Daryl didn't even try to sleep. Instead, he decided to go back to the infirmary and clear the rest of the area out of walkers. His mind kept racing through the events of the last week. There was a part of him that had started feeling numb, like it was closing off to the world, but the baby had crashed through the walls he had been building, leaving him a different man.
Merle had always said he was weak, calling him a "sissy boy" and "Darylina". It used to hurt…not so much the name calling, but the fact that Merle looked down on him. It wasn't until he had become part of the group that he started thinking about who he was. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Daryl acted different when Merle was around and that bothered him.
He wanted to be his own man.
Daryl felt it before he heard it. Some sort of weird sixth sense made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. It wasn't until he stopped to listen that he heard the eerie sound of metal scraping on cement.
Hell, he thought¸ maybe he was a sissy body.
Snorting in self-disgust, Daryl continued down the hallway toward the infirmary.
He and Rick had already cleared the front portion of the area. The only parts left were the individual rooms that made up the hospital wing. He was about to open the double doors when he decided that he was being stupid. He didn't know the layout down here and he'd need at least one other person to clear both sides safely. He couldn't be reckless anymore. Too many people were depending on him.
Shit! He thought. He was turning soft, but with that thought in mind, he turned back around and headed toward the cell block.
He didn't notice the shadowy form that had been watching from the storage room.
#####################################################################################
Daryl was surprised when he returned to see that everyone was awake. All heads turned toward him as he entered, causing him to pause for a second.
"What?" he snapped irritably. "What'r you all looking at?"
It was Carol who broke the tension when she burst out laughing. The group had been sitting around telling ghost stories like teen agers and had gotten themselves so good and scared that they all dragged their mattresses into the middle of the cell block. Waiting to hear the sound that Carol swore she heard, they all jumped out of their skin when Daryl turned the corner.
"You scared the shit out of us!" Carol accused, laughter bubbling over as she clutched her chest in a mock heart attack.
"What's wrong with you people?" Daryl asked disgustedly, shoving his crossbow across the table and flinging his pack on the floor.
Everyone laughed as Daryl glared at them.
"What!?" Throwing his hands up in irritation, Daryl stomped over to the room where the girl lay sleeping.
"Idiots." He muttered under his breath, walking into the room with one last glance over her shoulder at the giggling imbeciles in the other room.
Looking over at the bed, he saw that the girl was watching him and his face immediately lost its frown. His expression softening, he walked slowly over to the bed and sat down on the edge.
"Sleeping beauty's awake." He said softly, smiling gently at her.
"Katelyn." She whispered.
It took Daryl a moment before he figured out that she was offering him her name. He smiled in response.
"Katelyn." Daryl repeated, trying the name out. "Katelyn….?"
Katelyn ducked her head down, refusing to look him in the eye.
"Just Katelyn." She answered, avoiding the answer to his question.
Daryl realized immediately that she wasn't going to answer him. It made him wonder why. Normally, he would have felt suspicious but he was more curious than anything.
"Well, 'Just Katelyn'", he joked, "You up to eatin' something?"
She looked back up at him, having expected him to be upset with her, so when he started joking with her, she was surprised.
"I'll be right back." Daryl got up and jogged into the other room. The others watched him curiously as he rifled through the bag for something to eat.
Carol stood up and walked over to the Tupperware bowls that contained dinner from that night.
"Here-" Carol said, grabbing silverware to scoop out some food onto a plate. "Let me help."
"She's awake." He stated in his characteristic monosyllabic style.
Carol sighed in relief.
"Is she talking?" She asked as she closed the container back up.
"Yeah." At this point, he was being intentionally difficult.
Carol snorted in mock irritation, slapping his arm gently.
"You're so difficult." She scolded playfully.
Daryl couldn't help himself. He smirked as Carol shoved the plate toward him.
He took the plate and hook a mug with his little finger, calling out over his shoulder with a grin, "Katelyn. Her name's Katelyn."
Carol and the others watched him leave the room.
##################################################################################
The Governor stood on the heap of twisted metal and debris that formed a barricade against the ugly world outside. The men were quietly talking as they walked the ramparts looking for threats. He couldn't sleep, his thoughts kept turning to the day she disappeared. They had fought the night before, an ugly fight where he had lashed out at her for daring to challenge his authority. She had said horrible things to him, calling him a monster. When he struck her, he instantly felt guilty and grabbed her to him to apologize, but she had run.
Even when she was young, she had been feisty, fighting against anyone who would perpetuate injustice. It wasn't his fault that she couldn't understand the necessity of these times.
She had come to him, shaking with rage, and accused him of many things. During the argument, she called him a murderer and a liar. He had slapped her across the face so hard that she had fallen on the ground. If she'd have just stayed there, it wouldn't have gotten out of hand but she had pushed herself back up. Before he could stop her, she marched over to the closet and ripped the door open.
Within 2 seconds, the "creature" inside the closet lunged out at her, snapping her jaws in an attempt to rip the flesh from her, but she sidestepped it. The Governor cried out in anguish, realizing that his secret had been exposed. She had found out about her little sister in the most horrifying way and was now mocking him.
"Explain that!" She screamed at him, tears pouring down her face.
The Governor tried to reach out to calm her, but she wouldn't let him.
"Explain that…" She had shouted, breaking down into sobs which accompanied the growls and groans coming from the creature with the bag over its head.
In desperation, Philip grabbed hold of the snarling walker and steered it back into the closet. Fury began building in him and when he turned around to face his eldest daughter, a backhand came with it. Knocking her to the ground, he stood over her full of fury and rage for her disobedience.
"I…don't…have…to explain." He spat out through clenched teeth, grabbing her up by the collar and lifting her to her feet.
Terror seized her as she realized that her father was too far gone to be reasoned with. The primal instinct within her told her that he was now a threat to her. His eyes had gone cold.
Bunching up her legs, she pulled them back, then kicked him for all she was worth.
Uhhh! The wind was knocked out of him as she launched herself backward, away from him, landing on her back on the hardwood floor. The Governor stumbled backward, bent over at the waist as he tried to take deep breaths against the wrenching pain of getting kicked in the balls.
Scrambling to her feet, she raced over to the cabinet where he kept the guns and wrenched one free. Because of the danger this world presented, he kept them loaded in case they were needed instantly. Grabbing a box of shells, she scrambled toward the back bedroom where she frantically lifted the window. She could hear him stumbling down the hallway toward the room and knew she only had a few seconds before he got there.
Shoving the shotgun out the window, she was about to climb out when she felt a vice-like grip on her ankle. Yanking her back through the window, she smacked her head on the ledge, before slamming into the table next to her. At this point, he was beyond reason, and she turned to look at his face. It was mottled and beet red with veins bulging from exertion and fury.
Dragging her down the hallway by her ankle, she desperately tried to grip onto anything she could find, but to no avail. Throwing her into the living room, the Governor pounced on top of her before she could get to her feet. Balling up his fist, he punched her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her so she couldn't run.
Desperately gasping for air, she lay there, trembling and pushing at her father. Grabbing a fist full of her hair, Philip lifted her head close to his.
"Now you listen, you bitch." Spit dribbled down his chin, his lips stretched thin in a snarl or rage.
"You will fucking do what I tell you to do or I will beat you within an inch of your life." His eyes were bloodshot, the red veins punctuating his ice cold eyes.
"Do you understand me?" He spit out, causing her to flinch in fear.
She thought about rebelling, but she was scared for her life now. She had never seen him like this and she didn't know if he was so far gone that he didn't care that she was his daughter.
All she could do was nod.
