ONE RULE • THE WALKING DEAD

chapter thirteen- i get it now

Author's Note

Oooo third person.

When Daphne finally woke, there was a weight in her palm. Warm and steady, it coaxed her out of her deep sleep.

The next things she noticed were the pain in her throat and the pinch of an IV. Her eyes flew open and she found herself in a bedroom with huge bright windows and empty fluid bags on every surface.

And next to her, clutching her hand was Glenn, fast asleep in a chair. Anxiously, she tried to recall how she'd gotten here, what the hell had even happened. Then everything came crashing all at once— the apocalypse, Rick, Shane, the highway, Sophia—

Daphne sat up abruptly, yanking her hand free so she could stand, but the room began to spin as if she were drunk.

"Woah, Daph!" Glenn jolted up and steadied her, guiding her down gently.

Nausea crawled up her throat. "Where's— where's Sophia?"

His concerned eyes inspected her. "She's fine. She's with Carol."

"Thank God." Daphne laid back down and then the situation sunk in. "What—how-how did we get here?"

"Sophia found Rick. She took him to you and he brought you both back here."

She smiled and closed her eyes, relishing in the feeling of soft cotton. It'd been a while since she felt safe. "And where's here exactly?"

"Daph, we found people. Good people. They're letting us stay on their land," explained Glenn. He was delighted, breathing easy for the first time in days. He never believed his best friend was dead. He liked to think that they had a special sort of connection. He'd know.

"The gunshot from the other day? Was that them or you?"

Glenn went silent. Daphne opened an eye, peering at him suspiciously through the foggy haze she still found herself in. The IV that was hydrating her was working efficiently but slowly.

"What is it?" She demanded.

"Look, they didn't know. It wasn't on purpose—"

She recognized Glenn's stalling. "What wasn't on purpose?"

"Carl got shot."

Dizziness be damned. Daphne sat up and ripped the IV from her hand, swinging her feet to push herself toward the door. Glenn also got up, not knowing whether to help her or push her back down.

Just as her feet touched the cold ground, the door slowly opened and both of them froze. There was a slow hobbling on the other end, a soft murmur between two familiar voices.

"Do you think she'll hear me— mom, she's awake!"

Carl gasped and pulled away from Lori, almost falling over if it weren't for Daphne reaching out her frail arms and catching him in a hug.

"Hey, buddy!" She whispered, hugging him gently. But he grabbed onto her tight, smiling against her shoulder. The stitches hurt but he didn't care.

"I knew you'd come back!" He grinned when they pulled away. "I knew you and Sophia weren't dead!"

"That's reassuring to hear," Daphne grimaced. "Nice to see others had such unwavering faith in me."