Never in Kayla's life has she been so anxious and nervous. Daryl was out with Rick, Oscar, and Michonne to get Glenn and Maggie and Kayla's nerves were racked. She was sitting outside on the one picnic table looking out at the sunset when a familiar voice caught her attention. "Somethin' on your mind?" Alex asked as he slid next to her. "No just worried." Kayla told him.
"I don't know Daryl very well, but I think he can handle himself just fine." Alex assured her.
"I know that. But when someone you lo-" Kayla stopped midsentence when she realized what she was going to say. Alex looked at her waiting for her to finish, and a surprised expression plastered across his face when she didn't. "You never said it to him?" he questioned. "How long have you been together?"
"Going on ten months." Kayla answered. "But it's complicated. Daryl isn't the kind of guy to say I love you just like I'm not the kind of girl to say I love you."
"Well when we're in a world like we are now, I think you should become that type." Alex told her. "Tell him how you feel when he gets back."
"I will."
"Now let's get on inside. It's getting dark and too cold to be out here."
Kayla stood up and followed Alex inside just as the sun sank below the horizon, casting darkness across the sky.
OOOOO
With Carol and Axel on watch and Beth taking care of Judith, Kayla was able to go to bed early in her and Daryl's cell. Sleep didn't come particular easy since she was used to having Daryl's arm wrapped around her and his heart beat lulling her to sleep, but the pillow he used smelled like him which helped. And the blanket too. After almost thirty minutes she drifted off to sleep, but it wasn't as good as it could have been without Daryl.
The next morning, Kayla woke up and heard unfamiliar voices from downstairs. She rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes and changed into a pair of black skinny jeans, a denim button up with long sleeved, and her boots with her gun and knife holstered on her hip. She walked downstairs into the eating area where the others were along with four other people. There was a tall, dark skinned man who was wearing a beanie along with another dark skinned woman wearing a tank top underneath an ripped t-shirt. Then at another table was a man with brown knotty hair who looked like he was in his late thirties and a younger kid with black hair and big eyes. "Who the hell are they?" Kayla questioned, putting a hand on her holster.
"Relax Kayla." Hershel said. "They wandered into the tombs last night. Carl brought them back."
"And no one bothered to come and get me?" Kayla asked.
"You were sleeping which you needed so Carl took care of it."
"By himself?"
Kayla looked at Carl in surprise. "I had to." He defended. "Next time you wake me up." Kayla said in a stern tone. "Do you know what your dad would do if he found out you went down there by yourself?"
"He would have done it." Carl answered.
Kayla put a hand on her face before looking at the others. "Where's Carol?" she asked. "Guard tower." Hershel answered. "Alex went down to the generators to check on something."
"I'm gonna go out with Carol." Kayla said.
"You don't need to." Hershel replied.
"I want to. I'll be in in a little bit."
With that said, Kayla walked outside to the courtyard where she saw Carol up in the one guard tower leaning on the railing. She placed her hands on her hips when she heard the doors open from behind. She turned around and saw Carl walking out. He walked over to her and stood next to her. "Are you okay?" he asked her. She shook her head. "I just thought they'd be back by now…" she told him, looking his way. "Come on." She said, motioning her head down to Carol.
The two walked to the tower where Carol was now standing at the gate. Carl stood with her and talked while Kayla climbed up in the guard tower to get a better visual of the perimeter. There were a bunch of stray walkers scattered around but nothing major. Kayla put her head on the railing and let out a sigh. "He's fine." She told herself. "Any minute now he is gonna come driving down that road healthy and unhurt."
A few minutes later the sound of a car caught her attention. She picked her head up and saw the familiar green car driving down the road. She smiled to herself and hurried down the steps to where Carol and Carl were. She stood off to the side as the car drove in and she waited for Daryl to get out and greet her, but he didn't. She looked through the windows, but only found Glenn, Maggie, and Michonne as Rick got out. Maggie pulled the car up and drove back to the prison and Kayla felt sick to her stomach. "Where's Daryl?" she asked Rick he went over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "He's alright." He told her. "He's alive."
"Then wh-where is he?" Kayla questioned.
"The town we were at…we ran into his brother." Rick explained. "They went off."
Kayla's heart dropped. "What?" she asked. "He…he left?" Rick looked at the ground as Kayla shook her head in disbelief. "No he wouldn't…he wouldn't do that." She said as tears began to fill her eyes. "He's gone?... but he's coming back right?" Rick just shook his head once. After that Kayla couldn't hold it in. The tears fell and she dropped her face into her hands. She felt Rick's arms wrap around her and she sobbed into his chest for a good five minutes before pulling away from him. She wiped her eyes and Rick wrapped an arm around her shoulders as the two and Carl walked back up to the prison.
Back in the prison, Kayla went up to her cell that she once shared with Daryl and she began to cry again. She slid to the floor next to the bed and cried into her hands. How could he just leave? Just pick up his stuff and run off with his brother? If it was someone other than Merle Dixon, than Kayla would understand but she has heard about Merle from the others which included Daryl. And Merle didn't deserve Daryl. Especially now. The sound of footsteps caught her attention and when she looked up, she found Alex in the doorway. "He just left." She sobbed. Alex went over to her and sat down, wrapping an arm around her. She leaned into him, her head on his chest and his chin on top of her head. "I know." He whispered.
"Why would he do that?" she asked rhetorically.
"I don't know babygirl."
That's how it was for a long time: Alex sitting with his daughter on the cold floor of a prison cell as she cried over Daryl.
I know some of you were against Daryl leaving, but he had to leave because 1. I follow whatever happens in the show and 2. Him leaving triggers what happens in the chapters to come. Night!
