In Another World (Kathryl One-Shots)

A World In Which Terror Ensues

Kathryn was in a place with bars on the windows, and the reek of death evident in the air.

Her ears filled with terrified screams. She knew that voice. She knew that voice. Her feet led her through a dark hallway that felt strongly familiar. Out of the shadows, a creature with rotting flesh lunged and grabbed onto Kathryn's arm, causing her to yelp. Instinct soon took over, and Kathryn effortlessly sunk her knife into the creature's head. After a moment of collecting herself, she started back down the hallway. Walking into a room, she saw a girl whose features were masked by the long lanky shadows cast by the bars on the windows. The girl was surrounded by the creatures, screaming Kathryn's name.

The girl's voice boomed off the cement walls, and it twisted Kathryn's stomach in knots. Kathryn knew she had to help the girl, she had to. She didn't get the chance, though. A sharp pain shot down Kathryn's arm, starting at her shoulder and ending at her fingertips. Kathryn yelped in pain, trying her best not to scream as the pain consumed her body.

"Kathryn!" She was pulled out of her nightmare by Daryl's loud voice. She soon was met with his worried blue eyes. Kathryn lost it. She tightly wrapped her arms around Daryl and silently cried into his shoulder.

Something had been up with Kathryn ever since they had bumped into the Grimes family that day at the shopping center. She tried to cover it up the best she could, but Daryl knew her better than the back of his hand.

Daryl saw the way she jumped more easily at sudden noises. He saw how she woke up with nightmares so bad she shook for hours afterwards. He saw how something seemed to be eating away at her from the inside. It killed Daryl knowing his best friend going through something awful, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

He could only hold her tightly in his arms every night as she cried and shook with terror. He'd kiss her temple, and whisper comforting things.

"I've got you," he'd say softly. "Everything's all right. I love you." His heart would break every time he heard a sniffle or felt a tear hit his shoulder. Daryl would hold her until she drifted back to sleep, or she decided she was done for the night, leaving Daryl alone in a bed that was too big without Kathryn besides him.

Tonight was a rare night; Kathryn actually spoke.

"T-They're getting worse," she stuttered against Daryl's shoulder.

Daryl pulled away from Kathryn and placed a hand on either side of Kathryn's face forcing her to look up at him. He wiped away a tear with his thumb before saying, "What can I do?"

Kathryn was silent for a moment. "You can't do anything," she finally said.

Anger lit inside Daryl. He wasn't angry with Kathryn, he was angry at the situation. He wanted to help. He needed to help. Just as Kathryn had helped him so many times before. Kathryn effortlessly strung together words that made him feel better in a blink of an eye. Daryl, on the other hand, was clumsy when it came to things like that.

Kathryn saw the anger flicker in Daryl's blue eyes as he looked down at her. She took one of his hands in her own, and rested it on her lap. "I'm sorry," she muttered, opting to concentrate on Daryl's hand rather than his intense gaze. She focused on the warmth of his palm, how the rough calluses scattered across his hand almost exactly matched where the calluses on her hand lay.

"What the hell are you apologizing for?" Daryl asked.

Kathryn half heartedly shrugged, still not looking at him. "For keeping you up, for being difficult, for-"

Daryl stopped her ranting by pressing a kiss to her lips. A desperately needed warmth washed over the both of them.

Resting his forehead on Kathryn's, Daryl then said, "I love you. Nothing ever has, and nothing ever will change that." Daryl searched Kathryn's green eyes and still saw a flicker of doubt behind them. "Besides, you can't be as difficult as me." The slightest smile crossed Kathryn's lips, causing Daryl's heart to leap.

"Well, you are difficult," Kathryn said.

Daryl pulled Kathryn down with him so they were lying side by side. Kathryn rested her head on Daryl's chest as he kept an arm wrapped tightly around her. Daryl cast his gaze downward. She was his whole world; no exaggeration in that statement whatsoever.

Kathryn peeked up at Daryl, and a small smile crossed her lips as she saw he was already peering down at her. In return, Daryl smirked. Just like that, a thousand words were said without being anything being uttered, and a thousand more nightmares were sprinting in the opposite direction.