Complicated ✔

Ch. 36 - Losing The Farm

KATHRYN'S POV

I stood on the porch, watching as members of my group scattered while using the cars to get the walkers' attention away from the house and to shoot them. I could feel the cool metal from Shane's gun pressing into my back, but it never crossed my mind to pull it out and help protect this farm. I was more worried about my father and little brother, I wouldn't have been able to focus enough to shoot straight with this much worry in mind. My arms were wrapped around myself as I heard the sound of gunfire feel the air along with the motors of the running vehicles, and also the sound of the groaning walkers too. I looked over my shoulder behind me as I heard Lori running around the house with Carol trying to find Carl.

All the women had stayed behind in the house, well besides Maggie as she was riding with Glenn and Andrea was with T-Dog. Lori, Carol, Patricia, and Beth were inside while I stayed out on the porch, just looking for a sign that my father was alright. From where I stood, I could just make out Daryl on that motorcycle by the fence that separated the barn from the rest of the house. Because I was looking in that general direction, I noticed the barn was on fire in the background, meaning someone did that. All I could think was that it was Dad because the rest of the group was still riding around and trying to make a dent in the body of walkers while the rest of the group was hiding away inside the house. "Please be Dad," I whispered to myself as I watched the RV drive towards the barn just in case someone was there and needed help.

I heard Lori and Carol walk out onto the porch and turned around to see them arguing about staying or leaving. "Kathryn c'mon," Lori shouted when she saw me look as she and Carol met up with Beth and Patricia on the steps. "No," I shouted back, "I'm staying here and waiting for Dad! I'm not leaving him behind again!" I ran off the porch, not waiting around for her to try and drag me with them, as I pulled out Shane's gun and came to a stop next to Hershel. He glanced at me for a second as I held the gun up with both hands before aiming and firing as some of the walkers alongside of him. I zoned out as I was shooting, focusing on the training I took for months with Dad back before he let me get my license to carry and have a gun of my own. I stayed with Hershel, keeping him in my peripheral vision as we slowly backed away from the advancing herd.

The sound of a gunshot going off behind us caused me to quickly turn around in time to see a walker falling to the ground, but behind it I saw a sight that made me want to cry. "Dad," I cried out running to him, "Carl!" I quickly wrapped my arms around my father and brother as I felt tears falling from my eyes, happy they were both alive at this point in time. "C'mon we gotta go," Dad said pulling away from me and pushing both Carl and I to the only car left on the property, "Hershel let's go!" I watched as Dad grabbed his arm before tugging him backwards to get him to move while I grabbed Carl's shoulders and ran with him to the car. Carl and I climbed into the backseat while Dad and Hershel were in the front. Sitting there with my arms wrapped tightly around my little brother, I peered out the window on the door closest to me as the farm slowly faded from view.

As we slowly drew further and further away from the farm, I looked up to where Dad was sitting in the driver's seat. It was quiet in the car as we were all exhausted from everything that happened but we were also worried about loved ones that were a part of our group. Glenn, Maggie, Daryl, I didn't know what happened to any of them. "Dad," I whispered out as I reached forward in my seat with Carl still tucked tightly into my side as I grasped my father's shoulder. I heard my own voice crack as he peered back at me through the mirror, a sad smile on his face. He knew Carl and I were safe, but he wasn't so sure about Lori and as much as I hated that woman he still loved her to death.

DARYL'S POV

It was dawn by the time Carol and I found some of the other group members. Glenn and Maggie were in the Hyundai that Shane and snatched off the highway while Lori, Beth and T-Dog were in that man Otis' blue pickup. But we hadn't found Rick, Hershel, Carl, or Kathryn yet. Deciding that they might be back on the highway where we lost Sophia, that's where we headed. The relief I felt when I spotted that familiar head of red hair behind a vehicle with her father, brother, and Hershel couldn't be described. Ever since she left that kiss on my cheek last night when we decided to try and save the farm, I couldn't stop myself from worrying about her more than I should. It's been like that, especially since what happened with Shane trying to rape her back in that barn. Mentally shaking those thoughts from my head, I pulled to a stop just behind the car they had obviously used to get off the farm as the other two vehicles pulled beside me.

I watched as relief washed over Kathryn's face as her blue eyes landed on me once I cut my bike off and Carol climbed off after me. Carl ran past where I sat, straight for his mother, while Rick greeted me with a handshake before moving on to his wife. Kathryn smiled at me once, not moving closer, before her eyes darted behind me and she took off running. When I looked over my shoulder, Maggie was running towards Hershel with Beth, while Kathryn ran straight for Glenn and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. It's funny how my brother would tease those two about being a couple when they're clearly happier as friends. Looking back to the group after they broke away from their hug, I listened as everyone mentioned who was lost and we devised a plan of action. Everyone climbed into the two vehicles we were taking while Carol climbed back onto the bike with me as we began our trek east.

We stopped a couple hours later, it being late in the evening, when Rick honked his horn to signal that we needed to stop. Turns out he's been riding on fumes for a while now. As we talked once more about what to do, Rick saying we should just stay here for the night and make a run for gas in the morning, I couldn't help but glance over at Kathryn as she hugged her brother close to try and keep him warm when he claimed to be cold. We found a spot to make camp, and as some of the members got firewood together to build a fire in what looked to be ruins of some sort maybe, I looked over to where Kathryn was and decided I needed to act now. As the group gathered around the small fire, I walked over to Kathryn and her brother, very much aware of the stares I was getting.

"C'mon," I said once, nodding my head in the direction that lead further into the woods. Turning, I didn't wait for a reply before I started walking. When I didn't hear her following, I looked back to see she was giving me a confused look. "You said you wanted to learn to track and hunt," I said to clarify what I was talking about, "no time like the present to learn. Let's go before we lose the light." Nodding, she quickly jumped up to her feet and followed me into the woods without a second thought as to what was going on. When I felt we were far enough away from the group so that someone wouldn't stumble upon us, I stopped walking just as she ran into my back from my sudden halt in movement.

When I turned around to face her, she had a forming blush on her cheeks as she stammered out an apology for running into me. Placing my crossbow over my shoulders, once again earning a confused look from Kathryn, I just stood there staring at her. I watched as she began to fidget with the edge of her jacket she was wearing, my stare obviously making her uncomfortable. Before I talked myself out of it, just as she went to speak and ask me what was going on, I took two quick strides towards her and pushed her back against the tree that happened to be behind her just as I allowed my lips to crash upon her soft one, instantly silencing anything she may have had to say. I thought I almost lost her last night, I'd be damned if I allowed her to slip away again without saying something to her. And her not fighting back was proof enough that I wasn't overstepping some sort of a boundary, too much.