Complicated ✔

Ch. 12 - Leaving Atlanta

DARYL

I heard a shout come from back behind me. Ahead was the rest of the group but I didn't see one person in particular with Glenn, Kathryn. Looking around quickly, I caught sight of her back by the shattered window we all came out of. She was on the ground, and while I watched as she tried to get up I could tell she wasn't able to. Groaning, I pulled my crossbow behind my back and ran for where she stayed at in front of the building. "D-D-Daryl," she stuttered out, obviously shocked as I quickly picked her up in my arms and carried her away from the building but over to my truck bridal style. I felt her arms wrap around my neck and her hands grab fists full of my shirt as she held on tightly to me. Managing to open the driver side door of the truck, I sat her on the seat and watched as she slid all the way over to the other side of the single seat before I climbed in after her and closed the door.

I could hear the horn from up at the RV blaring as I looked up to see Dale and Andrea running out. "Fuck get down," I said quickly to Kathryn beside me before I placed my arms over her head as she ducked down just before the sound of a loud explosion reached our ears and the feeling of the shockwaves from it shook the truck. After a couple seconds, when it seemed it was safe enough, I sat up and a second later Kathryn slowly poked her head up to look around. Looking at the remains of the CDC burning before us, I glanced down to Kathryn beside me before I caught sight of her leg. "Give me your leg," I said causing her to snap her attention to me. "W-what," she asked looking at me confused as I dug the rag I had in my back pocket out. "I said give me your damn leg," I said causing her to jump.

KATHRYN

"O-o-okay," I stuttered out as I lifted my right leg up and he gently grabbed it, wrapping his red rag around it tightly so that the bleeding would stop but also as gently as he could to keep from hurting me more. I watched as he focused on my leg, letting it go once he was finished with placing the rag around it. I sat with my back to the door for a few minutes as I looked ahead of us towards the rest of the group's vehicles as they began to pull off. I guess I was riding with him for a little bit, until our group stopped to do something. I turned around to sit the right way in the truck cab, closer to the center to keep my right leg from bumping into the side of the door every time we hit a bump. The adrenaline that had been pumping through my body since we were down underground with Jenner when he was going to have us all die with him had started to leave my body, leaving me exhausted as I felt myself slip into unconsciousness next to Daryl.

DARYL

We had been driving barely 10 minutes when I felt Kathryn's head land on my right shoulder. Glancing over at her as I continued to follow the rest of our group, I noticed she was out cold with her feet up on the seat on her other side as her head rested on my right shoulder. I had half the mind to push her off of me but something in me told me not to disturb her unless it was necessary, and we'd also be stopping soon enough to group up and figure out where the hell to go while syphoning some fuel for our vehicles. I'd just let her sleep until we stopped, then she'd get in the vehicle with either her family or the Chinaman that she's always hanging around.

After another 10 minutes, I watched as the RV that was leading the caravan of cars pulled into what looked like some sort of parking lot, complete with abandoned cars. Pulling to a stop behind the others, I nudged Kathryn once I had turned the truck off. I bit back a chuckle as I watched her shoot up once realizing that she had been leaning against me, the color of a blush evident on her cheeks as she quickly climbed out of the truck and limped over to where the others were. As the Chinaman greeted her, I watched as his face filled with concern as he noticed her limp and looked down to her leg that she was favoring and keeping her weight off as much as she could. He wasn't the only one to take notice of her injury, the others in the group did too.

KATHRYN

"I promise I'm okay," I said for what felt like the millionth time as Glenn looked down at my leg with concern, "it's just a scratch. It'll be fine in a few days." "How'd it happen," I heard my dad say before I turned my head to see him walking up as he eyed my wrapped leg too. "I nicked it on some glass when I climbed out of the window back at the CDC," I said shrugging, "I swear I'm fine. It barely hurts when I put any pressure on it at all." "Still you need to be careful with that leg so you don't hurt it any more than it already is," Dale said walking over to me. "When we leave here we should take no more vehicles than necessary to get up moving," Dad said looking around the group as Daryl finally came to stand with us and get in on the group discussion, "Daryl it might save you on fuel to drive the bike instead of that truck."

I looked anywhere but at Daryl as they discussed riding arrangements. I was still way too embarrassed that I had fallen asleep on Daryl's shoulder like that back in his truck. "Kathryn will you ride with us," Carl's voice said snapping me out of my thoughts, "please." "Y'all already have a full car," I said looking to Dad for some help but he stayed silent. "Please Kathryn," Carl said again as he looked up at me with his blue eyes, pleading for me to agree. "Alright fine," I said smiling as I rolled my eyes while he jumped and hugged me tightly, "but don't go complaining when it's too crowded in the back seat." I felt him hug me tighter as I wrapped my arms around my little brother. I loved him to death and would do anything for him if it meant seeing a smile on his face.

I stayed where I was with Carol, Sophia, Carl, and Lori while the others went around and scavenged some supplies and fuel for the vehicles we were taking. I think everyone decided we'd only take the vehicles we needed, syphon fuel from the ones we were leaving behind. I watched as Daryl pulled the bike down from the back of his truck as everyone else began trying to gather some gas for the cars. After a few moments, everyone began piling into the cars. Shane, Dale, Andrea, Glenn, and T-Dog in the RV while Dad, Lori, Carol, Sophia, Carl, and myself climbed into Carol's Cherokee and Daryl drove the motorcycle. I sat in the back of the Cherokee with Carl, Sophia and Carol. Dad and Lori were in the front seats. I hugged my brother close to me as Dad pulled off, following behind the RV as we began leaving the city of Atlanta and heading to Fort Benning.

RICK

"Hey Dad," Kathryn called from the back seat where she sat between Carl and Sophia, her arm wrapped tightly around Carl. "Yeah," I said smiling as I looked back at her through the mirror as we drove. "Remember that time you took me to the Grand Canyon when I was little," she asked smiling, "it was just before you met Lori." "Yeah I remember," I said smiling, "you were 5. You remember that?" "Yeah," she said grinning widely. "I remember when we tried to go back," I said smiling as I looked over to Lori beside me, "when we took Carl with us." "I don't remember that," he said sitting forward as Kathryn laughed. "Yeah you wouldn't," she said smiling, "you were just a baby." "Beside," Lori said, "we never made it past Fort Worth."

"You got sick," I said as I watched Kathryn make a face. "I never knew a baby could throw up so much," she said as we all laughed. "Ick," Carl said as we laughed more. "Yeah ick," Lori said, "but the doctor said you'd live. And we turned around and drove back home." "It was a good trip," I said as I watched a smile form on Kathryn's face. "Can we go see it," Carl asked looking between me and his mother, "the Grand Canyon?" "Can we go," Sophia asked from beside Kathryn as she looked at all of us. "We'd never go without you and your mom," I said looking back at her before facing the road. "You'd really like it there," Kathryn said as she grabbed Sophia's hand, "it's so pretty there." I smiled as I turned my attention back to the road, only to see Dale slowing to a stop in front of a road block filled with cars everywhere.