Dry creek beds. A sight that probably would have brought Kayla to tears if not for the fact that she was so dehydrated. Between the summer sun, lack of rain, and no water in sight to be found, her spirits were slowly withering away to nothing. She, Daryl, Maggie, and Sasha were out looking to fill their bone dry bottles, but came up empty handed. As Daryl and Kayla walked the creek, it was evident that rain had not fallen in the area for quite some time as the dirt and soil was cracking and dead frogs were strewn around the area.
"Think we should head back." Kayla said as she tucked her bottle back into her bag. "The others are probably already at the van."
Daryl didn't verbally respond, but just simply nodded and let her lead the way. Before they started off, Kayla spoke again. "I know you're mad." she told him as she stepped in front of him, meeting his eyes with hers. They were both filthy as ever, dirt clinging to their skin by sweat and filth that has accumulated over the last few weeks since the prison fell. "You have every reason to be. But please do not shut me out again."
Daryl couldn't help but notice that Kayla's tone was all but begging him.
"I can't do all this on my own." she went on. "I can't get through every day by myself for long. Everything coming undone at the seams the way it has. Whatever fight I have left in me just keeps disappearing more and more and I need you to keep me upright. Not because I need your saving but because I need reminding that I can get through whatever else the world throws at us."
Kayla's eyes were pleading for a response and as Daryl looked at her he saw more than her plea. He saw the desperation in her eyes, the exhaustion on her face, her thin body that was once more getting smaller from the lack of nutrients, her cracked, dry lips...he saw how physically weak she looked. It was no wonder why she found it harder to get through each day. For a moment, the image of the first time he saw her flashed in his mind. The smile and eyes filled with life, her well-aging skin, the curves of her body. It seemed as though that image of her was from another lifetime in a different universe. Despite all this though, all Daryl could respond with was, "I'm still right here."
When they hit the road again, it was on foot. Daryl and Rick were the group's lead while the others followed behind. Kayla walked with Jonathan on one side of her with Tara on the other.
"I spy something green. Tara mused, somehow still holding onto her humor despite everything.
"A tree." Kayla returned with a small smile.
"Nope."
"The grass."
"Colder."
"The leaves."
"They ya go."
Other than the quick encounter amongst the two, the world was quiet except for the sounds of nature and growing group of growling walkers that were following them. Rick wanted to wait until they had some sort of advantage like a taller vantage point before they took care of the undead nuisance since the group members were all starved and parched.
Daryl decided to take off and go look around for some food and water, Kayla not bothering to go with him. She wanted to keep an eye on Jonathan, so when Carol volunteered to tag along she was relieved knowing he wouldn't be along if something happened. She was still growing frustrated with him every time he went off nevertheless. It annoyed and scared her that he was going out, almost always by himself which meant for a more likelihood for harm. She wanted to be there for Jonathan and Daryl, but she wasn't going to take Jonathan out in unfamiliar territory and Daryl didn't seem to want any company. He barely spoke any words, even to her.
As the group walked the group of walkers grew larger in size, resulting in a small herd. Kayla went up to Rick and pointed out the problem. "We can't wait any longer." she told him. "We have to do something before it grows any bigger." Nodding, Rick agreed and the two figured out a plan to get rid of the walkers when they came across an old bridge with large hills leading down to what would be a creek if it had water. Jonathan stayed away from the fight while Michonne, Sasha, Abraham, Rick, Glenn, Kayla, and Maggie took care of the walkers. Kayla stood in line with Rick, Glenn, and Michonne, waiting for the walkers to get close enough to her before stepping to the side for them to fall down the immense hillside. It wasn't long though before Sasha broke the line to take out anger and frustration on the walker. Everyone knew she was hurting from the losses she took in the past few weeks with Bob and Tyreese, but she was endangering herself and the group with this stunt. What would have been a controlled, almost unexhausting task was what Abraham described as, "dicked."
Kayla pulled her knife from her belt and wasted no time driving the blade through the soft bone of the approaching walker's skulls. She managed to pull a walker away from Glenn that nearly had its teeth in his shoulder, but instead it took a tumble down the hill. The one walker that managed to get a double handed grip on Kayla's arm was quickly pulled free by Daryl who came back from his water search at the right moment. He threw it over the bridge and turned to see Kayla waste no time driving her knife into the next undead threat.
Once the walkers were cleared they moved forward, eventually coming across some old abandoned cars. Daryl took off in the woods- again- to search the area to make sure it was safe enough while the others scavenged. Kayla searched a car with Jonathan, finding noting but registration papers in the glove compartment, a blanket in the backseat, and an pair of women's tennis shoes in the trunk. Once the car was searched, Kayla laid the blanket out for the kids to sit on while everyone took a breather to relax. Kayla sat next to Maggie, her friend's head resting on her shoulder as they waited for Daryl to come back with any new developments.
When he returned, the group sat in silence as they tried to catch their breath and gain some sort of energy before hitting the road again. However it was getting more and more difficult with no food to give them fuel or water to rehydrate their tired bodies. Despite the increasing exhaustion though, when a pack of domestic turned wild dogs appeared out of the brush they were all quick to pull out their blades in defense.
Daryl moved defensively in front of Kayla and Jonathan when the dogs appeared and then to cover them when the sound of gunshots went off. Kayla pulled Jonathan into her side as Daryl covered her from the direction of the shots which turned out to be Sasha. She took out the dogs using only one bullet per pooch, eliminating the threat while simultaneously creating an option for a protein rich dinner.
The following day when Daryl disappeared again in the woods, this time without telling anyone, Kayla looked down at her left hand with a sad expression. She was slowly, but surely just losing her husband. She loved him, she did, but he was making it harder than ever. He was never this difficult, even in the early days of their relationship when he was extremely unsure and insecure. With a shaky right hand, she slid her ring off her left and tucked it in her pocket. He was still her husband and she his wife, but every time she looked down at her ring it reminded her that he was absent and not there with her. Who knew loving someone like this could hurt so much.
When Daryl returned to the group, he immediately saw Kayla's empty left hand and his stomach dropped. When he asked where it was she told him it wouldn't stay in place. "My fingers are getting a little too thin." she lied easily, Daryl almost believing her. "I don't wanna lose it." She tried reassuring him with a small smile, but Daryl just took off again a few minutes late, telling Abraham he was going out to look for water.
Daryl knew she was pissed and upset with him which was why she took the ring off. He didn't know what all it meant; if she wanted space and time from him during his, for a lack of better terms, detachment, a complete end to their relationship…whatever it was didn't keep Daryl from finding a space to take a seat and smoke a cigarette as his emotions overtook him. Between the loss of Beth, Tyreese, and straining of his marriage, it felt like the world was closing in all around him. He's let everything effect the one thing that brought him pure happiness in the world: Kayla. His wife. He's been pushing her farther and farther away the last few weeks and now he was paying the price.
"From a friend?" Daryl heard Angela say as he walked back to the group. Everyone was in some kind of defensive stance, whether it was their finger not far from a trigger or a stern, observant look on their face, they were preparing for a possible threat.
It turned out the group stood around several bottles of water accompanied by four gallons of what looked to be clean, filtered, water. It was just sitting out, presumably for them, but everyone was suspicious with good reason. Nothing about the circumstance screamed that this was a good idea. Eugene seemed the least skeptical, as he went as far to trying to take a swig only to have Abraham whack the bottle out of his hand.
"Are you insane?" Kayla questioned. "There are zero reasons that this is a good scenario."
"Not like this." Rick seconded to Eugene, stating that water was not to be trusted.
Right after that though, the gray clouds that began forming less than an hour ago began to dispense rain across the area in a downpour. Smiles formed on the faces of most of the group at the feel of water coming down on their hot, filthy skin. Tara and Rosita laid on the asphalt, taking in as much rain they could while others tilted their heads back with open mouths. Daryl stood frozen as the rain fell, making Kayla's smile falter. She reached a hand out to his arm, unable to not notice the change in temperature of his skin. It was no longer hot with the heat of the summer sun, but cool with the fresh rain. He turned his head when he felt her hand and found her eyes on him. She offered him a smile, telling him that the rain was a good thing and it was okay to be happy. Everything else may be far from perfect, but right now they had a shed of good fortune.
He went to press his lips to her forehead, when a loud crack of thunder tore everyone's attention from the joy to the reality of a serious storm approaching. They scooped up all their water containers they set out and followed Daryl towards the barn he found in the woods so they could take shelter from the thunderstorm. On the way Angela and Rosita took a slip in the mud going down a hill, only to both be pulled up by Abraham. Wet, muddy clothes. Great the girls thought.
When they got to the barn, they made sure it was clear before settling down and putting together a small fire. Kayla set up an area for her and Jonathan to relax, her telling him a story to get him to sleep. He was exhausted from the travels over the last weeks with good reason. She longed for a place where he could get a nutrient rich meal and good night sleep. She stroked his hair and watched as he fell asleep with his head in her lap. A smile appeared on her face as he slept, seeing him so peaceful. She managed to close her own eyes for a bit, but the sounds of the storm kept her alert. Checking on Jonathan and the others kept her busy while sleep refused to come easily, but when she closed them for a few minutes, she opened them to slamming barn doors struggling to be kept closed by Daryl. She was quick to her feet, mindful of Jonathan, and ran over with Maggie in tow. They helped Daryl push the barn doors closed, discovering there were walkers on the other side.
The other group members ran over to help one by one and then all at once when they noticed the struggle. The group pushed against the doors and fought to keep them closed for what seemed like forever to hold their ground and keep the walkers out. Kayla ended up between the barn doors and other members of her group in the desperate fight, hoping and praying the doors would hold and the walkers would stay on the outside. And lucky for the group, all that hoping and praying worked.
After the seemingly hours long struggle, everyone in the group found sleep on the barn floor close to one another. Everyone for Daryl that is who stayed awake while his wife and Jonathan slept next to him. The young boy was curled into Kayla's side while she kept one arm around him. Reaching down, Daryl brushed the hair out of the Jonathan's face. The ten year old's hair had grown out quite a bit and he was in need of a cut.
Maggie came over and sat by Daryl, telling him he should get some sleep. "It's okay to rest now." she told him, knowing he was without a doubt exhausted from being up all night. The two sat in quiet for a few moments, before speaking in hushes voices about Tyreese and Beth. "He was tough." Daryl said, looking at Sasha. "So was she. She didn't know it, but she was." Daryl couldn't help but smile just a little at the remembrance of Beth Greene before it vanished. He handed her the music box Carl found that he managed to fix for Maggie. He knew it reminded her of the sister and final family member she had lost. It may have seemed silly, a music box, but it meant something. "Gears had some grit in them." he explained.
"Thank you." Maggie replied as she accepted the item.
She stood up to go wake Sasha after that, leaving Daryl with his sleeping wife and Jonathan. He looked at them for a second before slipping off his vest and laying down next to Kayla. She stirred awake, but heard her husband's voice telling her to go back to sleep. Sensing him finally laying down, she opened her eyes to see him closing his eyes next to her. With a small smile, she moved closer to him and took his hand in hers. "I love you." he whispered to her as he finally dozed off, feeling as if his world was whole again when he felt the familiar silver band on her finger.
A/N: Hey guys be sure to leave a review! :)
