Healing Broken Wings [Daryl Dixon] The Walking Dead

One| Couldn't Leave

🌱Kristina🌱

My whole body hurts, I feel blood pooling from multiple wounds on my body. My head throbs and my face aches. My thighs spasm in pain and the air chills my bare legs. I force my eyes open, refusing to cry from the pain. I see that the sun is close to going down, if I have any hope of surviving, I must move now! I readjust the bag on my shoulders.

I force myself to crawl towards the door, biting my lip to keep from calling out in pain. My whole body protests at my movements. I grab onto the door handle, using it to pull myself to my feet. I open the door and stumble out into the streets of the city. So far the dead are nowhere to be found, and I pray to whatever God there is in heaven that it stays that way.

I stumble half walking, half tripping, trying to remember the way I had come in, the way back to my camp. I don't know how long I have been walking for, but I finally make it outside the city. I think I put at least a mile between me and that city before my body shut down and I collapse to the ground on the side of the road.

I attempt to get back up only to fail. Tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. I curl in on myself, pain pulsing through my body. I miss my mom and dad, I miss my little sister. I wish they were here now, I wish I could hear their reassurance and their wonderful voices.

I stare off into the forest, waiting, hoping that I will die before a walker comes along. I jinxed myself as a rustle sounds across the road. I watch as a walker emerges. I press myself into the ground hoping it does not see me. The rotting corpse, growls and snarls as it limps onto the road. I nearly whimper as it turns its head towards me.

It snarls even more as it spots me. It begins hobbling towards me and I wished I had the strength to sit up and pull my bag off my back to reach for my pistol. That's it I'm doomed to the same fate as my family. I squeeze my eyes shut as it gets closer wanting it to all be a dream.

I hear a car approaching and then the screeching of tires. I open my eyes and watch the window on the driver's side roll down, a crossbow emerges, they fire and it enters the walker's head and the corpse drops to the ground. I lay my head down on the ground as I hear the car door open, wondering if I was better off with the walker.

I hear feet hit the ground and footsteps come near me. I look up and see him, he probably hadn't noticed me, when he killed the walker because he looks at me in surprise. He looks me up and down, I watch his eyes fill with anger as he notices my pants and underwear are absent from my body.

He reaches down and rips the arrow from the walker's head. He wipes off the arrowhead with a bandana before slipping it into his back pocket. He crouches down looking at me. I fear him, his eyes are filled with distrust as he gazes at me, almost as if this were a trap.

He reaches a hand toward me and I scramble backward, pressing my thighs together only to cry out in pain, but I ignore it, using my hands to cover my lower half. I press my forehead into the ground as I pant, trying to ignore my pain. "I know you have no reason to believe me, but I will not dare do a thing like that to you. Now, if I'm going to help you, I need you to answer one question for me."

I look up at him, gazing into his eyes, they're guarded, but they look as if he wants to help me. "Are you bit? Anywhere? And I need the truth."

I shake my head and he nods, moving a little closer to me. "I'm going to pick you up, I'll carry you to the car and get you to a safe place, so I can tend to your wounds." He looks at me as if asking permission and I nod slowly. He leans down and pulls me into his arms, I bite my lip, whimpering slightly, pressing my head to his chest.

"I know, I'll try to find something that will help with the pain." He opens the passenger door and slides me inside. He closes the door, goes and gets into the driver side, once the door is closed he continues driving. I stay silent, blood dripping from a wound on my head and face. As I look out at the passing trees my eyes slip shut and I basically pass out.

I jerk awake at the pain that flares up in me. "Easy there," I hear a soft voice and a hand grab my arm. I open my eyes, I look down, I'm wearing a pair of sweatpants. I look at the man that saved me. "I'm Daryl, what's your name?" I stare up at him for a minute.

He looks at me sideways, curiously. "Kristina with a K," I say, my voice slightly hoarse. He smiles slightly and it made me relax a little. "Well, Kristina with a K, I'm going to start taking care of the wounds on your face, okay?" I nod and he moves a little closer to me. He uses a damp washcloth and begins to gently wipe at my wounds.

I hiss in pain, attempting to pull away, Daryl gently grabs my chin, holding me still. "Sorry, I know it hurts, but I need to clean it." I gaze at him as he cleans my wounds. "Why did you help me? Why didn't you leave me on the side of the road?" Daryl sighs pulling the washcloth away and looking down at it.

"I know what happened to you and I don't agree with it. I just.....I just couldn't leave you there." I stare down at my hands. I feel my tears coming, but I squeeze my eyes shut tightly, refusing to cry. "Hey, it's okay to cry, you're in pain and ya went through a lot. How old are ya?"

"29," I whisper and his eyes widen. "You're still a kid." I glare up at him. "I'm a young adult!"

"Easy young lady, I'm only messing."

"Well, how old are you?"

"I'm 35." I nod and he leans forward again and starts cleaning my face again. This time I stay still and he smiles. "That's it, almost done. Look towards the wall behind me, turn your head," he says and I follow his directions. He begins cleaning the other side of my face. Once he's done he, dunks the cloth into a bucket full of water, cleaning off the blood.

"Ya got any family? Group worrying about you, that I need to take ya back to?" I shake my head. "Just a camp made for one."

"Yeah, don't have much family myself, got a brother but, he does as he pleases, haven't seen him in a while. I assume ya want to get back to your camp? When your better that is." I nod slowly, looking at him.

Daryl clears his throat, standing up. "Um, hope the sweatpants fit okay. I'll uh, let ya rest. Goodnight, Kristina with a K."

"Goodnight, Daryl." He leaves and I change my position on the bed I'm in. I rest my head on the pillow. I close my eyes, slipping into sleep.

I'm awakened by a sudden blinding light. Then someone's hands on my shoulders, holding me down. I open my eyes and look up at a man I have never seen before. His head was shaved and his eyes look crazed. "Well, what do we have here. What's a pretty thing like you doing in my little bro's bed? Huh?"

The way he talked and the look in his eyes reminded me of those men from the store, tears fill my eyes as well as fear. "Merle, get off her!" I hear Daryl shout before Merle is pulled away from me. "Woah, calm down little brother, we were just having a conversation."

I sit up, pulling my knees to my chest. "I don't care, you don't touch her!" He shouts angrily, shoving Merle out of the room. "Go to the living room and wait for me there!" I hear Merle's departing footsteps. Daryl comes back into the room, he looks down at me with apologetic eyes.

"I'm sorry about my brother, he's a dumb son of a bitch. Are you okay? He didn't hurt you did he?" I shake my head and he sighs, running his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, I'm going to go talk to him, I'll be back." I nod and he walks from the room.

I get up and follow, stopping at the doorway. I ignore the pain in my legs. "Merle, what the hell is wrong with you, she's just a kid!"

"What is she your girlfriend? How did that happen so fast," he says and I hear him laughing. "I'm not messing around, Merle, She was fucking raped, okay! And if you touch her again, I'll kill you myself! Stay away from her!"

"Alright, fine! I won't touch her! She's all yours." I hear Daryl make a sound of anger before I go back to sit down. I hear his footsteps, signaling his return, he enters the room and looks down at me. "I'm really sorry," he says and I shrug my shoulders.

"I'll keep him away from you, I promise, try to go back to sleep, okay?" I nod and lay back down. Daryl turns off the lantern and closes the door. I close my eyes and try to go back to sleep.