A Survivor's Diary of the Apocalypse (TWD/Daryl Dixon)

S6Pt9 - The Aftermath

Daryl's P.O.V

My plan worked. The entire pond was now on fire and it attracted all the walkers to it, like moths to a light.
The dead wandered into the pond and caught fire. Sasha, Abraham, and myself watched as the herd began to slim down. I then looked around and saw Kell was gone.
"She just went to go find Lee. She's fine.. I hope." I thought.
"Come on." I said. "Let's finish this."
We began killing the last of the walkers and ran into Rick's group, which consisted of what's left of Alexandria. We saw him, Rick looked at me, and I saw he was crying.
"What happened?" I asked him.
"Carl... he got shot." Rick said and wiped his tears.
"Is he okay? Alive?" I asked.
Rick nodded and I sighed with relief. I pulled him in for a quick hug and patted his back.
"Then he's gonna be just fine, brother."
Rick nodded again and sighed.
"Where's the kids?" Rick then asked me.
"I don't know." I said.
"I saw Kelley running away once we got here." Sasha said. "I think she went to find them."
Rick and I instantly began walking down the streets towards our houses. We were still awhile away when I heard my name.
"Daryl!" The voice called out, and I knew it was Kell.
I instantly started running with the group behind me. I saw my house in less then a minute and saw a figure in the distance.
I realized it was Kell, but she wasn't acting right. As I got closer, I was shocked at what I saw, and I began to slow down. The group did the same once they saw her.
She was shaking and covered in blood, but that wasn't the worst part. Her right arm had her belt tied around it, and the rest of her arm was missing. Some in the group gasped at the sight and others stayed quiet, not sure of what to say.
"Kell..." I said in shock.
"Lee and Judith are safe." She said slowly.
I saw she was in a lot of pain and lost a lot of blood, but for some reason my body wouldn't move.
This is what I was telling her about...
I was scared.. of this.
"Kelley, what happened?" Rick asked.
Kelley stumbled a few steps in pain and groaned. I felt the tears forming in my eyes as she looked at me.
"I got bit..." She said.
As soon as she said that, my heart dropped. And so did Kell because without warning she passed out. I forced my body to move and I ran towards her to catch her, managing to hold her head just before it hit the pavement.
I pulled her onto my lap and held her. I caressed her face and looked at her and saw my tears landing on her cheek.
"Kell. Wake up baby. Please." I begged.
I tried to caress her arm and stopped once I felt where her arm was missing.
"Please don't die..." I cried. "You can't die.. please."
I rested my head on her forehead and rocked her. I then felt a hand on my shoudler and it was Rick.
"We got to get her to the infirmary. Denise is there." He said.
I nodded and picked up Kell's limp body, but then looked at the house. I hesitated and was frozen in fear. I didn't know what to do at that point.
"Go find your son." Rick said and held out his arms. "We'll take her."
I slowly nodded and Rick took Kell out of my arms. He glanced down at her arm and I saw his eyes start watering again. I knew he was also scared but at least he was handling it better than me.
I watched as they took her away before I turned around and walked towards the house. There were a few dead walkers on the porch, ones Kell probably killed. I walked inside and saw a trail of blood droplets leading into the kitchen.
Inside looked like a scene from a horror movie. Blood everywhere. On the table I saw a puddle of blood, a cleaver, and Kell's arm. I saw two bites on it where the walker teared her flesh off.
I couldn't bear to see this. I took a deep breath and looked away from the horrid sight. I looked at the ground only to see a few more blood droplets on the floor coming from upstairs.
There was another dead walker at the bottom of the stairs and I carefully stepped over it. I slowly walked up the stairs, following the blood, which stopped at the nursery. There was a table in front of the door which I'm guessing Kell pushed there. Then I heard a faint crying.
"Mommy.." Judith cried.
I pushed the table to the side and opened the door. Inside I saw a pile of walkers by the door, and one specifically had flesh in it's mouth.
My anger took over and I began to kick it and take all my anger out on in.
"Son. Of. A. Bitch." I said with each kick.
"Mama?" I heard Judith ask.
She sniffled and I turned my head towards the closet. I opened it and saw her pouting there, her eyes all puffy and red. Right next to her was Lee all wrapped up in a blanket.
She stared up at me and began crying.
"Where's mommy?" She cried.
Lee started crying too and I picked him up. Kell was right, the kids were safe. She saved them.
"Come on Judy." I said gently and held my hand out.
She grabbed my hand and I lifted her up. I then picked her up and held her on one side with Lee on the other.
I walked down the stairs and noticed Judith looking around for Kell and stared at the kitchen.
"Don't look at that honey. Come on." I said and walked us outside.
Judith wiped her own tears and was sniffling the entire way to the infirmary. Outside I saw the group waiting and they were all silent. Maggie walked over to me and grabbed Lee for me, and I put Judith down.
"How is she?" I asked, trying not to cry again.
"She's holding on, but she lost a lot of blood.." Maggie said and looked at the kids sadly. "Denise doesn't think she'll make it through the night."
I sniffled and quickly wiped my eyes.
"We don't know how long she was bit for. She has a slight fever and--" Maggie began to say, but I just walked passed her.
I swung open the door to the infirmary and saw Denise and Rick staring at me. Rick was sitting next to a bed that Carl was laying in. I saw he had a bandage wrapped around his head, covering his eye. I looked around and didn't see Kell, and I panicked.
"Where is she?" I asked furiously.
"In here." Denise said and led me to a door, and Rick followed. 
I followed her and we walked into a small room with a bed in it, and there Kell was. Her arm was bandaged, along with her road rash injury. She was on an IV drip and the monitor was watching her heartbeat, which was weak but steady.
"I tended to her other wounds." Denise said as she wrote down Kell's vitals on a chart. "I hope it was worth it."
I just stared at her and she instantly looked scared.
"I didn't mean it that way." She said and then paused. "I really do hope she pulls through."
I just sighed and looked at Kell again. I noticed a pair of handcuffs on her only arm, connecting her to the bed.
"I had to do it. Just in case." Rick said.
I nodded and touched his shoudler.
"It's okay. I know." I said quietly.
I pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed, and I grabbed Kell's hand. Denise and Rick left me alone with her, and everything finally sunk in.
I couldn't holding back anymore. I rested my head on her hand and let out a deep sob. I couldn't stop crying as I continued to think about her.
"I love you." I sobbed. "Please don't leave me. You can't. You have to be okay."
I looked up and felt Kell's ring on her finger. I fidgetted with it and all my memories flooded back. One in particular replayed in my head.

"We need to talk about something." Kell said.
"You're not mad at me, are you?" I joked.
"Daryl, this is serious." She said.
I noticed she really was serious and I sat us down at a table. I held her hand and stared at her, giving my full attention.
"I've been thinking about what you would have to do if I ever get bit." Kell said.
I just shook my head and let go of her hand. "Not gonna happen." I said, and was about to stand up.
"Sit down Daryl." She ordered.
I sighed and took a deep breath before I sat down. She sighed and cleared her throat.
"I am sorry for asking you to do this." She began and I saw her eyes begin to water. "But if I am ever bit, or suffering to the point that I won't survive, I need you to shoot me."
I just shook my head at her. "Kell, no." I said.
"Daryl, please... If I can't do it myself, I need you to. I don't want to become one of them. Please." She begged and squeezed my hand.
I squeezed her hand back, and touched her ring, and she touched mine.
"Okay." I said and sighed.
"Promise me." She said.
I looked at her and stared into her beautiful eyes, asking myself how I could ever lose her. I then nodded and kissed her hand. "I promise."

I took a deep breath and wiped my last tears from my eyes. I held her hand up to my lips and kissed her.
"I promise." I said in a shaky voice. "I promise..."