So I struggled with this chapter, I know exactly where I'm going with the story and this seemed the best way to actually get there. Yet when I was writing it I found that even I was annoyed by my OC…I really don't want her to be whiny and annoying and trust me, some shit will be going down in the next few chapters that'll make her grow the hell up and realise she needs to look after herself.

Please review!

Chapter Twenty Five

Lila pulled her vest top over her shoulders, standing in front of the mirror with only her bra and shorts on, she could hardly bring herself to turn around. She clenched her fists and turned, peering over her shoulder to assess the damage.

The scars on her back were thick with scar tissue, each running over another in a sinister pattern. She held her mouth shut, keeping herself from crying as she tried to buckle up and be strong. It was surprisingly harder than she had at first thought, since this was the first time she'd been able to look at her scars up close. Her fingers moved over her mouth, so as to stop herself making a sound but it didn't work. Instead, she just fell to her knees, her eyes still on the mirror.

"Lila," A voice from outside came, she recognised it as Daryl.

"Go away!" She shouted, her voice breaking.

"What the hells wrong with you?" Daryl questioned from the other side of the door. Lila couldn't reply, her hands fell in front of her as she held herself on all fours. She heard the door click open and suddenly he was there, at her side.

"Don't!" Lila tried to fight but Daryl held onto her wrists, holding her back. She struggled as best she could against him but it was no use. His arms wrapped around her as he held her against his chest.

"Shut up!" He yelled, "Shut up," Daryl repeated, his voice growing softer.

"I should have never left them," Lila stuttered through heavy breaths, "I should have stayed with my family, I should have listened to them."

"Not a thing can be done about that now, LB, no use sittin' cryin' over it," Daryl stated and Lila pulled back.

"Is that what everyone said about your brother?" She asked, her voice quiet.

"That was different," Daryl stated.

"I ran away from my family, I had a ticket out of this and I ran in the other direction."
"You didn't know it was gunna be as bad as it is, Lila," Daryl soothed, moving her hair out of her eyes.

"Did anyone?" Lila asked, shaking her head, "I think I need to clear my head," Lila stood up, embarrassed by the fact her scars were entirely visible. She pulled on her clothes as Daryl stood, awkwardly watching as she put her boots on and walked out of the room. If there was one person that all this shit was breaking down, it was Lila. As much as he wanted to follow her, he let her go.

"Fine, leave!" Daryl called after her as he followed her down the stairs and out the house.

"See how long you last without someone babysittin' you!" Daryl hissed but Lila didn't turn around, she just kept walking.
"You alright?" Carol asked Daryl quietly.

"Fuckin' peachy," Daryl replied sarcastically as he stalked off.

Lila sat down on a tree stump, attempting to catch her breath. She was about a mile away from the house and already the guilt of leaving was starting to set in. She felt stupid, ridiculous even, for running off like a spoilt child, especially with Daryl already talking to her like a kid every five minutes – telling her not to go off on some attention seeking rant. Yet that was exactly what she'd just done. Lila cursed herself for being so selfish, Daryl didn't need this shit just now; the group was under enough strain as it was trying to find a safe place to stay for the winter. She shook her head at herself as she stood up and ran her hands back through her hair, no one had time for her problems right now, there were more important things to worry about and she'd do better for herself the quicker she realised that.

As she wiped her eyes and turned to head back to camp, there was a snap of a twig behind her. She came to a halt, turning slowly on her heel as she scanned the trees surrounding her. There was nothing to be seen and the noise seemed to have vanished into thin air. Lila watched for a second but she couldn't find any threat, she had a gun held tightly in her hand. It was only when she started to walk that she was knocked to her feet, Lila collapsed in a heap, her side already burning. Suddenly she was pulled up, a man towering above her.

"Well, well, look what I found, I got her!" The man smiled, it was a wide and terrifying grin. The man held Lila by the throat and she quickly kicked him in the shin, he budged enough for her to aim her gun but he knocked her hand away, causing her to shoot three times into the air before he threw a punch at her, knocking her flat out cold on the forest floor.

Daryl frowned as he stared out into the forest, the noise had been faint but he'd definitely heard it. As Rick came up beside him, the same confused scowl on his face, worry started to build in his stomach.

"You heard that right?" Rick asked, Daryl glanced towards him momentarily.

"Loud and clear," He replied.

"Lila back yet?"
Daryl shook his head in a silent no, grabbing his crossbow from the porch before stalking towards the woods.

"I'll come with, if it's been a few hours, no tellin' how far away she could've got. Don't know how close the shot was," Rick said calmly, taking note of the tension on Daryl's brow.
"Girl was stupid to go out there in the first place," He muttered.

Her body slid side to side, the floor beneath her was solid and her hands tied firmly together. It was dark and the feeling of cloth on her eyelids told her that she was blindfolded. She tried to think back to the man that had grabbed her, did she recognise his face? He wasn't from the group that kidnapped her months ago, she knew that for sure…but something about him seemed so familiar. As she struggled against the restraints on her wrists she could feel the plastic digging into the skin, the flesh raw and painful. Once again Lila found that she was cursing herself for being so stupid; as always, she was the naïve little girl that Daryl had said she was. Tears soaked the blindfold as she realised that this was probably it, wherever she was going was probably the place she would die.