Fic: fallen empires, the walking dead (1/4)
Title: Fallen Empires (1/4)
Fandom: The Walking Dead, HDM AU
Characters/Pairings: Ensemble cast & canon pairings with a dash of Glenn/Daryl later
Word Count: ~5,700 (this part)
A/N: Takes place after 2x7, so spoilers up through there. Contains speculation for future events. Some elements of the WD universe have been changed and everyone has a daemon. If you have any questions about names or forms, just ask! Thanks to the always lovely Cassie for betaing. <3
Daemons (Rick's Group): Meiri | Cahir | Eliora (El) | Kali | Cassiel (Cass) | Nurya | Brooklyn | Gazini | Ilya |
Herhsel's Group: Luke | Ashling
Other: Hekate (Merle's daemon)
"Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow thou shalt eat of it all the days of thy life." -Genesis 3:17
The Runners
The worst part, Glenn thinks, was when daemons started changing. Before a daemon settled and stayed that way. That was how things were. Now, though.
Now, daemons are changing again.
Not all of them, yeah. Meiri hasn’t changed a bit since all this shit went down, and Glenn doesn’t mind ‘cause she’s perfect as she is, but having like, a lion daemon might be a little more useful than having an otter.
(Meiri bites his fingers.)
Some daemons in the group, on the other hand, have been changing. With settled adults it’s almost never a big change, like a complete species shift or anything, and it’s pretty slow, not BAM, suddenly your daemon’s pink.
But it's there.
Andrea’s Gazini, for example, started out mellow-looking and soft. All his colors are hard and solid now. Lori’s Cass has darkened, his goldish fur fading to something a little less flashy. Rick’s El and Shane’s Kali look less and less like dogs every week. Shane doesn’t seem bothered by it, but Glenn’s seen Rick look at his El like he barely knows her anymore.
“Merle got freaked out by it,” Daryl said once. His Cahir was changing too then, growing a little less scrawny and mean-looking and melting into something bigger. “Scared the shit out of him, when Hekate changed color.”
Glenn wonders how many people that’d happened to, how many had gone to sleep knowing the shape of their soul and woken up to find it different.
That was probably part of the panic. Well, that and the daemonless, shuffling dead people who go for your daemon and tear it apart. That’s pretty scary too.
“Stop thinking about it,” Meiri says, nipping his ear. She crawls out of his backpack and balances on his shoulder, warm and fuzzy against his neck.
“Trying,” Glenn says back. He doesn’t really have a lot to think about. Weekend plans? Nope, everyone’s dead. Work? Nope, walkers ate all his customers. Friends? They were alive, but they all could die at any second.
Sophia was proof of that.
Glenn and Meiri don’t really talk about It, what went down at Hershel’s. They don’t have to. They can see it in everyone else.
Carol carries it with a lifted chin, shoulders shaking, and no one but Daryl looks when she cries. Her daemon Brooklyn sticks to her heels and his eyes are dull.
Daryl carries it angrily, fiercely, daring anyone to say something to him. No one ever does.
Rick carries it slowly, like he’s testing it out, seeing if he can hang the guilt around his neck without choking himself. His El doesn’t talk to anyone.
Glenn’s not sure how he’s carrying it. He liked Sophia but he wasn’t really close to her, and he wasn’t really that involved in looking for her. That was mostly Daryl.
Meiri drops down into his arms and he cuddles her close. He can’t even imagine what it’d be like, to lose her.
Sophia lost Olly. He liked bird shapes the best, and playing with Carl’s Leah, and following some of the older daemons around when they stopped to camp.
Carol thought he’d settle as a robin. Sophia wanted a swallow. Glenn personally thought he’d be a wren, and now they’re not gonna know, because Olly and Sophia are dead.
Maybe Glenn’s wrong. The second worst part is the changing daemons. The worst part is that walkers go for daemons first. They like daemons better, or something, and they eat them alive. They eat people too, yeah, but only if they don’t get the daemon first. And a bite to you or your daemon kills you slowly, so you can watch your soul grow pale and turn to dust, and then you die, and then you wake up, and your daemon’s gone.
“Stop,” Meiri says.
Glenn does, because you’re supposed to listen to your daemon.
He looks around instead.
Hershel and his people are with them now. No one wanted to stay at the farm, not with Sophia’s blood and what was left of their stupid, idealistic dreams on the ground.
(They were idiots, thinking they’d find Sophia. She was dead the minute she ran away from Rick.)
They ran out of gas three days ago. There was another highway graveyard not too far from where they’re traveling, but no one wanted to go forage for gas, not after last time.
So they took what they could carry and started walking.
Glenn’s not sure who’s quieter, his group or Hershel’s. No one talks much, these days. No one has anything to say. There’s tension bubbling underneath and pretty soon it’s all gonna blow up, but for now everyone just walks around in the heat, aiming for the Republic of Heaven.
The Republic of Heaven is all they’ve got left. At first, when they had other options, it was just a rumor, like the government’s working on a cure or the CDC is a safe haven. Before there were other places to go. They were heading to the Republic, but they could’ve gone other places. North, maybe, or to the ocean, or they could’ve hunkered down at Hershel’s place and just never left.
“I would’ve liked that,” Meiri says quietly, sticking her wet nose out of his backpack. “It was nice there.”
He scratches her ears. “Yeah,” Glenn says, “it was.”
Before, they had other places to go.
Now all they have is the Republic of Heaven, and Glenn’s not even sure that’s a real place. Shane and Rick seem to think so, but Shane’s kind of insane and Rick is too, but in a quieter, nicer way.
At this point, Glenn’s not sure any place called “Heaven” can exist.
Mei bites his hand again. “If all you’re going to is mope, I’m going to talk to Cahir.”
She squirms out of his arms and drops, scrambling back to walk with Cahir, Daryl’s wolf. He’d been more coyote-ish before, but he’s definitely wolf now, more than El and Kali. Glenn likes him.
Meiri likes him too, and she bounds over on her short legs to bump him affectionately.
“What?” Cahir growls, loud enough that Glenn can hear.
Mei chatters, bumping him again. “Nothing.”
“If it’s nothing, go away,” the wolf snaps.
Glenn’s daemon stops.
Cahir flashes his long teeth and lopes away, leaving Meiri alone.
“Hey,” Glenn calls, jogging over to her and scooping her up. Her fur bristles under his hands, and he can feel her anger, and her hurt.
“Fucking jerk,” she growls.
Glenn can’t help but glare at Daryl, who rests a hand on his daemon’s back and pointedly doesn’t look at Glenn.
“That wasn’t very nice.” Glenn looks down and finds Luke, Maggie’s cat, sitting at his feet, blinking his green eyes.
At once, Mei leaps out of Glenn’s arms to touch noses with Luke. The cat’s orange tail twitches.
“Canines,” Luke says.
“Hey,” Maggie says softly, and Glenn smiles at her. She doesn’t look too much different than she did back on the farm. A little more tired, a little older, but she’s still beautiful, and his heart does that funny skipping thing it does whenever she gets close.
“Hi.” He really wants to hug her but Hershel’s probably watching, and even though he’s barely said a word since The Incident, Glenn knows he doesn’t approve.
Meiri makes up for it by half-tackling Luke and aggressively licking his ears. The cat daemon purrs, returning the favor.
“How’re you doing?”
Maggie shrugs, tucking her hair back. “I’m okay. You?”
He smiles. “Okay. Your dad?”
She shoots a glance at Hershel. So far he hasn’t said anything, but Glenn sees his daemon blinking her beady eyes.
“Still not talking?”
Maggie shakes her head. “No. I tried this morning, but…”
Meiri licks Luke’s ears again.
“He’ll snap out of it,” Glenn promises. "He can’t stay like this forever.”
“How do you know?”
“Andrea got better. She was just like your dad and she snapped out of it.” He doesn’t mention Jim. She’s okay now.”
Okay might be stretching it, but whatever. Andrea talks and helps out and even laughs, sometimes. She’s not shuffling around like she’s a walker anymore.
Maggie smiles crookedly. “Thanks,” she says, and she hugs him hard. Their daemons curl up at their feet.
Glenn kisses her cheek quickly.
“Can you talk to my dad?” Maggie asks, when they pull apart. Luke licks a tuft of fur flat on Mei’s head. “Rick tried yesterday, and it didn’t work.”
“Um,” Glenn says. “Maybe that’s not a good idea. I’ve talked to him four times.”
“Please? You’re good with people. They like you.”
Of course he’s going to say yes, because he’s an idiot like that, and he wants to help. Hershel watched his wife and neighbors get shot in front of him. Even if he's a dumbass for thinking they were still alive, nobody should have to watch that.
He picks Meiri up and gives Maggie another quick peck, then slows down so the rest of Hershel’s group catches up.
Hershel doesn’t look at Glenn but his daemon Ashling ruffles her feathers. He’s not sure if that’s an invitation or a warning.
“Hi,” he says, falling in step beside the older man.
Behind him, Patricia and Jimmy start muttering at Maggie, but Glenn tries not to listen. Mei hops up onto his shoulder, solid and comforting.
Hershel looks at him sideways, and his mouth presses into a skinny line. He doesn’t say anything.
“Maggie’s worried about you,” he tries. “We all are. It’s, um, it’s okay, to be upset. Shane didn’t-we didn’t have the right to open the barn. That was your choice. But Shane-we-were scared. And they’re dead, you know. They don’t have daemons. They’re at peace now.”
Ashling lunges from Hershel’s shoulder suddenly, beak clacking, and slams into Meiri hard enough to knock her off Glenn’s shoulder. Glenn shouts, winded, and Meiri chatters, twisting to avoid the furious crow.
“Hey!” he yells at Hershel, grabbing the vet’s arm. “Tell her to stop!”
Ashling dives at Meiri, clawing at her face, and Glenn feels each scratch. He shoves the older man, and Hershel staggers.
“Hershel!”
“Enough,” Cahir snarls, right there, snapping at the crow. Ashling hisses, but she can’t fight a wolf, and Meiri recovers enough to swipe at her.
Ashling flies up above Cahir and lands back on Hershel’s shoulder. Her beady eyes flash.
“The fuck,” Daryl snaps. Cahir blinks down at Mei and pads back to his human’s side. “Control your daemon, will ya? Jesus.”
Hershel doesn’t say anything. Everyone’s stopped now, swinging back around to see what all the fuss is about.
“What’s going on?” Rick asks, wary. Meiri jumps back up into Glenn’s arms and he cuddles her. His fingers shake, and he hopes no one notices. Maggie glares at her father and stands beside Glenn.
Hershel meets Rick’s eyes, but doesn’t say anything.
“His damn daemon was attacking Glenn’s,” Daryl says. Cahir barks, teeth bared.
Rick frowns, and El pins her ears. “Why?”
Glenn shrugs, and Mei returns to his shoulders, bristling. “I was just trying to talk to him.”
“I asked him to,” Maggie says. “Dad’s been- You know how he’s been. Glenn’s good at talking to people.”
“And his daemon just attacked Meiri?”
Glenn’s otter chatters, pressing against his neck. “Yes.”
Rick’s frown deepens. “Hershel,” he says. The old man doesn’t respond.
Shane and Rick share a long look, and Kali pins her ears too, teeth baring just a little at El.
“It’s no big deal,” Glenn says, quick to defuse the tension. “Ashling didn’t hurt Mei. Just forget about it.”
Daryl huffs, and even Maggie looks doubtful.
“Glenn,” Meiri whispers.
“It’s nothing,” he repeats. “No biggie. Let’s just forget about it, okay?”
Rick nods, though he still cuts Hershel an unreadable look, and everyone separates and starts moving again.
“Glenn,” Maggie says.
“I’ll talk to you later,” he promises, and jogs after his group.
Daryl’s walking a little way apart from everyone, and Cahir looks up when Glenn comes close.
“You’re an idiot,” he says, and Cahir’s fur bristles.
Glenn shrugs. “He’s an old man. He’s just lost half his family. It’s okay for him to be a little… unstable.”
Daryl snorts. “Fuzzy feel that way?”
“Fuzzy-” Meiri starts, annoyed, but Glenn cuts her off.
“They didn’t hurt us.”
“Uh huh. Next time Cahir might not be around to keep that crow off Meiri.”
“There won’t be a next time.”
“’course there will. That chick has you wrapped around her finger. She’ll get you to try again, and you will, ‘cause you wanna make her happy.”
Mei growls.
“So?”
Daryl shrugs. “You’ll figure it out, Short Round. Just hope it’s before that damn crow scratches out Fuzzy’s eyes. Cahir ain’t always gonna be around to save her, y’know.”
Glenn kind of wants to punch him in the face. “Fine,” he snaps. “You don’t have to be an asshole about it.”
Daryl opens his mouth furiously, like he’s gonna start shouting or something, but he closes it again slowly and Cahir breaks off his growl.
The hunter stalks off, falling in beside Carol, and Glenn drags a hand through his hair.
“Dick,” he mutters, and curves back around to walk with Maggie again. Meiri slips back into his pack, silent and bristling.
He doesn’t talk to anyone until they stop walking.
***
Camp today is somehow in the middle of a river. Normally, there would be one big flaw in this plan; everyone’s shit would get wet.
Today, though (probably ‘cause of the fucking drought), there’s a great big sandbar-thing in the middle, and it’s nice, dry, and surrounded by at least thirty feet of water on all sides.
The walkers won’t be able to sneak up on them, and everyone sets up real quick, before it can get cooler.
Glenn thinks it’s sometime in late fall or early winter. The days are still pretty warm, because hey, Georgia, but at night it gets cold enough that he pulls on an extra shirt and tries not to shiver.
(Daryl, interestingly enough, still doesn’t wear sleeved shirts. Glenn kind of wants to know what’s up with that.)
They get a little fire going, and dinner is a couple of cans of beans and Easy Mac. No one talks much. Glenn sits apart from the others, at the edge of the water so Meiri can splash around a little.
“You doing okay?” Maggie comes and crouches down beside him, and Luke’s eyes reflect the fire. “I’m sorry, about my dad. I didn’t know Ashling was gonna attack you. She’s never done that before.”
“It’s okay,” Glenn says, and smiles. He feels like it’s a little crooked. “You didn’t know. He’s just upset. He’ll get better.”
Maggie smiles and pecks his cheek, and then goes back over to sit with her group.
(She tries to get Hershel to eat his beans. The old man doesn’t.)
“Man’s fucked up,” Daryl says, and flops down beside Glenn.
Cahir comes prowling around and laps at the river. Through Meiri, Glenn can see his eyes gleaming.
“Yeah,” Glenn says warily. He still wants to punch Daryl, just a bit.
Daryl laughs, low and harsh. “You noticed it yet?”
“Noticed what?”
The other man waves his fork in the group’s directions. “How everyone’s sittin’.”
The Grimes family, tight-knit as ever, sits close together. Cass has Carl’s daemon, Leah, pinned and is giving her a tongue bath. El watches both daemons, her fur turned orange by the fire.
Dale sits pretty close to Rick, and Nurya watches everything quietly, and Carol’s not too far from him. Brooklyn the rabbit whispers something in her ear; her face is pale.
T-Dog is in the middle, right next to the fire so he can stir the beans. Glenn can’t see Ilya, but she’s probably somewhere close.
On the other side of the fire, Shane and Andrea sit together, heads bent. As Glenn watches, Gazini flutters over and lands on Kali’s head. Kali opens an eye, and lets the kite stay there.
“They’re divided,” Glenn mutters, more to himself than Daryl.
“No shit. Been that way for a while. It’s gotten worse since we’ve left, though.”
Meiri climbs into Glenn’s lap, warm and solid. He rests a hand on her head.
“A lot’s happened.”
Daryl grins, and Cahir starts to say something but breaks it off. “You gotta watch out for yourself, Chinaman. Things are changin’. The group’s splittin’ right down the middle. If you ain’t careful, you gonna find yourself in a big pile of shit.”
“We’ll be fine,” Meiri pipes up. “We can take care of ourselves.”
“Uh huh.” Daryl throws down his fork. Glenn can’t see his face but he can see Cahir’s, and the wolf’s lips are twisted into a pained snarl. “Yeah, I guess you can.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Daryl shrugs. “Nothin’. Me an’ Cahir, we’ve seen you. You know what you’re doing. Usually. Just,” he says, and stops.
Cahir growls, pacing.
“Watch out,” Daryl says finally. “Around Hershel and his. Things are changin’, Short Round.”
“I think that might’ve been an apology,” Meiri whispers, climbing back into her usual spot near Glenn’s ear.
“Some apology,” he mutters, but he doesn’t really want to punch Daryl, not anymore.
The group can’t afford any more divisions. It is splitting deeply, and if they break apart, they’re not gonna survive.
“Who would you pick?” he asks, because he doesn’t have anything else to say.
Daryl leans back and Cahir rests his head in his lap, closing his bright eyes as Daryl thumbs his ears. “Dunno.” He’s grinning again, and it reminds Glenn of the time he saw Cahir take down a deer, fangs flashing and bloody. “Neither’s a good choice, you know?”
Meiri hops down and bumps the wolf again, carefully. This time, Cahir bumps her back.
“Yeah,” Glenn says, watching his daemon leap on Daryl’s and nudge him towards the water. “I know.”
***
Glenn’s dreaming of running. Since the world’s gone to shit he’s dreamed of running a lot, but this time, it’s different.
Meiri hangs on tight, her claws buried in his shirt. She’s shouting something in his ear, but he can’t hear her over the rush of wind and gunfire.
Water sloshes up around his ankles, and ahead he sees Kali and Cahir leading the charge. Maggie’s on one side and Daryl’s on the other, and they run and trip and run again. Rick and El are behind them, and Glenn hears Lori screaming.
There’s something cold and very sharp in Glenn’s hand. It feels like a shard of broken glass, and it’s cutting into his fingers.
“Don’t,” Meiri whispers. “Don’t, Glenn, don’t.”
He doesn’t know what she’s talking about, and raises the piece of glass.
*
“Glenn,” Meiri cries, and he wakes up, sucking in air and nearly throwing his daemon off his face.
“Mei,” he says, confused, and she chatters, nosing his forehead.
“I couldn’t wake you up. You were dreaming, and I couldn’t wake you up. Listen.”
Outside, Glenn can hear someone moaning. He goes for his gun, and Meiri climbs to her usual spot. “Walker?” he breathes.
“I don’t think so.”
Cautiously, he pokes his head out of the little tent. His heart sinks.
It’s not a walker.
Hershel’s crouched next to what’s left of the fire, bent double, and his hands twitch like broken wings.
The rest of the group crawls out in the open, muttering, confused. T-Dog, who was on night watch, stands a little ways apart from Hershel, looking kind of helpless.
“Dad,” Maggie says. Luke presses close to her leg. “Dad, are you okay?”
Glenn steps up to stand beside her. “Dr. Greene?”
If Hershel heard them, he didn’t show it. Glenn leaned closer, and he heard words in the low moan now, and Meiri’s fur spiked against his neck.
“And unto Adam,” Hershel whispers, “He said, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.”
“Dad?” Maggie reaches out to him, and Glenn jerks her back.
“He said, because thou hast eaten of the tree, cursed is the ground for thy sake. In sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.”
“Hershel.” Rick comes closer.
“Cursed is the ground for thy sake! In sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life!”
“Dad!” Maggie shoves Glenn away, reaching for her father. “Dad, it’s me, it’s Maggie. Stop, please, you’re scaring everyone.”
“All who die must enter,” Hershel’s voice drops low, and Ashling stirs, wings twitching. “But not all who enter must die.”
“What-”
Hershel lunges, tackling Maggie, and Ashling goes for Luke.
“Dad!”
“No!” Glenn jumps in, pulling the old man, and Meiri leaps at the crow with a growl.
Hershel’s strong, and there’s something wrong, in his eyes. He has Maggie in a bear hug, and she gasps, pushing at him.
“Enough,” Rick shouts, and he grabs Hershel’s arms and throws him backwards. Glenn, Hershel and Rick tumble back, twisting the sand, and then Shane’s there too, and between the three of them, they get Hershel under control.
Glenn sits on his legs and Shane puts the man in a sleeper hold. El presses a big, snowy paw on Ashling’s chest.
“All who die must enter,” Hershel whispers, his eyes flashing. Maggie sits up behind Glenn, and Luke leaps into her lap, purring softly, gently.
“The hell you talking ‘bout,” Shane says. Kali growls.
Hershel rolls his eyes up to meet Shane’s. “Cursed is the ground for thy sake. In sorrow, thou shalt eat of it all the days of thy life.”
He falls still, and closes his eyes. Glenn doesn’t know if he’s unconscious, asleep, or dying.
Behind him, Maggie chokes on a sob.
“The fuck was that,” Shane hisses, and he’s talking to Rick and no one else.
“Later,” Rick snaps back. “Let’s just get him somewhere private. They don’t need to see this.”
Shane sneers, but he helps Rick lift Hershel anyway, and together they move him back into his tent, out of sight.
“Maggie,” Glenn says, brushing dirt off his knees. Mei bounds over to nose Luke, chattering anxiously.
She stands up, wipes her nose.
“Are you okay?”
Maggie shakes her head, hand pressed over her mouth.
“Maggie-”
“Don’t,” she says, and Luke leaps into her arms. “Glenn, please, just-Later, okay. Later.”
Patricia folds Maggie into her arms, and Hershel’s group shuffles out of the way, hovering just outside the tent.
Rick and Shane walk out, whispering heatedly.
Lori pulls Carl close, and Glenn can’t tell what the kid is thinking. T-Dog and Dale share grim glances. Carol blinks at Hershel’s tent, and wanders back to her own.
“This isn’t good,” Meiri whispers. Her ear’s bleeding a little, and all her fur stands on end.
“Old man’s losin’ it,” Daryl says. Cahir’s eyes glitter. He looks at Glenn, and there’s that sharp grin again.
“Anybody else thinkin’ about Jim?”
continued
Fandom: The Walking Dead, HDM AU
Characters/Pairings: Ensemble cast & canon pairings with a dash of Glenn/Daryl later
Word Count: ~5,700 (this part)
A/N: Takes place after 2x7, so spoilers up through there. Contains speculation for future events. Some elements of the WD universe have been changed and everyone has a daemon. If you have any questions about names or forms, just ask! Thanks to the always lovely Cassie for betaing. <3
Daemons (Rick's Group): Meiri | Cahir | Eliora (El) | Kali | Cassiel (Cass) | Nurya | Brooklyn | Gazini | Ilya |
Herhsel's Group: Luke | Ashling
Other: Hekate (Merle's daemon)
"Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow thou shalt eat of it all the days of thy life." -Genesis 3:17
The Runners
The worst part, Glenn thinks, was when daemons started changing. Before a daemon settled and stayed that way. That was how things were. Now, though.
Now, daemons are changing again.
Not all of them, yeah. Meiri hasn’t changed a bit since all this shit went down, and Glenn doesn’t mind ‘cause she’s perfect as she is, but having like, a lion daemon might be a little more useful than having an otter.
(Meiri bites his fingers.)
Some daemons in the group, on the other hand, have been changing. With settled adults it’s almost never a big change, like a complete species shift or anything, and it’s pretty slow, not BAM, suddenly your daemon’s pink.
But it's there.
Andrea’s Gazini, for example, started out mellow-looking and soft. All his colors are hard and solid now. Lori’s Cass has darkened, his goldish fur fading to something a little less flashy. Rick’s El and Shane’s Kali look less and less like dogs every week. Shane doesn’t seem bothered by it, but Glenn’s seen Rick look at his El like he barely knows her anymore.
“Merle got freaked out by it,” Daryl said once. His Cahir was changing too then, growing a little less scrawny and mean-looking and melting into something bigger. “Scared the shit out of him, when Hekate changed color.”
Glenn wonders how many people that’d happened to, how many had gone to sleep knowing the shape of their soul and woken up to find it different.
That was probably part of the panic. Well, that and the daemonless, shuffling dead people who go for your daemon and tear it apart. That’s pretty scary too.
“Stop thinking about it,” Meiri says, nipping his ear. She crawls out of his backpack and balances on his shoulder, warm and fuzzy against his neck.
“Trying,” Glenn says back. He doesn’t really have a lot to think about. Weekend plans? Nope, everyone’s dead. Work? Nope, walkers ate all his customers. Friends? They were alive, but they all could die at any second.
Sophia was proof of that.
Glenn and Meiri don’t really talk about It, what went down at Hershel’s. They don’t have to. They can see it in everyone else.
Carol carries it with a lifted chin, shoulders shaking, and no one but Daryl looks when she cries. Her daemon Brooklyn sticks to her heels and his eyes are dull.
Daryl carries it angrily, fiercely, daring anyone to say something to him. No one ever does.
Rick carries it slowly, like he’s testing it out, seeing if he can hang the guilt around his neck without choking himself. His El doesn’t talk to anyone.
Glenn’s not sure how he’s carrying it. He liked Sophia but he wasn’t really close to her, and he wasn’t really that involved in looking for her. That was mostly Daryl.
Meiri drops down into his arms and he cuddles her close. He can’t even imagine what it’d be like, to lose her.
Sophia lost Olly. He liked bird shapes the best, and playing with Carl’s Leah, and following some of the older daemons around when they stopped to camp.
Carol thought he’d settle as a robin. Sophia wanted a swallow. Glenn personally thought he’d be a wren, and now they’re not gonna know, because Olly and Sophia are dead.
Maybe Glenn’s wrong. The second worst part is the changing daemons. The worst part is that walkers go for daemons first. They like daemons better, or something, and they eat them alive. They eat people too, yeah, but only if they don’t get the daemon first. And a bite to you or your daemon kills you slowly, so you can watch your soul grow pale and turn to dust, and then you die, and then you wake up, and your daemon’s gone.
“Stop,” Meiri says.
Glenn does, because you’re supposed to listen to your daemon.
He looks around instead.
Hershel and his people are with them now. No one wanted to stay at the farm, not with Sophia’s blood and what was left of their stupid, idealistic dreams on the ground.
(They were idiots, thinking they’d find Sophia. She was dead the minute she ran away from Rick.)
They ran out of gas three days ago. There was another highway graveyard not too far from where they’re traveling, but no one wanted to go forage for gas, not after last time.
So they took what they could carry and started walking.
Glenn’s not sure who’s quieter, his group or Hershel’s. No one talks much, these days. No one has anything to say. There’s tension bubbling underneath and pretty soon it’s all gonna blow up, but for now everyone just walks around in the heat, aiming for the Republic of Heaven.
The Republic of Heaven is all they’ve got left. At first, when they had other options, it was just a rumor, like the government’s working on a cure or the CDC is a safe haven. Before there were other places to go. They were heading to the Republic, but they could’ve gone other places. North, maybe, or to the ocean, or they could’ve hunkered down at Hershel’s place and just never left.
“I would’ve liked that,” Meiri says quietly, sticking her wet nose out of his backpack. “It was nice there.”
He scratches her ears. “Yeah,” Glenn says, “it was.”
Before, they had other places to go.
Now all they have is the Republic of Heaven, and Glenn’s not even sure that’s a real place. Shane and Rick seem to think so, but Shane’s kind of insane and Rick is too, but in a quieter, nicer way.
At this point, Glenn’s not sure any place called “Heaven” can exist.
Mei bites his hand again. “If all you’re going to is mope, I’m going to talk to Cahir.”
She squirms out of his arms and drops, scrambling back to walk with Cahir, Daryl’s wolf. He’d been more coyote-ish before, but he’s definitely wolf now, more than El and Kali. Glenn likes him.
Meiri likes him too, and she bounds over on her short legs to bump him affectionately.
“What?” Cahir growls, loud enough that Glenn can hear.
Mei chatters, bumping him again. “Nothing.”
“If it’s nothing, go away,” the wolf snaps.
Glenn’s daemon stops.
Cahir flashes his long teeth and lopes away, leaving Meiri alone.
“Hey,” Glenn calls, jogging over to her and scooping her up. Her fur bristles under his hands, and he can feel her anger, and her hurt.
“Fucking jerk,” she growls.
Glenn can’t help but glare at Daryl, who rests a hand on his daemon’s back and pointedly doesn’t look at Glenn.
“That wasn’t very nice.” Glenn looks down and finds Luke, Maggie’s cat, sitting at his feet, blinking his green eyes.
At once, Mei leaps out of Glenn’s arms to touch noses with Luke. The cat’s orange tail twitches.
“Canines,” Luke says.
“Hey,” Maggie says softly, and Glenn smiles at her. She doesn’t look too much different than she did back on the farm. A little more tired, a little older, but she’s still beautiful, and his heart does that funny skipping thing it does whenever she gets close.
“Hi.” He really wants to hug her but Hershel’s probably watching, and even though he’s barely said a word since The Incident, Glenn knows he doesn’t approve.
Meiri makes up for it by half-tackling Luke and aggressively licking his ears. The cat daemon purrs, returning the favor.
“How’re you doing?”
Maggie shrugs, tucking her hair back. “I’m okay. You?”
He smiles. “Okay. Your dad?”
She shoots a glance at Hershel. So far he hasn’t said anything, but Glenn sees his daemon blinking her beady eyes.
“Still not talking?”
Maggie shakes her head. “No. I tried this morning, but…”
Meiri licks Luke’s ears again.
“He’ll snap out of it,” Glenn promises. "He can’t stay like this forever.”
“How do you know?”
“Andrea got better. She was just like your dad and she snapped out of it.” He doesn’t mention Jim. She’s okay now.”
Okay might be stretching it, but whatever. Andrea talks and helps out and even laughs, sometimes. She’s not shuffling around like she’s a walker anymore.
Maggie smiles crookedly. “Thanks,” she says, and she hugs him hard. Their daemons curl up at their feet.
Glenn kisses her cheek quickly.
“Can you talk to my dad?” Maggie asks, when they pull apart. Luke licks a tuft of fur flat on Mei’s head. “Rick tried yesterday, and it didn’t work.”
“Um,” Glenn says. “Maybe that’s not a good idea. I’ve talked to him four times.”
“Please? You’re good with people. They like you.”
Of course he’s going to say yes, because he’s an idiot like that, and he wants to help. Hershel watched his wife and neighbors get shot in front of him. Even if he's a dumbass for thinking they were still alive, nobody should have to watch that.
He picks Meiri up and gives Maggie another quick peck, then slows down so the rest of Hershel’s group catches up.
Hershel doesn’t look at Glenn but his daemon Ashling ruffles her feathers. He’s not sure if that’s an invitation or a warning.
“Hi,” he says, falling in step beside the older man.
Behind him, Patricia and Jimmy start muttering at Maggie, but Glenn tries not to listen. Mei hops up onto his shoulder, solid and comforting.
Hershel looks at him sideways, and his mouth presses into a skinny line. He doesn’t say anything.
“Maggie’s worried about you,” he tries. “We all are. It’s, um, it’s okay, to be upset. Shane didn’t-we didn’t have the right to open the barn. That was your choice. But Shane-we-were scared. And they’re dead, you know. They don’t have daemons. They’re at peace now.”
Ashling lunges from Hershel’s shoulder suddenly, beak clacking, and slams into Meiri hard enough to knock her off Glenn’s shoulder. Glenn shouts, winded, and Meiri chatters, twisting to avoid the furious crow.
“Hey!” he yells at Hershel, grabbing the vet’s arm. “Tell her to stop!”
Ashling dives at Meiri, clawing at her face, and Glenn feels each scratch. He shoves the older man, and Hershel staggers.
“Hershel!”
“Enough,” Cahir snarls, right there, snapping at the crow. Ashling hisses, but she can’t fight a wolf, and Meiri recovers enough to swipe at her.
Ashling flies up above Cahir and lands back on Hershel’s shoulder. Her beady eyes flash.
“The fuck,” Daryl snaps. Cahir blinks down at Mei and pads back to his human’s side. “Control your daemon, will ya? Jesus.”
Hershel doesn’t say anything. Everyone’s stopped now, swinging back around to see what all the fuss is about.
“What’s going on?” Rick asks, wary. Meiri jumps back up into Glenn’s arms and he cuddles her. His fingers shake, and he hopes no one notices. Maggie glares at her father and stands beside Glenn.
Hershel meets Rick’s eyes, but doesn’t say anything.
“His damn daemon was attacking Glenn’s,” Daryl says. Cahir barks, teeth bared.
Rick frowns, and El pins her ears. “Why?”
Glenn shrugs, and Mei returns to his shoulders, bristling. “I was just trying to talk to him.”
“I asked him to,” Maggie says. “Dad’s been- You know how he’s been. Glenn’s good at talking to people.”
“And his daemon just attacked Meiri?”
Glenn’s otter chatters, pressing against his neck. “Yes.”
Rick’s frown deepens. “Hershel,” he says. The old man doesn’t respond.
Shane and Rick share a long look, and Kali pins her ears too, teeth baring just a little at El.
“It’s no big deal,” Glenn says, quick to defuse the tension. “Ashling didn’t hurt Mei. Just forget about it.”
Daryl huffs, and even Maggie looks doubtful.
“Glenn,” Meiri whispers.
“It’s nothing,” he repeats. “No biggie. Let’s just forget about it, okay?”
Rick nods, though he still cuts Hershel an unreadable look, and everyone separates and starts moving again.
“Glenn,” Maggie says.
“I’ll talk to you later,” he promises, and jogs after his group.
Daryl’s walking a little way apart from everyone, and Cahir looks up when Glenn comes close.
“You’re an idiot,” he says, and Cahir’s fur bristles.
Glenn shrugs. “He’s an old man. He’s just lost half his family. It’s okay for him to be a little… unstable.”
Daryl snorts. “Fuzzy feel that way?”
“Fuzzy-” Meiri starts, annoyed, but Glenn cuts her off.
“They didn’t hurt us.”
“Uh huh. Next time Cahir might not be around to keep that crow off Meiri.”
“There won’t be a next time.”
“’course there will. That chick has you wrapped around her finger. She’ll get you to try again, and you will, ‘cause you wanna make her happy.”
Mei growls.
“So?”
Daryl shrugs. “You’ll figure it out, Short Round. Just hope it’s before that damn crow scratches out Fuzzy’s eyes. Cahir ain’t always gonna be around to save her, y’know.”
Glenn kind of wants to punch him in the face. “Fine,” he snaps. “You don’t have to be an asshole about it.”
Daryl opens his mouth furiously, like he’s gonna start shouting or something, but he closes it again slowly and Cahir breaks off his growl.
The hunter stalks off, falling in beside Carol, and Glenn drags a hand through his hair.
“Dick,” he mutters, and curves back around to walk with Maggie again. Meiri slips back into his pack, silent and bristling.
He doesn’t talk to anyone until they stop walking.
***
Camp today is somehow in the middle of a river. Normally, there would be one big flaw in this plan; everyone’s shit would get wet.
Today, though (probably ‘cause of the fucking drought), there’s a great big sandbar-thing in the middle, and it’s nice, dry, and surrounded by at least thirty feet of water on all sides.
The walkers won’t be able to sneak up on them, and everyone sets up real quick, before it can get cooler.
Glenn thinks it’s sometime in late fall or early winter. The days are still pretty warm, because hey, Georgia, but at night it gets cold enough that he pulls on an extra shirt and tries not to shiver.
(Daryl, interestingly enough, still doesn’t wear sleeved shirts. Glenn kind of wants to know what’s up with that.)
They get a little fire going, and dinner is a couple of cans of beans and Easy Mac. No one talks much. Glenn sits apart from the others, at the edge of the water so Meiri can splash around a little.
“You doing okay?” Maggie comes and crouches down beside him, and Luke’s eyes reflect the fire. “I’m sorry, about my dad. I didn’t know Ashling was gonna attack you. She’s never done that before.”
“It’s okay,” Glenn says, and smiles. He feels like it’s a little crooked. “You didn’t know. He’s just upset. He’ll get better.”
Maggie smiles and pecks his cheek, and then goes back over to sit with her group.
(She tries to get Hershel to eat his beans. The old man doesn’t.)
“Man’s fucked up,” Daryl says, and flops down beside Glenn.
Cahir comes prowling around and laps at the river. Through Meiri, Glenn can see his eyes gleaming.
“Yeah,” Glenn says warily. He still wants to punch Daryl, just a bit.
Daryl laughs, low and harsh. “You noticed it yet?”
“Noticed what?”
The other man waves his fork in the group’s directions. “How everyone’s sittin’.”
The Grimes family, tight-knit as ever, sits close together. Cass has Carl’s daemon, Leah, pinned and is giving her a tongue bath. El watches both daemons, her fur turned orange by the fire.
Dale sits pretty close to Rick, and Nurya watches everything quietly, and Carol’s not too far from him. Brooklyn the rabbit whispers something in her ear; her face is pale.
T-Dog is in the middle, right next to the fire so he can stir the beans. Glenn can’t see Ilya, but she’s probably somewhere close.
On the other side of the fire, Shane and Andrea sit together, heads bent. As Glenn watches, Gazini flutters over and lands on Kali’s head. Kali opens an eye, and lets the kite stay there.
“They’re divided,” Glenn mutters, more to himself than Daryl.
“No shit. Been that way for a while. It’s gotten worse since we’ve left, though.”
Meiri climbs into Glenn’s lap, warm and solid. He rests a hand on her head.
“A lot’s happened.”
Daryl grins, and Cahir starts to say something but breaks it off. “You gotta watch out for yourself, Chinaman. Things are changin’. The group’s splittin’ right down the middle. If you ain’t careful, you gonna find yourself in a big pile of shit.”
“We’ll be fine,” Meiri pipes up. “We can take care of ourselves.”
“Uh huh.” Daryl throws down his fork. Glenn can’t see his face but he can see Cahir’s, and the wolf’s lips are twisted into a pained snarl. “Yeah, I guess you can.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Daryl shrugs. “Nothin’. Me an’ Cahir, we’ve seen you. You know what you’re doing. Usually. Just,” he says, and stops.
Cahir growls, pacing.
“Watch out,” Daryl says finally. “Around Hershel and his. Things are changin’, Short Round.”
“I think that might’ve been an apology,” Meiri whispers, climbing back into her usual spot near Glenn’s ear.
“Some apology,” he mutters, but he doesn’t really want to punch Daryl, not anymore.
The group can’t afford any more divisions. It is splitting deeply, and if they break apart, they’re not gonna survive.
“Who would you pick?” he asks, because he doesn’t have anything else to say.
Daryl leans back and Cahir rests his head in his lap, closing his bright eyes as Daryl thumbs his ears. “Dunno.” He’s grinning again, and it reminds Glenn of the time he saw Cahir take down a deer, fangs flashing and bloody. “Neither’s a good choice, you know?”
Meiri hops down and bumps the wolf again, carefully. This time, Cahir bumps her back.
“Yeah,” Glenn says, watching his daemon leap on Daryl’s and nudge him towards the water. “I know.”
***
Glenn’s dreaming of running. Since the world’s gone to shit he’s dreamed of running a lot, but this time, it’s different.
Meiri hangs on tight, her claws buried in his shirt. She’s shouting something in his ear, but he can’t hear her over the rush of wind and gunfire.
Water sloshes up around his ankles, and ahead he sees Kali and Cahir leading the charge. Maggie’s on one side and Daryl’s on the other, and they run and trip and run again. Rick and El are behind them, and Glenn hears Lori screaming.
There’s something cold and very sharp in Glenn’s hand. It feels like a shard of broken glass, and it’s cutting into his fingers.
“Don’t,” Meiri whispers. “Don’t, Glenn, don’t.”
He doesn’t know what she’s talking about, and raises the piece of glass.
*
“Glenn,” Meiri cries, and he wakes up, sucking in air and nearly throwing his daemon off his face.
“Mei,” he says, confused, and she chatters, nosing his forehead.
“I couldn’t wake you up. You were dreaming, and I couldn’t wake you up. Listen.”
Outside, Glenn can hear someone moaning. He goes for his gun, and Meiri climbs to her usual spot. “Walker?” he breathes.
“I don’t think so.”
Cautiously, he pokes his head out of the little tent. His heart sinks.
It’s not a walker.
Hershel’s crouched next to what’s left of the fire, bent double, and his hands twitch like broken wings.
The rest of the group crawls out in the open, muttering, confused. T-Dog, who was on night watch, stands a little ways apart from Hershel, looking kind of helpless.
“Dad,” Maggie says. Luke presses close to her leg. “Dad, are you okay?”
Glenn steps up to stand beside her. “Dr. Greene?”
If Hershel heard them, he didn’t show it. Glenn leaned closer, and he heard words in the low moan now, and Meiri’s fur spiked against his neck.
“And unto Adam,” Hershel whispers, “He said, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.”
“Dad?” Maggie reaches out to him, and Glenn jerks her back.
“He said, because thou hast eaten of the tree, cursed is the ground for thy sake. In sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.”
“Hershel.” Rick comes closer.
“Cursed is the ground for thy sake! In sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life!”
“Dad!” Maggie shoves Glenn away, reaching for her father. “Dad, it’s me, it’s Maggie. Stop, please, you’re scaring everyone.”
“All who die must enter,” Hershel’s voice drops low, and Ashling stirs, wings twitching. “But not all who enter must die.”
“What-”
Hershel lunges, tackling Maggie, and Ashling goes for Luke.
“Dad!”
“No!” Glenn jumps in, pulling the old man, and Meiri leaps at the crow with a growl.
Hershel’s strong, and there’s something wrong, in his eyes. He has Maggie in a bear hug, and she gasps, pushing at him.
“Enough,” Rick shouts, and he grabs Hershel’s arms and throws him backwards. Glenn, Hershel and Rick tumble back, twisting the sand, and then Shane’s there too, and between the three of them, they get Hershel under control.
Glenn sits on his legs and Shane puts the man in a sleeper hold. El presses a big, snowy paw on Ashling’s chest.
“All who die must enter,” Hershel whispers, his eyes flashing. Maggie sits up behind Glenn, and Luke leaps into her lap, purring softly, gently.
“The hell you talking ‘bout,” Shane says. Kali growls.
Hershel rolls his eyes up to meet Shane’s. “Cursed is the ground for thy sake. In sorrow, thou shalt eat of it all the days of thy life.”
He falls still, and closes his eyes. Glenn doesn’t know if he’s unconscious, asleep, or dying.
Behind him, Maggie chokes on a sob.
“The fuck was that,” Shane hisses, and he’s talking to Rick and no one else.
“Later,” Rick snaps back. “Let’s just get him somewhere private. They don’t need to see this.”
Shane sneers, but he helps Rick lift Hershel anyway, and together they move him back into his tent, out of sight.
“Maggie,” Glenn says, brushing dirt off his knees. Mei bounds over to nose Luke, chattering anxiously.
She stands up, wipes her nose.
“Are you okay?”
Maggie shakes her head, hand pressed over her mouth.
“Maggie-”
“Don’t,” she says, and Luke leaps into her arms. “Glenn, please, just-Later, okay. Later.”
Patricia folds Maggie into her arms, and Hershel’s group shuffles out of the way, hovering just outside the tent.
Rick and Shane walk out, whispering heatedly.
Lori pulls Carl close, and Glenn can’t tell what the kid is thinking. T-Dog and Dale share grim glances. Carol blinks at Hershel’s tent, and wanders back to her own.
“This isn’t good,” Meiri whispers. Her ear’s bleeding a little, and all her fur stands on end.
“Old man’s losin’ it,” Daryl says. Cahir’s eyes glitter. He looks at Glenn, and there’s that sharp grin again.
“Anybody else thinkin’ about Jim?”
continued