Casualties ? Daryl Dixon (Firecracker sequel)

She could still hear it. The sound of Maggie and Sasha yelling her name into the dark, dense forest. Bob had been knocked unconscious. It happened quickly and Arden wasn't sure what was happening. All she knew was how her name echoed through the woods and the sound of her blood pumping in her ears.

It didn't take long for her to realize she'd been taken. These two men had been watching her group, waiting to strike. When they did they had wanted to take all of the women but they only got Arden. Lucky her. The first two nights were spent in silence. Arden didn't cry, didn't make a noise as she lay in the back of the truck trying to figure out what was happening. Figuring out why she'd been taken didn't take very long either. These men talked about trading her, as if she were some piece of meat or ammunition. A valuable commodity that could be used to help these men survive. Arden knew this situation was horrific, but it got worse.

The third night Arden was woken up by David dragging her out of the back of the truck. He threw her from the vehicle, her back cracking from hitting the asphalt. She was silent, wanting to yell but she couldn't. All she could hear was Maggie and Sasha calling her name and her heartbeat. It wasn't until David bit her earlobe and moaned that she realized what was happening. That's when she screamed. It was the first time since the prison, since Matt, that she felt something. Felt the night air stream into her lungs and the gravel dig into her palms. She wailed and thrashed, attempting to push him away but his fist hit her temple and she blacked out to the rest of it.

Waking up in the back of the truck Arden knew she had two options. Either let this continue and pray for death. Or fight back. The first option was tempting. She had officially lost every single person she ever had some sort of an attachment to. Also, from what she had overheard things were not about to get better. They were planning on taking her to a place called Terminus to trade her. They'd be there in a day or less. There was no deity Arden prayed to, not anymore, but in that moment she wished for a sign. That's when the truck broke down. Smoke erupted from under the hood, the vehicle sputtering to a halt. Arden had her answer.

"Fuck!" David exited the truck, slamming the door shut and kicking the tire.

Travis walked to the bed of the truck, gently untying the rope around Arden's legs. His eyes snagged on the purple mark on her neck, a burst of blood vessels brought upon by David's lips. "He do this?" It was a whisper that needed no answer. His fist banged into the bed of the truck, the metal reverberating against the force.

"Yo!" Travis stood up. "David what did we talk about huh? The girls are for trade, not for you." He wasn't angry in the typical way. Instead he radiated a quiet fury evident by his hands on his hips and the way he gnawed on the inside of his cheek as if hoping to draw blood.

David chuckled. The hood shut loudly and he stared up at Travis with a devious sparkle in his eyes. "Yeah well I changed my mind."

"You can't just-"

"You really wanna do this boy? Cause if you think you can survive out there on your own be my guest but don't you forget who helped you survive so if I wanna fuck her then I'm gonna fuck her. Any questions?"

He didn't respond, instead Travis knelt down and began helping Arden out of the truck. "I'm sorry," he mumbled and moved Arden's hair over her shoulders to cover up the marks.

They had no choice but to walk. While Arden had no say in the matter the plan was made clear to her. They'd keep walking towards Terminus but take a detour in the hopes of running into a group willing to trade. It was Travis' idea. The sixteen year old obviously wanted to get Arden off of their hands, out of David's sight and lustful thoughts. The only positive to the situation was David and Travis' ability to defend themselves from walkers.