before he does. Got it?”
Zoey nods and grimly begins marching towards the ruckus. She passes the infirmary, only to pause when the door opens. Fe and Sam step out, both crying.
“Fe! Sam!” Zoey calls out, the commotion nearly drowning her out. She back tracks immediately to head for her distraught friends.
“Oh,” Sam offers a small, wet smile that quickly drops. She sounds nasally and her eyes are red and puffy. Her makeup is streaking pretty bad. Fe is worse; her eyes are blank and her makeup is scored down her cheeks around the thickest tears. “Hey Lil Foot.”
Zoey is afraid to ask. She doesn't want to but-
“Rory?” Zoey tentatively inquires.
Fe's blank expression crumbles and more tears fall. Sam sniffs thickly and hiccups, “He didn't-”
Zoey ignores the tears welling in her own eyes to hesitantly approach. She silently opens her arms, hoping she isn't turned away. Surprisingly, Fe takes it, pulling Sam along until the three are hugging each other.
After an especially loud yell, Sam pulls back and asks quietly, “What's going on?”
Suddenly filled with determination, Zoey grabs their hands and says, “Dad is executing the ones that did this to Rory. Let's go.”
“Go?” Sam pauses, her tone pitching high in fear. “Why?”
“Fe deserves to see those fuckers pay for murdering Rory,” Zoey says, acid dripping from her tone. She looks Sam right in the eye and says, “And as her friends, we need to be there for her. Now are you in or not?”
“Shouldn't we be asking her if she wants that?” Sam asks defensively, motioning to Fe.
Fe cuts their argument off herself by pulling them along, heading straight for the screams of pain. Sam and Zoey share a glance and then pick up their pace to keep up.
“It's best if we sneak,” Zoey says, motioning to the other side of where her Dad is catching his breath. Through glimpses between people, Zoey spies two Saviors haul a severely mutilated body away. What the person may have looked like alive will forever be a mystery to her because there was nothing left of the face or crotch.
“Here!” Sam hisses, pulling both of them down with her. They are hidden behind a bench with a convenient gap in the rough ring to allow them a good view even while hidden.
Fe's grip tightens. Zoey squeezes back.
“Hoo! Alright!” Dad crows as he straightens. “Man, that was a doozy, hey? Okay, bring forth Sir Fuckwad III of Weaselton for his coronation!”
Zoey frowns to herself. Dad sounds… a little too happy.
A man is forcefully brought forward by two people and is made to kneel in front of her Dad. One is Bea, the other is Henry. Zoey looks at everyone assembled and wonders where Jesus is. Why isn't he stopping this?
“Oh man, your Momma must have been a fuckin’ looker with a face like that,” Dad taunts, crouching down to inspect the man. He lightly slaps the man's cheek and then squeezes his face with one hand, “No wonder you can't land a date. Even the apocalypse can't help that fugly mug.”
The crowd roars with laughter. The man tries to bite Dad's hand but he's too quick, a backhand snapping out like lightning. Head thrown to the side, the man is only held up by the two holding him. Dad stands and asks, “Hey, was he one of them?”
He turns to look at someone Zoey can't see. Then, he waves them closer. A woman and a man appear. She's limping heavily and he's helping her walk. Dad produces a knife and hands it to her, dramatically allowing her access to the restrained man. Her companion begins arguing but she merely presses her hand to his chest and pushes him away, limping a few steps to the captive. She drops into a kneel in front of him.
Zoey watches in horrified fascination as the woman does something to the front of the man's pants. Dad immediately hollers in laughter. The man starts struggling but is held in place firmly. His voice pitches high in absolute panic and the crowd begins cheering. They drown out his pleas and then his screams. The woman jerks back and holds something up to his face, blood forming rivers down her arm. It's too far to see what it is, exactly, but Zoey has a fair idea.
“Oh my God!” Sam whispers, horrified.
Zoey's reaction catches in her throat. The woman abruptly screams, “Choke on it, Bitch!” as she shoves it into the man's mouth, her other hand on the back of his head to keep him in place. Any sounds he may have made are entirely drowned out by the crowd going crazy over it. “Does it feel good? Huh, you piece of shit?! Does it!? You fucking-” she devolves into screams as her companion bear hugs and rips her away from her quarry. She screams some more, kicking and wriggling but is quick to slip into uncontrollable sobbing.
So distracted, Zoey just now hears the unmistakable sound of her Dad laughing.
“Wow! This shit is way better than Reality TV! Fuck, man! Did she ever fuck you over! I mean, dying is one thing but dying chokin’ on your own dick? What a way to go, amiright?!” Dad slaps his thigh as the crowd laughs at the cruel joke. Zoey is flabbergasted; why is he acting like that? What the hell?
Whoever that is… that isn't her Dad.
They finally let the man go. He sags and weakly tries to... pull it out. Zoey can't see why he's unable to. Negan taunts him in his final moments as he slowly stops moving to fall on his side. The words blur together for Zoey, shock numbing her to what's happening. His limbs twitch and finally, finally, Dad gives the man mercy. It's quick; one neat, well practised swing Zoey remembers him using for chopping firewood. The twitches flare abruptly, blood splattering everywhere and then everything stills.
“Hey! Think this was on the Thousand Ways to Die list?” Negan jokes, gesturing for the body to be taken away. People laugh. Like it’s the funniest joke ever told.
Zoey thinks this whole thing is one big, sick joke.
“Guys, I want to go,” Sam pleas, sounding faint and terrified. Fe doesn't seem to hear her.
“Alrighty, let's bring out the fourth and final contestant on…! The Punishment is Right!” Negan crows in a grandiose tone.
“Please,” Sam begs, breathless.
Fe seems to shake herself out of whatever state she'd fallen into to take in her friend. Then, she nods and tugs on Zoey's hand. She allows herself to be pulled along, unable to think past the image of the terribly cruel man that has somehow replaced her kind and goofy Dad.
“And what have we here?” Negan's voice cuts through the din. “Did he do that to you?... No? Oh! Your friend? Well what a fucking piece of shit! Would you like the honours again, madam?”
Sam and Fe pull Zoey away from the crowd to disappear around a shelter. Sam is shaking and breathing hard, asking in a tight voice, “What the fuck? What the fuck?”
“Sam, it's okay,” Fe says quietly, wiping her face and smearing the smudged makeup. “I'm sorry I made you do that.”
Sam calms a little at that, “No-... No, I wanted to… I just wasn't…”
“I wasn't either,” Fe murmurs, scuffing her shoe on the ground. As the crowd begins cheering once more, they all glance in that direction, even though all they see is a wall.
“... Did it make it better?” Sam asks carefully.
Fe shrugs a shoulder, “I don't know. Maybe? I just can't get over…”
“Yeah…” Sam says, sounding on the cusp of crying.
“I'm so sorry,” Zoey blurts out, beginning to tear up. It all comes pouring out, “I didn't know he'd be like that. He’s not really like that, I swear! That was horrible, I shouldn't have said anything. I'm so sorry!”
“Hey!” Fe soothes, grabbing Zoey's wrists to gain her attention. “I wanted to go. Okay? You were just looking out for me. It was horrible but now I know that Rory can rest easy knowing those horrible people finally paid for what they did to us. That's all he wanted since it happened.”
Zoey pulls Fe into a hug, incredibly relieved. She had done it out of a strange whim and somehow, it all worked out. Fe sighs tiredly, hugging back.
“Sam?” Zoey asks once Fe pulls away.
“I'm… upset,” Sam admits, rubbing her arm. Zoey feels her heart sink and Fe ducks her head. “Can we please never do that again? Please?”
“We won't pull you into anything you don't want to do again, okay?” Fe promises.
Zoey nods, “Yeah, I'm sorry. I promise.”
Sam relaxes a little, “That'd be great. Thanks.”
The commotion dies down. That jolts them into action, quickly pulling each other out of their hiding spot to move deeper into the neatly lined shelters. Zoey stops short when she sees Sirius.
“Wait,” Zoey says, the others stopping as well. “I gotta go.”
“What?” Sam asks. “Why?”
It's mostly because she wants Harry to wake up with her nearby so he doesn't panic. But the reason she gives is, “D-um, I'm expected to be there. I might get in trouble.” Zoey hasn't felt conflicted on what to call Negan in a while. It doesn't feel right to call the person she saw her Dad. That wasn't her Father.
“Okay, I guess,” Fe says, reaching out to squeeze Zoey's upper arm. “Come see us later, okay?”
“Bye Lil Foot.”
Zoey forces the fresh surge of emotion down, gripping Fe's arm in turn and then leaving them. She still feels terrible in her part in traumatizing them. She didn't think her-that he would be so cruel.
Sirius straightens when he sees her. He eyes her knowingly as she approaches but he doesn't smirk or smile. Instead, he seems sad.
“You saw something, didn't you?” Sirius asks, shocking her.
“Wha-buh-” Zoey intelligently blurts. “How the hell-?”
“I know that look,” Sirius answers grimly. “I've seen it in the mirror.”
Shaken, Zoey again forces down the surge of emotion, “What do you know? Leave me alone.”
Zoey attempts to stomp past him but Sirius only redirects her with a quick move, shoving her back a little. “Hey!” she yelps, scowling at him. “What gives?”
What, is he going to gloat about how he was right all along?
“I'm not going to say what you think I'm going to say,” Sirius says calmly, holding his hands out in a calming motion. “I'm only going to offer you what I never had.”
“What's that?” Zoey dares him to answer. What could he possibly offer to make things better?
“An empathetic ear from someone who has been there,” Sirius answers sincerely, giving Zoey pause. He places a hand on her shoulder gently, bending to look her in the eye, “If you ever need someone to talk to about what you saw there, I'm willing to listen. Anytime. Okay?”
Unexpectedly thrown by his answer and subsequent offer, Zoey slowly nods, “O-okay.”
Sirius smiles warmly and pats her shoulder, “Good girl. Now, get in there. Last thing I need is Negan to march over and see you here.”
Managing a fragile grin, Zoey steps inside. Harry is exactly where she left him. Zoey takes off her shoes and practically flies to the bed, curling into Harry's comforting warmth. Almost immediately, his soothing presence eases her troubled mind and it's not long until she falls into exhausted sleep.