48. Snatch

'A day will come when you think you are
safe and happy, and suddenly,
your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth,
and you will know the debt is paid.'
-George R.R. Martin

⤐

  "Would you believe me if I said I was sorry?" Zepp asked, her voice unnervingly steady. Each word seemed to hang precariously in the air between them, with only the sound of TV static to fill the empty spaces.

Lisa kept her chin straight and her eyes fixed on Zeppelin's, showing almost no sign of fear.. but Zepp could see it. She could see the glint of worry swell through her cloudless blue eyes like a little raindrop in an otherwise calm lake.

"Here's what we're going to do," Zepp continued. "You tell me where they keep the prisoners, you help me get there, and then I let you go."

"Or?" Lisa raised a brow, her hands twitching slightly at her sides.

Zepp pressed the blade's tip a little further into her neck, just enough to make the woman cringe but not enough to draw blood. Not that the useless thing could do much more than dig sluggishly into her flesh, but Lisa didn't need to know that.

"There is no other option." Her words echoed in the stillness momentarily, Lisa's gaze growing more panicked as every heartbeat passed.

Lisa shook her head, attempting to back away. She froze once again when Zepp's grip on her collarbone tightened. "You'll never get there, and even if you do, then you won't make it back out alive. Besides, I don't even know where the cells are. Never been."

The knife gleamed in the dim fluorescents, catching Zepp's attention. She was painfully aware of the seconds ticking by, each moment bringing her closer and closer to the possibility of being caught. The doctor would be back any minute now. She had to think fast.

"Fine, you don't know anything? I don't have time for your bullshit." She slipped her knife between her teeth and pushed the other woman towards the sofa. As quickly as she could manage, she slipped out of her jeans, now crusty with dried blood, and pulled on the fresh black ones Lisa provided for her. She then stuck the knife in her back pocket and pulled her disgusting shirt over her head, keeping herself planted firmly between Lisa and the door. She could see the other blonde eyeing her from her peripheral vision, shifting uncomfortably as Zepp tugged on the clean shirt.

Zeppelin rolled her eyes, far past the point of caring if someone saw her in her underwear.

One of the men who brought her in had dropped his walkie-talkie on the coffee table, and Zepp snagged it quickly along with a scalpel from the doctor's supply cabinet. The pain pills and antibiotics called out to her, offering a delicious release from the warm ache she felt spreading over her skin and limbs, but she ignored them.

She yanked Lisa to her feet and returned the knife to its new home at her throat. "We're going to walk out that door.. and we're going to leave. You'll think of some excuse to tell the guards, or you'll find a hidden way, don't give a damn which. If you don't get us out, you die. You rat me out, you die. You run from me, you die. Are you picking up the pattern yet?"

Lisa sneered at her, a mockery of bravery as beads of sweat formed along her brow.

Zeppelin gave her no more time to answer, linking her arm roughly through hers. She held the scalpel in her left hand, hidden in the space between them, with the sharpest end poking lightly into Lisa's hip.

A gentle reminder.

  "What makes you think Negan will even care if you take me?" Lisa hissed a last-ditch effort to escape her fate.

  "Well, we'll just have to find that out together, won't we?" Zepp slowly opened the door to an empty hallway; dim floodlights washing over the chipped concrete walls only added to the eeriness. "Come on." She didn't know what she was doing or what she would do if they were caught. In truth, her brain began to shut down the moment Daryl was taken away, the sane and rational compartments shutting closed, and all cognitive awareness focused on finding him.

  Left, left, right, left, right, puddle of water on the floor here. Left again, then right.

She remembered the way back well enough, following the opposite of the directions she was sure to sear into her brain. Lisa followed along beside her quickly and quietly just as she was told. This could work. This could fucking work. They were almost there. She could see the garage door in the distance and could practically smell the fresh air filtering through into the musty hall.

"No," Lisa hissed, stopping firmly in her tracks and tugging Zepp's arm. "Too many guards, this way." She tilted her head towards a corridor to her right.

Zepp hesitated, but really, what choice did she have? She knew she was right about the guards at the door and the main gate, but could she trust her? Was she in a position where she could second-guess it?

Not really.

  "Shut up," Zepp whispered back. As the sound of footsteps stomping in the distance behind them filled her ears, she cursed under her breath and followed Lisa down the damp hallway. They moved faster than before, almost at a full jog now. The floodlights breaking up the dark shadows surrounding them were like strobe lights as they bolted.

Every door they passed called out to her, crushing her heart inside her chest. What if Daryl was behind that door? Or that one? Or this one? She couldn't focus on that now, too deep in this shit plan of kidnapping Lisa.

  Right, left, three doors down, metal door.

They skidded to a stop, hearts racing and chests heaving. This was going to work. Zepp pressed her ear against the door in vain; it was too thick to hear any signs of people.

  "It's fucking two in the morning, nobody's out there," Lisa huffed exasperatingly.

  "I'm not gonna tell you again; shut the fuck up." Zepp didn't turn to look at her as she seethed, slowly cracking open the door just an inch. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes adjusted to the moon barely illuminating the small lot where the motorcycles were parked. The same lot where Daryl was beaten mercilessly, his blood spilled on this very asphalt. He touched this same door... he felt the same cold prick of anxiety as he faced his chance of freedom... She could faintly feel Lisa pulling on her arm, already stepping out into the cool night air.

  Daryl... she was inside; she was so close to him. How could she turn away from him now? What if she didn't get another chance? She looked over to Lisa, still hesitating in the doorway. It was too late to go back now. She made a choice, and now she had to see it through.

  She stepped out the door.

  They ran.

  She forced her legs to fly out from under her, ignoring the searing throbbing in her ankle and the burning wound on her arm. She could see two men in the distance, one on either side of the gate. She pulled Lisa into the shadow of a steel shipping container, sliding between the cold metal and the chain link fence.

  "What's the best way out?" She whispered, her voice barely reaching a pitch.

  "Now I can talk?" Lisa snapped back.

  Zepp resisted the urge to end it now, to slit her throat and leave her behind in the swallowing shadows and find her own way out. There was a buzzing in her ear, and her vision was blurry, fading out at the edges. She shook her head and twisted the scalpel in her hand, pressing it harder into the woman's rib cage.

  "You're out here with me anyway," she griped. "Help me, and I won't make it harder for you."

  Lisa's expression was muted, confused, and concerned. She searched Zepp's face for a moment before sighing and pointing behind them to the west side of the building. "There's a hidden break in the fence this way, a two-minute run if we sprint it. The only problem is Negan's bedroom window looks out over that side, so there's a chance he'll see us, but if we-"

"Let's go," Zepp interrupted, lowering the scalpel again and snagging Lisa's arm. Instinct forced her to keep her head straight, her eyes forward, yet her heart screamed to look back, to see Daryl standing in a window, looking out at her. It couldn't be true... right? She turned her head just for a moment before stopping completely, tugging on Lisa as she huffed in defiance.

Daryl. There he was.

His skin was clean and his hair soft, the crossbow strapped against his angel vest adorning his strong shoulders. He stood in the window, one hand raised out in greeting. He smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. Did he escape? Why is he still there? Why isn't he running to her?

Lisa pulled her arm hard and forced her to follow. "Wait, wait!" Zepp cried. "It's Daryl, he's there, he's- he's in the window, I have to go back!" She wrapped her hands around Lisa's wrist and pulled back, turning back to the warehouse. The women played tug of war with each other briefly before the blonde yanked her roughly, showing more strength than Zepp realized she had.

"There's no one there!" Lisa shouted. "There's nobody in the windows, come on!"

Zepp looked back at the window again, this time with focused eyes. She was right... there was nothing. With tense shoulders and a heavy heart, she shook her head and kept running. She finally released her grip on Lisa as they raced to the fence, arms pumping at their sides. The thick forest was just on the other side of the chain link metal, with deep shadows and the overgrown nature promising the safety of cover. Lisa checked their left and right side before twisting open a small cord and tying the links together at the bottom. She peeled open a portion of the fence and swept her arm towards the forest.

"You first," Zepp barked.

Lisa rolled her eyes and stepped out, crossing her arms as she waited for Zepp to follow.

"Now what?" Lisa's mouth was in a tight, thin line as she stared Zepp down, anger and annoyance flicking in her eyes.

Zepp grabbed her shoulder and whipped her around to face the woods, shoving her forward lightly. "Move."

⤐

"You're here for that man they took from Alexandria, aren't you?"

The women made their way back to the thick oak tree, Zeppelin leading Lisa from behind with the kitchen knife pressed against her spine. When she undug her rifle and hatchet, Lisa's shoulders tensed a bit more.

Lisa sat close by now, leaning against a tree as Zepp watched the entrances to the Savior compound. "Daryl," she snapped back, her gaze never leaving the door. "His name is Daryl."

  "Well, whatever his name is, I hope he's worth it."

  Zepp pulled her eyes from the binoculars to glare at the other woman. Lisa took the hint and looked down, fiddling with her thumbs in her lap. "Is he your husband?"

  Zepp sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, wishing she had taken a quieter hostage. "No." It was the truth, because she didn't know what word to give Daryl if someone asked. Boyfriend seemed trivial, but he wasn't her husband either. All she knew was she loved him, and he loved her, and she'd do anything to get him back.

  Lisa let out a small hmm, still twiddling her thumbs. "He's strong," she murmured. "If that's any comfort. They haven't broken him yet..."

  Zepp didn't reply, but the woman was right. The thought offered a little comfort that the Daryl she knew was still surviving in there. She took a moment to look at Lisa as she fiddled with a gold locket around her neck. She seemed to be a few years older than Zepp, laugh lines crinkling the skin around her mouth and the edges of her eyes. Her sandy blonde hair lay straight and softly around the sharp edges of her face and her thin shoulders. She was small, soft... weak.

  "What's your plan?" Her voice pulled Zepp's brain back into focus, blinking to avoid the glaze of sleeplessness over her eyes. Lisa crossed her arms, gazing over at her as she crouched close to the ravine. "Are your people with you?"

"Why would I tell you anything?" Zepp lashed out as she tucked her binoculars in her bag and leaned against the tree across from Lisa.

She pursed her lips and nodded in understanding, still twisting the locket around her slim fingers.

"No," Zepp whispered after a long, solemn moment. "I'm alone."

Lisa turned her gaze back to her with a glint of curiosity. "You can't win," she said slowly. "You have to know that, right?" She tilted her head, the motion verging on the edge of pity, but Zepp had a feeling it was more likely in empathy.

Again, she didn't respond, twisting her head to keep an eye on the warehouse below. She knew. She knew everything was working against her, that her odds were dismally low. She knew that she should've said goodbye to her family. But she had to try... for him.

A dash of shadow below caught her eye, a quick glimpse of a dark figure pacing on the other side of the fence.

"It's just two guards right now, one at the gate and one at the main door," Lisa interrupted her thoughts. "Shift ends at six, and four more will come out and replace them, so you're better off waiting until nightfall again."

Zepp smirked to herself and twisted her knife in the dirt beside where she sat cross-legged against the tree. "I know."

  "Not everyone exactly cares for Negan or how he runs things, ya know.." Lisa began quietly. The mention of Negan sent a chill down Zepp's spine, and she titled her head on either side, stretching out her neck.

  "I saw you with him," she scoffed.

  "We all have to do things we don't want to in order to survive. Don't tell me you've never found yourself in a position to-"

  "Never," Zepp interrupted her.

  Lisa was silent for a beat before sighing deeply. "Look, if they find me out here and think I helped you, I'm dead anyway. So tell me you have a plan that could actually work, and we can both make it out of this."

Zepp pondered on frankly telling her the truth, that there was no plan. She had no clue what she was doing other than waiting for the sun to come up, but for what? She didn't know. Maybe Lisa was right that by being with Negan, she was just doing what she needed to survive. Perhaps she could help her too...

"Get some sleep." Zeppelin decided to ignore the questioning for now.

"Moses," Lisa murmured.

"What?"

"How did Moses take down the pharaoh?" She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Hit 'em where it hurts." And with that, she scooted down further into the dirt with her head against the tree, turning her face away from Zepp and closing her eyes.

  Zepp watched her for thirty or so minutes until her shoulders fell into a deep rhythm. Releasing a shuddering breath, she slipped a finger under the twine bracelet Daryl made her and looped it around her wrist a few times in absentminded thought. The rational part of herself knew she needed to sleep; the hallucinations had already begun toying with her brain and body, and who knows how much longer she'd be attempting this? But on the other hand, she'd rather lose her mind entirely than take her eyes off Lisa and the Saviors compound for a single second.

She'd wait for the sun to rise and fall again before she made her move. What that was, she didn't yet know.

She'll figure it out as she goes.

⤐

A few hours passed, and Lisa drifted in and out of sleep across from her. She rubbed her arms like she was cold, and Zepp begrudgingly tossed her the spare sweatshirt in her bag before twisting the jar of peanut butter open and shoving a spoonful in her mouth.

  "Breakfast of champs," Lisa mumbled, half a smile tweaking her lips.

  Zepp almost laughed at that before reality settled back into her bones. The walkie-talkie shoved in her back pocket hissed, and a faint voice crackling over the channel made both the women jump.

  "Anyone got eyes on Lisa? The big man's looking for her."

  Zepp's gaze darted to the blonde, who straightened up against the tree, her widened gaze locked onto the plastic in Zepp's hand.

  "Nah, saw her at dinner last night, but that's last I know. I'll check with Sherry," another voice replied.

  "Who's Sherry?" Zepp demanded, twisting the walkie off and pacing over to Lisa.

  "A friend," she said. "Another one of Negan's wives."

  "There's multiple?"

  "Six."

  Zepp's stomach twisted, and she bit down on her bottom lip, turning around to stare at the warehouse again. Leave it to Negan to squeeze out every drop of advantage he could get his hands on in this world.

  Sick fuck. Deserves to have his balls chopped off and shoved down that cocky little grin.

  The clouds in the sky were like a thick, grey blanket draped over the sky, the downy puffs filling with rain that was soon to fall. Somewhere in the shadow of the forest, a twig cracked underneath a boot. Zepp twisted towards the sound, whipping her pistol out of its place in her back waistband. Lisa shakily rose to her feet, keeping her head low as she crept towards Zepp.

  "Lisa?" A soft voice called out in concern from between the trees.

  "Gloria!?" Lisa stepped forward towards the unseen person, freezing as Zepp pointed the gun back towards her.

  "Don't," Zepp hissed, a hushed whisper. She crept around the tree to search for the mysterious woman, the pistol aimed and ready.

  A tall woman with tanned skin, a wave of curly black hair flowing around her face, substantial brown doe eyes, and a tiny Springfield pistol held in shaky hands paused between two trees. She was older, couldn't have been younger than forty. "Lisa, what are you-"

  Zepp, revealing herself from the comfort of the overgrown brush, broke off her sentence, her large eyes broadening even more, and she raised her pistol as Zepp did hers.

  "Drop it," Zepp called out, planting her feet firmly in the soft earth.

  Gloria shook her head fiercely, her questioning gaze darting between the two women before her. "Who the hell are you?"

  "None of your business, drop the fucking gun!"

  "Gloria, it's okay. It's okay," Lisa tried to calm her, slowly inching forward while Zepp's gaze was fixed ahead.

  "No, no, it's not okay! We've been looking all over for you. Who is she? What's going on?" Gloria took a single step forward, her hands trembling as she pointed the gun towards Zepp.

  "Come on, don't make me do this," Zepp whispered, almost to herself. "Put it down!" She was louder now, the safety clicking on her pistol making the other women flinch.

  Gloria hesitated, and their silence seemed to stretch on endlessly. She pursed her lips and stepped forward again, with more intention this time. "I-"

  Pop.

  Gloria crumpled to the forest floor instantly, blood pooling in the hole between the large moons of her eyes.

  "No!" Lisa lunged forward, knocking the gun out of Zepp's hands as she shoved her to the ground. She grabbed a chunk of Zepp's curls and hauled back, forcing Zepp to tilt her face up so she could bring her fist down on it.

Zepp swung her arm out behind her and slammed it against the back of Lisa's knees, groaning as she felt a sharp pierce of agony where her hair was ripped out as Lisa fell to the dirt.

  Zepp straddled her on the ground and held up her arms to defend herself against the blows Lisa attempted to land. She could feel the rage bubbling inside her; everything she kept on a leash was now fighting to be released. She knew if she hit the woman back, she wouldn't stop until Lisa wasn't breathing. But she kept struggling, kept squirming, fighting against the weight of Zepp pressing her knees into her rib cage.

  Zepp reached for the gun lying in the dirt ahead of her, swinging her knee into Lisa's ribs to knock the wind out of her as she released some of the weight holding her down. With the pistol safely back in her hands, one blow with the butt of it to Lisa's head, and the fighting stopped.

  Zepp resisted the sudden urge to scream, to lash out and cry and rage, and leaned back on her heels as she caught her breath, slow and even at first but growing heavier and heavier. She scrambled away from Lisa's unconscious body, turning away from Gloria's dead one; both women splayed out on the forest floor like the deer she and Daryl hunted.

  Her vision was tunneling, and she felt a sharp pain in her chest. The forest felt like it was closing in on her as she struggled to breathe. She wiped away the sweat that dripped down her face, though she was shivering from the cold. She looked down at her arm to see the gash there crusted with yellow pus and dried blood.

  Fuck. Infection.

  She looked over at Lisa and Gloria again, tears threatening to overflow.

  Why did she try to fight? Why didn't she just drop the fucking gun?

  She knew she'd regret it, and couldn't begin to understand why she had to do what she did then. But something inside her tugged, and she shakily pushed herself up, slowly inching over to the corpse. She crouched down next to Gloria, closing her eyes for her with two fingers as she snagged the dropped handgun. She checked the barrel, just to see.

  Empty.

  "Fuck!" Zepp screamed, fuck it if the Saviors could hear her now. She couldn't stand this anymore; she was going to lose her mind out here; she was dangerously close to falling over the edge of insanity as it was. What the fuck was she thinking? Trying to do this alone? She suddenly and desperately wished for Rick, the force at her heels whenever she felt afraid. She wished for Rosita, the tether to her sanity. More than anything, she wished for him.

She couldn't even think his name anymore.

She took the walkie-talkie back out of her pocket and twisted it on, bringing it close to her mouth as she stalked back over to the ravine, glaring down at them all, hidden beneath the shadows of their own darkness.

  "Where's Negan?"