So many feels in this week's episode, I just couldn't hold back. I'm pretty impressed with how quickly this got finished. Obviously, I didn't cover the entire episode. I'm going to write another chapter, probably tomorrow or something.
Mary:Thanks for reading! I actually got giddy when you asked! I was wondering what was taking everyone so long, no one's mentioned this for then entire length of the story. When I wrote the Heat series of one-shots, I decided not to name the girls for simplicity. When I decided to expand the story, I wanted this fic to be like princess's diary. I wanted this series to be in first person and I didn't want to name princess or give her physical identity because I didn't want it to be involved. Princess could be anyone or anything the reader wants. Princess focuses on her nickname because she's still so caught up on her past relationship with Daryl and how he used to see her that way, even now, she has trouble overcoming it. I have toyed with the idea of naming her, maybe in the last chapter or something, but I'm not dead-set on the idea because I don't see the importance of giving her a name.
As always, reviews and alerts are welcomed and appreciated. :)
The rip of a zipper woke me up just as much as the blaring sunlight peaking in from the flap of the tent being held open.
"Brought ye breakfast." Daryl said, his voice rough and soothing in the early hours of the morning. He held out a bowl to me and pulled myself up to a sitting position, tucking the blanket under my arms to hold it up. The bowl was still warm when I grabbed it. Grits. "Still like honey in 'em?"
"Yeah, that's good. Thank you." I smiled, grabbing the spoon and sampling the food.
"Traded out with Glenn and Maggie. They're outside, workin' on diggin' graves." He sat down beside me as he spoke.
"I can help. Once I get dressed and all that." I chuckled. "Really romantic, huh? Grave diggin'."
He nodded, fighting a laugh of his own. "Yer idea of a date?"
"Daryl! I need you!" Carol screamed frantically. The next thing I know, she appeared at the tent entrance and blushed when she saw me. "Sorry. I didn't realize you were -"
"It's fine. What's going on?" I urged.
"I'm not sure. Rick said it's urgent."
"M'comin'." Daryl grunted. Carol turned to leave, walking briskly up to the prison courtyard.
"I'll be right behind you." I smiled at him.
"M'sure it's nothin'."
"Doesn't sound like nothing." I grabbed my shirt and Daryl stood up, looking away as soon as I dropped the blanket to shrug on the tee shirt. He grabbed up my panties and jeans and handed them to me. "Thanks." I muttered.
"I'll be outside."
"Be right there."
I dressed quickly and came out to find Daryl pacing. We could hear Tyreese screaming from where we stood. "Come'n." Daryl growled. I practically had to run to keep up with his quick paced stride.
We came upon quite a scene. Rick, Tyreese, and Carol were circled around two burned bodies, lying in the courtyard at the end of two side-by-side trails of blood.
I gasped and the sight, nearly gagging. Daryl allowed me to clutch onto his vest as I hid behind his back.
"Karen and David." Carol explained quietly.
"You found them like this?" Rick asked.
Tyreese was fuming. "I came to see Karen, an' I saw the blood on the floor. Then I smelled it." The way he said it was frighteningly calm. Then he began to shout. "SOMEONE DRAGGED THEM OUT HERE AND SET THEM ON FIRE! THEY KILLED THEM AND SET THEM ON FIRE!" He stepped into Rick's personal zone, threateningly. Daryl shifted awkwardly, pulling out of my grasp incase Tyreese tried anything. "You're a cop. You find out who did this and bring 'em to me. You bring 'em to me, ye understand?! Bring 'em to me!"
"We'll find out who did this..." Daryl nearly whispered, lightly touching Tyreese's shoulder.
Tyreese rejected Daryl's kindness and pulled away. He spun to glare at Daryl and saw me. The way he looked at me, it seemed as though he only just realized I was there. "What about you, huh? You never did like Karen." He said, causing me to shake. I backed up into the cold stone wall behind me to escape him.
"You can't possibly think that I -"
"Oh, I already do." His hands found my shoulder and he used such force that I could feel his thumbs dig into the gaps under my collar bone.
I slapped his hands away. I was surprised that he let me. It was as though he just realized he had just put his hands on a woman. If there was any morality left in the world we lived in, true Southern gentleman should know better. "Ty, Karen and I never got along but I would never... I could never..." I whimpered. He didn't back up though, so I did the only thing I knew left to do to escape. I slid down the side of the wall and cried into my hands.
"Now that's enough man! Sh'ain't responsible!" Daryl grabbed for Ty's shoulder, trying to redirect him. His tactic back fired and Tyreese braced his forearm across Daryl's throat and shoved him into the wall beside me. Rick went to grab Ty, but Daryl warned him off. "We're all on the same side, man." Daryl said, trying to sound calmer.
"Hey, look. I know what you're going through. We've all lost someone. We know what you're going through... but you - you have to calm down." Rick tried to reason with Ty. He tried to ease him off of Daryl and Tyreese snapped, turning on Rick.
"Get the hell back!" He growled.
"No!" Carol warned, trying to intervene.
"She wouldn't want you being like this." Rick said. That's when Ty threw the first punch.
"No!" I screamed back, my voice still shaky. "Stop! Stop!"
Ty threw another punch before Daryl could try to wrestle him down. "That's enough man! That's enough!"
Rick got himself up and turned the tables, punching Tyreese with such force that he fell out of Daryl's grip, doubling over. Rick kicked his stomach and he fell on his back, leaving his face open for another punch from Rick's fist. "Rick!" Daryl growled. He got another punch or two in before Daryl caught his arm.
"Let go of me!" Rick screamed, over and over.
"No!" Daryl insisted. Realization finally struck Rick and he pulled back. Rick, Tyreese, and Daryl all tried to catch their breath as Carol and I tried to regain composure.
"Wait a minute!" Daryl called after me.
I tried to dry my eyes as I stormed off from the courtyard.
I was mad. I broke down in front of everyone, I let Ty belittle me in front of the group; in front of Daryl. To make matters worse, I was a suspect for murder, or whatever it was that you could call this. What happened to Karen and David, no one was sure, but apparently I was at the top of the suspect list.
Daryl broke out in a run and his long legs didn't take long to jump in front of me. "Hey, listen!" I tried to push past him, but he held me steady. "Would ye listen ta me fer a minute?"
"What, Daryl?" I spat.
"Look, no one thinks that you –" He paused, rubbing his chin in complacent thought. "No one thinks you coulda done that. I know ye didn't. Ye were sleep all night."
"Gee, some alibi coming from the man who won't even be my character witness. Can't exactly tell everyone where I was when you can't even admit to everyone what we do behind closed doors, huh Daryl?" I pushed past him and made my way back to the tent to grab my hunting knife.
"Hey!" He hollered. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
I got the flap to the tent open and turned to glare at Daryl. "Will you just let me be? All you ever want is your own fucking space! Is it such a foreign concept for me to want the same thing?"
He stopped in his tracks, biting his lower lip and crossing his arms. "Yeah." He nodded, quietly. "Yeah. I'll let ye be."
I slipped into the tent far enough to grab my bayonet before I pushed past Daryl and ran out to the fence, taking out my frustrations on stray walkers. Stragglers appeared before me at the outer fence and I speared them, almost always in the eye. I felt Daryl's eyes on me as I screamed. Dark blood and brain matter spattered all over me until my arms began to go numb.
I felt like I was about to fall out, completely exhausted, when strong arms grasped me around the middle, catching my arms and stilling my motions. "S'nuff." Daryl warned. "I promise, I'mma figure out who the fuck did this. Ye don't 'aveta worry 'bout it, anymore."