Healing Broken Wings [Daryl Dixon] The Walking Dead

Thirty Seven| Proving It

🔫Carl🔫

I walk through the woods, searching around for Kara. "You should head back," Kara says, her voice reaching my ears, but I don't see her. Glenn, Tara, Noah, Eugene, Aiden, and  Nicholas just went on a run yesterday after Daryl left with Aaron. Noah and Aiden didn't come back.

"You shouldn't be out here by yourself. How'd you know I was following you?"

"You're not very subtle. And you're loud." I hear twigs snapping under my feet and look down. I chuckle to myself. "Can you come out?" I hear footsteps, I turn and see Kara coming towards me. She's wearing a grey long sleeve shirt, ripped jeans, and combat boots. Her long hair is down and she had a pack on her back.

"Come on," she says with a sweet smile before walking away. I look around before jogging after her. She looks back at me with amusement. "Would you like to race?"

"Race?"

"Yeah, come on. You afraid of getting beat by a girl." I give her a smirk, fiddling with my hat. "Someone's gonna get beat, but it's not going to be me." She smiles and begins running, I laugh as she cheats before chasing her. After about ten to fifteen minutes of running we finally decide to stop.

I pant and sit down, she sits down beside me. "That didn't count. You had a headstart." She laughs and I feel her lean against me as she breathes deeply.

I think back to what Ron said the other night. "So you and Ron?" She raises an eyebrow and I continue talking. "That comment that he made? Are you a--?" She shakes her head and I stare at her. "No, but it wasn't Ron. No my foster father.....he did."

My eyes widen and I feel shocked. "Your foster dad...he-he forced himself on you?" Then I mentally kicked myself when I remember our argument the other day where she literally told me this.

"Ever since I was seven. Didn't stop until I turned thirteen and walkers tore him apart. If I wasn't so afraid I would've enjoyed watching it much more." I stare at her as she takes her knife out and starts messing with the bark of a log. "What about you? Are you still--?"

I nod my head, absentmindedly messing with a twig. "What about you and Enid?" She asks quietly and I see something in her eyes, but I can't quite interpret it. "Becoming friends eh?"

"It's not like that. I think she needed someone who understands what it's like to be stuck out here."

"What's the point of having connections with anyone?" She says her tone changing, I glance at her sideways. "Connections are important, they make you strong."

"And they make you weak when you lose them."

"Not all the time. They can make you even stronger. Like when I lost my mom, and Hershel, and Beth. It made me more determined, not to end up like them or let anyone else go out that way."

Kara stares down at her hands. "You can't save everyone," she whispers and I see her knuckles have turned white from gripping her knife handle so hard. "Maybe not, but I'll sure as hell try." She looks up at me and gives a small smile, the whiteness leaves her knuckles as she loosens her grip.

We jump with a start as snarling fills our ears. Kara looks over her shoulder and jumps to her feet. "Come on," she hisses and I get to my feet. She grabs my hand and pulls me to a tree. I look and see a narrow opening that leads to a hollowed-out space inside the tree trunk.

We squeeze inside and look out as more walkers shamble through. None of them make a move towards the tree and I let out a quiet sigh of relief. The confined space was almost uncomfortable. My body is flushed with Kara's. I can feel the rise and fall of her chest, I can actually feel her heartbeat, which is quickening.