Broken Souls

Chapter 1

CAROLS POV

It was a couple weeks after this whole thing started but for me not much is different Ed is still alive and is still a asshole to me. Grabbing my arms, smacking me around, and grabbing my hair forcing me to go down on him even when I tell him no. I hate this man with everything inside my heart if he died tomorrow I would be happy and free. After dealing with him for almost 12 years tending to his every need, I have grown to hate him. He used to not be this way when we first got together he was sweet and caring but as soon as we got married that was it he became controlling. He made me quit my job, I was never aloud around my family I didn't get to go to my parents funeral, I couldn't even wear what I wanted.

When I got pregnant with Sophia that was the happiest moment of my life but Ed made it hell calling me a whore and a slut saying that I must be out sleeping with other men cause it wasn't his. He even went as far as making us get a paternity test done just to prove to him that she was his. Even during my pregnancy with Sophia the abuse never stopped Ed hit me in the stomach 2-3 times plus threw me down our stairs. After everything he done to me I'm surprised she made it honestly.

The abuse didn't just end with me thou, when Sophia  was around 6 years old Ed came home drunk like all nights and I walked in to check on Sophia and found him laying in her bed rubbing on her. I ran over to him beating him with everything I had in me, but I payed for it later on he raped me and beat me so bad I was black and blue for 2 weeks after that. None of that mattered to me thou as long as he never touched my baby again. I tried to kill him I really did I willingly gave him the best night of his life and was going to kill him in his sleep but about the time I was going to Sophia walked in so I wasn't able to knowing I would go to jail for life and she would be placed in foster care or knowing that she just seen her mother kill her father.

I couldn't sleep so I walked out and was sitting by the fire smoking a cigarette talking to this rough redneck, named Daryl. When Ed walked out of the tent screaming at me to get my slutty old ass back to on tent. Before I could get up and head back Daryl stood up"You Better Watch That Mouth Of Yers Thar Sunshine, Talk Like At To Her Again I'll Knock Em Teeth Down Yer Throat..Got It" he said as he walked over towards him. Ed didn't say another word and went back inside of the tent and didn't come back out I had put my head down a little holding back my giggles that someone finally stood up to him. "Thanks, Nobody Has Ever Spoke Up For Me Like That Before, It Meant A Lot" I told him. "Mhm" he said nodding his head letting me know he understood.

Dawn finally broke and everyone was beginning to wake up Daryl left about 30 minutes ago to go hunting to try and kill the group some dinner. I decided to go ahead and began adding wood to the fire sitting the skillet on top to heat up. I went and grabbed the eggs, bacon and some oatmeal and began cooking up breakfast for everyone. Lori came over an started helping me when she woke up, Carl and Sophia were out in the grass playing tag laughing and being cheerful like your normal 7 and 8 year olds.

I didn't notice how fast the day had went by, Daryl didn't get back until right before dinner. He carried in a deer 4 or 5 squirrels and 2 possums "We Eatin Good Tonight" he exclaimed. I couldn't dare believe that I was excited to see him after this morning I just want to talk to him more and get to know him. It had been so long since I felt this way and not fearful of a man, I wasn't scared of him I could tell he was a sweet man but he didn't talk much.

After we finished eating Sophia and I walked back to the tent to get ready for bed, Ed was still mad about earlier. He was worse now thou since he had been drinking and was drunk off his ass, he kept making snarky comments to me and I ignored him rolling over trying to lay down staying quiet when I jerked from a jolting pain through my back. I sat up to see that Ed had threw the thick glass bottle of booze at me since I ignored him, before I could even brace myself he grabbed me by my throat knocking me down against the cold ground. "You think it's funny, going and being a whore" he said "I..I didn't do anything Ed" I managed to stuttered out "Yeah,yeah you're sucking his dick now huh" he said tightening his grip on my throat.

He slammed me down against the ground again making my head hit against the hard ground, before hitting me multiple times. I could fill the blood dripping down from my busted nose and lip I should be used to this metal taste by now but it still made me gag threw the tears. He grabbed me by the hair forcing my head down on him until he was finished. I stayed put until he fell asleep before I grabbed Sophia slipping out of the tent. I walked to Lori's tent asking her if Sophia could stay with her for a little while to which she agreed. After making sure Sophia was safe I went and sat by the fire to be alone for a while I lit up a cigarette trying to calm myself down threw the tears, when I was startled by a rustling noise coming from the bushes nearby.

I got up getting ready alarm the others of what I thought was a walker when the rough looking redneck walked out. He looked at me and shook his head as I wiped away the tears that were rolling down my cheeks, I must have forgot to wipe off all the blood on my face. "He do at to ya" he said roughly I just looked down trying to ignore him not wanting to admit it to him "Did he" he asked again this time stepping closer towards me, "Yeah" I said putting my head down not wanting to look at him. Before I could say anything about it Daryl stormed off in the direction of my tent. I went after him begging him not to do anything but he didn't listen he told me to stop and go back and sit down.

I began to hear screaming coming from the tent, and apparently so did the others as the slowly gathered to see what was going on. Daryl dragged Ed out by his shirt over to were myself and the others were gathered. "see what you done to her, now I'm going to do it to you" he said as he slammed Ed to the ground jumping on top of him. Daryl continued to slam his fist into Ed making his face swell and bleed, he stood up kicking Ed in the head a couple times before walking off to sit beside the fire.

Shane and Rick picked up Ed's lifeless body taking him to the tent before heading back to bed along with the others since it was still early. I walked over to Daryl who was still sitting beside the fire smoking a cigarette, "Thank you for that, but you didn't have to" I said grabbing a bottle of water and a rag that was beside me. I poured some water onto the rag grabbing his hand and began cleaning the blood off of his fist. "Nah, I did have too he shouldn't have did that to ya" he said as I finished cleaning off his fist. I excused myself and walked into the RV to clean up the blood on my face, I looked in the mirror seeing the bruises on my face and all of the blood that had dried. I grabbed a rag getting it wet and began gently wiping away the blood trying no to push to hard against the swollen and bruised skin. After getting cleaned up I grabbed a extra blanket off the couch on the RV trying not to wake a sleeping Andrea and walked back out to the fire I sat down in one of the lounge chairs throwing the blanket over me. I rolled over looking at my watch seeing that it was 1 in the afternoon but I didn't remember falling asleep, last I remembered was sitting by the fire.

I know I didn't walk to a tent to lay down either, I looked around to see a black hunters bag and a crossbow laying on the ground across from me. Am I in Daryl's tent I thought to myself an how did I get here? I got up walking out of the tent to see Lori cutting Sophia's hair while Carl played with a frog nearby. "Thanks for watching Sophia last night and this morning Lori it meant a lot" I said but I have a question "Do you know how I got in Daryl's tent and why I was there?" I asked. "No I was still asleep I guess cause Daryl was gone hunting by the time I woke up, ask Dale he was keeping watch on top of the RV thou" she said pointing to the direction of the Dale.