Chapter2. The walking dead. Kate and Daryl's first meeting.
Kate finally accepted her father's proposal. He had begged her for weeks now to come and join him for a good day of hunting. He knew she was good with guns… And they hadn't spent any time together for a long time now... Not since her mother died.
''C'mon Katie! We don't have all day… You don't need to put on your makeup for this little hunt session? You probably don't know half of the people out there in the woods.'' Kate just rolled her eyes then finished putting on her red lipstick then pushed the lips together. ''All done'' She said to herself. Then she grabbed an old military caps and run out to her father who now was sitting waiting for her in the van.
''Geez… You girls sure like to use a lot of time painting your faces huh? Your mother was like that as well…'' Kate gave her father a look with sadness when she heard him mentioning her mother. ''It's a tough arena out there. The one with booth the look and the personality win… It's really hard fitting in dad… All the other girls have expensive stuff I'll never afford… And the boys are only after one thing here… I miss Alaska…'' She turned away from him and gazed out the window, looking at all the trees they were passing. He clapped her head and smiled. ''It has always been like this. But what do you want for your birthday? It's not every day my big girl turn twenty one!'' Kate was still looking out the window, but she was smiling now… ''Something big! I love big things…'' She could hear the radio playing her favorite song "Fuck you fuck you very very much" 'Turn up the volume dad!'' He turned the volume up really high and Kate sung as beautiful as she could with a pretty good fake British accent.
When they arrived at the wood line Kate could only se old bearded men with big riffles. She placed her ponytail trough the caps and went out of the car. ''Hand me the riffle dad'' She went to the other side of the van where the riffles were. But her father was nowhere to be seen. ''Where the hell did he go?'' She asked herself while looking around the place they were at. She went back to the van… Still no sign of her father, but then! A big laughter filled her ears. It was him! She run to the back of the van where her father and to old guys were standing. ''I've been looking for you!'' She growled at him looking at the other men. 'This is my daughter, Katherine.'' He smiled down at Kate while introducing her to the two strangers. ''I'm Ulrich… And I'm Earl!'' The two men shook hands with her while she gave her father the non-happy face… ''Nice to meet you, but C'mon let's go! I want to hunt down some dears' all right?''
Kate was walking far away from her dad. She saw something moving between the trees. Could it be a dear, or maybe an elk, or…? She sharpened her senses and listen quietly. There it was! A huge elk was walking straight in front of her. Before she had the time to react and pick up her riffle someone fired a shot. By the time she reacts she is lying on the hard ground with an extreme pain in her chest. She could hear voices, not far from where she was lying. A man was standing above her glancing down at the wounded one. Kate's caps were covering her face and her body covered with big man clothes, so the man just assumed it was a guy. ''Did you hit it?'' Another man runs up to him. When he sees the person lying on the ground with a big messy blood pole around its shoulder he freaks out. ''Shit Merle what the hell have you done?'' Daryl gives Merle a shocked face expression. ''Nothing… I didn't do a fucking thing! That piece of shit walked in the wrong direction and...'' Merle stopped talking and looked back… He could see a man running in the distance, it was Kate's father. ''Fuck! Come Daryl!'' He dragged Daryl by the arm and started rushing away from the scene. But Daryl put up a fight against him and got loose. ''You can't just leave the boy!'' ''Fine, stay with him then. Get in jail, whatever suits you best'' Merle runs away. Daryl kneels down and pulls the caps of Kate's face. ''No way…'' A young woman is lying in front of his feet, probably dying. ''Fath…r'' Kate tries to open her eyes but it is impossible. Daryl takes of his jacket and folds it together and pushes it against her bloody wound. Finally her father gets there and he is devastated. ''What have you done to my daughter?'' He pushes Daryl away, then leans down and touches her face. ''It's going to be fine Kate, you hear me? It's going to be fine!'' He picks her up, looks at Daryl ''D'you have a mobile phone on you? Call 911'' Daryl is in shock but manages to dial the emergency number while they run back to where the van is.
The police ask Daryl a lot of questions he's not capable of answering right now. He just wants to know how Kate is doing. The police realize it's not Daryl they have to talk to but his brother Merle. So they leave and Daryl is finally allowed into the hospital room. He doesn't leave. He doesn't eat. He just sits in the chair by the bed and watches her sleep. After being asleep for two days she finally wakes up. Daryl stands up and shouts for Kate's father who's in the cafeteria. Daryl smiles widely and gives her father some space. ''Kate? Kate?'' Her father is now crying for the first time in front of her. She opens her eyes and smiles at him… ''What happened'' She asks him with a rusty voice. Daryl is about to walk out of the room but Kate's father stops him. ''Come here Daryl.'' Kate gives her father a slightly confused face. Who was this guy? Kate's father was convinced that Daryl was a hero since he stayed with Kate when she was shot and didn't just leave her, like Merle did. ''This young man saved your life Kate! If it wasn't for him you probably would be in a coma right now.'' Kate looks up at Daryl with a thankful smile. ''Thank you…'' Daryl feels his in an awkward situation right now. He doesn't know this people, but still he doesn't want to leave. Her father steps out of the room ''I'll leave you to the telling Daryl'' He goes away….
Daryl and Kate talk and laugh together, share moments and thoughts… It was a rush of romance in the air.