The Devils Eyes •Daryl Dixon•

T W E N T Y - F I V E : R E A L I Z A T I O N

Ricks POV

Take care of her. Watch out for her.

Daryl's words linger in my mind. I scowled, tightening my grip on the steering wheel.

We had to stop a few minutes back, there had been a truck blocking the road.

I press my foot forward, watching the speedometer go from 50 to 65.

"Careful Rick," Glenn sighs from the backseat, Clementine's head laying in his lap.

I shake my head. "No, we need to hurry. She's not dying," I glance at her through the rearview mirror.

"Her pulse is faint, she'll die in the next hour if we don't get there," Maggie sighs.

I step harder on the gas, praying we'll get back in time.

~

We pull in front of the gates of the prison, and I continue driving, stopping at the top.

"Get Hershel!" I yell at Carl, opening the backdoor.

"What happen-" Sophia starts to say, but freezes as she sees Clementine, as I pick her up bridal style.

"Hershel!" I yell, brushing past her, heading into the cell blocks.

As I run through the room leading to our cell block, my eye catches another small group in there. I glare at them, but don't stop, determined on getting Clementine to Hershel.

"What happened?" Hershel gasps, clearing his bunk, as I lay her down on it.

"The Governor," I scowl.

Hershel bends next to her and immediately begins working on her.

~

"How is she?" I ask, biting my nails after Hershel comes out, Clementine's blood stained on his hands.

He sighs, shutting his eyes closed. "She'll survive."

"Her eye?" I ask, knowing that there is no hope for it.

He shakes his head, forming a line with his lips. "There's no hope for that. Her back, I stitched it up, she had marks all over, scars from a whip," Hershel sighs.

"Fuck!" I yell, kicking over a box full of baby supplies.

"Rick," Hershel starts to say.

"He's her fucking father," I growl.

Hershel tenses up. "Wha-What?"

I nod. "He did this to her, and he's her dad, he's supposed to protect her," the anger consuming me. How could her own dad do that to her?

He looks down, staring at the ground, remaining quiet. He sucks in a breath and looks at me. "Her wounds weren't infected, but I assume she'll be out for a few days max."

I nod, and begin to walk away. I hear sobs, and see Sophia kneeling in front of Clementine.

I frown, and want to go over to comfort her, but I don't even know how to comfort myself.

How different will she be when she wakes up?

~~

Daryl's POV

"We've been at it for hours man," I look out into the woods, keeping watch as Merle pisses on a tree. "Why don't we find a stream, try to look for some fish," I look back at him as he walks over to me.

I lift my crossbow, and aim at nothing in particular.

"You know, I think you're just trying to take me back to the road," he scoffs. "Trying to take me to that prison."