The Remains of Tomorrow #wattys2019

Chapter 5

He hunted to take his mind off the fact someone tried to purposely poison Kenzie; but how as they only used the food from the kitchen unless...he sat back on his heels as he waited for some game to cross his path...they all had the same food except for the drinks. 

 Everyone knew Kenzie would only drink scotch when she was stressed out; which she was with her inability to move about. Standing up he thought on when the scotch bottle turned up. It was on the porch with a note stating that the person who sent it hoped she felt better soon and maybe the scotch could help with the stress of being cooped up, but the note wasn't signed. After all, it was Alexandria where the whole community watched out for each other...or so he thought. 

As he was musing this he heard a shuffling behind him before turning and sending an arrow into the head of the walker that was coming towards him. Pulling out the arrow he turned and ran back to Alexandria; he needed to send word to Rick on what had happened so the three of them could come home straight away.

Back at the Docs house, he saw Father Gabriel as he sat watching over Kenzie so Daryl could go hunt, Gabriel looked at him expecting to see a fresh catch but instead saw Daryl with a wild look on his face,

"What is it?" He asked making Daryl sit down beside him,

"Did the Doc tell you what happened?" Gabriel nodded and places an arm on her shoulder, "But she is getting better; her colour isn't so red now." He replied laying his other hand on her fair skin. Daryl shook his head and started smoothing the hair around her face,

"It was deliberate Gabe...someone tried to kill her?" He looked at the father and realized that he didn't know the full story, 

"What...how?"

"I think it was the scotch, she was the only one who drank it and she got sick. I threw the bottle into the walker pond so no one can touch it by accident. But I need to get a message to her brother and Rick." He looked at her, "I would go but I can't leave her like this, maybe Glenn, Maggie, Rosita and Abraham can go." He looked at his friend who nodded his head.

"I will go find them now and ask them to fetch the three of them back." He said before standing up. He watched as Daryl picked her up and started carrying her out the door, "Is that wise?" Daryl shrugged but kept going,

"I'm not leaving her here alone?" He said gruffly before he left the room.

On the way to the house he saw Carol and asked her to go and get the stuff Kenzie needed from Aarons house before walking her up to the house that he had been living in, he wasn't taking her back to Aarons until the three of them came home. Even then he would probably lock her in his house so he could look after her and keep an eye on her. She felt so light in his arms that he felt tears pricking his eyes; he nearly lost her. 

If it was to a walker then that would have been one thing but because someone had sneakily but deliberately tried to kill her was another thing. He knew that she was far too good for him but something kept drawing him back to her. Over the years he had offers from various women which he declined, but there was something about McKenzie that he didn't want to let go of.

**

Opening my eyes I saw I was in an unfamiliar room; pushing myself up in a sitting position I noticed that I had been cleaned up and dressed in a t-shirt that smells faintly of Daryl. Snuggling myself up in the shirt to take a sniff I saw the man himself as he came in the room with what smelt like a stew in the bowl he was carrying. Smiling as he saw me he placed the bowl on the bedside table before he grabbed some pillows and helped me sit up in a proper sitting position.

"How are you feeling Hun?" He said as he grabbed hold of the bowl and with a spoon coaxed me to eat some of the stew; hmm rabbit stew.

"I'm better;" I said as the spoon clinked back in the bowl, "Where am I?" Taking the other spoonful he was holding to my lips I used my arms to indicate the room around me.

"My house..." he said plainly before feeding me another spoon of stew. Raising my eyebrow at him I gave him a questioning look smiling as he laughed slightly at my gaze, "Do you remember yesterday at all?" He asked. I nodded then shook my head,

"I remember my stomach cramping with period pains; did I pass out or something? I've never passed out before with them." Clutching my stomach it gave a slight cramp and I pushed the bowl away, "Can't eat anymore." He placed the bowl down and looked at me with his Georgian blue eyes.

"Look Kenzie it wasn't just period pains; there was something else wrong." He said as he sat on the bed next to me and leaned me against his chest. "You started throwing up again then passed out." He ran his fingertips along my face, "your skin was as red as a cherry – I've never seen anyone go that colour before; when you passed out I thought you were going to turn as you looked dead. I had the knife out ready but then I saw you were still breathing so I picked you up and took you to the docs. Look Kenzie..." Just as he started to talk we heard footsteps as they ran up the stairs. Daryl immediately put himself in front of me while pulling a gun out from the waistband of his trousers to point at the closed bedroom door.

"Wait he probably has a weapon pointed at the door don't just run in you will get shot...Daryl it's us." Ricks' voice sounded from the other side of the door before it slowly opened,

"Rick," He said before laying the gun on top of the bedside cabinet while I looked at him weirdly; fucking overprotective of him. "Gun's down now." As Daryl got up out of the way, Aaron was on the bed pulling me into a big, bone crushing hug followed by Bandit who had jumped on the bed and was licking me to death.

"Aaron, what the actual fuck? Get off you moron you're crushing me." Pushing him weakly he let go of me but immediately Eric was there giving me another bone crushing hug, "oh my god. Fuck off I'm fragile." Straightaway Eric let go of me and both of them are sat on my bed looking at me with tears in their eyes.

"Is it true did someone try to poison you?" Rick said from where he was stood next to Daryl, who hit him on the arm,

"Brother I haven't told her yet." He said as he took in my appearance while I looked at them all with shocked eyes, "That's what I was trying to tell you before this lot came in." He knelt by the bed and took my hand in his, "Sweetheart someone tried to poison you with Cyanide." I looked at him and burst out laughing

"That's the most ridiculous thing you have ever said you red neck bastard; cyanide poisoning can happen when the rice has been contaminated by groundwater which has cyanide in it." As I looked at all their faces I could see that no one was laughing with me. "Why would anyone try to kill me?" I said as I gripped hold of Daryl's hand hard so that my bones started creaking. My other hand finds the soft fur of Bandit as he finally laid across my lap and sighed in contentment.

"That's what we are trying to find out Hun." Rick said as he too knelt next to the bed and placed his hand lightly on my covered leg, "First the motorbike tire then the cyanide. Maybe we should think about getting you out of town for a while," As I started to protest he put a finger on my lips, "Just until I can find out who has it in for you Hun." I looked at all four men around me and finally sighed,

"Ok but I can't go this week," I remarked looking down as Daryl's eyes narrowed in anger at what I had said,

"Why the fuck not I'll take you somewhere safe and protect you." He glared at me before he let go of my hand violently and began to pace, "or don't you think I can protect you?" Looking at him I resisted the urge to yell back at him; oh what the hell I have an excuse...

"No you fucking red necked bastard," he turned as I yelled at him, "This week I smell like a prime steak to the walkers you dickhead; a very rare prime steak." Glaring at him I waited until he understood what I was saying but he stayed there looking at me with confusion in his eyes. I looked at the other three and noticed that the same confusion is there too. "Oh my fucking god...did you guys have women with you when you were traveling?" They both nodded, "Well did you not notice that at certain times of the month the woman had more trouble with walkers than any other time of the month." Looking at me blankly I could see they weren't getting it. "Are you fucking kidding me? You travelled with all these women and didn't notice that at certain times of the month walkers were more inclined to go for them than anyone else." Suddenly understanding dawned in Daryl's eyes and I took a moment to calm my rage;

"Well, fuck..."