FALLEN ANGELS.

chapter eight, holy shit, its officer
friendly's daughter!
[ season three, episode six ]

ODESSA SITS IN THE back sewt of the Cherokee. Her head is pressed against the window, she watches rhe trees as they pass by.

"You okay, Des?" Maggie asks.

The young girl shrugs. "I guess."

Glenn and Maggie share a look of concern. The can't help bu both feel fear that the girl is going to go down the same road as her father.

"Odessa, if you ever need someone—"

"You're here. I know. I've been told the same thing over and over by everyone. I don't need anyone, okay?" Odessa snaps.

Odessa immediately frowns, regretting snapping at Maggie in such a harsh way. "I'm sorry," she whispers, pulling her knees to her chest.

She didn't mean to snap like that. She really didn't. She's just so angry. She doesn't get it. Why does this have to happen to the group? To her?

First, it was Dale.

Then Shane, even if she hated him.

Andrea is gone too. More than likely dead.

And now T-Dog and her mother.

"You don't have to apologize to me, Dessa." Maggie says. She turns in her seat, placing her hand on Odessa's knee. "Not ever, okay?"

Odessa nods as Glenn pulls into the parking lot of the outlet.

Without another word, the three of them get out of the Cherokee. Odessa pulls her gun from its holster. She and Maggie's looks around before Maggie speaks up, "clear outside."

They approach Glenn who stands beside the door to the grocery store. Maggie looks up at the clear blue sky. "It's a beautiful day."

"Ironic," scoffs. Ironic how it can be such a beautiful day when people are gone and never coming back. Maggie glances over at her.

Glenn walks away from them, grabbing the bolt cutters from the Cherokee. He returns seconds later. Maggie and Odessa watch as he cuts the chains on the door.

He pulls the door open and— Odessa and Maggie both yelp in surprise as crows fly out. They nearly hit the top of their heads.

When they no longer hear the batting of wings, both women stand to their full height. Something yellow immediately catches Maggie's eye.

"Glenn, get the duck," Maggie instructs.

"What?" He looks back at her with a laugh.

"Get that duck. A kid growin' up in a prison could use some toys." Maggie tells her boyfriend.

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From behind a nearby van, two individuals watch the trio. Theo looks over at Michonne and whispers, "the same prison we're going to?"

"It's the only one around here," she responds .

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A couple minutes later, Glenn walks out from the store, holding up a basket for the two to look at. "We just hit the powered formula jackpot."

"Oh, thank God," Odessa sighs in relief. Her sister won't starve to death.

"I also got beans, batteries, cocktail wieners, many mustards." Glenn lists off. "It's a straight shot back to the prison from here. Probably make it back evidently dinner."

"I like the quiet. Back there, back home, you can always hear 'em outside the fence no matter where ya are." Maggie frowns.

"At least we're alive to hear them," Odessa looks back at her.

"Now where is y'all good people are callin' home?" An eerily familiar voice flows through Odessa's ears.

Odessa has her gun out in less than a second. She whirls around, pointing her gun at the man. Maggie and Glenn do the same.

When she sees who stands in front of her, she pauses. She stares at him. He stares back. Her brows furrow. There is no way. There's no fucking way this is happening. 

There's no way Merle Dixon is standing twenty feet away from her right now. Living and breathing. How?

Merle laughs as he registers who she is. It doesn't take much for him to put two and two together. Lori is her mom. Carl is her brother. Rick told Merle and the others he was looking for his wife, son, and daughter. "Holy shit! It's Officer Friendly's daughter!"

He sets down his gun, raising both arms as he starts to walk towards them.

"Hey, back the hell up!" Maggie shouts.

"Okay, okay, honey. Jesus." Merle exclaims.

"You made it," Glenn says flatly, his voice full of disappointment. Merle is supposed to be dead somewhere in Atlanta. Not alive and right in front of them.

"Can you tell me, is my brother alive? Huh?" Merle asks them.

"Yeah," Glenn replies.

"Hey, you take me to him and I'll call it even on everything that happened up there in Atlanta. Huh?" Merle asks.

Odessa's grip tightens around her pistol.

Glenn glances at Merle's prosthetic hand with a knife welded to the top. The man notices. "You like that?" He chuckles. "Yeah. Well, I found myself a medical supply warehouse. Fixed it up myself. Pretty cool, huh?"

Odessa's eyes flicker to the prosthetic. It's scary, intimidating. But smart as hell.

"We'll tell Daryl you're here and he'll come out to meet you," Glenn says.

"Hold on. Just hold up," Merle's brows furrow. He swiftly takes two steps closer to them.

"Woah, woah." Odessa hisses. She raises her gun higher. "You wanna get shot?"

"Hold up. Just hold up here. Hey, the fact that we found each other is a miracle. Come on now. Trust me," Merle says to Glenn and Odessa.

"You trust us," Glenn says. "You stay here."

Merle chuckles. Then he pulls another fun gun of his waistband. He pulls the trigger.

Odessa feels the the pressure of the bullet before she feels the pain. She hits the ground beside the Cherokee. She brings her hand to her arm, holding the wound as blood gushes from her arm. Merle just shot her.

The man is there a second later. Odessa stands. She tries to fight him off of her but Merle is stronger. He wrestles her to the ground, pressing his prosthetic knife to her throat. She swallows, feeling the cool metal against her hot skin. Then she feels the barrel of his gun press against her temple.

"Easy there, Sweetcheeks," Merle says in her ear. "Talk a big game, don't ya? Look who's shot now."

She squeezes her eyes shut as Maggie and Glenn round the corner of the Cherokee. "Hey, hey, hold up, y'all, hold up."

Odessa's tear filled eyes open.

"Let go of her. Let go of her!" Glenn screams. Odessa has never seen him so angry before.

"Put that gun in the car right now. Put it in the car, y'all. Put it in or I kill her." They don't hesitate. "There you go. Now we're gonna go for a little drive."

"We're not goin' back to our camp." Glenn shakes his head.

"No, we're goin' somewhere else. Get in the car, Glenn! You're drivin'! Move!" Merle presses the barrel of his gun harder against Odessa's temple.

"Don't," Maggie grits out as tears blur her vision.

Merle pulls Odessa to her feet. "Let's go, Sweetheart." He shoves her in the back seat Cheroke. Maggie gets in beside her. "Start drivin', Glenn!" He shouts as he turns in his seat to point his gun at Maggie and Odessa.

As they pull out of the parking lot, Theo and Michonne stand to their full height.

"That's not good." Theo says, his blue eyes following the Cherokee.

"Not at all," Michonne says. "Come on, Theo."

"What? Where're we going?" He questions. 

"Takin' this formula to the prison. There's people there and if they were looking for formula, they have a baby there. I'm not lettin' a baby die when I can help." She shakes her head.

He sighs. "Yeah, okay."

He picks up one of the baskets while Michonne grabs the other.

The two make their way to the prison, it's slow but they reach the prison fences eventually.

A man with a colt python walks down the gravel path, coming to a stop on the other side of the fence.

When he realzies exactly what he's looking at, his eyes widen.

It's two living people. They're holding red baskets full of formula. The boy— he can't be they much older than Rick's own daughter.

It hits him.

If these two strangers sre standing at the fence holding exactly what Glenn, Maggie, and Odessa went on a run for, something had gone wrong.

Something is wrong.

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word count: 1,398

and we're entering the first war plot line!! how're we feeling?? excited? nervous? i'm both.

also merle's back 😐. i hate that mf so much. he can fall in a hole and be left there for all i care. he sucks ass. but we love michael rooker on this account though.

anyway, are y'all ready for how badass odessa is gonna be during this story line?? literally one of the most badass characters i've ever wrote. so excited for her to realize how strong she truly is.

next chapter though, prepare yourselves guys because poor dessa goes through it.

also guys!! go check out my oc book, majesty!! it includes all of my main oc's from all different fandoms!! you get to know them so much in that book but beware there are spoilers for for every character and their books.