𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙩 - 𝙩𝙬𝙙

five

Kat

It was dark, it smelled of stagnant water and felt cold. She had been in a jail millions of times to visit her dad. She had gotten used to the loud echo of yells. She had gotten used to the way he held the black phone with a big toothy smile. He loved her when he was behind that glass, because she and Maddie were all he had behind that glass.

"Rick?" A woman appeared in the entrance. Her belly big and round, her eyes wide and brown. She flickered her eyes towards Maddie and Kat, a look of worry etched her face.

"Who's this?" She asked softly, timid.

"Dad?!" A louder voice called out. A boy, close to Kats age, spun around the corner, a wild look. He didn't even notice Kat and Maddie at first.

"Dad, Hershel died and Drew gave him cpr and-"

Rick placed a hand on the boys shoudler, as if to hush him, and he did. Then the boys eyes wandered over to the sisters. His eyes met with Kats, locking.

"Who are they?" The boy questioned.

"Where's Hershel?" He disappeared out of the common room. Daryl sat on a metal table, staring at the girls. Kat didn't know what to do. She didn't know if she should speak, if she should move. If she should do anything.

...

"We don't know these girls, and not only that but we have prisoners sleeping next to us already." Kat could hear Ricks wife echo through the halls. They all talked in the common room as if Kat and Maddie couldn't hear them from the separate cells they had been locked in. Kat hated being separate from Maddie. She knew Maddie was probably panicking without her. She knew Maddie was probably freaking out. They didn't know these people, and somehow Kat and Maddie still agreed to be separate, to be locked in cells.

The echo of the voices filled up the cells. Kat sat on the bed, picking at her nails.

"The girl looks young, she can't be more than thirteen." A woman with a country twang to her voice said.

"We can't just kick a kid out."

"What about the older one?"

Kat felt her heart jump. She wouldn't leave Maddie. She wouldn't let them kick her out. And she would refuse to have either of them leave. Ironically, locked in this cell with strangers debating their fate was the safest she had ever felt.

Soft footsteps stopped in front of her cell. She slowly looked up to the boy, wild brown hair, freckles littering his nose.

"What's your name?"

"Katana... Kat."

"Is that other girl your sister?"

Kat pursed her lips.

"Is your dad gonna kick us out?"

"Are you dangerous?"

Kat debated lying, about telling the truth. She could lie and make them seem as if she was innocent, as if they were both naive.

"We can be," Kat told the truth. He nodded.

"So can we." He stared down at her.