I do not own any of the characters from The Walking Dead, no matter how much I wish I did :( Kerri, on the other hand, is all me!
The gates swung open for them as they approached the prison entrance. Kerri noticed a dark skinned woman with dreads and a sword on her back nod in Daryl's direction as they walked through. When they passed, the woman closed the gates and turned back in the direction of the fences, presumably taking watch for the night. Outside of the prison surprised Kerri, she hadn't expected to see people walking around so normally and carrying on a conversation like the world wasn't falling apart right outside the fences. They were growing crops and had fenced in areas with livestock. There were picnic tables and an outside kitchen, Kerri even saw drawings on the cement in chalk done by children.
"I'm gonna introduce ya to the council, then we can getcha settled in for the night," Daryl told her and he opened the door to the prison. Kerri just nodded and continued to follow him down the halls.
Meeting the council was nerve-wracking. Kerri hadn't felt that much anxiety around so few people since she had interviewed for her job back before the world fell apart. She was quickly introduced to Hershel, Carol, Sasha, Glenn, and Rick. They all seemed nice enough and none of them were rude in their questioning about her life and what she had been doing since the outbreak. They also told her that the following morning she would be assigned a job to pull her weight in the prison.
Overall, the process went by quickly and before she knew it, Daryl was leading her out of the room while the council wished her well and said goodnight.
He led her through the prison before entering one of the cell blocks. Most of the cells had clearly been turned into rooms, the doorways being covered with sheets and voices drifting from them out into the hall. Daryl stopped suddenly in front of an empty cell rather close to the end of the row.
"This'll be your room," he said, gesturing to the cell, "Not many people live down this row, I figured ya might like the quiet till ya get used to people again," he continued.
Kerri smiled at him, surprised at his thoughtfulness considering they had only just met, "Thanks Daryl, for everything today."
"Ain't nothin'…" Daryl muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed by her words of thanks.
Kerri simply smiled again, not wanting him to be any more uncomfortable than he already was. She stepped into the cell, slipping her pack off her shoulder, before turning around.
"Goodnight, Daryl," she said, waving. He didn't respond this time, he just waved back as she watched him turn and walk down to the end of the row where she guessed his own room was.
Inside her new room was bare; there were bunk beds with no sheets on them, a toilet, and a sink. But despite the blandness of her new surroundings, Kerri couldn't be happier. For the first time since the outbreak had started she actually felt safe. She was surrounded by walls and people who seemed have figured out a way to carry on despite everything going all to hell.
She took off her pack and sank down onto the bottom bunk, thankful for even the thin mattress because it already felt so much better than sleeping on the rocky ground outside. Opening her bag she took out her water along with the few canned goods she had. Opening a can of peaches, she began to eat, not realizing how hungry she actually was until the food hit her stomach. She finished it in minutes, sitting the empty container on the floor and sipping from her water bottle.
With a full stomach and her thirst in check, Kerri's exhaustion hit her like a ton of bricks. She curled up on the mattress, not caring that she didn't have any linen to cover it with and was unconscious moments later.
Kerri didn't wake up until late the next morning. Her time alone outside had taken more of a toll on her body than she had even realized. She stood in her cell, stretching muscles and rolling her shoulders, trying to shake the sleep that still lingered there.
Outside her cell, Kerri could hear the noise of people talking and moving throughout the cell block. The thought of moving outside her room and into an area where she would be expected to be social made her stomach churn.
She hadn't always felt that way about social interaction, but spending so much time alone for so long with only nature and the walkers as company could easily turn even the most socially outgoing person into a recluse.
Kerri also realized she would probably look frightening to anyone who saw her. She hadn't missed the stares she had gotten walking in the prison courtyard with Daryl the previous evening. Her clothes were the only ones she had left; scavenging those types of things wasn't really important when food and water were scarce.
Holes littered her jeans and her once white t-shirt had turned gray a long time ago from a mixture of sweat, dirt, and walker blood. Even her skin looked a dingy off-white, something she attributed not only to her lack of bathing but poor nutrition and lack of sleep.
Kerri moved towards the sink, wondering if this place was lucky enough to have running water. She turned the knob and almost jumped in surprise when water came spurting out, clear and clean. She smiled to herself and wished she had some soap her scrub with looking in disgust at her hands that were covered in dirt and old, dried blood.
A noise from outside her cell caught her attention. Even being in safer conditions couldn't reverse Kerri's vigilant senses that she had developed in her time alone. It was someone clearing their throat, trying to get her attention without startling her.
Kerri turned to the open doorway and noticed a woman standing there. She had short gray hair and a nice smile. But even through her smile, Kerri could tell by her eyes that she had suffered.
"Hello," the woman began, "I'm Carol."
"Hi, I'm Kerrigan, but everybody just calls me Kerri," she replied, turning the faucet to stop the water.
"Nice to meet you, Kerri," Carol responded, "Rick sent me to check on you and see how you were adjusting. He wants me to show you around the prison too."
"Everything here seems amazing so far, I can't believe you have running water," Kerri answered, turning her head back to the sink.
"If you can't believe we have running water in the sinks, wait until you see the showers," Carol said with a grin.
Kerri's head shot up, her eyes meeting Carol's, "Showers…" she whispered. She hadn't had a shower since she had stayed in the housing development with solar power and well water and that had been close to the beginning.
"Yes, showers. We also have a storage room with clothes; there should be something in there that's about your size."
"That would be fantastic, thank you," Kerri murmured, still in complete awe that this place was functioning so well despite the current state of events.
"Why don't you come with me? I'll take you by the storage room for something to wear and then I'll show you where the showers are. Then you can meet everyone and I'll take you on a tour," Carol offered.
"Okay."
About an hour later, Kerri was dressing in one of the two outfits Carol had given her. She honestly hadn't wanted to leave the shower and would've been perfectly content to stand under the icy water all day, but she knew needed to start trying to fit in sooner rather than later.
Kerri chose to wear dark-wash jeans with a heather gray t-shirt, something practical and comfortable. She kept her own leather boots and tucked her pants into them. She also made sure she had her knife, tucking it into her boot in attempt to be discrete, rather than wearing it on her hip like she normally would. Her light blonde hair was pulled up into a bun and out of her face. When she was done she called Carol's name and followed the woman away from the showers.
Back in the cell block Kerri felt her anxiety bubble back up in her stomach. People were sitting at tables talking, but stopped the minute they noticed her walking behind Carol. They stared shamelessly until Carol shot them a death glare.
Carol pointed to an empty table and told her to sit while she made her a plate. The older woman came back with a dish completely filled. Kerri's mouth started watering the minute she saw it. She hadn't eaten that much food in one sitting in what felt like forever. There was macaroni and cheese, corn, baked beans, and what looked like a piece of rabbit that had been cooked on the outside grill.
Kerri ate slowly, even though her brain kept telling her to shovel the meal in faster. She knew eating too fast would make her sick after running on empty for such a long time. Carol sat beside her, eating her own lunch, occasionally stopping to ask questions about Kerri's journey on her own.
Kerri answered politely, but kept her answers short. She didn't like reliving her past, it was too painful and some of things she had seen or done during her time alone haunted her. Carol, thankfully, took the hint and moved her conversation to life at the prison. She filled Kerri in on the group and their own struggles.
Kerri soon learned that quite a few of them had been together since the beginning. She listened to Carol amazed that so many of them had survived such difficult events from escaping the CDC to leaving Hershel's farm and their most recent issue with some man called the Governor.
The gray-haired woman definitely didn't sugarcoat anything either. She mentioned her own daughter's death, explaining the pain Kerri had noticed in her eyes. And Sophia hadn't been the only one lost, Kerri listened to Carol describe her friends that were gone and how they had died.
The one that really struck a chord was Lori. When Carol mentioned Rick's wife dying in childbirth, Kerri couldn't help but shudder. She felt a pang of sympathy knowing Rick had a young son and now had to raise a baby too.
"I know these stories aren't exactly the most happy," Carol acknowledged, "But I wanted you to know what we've been through. It's easier for me to tell you than for you to ask questions that could bring up painful memories."
Kerri nodded, scraping the last of her macaroni and cheese onto her fork. As she ate that last bite, something caught her eye. Daryl was walking through the cell block with his crossbow slung over his shoulder. She noticed his eyes sweep the room before stopping right where she was sitting. He didn't speak or wave; he simply nodded his head before turning in the direction of his own cell.
Before Kerri had time to respond to his gesture she heard Carol in the background.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Kerri asked, pulling her eyes away from the direction Daryl had gone.
"Rick told me to let you know that Daryl mentioned to the council last night that he thought you would be helpful on supply runs," Carol repeated.
Kerri was surprised. Daryl didn't seem to really interact with anyone if his body language from the previous evening was his normal way of acting.
"He said that he was impressed by the way you handled yourself in the woods when he found you," Carol continued, picking up the dirty dishes from the table.
"Really?"
"Yes, that's what Rick told me he said," Carol answered, "You must really have picked up some great survival skills out there, it takes a lot to impress Daryl Dixon."
Kerri felt heat rising into her cheeks; she never had been one to accept compliments without feeling embarrassed about it.
"Rick also wanted me to pass on that they're planning a run a few days from now and he wants you to be there for their meetings," Carol explained.
"When are they meeting?" Kerri questioned, sipping from her water bottle.
"In a half hour, it's the same place that you had your meeting last night."
"Alright," Kerri said, "Thank you for everything Carol, it really means a lot." The older woman smiled and waved it off before turning and continuing to wash their lunch dishes.
Kerri decided to head back to her cell and take a moment away from the crowded atmosphere of the cell block before her meeting. Back in her room she decided to unpack her things and make the environment a bit more comfortable. She didn't really have much with her other than a few canned goods that she planned to take to Carol, her canteen and water bottles, and a small threadbare blanket.
After organizing her few items, Kerri decided to start making her way to the meeting. She felt nervous; she knew supply runs were a dangerous but vital role of maintaining the prison. She didn't want to embarrass herself or put someone else in danger. Having never worked in a team for survival before, her mind raced about all the things that she could do wrong.
Kerri paused at the closed door; she took a deep breath, trying to dislodge the heavy feeling of nerves that had placed itself in her chest and stomach. She hated feeling this way. Being in a safe place with people was something that she had dreamt about during her short hours of sleep for the past year, but now that she had it her brain was betraying her with feelings of inadequacy and unease.
She shook her head trying to manually rid her mind of the dark feelings it was dragging towards the surface. Sighing, she placed her hand on the doorknob and gave herself thirty seconds to calm down. When her time was up, she squared her shoulder and straightened her back before turning the knob and walking into her new role in her new life.
A/N: Hi everyone! I didn't get a chance to write an author's note for my first chapter because I was trying to figure out how to post my story since this is my first fanfic. But now I've figured it all out so I would just like to say thanks to those who have reviewed, followed, or favorited my story, it's much appreciated :) Just a heads up, I know this chapter only has a little Daryl/Kerri interaction, but I promise there is much more to come. And for all you Carol fans, don't worry, this isn't going to be a Carol-bashing story. She's one of my favorite characters and she's going to be supportive/helpful to Daryl/Kerri's growing relationship!