infection | D. Dixon

chapter twenty-seven

retaliation

When I came to, there was a roaring in my ears. For a moment, I believed I was back in the arena, but once the pounding in my head stopped, I knew I was in the back seat of a truck. I was being held onto, someone's arms wrapped tightly around me. My head bounced on their shoulder.

"Ugh," I said calmly, letting my raspy and scratchy voice drag out the sounds of my single word. The person holding me moved, almost to check if they had really heard me.

"She's awake." I heard the person say softly. The movement of the car slowed before coming to a complete stop.

The doors opened and a warm, concentrated ray of sunlight hit my face. My whole body was covered with a white hot burning sensation, as I was carried into the sunlight.

"Are you sure she's awake?" I heard someone familiar say.

"She said 'ow'," the person carrying me said. I felt their chest vibrate as the voice came from their warm body.

"Is she okay?" The same unidentifiable voice from before asked.

"Shut up!" The first voice said as a gun cocked.

I knew that voice. Rick. Trying to move, my eyelids opened slightly before slamming shut again. My throat burned, blood pooling in my mouth. "Gramah... sondhb." I slurred. Okay fine, don't speak.

I managed to move my arm up to wrap around the person-carrying-me's neck. They tightened their grip and rocked slightly. Well at least they know I'm alive.

"Please, I love her." the voice responded slowly. Oh no.

The person carrying me jerked away from something, "hell no." they said. Wait, how could I forget that voice, it's Daryl!

"D-aryl?" I managed to slur.

"I'm here baby girl." he said. Baby girl? What the hell? I felt his entire body heat with the realization of what he said and I swear, if I could move I would laugh at him.

"Can we  leave him?" I heard a female- Maggie- say.

"He did do this to all of us." Glenn, I suppose it's Glenn, said.

Daryl shifted me in his arms so that my face was in the crook of his neck, "we have to take him back 'case she wants em there." He reasoned.

I felt my eyes get heavy and the voices became farther away, before they were completely gone.

+

When I woke, I was in a tremendous amount of pain. Sophia and Carl stayed by my bed nearly everyday when Tessa couldn't handle seeing me like that. She had stepped in for a short while to apologize, explain herself, and tell me that both Merle and Daryl had went off on their own.

When the group had taken over the prison, Lori and a few of Shane's men had been inside. I hadn't been able to go see her yet, but she was in a gravein the back yard. Her baby's name was Judith. In the struggle with Shane's men, most of them had been killed. The man who had fought with us in Woodbury was one of the few who switched sides.