The Pure and the Damned • TWD: Daryl Dixon

4. Not Allowed.

Dakota hated everything. Every time she tried to be good and feel good, she would go to bed and dream of her father. And when she would wake up the next morning, he would be gone all over again and the wound would open up, and Dakota would hurt and hurt and hurt a thousand times over. So she hated everything.

Hating everything came with a few side effects. One of those side effects was most definitely not listening when told to do something she didn't want to do. With all that hatred brewing in her belly, Dakota only glared when Lou came to say goodbye to her in the morning.

"Je suis désolé de ne pas pouvoir te laisser venir, Koty. Je sais que tu le veux, mais je ne peux pas te le permettre," Lou said as she knelt down in front of Dakota's bed. I'm sorry I can't let you come with, Koty. I know you want to, but I can't let you. Dakota sat at the edge of her mattress, her eyebrows furrowed and her glare sharp. She scraped her nails along the blanket below her fingertips. "Be good for our guests. I will be back quickly," Lou said, giving a soft smile, which Dakota did not return.

After that, Lou let out a sigh and disappeared from the bedroom. With how the goodbye went, she didn't expect Dakota to try and follow them. She figured that if Dakota wanted to go with her, she would continue trying to convince her, or maybe even stop her from going until she said yes. But all Dakota did was sit there and glare, which wasn't very different from any other day. So Lou didn't expect a thing.

But that was only because Dakota had already hatched out a plan in her head.

If she wanted to kill La Tarasque, she was going to kill La Tarasque. And, God, did she want to kill La Tarasque.

So, after Lou left the room and went to go with Daryl and Ian, Dakota slid off the side of her bed and grabbed her bow and quiver, which were hanging from the bedframe. Slinging the quiver over her shoulder and keeping her bow by her side, Dakota peeked around the corner of the doorway. Through the window, she could see that the other children were outside with Isabell, Sylvie, and Laurent.

As quietly as she could manage, Dakota slipped out the door, leaving the preschool behind. And as much as she hated to admit it, she could feel her heart pumping hard and fast in her chest. She knew this wasn't something she was supposed to be doing, and whether or not she cared about whatever punishment she would get if caught, she still felt incredibly nervous. Maybe it was just the thought of facing La Tarasque again.

Up ahead of her, Dakota could see Ian, Lou, and Father Daryl walking along, side by side. She could see their mouths moving, each time they turned their heads, but she couldn't quite hear what they were saying. Well, at least Lou and Daryl were talking. Ian kept facing forward, so all Dakota could see of him was the back of his head.

Creeping behind the three, Dakota made sure to keep her distance. It had to be just right. She couldn't be close enough that they would catch her following behind, but she was nosy enough to want to be able to hear what they were talking about.

For now, all she could hear were the murmurs of their voices and the chirping of the birds. So, carefully and silently, she picked up the pace, trudging along in the woods, hiding herself behind trees every few seconds or so.

"You're not a priest," Dakota could hear Lou say.

Daryl let out a chuckle. "Is it that obvious?" he asked.

"Yes," Lou replied, an amused smile on her face.

Well, it wasn't obvious enough for Dakota to catch on to it. Or maybe she just wasn't paying enough attention, before. Maybe she just couldn't bring herself to care, considering that whether or not Daryl was a real priest had no effect on her chances of killing La Tarasque.