Complicated ✔

Ch. 82 - The Church

DARYL'S POV

I walked next to Rick and Kat, her still holding tightly to her little sister as we followed behind Gabriel to wherever his church was. "He doesn't believe she's my sister," Kat whispered to me, glancing to the man she was talking about. "How you know," I asked, my eyes darting to him before back to her. "The look he gave me," she said, "and you having your hand on my back didn't help. He probably thinks she's ours." I stared at her as the thought crossed my mind that someone thought we had a child together. When I watched her as she walked on, she didn't seem to show any sign of whether that bothered her.

KATHRYN'S POV

The thought of me and Daryl having a child, only because Father Gabriel seemed to assume it, well it was a strange thought. Before the turn, I'd always wanted a child even if I was too young to have one myself. That's probably why I took such a liking to Carl and even now my baby sister. But to bring a child into this world, could a woman do anything more cruel? I didn't hate my step-mother for keeping Judith, it just scared me now that I might end up like she did if I got pregnant now.

I glanced over at Daryl, he'd walked a few steps ahead of me since I'd drifted off into my thoughts. I was getting ahead of myself, thinking I'd have a child with him ever, so I just pushed it from my mind before turning my attention to my little sister as she seemed to coo from on my hip. I smiled down at her before picking up my pace and catching up to Dad, Daryl, and Father Gabriel at the front. "I keep to myself," I heard Gabriel say as he looked to Dad, "nowadays, people are just as dangerous as the dead. Don't you think?" "No," Daryl said from beside me, "people are worse."

"Well I wasn't watching you," he said as he turned slightly to look at us all, "I haven't been beyond the stream near my church more than a few times since it all started." "Well hasn't he been sheltered," I muttered to Daryl, earning a chuckle from him and causing me to grin. "That was the furthest I've gone before today," he added before looking ahead. I rolled my eyes as I glanced to Daryl once more as he fixed the string of squirrel on his shoulder. "Or maybe I'm lying," Gabriel said as he snapped my attention back to him, "maybe I'm lying about everything and there's no church ahead at all."

DARYL'S POV

I looked at this man walking in front of me like he'd completely lost his mind. "Maybe I'm leading you into a trap," he said, "so I can steal all your squirrels." I narrowed my eyes at him as he turned to look at me specifically before I heard Kat scoff from beside me. We all stopped around him, giving him these looks that were asking what the hell he was on. "Members of my flock had often told me my sense of humor leaves much to be desired," he said looking at us as he tried get himself out of the trouble he'd got into with us. "Yeah it does," Kat said just before he walked on, leading us towards this church of his.

I looked to Kat as she gave this look that seemed to speak loads about what she thought of this man before she handed her little sister off to Carl for his turn to hold her. "I think he's been on his own too long," she whispered to me as we picked up with walking, catching up to the others. "I'll say," I nodded back, "something ain't sitting right about him though." "I have the same feeling," she nodded, "saying he hasn't been past the river near his church since the start. How has he gotten food then cause he don't look like a survivalist."

"Don't know," I said shaking my head, "keep your guard up though. Don't know what he's capable of yet." "Yeah," she said nodding. I watched as her hand instinctively went to the hidden gun in the back of her waistband to her jeans. Instead of leaving it there, she decided to pull it out, holding it out in front of her as she check the clip to make sure it was loaded. When she was satisfied, she kept it in hand and when I looked ahead again, there was a little white church up ahead of us.

When we got closer, Father Gabriel walked up the steps to the door while I walked to the other side of the church to peer around while Rick stopped Gabriel from unlocking the door. "Hold up," Rick said, glancing to his daughter then to where I still stood. I knew what he was wanting to do. Been around him this long, I should know that he'd want to make sure it was secure for his family before he put them in harms way. "Can we look around first," he asked looking back up to Gabriel, "we just want to hold on to our squirrels."

I heard Kat snicker, obviously Gabriel did too as he looked over to where she stood. He looked back to Rick before nodding once and handing over the church key. Rick, Glenn, Michonne, Kat and myself went in with our guns drawn and on the look out for any sort of threat. Kat stayed next to me as we made our way through the church. The others looking around the grounds outside. "We're clear," I said as Kat and I walked back to the others before making our way outside to the rest of the group to deliver the news.