Scarlett Greene hadn't spoken since she was twelve. After her Daddy was arrested for abuse when she was seventeen, she is sent to live with her Uncle Hershel. Her life gets better, but the trauma is still there.
When the apocalypse begins, she take...
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he has a name
BREATHE.
Scarlett had to breathe or she would die. Nothing was coming out. No air in. No air out. Her heart was pounding while her hands shook. She fell on her knees, the dirt not even bothering her as she felt her hand grab into the grass roughly.
Breathe. Breathe.
"SILENCE, MARINA! No one wants to hear your fucking mouth!"
"Marina! Get yer ass over here. You went out again!? When I told you not to!?" We needed milk. If I didn't get it, he would beat me again.
"MARINA! What'd I say 'bout bringin' her up!" Smack. Punch. Cigarette butt. Burns. Burns. Burns.
"YOU JUST CAN'T STAY DOWN! FUCKIN' DIE ALREADY!" I tried. I really did.
"What'd you say!? WHAT DID I SAY 'BOUT TALKIN'!? Ain't no one wanna hear yer ugly ass thoughts. Too busy tryin' to get past them ugly looks!" I know. It just slipped out. Won't happen again.
"Marina, I wish you'd fuckin' just die. Why do I keep gettin' stuck with a bitch fer a daughter. Ain't do shit around here—!". I do everything. I try so hard.
Everything I worked for. Gone.
Leaves crunching made her lower her head as if she was preparing to get beat.
When nothing came but she heard movement, she peaked out and saw Daryl sitting next to her. He left space in between them, pushing a bottle of water her way before making sure there was no way he accidentally would touch her.
He noticed her struggling.
"C'mon. Breathe in. Look at me, Red. C'mon. Look at me, please," he whispered in his gruff voice. Scarlett turned her head, her eyes meeting his crystal blues. He nodded at her. "I ain't gon' touch ya. I definitely ain't gon' hurt ya. Just follow me." And he breathed in. She breathed in. He breathed out. She breathed out.
It repeated, and she felt her heart rate slowing down back to normal.
He nodded toward the water.
She took it hesitantly, uncapping it and sipping on it. Because her hands were shaking, the water fell a bit. Daryl grabbed the bottle, still being careful not to touch her, but he helped guide the water because her shaking hands could not do it.
After moments of silence, Daryl clenched and unclenched his jaw while debating on what to say.
"Red?" he called softly. Her gaze flickered to his before back to the walkers by the gate trying to get in. "He's not gon' hurt you no more. We can kill 'im now. Put an end to it." Scarlett shook her head, ducking into her legs as she hid her face. He sighed. "They are all real worried 'bout ya. You need to let Carol or Lori look over yer vitals or whatever. Then, you can go back to sleep or whatever you want."
Scarlett nodded but did not make a move to get up. Daryl sighed again, knowing there was not much else he could right now.
"We are all family now, got it?" he spoke gruffly as he crouched in front of her closer. "I got you, Red, and you got me. If he even speaks to you again, I'll make him wish he'd have become a roamer. Okay?" She smiled a bit at his threatening words, shaking her head as she kept her gaze away from him. "Come in when yer ready. Don' go out of this cell block area."
He stalked off, wanting nothing more than to go pummel the bitch until he couldn't breathe.
Maggie immediately stood when Daryl roughly pushed the door to get in. "Where is she?"
"Sittin' outside. Won't say a fuckin' word. Won't let me kill him–"
Hershel groaned as he sat up in his bed a bit. "She refused to let him be killed when the lawyer found enough evidence to send him straight to the chair. She refused."
Rick was pacing, not saying a word.
Carl sighed, standing. "I'm gonna keep an eye on her."
Daryl nodded in thanks.
Glenn sighed at the somber tone. Of course, of all prisons to find, they find Scarlett's dad's. And he's still alive! Biting his lip, he asked, "Why'd he call her Marina?" Everyone looked up, wondering the same thing, of course.
Hershel shut his eyes. "Marina was his wife. Her mother. Scarlett's full name is Scarlett Marina Greene, but when Marina passed and he became the way he is, he called her Marina."
"Sick fuck," Carol muttered. "Mom!" Sophia shouted softly before giggling at the language. Carol rolled her eyes in amusement, pulling her girl to her chest.
"Yeah, here's another one," Maggie said to Hershel. "What medicine was he talkin' 'bout?"
Hershel winced as all eyes turned to him. "I forgot about it with everything, really I did. She told me she'd found a supply at the pharmacy that would last a while at the beginning on one of her pharmacy runs. I guess a while ended last week. Still, I think she was taking a higher dose than she was supposed to because the way her color drained and temperature rose... that was scary to witness."
Rick stopped and looked at him. "What is it?"
"PTSD meds, really, were the main ones she was on. But when this all started, she couldn't find those, but she found her anxiety pills. Those leave a nasty effect if not waned off. She was just cut off," Hershel told them. "I should've remembered. We could've looked for them. She's already been off, and I would not like to go through that sickness again if we run out somehow again. However, we all need to help make her feel comfortable. With Declan around... she won't be the same Scarlett y'all love."
"Declan," Daryl spat mockingly. "So the devil has a name. Can't wait to put an arrow in his ass."
"Don't worry," Lori seethed. "We'll all be right behind you guns blazing."
