Complicated ✔

Ch. 19 - Snuck Away

KATHRYN'S POV

I couldn't sleep after that dream. No matter how hard I tried to I just couldn't. Looking over beside me at my little brother laying fast asleep on the bed beside me, I decided to just get back up and see what I could do to help out, which I knew wouldn't be much with the state I was in at that point in time. Carefully, I climbed off the bed next to Carl and limped my way out of the room and out of the house onto the front porch. Everyone else was away from the house, probably doing some sort of burial for Otis after he didn't make it back alive with Shane last night when they both went out to that high school to get the supplies needed for Carl. It seemed almost quiet around the farm house with Carl asleep in the room he was placed in and everyone else over doing that for Otis. Looking around the porch for a moment, I finally limped over to one of the rockers and sat down to wait for everyone to come back to the house.

I don't think I waited too long before they came back, moving the cars to sit under the grouping of trees in the Greene's front yard and off to the side. Even from where I sat, I could hear them talking about finding Sophia. And because Shane and Dad were both basically laid up until tomorrow at the latest, Daryl was the only one going out. I watched as he walked off somewhere on the other side of the house, Dad coming to sit on the steps next to me where I had moved to when he made his way over to the house. "You get any sleep," he asked as we both sat here watching everyone else mill about around the camp for our group. "Yeah some," I said nodding as I felt my cheeks heat up with the memory of my dream. I had to turn my head away to keep him from noticing the blush on my cheeks. "I'll be right back," Dad said when we heard walking and I spotted Daryl walking back the way he came from, now heading towards the woods.

DARYL'S POV

I had my crossbow over my shoulder, my left hand holding onto the top of the shoulder strap to keep it in place as I made my way towards the woods, in the direction headed to look for Sophia. "Daryl," I heard a voice call out to me from the steps to the house. Halting my steps, I looked back over my right shoulder to see Rick walking towards me, Kathryn sitting on the steps to the house watching her father make his way towards me. "You okay on your own," he asked after stopping not too far from the steps where he'd obviously been sitting with his daughter. "I'm better on my own," I said before turning and beginning to continue on my way, "don't worry I'll be back before dark." "Hey," he shouted, signaling he wanted me to stop. I inwardly groaned as I turned back to face him again to see what he wanted.

"We got a base," he said looking at me, "we can get this search properly organized now." "You got a point," I asked taking a couple steps towards him as I noticed Kathryn watching every move I made, "or are we just chatting?" "My point," Rick said, "is it lets you off the hook. You don't owe us anything." I looked at him and scoffed before turning away. "My other plans fell through," I said as I walked away from him, heading for the direction of the woods. It wasn't too long before I heard a set of footsteps following behind me. The sound of there being a limp to the step, and the sound itself also being light, told me that it was Kathryn following behind me. "Your daddy or the others know you're following me into the woods," I asked, coming to a stop as did the sound of her footsteps while I kept my back to her. "No," she stated and without turning around I could tell she was trying to act all innocent.

"You best be getting back to the house before they find you missin'," I said and glanced back at her over my shoulder, watching as she placed her hands on her hips and glared at me. "No," she said, "I want to help look for Sophia. I'm in better shape than Dad or Shane." "Like hell you are," I said turning around to face her and taking a few steps towards her, "you're limping worse now than you were early this morning with the rest of us arrived at that house. You need to take your little ass back to the farm house and sit down!" "No," she said defiantly, "either you willingly let me follow you to look for Sophia, or you walk away and I still follow you to look for Sophia. Daryl I'm not stupid, you won't let anything bad happen to me. And I want to prove to Dad and the others that I'm not some child that can't help out when the help is needed the most. Like searching for Sophia out in these woods."

KATHRYN'S POV

He stared at me for a moment, as if weighing his choices, either way he wasn't getting rid of me unless he tied my ass to a chair or something. I smiled victoriously when he grumbled and turned away, walking towards the woods. "You best keep up then," he shouted out when I was still savoring my victory. Sobering up quickly, I moved to catch up with him as fast as my injured leg would allow me to. When I finally caught up enough where I could slow my quickened pace, I was walking next to Daryl with my eyes roaming everywhere around us. I wanted to prove I could help search for Sophia. I wasn't as hurt as everyone seemed to believe. Sure I was limping but it wasn't as bad as what Shane was doing. I was still walking by Daryl, but I guess I was off in my own little world when suddenly out of nowhere he grabbed my arm closest to him and jerked me behind a tree, pinning my back to it as he stood in front of me.

I was highly aware of his close proximity to me, with barely any space left between us, as my natural instinct was to scream out in shock. But I was unable to as Daryl's hand came up over my mouth to muffle the scream. Slightly panicked as to what could be going on, and memories of my dream from before flashing through my mind, I peered up at Daryl with his hand still over my mouth as he looked down at me with his blue eyes. I watched as he lifted his other hand that wasn't covering my mouth up to his. "Shhh," he whispered out before pointing out behind where we were at with the tree. Still slightly panicked, I turned my head to look and spotted a single walker roaming the trees a few yards away from us. When I looked back to Daryl, and he could tell I wasn't about to make a sound, he removed his hand from over my mouth and continued to peer around at the shuffling walker.

I braced myself against the tree, palms flat to the bark, as I watched Daryl pull away from me slowly and pull his crossbow off his shoulders. I continued to watch as he walked around the tree, not making a single sound in the process, before he lifted his crossbow with a bolt loaded and ready. I had flipped around so that my stomach was pressed to the tree as I watched in awe as Daryl aimed the crossbow and shot the walker smack in the middle of its head. I walked out from behind the tree as Daryl went to retrieve his bolt before turning to glare at me as he stalked forwards, now I was in trouble. "You need to pay attention to what's going on around you," he said glaring, "not be stuck in that damn head of yours as you walk. You could've gotten yourself killed!"

DARYL'S POV

I stared down at the girl as she seemed to shrink back away from me in fear. "I-I-I'm sorry," she stammered as she looked up at me. I groaned and looked away from her and around at our surroundings before looking back to her again. "You said you wanted to be out here to help and prove to everyone you could handle this," I growled at her, "you're doin' a pretty lousy job there Kathryn." I watched as she lowered her head, averting her eyes from me like she was ashamed she had fought to be out there when she thought she couldn't take care of herself like she originally thought she could. Sighing, I placed my crossbow back over my shoulders before using one hand to place under her chin and lift her head back up to look at me. "Let's keep goin'," I whispered before moving my hand away from her and continuing on the way we were headed before the walker appeared.

KATHRYN'S POV

I watched stunned as he turned and walked away from me. I couldn't help but lift my own hand up to my chin where his had been moments ago. He hadn't been that gentle with me since Sophia first got lost in the woods, when I was chased too and he had to come get me. He had wrapped my leg for me after killing that walker. I knew he wouldn't let any harm come to me out here while we were searching for Sophia, no matter how much of a hardass he tries to portray himself as, but I feel like I'm just a burden to him out here like this. He was right though, I had let myself get consumed by my thoughts and could've easily gotten myself killed had he not grabbed me like he did. "Move your ass back there," Daryl's voice called back, startling me out of my thoughts yet again. And now we're back to the mad-at-the-world Daryl again. Sighing, I walked away from the tree and followed silently behind him.

Sorry y'all for the long wait for an update on this! Please comment your thoughts on what's happened and what you would like to see happen next.
- Kenz