My Damaged Protector

Chapter Twenty-Four ~ This Sorrowful Life

The prison halls were dark and cold as I wondered around, barefoot and confused as to how I got to deep in the halls. "Daryl?" I called into the darkness. "Rick? Daryl?" The cell block was empty when I opened the gate, nothing in the cells, no food on the counters or tables. A loud tap echoed off the metal, making me turn to see the Governor sat on the stairs, a gun in one hand and something wrapped in pink in the other. "Please, don't hurt her. Just give her to me." My heart pounded in my ears as I wondered what he did with the rest of my group.

"Michonne killed my little girl, took everything I cared about away from me. Rick's protecting her. Why shouldn't I just take something away that you all care about." The gun in his hands twitched like he couldn't wait to fire.

"Please." I was begging now. "She's not Michonne's. Let me have her." Judith let out a short cry at the sound of my voice so far away, breaking my heart and bringing tears to my eyes. "Please, she's just a baby."

"Fine, you're going to be raising her alone anyway." He allowed me to take Judith from his arms and cradle her protectively in mine.

"What do you mean? Where's my group?" He stood and walked around me, my head turning to see my entire group now knelt down on the ground, gags in their mouths to keep them from talking. They were all looking at me in fear, even Carl and Jasper were knelt down.

"You have a choice. Save yourself and that little baby in your arms, or you can pick one of them to replace her, or yourself." The sick man laughed loudly. "It's your choice." The people in front of me were my family, who was I to play judge, jury and executioner with their lives. Maggie and Glenn were leaning into each other, Rick trying to keep Carl at his side and away from the people standing behind them. Merle and Daryl flanked my brothers sides, both looking to me, already knowing who I would choose to save.

"I can't. Please, take the prison, we'll leave without a fight. You can keep everything too, just let us go." My arms tightened around Judith and I looked to Daryl and Jasper.

"You have ten seconds." The Governors voice was deep and threatening. "Ten." Martinez stepped up behind Daryl, holding a gun to his head, and Jaspers. Another followed and placed guns to Merle and Carol. "Nine." Maggie and Glenn. "Eight." Rick and Carl. "Seven." Beth and Hershel. "Six." Michonne. "Five. Four. Three. Two..."

"No, wait, please."

"One."

I sat up straight in my bed, head nearly smashing into the bunk above me and a scream trying to make it's way from my mouth. A large hand clamped around my mouth before the scream could wake the rest of the cell, and with my dream still fresh and vivid in my head, I was instantly pulling and struggling away from the arm. "Skye. It's ok. It's me." Daryl's voice made its way into my head and I instantly stopped moving, instead allowing the fear to soak into my body and tears fall from my eyes. "'m right here. I got ya." His arms snaked around my waist, gently pulling me into his side.

"Daryl?" I squinted as I looked up at him, trying to make out his face in the dark.

"It's me. Yer ok." He gently wiped away my tears as I worked on slowing my breathing, curling myself into his chest. "Same dream?" I nodded, hiding away from the world in his arms, his chin coming to rest on the top of my head.

"Worse this time." My voice was barely a whisper. "He gave me a choice, save myself and Judith, or let someone switch places with either of us. There were guns to your heads, and...where's Judith?" My eyes caught the empty basket and my heart instantly began to beat faster.

"Hey, hey. She's a'right. Rick took her a few hours ago. Everything's ok." He pulled me into his chest a bit tighter, a kiss being pressed to my head as I worked at calming my heartrate back to normal.