"Do you have to play this music?!" Kei yelled over the sound of Ted Nugent's 'Turn it Up' blaring in the CD player. She plugged her ears and watched as Merle tipped the bottle of whiskey he had her get and guzzle it down. He let out a little hiss as he wiped his mouth and smiled his classic smile at her.
"Ain't nothin' wrong with a little Rock n' Roll, babydoll!" He whooped, "The world may have gone to shit, but this, this right here is forever."
She winced as the guitarist let out another series of heavy, high-pitched guitar riffs. Merle just simply laughed at her discomfort and continued downing the bottle.
"You mind telling me why we're parked outside a liquor joint blasting music?!" She asked out, lowering her voice as Merle lowered the music.
"I know, I know, iss'not my ideal first date either," He looked over at her and laughed at her taken back expression, "Chill, girl! Just pullin' yer leg, now. No need to look like a deer in headlights."
He took another hearty swig before handing her the bottle. She took a small sip, one that earned her a tsk-tsk-tsk from the man next to her.
"Pitiful," He mused, "Come on now, Wild Child. Where's she at?! The crazy bit who's bangin' my little brother and willin' to die with me instead of him?!"
"That sounds terrible when you word it like that," She remarked.
"S'the truth," He scoffed as he scratched the back of his head, "Don't know why you came, to be honest. Thought you'd be by my brother's side, like a good little dog."
"I'm here for the same reason you are," She chirped, her eyes looking down at the bottle of whiskey, "So that we have a chance to spend a little more time with him."
She turned and looked back at the older Dixon, a look of complete surprise on his face. The corner of his mouth twitched a little before the two of them broke out into a loud laugh. Kei covered her mouth as she laughed, laughing even harder as Merle slapped his knee and shook his head.
"You ain't here for that hallmark bullshit and you know it, girl!" He hollered, wiping his teary eyes with his good hand.
"Then what am I here for, if not for love, Merle Dixon?" She asked in a dramatic tone.
"Yer here for ya pound of flesh," He answered, his laugh dying down and melding into a serious tone, "You want blood. His blood. You want him to pay for what he did to ya."
The corner of her mouth perked up in a smirk, a smirk that would have intimidated any other man. Not Merle Dixon though. After all, he had it on his face too.
"Look at ya, the thought of him dead is practically shinin' in yer eyes," He said in amusement, "My brother know yer this crazy?"
"I think he has an idea," She replied, the same amused smile on her face.
"Can see why he loves ya," He chuckled, shaking his head as he looked down at his hand, "Never thought he'd latch onto ya like he did though. Haven't seen him get all territorial like that since he found that ol' fat-ass of a cat of ours when we was kids."
"You had a cat?" She asked, her eyebrow arching slightly.
"Daryl had a cat," He corrected, "This dirty black stray he found while walkin' home from school, I think. Wouldn't let any of us touch it. One kid he was with tried to snatch the thing and the poor bastard nearly had his face bashed in."
Kei watched as Merle scoffed at the memory and shook his head.
"Don't know why I let you come with," He muttered, "Daryl's prolly gonna try and kick my ass if we get back..."
"When," She corrected.
"We ain't comin' back, girl," He asserted, "Never get optimistic before a fight."
"I'm always optimistic before a fight," She assured, "You and I are going to kill him, and then we're going back to the prison with the rest of this whiskey."
The corner of Merle's mouth moved into a genuine smile, the man nodding before looking ahead. Three walkers had emerged from the woods and were staggering in their direction. They were only a couple feet or so from the car.
"Look alive, babydoll," He announced in an amused tone, "It's showtime."
He turned the music back up and watched as the corpses began swarming around their car. He turned towards Kei and watched as she tipped the bottle upwards, taking a huge swig before handing over the bottle. She wiped her mouth and smiled, earning a nod of approval from the man beside her. Together they shared the rest of the whiskey, listening to Rock n' Roll and watching as the undead pounded and clawed at their car.
It wasn't their ideal first date, but at the same time, neither of them could see it going any other way.
Kei watched in a buzzed daze as Merle eased them along the narrow road. She recognized her surroundings easily enough. They were almost to the old feeding mill; the place where the Governor had met them before to discuss peace terms. She scoffed at the idea. Peace.
A numb and awkward smile stretched across her lips as she looked in the rear view mirror. A slew of Walkers staggered along behind them like little ducklings. They were drawn to the rock and roll music Merle had on at an obnoxiously high volume. As the whiskey started to kick in and the more she listened, she realized it wasn't half bad. Not bad at all, actually. She found herself bobbing to the beat and even had an urge to head bang a couple times.
The car began to bob up and down as Merle drove off into the grass. He pulled into the old feeding mill and made his way through the back where the maze of silos were.
"You ready to do this, girl?"
She nodded her head firmly, holding the door handle tight as Merle grabbed his rifle. He put his hand on his door and looked over to her, an oddly familiar expression on his face. Kei furrowed a little at it, the expression eerily similar to what Daryl gave her whenever they were about to do something dangerous.
"Stick close to me," He said to her. And with that he pushed the driver's seat door open and fell out, rolling across the grass a couple times before scrambling to his feet. Kei quickly opened hers as well and mimicked the same actions, falling into the grass with a hard thud. She got up to her feet and gripped the back of her Katana as she followed Merle along, the Older Dixon carefully and quickly leading them through the maze of silos. She could hear the sounds of Merle's harsh breathing and the Walker's hisses, along with the muffled noise coming from the car as it continued it's way down the path without a driver. Kei was actually really impressed. It was a pretty good plan so far.
She followed Merle inside an abandoned part of the mill just across from where The Governor was expecting them. Or rather to ambush them, the girl thought.
"Duck!" Merle hissed, bending down and hiding as raised voices sounded outside. Kei ducked down as well, her knees planting against the creaky, dirty floor boards beneath her. She listened as she heard several boots scrape and patter against the ground outside. She could hear men yelling and guns cocking over the sound of her racing heart. It was then she realized that this was real. This really was life or death right now. There were triple the amount of men out there with guns loaded, ready and willing to kill the two of them if they got caught. The very thought smacked down on her like a ton of bricks and her mind started to race. Holy shit, what on earth were they doing?!
"You get that window over there," Merle's rough voice muttered. Hearing him seemed to bring the girl back, ripping her from her thoughts and rooting her right here in the situation. It really was life or death now. If she wanted to live, if she wanted to see her group and Daryl safe, she had to fight now. She had to fight and win.
The girl took a deep breath through her nose and nodded firmly, carefully making her way towards the window on the other end of the room. Merle hunkered down against the wall next to him and pointed his rifle out towards the clearing in the center.
He watched as several Woodbury men made their way over to the abandoned car on the other side. He picked up his rifle and walked across to the other window, pointing his weapon at the line of soldiers that had their backs turned. They pointed their guns at the horde that swarmed around the car, shock and disbelief on all their faces.
"We got walkers!" One man shouted out, "They're all over!"
"Take 'em out! Take 'em out!" Martinez shouted. The men all raised their guns and began raining a hail of bullets down on the creatures. Kei watched from her window as more Walkers pooled out from the woods and the streets, drawn to the ruckus that only grew louder.
She turned her head when she heard Merle fire a shot, taking down a Woodbury guy with insanely long dark hair. The man fell to the ground screaming in agony, but the others just kept shooting. They didn't even acknowledge him. They were completely focused on the growing horde now staggering in their direction.
Another gunshot. Merle had taken down another guy with surprising accuracy, given all the whiskey he had consumed only minutes prior. Kei licked her lips a little and held up her handgun, pointing it out the window and over towards a man in a trucker cap. She took in a slow breath and pulled the trigger, watching as a chunk of his right shoulder blew off. One by one the Governor's men fell, Kei and Merle carefully picking them off as chaos ensued outside in the battlefield. The girl was impressed, Merle Dixon's plan was actually working. After firing her last shot on a Walker (the damned thing staggered in the way of her target), she quickly scrambled to reload her weapon. Merle switched windows an continued to fire with expert precision on guy after guy, looking through his scope as the frantic survivors looked every which way for the source of unfriendly fire. Kei continued her assault through the other window, carefully firing shot after shot. Her dark eyes scanned through the chaotic scene for her true target; the one she was saving an entire clip for. When she couldn't spot the governor outside her window, she quickly rushed on over next to Merle and looked out his. Sure enough there he was in all his glory, holding his handgun out towards an oncoming walker. Kei looked over and could tell Merle had him in his sights. His stormy grey eyes locked onto the leader as the cross hairs lined up to his temple. He took a deep breath and his finger pressed down on the trigger.
Kei watched with wide eyes, her heart racing a mile a minute as she stared over at The Governor. This was it. He was going to fall over and die and it would finally end.
But just as Merle pulled the trigger, a young boy in his early teens suddenly stepped forward with his rifle aimed at an oncoming walker. Had he not taken that extra step, the bullet would've gone through the Governor's right temple. Unfortunately, the bullet went straight through the boy's left shoulder. Blood bursted out from his lanky body and splattered onto the Governor's shoulder. He turned sharply, watching as the boy next to him flung back and landed onto the grass. Kei let out a sharp swear and pointed her gun forward, ready to unload everything she had on him. She put her finger on the trigger and was just about to fire when Merle suddenly let out a loud, "GIRL, MOVE!"
Kei pulled the trigger out of shock and yelped when an arm suddenly shoved her back. She stumbled backwards and tripped, falling over and landing behind a pile of feeding sacks. She let out a loud swear as her head smacked against the wall, her vision blurring for a minute as she heard Merle's shouts and grunts. She listened as two sets of feet scuffled across the wooden floor, a familiar and menacing snarl following suit. It was a Walker. Kei's eyes widened and she sat up straight, looking over at the Older Dixon as he fought for his life.
"You stay back! I got this!" Merle shouted to her, smacking the creature across the skull with his bayonet. He had only managed to peel off skin and a little bone, but he made up for it when he drew his arm back and thrust it forward, shoving his weapon attachment through the creature's eye socket. He gripped onto the walker tight and pinned him against the door, the thing suddenly swinging open and causing them both to tumble out. Kei was just about to scream after him when she saw three extra bodies run up and surround him. Martinez and two other men started kicking and beating the shit out of him with their guns. The older Dixon only grunted and hissed, trying to get up off the ground to fight back.
"YOU LEAVE HIM TO ME!" A familiar voice shouted. Kei's body instantly froze up, her eyes widening as The Governor dragged Merle inside and shoved him to the floor. Her mind instantly split in two, one side telling her to get up and shoot the Governor, the other telling her to fucking stay low and stay hidden behind the pile.
"Get up," Wild Kei screamed, "Get up! Get up you fucking coward! Shoot him! Shoot him in the chest!"
"Don't," Other Kei whimpered, "Don't! You're outnumbered, out-gunned! He'll kill you both and you would have died for nothing!"
"Merle's going to die!" Wild Kei shouted.
"You're going to die if you stand up!" Other Kei shouted back.
"Don't..." A rough voice murmured. Kei's eyes widened, her eyes peeking through a small space between two sacks of feed. Her dark fearful eyes looked over into Merle's dull greys as he struggled to get up off the floor. His eyes locked onto hers, his expression telling her all that it needed to. He had made the decision for her.
He wanted her to stay put. He wanted her to live.
His bloodied lips formed a pained thin line as he struggled to shake his bruised head.
"Don't..." He muttered to her again, coughing and spitting out blood.
"What's that, Dixon?!" The Governor barked, watching with burning hatred as the traitor struggled to turn his head.
"Don't..." He huffed, panting a few times before starting again, "Don't try to ruin yer nice shoes with them kicks now, Sweetheart."
He let out a rough laugh that was cut short when The Governor kicked him sharply in the jaw. Merle rolled back and struggled to turn and try to pick himself up, but the manic leader just kicked him right in the gut, knocking the air right out of him. The older Dixon slammed his metal stump against The Governor's leg, but it seemed to have no effect on him. Instead the Governor shoved his foot down on Merle's chest, making the man sputter and choke out for air. He reached down to grab Merle by the shirt, but the older Dixon swung his good hand around and socked the man right in the jaw. The Governor stumbling back gave Merle enough time to scramble to his feet and slam his body up against the disgruntled leader. As the two fought for their lives like a pair of caged animal's, Kei's trembling self began searching frantically around her for her gun. She needed it. She needed it now so she could end it. She looked around but she couldn't find it! It had to have fallen out of her hands when she tripped and fell.
She mentally swore in frustration and reached in back of her, gripping the handle of her Katana tight. She watched with wide eyes as The Governor had Merle pinned up against the wall, Merle shoving his hand against the leaders face to try and disable him. The Governor's mouth suddenly opened up and bit down on Merle's last two fingers, Merle letting out an ear splitting cry as the insane man latched on and tore at them like a rabid dog. He tore his mouth from the older Dixon's hand, two fingers still securely caught between his teeth. Kei's mouth dropped as he spat them out to some unknown location, headbutting Merle with brute force and yanking him off the wall. He pinned him up against an old generator and snapped his arm, the loud crack making Kei cover her mouth in shock. A whimper almost escaped her lips, the young girl clamping her hands over her mouth to hold it in. Her entire body shook as The Governor continued his brutal assault on Daryl's brother, finally stopping after hearing a only a couple seconds worth of Merle's sputtering and gasping from being held at the neck for so long. The Governor took a few steps back and spat some excess blood from his mouth to the floor.
He was there, right there in front of her. All she had to do was stand up and swing her sword. She could cut off his head. She could save Merle. She could end it. So why wasn't she standing? Why wouldn't she move? Merle needed help.
The memory of his rough voice saying, "Don't," kept playing over and over in her head. It's what kept her hidden behind the pile, and what rooted her to the floor. It's what kept her eyes locked on the scene before her, watching as Merle struggled and stared bitterly at the lean man with the bloodied face.
"I ain't gonna beg!" He choked out firmly, "I ain't beggin' you!"
He stared venomously at the one-eyed man as he shook his head, blood dribbling down his chin as his face grew oddly serene.
"No..." He spoke out simply. Kei watched and her heart leapt in her throat as The Governor raised his gun. Her entire body jumped as the ear-splitting sound of a gunshot cracked through the air. She could hear a faint shrill scream in her ears as Merle's body jerked and blood spurted out of his chest. Time seemed to stand still for her. She couldn't hear anything. She couldn't breathe. Her lungs felt like lead weights. The walls were closing in. Everything was shaking. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She could only watch, watch as Merle's body slumped to the ground and fell to the floor with a loud thud.
The sound of his body hitting the floor made her eyes grow wide; it seeming to rip her fears out from under her and shove only a single thought in it's place:
This sick fuck killed Merle.
He had to die.
He had to die.
He had to
Kei shot up from the floor and charged through the sack of feed, knocking them over as she stumbled and screamed bloody murder for the man in front of her. The Governor turned sharply and stumbled back as a silver blade suddenly thrust down in front of him, cutting into the metal pipe right beside him. Kei yanked it out and swung it around, attempting to hack the Governor's head clean off. The man ducked down and charged straight for her, barreling into her stomach and tackling her to the floor. The girl dropped her sword and started going crazy, flailing and clawing at whatever skin she could get her hands on. She yanked at his hair with one hand and attempted to claw at his cheek with the other, her efforts no match to the manic leader's strength. He brought one fist down into her side and punched her square in the ribs, making her scream even louder than before. It wasn't until after the 3rd hit or so that she finally let go of his hair to curl up, but The Governor got up to his knees and pinned her to the floor by the shoulders with his hands. He watched as the girl under her attempted to sit up, using all her strength against his own as she screamed and flared her teeth at him. The man above her was in complete awe.
"You really are a fucking animal," He hissed, holding her down as she violently thrashed about, screaming and shouting inaudible things to him. He slapped her across the face to shut her up, but she just kept screaming, attempting to move her head up to try and rip his throat out. She couldn't hear what he was saying. She didn't care. She wanted to see blood, his blood. She wanted to see him hurt. She wanted him dead.
"I'm going to kill you!" She growled, "I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU!"
He picked her up and slammed her down against the floor, listening as her head smacked against the wood panels. It didn't seem to effect her much, if at all. She just screamed and turned her head, opening her mouth wide and clamping down into his wrist. She bit down as hard as she could, listening as the Governor let out a loud yell and lifted his other hand, punching her square in the head in attempts to get her to let go. Kei still held on, biting down as hard as she could through the pain as The Governor continued to hit her. She could taste iron on her lips and felt something warm and bitter slide onto her tongue, giving her no choice but to swallow as she kept her mouth latched onto his wrist. She felt her head being lifted momentarily before being slammed back down, her vision flashing white as her head smacked against the ground. The Governor tore his wrist from her mouth and punched her in the face this time, watching as her head flung to the side.
Kei lifted her head to reach for his throat, but something cold and hard pressed into her shoulder. She kept her wild, coal black eyes locked on his as he pressed the barrel of his gun further into her shoulder. His lips curled in bitterness and hatred.
"I should kill you, you know," He hissed through his teeth, "I should rip you to pieces...you're gonna regret comin' here like this..."
"...Girl..." A man's voice suddenly choked out. The Governor looked over to Merle's body and saw his dull grey eyes looking straight towards the manic girl under him. Within a second Kei's instincts kicked in and she used her free arm to try and knock the gun away. Her shoulder was free from it for only a second, and Kei used that second to bring her open palm up and strike the distracted leader in the face. She felt his nose crunch and watched as his head fell back. He grunted in agony as he held his face, blood starting to ooze down his stubbled chin. He only let go for second and fumbled around to regain control of her, but doubled over when a bony leg smacked straight into his crotch. He let go of the gun and fell to the floor, Kei scrambling to her feet to grab her sword. As The Governor scrambled to get his gun, the girl ran over and grabbed her weapon, holding it tight and screaming as she turned around to hack his head off. The Governor gripped his gun tight and pointed his gun straight at her, yelling and pulling the trigger without second thought.
Daryl treaded across the feeding mill carefully, weaving around walkers and human bodies in the like. The place was dead silent, none of the Governor's men were around. Merle and Kei were nowhere to be seen.
The young hunter gripped his crossbow tight and pointed it at a distracted walker. The thing was feeding on the guts of a fallen Woodbury soldier, paying no mind to the living sack of flesh creeping up behind it. Daryl pulled the trigger of his crossbow and a bolt flew straight out, smacking into the skull of the creature.
He reloaded his weapon and stepped forward to take out the second one just up ahead. The Walker sat hunched over the body of a young kid, gnawing on it's intestines. Daryl was only a stone's throw away when he noticed how odd this Walker behaved (using only one hand to grab it's food) and just how familiar this creature was.
Merle looked up from the carcass with his bloodshot eyes, raw chunks of meat dangling from his thin lips. He stared over at his little brother, watching, as the young hunter dropped his weapon in disbelief.
He shook his head, watching as his older brother slowly stood up and growled at him. Blood dribbled down his chin and dripped onto his shirt, flies swarming around the gunshot wound at the center of his chest. He staggered forward, tripping over the dead body at feet but quickly regaining his balance. Merle kept his milky eyes locked on his baby brother, watching as the young hunter's lips curled and his eyes screwed shut. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't. Merle was...
He tried to keep it in, he really did, but it was no use. The tears burned his eyes and his heart was aching in agony. Merle was gone. He was officially gone this time. There was no chance at coming back. He was dead.
The creature staggered closer. With every step he took forward, Daryl took two back, recoiling as the pain swelled in his chest. His brother was gone, and he was never coming back.
Merle got in too close and Daryl lashed out, shoving him back with all the strength he had. He watched as Merle's bloody lips trembled as he growled, bouncing back and staggering forward for the young hunter again. Daryl quickly wiped his eyes on his sleeve and tried to pull himself together. He couldn't stop though. He couldn't stop the tears from leaking out as his brother drew close. He couldn't stop whimpering at the thought that Merle had left him once again, and there was no way he could come back. He had only just found him after all this time of being separated from each other. And then life decided to be funny and rip his brother away from him. There was so much he didn't get to say to him, and that thought alone made his throat clamp up and his heart race a mile a minute. He barely got to say anything. All he did say was that he just wanted his brother back.
He just wanted his brother back.
Daryl lunged forward and shoved Merle away once more as he got in too close. The creature spun around and stumbled back a little before regaining its footing. He staggered forward towards the hunter once more, and Daryl reached for his buck knife. His breathing grew heavy and ragged as Merle got closer. He had to do it. He just had to. He couldn't leave his brother like this, not like one of them.
Merle took one more step forward and Daryl lunged at him, shoving his knife into his brother's shoulder. He listened as Merle let out a gutted grunt, Daryl digging the knife deeper into his shoulder as they both keeled over to the ground. Daryl landed on top and pinned the creature to the ground with one hand, grasping his buck knife tight in the other. He raised his knife high and slammed it down into Merle's skull, yelling as the knife pierced his brother's brain. He raised it high and slammed it down over and over, yelling in complete pain and agony. He didn't stop. He couldn't. His only family was dead. He was alone. There was no time. There never was any time. He hated it. He hated everything, every little thing about this new world. Everyone always died. There was never time. He couldn't hold onto anything anymore, it would just get ripped from him.
It wasn't until the seventh strike or so that Daryl's arm finally gave out and he finally broke down. The corpse under him had long since stopped moving, blood oozing out of his mashed up forehead. It felt like gravity had suddenly crashed down on the young Dixon as he rolled over, falling into the grass and laying there completely numb. He screwed his eyes shut and put his hands to his face, his lungs wrenching and burning as he cried his eyes out.
He couldn't believe he was gone. His mom, his dad, his uncle, and now Merle. He was all alone now. The last man standing.
He laid there in the grass, his breathing ragged and unstable as he shuddered and whimpered. He tried calming himself down, listening to the wind as it brushed against the trees and kissed against his moist, heated skin. He had to calm down. He just had to. He needed to breath. He needed to think. Think of anything. Think of the forest. Think of wolves. Think of Kei.
The thought of her struck him like lightning, the hunter snapping open his eyes in realization.
Kei was with Merle.
Merle is dead, but where was Kei?
He sat up straight, scrambling to his feet as he looked every which way. He didn't see her anywhere.
"Kei!" He shouted out, not caring if walkers heard him. He staggered in one direction and then to the other, looking behind empty barrels and old wood piles for his girl, alive or not. He checked buildings around the mill, but only found blood trails and human remains, not reassuring the hunter at all.
"Kei!" He yelled out, his desperate voice cracking at the same time.
He stepped out of the last building and let out a strained whimper in his throat, all his fears running through his head all at once. She was dead. She got eaten. She turned. The Governor took her. He took her to Woodbury. He was hurting her.
"KEI!" He shouted out again, sounding a million times more lost than before. Pain and loss was quickly replaced with pure panic and fear. The truth was he was lost. He didn't have his brother, and now he didn't have his girl. He had no one right now, and it was the most terrifying thing in the world.
Her world shifted and swayed a she stumbled through the woods. Her side burned. Her muscles ached. She felt lightheaded. She stopped at a tree and leaned against it, huffing and gasping as she tried to catch her breath. She looked down at her hand that was latched to her side. Blood was seeping through her fingers and staining her jeans. Damn. She really liked the pair she had on.
She let her head fall back against the trunk of the tree, her eyes shutting for only minute, before the image of the Governor's gun going off flashed across her memory. She had missed her target and he had missed his. Although she had managed to nick his damn neck and ear, The Governor managed to shoot her in the side, which in her mind was the bigger victory. She swore at herself in frustration, if only she had shot him earlier.
She let out a strained whimper as a burst of pain shot up and down her spine. She screwed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth, grunting and whimpering. It was getting worse. She had to get back quick. God, going back sounded like the best and worst thing in the world. She would have to tell Daryl what happened to his brother. He sacrificed himself for nothing, and she was too much of a fucking coward to save him.
Tears began to well in her eyes. God, she was such a coward. How could she have just stood there while Merle took everything head on. She should of done something! She should have saved him!
Her legs wobbled before giving out, the girl falling onto her knees as the pain became too much. She let out an agonizing wail and broke down into a sob, not caring if Walkers came running and wanted to rip her apart. She couldn't bear to think about Daryl and how he would react to her chickening out like she did. She could have saved him. She should have saved him.
"Daryl..." She whimpered, choking into a sob as she screwed her eyes shut, "Daryl..."
Another sharp pain ran through her side, causing her to grasp onto her wound and wail in pain. She curled up and continued to sob, crying for Daryl and apologizing over and over. She was a coward. She was weak. She couldn't save Merle, she couldn't stop the Governor, what the hell was she even good for? All she did was get people killed. Lori. Her own family. Merle. She was death. You hung around her and it was sure to come for you.
Heavy footsteps scraped across the forest floor, kicking up leaves and twigs. Kei didn't bother to look. She could hear snarling, knowing full well what that meant. She didn't try to move. She just stared up at the trees, sniffling and whimpering as she tried to think of anything other than what was to come. It was better this way, right? She would die, and Daryl wouldn't be so hell bent on protecting her. Merle was, and he got killed. Her father was, and he got bit. If she lived, Daryl would, and he would get killed. It was better this way.
The snarling grew louder, the ground under her vibrating with every heavy step the creature beside her took. It was better this way, she thought to herself. She clutched onto her side and continued to look up at the sky, whimpering as tears streamed down the sides of her temples. She needed to breath. She needed to think. Think of anything. Think of the forest. Think of wolves. Think of music. Think of Beth's singing, especially that one song she sang around the campfire. God, how did it go...
"Go...Go-ood night, a-and joy be with you all," She chimed, her dry voice shaking and cracking as she heard hissing and snarling. Think of the trees. Think of Daryl. Think of his smile, his eyes, his lips...
"Good night...a-and joy...b-be with..." She took a shaky breath as the molded face of a walker blocked her vision of the trees and sky. The creature lunged down at her and she let out one final scream, screwing her eyes shut as the walker lunged for the skin on her arm.
Just as the creature grabbed her, something suddenly whizzed past and pierced it's skull, causing it to fly back and hit the forest floor with a loud thud. Kei turned her head sharply and looked at it, a long slender bolt sticking straight out of it's forehead. Her eyes screwed shut and she listened to the sound of rushed footsteps and heavy breathing. She heard someone fall to their knees beside her and felt a pair of calloused hands cup her face.
"Kei!" She heard Daryl's voice crack, "Kei, baby look at me. Look at me! Kei!"
She opened her eyes and stared up into the face of her hunter, his dirty face blurred and distorted through her tears. She heard him whimper and stammer just like her, suddenly feeling his lips pepper her cheeks and forehead with desperate kisses. It made her break down and sob as Daryl frantically tried to calm her. He grabbed his red handkerchief from his back pocket and placed it on her wound, causing her to scream in pain as he put pressure on it. He tried to shush her, telling her that it'd be alright and that he was going to get her home.
Home. Home sounded nice right now.
She whimpered and groaned as she felt herself being lifted off the forest floor. Daryl kept talking to her, telling her to stay focused on him and think of anything. All she could do was stammer and whine as tears rolled down her cheeks. She was in pain - pain from the wound, pain from losing Merle. All she could do for the hunter was mumble a barely audible "I'm sorry" over and over.
Daryl held her close as he rushed through the woods, his girl clutching onto his vest for dear life.
She could hear crickets chirping, the trees rustling and whispering as a gentle breeze blew against her sweaty skin. She felt light, yet numb. She couldn't move her body. She couldn't see. She could only listen, listen to everything as the world went on without her.
She could hear Daryl's struggled breathing as he carried her through the woods, the heavy thumping of his boots as he kicked up leaves and twigs.
"Stay with me, honey!" She heard his rough voice call, "Just keep talkin'. Say somethin', tell me anythin'!"
She tried to move her mouth, but her jaw wouldn't respond. She could only let out a small noise, a mix between a whimper and a groan. She could feel Daryl's heart banging against her cheek, his breathing becoming more rushed as he staggered through the woods.
"Don't you die on me," He warned, "Kei, yer not gonna leave me! Ya hear?!"
She tried clutching onto Daryl's vest to let her know she was there, but her hands and arms felt like lead weights. She was too tired; too tired to talk, to move, to cry from the pain in her side. She just wanted to sleep. Sleep sounded nice.
"Stay awake!" Daryl barked, shaking her lightly, "Listen! Tell me–Tell me 'bout the time you and Sen got lost up in the mountains."
"I've told you that one before," She thought, "Daryl, I'm tired..."
"Or– Or tell me 'bout Japan," He said frantically, "Talk 'bout the forests, and the people there. Talk 'bout yer little sister."
She didn't want to. She didn't want to do any of that. She just wanted to sleep. She just wanted to forget today ever happened.
"Dar..." She let out, making the hunter look down at her as carried her along. He pressed her to keep talking as he turned every which way, trying to find the right path towards home. She moaned something into his chest and before Daryl even got a chance to speak, her head fell back and her eyes stayed shut. Daryl looked down at her in complete shock and tried bobbing up and down, attempting to shake her awake. She didn't make a sound nor move a muscle, and that only made Daryl run faster and hold her tighter, using everything he had to try and get them home.
The girl laid there in darkness, not really asleep, not really awake. She could hear people yelling and talking frantically around her, but she couldn't see anything.
"GET HERSHEL! HERSHEL!"
"Everyone move! Step aside!"
"Kei, stay awake!"
"We're gonna get you well honey, you need to stay awake,"
She felt a cool hand touch her skin, pressing down on her forehead. The voices blurred and switched in and out from time to time, the girl losing track of the conversation as a dull pain in her side started to grow sharp again.
"How long's she been like this?!"
"She's lost a lot of blood,"
"Kei?! Sweetheart, what's you're blood type?!"
"She's an O, like me,"
"Sen, we're gonna need you to stick around,"
"Lay her out flat, hurry! On the mattress!"
"Carl go get the towels! Beth, I need my bag!"
"We gotta dig the rest of the bullet out."
Another sharp burst of pain. This one was worse than ever, more than when she got shot in the first place. She felt something sharp digging into her side and it caused her to let out a blood-curdling scream, the girl having no control over her vocal chords or her body. All she knew was that it hurt, and she wanted it to stop. She could feel her body shaking violently, her blood turning to liquid fire. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't open her eyes. She felt sick.
"Hold her down! Hold her down!"
"She's hyperventilating,"
"Kei we need you to calm down, honey. Calm down."
"Girl,"
Kei opened her eyes. Or at least, she thought she did. Her body was stiff, her vision shaking and the room seeming to shrink. She stared up at Daryl and watched as he pressed his forehead to hers.
"Girl, listen," He said softly, "Breathe like me, okay?"
He took a deep breath through his nose and exhaled slowly through his mouth. Kei felt his warm breath gently brushing against her sweaty skin, his chest slowly rising and falling against hers. She tried her best to mimic him, taking in shaky breaths through her nose and letting it out through her mouth. She couldn't help but whimper and groan as her side still ached and burned. He ran his hand along her arm in comfort, his lips pressing against her forehead.
"It's gonna be okay,"
He brushed some hair behind her ear and kept his forehead pressed to hers, breathing steadily with her. He felt her breath hitch in her throat and her eyes screwed shut again, a noise escaping her lips as Hershel started working on her again. Her back arched and her body started to shift away from the man, Hershel yelling for the hunter and whoever wasn't busy to hold her down. Sen rushed over and pinned her down by the legs. Daryl hovered over her and pinned her down by the shoulders, keeping his forehead against hers as she cried and squirmed in utter agony. He called to her, telling her to look at him and keep her eyes on his. She didn't listen. She kept her eyes shut, her pale lips pursed into a thin line. Everyone watched in panic and shock as Kei's whole body grew pale and clammy. She shook against Daryl and Sen's hold, groaning and wailing as Hershel dug back into her bloody skin to try and get the bullet out.
Daryl kept his eyes on her, watching as her shaky chest rose and fell under a pile of blankets. She was an ungodly shade of white, her skin and hair drenched in sweat. Tears continued to seep from her closed eyes and her body trembled. Hershel had removed the last piece of the bullet and made it clear that she wasn't out of the woods just yet. She would need blood, blankets to keep warm, and lots of fluids to keep hydrated. Sen was more than willing to give up blood, blankets, the moon, the stars, the air in his lungs, whatever she needed. He sat next to Daryl and together they stayed by her side.
Neither of them said a word. They just sat by her bed in grim silence, Sen resting his head on the mattress with a light sigh. Ren and Ame trotted in and rested their heads on the mattress as well. Ame gently nuzzled Kei's sweaty hand and licked it, whimpering lightly in sadness. Daryl reached over and ran a hand through his fur, watching as Kei's eyelids fluttered and her eyes shifted. This was torture seeing her like this. He could still hear her painful cries in the woods. Seeing her laying there, all bloody with a Walker gripping onto her arm; He had never been so terrified in his entire life. And the way she screamed, how she cried and apologized to him over and over in the woods.
This really was torture.
He had already lost his brother today, he couldn't bear thinking of losing his girl.