Chapter 20: Kat the abandoned


(Part two of the marathon! Hope you like this chapter too!)


KPOV

~Weeks ago~

"How do you do it?" T-Dog asked me as he sat down oposite me on the table, we were having breakfast and were some of the first to wake up. Looking at him, I was confused as to what he was asking me.

"Do what?" I asked him in return instead of answering his questions. My head tilting a little in curiousity. He pointed his spoon at me a little playful but serious in the way he looked at me.

"Keep hope alive like you do?" he questioned me and I just giggled. I thought it was a joke for a second but then I realized he was completely honest. Raising an eyebrow I waited a moment longer for him to tell me it was a joke but it never came.

"Well...the way I see it is...someone has to. Otherwise...we're all hopeless," I answer him as I looked down at my plate of toast and scrambled eggs. T-Dog just watched me from the corner of my eyes but I never looked up at him.

"Why do I get the feeling it's not just that?" he asked me slightly amused by the way I spoke. Looking up at him quickly from under my lashes, I looked back down and then back to him. His eyes watching me intently.

"Because...in all honesty...I have to stay hopeful. Not just for myself and the group but...for my family. Especially Carl. If he loses hope...there will be no point in living anymore," I answer him truthfully. It's what big sisters do and Carl knew that.

"Don't you ever get tired?" T-Dog asked me surprised. As though I would ever get tired of keeping hope alive in my heart, mind and soul. It was something one could never tire of. Especially with younger siblings and a family like mine.

"Never," I answered with a small smirk. Making T-Dog chuckle and shake his head at me. We both finished our food and got to work. Carl woke up and I spent most of my time with him and then decided to help around with the farm. Keeping my distance from Shane since what happened at the barn.


Present day...KPOV

I was walking beside Andrea, the two of us stumbling a little over the piles of bodies the hooded figure was leaving with their Katana. Wandering around, I looked up and got fed up with the silence. With not knowing who this person was and what to call them. Or even their gender!

"Erm...thanks for saving us back there but...I would really like to be able to call you something other than 'the last samurai' and 'the lone hooded samurai'," I said to the figure who walked ahead silently with walkers following them. The walkers were on chains, of a darker skin tone and had no arms or teeth.

The figure stayed silent and kept walking ahead of us. Sighing I looked to Andrea and saw her looking just as exhaused as I did. We had been walking for what felt like hours and I had no clue where we were heading. We just followed the figure knowing that with them we would be safer at the very least. "You try Andrea," I tell her and she looked to me from the corner of her eye.

"Shut up Kat...please," she said which made me look at her stunned but I fell silent instead of being childish by answering back to her. "Look...I have to agree. We are grateful that you saved us but...I would feel a lot better knowing who I was thanking for saving my life back there. For saving both our lives," Andrea said gently to the hooded figure.

The hooded figure stayed silent and kept walking. Never looking back or faultering from her constant moving. Looking at Andrea she shared the same look I did. We couldn't believe we couldn't convince them to speak. "I...I have a family. They would go to the highway to meet us. Please...lead us there and when we join them...you can be on your way or...stay," I try to convince them and it made them stop for a second.

The hooded figure then began to walk again and the hope I had left. "A brother...he's only 12 years old. My mom...dad...an unborn child that is still to come. Please understand that I need to get back to them. They're my family," I tried to convince them and they stopped. Slowing down, me and Andrea came to a halt. Seeing them slowly nod, they began to walk again and lead us to another direction.

"They'll be by the supplies. Where we first broke down. I know it," I say pleased and excited to get back to my family. Andrea smiled at me slightly and stayed silent. We kept walking for what felt like more hours, the sun was still high but I wasn't sure it would be high enough for when we got there.


When we got to the highway, we found the sign that was written to Sophia and sat by the car. The supplies that was there was now gone. They were here but...they left. Keeping hopeful, I sat down and waited. Seeing the sun slowly go down, Andrea and the hooded figure stayed still or paced around.

"Kat...this is stupid. They're not coming back for us. Face it...they've left us," Andrea said and I looked at her surprised that she would say something like that. My family would never do such a thing. Ever. Especially not my dad or Carl...or mom!

"Why are you saying this?" I asked her unsure of what she was saying. She stopped beside me, uncrossing her arms and sighed. Her eyes shut momentarily, then there was a flash of blue and she frowned at me slightly.

"Kat...your parents aren't coming back for us. Non of them are coming back for us. They left us back at the farm and aren't coming back. They probably think we're dead and...even though I hate to say it...we're on our own now," she tells me as she looked at me and I felt my heart pound in my chest.

"No. That can't be. They wouldn't. I survived. They have to know we survived," I mumbled and paced around, unhappy with her words and negativity. Why is she trying to bring me down? Why?!

"Kat we-" she went to say but that was when I felt the rage build in my veins, warming up my body and lighting a fire in my soul. A burning passion to get back to my family and to tell Andrea exactly what I thought to her.

"No! Don't! All right?! I am not giving up on my family the way you gave up on your life! I won't lose the only hope I have in this world. My family. They are what keeps me going. I've been through more hell than you think you've been through. You are the one who fucked Shane!" I said and she gaped as though to say something.

"Don't even try to deny it! I smelt that smell before and believe me...you reaked! As for you losing Amy...I'm sorry about that. She was nice. She was a friend to me. Sophia...I felt bad about her for days! I thought I was the one to save her. That...I could have done something to save her from those walkers but...I froze!" I shout at her mad with her.

"As for fucking Randall...I'm glad he's dead. He helped a guy who tried to rape me in the woods! He deserved what he got and...as for Dale...I'm sorry but...we all lost Dale, Amy, Jacqui, Jim and Sophia. We all did! Not just you okay?!" I shouted at her mad that she had been so selfless these past few weeks.

"I went out there every day...looking for that little girl. Only to get attacked in the woods and to find out she died long before we could even find her. When Carl got shot...I wanted to take that pain away. I wanted to be by his side so bad but...I had to do what was right to Sophia. To fix my mistake," I tell her my voice saddening.

"When Randall showed up...when my mom was injured...I felt nothing but dread. Sorrow. Anger. Pain. Every time I looked at him...I thought of what he did in the woods to me...as to what he had done to other girls before me. Then...Dale died...I argued with him about the whole Randall situation but...I don't regret it," I tell her honestly.

"I felt sorrow for Carl. He went out in the woods...did something stupid and...he thought he was the reason Dale died. I had to fix that. I had to make sure my family were safe and happy all the time. You...all you did was sleep around with Shane, learn how to shoot a gun and...almost killed Daryl," I reminded her and she winced, looking away from me hurt.

"Now...the farm got overrun. I saved you and Carol. All I want is to get back to my family. I want to be there to protect them through this time. To be there for when the baby comes. To help them with whatever they need because...like it or not. The group as a whole...is my family. Our family," I tell her, her expressions softening.

"We've been through hell...but we've been through it together. What I need is...to get back to my family. To our family," I ask of her and she gave me a nod. "Escort or no...I need to get back to them. We need to get back to them," I spoke and Andrea smiled, she gently rubbed my arm and looked at me kindly.

"I'll help you get back to your family Kat. To our family," Andrea said, a smile on her lips and a smile on my own. There is always hope. Even in our darkest moments. I believe it and...I've seen it. Just now in the form of me and Andrea.

"Count me in too," said a voice I didn't recognize. Turning our gaze, I looked to the hooded figure and saw them walk up to us, this was when I noticed it was a more feminine figure than it was masculine. "My name's...Michonne," the female voice said as she lowered her hood, revealing her face and making both me and Andrea smile at her.

"Thank you...Michonne," I said kindly and hugged Andrea's side to me, her arms wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me to her. I'm glad I can count on them. Wait for me Carl, mom and dad...I'll be back to you soon enough. Promise.


We had walked for what felt like hours. Reaching a house, we entered and noticed it was spotless. What surprised us was there was water, fresh clothes and this was when both me and Andrea decided to take turns to clean up. When we were both done, we walked towards the dinning room and found it to be empty. Only Michonne was sat down on the floor and hid something behind her back.

Andrea sat down beside her and smirked at both Michonne and then to me. "Your mom told me something about you once...she told me that you enjoy a certain snack very much," Andrea giggled before Michonne slipped whatever was behind her back to show it to me. Gasping I was wide eyed when I looked down at it.

Sitting down beside them, I took the package gently from Michonne's hands, a smile on her face and my own smile grew so wide that it hurt. "Powdered donuts!" I all but squealed when I looked at them. "Me and Carl loved these! We would always get...filthy," I said happily but it then turned sad at the thought of my brother.

Andrea smiled at me sadly, she then looked to Michonne who seemed slightly confused but pleased by my reaction. "Carl is her brother," she said and I looked at them with a sad smile of my own.

"We'll find your family," Michonne said, her voice was slightly rough and intimidating. It was still kind with how softly she tried to speak to me. Opening the packet, I passed the box and grabbed my own donut. Eating it, I felt the powder fly into my nose and all around my lips. Humming, I chewed on it and enjoyed every second of it.

By the time we were all finished with our first donut we were all covered around our lips with the white powder. Giggling we all examined each other and took a second donut. Eating it, I dabbed the powder around my mouth and cheeks. Andrea grabbed hers took a bite and then dabbed it around her eyes, nose and mouth. Michonne took hers and rubbed it all over her face.

When we all looked to each other we all laughed at each other. Commenting on what we thought each of us looked like. Andrea said I looked like a porcelain doll. I told Michonne she looked like a ghost. Michonne said that Andrea looked like a panda if the colours were swapped around. All of us laughing and looking silly around each other, having fun and forgetting that the world had gone to shit, even if it was for a moment.

We kept moving, going forward and I would make signs that would talk to my family. Andrea asked me if that would work and I just told her I hoped it would. When we travelled around, we found some more weapons and ammo. Instead of my lost machete, I found a better machete and kept it where my old one used to be.

One day in the woods, my hair was loose and my hairband had broke. A walker got too close and grabbed at me. Struggling to get it off me, it was gripping at my long brown curls and was about to grab a bite of me from behind. I thought I was gone until I felt the weight disappear. The head of the walker rolled away from us and I saw Michonne clean her sword before looking to me again.

That night, when we holed up in a house and stayed inside, I decided to cut at my hair with my knife. Slowly, I saw Andrea walk towards me confused, watching me cut my hair short enough that walkers wouldn't be able to grab at it. "What are you doing?" she asked me curiously.

"I'm doing everything I can to get back to my family," I answered her and kept cutting at my hair. My hair was just a little above my shoulder and the curls slowly started to go to that new height. Michonne was by the door, keeping watch and cleaning her sword.

"Smart," Michonne mentioned as she watched every strand of hair fall to the ground. My legs crossed and the knife cutting through my hair with a little force. Sawing it, I kept going until it reached above my shoulders and shook out any hairs that stayed with my freshly cut hair.

"Very," Andrea agreed as they both watched me, Andrea was stood and Michonne was sat on a stool. My hair was now short, my skin was slightly more tanned from all the walking we had done under the sunlight and I could feel myself getting closer to my family with every day that came by. I'll be with you again soon...mom...dad...Carl. Soon. I promise...


So! What did you think? I enjoyed this more...tough, on the edge but slightly carefree Kat. She's serious about finding her family and she wants nothing but that. Determined Kat huh? Sorry for no Karyl moments but...you'll get enough sooner or later. Leave me some love in reviews please. Tell me your thoughts and what you want to happen!

Now...replies to your reviews!


Caity6991: Thank you for the review and I hope you liked these past two chapters!


redangle2463: There will be scenes between the three. You'll see what happens throughout the next few seasons. Glad Kat is your favourite. She's mine too! Thank you for your review dear!


Guest: Well...you'll just have to wait and see. No spoilers until the chapters come up but...it will be one hell of a season. I can tell you that. Don't worry. Soon enough Kat will reunite with her family. Until then...hold on! Thank you for your review!


Until next chapter...

Much love!

HeroJustInTime90 x