Complicated ✔

Ch. 34 - Dale

KATHRYN'S POV

I sat on the front porch that night, waiting for the sound of the gun shot that would end the boy's life, but it never came. Instead, I heard the cries of an older male voice and when I reached where everyone was standing in the field behind the barn, I nearly broke down. It was Dale, laying there on the grass with his stomach ripped open. I stood back, away from the others, as I watched Daryl take my dad's gun and kneel down next to Dale before he pulled the trigger. I feel tears falling down my face as the echo from the shot slowly drift away in the wind, and only when everyone starts to turn around do I finally turn and run for the house. Once inside, I lock myself in the bathroom and stay there all night, ignoring everyone who knocks to try and get me to come out.

That next morning, I finally emerged from the bathroom, only to sit out on the upper balcony once more as the group held a funeral for Dale. I sat there, my arms crossed over one another as they rested on the banister, watching as my dad spoke to the group. Probably telling them about Dale, or at least what he knew about the man. I couldn't make myself go down there and join them, I'd go down later and pay my respects to the man that had treated me like a daughter when I thought my father was dead at the start of all of this. As I sit there watching, silent tears making their way down my face, I notice that a group of four leave in the blue truck to go and take care of how that walker got onto the property and to stop anymore from getting so close. As Shane, Andrea, T-Dog, and Daryl climb into the truck, I watched as Daryl seemed to glace at where I sat before climbing onto the back with T-Dog.

When I see the others move away from the new grave, I slowly stand to my feet and make my way down to the site. When I get there, I fall to my knees as new tears slowly seep down my cheeks. "I'm sorry Dale," I whispered out as I looked at the freshly turned soil that was placed over Dale's body, "you were nothing but kind to me from the start, and I went and treated you like that. If I would've known that those would have been the last words I said to you, I wouldn't have said them." I looked up to the sky for a minute, sniffling and wiping the tears from under my eyes as I tried to steady myself to continue on with what I was saying. "I know you were only trying to save the kid," I whispered, "and I know you were only trying to see the good in people. But I couldn't live knowing if that boy got loose what would happen if he brought his people back to us. When I almost got raped, I was scared and I didn't know if anyone would make it to save me in time."

I had to stop for a moment, as the sob and fear of what had happened to me took over my body. I had to calm down a moment before I could even finish what I was saying to him. "But Daryl saved me," I said after I could speak again, "Daryl got there in time to stop him. But I still had no right to say what I did to you Dale. It's not right to kill someone for being guilty by association and you were just trying to show everyone else that. I'm so sorry Dale." The dam broke behind my tears before I bent over on the ground, resting my head on my arms in front of me as I nearly laid on the grass below me. I stayed there, not caring if someone saw how I was reacting to all of this. Dale had treated me so kindly and I betrayed him by treating him like he'd done nothing at all for me.

I don't know how long I was there like that for. But I didn't look up when I heard a vehicle pull back into the yard near the others. Didn't look up when I heard heavy footsteps making their way towards me a couple minutes after I could hear the talking of the group near the main campsite. When the footsteps stopped off to my side, and the person who owned them didn't make a sound to talk to me, that's when I finally looked up. I knew I looked horrible for crying so long, I could tell it was noticeable when I was met with worried blue eyes that belonged to the man I've owed my life to for a while now in the walker infested world.

DARYL'S POV

I could tell Kathryn was beating herself up over the loss of Dale. Most of us in the group could tell Dale's death affected her the most. When she, Lori, Carl and Shane first joined the group, Dale was probably the first friend she made. He gave her a place to sleep when she didn't want to sleep near her step-mother. Even back then when we were in Atlanta, when I'd glance over at where she stood next to the old man, that he cared for her and she had grown to care for him like he was her family. Snapping back to reality and seeing the girl down in front of me on the grass as she wiped away the tears from her eyes, I knew this was going to take a while for her to get over. "Everyone's movin' indoors," I said after a few minutes, as her watery blue eyes peered up at me.

She looked to the group behind me before her eyes lifted back to mine as she nodded slightly and stood to her feet, brushing off the grass and dirt that had collected onto her knees from kneeling on the grass for so long. "Why don't you come help me," I said nodding my head out towards my camp, "get ya away from everyone and take your mind off some things." Nodding again, she waited for me to walk ahead of her, following along behind me as we slowly made our way to my small camp where my tent and brother's bike were, along with some other things. The walk was silent, I'd look back every now and then to make sure she was still there, but in a sense she wasn't. Physically she was but emotionally she was in another world and I didn't like the look on her face.

KATHRYN'S POV

One thing I've grown to like about being around Daryl, he doesn't push me to talk about what eating away at me. I can see the looks he's giving me, I can she he's actually worried about how I'm taking this, but he's not making me talk. Silently, once we reach his camp, we start packing away his tent and other things that we place onto the back of the bike that belonged to Merle. It seems odd that it's been close to two weeks since we lost Merle back in Atlanta. It feels longer actually. Once everything is packed up, Daryl gets on the bike and starts it before looking back to me. "Get on," he said as he moved so I'd be able to climb on. Looking at him like he's crazy, I shake my head as he glances back. "I'll walk," I said, "my dad would probably flip."

"I wasn't askin'," he said looking at me. Finally I gave in with a sigh and walked over to him. Placing my hands carefully on his shoulders, I lifted one leg and placed it on the other side of the bike. Not wanting to make him more uncomfortable than he probably already was even though he told me to, I kept my hands on his shoulders as he glanced back once to make sure I was settled. With a nod, I told him I was ready to go, my grip on his shoulders tightening slightly as he moved the bike forward and we made our way back to the Greene's house with the others.

It was an amazing feeling, being on the back of that bike, but it ended all too quickly as we pulled up to the front of the house. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Shane giving me and Daryl one hell of a look and on the other side of us, I could see Dad watching too. I climbed off the bike once he turned it off and attempted to head on inside when Daryl's voice stopped me. "Kathryn," he said, barely above a whisper. I turned around to look at him, waiting to see what he'd say. "Rick and I are going out later to take that kid off like the original plan," he said, "I want you to stay around someone at all times so Shane doesn't have a chance to get you alone like last time. I know you want your space but that prick don't care."

Knowing what he meant, I nodded my head in understanding. "I'll stay with Maggie," I said as he nodded once. I looked over Daryl's shoulder at that moment to see Shane walk over to Dad with a very pissed off expression. If I had to guess, he was pissed off with me on the back of Daryl's bike like that. Well if that was then case then honestly he could get over himself. I locked eyes with Dad for a second before I turned away and went to go inside like I had planned to before. I was going to go find Maggie and see if she wanted me to help out anyway I could since we were all moving into the house for the winter. I have a feeling this will be a long winter if we're all in this confined space. Also means I'll be too close to Shane to be able to be truly comfortable in that house. Yep, this will be a long winter.

I felt like I owed y'all this chapter simply because you've all been so understanding and I had over half of this done before I found out about my friend. That being said, thank you all for your condolences and even though I said I probably wouldn't, I will try to update. It might help me push out of my mind the grief I'm feeling for a little while. By the way, Monday's and Friday's will be when this is updated because those are the two day I saw mentioned the most.
- Kenz