Hello dearies, welcome to Unconditionally. I hope you enjoy the story, but first and foremost, the usual disclaimer: I own nothing related to The Walking Dead, and make no profit from writing this story, I just do it for fun. I only own OC characters, which are currently Merricat and Sophie (but I am developing more as the story continues), I don't post on other websites, is the only website that I write on. Also, be warned that this story is rated M for coarse language, adult themes and violence. Now, with all that out of the way, please enjoy!
Part One – The Camp
One
Our Father, who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name
The dead man came running for her, elongated teeth created by receding guns gnashing and chomping. A quick slash, a heavy delivery, and he fell.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done On Earth as it is in heaven
The next one came at her, hissing and practically foaming at the mouth as it reached out to her with its blackened fingers, yellow eyes locking onto hers. Another sharp blow, and its head went rolling.
Give us this day Our daily bread and forgive us Our trespasses
Two dead men now came tumbling toward her, desperate for the warm blood pulsing in her veins. A slash to first, and a direct thrust into the other's head, right in between the eyes.
As we forgive those who trespass against us
The last of the dead finally came crawling forward, barely making a snail's pace as it dragged its body across the ground. Mary Katherine watched it for a moment, almost with faint echoes of pity glazing over her mismatched eyes. She began to approach it slowly, twirling her sword comfortably in her left hand. She knelt to get closer to the creature. This one was a woman, now emaciated into grey peeling skin and rotting bones. It snarled up at her, withered hand raised feebly. Mary Katherine did not hesitate in piercing its skull with her blade.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Mary Katherine removed the rag from her belt, wiping her sword clean before securing it into her scabbard. She made a quick sign of the cross and turned away from the grizzly scene. She fingered the tiny cross pendent she wore beneath her shirt, taking it out to give it a gentle kiss, the Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. She glanced over at her car and felt relief to see Sophie still nestled down, sleeping soundly. Mary Katherine walked over, leaving the bodies behind, there would have been no point in removing them, they wouldn't be staying long enough for the sight to bother them much. The sun had barely been up an hour, the last roamers from their nightly prowling had finally dispersed, wandering off into the wilderness. She wrapped her knuckle lightly on the car window, smiling down at the little girl, "Sophie".
The girl opened her blue eyes, her blonde hair falling angelically over face, "Mama?"
Mary Katherine's heart sank, and she shook her head sadly, "No baby, it's only me. Im'a go rustle up some breakfast sweetheart, you know what to do".
"Don't leave the car no matter what", Sophie affirmed, nuzzling the old blanket under her chin.
"No matter what", Mary Katherine repeated.
"Merricat?" Sophie whimpered softly, peering up at her big sister.
"Yes, baby girl?" Mary Katherine asked.
"I need 'a pee", the girl answered.
Mary Katherine chuckled, "Come on then". She helped the little girl from the car. She had been sleeping in her little vest and underwear, her clothes still perched next to the dying fire from the night before. Mary Katherine led her to a sheltered spot and kept watch while the girl went about her business. "Now I want y'all to get dressed before a' leave, I don't want you wonderin' about like a wild thing", she told her sternly.
"Yes Merricat", Sophie complied cheerful, stuffing herself into the now clean white shorts and pink top. "Your shoes as well, I don't need no infected toes to worry about". Sophie huffed, but did as she commanded, slipping into her scruffy trainers.
"Now", smiled Mary Katherine, tucking a strand of Sophie's hair behind her ear. "Don't you just look pretty". She lingered a little longer, almost transfixed by the small innocent child. It was such a rare sight nowadays, ever since the world went to hell, innocent things, particularly children, were harder and harder to come by. "You be safe now, you hear me?"
"Yes Merricat, I promise, cross maw heart", Sophie replied gleefully as any four-year-old does.
"Hope to die?" Mary Katherine replied, and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, "Now go on into the car now, adda girl". Sophie stared at her sister a minute, her small hand resting under her chin, "Merricat, your witching eye is looking at me", she complained, finger pointed at Mary Katherine's one green eye. Her sister laughed lightly in response, and tapped it with her forefinger, "Why of course, it's always keeping an eye on you", she joked. One final hug, and Sophie clambered back inside the car, locking it behind her.
Mary Katherine took off jogging into the woods, her bow slung over her shoulder by the string. Once she was deep enough, she paused, gently licking her thumb and raising it to the sky. She wanted to judge the direction of the wind; it had been changing rather frequently of late. They were camped in a small brush of woodland just outside Atlanta, but she wasn't planning on keeping them there long, another day or two if needs be, but no later. Her train of thought was interrupted by a loud rumble emanating from her stomach. How many days had it been, three, four? Six actually. The last scraps of their provisions had all gone to Sophie, she needed it more. Mary Katherine knew that she had to find something. A few squirrels, a rabbit would be heaven. She stopped hoping for anything bigger, like a deer, a while back. The woods were almost picked clean, and the living hadn't been trudging through them.
Mary Katherine placed her hand to the ground, then her ear. Breathe. She listened intently. Breathe. Then, after roughly fifteen minutes of waiting in total silence, she heard what she was hoping for. Small, faint even, but there. Movement. Mary Katherine determined the direction that the sounds were coming from, and took off running, keeping her movements light and quiet. She followed the sounds with adamant determination, moving in such a way that she resembled a cat, stealthily stalking her prey. She was led deeper and deeper into the brush, the trees providing a cool sanctuary from the merciless glare of the sun. Her pace never faltered, despite her growing fatigue, she couldn't go back empty handed, it simply was not an option. She stopped for a moment, the sounds had become louder. The animal was large, nervous, cautious – judging by what she heard. Mary Katherine crouched down low behind a fallen tree, quietly removing an arrow from her quiver. She aligned her bow, waiting patiently. Minutes passed, but finally, just before she was going to go back on the trail, she was rewarded tenfold. A deer, an actual deer, emerged cautiously from the trees. It was young, beautiful, something in the time before Mary Katherine could never have imagined of ever hurting. But things were different now, it was kill or be killed, eat, or be eaten. She sucked in a breath. Aligned her eye to her target, breath. She was about to loose her arrow, when the unthinkable happened, a crunch, small shifting of leaves, noises that were not being made by her. Mary Katherine's heart began to race, her eyes dashing frantically back and force, was it a roamer? Another animal? Or worse, another survivor. She saw him fleetingly in the corner of her eye, a man in a green tank top, black crossbow in hands, aimed at her deer. She growled under her breath, he hadn't seen her, he was too focused on her prize. It was now or never, Mary Katherine narrowed her gaze, and fired.
It all happened so quickly, in a matter of seconds, a flash, her arrow missed the deer. The thing panicked and scampered back into the woods. Mary Katherine was given no chance to register this however, as she was flung back into a tree. She gasped as her back connected to the hard oak behind her. Her brain kicking into over drive as blood trickled down her arm. She looked down at the source of the pain, and then to the arrow sticking out from her flesh. The bastard had been aiming for her, not the goddamn deer. The pain seared as she felt utterly helpless, pinned to a tree in the middle of nowhere. Her bow was too far from her side, and so she immediately pulled her sword from her scabbard, ready to fight the man tooth and nail if necessary. She heard him utter a curse under his breath as the man bounded forward, broodingly slinging his crossbow over his shoulder as he approached the injured woman. Mary Katherine's heart lurched in her mouth, but she did her best to maintain a cool exterior, she wasn't about to give the damn idiot any satisfaction.
"Do you have a goddamn death sentence?" he sneered angrily as he approached her, boots trudging through the fallen leaves.
"Are you fucking kidding me? You shot me!" Mary Katherine retaliated.
"Only cause you went an' scared the deer, putting yourself as a goddamn target. You never hunt before? Makin so much noise probably every damn geek in the county heard ya" he spat back. Mary Katherine could not believe his brashness, her mouth agape, the words fell short of her tongue. She wanted to curse at him until she was blue in the face, but the pain in her arm finally made itself known to her, refusing to be left unnoticed.
"Goddammit!" she hissed, nursing her injured shoulder. The man cursed vulgarly again before kneeling down to inspect the wound that he had just inflicted upon her. "Arrow ain't that deep", he told her bluntly, "Jus' a bout stopped short of your bone – ain't that serious, well, won't kill yah anyhow".
"Well gee", she exclaimed, her words dripping with sarcasm as she mimicked his speech, "Ain't I just so lucky?"
The man tugged at it, and Mary Katherine let out a scream, "Mother fucker!" she hissed, gritting her teeth in agony.
"Well if you wanna prance aroun' with an arrow pokin' outta yah, at's fine by me, no skin off my ass", he told her firmly. Mary Katherine glared at him hatefully, she had half a mind to gut him on the spot and pull the arrow out herself, but she knew realistically that such a scenario wasn't an option, not with a bummed-up arm. She exhaled sharply through her nose in surrender, remaining silent as she turned her head away from the ghastly sight that was her right shoulder. The man grimaced, taking a tight grip of the arrow, "Now Jesus Christ try an' hold still". He gave it a hard tug, and immediately the arrow was ripped out of her, taking a small chunk of Mary Katherine's flesh with it. She grunted loudly as the damn thing was pulled from her arm, not wanting to waste anymore of her breath on screaming. Like a hole in a dam, blood gushed from the open wound, and Mary Katherine finally eyed it up with an anxious expression etched upon her face. She knew that they barely had any medical supplies left, not after Sophie's last episode, and there wasn't anywhere for miles were she could scavenge for some more – the city was far too dangerous. The man rose to his feet, clearly unsettled by the scene, his eyebrows knitted together as he ran his fingers along his mouth. "What in the hell are you doin' out here by yourself anyhow?" he finally demanded. Mary Katherine couldn't help but laugh dryly as an answer as she pulled herself shakily to her feet. "Why would I tell you that?" she jeered, clutching her arm in a feeble attempt to constrict the flow of blood.
"Cause clearly you don't have a fucking clue what you're doin", the man shot back, and Mary Katherine felt her temper reach its breaking point, "Listen here you redneck son of a bitch –
"What you jus' call me?" he interrupted her mid-sentence.
"You heard me", she spat, "And I would have been just fine until you came along firing that thing like a maniac! And another thing –
Mary Katherine was interrupted a second time, but not by the man. Both of them tensed up as they heard a faint, high pitched scream in the distance. The man's expression was unreadable as her own heart lurched into her mouth as her eyes went wide in a terrifying realisation. It was faint and strained because of the distance, but there was no denying the direction the scream had come from. A brief moment of silence passed as the pair stood there frozen, and then again, only louder this time. "Sophie", Mary Katherine struggled to whisper, as if the breath had been knocked out of her lungs, "Sophie!" The pain in her arm and the blood seeping through it was completely forgotten as fast pumping adrenaline kicked her body into over drive. Completely ignoring the man, Mary Katherine took off in a sprint, bow forgotten but sword still in hand.
"Wait!" the man called after her, but there was clearly no stopping the woman. He cursed, raking a hand through his matted hair, "Goddamn woman", he finally snapped, and began running in quick pursuit of the girl.
The high-pitched screams became louder, and with each one that rang through her ears only furthered Mary Katherine's utter terror. She ran faster than her feet would have ever had allowed her before, chest throbbing, ears pulsing, the wind mercilessly cutting at her cheeks. One thought, no, one image kept replaying over and over in her mind; the vision of her little sister being torn apart by the dead. Despite it only taking her a few minutes, it felt like a lifetime before she had reached their camp clearing. Six, no seven roamers, surrounding their Cadillac. They hissed and snapped, banging their meaty grey hands on the windows. She could hear Sophie inside, crying hysterically. The man was hot on Mary Katherine's heels, crossbow aimed at the walkers, but his line of fire was blocked as the girl charged forward. The first roamer turned to meet her, but barely had a second to register this new prey before she rammed her blade into its skull. The others, now alerted to her presence, slowly turned as she jeered them on, drawing the undead away from the car. They came at her slowly, but she wasted no time, decapitating another, sending its head rolling. Another clawed forward, hissing and foaming despite its missing jaw. A quick but heavy blow, and she severed its head in half, its decaying blood decorating her cheek. Unbeknownst to Mary Katherine, the man had already killed two of the roamers, the first with his crossbow, the second with his bowie knife. The next roamer was faster, and managed to grab hold of her injured shoulder, and she cried out angrily as the roamer sent them both tumbling to the ground.
Mary Katherine let out a gasp as her head connected with a sharp rock, her vision immediately beginning to blur upon impact. The walker was on top of her, but she managed to keep it at bay with her sword, clutching it tightly at each end. The sharp blade began to quickly cut into the tender flesh of her palms, but it acted as a barrier between her and the dead man desperately trying to sink his teeth into her throat. She struggled with all her might against the creature, but the corners of her eyes continued to darken rapidly as her head felt as though it had been set on fire. To make matters worse, she felt her injured arm begin to give under the pressure as it throbbed painfully. In those moments with the walker's face only inches from her own, Mary Katherine was certain that she was going to die. A million thoughts raced through her mind as she felt her muscles tremble from the strain. God, please look after Sophie.
But the inevitable sinking of teeth into flesh and the crunching of bone didn't come, instead, the walker went rigid on top of her, its black blood trickling down onto her face. It was only then that she recognised the arrow sticking out from directly between its eyes. The thing gurgled miserably before giving one final heave, collapsing lifelessly on top of her. Mary Katherine choked hoarsely as the weight began to press heavily against her chest. The man came into her line of vision, but she was barely able to make out his outline as patches of bright colours danced before her eyes. She felt at once the roamer's body being lifted off of her own, it was a relief as she breathed deeply, trying to restore as much air as possible back into her lungs. But as the adrenaline quickly began to fade, the full extent of the pain she was experiencing began to rear its ugly head.
"Hey, hey, you aight?" she heard the man address her, his voice distorted, as if speaking through a toy megaphone. He tried to haul her to her feet, and when the man finally had her standing, his heart began to race as he removed his hand from the back of her head, only to find it coated in sticky red blood. "Shit", he hissed as Mary Katherine stared at him oddly, slightly swaying from side to side and blinking rapidly, was his hair always a bright shade of blue? Her gaze reverted back to the car, through what dimly lit vision she had left, she could see her little sister staring helplessly at her, mouth agape and tears streaming down her cheeks. "Sophie", she slurred and managed to stumble forward. She could do no more as her body finally betrayed her, eyelids falling shut and her whole body collapsed.
Daryl managed to catch the bleeding girl before she hit the ground, one arm tightly held around her waist as he tried to keep her upright. As well as her injured shoulder, both her head and hands were bleeding profusely. He was at an utter loss at what to do, as he stood there in shock holding the unconscious girl. He couldn't fine rightly just leave her there, even if she was some stuck-up pain in the ass, especially not with the kid. He glanced nervously over at the car, an old beat up red Cadillac, big blue eyes stared back at him, the little girl watched him like a hawk. Daryl felt wracked with guilt, clearly the girl knew how to hold her own against geeks, had it not been for the injury that he had inflicted on her, she wouldn't have been in such a bad state. And now, he felt like the pair of them was his responsibility, and that's something he couldn't handle. "C'mere kid", he called to the little girl, but the child frantically shook her head before ducking down from sight. "Son of a …" he trailed off in frustration, he needed to get this damn woman help before she bled to death in his arms, but he couldn't well leave the kid there by herself. He glanced down at the unconscious girl, her red hair sticking to her face with the geek's blood, hell, she looked like a geek. All skinny and pale and covered in blood, she didn't look right. "I don't need this shit", he huffed to himself as he bundled the girl into his arms and carried her over to the car. He wrapped his hand loudly on the window, he could see the girl curled up, hiding beneath a light pink blanket. "Come on now kid", he urged her, his panic rising as he felt blood begin to dampen his shirt.
"No!" the little girl cried, "Merricat says not to leave the car no matter what". Daryl looked at her quizzically and gestured with a nod of his head to the woman in his arms, "Is Merricat?" he questioned.
"Yeah".
"She your mom?" he pressed further.
"No!" she huffed, "My mama's in heaven with daddy and Ashley. She's maw sister".
"Well your sister is hurt real bad, I need ta get her to people who can help but am not leavin' you here by yourself", he told her firmly.
"But Merricat says –
"Merricat's bleedin' into my shirt right now!" he interrupted the little girl, losing his temper, it was difficult for a grown man to argue with the logic of a five-year-old. The child winced at his harsh words, but looked on at her sister, she looked like her mama when her daddy carried her from the house. Not wanting her sister to go to heaven as well, she slowly clicked open the car door, and cautiously stepped onto the dry grass. "Aight, you follow me now, gonna get you an' her back to ma camp", he instructed the child.
"Aren't you so rude!" the little girl exclaimed, "Aren't you going to make no proper introductions? Daddy always says a gentleman should introduce himself to a lady". And she folded her arms the way any cross child would, refusing to take another step before he complied. Daryl couldn't help but glare at her in both shock and annoyance, hell was wrong with that kid?
He grunted, "Ma name is Daryl, there you happy?"
"Your last name too!" the little girl complained, and Daryl simply gritted through his teeth, "Dixon".
The child beamed with a large toothy grin, as if totally unaware of her sister's dire situation, "Well Mr Dixon, maw name is Sophie Cordelia DuBois, and that there is maw sister Mary Katherine Collette DuBois", and she gave a little curtsy, "pleasure to make your acquaintance". Daryl couldn't even fathom a response, he had grown accustomed to the timid Carl and Sophia, both of whom he had extremely sparse interactions with, this kid was evidently going to be a thorn in his side. "Aight now you have your introductions now let's get a move on", he replied, knowing damn rightly that every second they wasted could be another nail in the broad's coffin, and he damn well sure wasn't gonna be left with a kid hounding him like a lap dog. Daryl began to lead them back through the woods, knowing the truck wasn't parked far away. But Sophie stopped dead in her tracks, gasping loudly. "Wait!" she exclaimed, and dashed back to the scene of carnage. She frantically scanned her eyes over the blood-soaked ground littered with corpses, until she found what she was looking for. She picked up her sister's sword, walking carefully back to Daryl's side. "We couldn't leave without this!" she told him, "It's real special to Merricat, she'd be so sad if she lost it".
He carried Mary Katherine to the truck borrowed from Shane, his own pick-up being worked on by Dale. He'd spent two days tracking that damn deer, planned on using the truck to haul it back to camp. He was sure that he would be able to pick up the trail again if he was quick enough, all he had do was drop off the damn broad and let her and the kid be somebody else's problem. Daryl lay her down across in the backseats, her long hair spilling around her and cascading to touch the ground. For a moment he feared that she was already dead, but his fears were soon put temporarily to rest when he saw the small, shallow rise and falls of her chest.
"Can I sit up front with you?" Sophie pleaded, batting her big blue eyes, "Merricat always lets me sit up front with her".
"Wouldn't ya rather sit back ere' with your sister?" he replied gruffly, not particularly wanting the child's company.
Sophie looked at her sister wearily, "She looks scary, with all that blood…", her demeanour instantly changed, as she clung to the loose ends of his shirt, "Please Mr Dixon, a promise a won't be no trouble sir".
Daryl looked down at the little girl clinging to him, goddamn the little urchin, "Aight aight, you can sit up with me if ya keep your mouth shut".
Sophie smiled, and hugged his waist tightly, Daryl grimaced at the contact, half tempted to shake her off, "C'mon now, last thing a need is your sister dyin' back ere' and stinkin' up the upholstery".
"No sir", Sophie smiled, "Is your camp like a summer camp? Merricat told me bout a summer camp she used to go to every year and –
"You forgettin' the no talking rule a 'ready?" Daryl silenced her, and the girl quickly bowed her head in a sheepish manner, her face going bright red. He allowed himself a small but fleeting smirk, and immediately put the car in drive, speeding like a maniac the whole way back to camp. It wasn't as though he had to worry about speeding tickets anymore, fuck, not as if there was a police force, hell a government around anymore. One perk of the apocalypse, total and utter freedom.
The sun was still high in the sky when they finally drove into the compounds of the camp. Daryl glanced around to see the people that had become extremely familiar going about their daily duties. Carol was by the make-shift washing stand, Dale on the roof of the RV, Lori crouched beside the cooking pot, Carl not far from her side. They all turned and stopped when they heard the truck pull up through the sloping mounds of grass, parking abruptly. He saw Lori wipe her hands on her jeans and approach him quickly, immediately freezing when she saw the child. "What in the name of…" she trailed off upon seeing the body in the backseat. Lori's eyes went wide, and she bounded forward, "What the hell Daryl?" she gasped, who in turn just shrugged in response. Sophie beamed up at the friendly looking woman, "You're real pretty", she smiled, "Mr Dixon says you're gonna stop Merricat from going up to heaven with mama".
Lori's mouth fell agape, trying to process what the little girl had just said to her, she looked frantically around the camp, "Shane, Dale!" she shouted, "We need some help over here!" She turned around to face Daryl again, "What in the name of God happened out there?" she asked him.
"Found ese' two out in the woods. Sisters or some", he opened up the truck door to better inspect Mary Katherine, "Is' one is hurt real bad".
"Is she bit?" Lori exclaimed, fearing the worst.
"Naw, but she bashed her head real good", he informed her rather nonchalantly.
"You idiot!" Lori snapped, "Why would you let her pass out if she hit her head, she could have a concussion!" Daryl once more simply shrugged, he had unloaded his burden, he had gotten the girls safely to the camp, they were Lori's, or whoever the hell else wanted to stick their nose in, problems now. Shane came jogging forward, Dale swiftly on his heels. "What's wrong, what happened?" Shane immediately went to Lori's side, fearful that she had been in some kind of danger.
"We need to get this girl inside the RV and get her patched up, Daryl brought them here from the woods", Lori informed him quickly, and Shane gave her a nod of acknowledgment, immediately going to the side of the truck to scoop Mary Katherine into his arms. "Dale, get the medibag, and get Carol and Andrea to help you", he told him, and then glanced anxiously down at the little girl. "Is maw sister gonna be okay?" she asked him softly.
"Course she is honey", Lori smiled, kneeling to meet the girl's eyes. "We're going to take good care of your sister. You hungry darling? How bout we rustle you something to eat?" Lori's maternal instincts were immediately kicking in, she glanced up at Daryl, "You did a good thing bringing them here", she told him, her voice gentle with kindness. Daryl felt a sense of embarrassment, not knowing how to approach the compliment. "Was nothin" he muttered, electing not to tell them of the hole in the girl's shoulder that he had caused. Wasn't any of her business anyhow. "Am'a go back out to see if a can pick up that deer's trail again", he told her as he watched Shane carry Mary Katherine off towards the RV, Sophie had flocked to Lori's side, delighted to have such a motherly figure to dote on her. Lori nodded, even though she thought it better if Daryl stayed at camp, neither he nor his brother Merle ever listened to anything that the group members had to say, bar Shane of course. It would be pointless to try and convince him otherwise. "Be safe", she said, holding onto Sophie's hand.
"A hope you get your deer Mr Dixon", Sophie smiled, "And come back soon, maw sister will wanna thank you when she wakes up". Somehow, he doubted the likelihood of that, in fact Daryl began to feel a slight instance of panic, what would the girl be like when she woke up? Hell, why did he care? He saved the bitch's life, they were squared up rightly as far as he was concerned. He just hoped that all the commotion that the broad had caused didn't make the deer go far, cause he was gonna be real pissed if the trail had gone cold. Lori ushered Sophie away, and Daryl watched on a moment. He could see Sophie skipping as if Lori was about to take her out for some ice cream, not taking her to scrounge minimal rations in a makeshift camp in the middle of the goddamn apocalypse.
"What a weird ass kid", he muttered to himself, and with a shake of his head, Daryl put the whole situation behind him. He was about to hop back inside the truck but reconsidered when he glanced at the bloodstained seats. "Might attract some geeks", he mumbled, but saw something flicker in the afternoon sun. Daryl narrowed his gaze, and pent down quickly to pick up an object that had become wedged between the two seats. He pulled it out, it was a small golden cross, hanging on a light chain. He stared at it for a moment as it glittered in the light. He looked back towards the RV, must belong to the broad. He shrugged his shoulders, stuffing the fragile necklace into his back pocket. "Be quicker on my feet anyhow", he reaffirmed to himself, and took off in the direction of the woods, and disappeared from sight.
Three days later
Pain. Immeasurable pain. Throbbing. Pulsing. Banging to the beat of an erratic drum. Mary Katherine reluctantly opened her groggy eyelids, which felt like they weighed a ton weight. She looked up to see a stained cream roof, stained slightly yellow with cigarette smoke. There was light, coming in from somewhere, it hurt her eyes. She tried to raise her hand to shield them, but she couldn't manage it. Every fibre of her body ached. Her memory was hazy. A prayer … Blue Hair … Blood … Roamers … "Sophie!" she cried out, as the memory of what happened came flooding back to her. Mary Katherine lurched forward, but regretted it immediately, she couldn't gage what hurt more, her head or her right shoulder. She cautiously moved her fingers to her forehead as she groaned, but felt something scratchy, was that a bandage? She then looked down at her own hands, both of which were bandaged up neatly around the palms, the same went with her shoulder, where the hell was she?
"Well, looky here", she heard a man speak, and she froze, an older man approached her, dressed in a white shirt and accompanying hat. "Well, welcome back to the land of the living darlin", he smiled down at her, "We didn't think that you were gonna pull through for a while there".
"Where am I?" Mary Katherine asked him, her throat dry and hoarse.
"Easy there, first how bout some water", he offered her a canteen from a small table, and she took it gladly. The moment the water touched her lips, Mary Katherine felt relief wash over it as she began to gulp it like it was the last thing she would ever drink in her life. She chugged down the entire contents of the canteen within seconds, never stopping for a breath. "Take it slow girl", the man laughed lightly, "Don't want you drowning yourself now that we've finally got you awake".
Mary Katherine gasped as she finally handed him back the metallic bottle, "How long was I out?"
"Three days", the man informed her, and her eyes went wide, three days. "I was travelling with a little girl", she started to ramble in a panic, "Small, blonde hair she's –
"Little Sophie?" the man laughed, "Don't worry she's fine, settled in really well while you were restin' up in here, everyone in camp has really taken to that sister of yours". Mary Katherine exhaled a breath she didn't even realise that she was holding in utter relief. "I'm sorry, Merricat, isn't it? I'm Dale by the way, I'm the one who patched you up after Daryl brought you here".
Daryl? Mary Katherine thought long and hard before a light clicked in her brain, "That the name of the son of bitch who shot me?" she hissed, old anger reigniting to the surface.
Dale's face dropped, as well as his jaw, "He did what now?" he exclaimed, clearly taken aback by the revelation. Mary Katherine growled, and tried to stand up, but failed miserably as the pain in her shoulder commanded her otherwise. "Easy now girl", Dale tried to soothe her, "Don't want you to try running before you can walk. I don't know what that Dixon boy has done, but you were banged up pretty bad, had to improvise some stitches in the back of your head and on your hands", he told her gently.
The memories swirled within her brain, the roamers had attacked their camp, she'd fallen, used her sword, oh God, did that man, Daryl, actually help her? She cringed at the thought. Mary Katherine shook her head, "I want to see my sister now", she told him.
"Are you sure you don't want to rest up for a bit, you still seem pretty out of it", Dale suggested, but he could tell just from the look on her face that she was having none of it. "Alrighty then", he smiled, "half the camp's dying to meet sleeping beauty anyhow".
Dale offered Mary Katherine his arm for support, which she took wearily. She was thankful for all the help, hell for saving her life, but in the new world order, people didn't exchange niceties unless they expected something in return, at least, that is what she had experienced so far. Dale led Mary Katherine from what she found to be a decent sized camper van, bringing her out into the blinding Georgian summer sun. Outside she found large numbers of people going about what appeared to be daily life, mending cars, doing washing, cooking by a fire, it almost looked, mundane. "Hey everyone", Dale announced with a grin, "Look who's up and walking!" Mary Katherine was surprised to find it was mostly women, the closest to her, a woman with long brown hair, approached her with a warm and inviting smile. "Well this is sure to perkin' up everybody's spirits", she smiled, extending out her hand, "Hi, my name is Lori, Lori Grimes". Mary Katherine took the hand graciously, "Good to meet you, my name is –
"Merricat", Lori finished with a small laugh, "Sorry, yes we know, little Sophie's told us all about you". Mary Katherine's cheeks reddened slightly at the old nickname, one she was once happy to adorn, it just seemed childish and out of place to her now, "actually it's", she stopped herself, thinking quickly, if Sophie had become friendly with everyone in this survivor's camp, this was probably the name that they would know her by. She sighed and threw her hands in the air, "To hell with it, Mary Katherine's such a mouthful anyway". Lori laughed as three other women approached them. The first seemed rather timid, with cropped grey hair, but a kind face, "Hi there Merricat", she greeted, "I'm Carol". Merricat smiled in response, taking her hand as well. The two blondes came forward next, "Nice to finally meet you conscious", the woman smiled, "I'm Andrea, and this is my sister Amy". Merricat nodded to them both, feeling slightly overwhelmed, it had been a while since she had been around so many people, living people, at the one time.
"Well I think that's enough introductions for now", Dale laughed with a hand clapped over her good shoulder, "how bout some grub, I'm sure you must be starving and –
"Merricat!" Dale was interrupted by the familiar voice that she had been so desperate to hear. Lori moved to the side to reveal Sophie standing amongst another two children, her face could barely contain her large smile as she bolted towards her big sister. Merricat grinned as she met her sister with open arms, clasping her in a tight embrace, ignoring the influx of pain that it caused her body, it was worth it, just to have Sophie back. "I thought a might lose you", Sophie sniffled, tears brimming in her eyes as she buried her face into the crook of Merricat's neck. "Sh sh sh, it's okay now baby girl, I'm here now, you aren't ever going to lose me", she reassured her as she alternated between rubbing her back soothingly and patting down her golden hair. She broke away from the hug to hold her little sister's face in her hands, wiping away her tears with the pads of her thumbs, "Hush now, everything's alright".
"I know, I know", Sophie smiled, "I ain't crying cause am sad, I'm crying cause I'm so happy that you're okay".
"I know baby", Merricat grinned, "I know". She looked up towards the group that had gathered around them, she cleared her throat, trying to muster up the right words. "I'd like to thank you all, for everything, you've done more than anyone for me and my sister".
"Don't you worry about it", Lori assured her, "You just keep settled until my husband and the other men get back, then once he's here we'll sort out some proper arrangements for you and little Sophie there".
"Arrangements?" Merricat asked, anxiety rising, perhaps they did expect something in return for their help and shelter.
Lori smiled, "Getting you guys a tent, sorting out supplies for you both, to make sure, if you're going to be staying here we want to make sure you've got everything you need".
Merricat's eyes widened, taken aback, "Are, are you offering?"
"No", Lori corrected her with a small smirk, "I'm telling. You think we'd let you two go back into that world by yourselves – and besides, I shudder to think what we would do without Miss DuBois over there". Sophie smiled proudly, gazing up at her sister. "Oh, please say we can stay Merricat, please, oh please, I like it here!".
Merricat knew it was a lot to process, but, food, shelter, safety in numbers, and they seemed like good people, it could be a good place for Sophie to live in, to grow up in. She looked to Sophie, then Dale, then Lori, "If you'll have us".
Lori grinned, "Of course". Merricat silently thanked God for the drastic change in her luck. She had never been opposed to joining a group, one just hadn't presented itself. Sophie squealed in delight, practically skipping back to the other children, "You hear that, I can stay!" she cried cheerfully. Merricat watched on in relief, her hand resting wearily on her shoulder, her mind wandering to the man who had caused on all the damage in the first place. Daryl. Perhaps the one downside to remaining in the camp, she would have to live and operate in the same place as that brash, rude, redneck hillbilly. The thought made her shudder, but she knew it couldn't be helped, besides, she'd tolerated worse in her life. She sighed, slipping her hand from her shoulder instinctively to her jeans, expecting to feel the cool leather of her scabbard, but quickly realised that it was gone. She quickly looked down, hell, all her clothes were gone. She was wearing a massively oversized t shirt, and jeans that were two sizes too big, held up by a thick belt. "What the hell?" she uttered, and Lori turned to face her, "Oh, yes sorry, you really were in a rough state when you got here. We had to get your clothes off to get them washed", she apologised.
"And my sword?" Merricat asked speedily, to hell with her clothes, her weapon was like an extension of herself, if it had been left behind, she couldn't even bare to bring herself to consider it.
"Relax", Lori assured her, "It's in the RV". Merricat smiled, and headed towards it immediately, she didn't feel at peace until she had lifted her crudely fashioned scabbard from the table and was fixing it to the borrowed belt. She breathed a long sigh as she felt the weapon in her hands, it's cold steel acting as a comfort to her. She returned it to its rightful place at her side, and the feeling of ease washed over her. For the first time in a long time, it felt safe to breathe loudly.
The day slipped away from them, Merricat immediately made herself busy within the camp, not letting her extensive injuries slow her down. She wanted to find some way to repay their overgenerous kindness to both her and her sister. She bounced from helping Andrea, Amy and Carol with the mounds of clothes that needed washing, to tinkering with tools in the RV alongside Jim and Dale, finally ending with helping Shane take apart and clean the little rifles they had. They worked away as overhead the merciless Georgian sun finally began to set for the evening, making light conversation with each other.
"Damn, you sure know your way around a rifle", he commented playfully as Merricat fixed the sight of the .308 Winchester with a screwdriver borrowed from Dale.
"My daddy liked his hunting", she told him casually, "And my brother used to faint at the sight of blood, I was the only option for long trips. I had a rifle just like this, a few pistols too".
"Ah didn't know folks from New Orléans were big on huntin" it was a simple comment, but it immediate spiked her curiosity.
"How did you know that I'm from New Orléans?" she asked wearily, and Shane smiled, "Your accent gives you away, hell, I knew it from the moment I met your sister".
"My mother was from the French Quarter", Merricat confirmed, "but my daddy was from Lake Charles. We used to spend alotta time there over the summer".
"It'll be good to have another person who knows how to handle a gun", Shane confided in her, "Ah don't mean it offensively, but most of the women here, some of the men even, well, they ain't exactly acquainted with these kinds of things, they can't handle themselves against walkers".
"They've probably had no cause to pick up a gun in their lives – or to learn how'ta fight, it's not their faults that they didn't anticipate the apocalypse", she countered coolly.
"True, but it's still an advantage to have another fighter, with the few fighters that we have. Daryl told us that you were good at takin' out walkers". Huh, Merricat was surprised at that last statement, "but one hell of a lousy hunter", Shane added with a smirk. Merricat gave a loud snort and an over exaggerated role of her eyes as a response.
"If y'all are from New Orléans, what are yah's doin' out here in Georgia?" Shane asked as Merricat handed him the polished gun, she felt a slight tensing in her stomach, but she bade it away, it was a harmless question, she needed to relax. "We was in here visiting relatives when all the chaos broke out", she answered calmly, like reciting lines from a script, "Heard Atlanta was set up as a safe zone by the military, by the time we got there it as a'ready overrun".
"It was bad", Shane agreed grimly, "Everybody flocked to the city, not knowin' what was comin', they was all just more fuel to the fire, all em' refugees, city went to shit within two weeks".
"Yeah, I saw, wish a didn't. Sophie an' I had too many close calls, barely got outta there by the skin of our teeth", Merricat thought back to the nightmare that had been there brief stay in Atlanta, it was not something she ever wanted to put Sophie through again.
"Shane, Merricat!" Lori called to them from the fire, "Supper's on! Get it while it's hot!" The girl looked up from the rifle, it practically glowed in the fading light, she felt proud of her work, and happy to help with any maintenance that she could. "Come on girl", Shane laughed, giving her a light clap on the back, "We wait too long, and we'll be left with just the bones to chew on!" The pair made their way over to the now assembled group.
They tucked in to a fish fry up, curtesy of Amy and Andrea, who had been fishing long into the morning before Merricat had woken up. She settled in beside Sophia, who was already guzzling down her food. Dale passed her both a plate of piping hot food and a beer, which she took gladly. "Oh man oh man that's good", Shane relished, already wolfing his down. Carol smiled gingerly as she passed Merricat some plastic utensils, "Thank you kindly".
"It's no problem", she replied.
"This your little girl?" she gestured to the child closely next to Carol. "Yeah", she told her, "This is my daughter Sophia, say hello dear".
"Hello", Sophia smiled sheepishly.
"Well hello Sophia, it's a pleasure to meet you", Merricat added quickly, and the girl smiled up at her.
Merricat finally began to eat herself, savouring every molecule. Heaven help her, it had been so long since she had eaten a decent meal. She practically had to restrain herself from drooling over the plate. Many small conversations were taking place amongst the group, but next to her, Louis, one of the few men who had not ventured into the city, struck up a conversation with Dale. "Man, I gotta ask you", he began with a light smile, "It's been driving me crazy?"
"What?" Dale laughed, almost giving him permission to continue.
"That watch", Louis pointed to Dale's wrist with a fork full of fish, "I see you every day. Same time. Winding that thing like a village priest saying mass".
"I've wondered this myself", Jacqui added, "Unless I've misread the signs, the world has seemed to come to an end – at least hit a speed bump for a good long while".
"But then there's you, every day", Louis summarised, "winding that stupid watch".
"Time", Dale asserted, "It's important to keep track, in'it? The days at least. What do you think Merricat", he turned to the girl, "back me up here".
"I don't know about that", she said with a gulp, "Time was invented by humans, wasn't it? As far as the rest of the world is concerned, it's just day and then night".
"I like, what a father says to a son", Dale went on, "when he gives him a watch that had been handed down – generations – he said: I give you, a mausoleum, of all hope and desire, which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine, or my father's before me. I give it to you, not, that you may remember time, but that you may forget it, for a moment, now and then, and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it".
The whole group fell into a contemplative, but content silence.
"You are so weird", Amy finally blurted, and everyone began to chuckle lightly, Merricat included.
"It's not me", Dale tried to defend himself jokingly, "it was Faulkner, William Faulkner".
"I never cared for Faulkner", Merricat mused quietly, "Hemmingway was much more poetic".
Dale raised his eyebrows, "Another intellectual", he grinned, "finally someone I can have a meaningful conversation with", he received a few playful glares for that comment, "Probably my bad paraphrasing anyway".
They all began chuckling once more, and Amy rose from her seat by the fire. "Where you' going?" Andrea asked, her voice expressing the same concern often heard in Merricat's when addressing Sophie, the voice of an older sister.
"I have to pee", Amy replied, "Jeez, try to be discreet around here".
Merricat laughed, taking another swig of her beer, she secretly enjoyed it more than the food. It had been an age since she'd relished in such a luxury. Sophie nuzzled in close to her side, eyelids drooping as she gave a loud yawn. "I think someone is getting tired", Lori mused, her heart melting at the sight.
"No am not", Sophie protested through a yawn, "Am just restin maw eyes".
"And using my hipbone as a pillow", Merricat quipped as she sat down her beer and ran her fingers through Sophie's hair, allowing her to huddle in closer to her for comfort. The group settled down as everyone finished their dinner.
"We're out of toilet paper!" Amy called suddenly, standing at the door of the RV.
Merricat looked up from her sister, and her throat constricted as she saw what was happening. Within seconds, a roamer came from the trees, immediately grabbing Amy by the arm and sinking it's teeth into her flesh. She gave a shattering scream, and everyone turned to the source in horror.
In one, split second, chaos erupted. The women began screaming as walkers poured out from the trees. Everyone jumped to their feet. Merricat acting quickly, she grabbed Sophie up, holding her at one side as she drew her sword. Shane began instantly firing into the night as the group began to scramble and disperse.
"Merricat!" Sophie cried out in fear, clutching her sister desperately. "Take her!" Merricat barked to Lori, who instantly grabbed the child from her, holding both Sophie and Carl desperately close. Merricat ran to Shane's side. "Everyone get back!" she called, and turned to Shane, "You cover me, bring down as many as you can", and Shane's eyes went wide, "Merricat don't!" But he was to late to stop the determined girl was she bounded forward, sword raised in a guard position. Two walkers attempted to grab at her, but she hacked them both to the ground within seconds. Confusion erupted as the women screamed and tried to flock to safety. Merricat was utterly ruthless at taking down as many roamers as she could, but there was simply too many, and they were surrounded. Lori could find no hidden spot, no safety, and so she led herself, Carl and Sophie back to Merricat and Shane.
"Shane, Shane what do we do?" she pleaded in terror, only able to watch on helplessly as Shane continued to fire off rounds, and Merricat continued slashing and cutting, corpses falling all around her. Dale had picked up the .308 Winchester, and began firing alongside them. The screams of the bitten and the dying rose into the night air. It was a blood bath, a massacre, and they were right in the middle of it with nowhere to run. Merricat was encircled, but try as the roamers might, they couldn't bring her down. She dodged each clawing hand, each desperate bite, as she pierced every skull within cutting distance with the strong steel.
Once she was free to move, she ran back to Shane and the others, together they formed a wall for Lori, Carol and the children to move tightly together. "Everyone stay close, let's go!" he commanded, as he and Merricat cleared a path, killing every walker that came too close.
"Everyone get to the RV!" Merricat demanded, as she sliced the head of a walker that made a grab for Lori's arm. She kept frantically calling to Shane, begging him to tell her what they were going to do. Sophie cried desperately, watching the horror unfold before them.
The darkness of the camp was lit up with multiple rounds going off at once, Merricat looked up to see a group of men, headed by a man in a county sheriff's uniform, charge into the overrun camp. The only man she recognised, was Daryl. They managed to kill off the remaining walkers, and the Sherriff bolted forward, "Baby, baby!" he cried, and Carl ran forward, throwing his arms around him. Merricat immediately deduced that it was Lori's husband, Rick. The survivors of the attack, which were very few, began to scramble towards one another. Merricat turned, throwing her sword to the ground as she bundled Sophie into her arms. She was crying and shaking fiercely, and Merricat held her tightly, "It's okay, you're okay, it's all over", she tired to comfort her, but her own voice was cracking in fear and confusion as she panted heavily. "Merricat, Merricat", Sophie repeated over and over in fits of tears. She began to rock her gently in her arms, no child, should ever have to go through what she just did.
Merricat heard loud desperate wails, and she turned to see Andrea in floods of tears … next to the body of Amy. Even though she had barely known them a day, Merricat's heart felt heavy as she looked all around her, all was saw was a sea of grieving, terrified people, and the dead that surrounded them. "Amy, Amy, Amy, Amy!" she called over and over, unable to control her frantic sobs. Lori dropped to her knees, unable to handle the sight. It was gut-wrenching. In all that indescribable despair, Merricat was at a loss for words, everyone was clutching desperately at everyone else, anyone who was alive. Desperate for comfort, desperate for solace, desperate to feel life when faced with so much death. Sophie continued crying into her shoulder, and in the briefest of moments, Merricat locked gazes with Lori's husband as she held her trembling sister. He clearly didn't recognise her, they had yet to actually meet. But in that moment, they shared the same look in their eyes, of helplessness, but burden also. The burden of protecting their families. In that moment, they perfectly understood one another, despite being complete strangers. Merricat was drawn away as Sophie began to attempt to feebly lift her head as her cries began to quieten, "Don't baby", she tried to discourage her, a firm hand rested on the back of her head. "Don't, don't look alright? Just, don't look". Sophie sniffled and simply buried her head into the crook of her neck. "Just don't look", Merricat kept repeating, unable to think of anything else to say, "Just don't look".
Thoughts?