Dixon's Daughter//Carl Grimes

Chapter thirty-five

Kaylin POV

The ride back to Alexandria is dreadful. We don't even talk to each other or play cards. Maggie and Glenn sit on the couch hand on hand, glad that for one thing the baby is okay. Rick and Carl are having a little reunion with Michonne in the back. Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita are all whispering quietly in the front. I sit on the floor with dad by my side, and Sasha stares at Aaron's body on the table.

"Kaylin, are you okay?" Dad asks, and I know that he is serious about this. I nod slowly. "That's not something I want to happen to you. If you ever see him again, put a bullet in his brain, got that?" I nod.

"Kaylin, speak to me." I shake my head. I can remember the sound of the bag whenever it made contact with Aaron. I remember his blood splattering all over me, and his tears drowning him into sorrow. He looked at me in plea as if I could do something to help, but I couldn't he mouthed 'help, me' to me, and then before he lost consciousness he mouthed, 'why didn't you save me'. I hadn't talked after that, I've already forgotten the sound of my own voice.

"Kaylin, speak to me."

"helfen Sie mir, warum du mich didnt sparen." I whisper. "What? Speak up!" Dad yells angrily. "HELFEN SIE MIR, WARUM DU MICH DIDNT SPAREN!" I shout.

"What's she saying?" Glenn asks. "I have no idea." Dad replies, slightly spooked. "Does anybody speak any language besides English?" Rick asks. "I can speak a little German, but just pieces, and Dutch."

"I can speak spanish." Rosita pipes. "I learned some Arabic from the military." Abraham says. Rick looks around at the rest of the group. "Deutsche." I answer. "I can speak some Polish." Maggie announces. He looks to Glenn. "Korean." He answers, somewhat shamefully.

"Kaylin, say something." Carl says. "Fich dich." I growl.

"She just said you in German. The first word I didn't understand, but the second was definitely you."

"Kaylin, say something else."

"Sing the parting glass."

"Say something."

"Ich hasse dich!" I growl at the group, throwing my hands around. "What was that?" Rick asks Eugene.

"She said 'I hate you'." He answers. "Kaylin, speak in English." Dad begs.

"Nein."

"Can you sing, kaylin?" Maggie asks. They all smile.

"oh all das Geld, das e'er ich verbrachte ich soent es in der Haube Unternehmen."

"She was saying oh, money, glass, parting...?" "The parting glass!" Maggie cheers. "That's a start, right?"

"Maybe, but we still can't understand her." Dad grumbles. "But-" "there ain't no but on this! She ain't speakin' English, and god knows where she learned to speak whatever she's talkin' in!"

"She's speaking German." Eugene says.

"Shut up." Dad says with tears in his eyes, pointing a knife at him. He wipes his eyes with the back of his hands. "My brothers dead, my daughters crazy, and I pushed carol away." He sadly realizes. "Daryl-" dad walks into he back of the RV, and sits down on the window perch.

Carl sits next to me, and I scoot away from him, making him scoot as well. I stand up, and sit next to Maggie. "Hey, kaylin." I don't reply. "Glenn, I'm gonna go get some water." She stands up, and walks to the counter.

"Kaylin, can you talk to us? Were going kind of insane without you." "helfen Sie mir, warum didnt Sie mir helfen?" He sighs. "I don't understand what you're saying."

"Help me, why didn't you help me?" I whisper. "Guys." Glenn warily calls.

"What is it?" Rick asks. Carl stands up and walkers over, and Maggie sits back down next to Glenn and I. "Kaylin, repeat that last sentence."

"helfen Sie mir, warum didnt Sie mir helfen? helfen Sie mir, warum didnt Sie mir helfen?helfen Sie mir, warum didnt Sie mir helfen?" I just keep repeating it, imagining the blood spilling out from Aaron's body, and splattering onto me. His warm, thick blood, dripping down my face, on my legs, clothes, in my hair.

"What's she saying?" Rick asks. "She said it once in English. She said 'help me, why didn't you help me?'."

Carl sighs loudly, and I keep inking of Lucille covered in flesh and blood, seeing his deformed body lying on the ground next to me, my calves bathing in his body fluid as if I was bathing them, and the was Negan was holding Lucille like it was a trophy.

"Come on, kaylin. In English!" Carl fumes, kicking the table, knocking Aaron's body onto him. Carl falls on the ground. Glenn, rick, and Eugene help him up, this time, taking the body and putting him on the kitchen counter.

"At least she's talking," Maggie shrugs again, "We should leave her alone for a bit." Everyone leaves me alone in the back, and I stare out the window, resting my head on my knees. One thought lingers in my mind;

How would the old Kaylin handle this?