New York sounded good. She always liked New York. Her middle school choir used to take field trips up there to compete with other schools around the U.S. She liked it there. She liked the crowds, the fast pace, the grittiness of it all. She could live in New York.
She flipped the pages of her magazine, staring at all the pretty, big eyed, full lipped models that posed and stared back at her. She found it oddly relaxing, even with all the background noise coming from fellow travelers walking from all directions. Her ears perked up as she heard a warm and welcoming voice chirp from the speakers:
"Flight 297B to LaGuardia will be arriving shortly. Flight 297B to LaGuardia will be arriving shortly. Thank you for choosing American Airlines."
Someone took a seat next to her. A woman with dark skin, long braids, and legs that seemed to go on forever. Kei contiued to flip pages and look through all the cocktail dresses and high heels. Sequins seemed to be the big thing this year.
"You're a tough one to find," The woman next to her said. The girl flipped a page. Givenchy had some cute ankle boots too.
"I wasn't hiding," She replied simply, "You weren't looking hard enough."
"I trust you had fun?" Warden Stiles asked, watching as the 16 year old's lips flashed a smirk.
"Tons."
"Anyone onto you?" The warden asked.
"No," Kei answered plainly, "And they won't be. I was thorough…and Sarah?"
"Aimee now," The Warden corrected, putting the coffee cup in her hand to her lips, "She's fine, we're setting her up with some good people. Most of them shrinks. Let's just hope we do right by this one."
Kei smirked. "Don't want another psycho on your hands?"
"I don't want another revenge-seeking vigilante on my hands," The woman corrected, scoffing lightly as she took a sip of her drink. She handed the cup over to Kei and the girl took a hearty gulp. The warden watched her, her dark eyes wavering and her bottom lip curling in anxiousness.
"You know I have to take you in," She remarked. Kei handed the cup back and went back to looking at her magazine.
"And if I get on the plane?"
"You won't," The woman stated simply.
Kei looked up from her fashion article and over towards the Cinnabon across the terminal.
"I see you brought Bradshaw and Miller with you," She remarked, taking note of the two men over by the food stand looking over at her from time to time, "That means Rhodes and Duffy are here too."
"It's just protocol," The warden assured, "We got word that you could be potentially armed and dangerous..."
"I'm not armed," The girl replied.
"But you are dangerous," The warden remarked...
"She ain't wakin' up," Daryl's rough voice spoke out.
"It's only been a day," Hershel's voice chimed, the man placing his hand gently on her forehead, "Her breathin's steady, and no fever. It's a miracle she even made it given all the blood she lost."
Daryl ran a hand through his damp hair, his other holding Kei's hand loosely. His jaw bobbed as he watched her eyes flutter behind her lids. He just wanted her to wake up. He'd been up all night, blowing off everyone who came in and tried to get him to sleep. He couldn't sleep, not while his girl was like this. After what happened with Hershel when he was injured, he was worried she would stop breathing in her sleep. He needed to stay awake.
"She's not going anywhere, Daryl," Hershel spoke, as if reading his thoughts, "The worst part is over. Her body needs to do the rest of the work."
The hunter perked up when he heard Kei let out a breathy sigh, her eyes still closed. Her lips twitched a little before she went back to lying stll, her breathing steady and quiet. Daryl's thumb went to his lips and he chewed on the nail.
"Hate seein' her like this..." He muttered. The old farmer's eyes fell to the girl laying on her mattress.
"We all do," He replied honestly, "It never gets any easier..."
Daryl nodded lightly, his eyes glued to the girl in front of him. He just wanted her to open her eyes, to mutter, to squeeze his hand, anything to show she was responding and that she would be okay. He hated waiting. He hated seeing her like this, just waiting for her to either wake up or slip away.
He turned his head when he saw Hershel hunch over his chair. He leaned closer to Kei, his eyes focused on her.
"Kei," He called quietly, "Kei, if you can hear me, squeeze Daryl's hand."
The hunter stared down at their hands intently, eyes bearing into her fingers, waiting for them to make a move. They didn't, and that made Daryl's stomach drop. It was only after a minute or so that Hershel tried again,
"Kei, I need you to squeeze Daryl's hand," He instructed, "Come on honey."
Another minute passed. The hunter was starting to lose hope, but then his heart seemed to skip a beat when he felt nimble fingers twitch in his hand. She had only managed to give a little pressure, but it was enough to make Daryl lean over and stare down at her face intently.
"She did it," He spoke out, his face lighting up instantly. He re-gripped her hand and pressed his lips to her forehead, gently peppering the skin with light kisses.
"That's it girl, squeeze my hand," He muttered, kissing her cheek as she took in a ragged breath. She let it out in a shaky sigh, and the smile on Daryl's face grew as he felt an even stronger squeeze in response.
"She can hear us," He spoke, his voice cracking a little as he let out a faint laugh. He kissed Kei's forehead and looked over to Hershel, the thankfulness clear on his face. The older farmer gave him a warm smile and nodded, the two of them sitting by Kei's side for the rest of the morning.
It wasn't until around noon or so that Kei finally opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, her eyes trying to adjust to the sunlight that seemed to brighten the whole cell. She squirmed around in her pile of blankets, the heat making her sweat through her clothes and feel extremely uncomfortable. She let out a strained groan through her dry throat as she moved, her side aching along with her muscles. God, how long was she out?
She slowly turned her head and her eyes widened slightly in surprise. Daryl was laying down next her on the floor, his eyes closed and his breathing steady. He had curled up beside her on the mattress, his hands tucked under his whiskery cheek as he slept. The afternoon sun was streaming down on his face, but it didn't seem to effect him or his sleeping. He was out like a light, the poor guy.
Kei turned her head back and looked up at the dirty ceiling, trying to swallow but with not without a shot of pain. She shifted uncomfortably and whimpered before letting out a cough . God, she felt like she was in the desert. She was burning up under the mound of blankets, and she was thirsty beyond belief. She needed water and air, stat.
"Da..." She let out another cough again, this one making her throat sting, and causing Daryl's eyes to snap open. He looked over at his girl as she coughed and screwed her eyes shut, shifting and attempting to writhe around under her blankets. The hunter quickly sat up and hovered over her, watching as she coughed up a storm.
"Kei?! Kei, you okay?!"
Kei looked up through her teary eyes and saw the frantic look on his face. Her coughing quickly melded into an odd mix of laughing and choking. One side of his hair stuck out in different directions. It was actually kind of cute, and kind of hilarious. Daryl gently rubbed her arms in comfort before turning around and scurrying to the end of the matress. He came back into her vision with a bottle of water in his hands.
"Here," He said quickly, gently holding her head with one hand and putting the bottle to her lips with the other.
"Just sip it, alright?" He spoke, "Don't want ya gettin' sick."
She took small, careful sips as the cool liquid washed over her tongue and quenched her dry throat. After a few sips he carefully set the bottle down beside him and continued to look down at her. He gently held her head and ran his thumbs over her cheeks, watching as she coughed and cleared her throat with ease.
"How ya feelin'?" He asked, his stormy eyes wandering over her in worry. She looked up at him with a tired smile and gently placed a hand over his, relishing in the feel of his palm pressed to her cheek.
"Fine," She answered, her voice meek, and still a little hoarse. She looked up for a minute before closing her eyes again and yelping, Daryl leaning down and pressing his lips against hers. He tried to be gentle about it, but he was so worried, so scared that he would've lost her, he couldn't help but be excited when she woke him up. He pecked her lips and cheeks over and over, the sensation making the girl giggle before coughing lightly. He broke away to let her cough and get some air in her lungs.
Just then, the sound of claws scraping against concrete came from outside. Ren and Ame darted into the cell, tails whipping every which way as they whimpered and barked, running over to Daryl in excitement and attempted to leap over him. Kei let out a yelp and Daryl had to shield her from them leaping onto her injured side. Ame jumped up and down while Ren scurried over to the other side of the mattress. The red wolf immediately shoved her face into Kei's, covering her in sloppy licks and kisses. Kei closed her eyes and scrunched up her face with a laugh, turning her head away as Daryl reached over and nudged Ren away.
"Ren! Sit!" He called, nudging the red wolf away as she tried to lunge for Kei's face again, "Jesus, they're fuckin' nuts for ya."
"They're my babies, they missed me," Kei giggled, turning her head to face her wolf with a smile. Ren fidgeted and whimpered and once more lunged for her in excitement. This time Ame joined in and the hunter could do nothing to stop them. The two of them went for it and began licking Kei's face again, Daryl doing everything to shove them away to give her some air. He finally called for some help and the whole group responded, everyone crowding around Kei's cell to see what all the commotion was. Carl rushed in and helped with Ame while Daryl dealt with Ren, the two trying their best to keep the wolves calm and prevent them from unintentionally hurting Kei. The girl wiped her face and giggled at her pets as they were instructed to lay down and stay quiet. Carl sat down at their side and gently ran his hands through their fur, looking over at Kei in slight worry.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded lightly, and then turned her head as Beth and Sen rushed to her side next to Daryl.
"Kei," Beth chirped with a cheery smile, taking her hand and gripping it. Kei smiled back and let out a hoarse "Hi, sweetie." her heart seeming to shine and swell at the sight of the blonde girl's smile. Sometimes that girl really was a ray of sunshine, and she couldn't help but feel better around her.
"You freaking scared me back there, man," Sen admitted, letting out a sigh of relief, "Thank God you're okay."
Kei flashed a smile at her best friend before looking towards the rest of her group. Everyone was here; Rick, Glenn and Maggie, Hershel, Michonne, Carol. Everyone was alive and okay. Did that mean...
"The Governor," She let out, turning her head to look at Daryl, "Did he...?"
Everyone stayed silent. Daryl's eyes fell for a moment and his lips pursed to a thin line. He shook his head lightly.
"Not–"
"You don't worry about that know," Rick interrupted, "Right now you need water, rest. We can talk about that later."
Kei looked to her leader and could see it clear on his face. The Governor hadn't come yet. She knew she didn't kill him, and the place was still in tact, which meant that the war was still on. They weren't out of the woods just yet, if at all.
"We'll let you rest," Hershel spoke, breaking up the tension that seemed to swell in the air, "All of us."
He pointed those words over to Daryl and the hunter merely let out a "hm." in response. The old farmer told Daryl that he could help her out of the blankets, give her some water, and then he had to let her sleep. The man had to rest himself, he had been up for almost two days.
"Two days?" Kei muttered, her eyebrows raising utter surprise. Daryl's jaw bobbed as he removed the last of the blankets and his eyes fell to the mattress.
"Had to make sure you were okay," He mumbled, resting his head down next to hers. Kei really wanted to move on her side to fully look at him, but that was just asking to be in for a world of hurt. She closed her eyes and huffed, opening them again when she felt a pair of lips touch her temple. Daryl scooted in close and slung an arm over her waist, careful to avoid her bandages. He gently held her and pressed his lips to the side of her head.
"I thought I lost ya..." He muttered, "Out in the woods, when..."
The memory of Merle falling dead to the floor flashed cross the girl's mind. Her throat clamped up, and her stomach twisted in knots. She could still hear the echo of the gunshot, and the sound he made when it pierced his chest.
Her hand latched onto Daryl's arm and she screwed her eyes shut, trying her hardest to keep the tears from spilling out. Daryl noticed the pained look on her face and panic instantly settled in. He held her as close as he could and tried to calm her down, whispering that he was sorry, but it was no use. Kei just shook her head and quietly cried that she was sorry; sorry that she didn't save Merle, that she didn't kill the Governor when she had the chance. If she did, his brother would still be alive.
"We don't know that," She heard Daryl say, making her look up at him with furrowed brows, "We don't. You were out-manned and out-gunned. If ya killed him, the rest of his guys would've come in and shot ya both dead."
Kei sniffled a little and wiped her nose on her sleeve. Her teary eyes fell to the mattress for a moment as she thought about it. There was a lot going on. If the Governor's men didn't get to them, the walkers sure would have. There was so many of them...
"Hey," She heard Daryl rasp, making her eyes flick up towards his. She stared over at him, her bottom lip curling in as he gently cupped her face and held her there.
"You and I are gonna kill him," He promised, his voice firm yet assuring, "Alright? You and me, together."
A few spare tears managed to slip past her eyes and slide down her cheek, the hunter swiping them away with his thumb. She gave him a small nod and turned to lean in, not caring about the pain in her side as she did it. She cupped Daryl's face and pressed her lips to his, showering him with desperate little kisses on his lips and cheeks. Daryl made a noise in his throat and gently nudged her away, trying to get her to lay back down flat so she wouldn't hurt herself. As he sat up and got her to lay on her back, she kept leaning up to peck his lips like a little bird. It felt like her heart had started up again. She couldn't believe she thought about giving up, about leaving Daryl, and Sen, and the rest of her group here. They were family, and they were worth everything she went through. Daryl and the others went through hell to save her, so she was clearly worth something to them too.
"Glenn and Maggie are gonna take the cat walk," Rick instructed, pointing on the hand drawn map placed on Kei's lap, "You, Hershel, and Carl are gonna hide in the woods over here, outside the fences. Beth and Judith too."
Kei followed Rick's finger as he pointed to various spots across the map, her mind trying to process the plan he had in mind.
"Carol and Michonne are gonna take the courtyard while Daryl and I got the tombs."
"I'm gonna take the lower courtyard by the entrance," Sen chimed in, "While everyone's inside, I'm gonna jam the guns on the truck. Keep them from doing any more damage when all hell breaks loose."
"Rick and I are gonna hide in the tombs," Daryl explained, pointing to the hall where they would be waiting, "When they're close enough, we're gonna unleash all we got. Flash bangs, smoke grenades, gunfire..."
"Scare 'em right off the property," Rick finished, looking over to the dark haired girl firmly, "You understand?"
Kei kept her eyes on the hand drawn hallway. She didn't like the idea of Daryl and Rick being in such a narrow space against practically all of Woodbury. It was a huge risk, and if Woodbury was ruthless enough, they could just stay in the tombs and pin them down.
"...Alright," She sighed.
"Alright?" Rick quoted, watching as Kei gave him a quiet nod, "Good. Daryl will help you pack. We take positions in an hour."
Kei shut her eyes as Rick and Sen stood to their feet and exited the cell. She took in a shaky breath. So soon. She had only woken up a day ago and already it was time.
She suddenly felt a body lean against hers. Kei tilted her head and let it fall into Daryl's chest, two strong arms wrapping around her.
"S'gonna be fine," The guy next to her assured, "You and I are gonna beat 'em."
"You mean you are," She corrected, her tone slightly bitter, "I'm on the sidelines, remember?"
"Yer hurt," Daryl remarked, leaning down and pressing his lips against her head, "'Sides, I'd rather you be alive on the sidelines than dead in the cross fire."
"The same for you," The girl spoke out, tilting her head up to look at him, "I don't like that it's just you and Rick in there against The Governor and his guys. You saw what happened with just Merle and I. I don't–"
The thought of Daryl not coming out of it alive made her stomach twist and her heart ache. It made her eyes and throat start to sting.
"...I don't want lose you either," She murmured, screwing her eyes shut as she buried her face in her boyfriend's shirt. Daryl held her there for a moment and gently rubbed her back. She clutched onto his shirt and prayed for dear life that her hunter would be okay. She prayed that everyone would be okay, and that they would all overcome this.
"Hey," She heard Daryl speak out, gently nudging her away so he could look at her properly. She sat straight up and wiped her eyes, looking directly into Daryl's stormy blues.
"What'd I say to ya yesterday?" He asked her, "What'd I say we'd do?"
The girl wiped her nose and sniffled,
"We'd kill him," She answered.
"How?" He asked, watching as her expression softened after a minute of thought.
"Together," She answered, her hunter giving her a small nod.
"And what's that mean?"
Kei looked down at Daryl's hand and took it in her own, holding it tight,
"That you and I are gonna make it,"
Daryl nodded lightly to her and leaned in, pressing his lips against hers,
"You and I are gonna make it," He repeated.
Daryl helped Kei get dressed and pack up her things. They gathered everything, doing everything they could from rolling up blankets to stuffing things in duffel bags. Kei gathered up her weapons and limped along, latching onto Daryl as he helped her down the steps and out to the courtyard. She looked around and saw everyone hard at work. Rick and Glenn were checking the cars while Beth, Carol, and Maggie started filling the Hyundai with supplies. Michonne worked with the silver truck while Hershel and Sen worked on filling up the Chevy. The fact that everyone was preparing for the alternative only settled Kei's nerves a little. She still found herself trying to ingrain everyone's image in her memory, because the fact still loomed over her like a dark cloud: this could potentially be their last time together. No one truly knew the outcome of this fight. This could be the last time she saw any of them.
Kei set her bags down at the trunk of the red Chevy and Sen picked them up, tossing them carelessly inside.
"Jesus, man," Kei scoffed, flinching as her bags hit against the other supplies with a clang, "Careful with my things!"
"Sorry mommy," Sen cooed, smirking with an unlit cigarette between his teeth. He let out a laugh as Kei playfully punched his arm, nudging him aside so she could place her backpack inside. He watched her carefully as she stuffed her backpack against his, letting out a huff and rubbing her forehead. She was still tired, he could tell.
"You gonna be alright?" He asked, watching as a tired smile flashed across her face.
"Yeah," She spoke quietly, looking over at her best friend, "Are you?"
Sen flashed her a crooked smirk and scoffed.
"The hell kind of question is that," He chuckled, gently nudging her arm with his elbow,"Of course I'll be fine! Five bucks says I can jam all the guns in 15."
"Do it in 10 and I'll cook you breakfast," Kei offered.
"Rice balls?" Sen asked, his eyebrows raising with his smirk.
"With tuna filling," She finished, earning a 'fuck yeah!' and a firm kiss on the cheek from her friend. She scrunched up her nose and nudged him away, chuckling lightly as he leaned in and ruffled her hair. Their brief period of laughter quickly faded as Carl got between them, a dark vibe practically radiating from him as he shoved his bag in the back. He threw a bag full of Judith's things in there as well and walked right past Sen and Kei, not bothering to acknowledge either of them or their stares.
Kei watched as he stomped away past his father, and back into the cell block. Looking around, she noticed that Carl wasn't the only one who was upset. Everyone was. They all had such solemn looks on their faces, and just like that her worries came back, clinging onto her thoughts. Her heart thumped against her ribcage while her stomach twisted in knots. This was really happening. They were planning to fight, to leave, to die. There was a chance that they could lose, and a chance that she could lose everyone in this fight.
Sen's hand firmly placed itself on her shoulder, gently gripping it in comfort. Kei looked at it and the small tattoo that resided on the knuckle of his ring finger.
Leap.
"We'll be fine, alright?" He gave her a small smile and jerked his head in Daryl's direction, "Go on and check on your boy. He looks like he wants to rip my head off."
Kei looked over to Daryl and sure enough, his eyes were narrowed over at Sen. He sat cross-legged on the pavement beside his bike, inspecting his bolts and arrows and placing them in his backpack. When Kei made her way over to him, he was setting his bag aside and inspecting his poncho, picking at the loose strands.
"You alright?" She asked, looking down at the hunter. Daryl looked up at her before looking back down at his poncho and nodding.
"Fine," He muttered, "It's just...Merle never did nothin' like that his whole life, you know?"
The gunshot flashed across her mind and she quickly closed her eyes. She took a small breath through her nose and opened them again. She looked down at Daryl thoughtfully, her lips stretching to a thin line.
"Well...he gave us a chance," She replied honestly, holding her hand out for him to take. Daryl looked up at her with a whiskery half smile and nodded, gently taking her hand and holding it as he lifted himself up. She never let go and smiled as he stepped closer to her, leaning in and wrapping an arm around her. She leaned into his broad frame and nestled into his chest, taking his scent and warmth and making a permanent memory in her heart. She silently prayed that this wouldn't be their last hug, nor would it be the last time she saw him. She prayed the same for everyone. She didn't want to lose any one of them.
The girl suddenly perked up when Daryl took a step back. He held out his poncho and carefully placed it over her, smirking at just how big it was on her. Kei looked down at the fabric before looking over at Daryl in slight confusion. This thing was his absolute favorite, next to his brother's bike of course.
She watched as Daryl's jaw bobbed and his eyes fluttered over the bright patterns and ugly overstitching he spent all winter trying to do. He thought it looked good on her.
"To keep ya warm," He muttered, looking down at his girl's worried eyes. Her lips curled inward as she struggled to nod and agree with him, even though the both of them knew what it really was for. It was both a promise, and to an extension, his goodbye present if it all went south.
She leaned into Daryl's frame once more and he held her tighter than ever, the both of them soaking up as much of each other as they could before it was officially time.
"...I never thanked you," Michonne spoke, steadily walking alongside Rick as they both headed for the cell block's exit. The leader looked over to her quizzically as they entered the security wing, shutting the cell block door behind him,
"For what?"
"For getting me out there that day," The woman answered slowly, stopping to face him completely, "Taking me in..."
Rick's lips twisted into a faint smirk as he looked to the floor before looking at her,
"Well if you didn't have that baby formula, I wouldn't have," He answered.
"You could have just taken the formula," She remarked, a similar smirk on her lips as well. Rick paused for a moment before shrugging and shaking his head.
"Well..."He mused, "Must've been somethin' else then..."
A faint smile stretched across Michonne's face, the woman watching as Rick looked around for a minute.
"You know, it was Carl who made the call," He mentioned thoughtfully, his bright blues staring over at her dark browns, "He said you belonged here...yer one of us..."
Michonne stared over at him in silence for a minute before slipping past and walking on towards the exit. Rick turned his head and watched her before a stifled giggle echoed in the air.
"Jesus, get a room why don't you," Sen scoffed out, watching as Rick swore and whipped around in shock. He stared up at the balcony, Sen resting his elbows on the rails with an unlit cigarette hanging lazily out of his mouth. He smirked down at the leader and his wide-eyed expression, shaking his head.
"Or better yet a cold shower," He teased, smiling just as Rick smiled and shook his head.
"Shut up," He scoffed firmly, looking back up at the lithe Asian with raised brows, "You ready?"
Sen pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and nodded, "Oui."
Rick nodded his head and pointed towards the exit.
"Alright, head out to the woods by tower three and keep low," He instructed, "Be safe out there."
"Like-wise," The man chirped, pushing off the rails and turning towards the exit behind him.
"I mean it, Sen!" Rick called. The young adult simply gave him a thumbs up before opening the door and disappearing into the daylight.
Kei carefully trudged through the woods, following Ren and Ame as they trotted along on point to look out for any danger. Carl followed close beside her, looking around carefully for any Woodbury soldiers who might be lurking. Hershel placed the last bundle of branches over the hood of the hyundai, spreading them across to complete their camouflage of leaves and whole branches. Beth stayed hidden behind the car, holding a bundled up Judith close to her chest.
"I still think we should be over there," Carl mumbled bitterly, looking over at the prison through the trees, "We should be out there helping Glenn and Maggie on the catwalk. Or my dad and Daryl in the tombs."
The thought of Daryl and Rick alone like that against all of woodbury made Kei's stomach ache again. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath through her nose, trying to remind herself that Daryl and Rick were going to be okay. They were all going to be okay.
"I know," She spoke honestly, letting out a shaky sigh, "But Rick gave us specific instructions: stay low and protect Judith."
Carl's blue-green eyes stared up at Kei's coal blacks and could see the conflict behind them. He could tell she wanted to be there as much as he did, and maybe she would if he persisted enough. He knew that if Kei put her mind to it, she could take down anyone and anything. He heard about how she took out those two guys at Woodbury, and that was with just a hair pin. She had her sword and her arrows now. She and him could take them all out.
"We should go," He spoke out, earning a confused look from the girl.
"You and me," He proclaimed, "We should go over there and help!"
Kei reached out to him and shook her head, "Carl-"
"No! We should be out there!" The 13 year old snapped, swatting her hand away, "Why the hell are we all just sitting here being useless?!"
"Carl! We can't go out there!" Hershel hissed.
"And why not?!" The boy barked, his voice even louder than before.
"Because we have a newborn and two injured already!" Kei bit, a sharp pain shooting up in her side. She put a hand over her bandage and grit her teeth, swearing under her breath at the pain.
"You want us to go in there with guns blazing," She grunted, "Did you forget that Hershel lost his leg? And that I got shot two days ago? He and I can still shoot, sure, but if it got too hairy, neither of us could run..."
She looked down at the boy and watched as his lips pursed in bitterness. She could tell he was holding back, struggling to keep from yelling and going off on her right then and there. Her lips curled and she stared at him firmly, thinking back to the little kid who trained with her in the woods back at Hershel's farm.
"What is rectitude?" She asked suddenly, earning an odd look from Hershel and a
"Carl, what is rectitude?" She repeated, her tone strict and firm. Carl's head hung slightly, the brim of his father's hat covering his eyes.
"A virtue of bushido," He answered lowly. Good. He remembered.
"And what is it?" She asked, eyeing the young boy intently as his own eyes fell to the dirt floor.
"The...power of deciding on a certain course of conduct in accordance with reason, without wavering," He answered, "Like striking when the time is right."
"And what is self control," She asked him.
"It's another virtue," He mumbled slowly, "About controlling your impulses..."
Kei reached over and gently tipped up the boy's hat, revealing his big blue eyes to the girl. She could see the fire and the conflict raging behind them. She knew he just wanted to protect everyone, to do what he thought he thought was right; but he was still young, and still needed to clear his head.
"We need you here, Carl," She replied softly, "We need you here, and we need you to keep calm. Can you do that?"
The young boy let out a small sigh in defeat before nodding lightly. A warm smile stretched across Kei's lips before falling at an instant. An incredibly loud explosion sounded through the air, making everyone jump and turn towards the prison. The top of Guard tower three suddenly burst, glass and stone shooting out everywhere and landing onto the courtyard. Kei watched with wide eyes as several cars and trucks rolled through and began shelling out gunfire onto the courtyard. Walkers were being torn to shreds by the surprise attack, they didn't even have a chance to turn around before their chests bursts and their heads were blown off their bodies.
Kei put an arm around Carl and held him close as another Guard tower exploded. They stood there frozen and watched from afar as Woodbury ravaged through their home once again.
Sen watched from the bushes as everyone he knew fired upon all the walkers in the courtyard. He saw Shupert firing at the prison with the big machine gun on the Technical. The guy couldn't help but smirk as the driver rolled the thing right onto one of the tire strips. Dumbass.
Still, Shupert continued to fire at the prison, and Sen couldn't help but feel a small pang of worry in his chest. Of course he knew the plan, and everyone's position by heart, but he still couldn't help but pray that everyone was still okay inside.
Woodbury's own began pooling out of their vehicles, following behind a military truck as it barreled up the gravel path and smashed down the gate. As the group began making their way into the upper courtyard, Sen took a deep breath and rubbed his sweaty forehead.
"Okay, pull yourself together," He chanted, "Come on, come on, come on."
He took a few rapid short breaths through his nose before bolting forward out of the woods. He gripped his bo staff tight and swung it to the side, smacking it into an oncoming walker's head. His legs kept thumping across the grass as he crouched down, keeping his body low as best as he could. Once he approached the Technical, he pressed his back up against the trunk, carefully peeking over and around to make sure no living enemies were near. They had all gone up to the cell block, and most likely were inside scoping the place. Still, Sen kept his body low as he carefully crawled over the trunk and slid his way onto the truck bed. He looked over at his watch momentarily, and then over to the giant machine gun attachment. He had approximately 8 minutes to try and make sure that thing would never fire a bullet. Simple enough, right?
He remained hunched over as he stood up and got to work on the machine gun. He tried to think back on all those times his older brother would brag and gush over the weaponry he got to handle while being on the base in Okinawa. Personally Sen had never truly cared up until this point. All that time on the gun range with him and his meat-head Army comrades, talking about guns like a bunch of 12 year olds with playboys. He remembered one of them talking about the slide a lot.
"Check the slide," He thought rapidly to himself, "Take out pins of some kind. Jam whatever the hell you can."
The boy took of his gloves with shaking hands and quickly got to work. He had only precious little time, because once Rick gave off the signal, all hell was certain to break loose.
Kei listened from afar as gunshots popped off in the air. The prison alarms blared and she could see little dots scattering from the prison like ants from an ant hill. Beth huddled close to her father and Ren, the three of them crouched low beside the car. Kei stood next to Carl and Ame, the 13 year old staring over at the prison with curled lips and bitter eyes.
"We should be there," He growled. Kei looked down at him and placed a hand on his shoulder, gripping it in comfort as they watched chaos break out at their home. Woodbury survivors raced down the graveled path and began scurrying to their vehicles like frantic mice, jumping into their cars and starting their engines. Kei watched as the large army truck filled with civilians barreled out of the gates first, disappearing into the trees and off down the road. One by one the enemy's cars circled out of the prison yard, including the Governor's white truck.
The alarms shut off and the mass gunfire had officially ceased. Kei and Carl stared over at the road closely, watching, waiting for a military truck to come back barreling through, ready for round two. A couple minutes or so had passed and there were no signs of Woodbury's retaliation. A smile crept onto Kei's face, her heart starting up at the realization.
"I think we drove them out," She breathed, her smile widening, "I think we did it!"
Beth let out an audible "Thank god," and stood back up, bouncing a sleeping Judith in her arms. Hershel got up as well to slightly stretch his good leg.
"We better start heading back," He spoke out, "Walkers are gonna start pilin' in here soon enough,"
Kei nodded lightly and turned to help him clear off the camouflage on their car. She started swiping off a pile of leaves when Ren and Ame suddenly perked up and started snarling. The sound of hurried footsteps from heavy boots was headed in their direction. Kei turned around quickly as Carl jumped forward and held his gun out, stopping a young boy with a shotgun right where he stood. The kid looked no older than 16 or 17, his dirty face almost white as a sheet with the horror he had just witnessed back at the prison. He held his hand out towards Hershel and Carl, the two of them having their guns pointed right at him.
"Whoa whoa woah!" The woodbury boy let out, "Don't shoot!"
"Drop the weapon, son," Hershel warned firmly. The boy nodded his head rapidly, his eyes wide as tennis balls as he held out his rifle. Ame bared his teeth and snarled violently at the boy, staring at him intently as he slowly inched the rifle over towards Carl.
"S-Sure," The stranger let out, "Here. Take it."
The boy looked more than willing to give up his gun. He held it out to Carl and stared at him, waiting for him to take it from is hand. Kei looked down at the 13 year old and saw conflict on his face. He looked torn, almost hesitant about something as the boy continued to hand his gun over. Still, Carl wouldn't take it. She opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, but instead yelped when a bullet flew out of Carl's gun. It went straight through the boy's right eye and he jolted back, falling dead onto the forest floor with a soft thud.
Hershel, Kei, and Beth stared over at the leader's son in complete shock. None of them said a word as he simply stared down at the body, shock seeming to barely effect him as he put his gun back into his holster.
Kei stared at the back of the boy's head the entire time as they walked across the courtyard. No one said a word. What was there to say to him? What could they do? A slew of thoughts piled up into the girl's head. The kid was losing himself. He was becoming cold. What he did to that kid back there, his reasoning behind it, she couldn't help but think of Shane. What he did to that kid back there was something she could only see Shane doing. Not Rick's best friend of course–the animal-like survivor that took over in the end.
Kei stared at the back of the boy's head as they reached the steps to the cell block.
She would have to talk to him.
Hell, Rick would have to talk to him. This was getting out of hand. Not even that. It was getting scary.
The girl seemed to let go of the breath she was holding onto as she stepped back into the cell block. Seeing everyone again as they brought supplies back in caused a wave of relief to wash over her. Sen was the first to give her a careful hug before ruffling her hai and going out to the hyundai. Rick walked past as well and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder before walking over to Beth and Judith. Carol and Maggie gave her small hugs while Glenn and Michonne gave her light smiles and nods. Kei made a straight beeline towards her hunter and practically knocked him over as she went straight into his arms. Daryl quickly regained his footing and held her close, placing a hand on her head and practically petting her as she nuzzled into his jacket.
"You're safe," She let out, her voice muffled by his clothing.
"Told ya," He spoke, earning a small laugh from the girl in his arms. She looked up at him with a warm smile and closed her eyes as he pecked her on the lips. Afterward, he broke away from her embrace and helped her grab her stuff, bringing it back to their cell and setting it in the corner. He helped her peel out of her jacket and boots, setting them aside as she laid down on the mattress with a heavy sigh.
"I'm goin' to Woodbury," He mumbled, flinching as Kei's head whipped up so fast, it almost made his head spin.
"What?"
"We're going there to finish it," He explained. Kei's eyes widened and her mouth parted in slight disbelief. She could see it in his eyes. He was actually planning to leave without her.
"I'm going too then!" She spoke out, quickly tossing the blankets off. Daryl put his hands on her shoulders and held her there with a firm "No", keeping her rooted to where she sat.
"You ain't healthy enough to fight," He rasped. Her bony hands went to his wrists as she tried to pull them off.
"That's bullshit, I'm going!"
"You ain't!" He bit, holding her there firmly,"Yer stayin' here and yer restin'."
Kei wriggled out of his grip and let out a gasp at the sharp pain in her side when she twisted. She keeled over on the mattress and face planted into the pillows, her hand protectively hovering over the bandage. She let out a grunt and whined something through the pillow that Daryl couldn't hear. The hunter sat down and leaned in close, listening to her as she continued to rant through the cushion.
"umphay..." She mumbled. Daryl's eyebrows knitted together,
"Wha?"
"...okay..." she mumbled again defeatedly. The hunter watched as she kept her face buried into the pillow. He chewed on his lip a little and laid down next to her, scooting into her frame and placing his hand over hers on her side. He pressed his forehead against the space between her shoulder blades and let out sigh, his breath tingling her skin.
"Know I said we'd get him together..." He admitted, "...Truth is...I don't want him anywhere near ya."
His eyes flitted over her tattoo, the dragon's long neck curving over and peeking out from behind the straps of her bra. His hand left hers and gently traced over the inked skin on her shoulder, her skin growing goosebumps under his touch.
"He's hurt ya too many times to even have the right to look at ya," His gravelly voice muttered. Kei closed her eyes, shuddering under his touch as he kissed her shoulder. She screwed them shut tight and prayed that he'd be okay; that he and Rick and Michonne would come back to them in one piece.
Daryl slung his arm back over her and held her close, kissing the tattoo on her shoulder and muttering that he'd come back.
"Daryl," He heard her mutter suddenly. The hunter felt her shift in his arms and he loosened his embrace, watching as she turned her head slightly,
"...Make him suffer for me,"