cassette tapes |d. dixon| [1]

12

"You're not gonna hear from me for a while." Caroline sighed, "We're on the constant run, trying to get ahead of the herd. It's been two months. We can never stay in a place for too long. They always catch up. Which is ironic considering how slow they are. But it's unnerving. We haven't had proper sleep in days. Weeks. It's too much."

IT WAS COLD. Too cold for comfort. The group has been going from town to town, picking it apart for supplies. They were able to find warm clothes for everyone, but even that wasn't enough.

It's been a while since Caroline had seen anyone smile. There really wasn't anything to smile about. Lori was growing bigger, meaning all extra food was going to her. Even days when they wouldn't eat, they gave food to her and Carl.

Caroline felt useless for the first few weeks. She couldn't move her shoulder much, making her dead weight. Beth and Maggie tried to make her feel better, but that was deemed an impossible task.

Caroline was currently sitting on the top floor of the office building the group was currently residing in. It was too cold to sit on the roof.

She still couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, Caroline saw her father. Sometimes, it would be him in a drunken state, telling her how useless she was. Other times, it was him as one of those... things.

Behind her, Caroline heard footsteps. She gripped her knife, preparing for an intruder when she spotted Daryl.

"Shouldn't you be on watch?" She asked, turning back to the window that overlooked the town.

"That's what I'm doin'." He walked over and stood next to her, staring out the window, "Still can' sleep?"

"Can any of us?" Caroline shot back.

Daryl nodded, biting at his nails, "Right."

"It's going to take a while before any of us feel safe again." Caroline stated, "If ever." She sighed, "We may never find a place like the farm."

He looked over at her, "What happened was bound to happen. Could've been next week, could've been months ago. Nowhere's safe."

She shook her head, "No, I don't believe that. There has to be a safe place out there somewhere. Whether we make it safe, or it's the perfect place on its' own."

Daryl scoffed, "Doubt it."

Caroline rolled her eyes and walked towards the door, "Sorry for being positive in a shit situation."

"Yer daddy teach ya that shit?" He asked.

She turned around with a glare, "Don't talk about my father."

"Why?" Daryl asked, "Yer the one who killed the bastard."

"I didn't kill him!" She yelled.

Daryl grabbed her by the shoulders and pinned her to the wall, covering her mouth with his hand, "Shut up, girl." He hissed quietly, "You wanna attract every walker to this buildin'?"

Caroline stared into his bright eyes, "He was going to kill me." She mumbled under his hand, tears filling her eyes.

Daryl pulled his hand away slowly, "Wha'?"

"He put a gun to my head. Forced me to leave the farm. He was going to shoot me... but I shot him first." Caroline whispered, tears falling down her face, "But I didn't kill him. The walkers heard us. I watched them rip him apart."

"The man hurt you, Care."

"He was still my father." She responded, 

"He treated you like a slave." Daryl growled,

"He didn't always." Caroline hissed,

"You don't need him, girl." Daryl stated,

Caroline leaned her head back against the wall, "He was the only family I had left."

"No, he's not." He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him, "You have us."

"Did I? What if something happened, and Rick would turn on her too? Just like he did to Shane. God, my heart never beated so fast. I thought it was gonna jump out of my chest."

Caroline stared into his blue eyes and the door opened beside them, "Oh, shit, sorry."

Daryl broke away and took a few steps back, "What d'ya need, T?"

"I'm here to take over your shift." T-Dog answered awkwardly.

He nodded, giving Caroline one last glance before heading downstairs.

"So... you need some lovin', kid?" T-Dog joked.

Caroline let out a laugh, "I'm good, thanks, T-Dog."