Complicated ✔

Ch. 72 - The Claimers

KATHRYN'S POV

I watched as the men surrounding me parted, allowing the one who'd spoken to move forward. As I watched the familiar redneck move closer, I couldn't fight the smile and tears that were making their way onto my face. Not saying a word, I dropped my things and ran towards Daryl, not stopping until my legs were around his waist and my arms around his neck as I buried my face into his shoulder. "Nice piece of ass you got there Daryl," one of the men that had been surrounding me called out as I took in Daryl's familiar scent, "why don't you share with the rest of us?" "Fuck off," I grit out as I looked over my shoulder at the men and felt nothing but disgust as I looked at each one of them before turning back to Daryl's arms.

"I thought you were dead," I heard him whisper into my ear as he held me closer. "I thought you were," I whispered back before pulling away and looking up into his blue eyes. "How did you get out," he asked watching me, "I thought you were still in A block." "I snuck out into the woods before the attack," I said pulling away completely, "the stuffy air had been getting to me and I'd just found out from Dad that I lost Mom over night. Dad. Did you hear anything about him or Carl?" "No," he said shaking his head, "I got out with Beth, but you're the first one from the prison I've seen since." "Where is Beth," I asked looking around when I realized she wasn't with us.

DARYL'S POV

"I don't know," I said shaking my head, "she was taken." "Taken," Kat asked, "by who?" "Someone in a car with a white cross painted on the back," I said, "I followed it as long as I could. Then these guys came across me shortly after." "Why would you travel with them Daryl," she asked looking around at the group as they checked the area around us for a threat, "they don't seem like the friendly type." "They ain't," I said agreeing with her. "C'mon you two," Joe said looking at us, "we're headed in." Looking up at him, I looked back to Kat before allowing her to walk ahead of me. "Hey Daryl," Kat whispered back to me as we made our way in, "why'd you say claimed when you saw me?"

"It's these guys way of saying something is theirs," I said, "some sort of rule with them. I claimed you because I could see the looks on their faces when I saw you. It was my way of keeping you safe." "I'm yours anyway Daryl," she said looking back at me with a smile before walking on inside as everyone looked around for a threat. Following her, I walked in after her and watched as men started calling out claimed and taking the vehicles inside. The car closest to us only had one of the men's bags on it, and I hadn't heard him claim it yet. I watched as he looked back at us and went to open his mouth but Kat beat him to it. "Claimed motherfucker," she said tossing her back pack she had inside the car.

KATHYRN'S POV

I watched as the dude glared at me, clearly not liking that I'd just beat him to claiming the car. Everyone else had claimed all the others, which meant he had to sleep on the hard ass concret floor. "What," I asked putting my hands on my hips as he continued to glare at me, "you got a problem? Isn't it the rule in your group that you claim something? Like the place where you sleep?" I heard movement behind me and looked back to see Daryl tossing his own bag into the car while trying to fight a smirk that was attempting to make it's way onto his face. I turned back to find the guy still standing there, and still glaring at me. "Do you need something," I asked placing my hands on my hips, "you do understand your group's rule right? I've claimed this car, so you can go the fuck somewhere else."

"You heard her," Daryl said, his voice coming up behind me as I felt him lightly place his hand on the small of my back as if he was trying to keep it from being noticed by everyone else. I watched the guy turn his glare to Daryl before turning and walking off to find a place to sleep for the night. I turned back to face Daryl, a small smirk playing on my lips. "Thank you Tarzan but I think I couldn've managed," I said and watched as he seemed to smile at the old nickname I gave him back around the start of all this. "Never thought I'd be happy to hear that nickname again," he said. "Yeah you hated it when I first called you that," I said nodding before walking to the back door to the car and climbing in.

I sat with my back against the other door, making sure it was locked first, and watched as Daryl climbed in after me and sat there. "How did you make it out of the prison," I asked, "when I saw people leaving on foot, I couldn't make out who was who." "I told you I got out with Beth," he said looking down, "it was after everyone else had done left. The whole time I was with her, she kept reminding me of you and how stubborn you were. She kept saying that others might've made it, but I didn't want to believe it." "Hey," I said reaching over and placing my hand on the base of his chin and making him look at me, "I made it. And I know others did too. Those from our group are strong Daryl. You've found me, so just have a little hope that we'll find everyone else too."

I watched as he regarded me over what I said before his blue eyes darted down towards my lips. Smiling, I leaned foward and placed my mouth onto his in a kiss I'd so badly missed. I felt him wrap his arms around my waist before moving me so that I was straddling his hips. Our lips never once seperated as I moved, and once I was situated I had my hands in his now longer hair as he deepened the kiss by sticking his tongue out and prying my lips apart. I pulled out of the kiss and looked at him, watching as he eyes seemed to darken at a memory and he seemed to slowly start to shut me back out again. "Daryl," I said placing my hands on his face, "don't shut me out."

"I hurt you last time," he said as he glared up at me. "Yeah you did," I said not denying that I had been in a little pain after that first time, "but, I still enjoyed it. What hurt more was when you kept your distance from me. So I went and stayed in my mother's cell until you wanted to see me again. I had been a virgin that day, so yes it was going to hurt, but it was my stupidity to keep that from you as long as I had with everything we'd been doing. So don't shut me out again. You won't hurt me like last time." "They'll be able to see us," he said as his eyes darted to the windshield behind me and I knew exactly who he was talking about. "Let them watch then," I said and leaned forward and placed my lips onto his.

To skip or not to skip...that is the question. 😂
- Kenz