Chapter 17
“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?!”
Zoey stares at her hands, the bumps of the road jarring her into the Saviors sitting next to her. There's nothing to be done about the rough ride, she's already tried. They are heading back because Dad couldn't get Ma on the line. Zoey isn't that worried about it, what if Ma's busy? But Negan is adamant about going back tonight.
Zoey lightly rubs the sore part of her arm where Negan grabbed her. He didn't mean to hold her so tightly, she knows. He's just worried.
“Wow! This shit is way better than Reality TV!-”
It's bothering her. She can't get it out of her head. The entire scene just keeps haunting her over and over again, like some grotesque video stuck on repeat. Negan's theatrics, the easy violence, the glee… Zoey feels like someone evil took over her easy going Dad. He isn't actually like that!
The first day she met him, Negan had shown a shocking level of reluctance in killing Biters. Now, he's enjoying killing people? Where had everything gone so badly? How was it possible for her loving Dad to turn into someone so… so terrible? Just because they had done terrible things, doesn't mean they needed to be tortured first. Zoey knows Negan never drew out the other's torment before because Ma was always there. Is that the difference?
If Ma had been here, would Negan have done all that?
Zoey isn't sure. She thought she knew her Dad but it's clear she doesn't. Did he always have a penchant for violence or is it everything pulling it out now? He did admit that he beat a student’s Dad up and lost his job over it… but that doesn't mean he's a bad person! How can he be when Ma loves him?
It's just all so confusing.
Zoey looks out the window. It's really dark out, she can't even see the trees. The front window only reveals the taillights of Negan's truck up ahead. In the vague, smoky mirror of the nearest darkened window, the flames and shadows of the previous night slowly crowd into view. Cruel jeers and horrid laughter drift into her ears, distant at first but growing rapidly in volume. The blank eyed woman raising a knife and the tortured, blood curdling screams of the man being held down.
“Does it feel good? Huh, you piece of shit?! Does it!? You fucking-”
Zoey flinches away from the window, the shrill voice and shadows fading away. She doesn't want to think about that.
She should have listened to Sirius.
Zoey didn't think it would be that bad! Emillia admitted to sneaking close enough to see the last execution, she said they bashed the head in. No mentions of drawing it out or playing around. Ma hadn't been cross with Dad recently, so why? Why was he like that? And for that matter… did Sirius somehow know what Negan was doing, even though the two were nearly an entire community apart? Is that why he warned her? Or was he being one of those know-it-all adults that like to push her around?
Sirius never really struck Zoey as someone like that. He's more… like a giant kid. He likes his games, especially when it comes to bugging Zoey recently and he always has a joke on hand. He really likes to tease, sometimes a little too much but never in a mean way. Zoey doesn't remember a single time Sirius had said something to her that hurt, unlike some of the Saviors who thought it funny to shoot nasty slurs her way. They make fun of her skin, hair and height in a mean way, though they've stopped recently.
She only puts up with it because she knows they barely have enough brain cells between them to keep breathing. They were already warned against it several times but like real morons, they go right back to it after a few days. It's just not worth making a fuss about anymore.
-uncontrollable sobbing— choking-jeers—laughing, belly deep, knee slapping, genuinely amused laughing-
Zoey flinches from that horrible sound, forcing it away by thinking about-
“Remain not but look forward,” Harry says, his voice gaining an unexplainable edge that raises the hairs on Zoey's arms and neck, goose pimples sprouting. “We shall meet again, someday.”
The pyre suddenly burns brighter and hotter, flames rising higher than she'd ever seen. Gasps of fear and awe erupt all around. Zoey stares into the ever shifting reds, oranges, yellows of the erratic pyre, almost feeling dizzy. She starts to feel the weight over her shoulders melt away. Her chest, tight with sadness, begins to loosen, leaving behind a sense of acceptance. The air, heavy with loss and thick with misery clears almost magically.
As the flames die down, Zoey inhales deeply, finally feeling like she can breathe.
That whole experience had been more than a little intense, Zoey could admit. It had freaked out Fe and Sam a little, too. Whatever it was… Zoey noticed a difference in Fe first. She finally stopped crying, having been doing so all day. Then Sam calms down enough to tell them a story of something Rory did.
She heard Harry stave off curious questions by firmly stating he had nothing to do with whatever happened. Zoey knows he’s telling the truth but... even she wonders if he had done something.
It's not like she's never noticed weird things about him. It's just that she never wanted to dig deep enough to figure it out. It's selfish of her to avoid asking about him in any way. She doesn’t want to know about any friends he may have had back in Britain. He never talks about any, except mentioning a couple of names here and there. He doesn't even bring it up.
Harry’s adamant denials fall on deaf ears. Zoey heard the whispers when they left. Nobody believes he didn’t have some hand in it but nobody has anything negative to say about it, either. If anything, they seem mystified.
Zoey hates the attention Harry is garnering, while also grateful it's not on her. What her blood can accomplish and how valuable it is to the wrong people gives her recurring nightmares. The thought of the Commonwealth finding her makes her heart skip a beat. Hearing vehicles approaching has her head whipping up to see. It's exhausting just how on edge she feels knowing all these strange people are looking for her.
Not to mention, that strange man Harry had spoken to back in Shirewilt. The one that didn’t react to the vaccination. She’s pretty sure he’s immune, too and wonders why Harry didn’t say anything. The only reason she didn’t is because she was too shocked over the fact that there was someone else out there that’s naturally immune to the virus. Zoey never would have guessed that someone else shared her immunity without Harry’s intervention and it makes something inside her warm at the thought that she isn’t as alone as she thought she was.
“We're a few minutes out.”
Zoey blinks, coming back to the present to find that, somehow, they almost made it all the way back. The black pitch has lightened enough to see the road ahead. Zoey turns in her seat to look out the back window. The van Sirius and Harry are in aren't even in sight, they are that far behind. Are they even still there?
Of course they are. Something would have been said on the radio otherwise, right?
They're almost back home. Almost a week of being away from Sanctuary, the longest period of time Zoey has ever spent away from it since they found it. It was exciting when she left; though she didn't have any interest in anything else but finding Harry, Negan and Ma rarely invited her out beyond the fence anyway. She knew the streets, alleys and bushes a few hours walk around Sanctuary like the back of her hand but further than that? She had to be back within a few hours, so it was rare that Zoey was able to go out far enough to see something new.
The Kingdom was just… strange. Even though, technically, it had been the most normal visit of all three communities, she didn't like the part where Shiva saw fit to charge Harry. Zoey wasn't the only one that was terrified in that one moment but Harry was the only one that wasn't. Instead of cowering, he met the challenge head on and won. How he was able to get Shiva to listen and back down, Zoey will never know but she does know that she will never try to pet the tiger ever again. Besides all that, the people were also strange - but in a good way, they talked funny. Zoey made a couple of friends among the few teens but none of them felt even remotely like the one she forged with Fe and Sam in the short time they were at Hilltop.
“Looks like trouble,” the driver states in a tight tone. Zoey snaps her head up just as they pull through the gates of Sanctuary. Her heart starts pounding when she sees D-Negan being violently pulled from the truck. Before she can even inhale for a scream, the car stops abruptly and the doors are ripped open.
“Get out! Get out, now! Move!” Hubert, one of the Saviors that liked to make fun of her, jabs the gun threateningly as he demands. The Saviors on either side of her don't move fast enough and are grabbed by more Saviors, what the f-
“Hey!” Zoey yelps as her arm is grabbed. She tries to pull away but the grip is large and tight. She's dragged from the car, kicking and screaming up a storm. “Let go of me! Stupid fucker!”
“Shut the fuck up,” Hubert grunts as he tries to wrestle her into a better hold. “Stop-moving-”
Zoey let her training take over, recalling the ways Alex showed her how to deal with larger opponents. It works for an exhilarating minute before Hubert loses patience, catching her arm and yanking her off balance. Zoey screams angrily as she's thrown over his shoulder as easily as a sack of potatoes, “Let go of me, you ugly troll fucker!”
“Shaddup,” he orders with a scoff, turning to take her elsewhere. “Simon Says you go over here.”
“No!” Zoey pounds on his back ineffectively. She abruptly notices that Harry is being escorted by gun towards the cafeteria. She follows the direction they are going and sees Simon standing there, smiling smugly, with two Saviors on either side. Wait - where's Ma?
Zoey yelps when she's thrown to the ground. She's grabbed again but before she can react, Tina's voice is in her ear, “Zoey! It's us!”
A quick glance around reveals the stressed and anxious faces of the Worker force. Zoey doesn't see or hear the kids, where are they? Why is everyone gathered here?
“You'll see things my way soon enough,” Simon's voice catches Zoey's attention. He has his arm over Harry's shoulders, as if they are the greatest of friends but Harry’s expression is full of contempt. “In the meantime, why don't we start the show?”
“Where's Lucille?” Harry demands, scowling at Simon's arm. He doesn't do anything about it, though. Zoey would like to know where her Ma is as well.
“Oh, Sweet Lulu-bird is staying with the good Doctor right now, don't you worry,” Simon drawls. It makes Zoey's skin crawl at how Simon says the dumb nickname. “All the stress isn't good for her in her condition.”
Zoey feels confused. Condition? Ma has some kind of sickness? How could that have happened in a week?! The confusion deepens when Harry's face blanks out.
Simon notices Harry's reaction and adds in a sleazy tone, “Wouldn't it just be a tragedy if my men-”
“You've already made your point clear,” Harry interrupts in a deadly calm tone. “Sir.”
Zoey feels lost. What are they talking about? Is Simon threatening Ma? Simon's mustache twitches and he raises his hand in Zoey's direction with a, “Careful, boy.”
Tina squeals and several people gasp, flinching back and away from Zoey. She looks, heart stopping as she stares up into the dark, narrow depths of the barrel of a gun. Her blood freezes in her veins and all rational thought flees. The gun seems so much larger than she ever-
“Alright, I'm sorry,” Harry says in a far more respectful tone. Zoey doesn't breathe until the gun is lowered and Tina is hesitantly pulling her back. Holy shit, holy shit. Zoey's heart restarts with a trembling pitter patter that makes her limbs shake.
“Good! I'm happy to hear it,” Simon replies cheerfully. “Now then, where were we? Ah, yes! Bring him!”
Negan is dragged out from the driver's side of the truck, his face already wrecked from a beating. He's still struggling but he's outnumbered, gagged and restrained, so it amounts to nothing. He's held up in front of Simon and Harry like an offering.
“Dad!” Zoey yells, going to stand.
“Sit the fuck down!” The Savior guard shouts. He raises his gun high to hit her and Zoey flinches from it, raising her arms to protect her face.
“Don’t you dare.”
A sudden cold wind sweeps through Sanctuary at Harry's furious hiss, making everyone freeze for a moment. In the mugginess of the late Spring, the cold wind is not only unexpected but blows right through every survivor. As it dies down, it leaves behind a chill that the warmth of the sun cannot pierce. The man that was about to hit Zoey instead hesitantly lowers the gun, utterly freaked out.
Simon also looks disturbed, eyeing Harry and their surroundings dubiously. “Weird weather,” Simon mutters, shrugging it off and motioning for the lackey threatening Zoey to back down. He then addresses everyone, “Alright, you sacks of horseshit. In case you are genuinely fucking stupid, I'm the one in charge now. Negan, here, is too fucking weak to do what needs to be done, so here I am.”
Zoey rolls her eyes. Did this guy really think he's going to get away with this? Any minute now, either Negan or Harry are going to spring up and fight back and everyone will hop up to do the same. She's just waiting for a sign! Wait, where's Sirius? Zoey glances around wide eyed looking for him and finds something weird. Where are the Runners?
“Everyone is to forget their name. Go on, just let it go. It's not your name anymore,” Simon orders, looking around at everyone's confusion. Zoey is distracted from searching for Sirius at that comment. What does he mean by that? Simon continues, “From now on, your names are all Simon.”
Deep confusion ripples across Savior and Worker alike.
“What you see and hear will be what I see and hear. We are Simon and what you know, I will know,” the crazed mustachioed man remains inarticulate in his meaning. Zoey has no idea what he means. “And seeing as we are all Simon, we will play a permanent game of Simon Says.”
That game sounds familiar, though Zoey can't recall from where or when.
“When my men and I say ‘Simon Says’, you do it or die,” Simon shrugs, as if helpless at the choices offered. “I don't give a rat's ass what the reason or task is. We are Simon and we take, not trade or negotiate or compromise.”
Gunfire in the distance makes everyone look in that direction. Simon glares at the tree tops and then addresses the nearest Savior, “Go raise the others, ask if that's them.”
Zoey doesn't like the sound of that. Neither does Tina by the anxious noise she makes. Who are they talking about?
“Anyway!” Simon claps his hands and finally turns his attention to Negan. He's glaring, a cut above his eye bleeding sluggishly. Simon grins meanly, “Negan, no hard feelings, right? Don't worry, I'll take good care of Lulu-bird and Junior.”
Negan lunges with a muffled roar but reels back when Simon punches him. Zoey squeals in terror, “Dad!” Tina holds her back from getting up, which is good because the Savior standing nearby has his gun trained on them. Simon laughs, stepping over Negan to sit on him. Zoey yells again, “No! Stop!”
“Sit the fuck down!” The Savior aggressively spits out, stepping closer to jab the gun at them.
Zoey watches helplessly as Simon begins to beat Negan senseless. Every punch that winds back lands with a harsh, flinch inducing sound that draws out agonized groans.
“Daddy!” Zoey pushes against Tina but the other girl doesn't let her go. “Stop it!”
“You could have been fucking great, Negan,” Simon huffs, looking at his hands and then shaking the blood off them as he stands. He stares down at Negan and makes a face, spitting on the prone, barely conscious man. “But you were too fucking weak.”
Zoey doesn't know if she's ever hated someone so much in her life. If she could kill with her eyes, she would have done so to Simon in a heartbeat. He deserves to rot in Hell and Zoey sure hopes someone gets the chance to send him there.
“Simon Says, drag this piece of shit to the Pit,” Simon smirks as a couple of Saviors gather to do as told. “He'll be the main event tonight!”
Zoey slumps against Tina. Tonight? This can't be happening.
Calm down, Zoey, Harry's voice comes tickling into her ear. Think. There's another way around this.
Okay, there might be but how the hell can she do anything? She eyes the gun still threateningly pointed in their direction, knowing there's no way she'll be able to get it away from him. Not unless she can catch him off guard. Then what? If she fucks up, Harry will be the one to pay for it later. What can she do? What can she do…!?
And where the hell is Sirius?!
“Well, that was fun,” Simon laughs, accepting a cloth from Henry to wipe the blood from his hands. “And a long time coming, too. Felt fucking good, you know what I mean, Harry?”
“I can imagine, Sir,” Harry replies robotically. Zoey wishes he would look at her but he refuses to even look up from the ground.
“Oh! Don't be like that!” Simon pleas in a sleazy tone. “You and me? We're going to be tight, you know?” Zoey rolls her eyes at the gall. “My own personal army of Simons takes over the entire area and you will keep them healed. Sounds great, huh? No more pandering to those fucking pricks in the Kingdom and there are some damn fine looking women in Hilltop. You and I will be Kings.”
What the hell is Simon on? How can he possibly think the other communities will allow this?
Why is he doing this?
“What do you say, huh?” Simon prompts Harry after he finishes his spiel, lightly pushing Harry's shoulder. “I'll even throw in the kid. Won't have to work, ever. She'll even get her own room.”
“What a tempting offer,” Harry replies monotonously. “Is it a choice?”
“Nope!” Simon practically chirps. He turns and points at her, “Take her to the Pit as well.”
“Harry!” Zoey screams as several Saviors she doesn't really know converge on her. She cowers into Tina as they reach down to grab her. “Harry! Help me!”
“Ah, ah!” Simon's voice reaches her ears despite everything. “One wrong move and she will be the example for today's lesson. Got me?”
Despite the attempts of Tina and the nearest workers, Zoey is still pried away. Some of them got souvenir butts to the face with guns to get them back in line. Zoey struggles, trying everything to keep from going but, frustratingly, she can't get leverage. She's dragged through the rest of the kneeling residents kicking and grunting. She twists around to look at Harry, their eyes meeting over Simon's shoulder as the arrogant man blocks her brother from going after her.
“We'll see her tonight. For now, you will go to your new room. I had it prepared especially for you, you know…” Simon's voice fades out. Zoey’s breathing picks up as she's hauled down the stairs of the last place she ever wanted to return to. They pass Diego standing in the control room taking a long sip of his cup. He watches them pass with a blank expression. Zoey is shocked speechless at seeing him there.
“Fucking bitch,” one of the Saviors grunts as the other opens the door to the cell. Zoey realizes too late, as they shove her inside and slam the door, that it's…
“Wait! No!” Zoey screams, throwing herself against the bars and reaching out desperately. Her other hand squeezes the cold, cold bar tightly. “Please! Not this one! Not this one!!”
The Saviors laugh as they exit, one clapping Diego on the shoulder. He doesn’t react to them but he also doesn’t look at Zoey.
Zoey shakes the bars aggressively, her desperation turning to anger lightning fast, “Wait, you fucking wankers! Let me out of here! Not this one!!” Is it just Zoey or can she hear someone else screaming? Diego steps into the room, catching Zoey's attention. “Diego! Diego, please! Please, help me! Eres mi amigo, por favor ayuda!”
Diego's blank expression crumbles into misery and he rubs his face, knocking his glasses askew, “Lo lamento, Zoey. No puedo.”
Zoey stops, her entire body vibrating from fear. She feels a sharp jab of hurt, her hands gripping the bars tightly as she utters, “Por qué?
Diego hesitates. Zoey can see how he fights himself before finally giving in. He answers, “Simon threatened to hurt Cindy. Sandra was already punished for resisting. Lo siento mucho, por favor no me odies.”
Seeing a chance, Zoey jumps on it, “Okay! I promise I won't but please, please, Diego, move me to the other cell! Please!”
Diego tilts his head, hesitating again, “You okay, chica?”
Zoey can feel fingers creeping up her shoulder blades as she replies, “No, please, Diego. Please. Not this cell. Please, just not this cell.”
“What's wrong with…” Diego trails off and then seems to realize it on his own. “Oh, mierda,” he cusses, turning to rush back into the control room. “Of course! Joder! What pendejos! Just a second, Zoey!”
Relieved she doesn't have to spell it out, Zoey impatiently waits for Diego to get back. She refuses to look anywhere else but the hole he disappeared through. She can’t look, she can’t-
She hears him cursing in Spanish and perks up when he comes back.
“Me olvidé,” Diego scratches his arm in dejection. “They took them on the way out.”
Zoey's chest suddenly feels too tight. She's stuck in here, for however long it takes for Simon to start whatever fucked up games he's planning. That could be hours - it could be days. What if he doesn't keep his word? What if he keeps her in this cell for longer? Indefinitely? She can't be in here. She can't be in here!
Hands shake her shoulders but it only makes Zoey look down. The floor is stained - or is it? Wasn't it lighter? There had been so much blood. Even with the glimpse she got before Harry intervened, there was too much blood. On the walls. On the floor. Too much on the floor to wash away, surely?
Is it her imagination?
Zoey vacantly studies the bars, wondering if Her hands grasped-
“Ow!” Zoey hisses, flinching away from the fingers pinching her nose. It's sharp enough to make her eyes water and effectively snaps her out of what was quickly devolving into a panic attack.
“Lo siento, lo siento,” Diego whispers, glancing over his shoulder. “I didn't want to slap you out of it. Estás bien?”
Slowly, Zoey lowers her hand from her face and nods. She's still shaking and now refuses to look at the floor or touch the bars. “Sorry,” she whispers, trying to remember how to breathe. Out of nowhere, she feels far away from herself. She stares in mute shock as Diego cups her face - and like a snapping elastic, the sensation flees, leaving her feeling jarred and vulnerable.
“-Voy a buscar las llaves, solo espera. Te sacaré de allí, lo prometo, solo espera.”
Zoey didn't understand all the words but the gist got across. She nods stiffly, unable to manage even a smile. Diego doesn't wait for one. He lets her go and turns to leave, only to stop short and slowly raise his hands.
“Zoey?”
Sirius’ voice is cold but entirely too welcoming. The relief is so palpable that Zoey starts tearing up as she replies, “I'm in here!”
A crash of metal, “That won't do. Open the door, now.”
Diego gasps as he bends, “How?”
“I'm very talented. Hurry up, we don't have time.”
Zoey does start tearing up when Diego turns, keys in hand. He wastes no time in opening the door and the second it's wide enough, Zoey squeezes out. She trips, very nearly falling before Diego catches her. She sighs in relief, quickly hugging him with a small, “Gracias.”
Before Diego can even react, Zoey races to Sirius and hugs him tightly with enough force to make him grunt. He recovers quickly, his free arm winding around her shoulders. After a quick squeeze, he pushes her back, “Love the welcome, poor timing. You alright?”
Zoey shudders, turning her mind away from the cell resolutely, “I'm not hurt. Do you know where they took Harry?”
“Simon had the penthouse ripped apart after he took control,” Diego offers hesitantly. “That's where he's keeping Lucille, too.”
“But he said she's with Carson,” Zoey mumbles, confused.
Diego shrugs, “Maybe it was a misdirect? Just in case?”
Sirius shrugs and then asks, “You trust this guy, Zoey?”
Diego suddenly seems nervous, scratching his arm again. Zoey knows her friend is in a tight spot by protecting Cindy and he was going to get the keys earlier. She nods, smiling a little, “Yeah, he's just in a hard place.”
Sirius tilts his head and narrows his eyes. The warmth that built in his eyes and face blank out, “As long as you're sure. If that's the case, he won't mind staying behind, will he?”
Zoey startles when she suddenly remembers-”Hey! Where's Dad?”
Diego hangs his head and points at the opposite cell, “In Isolation.”
Confused, Zoey asks, “What?” Isolation? “Let him out!”
Diego shakes his head, “I can't. Simon has the key!”
“Zoey, he'll be fine. For now, we need to get back up. The others are in position, I just needed to find Harry. Now that I know, plans have changed,” Sirius states and then gestures for Diego to get into the cell. “Go on. And if we fail, be convincing.”
“Convincing? What am I convincing?” Diego asks, utterly confused as the cell door closes and locks.
Sirius points with a wink, “Perfect! Just like that.” He turns on his heel and points at the exit, “Vamoose.”
“It's vamos,” Zoey corrects irritably, following.
“Bless you,” Sirius says over his shoulder.
Zoey frowns in confusion but lets it go. Sirius is right, now isn't the time. She's just very happy to be out of that cell. She never wants to be down here again. As they ascend, the man takes out a walkie and clicks the talk button in rapid patterns. Zoey can't make heads or tails of why. When he stops and waits to listen at the top of the stairs, she keeps herself from asking. Sirius states at the walkie for a hard minute.
Weirdly, the walkie makes the same sounds! It's indecipherable to her but Sirius looks like he's concentrating really hard. Again, she keeps herself from just asking because she doesn't want to fuck things up. Zoey has to trust that Sirius will tell her. He nods to himself, glancing at Zoey and then nodding again. He clicks in three long presses, a short one and then two more long ones.
“Can I give you a job, Zoey?” Sirius asks quietly and doesn't give her time to even respond. “When we go out, I will give you something. Take it to that little space people use for their smoke breaks. Someone will be there, give it to them.”
Zoey nods dazedly, trying to keep up with Sirius’ frankly scary behaviour. This is entirely too much like the man he was back in Atlanta and she doesn't know how to feel about it.
“It's clear. Let's go,” Sirius hisses, putting the walkie away and opening the door.
How does he know? Zoey wonders as she follows his lead. She takes the wire cutters, catching onto their intended use immediately. He brusquely pushes her in the right direction. Recovering, she turns to snap-
He's gone.
Utterly freaked out, Zoey just turns robotically. Cradling the wire cutters like a baby, Zoey beelines for the space Sirius was talking about. It's rather easy for her, having spent so much time sneaking around Sanctuary to get out. In barely any time she's there, immediately finding a familiar face.
Jesus smiles, “Hey Zoey.”
“Sirius didn't say it was you!” Zoey snaps in relief, quickly tossing the wire cutters over. There's no way she's strong enough to cut them. She tried already. Jesus utters a soft yelp as he steps out of the way, even though the tool didn't land anywhere near him. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“We are here to help,” Beatrice whispers as she reveals herself. Jesus retrieves the tool and gets to work on making an opening. Zoey's mouth drops open when five more people appear behind her. “Not much compared to how many are in there but we have a plan.”
“What about Hilltop?” Zoey asks. “How did you guys even know?!”
Beatrice waves Zoey off, “That's why more aren't here. Everyone wanted to come but only us Runners did. Most experiences in bad situations kinda thing.”
“Sirius took us aside before you all left and asked us to be ready, just in case,” Theresa answers her second question. “I don’t know how he knew but he was pretty accurate.”
Gunfire erupts out of nowhere. Zoey ducks out of instinct but Jesus springs into action, pulling the fence back as much as he can. Beatrice and the others climb through quickly. Beatrice holds the fence for Jesus while the others disappear into Sanctuary, weapons in hand.
“What's happening?” Zoey asks nervously.
“That's the signal!” Beatrice hisses, pushing Jesus towards the door. “Hide, okay? This will be over soon!” She disappears through the door as well. Zoey shifts, indecision warring. She looks at the fence, knowing if she doesn't do anything to secure it, some Biters might come crawling in. However, she feels the strong need to find Harry.
Logic wrestles control over her heart. She has to trust Sirius and the others to find Harry. What she needs to do, right now, is figure out a way to secure the breach. Zoey steps into the little storage area that now houses bits and pieces of this and that. She knows there are zip ties somewhere inside. It takes too long to locate them in the dark and when she makes it back to the door, a Biter is trying to crawl through the slit.
Zoey hisses, reaching back and down for the emergency weapon that's stashed on the inside of the door. She grasps the handle clumsily and accidentally bumps it on the door frame as she pulls it out. It catches the attention of the Biter and it doubles its attempts to get in.
Looking around, Zoey sees others approaching and curses the gunfire. She quickly swings the axe into the head, closing her eyes to the splatter. She yanks the axe free and drops it, heaving the dead weight back out of the hole enough to close the gap. With sweaty hands and increasingly nervous glances, Zoey uses the zip ties to tie the breach together. One tie, two, three… just a few more. Zoey drops the next zip tie and when she reaches down for it, a rotting hand with black nails smashes into the fence in front of her face.
Zoey screams, the remaining zip ties go flying as she reels back on her ass.
Shaking her head, Zoey pushes her terror aside to grab another zip tie. She stands and secures it to the middle just in time to avoid another Biter taking advantage of the opening. It's arms thread through the much narrower gap to reach for her. Zoey trips on the axe, narrowly avoiding cutting her ankle on the blade.
The gunfire stops suddenly. Zoey looks but of course sees nothing. At a snarly growl, Zoey pushes herself to her feet and grabs the axe once more. She lines herself up along the fence and quickly swings, chopping one of the arms clean off. It gnashes its teeth, unperturbed by the loss. Zoey cleaves off the second and then kicks the fence as hard as she can. Miraculously, the Biter gets pushed off balance and falls. Zoey drops the axe again and retrieves two more zip ties. The first goes in quick and easy, securing tight with little issue. The second she nearly drops, catching the deceptively flimsy plastic. Another Biter is way too close and her hands shake hard as she ties it off.
The Biter hits the fence and Zoey dances back, the hole now sufficiently patched to ease her worries for now. She heads back inside, hoping staying out of sight will keep the spot from being pressured by more Biters. She runs through the storage area, seeing Jesus standing near the gate.
Relieved, Zoey steps out-
“Not so fast!”
Zoey yelps when she's grabbed. An arm winds around her throat and she stills at the feel of metal against her temple. Jesus, Beatrice and some people she recognizes from the Kingdom react, aiming their guns at her captor.
“Let her go!” Beatrice snaps. “Simon's dead! It's done!”
“No, I don't think I will,” the man replies, hiding behind her as much as he can. Zoey is getting really fucking sick of this shit! She's worried for her brother and her Dad and her Ma and she just wants to be left alone! “I'm not stupid! Back the fuck off!”
Resembling the catastrophic eruption of a volcano, Zoey blows up in sheer fury. She screams and viciously bites down on his arm. He starts screaming, reflexively trying to pull his arm away and raising the other to hit her. Zoey stomps on his foot as hard as she can, grabs his arm and hauls him over her shoulder. The gun slides away, knocked away from the impact. She pulls his arm taut and twists, wrenching another scream out of him.
“Don't fucking touch me again,” Zoey spits as Jesus and Beatrice come forward to secure him.
Zoey doesn't waste any more time. Ignoring calls for her to stop, Zoey runs. She knows Sanctuary like the back of her hand and though it isn't overly complicated, there are a few shortcuts that shave a minute off her ascent. There are some Saviors in the halls but none of them do anything to stop her, especially not the one at the top. She scoots around Hubert, not expecting to have seen him up here.
Harry's scream has Zoey sprinting for the door.
“-right, Pup. I won't touch you. It's okay. You're safe, now-” Zoey hears as she opens the door, seeing Sirius crouching in front of his room. He cuts off, head whipping towards her. “Good, you're here. Come. Come!”
Galvanized by his tone, Zoey rushes over. Sirius catches her before she can see into the room, forcing her to kneel next to him, “Listen to me, alright? I can't get through to him, so you need to but I'm warning you, it's not pretty.” Zoey's eyes widen. What does that mean? “He'll be fine,” Sirius assures in a stressed way. “Don't let it get to you, hear me? He's not in his right mind, just focus on snapping him out of it. Understand?”
“What do you mean? What's wrong with Harry?” Zoey asks, her voice trembling. She hears retching in the bathroom next to her and realizes it's her Ma in there.
Sirius grits his teeth and lightly shakes her shoulders, “You'll see in a second. Do youunderstand?”
Zoey relents, “Okay. Okay. Can I go now?”
Sirius purses his lips and reluctantly lets her go, “He's not in his right mind. Remember that. Good luck.”
Zoey keeps it in mind as she stands and steps inside. Everything had been taken out, even the pictures on the walls, leaving the room feeling isolated and tiny. Her breath stutters at seeing her stalwart brother littered in bloody scratches, curled into himself. He's breathing hard, flinching occasionally from something that isn't there. His hands shoot up, palms out and open, trying to stop… something, head turned down and away. His fingers and nails are covered in blood.
Zoey tries to keep herself from crying as she slowly approaches. She lowers herself into a crouch a few feet away and hesitantly calls, “Harry?”
Harry stills. Slowly, his head comes up and glazed eyes stare at Zoey in wonder, “You're here.”
He sounds off. Raspy and… dead. Despite that, Zoey nods warily, “Yeah, I'm here now. You're safe, okay?”
Harry's brittle smile shatters and he pulls back, “No. No, you aren't here. You're not real. Go away.”
“... He's not himself…”
Zoey bites her lip and reaches out. Harry flinches and tries to hide from her by turning away, his hands up to shield his face. It's like he doesn't see the open door behind her or Sirius watching them. Zoey then realizes that Harry isn't here.
“I was alone a lot. For hours and hours in a small room. I had no windows. No way to tell the time… The only thing that kept me going was this.”
“Braiding my hair?”
“The only thing that kept me going some days was you, Zo.”
Wordlessly, Zoey sits down facing away from Harry and scoots back. By some miracle, Harry doesn't flinch away. In fact, he starts tugging at her hair with his bloody fingers. Zoey tries her best not to cringe - she needs a shower anyway.
The tugging pauses. Zoey risks a glance over her shoulder. Harry is staring at his bloody fingers in utter confusion. He looks at the swatches of blood on his clothes that lead to the blood on the floor. His eyes trail up Zoey's back until their eyes meet.
Zoey sees how something seems to click inside. Harry comes back to himself, the bloody scratches and wounds closing rapidly. He blinks, his raised fingers twitching and confusion creases his brow.
“Harry?” Zoey asks tentatively.
“Zo,” Harry focuses on her and smiles a little, exhausted. His eyes are shadowed, looking haunted. “You're okay.”
Sirius appears at Zoey's side the next moment, looking very relieved, “Harry. Let's get you out of here.”
“Please,” Harry croaks, keeping his eyes away from the walls. His face pales rapidly and he tenses from head to foot. Sirius offers a hand and Harry clutches at it, yanking himself up to wrap around Sirius. They squeeze each other tightly, then Sirius pulls Harry towards the door.
Zoey doesn't fully understand what happened in this room. If it's anything like how she felt being in that cell, then it must have been truly horrible for Harry. Simon is lucky he's dead because for once, Zoey wants to hurt someone. She can't and it's frustrating but also relieving because she knows she'd feel horrible about it later. She just feels so-
-so helpless. She couldn't protect Harry. Again.
Why do I keep failing?
Ma comes out of the bathroom, the back of her hand over her mouth. Harry pauses just inside the hall, Sirius supporting him. Zoey hears him utter a hurt sound and he lunges away from Sirius. Zoey’s throat closes up when Ma sobs and catches him, both hugging each other with relief.
Zoey steps out of the room and stands next to Sirius. He glances down at her and then reaches out, looping his arm over her shoulders. Zoey turns into his warmth, just barely keeping her own tears at bay.
Why did this happen?
How did Simon know?
Secrets don’t stay secrets in Sanctuary... how could this have surprised them?
Did Dad-
“Dad!” Zoey exclaims, immediately feeling guilty for forgetting. He’s probably in so much pain by now.
Ma and Harry part, both looking at her. Ma asks in a hopeful tone, “Negan’s alive?”
Zoey balks, “I-I don’t know. They... Simon beat him really bad and locked him up down in the Pit. I completely forgot about it! We need to go down there right now!”
Lucille covers her mouth, tears welling in her eyes.
Harry sways but his expression turns determined, “Let’s go.”
Sirius nods and reaches out to place his hand on Lucille’s shoulder, “Hey, Negan’s head is harder than what Simon can inflict to it. He’s going to be fine, we’re going to go down there right now.”
Lucille breathes in shakily, visibly pulling herself together, “I sure hope so.”
Zoey follows them out, feeling wrung out and wired at the same time. She’s so worried about her Dad, she hopes he’s okay. She can still hear the thuds of Simon’s fists impacting Negan’s face and the grunts that slowly faded with each hit. She just knows that she’s going to be seeing that in her nightmares and seriously considers climbing into bed with Harry for the next few weeks. She doesn’t want to relive that, ever again.
Crying catches her attention.
Zoey pauses, quickly left behind by everyone as they rush down the hall and disappear around a corner. It wasn’t exactly the crying that stopped her, it was the voice. A voice she recognized. She’d never heard this voice cry before, so it makes goose pimples sprout up along her neck.
... wait, isn’t this the hall where Cindy and Sandra are staying?
Her stomach tightens as she hesitantly approaches the grief filled sobs, quickly spotting the open door near the end. Wasn’t this Cindy and Sandra’s door?
Zoey pauses right before the door. The sobbing is so loud and clear, it has to be coming from inside. She knows this voice and pain sweeps up her chest, into her throat. She doesn’t want to look. She knows, somehow, but she doesn’t want to see. She can’t....
She does.
Sandra’s body in the corner is the first thing she sees.
Diego’s heaving back is the second...
... and Cindy’s unmoving legs is the last.
“Diego?” Zoey whispers thickly.
Diego barely glances back at her, his body shielding Cindy’s, “She’s gone. They’re... they’re both... gone... ¿Por qué me dejaste? Estaba tratando de protegerte, ¿por qué te fuiste? ¿Por qué, mi amor? ¿Por qué?”
“No...” Zoey denies desperately, even though she knows it’s true. If there was a chance to save her, Diego wouldn’t be here, crying over her. She’s gone. Sandra’s gone.
Zoey slumps down next to Diego and can’t fight the floodgates any longer.
How could things have gone so wrong?