Chapter 4: The Escape
Hours passed and Daryl Dixon didn't return. Darkness was setting in. It appeared Kaesta would be spending the night in the barn with no further questioning. Part of her was relieved, part of her wished they'd just get it over with so they could let her go or kill her. Either way must be better than sitting here not knowing what would happen next. Kaesta wondered if she'd only imagined that there'd been a moment where Daryl had seen her as a human being. She worried about the consequences if she was wrong.
Kaesta's eyes welled up with tears but she choked them back, turning so Randall wouldn't see. Sitting across from him, a constant reminder of the previous weeks, was not easy. Trusting him had been the biggest mistake of her life. With the adrenaline wearing off things were starting to catch up with her. In need of a distraction Kaesta busied herself examining her feet. Focus, intellectualize, distraction anything to push her emotions aside. That's how she coped. Problem was she wasn't coping so much as postponing the inevitable. At some point she'd have to face the truth.
Some of the cuts on the bottom were puffy and red. Infection was festering in the wounds. No doubt running through the cesspool of a swamp had done nothing to help their condition. Seeing them only confirmed what she'd already known from the sharp pain she'd felt when she bumped her feet. At least this gave her an idea how bad they were. It shouldn't be a problem so long as she could tend to them soon. While running through the woods she'd seen at least a few herbs she recognized from back home. Unfortunately so far she hadn't much of a plan for how she was going to escape to do that. All she could do was bide her time and wait for an opportunity to present itself.
Inside the farmhouse everyone gathered for dinner. Everyone except for Dale and Daryl. Dale was out on top of the RV keeping watch and Daryl was isolating himself on the outskirts of the farm. Ever since they had found Sophia inside the barn, already turned into a Walker, he had been pulling away from the group. Most of his time he spent out hunting or by his tent cleaning his crossbow and making new bolts.
Spirits were relatively good despite the hardships the group had suffered. No one mentioned the prisoners out in the barn and it was business as usual. They sat together, shared stories from their past and laughed over jokes. For a moment they could forget how crazy the world had got and live like normal people. It was as if outside the dead weren't rising to eat the living.
When they were finished their meal Carol stood up. "I'm going to take some food out to Dale," she announced. After her encounter with Daryl the other night she was giving him some space although still keeping a close eye on him. She worried about him. "I'll put something together for the two out in the barn," she offered, refusing to call them their prisoners.
After stopping by the RV with Dale's supper Carol made her way in the fading light to the barn. It bothered her a great deal that they were keeping the young woman and boy locked up out here. Everyone was so on edge already and their being here just added fuel to the fire. That and it broke her heart to think of them chained up the way they were. She wished Rick would hurry up and decide what to do with them. Let them go. Drop them off somewhere. Just get them away from the farm.
"I brought you some food and water," Carol spoke softly and gently as she entered the barn. Randall was sitting with his back leaning against the barn wall. She left the food just within his reach not chancing getting close enough for him to grab her. That boy and his friends had shot at Rick, Glenn and Hershel. She didn't trust him for a second. "It isn't much," she said apologetically as Randall hastily snatched up what was offered.
"If you're still gonna be on hunger strike there Kaesta, I'd gladly take your share. No point in wasting, you know?" There was mockery in his voice. He was braver with this older woman here than he would have been with any of the men. Kaesta comforted herself with the reminder that he was nothing but a coward. Still, tears welled up in her eyes and she turned away at the memory...the men bringing her a plate of food...Randall laughing along with them...Jake's collar on the side of the dish. He'd been her best friend for the last four years and her only companion through the madness following the outbreak and she missed him terribly. She would have starved before she gave in. She pushed the thought aside, she couldn't bear it. Focus. Anything else.
Carol's eyebrows knitted together and a frown crossed her face as she looked towards the girl. How old was she? Twenty-three? Twenty-four maybe? It was hard to tell. There was so much pain in her eyes. Something Carol knew all too well. How barbaric they were, keeping her like this. What had she actually done? Nothing really, she was just caught sneaking around the farm. Poor thing was probably just lost and scared. Dale was right, they were going to lose their humanity if they weren't careful.
"Kaesta, right?" Carol asked, searching the younger woman's face for something to give her a clue where all that pain was coming from.
Kaesta nodded studying the woman standing in front of her. There was such a deep sadness in her face. Kaesta had a good idea why. Yet here she was, still with empathy for this stranger. Kaesta admired her strength. It made her feel vile to be thinking that she might be able to use this woman and that this might be the opportunity she'd been waiting for.
"How old are you?" Carol asked trying to extend some kindness in casual conversation and treating the girl like a human being. There was something motherly about her, Kaesta thought.
"I'm twenty-eight," Kaesta told her. Carol was shocked. She certainly didn't look twenty-eight. "May I ask your name?" She hoped this woman would be a little more forthcoming than Daryl had been.
"I'm Carol." She seemed willing enough to exchange social niceties. As Carol awkwardly held the water and bits of meat for Kaesta who's arms were handcuffed behind her back to the pole, the two women chatted.
"This squirrel?" Kaesta managed between mouthfuls, recognizing the taste of the stringy meat.
Carol laughed. "Yes, I think so. How do you know it's squirrel?"
Kaesta smiled warmly. "I've ate my fair share since, well, since all this," she gestured with her eyes since her arms were immobilized behind her, "started happening. Just like the rest of you," she offered bridging the gap between them. The more Carol could relate to her the better. Laughing she added, "Besides, I saw a bunch hanging outside of Daryl's tent. It seemed like a safe guess." It was hardly a guess. Kaesta would recognize squirrel anywhere but she wanted that common ground.
Kaesta made sure to be as open as she could and to give more than she got. She needed to gain the woman's trust. Carol learned that the young woman was from a small town on the west coast of British Columbia. She'd come down across the border for some sort of conference just before the outbreak hit. She had been married once but her husband, a mechanic, had died a year later in a car crash. That was four years ago. She had no kids, just her dog Jake, whom her and her husband had got just months before his accident. Jake was no longer with her. She didn't elaborate but Carol just assumed that a Walker had got him. Kaesta fought back tears and Carol didn't push her for any more details about her life.
Time was running out. Kaesta swallowed the last piece of meat. "Maybe," she proposed, "you could talk to, Rick, is it? I know you need to keep me locked up until you're sure I'm not here to hurt any of you, and I get that, that's okay."
"I..." Carol didn't know what to say. She just looked at Kaesta an expression mixed of sympathy and uncertainty.
"But, my shoulder's really hurt, and I'm not sure how I'm going to sleep." Kaesta let her eyes fall on Randall with his length of chain, waiting until she was sure that Carol's gaze had followed. Taking a deep breath she continued, "I don't need much. Just enough so I can move a bit and maybe lay down." After all, if Randall, who tried to kill Rick and whomever else was allowed that much, why shouldn't she be. She didn't speak the last part, but hoped Carol would pick up on it and think the idea her own.
Carol nodded but didn't speak. Kaesta hoped it would be enough. "Thank you, Carol."
"So what are you planning?" Randall prodded after Carol had left.
"I'm not planning anything," Kaesta lied. "If they wanted to kill me like you say, why would they bother to waste food on me?" Randall contemplated this, but he knew if Shane had his way they'd both be dead. Kaesta knew this too and wasn't willing to take the chance. Not that she really expected to get away, but she had to at least try.
Time passed and Kaesta started to doubt that Carol had talked to Rick at all or that he was going to come. Eventually he showed up with a length of chain which he fastened with a padlock around the post. Looking truly apologetic he said, "I'm sorry it has to be this way."
Kaesta smiled and nodded. "That's alright." She was so easy going, so accepting of her circumstance. She wanted him to be comfortable, to underestimate her. "I just appreciate you doing this." She caught Rick's eye and offered him a sad smile.
"I'm going to uncuff you," Rick explained as he crouched down beside her, "then you're going to put your hands out slowly in front of you and I am going to secure them to this chain." Kaesta nodded. Her heart was pounding. "If you try anything," he warned, "I won't hesitate to shoot you. Do you understand?"
"I understand." Kaesta agreed to his terms, but she doubted that he would. It was a big risk to be taking, it was her life after all, but she didn't think he had it in him. Besides, if she stayed, it was almost a certainty that his partner would kill her.
Reaching behind the young woman Rick undid the handcuffs. As soon as her wrists were free Kaesta leapt up, knocking the officer off balance. There was no gunshot as she made a beeline to the barn door. Behind her she could hear Rick hollering something, but her heart was pounding so hard it drowned it out.
She could disappear into the woods and then away from this farm forever. This time she wouldn't stop running. No more people, just her on her own. She didn't need them; she had no problem fending for herself. Hell, that's just what she'd been doing before she had the misfortune to run into Randall's group. Although she'd had Jake then.
For that brief moment she tasted freedom and thought, miraculously that her foolish, desperate plan had worked. Then, as she rounded the corner, she plowed straight into something. Someone. She didn't even see it happen. Next thing she knew she was flat on her back gasping for air. The wind was knocked out of her when she'd hit the ground. She tried to get up but realized that she was pinned. Everything was coming back into focus.
"The fuck you doin'?" Daryl hadn't anticipated just how light she was, hadn't expected for her to hit the ground so hard. It was the closest he would come to an apology. He looked her up and down hoping he hadn't cracked her ribs. He'd only meant to stop her, not to hurt her when he'd heard Rick holler for assistance. "Rick!" He called, "O'er here."
Once, twice she blinked. Kaesta hadn't heard a word Daryl had said as she regained her bearings. She struggled to stand. With his weight on top of her she couldn't move. Panic set in. Trying desperately to escape she thrashed wildly, yelling incoherently at him. The breath she had gained was lost in a claustrophobic, suffocating fear. She was sobbing and trying to gulp in air while hot tears streamed down her face.
"The hell?" Daryl didn't know what to do with her. "Best stop 'fore you break sumthin'," he warned concerned in her frantic state she was going to hurt herself. There was something about the wild-eyed terror that registered with him. "Shit," he mumbled under his breath. He backed off, keeping a grip on one of her arms. "Git up," he demanded. She didn't hear him. "Git up," he tried again as he yanked her to her feet. After a couple of deep breaths she stood. She was still crying uncontrollably but she was listening.
"What did you do to her?" Rick asked watching the spectacle from the barn door. The young woman was terrified.
"Didn't do nothin'" Daryl growled back. Both men exchanged a puzzled look. As he dragged Kaesta beside him back into the barn Daryl glanced sideways at her. He had a good idea, but he wasn't sure. He certainly hoped he was wrong.
Kaesta walked easily back to the post where she'd been handcuffed before and slumped to the floor. Without a word she held her wrists out in front of her. Whereas before she had made a point of making eye contact and trying to engage them, now the young woman would not meet their eyes.
Across the room Randall grinned. "Some great plan there, Kaesta. How did you see that working out?" As the two captors glared at him he laughed nervously and shut up.
Rick looped the handcuffs through the chain and secured them around her wrists, which were already raw where the metal had been rubbing her skin. Daryl fidgeted uncomfortably at the sight of her trembling and forlorn. He'd seen her afraid before, trying to hide it no matter how futile. It had been almost amusing how hard she tried. This was different. She was barely aware that they we there and she certainly wasn't trying to put on appearances. He felt bad for the young woman, and angry at himself for giving a damn about some stranger.
"I want t' talk to 'em separately, ain't no use talkin' to 'em t'gether like that." Daryl informed Rick once they were both outside the barn.
Rick looked at Daryl questioningly. "If that's what you..."
"She ain't gonna say shit with him there." Daryl snapped not allowing Rick to finish. "I'll talk to 'em in the mornin' when she's settled." End of conversation. It was clear he had no intentions of saying anything further or sharing his suspicions with Rick at this point in time.
Rick just nodded unsure of where Daryl was going with this but trusting him to make the call. He found where him and his former partner Shane were becoming further divided he was looking more to Daryl. To his surprise, the antisocial loner was stepping up to the task amazingly well.
Notes: I had thought about making this into two chapters. One for the interaction with Carol and the bit of back story that comes out there and another for her escape attempt. However, I'm trying to transition here and didn't want it to drag out. Also, I am trying very hard to keep people in character, so if you notice anything that seems OOC, please let me know so I can get back on the right track. I've got the next chapter or two planned out and I have some ideas where I want to go with this, but it is definitely a work in progress and open to change.