Chapter Five, people! Yay! Thank you for the support so far with the favorites and follows, I hope that continues with some reviews as well. And I hope you enjoy this next part. Also, if you go to previous chapters I had edited them and such. Anyway, enjoy. Please review, favorite, and follow. Thanks.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Walking Dead, the comics or the television series, nor its characters. All I own is my OCs and some plot points.

Warnings: Daryl and OC romance, swearing, crude humor, sexual content, gore, mentions types of abuse, and alcohol and drug references.

Chapter: Five

"I can't go. I'm not leaving."

Carol could not even fathom how the others could even suggest leaving, not now, anyway. She, too, of course, was worried about Carl being shot and wanted to be there for her friends and, of course, she was worried about T-Dog's deteriorating health, but her daughter, her little girl, was still out there. She couldn't just up and leave, she just couldn't. Sophia was all she had left.

The others frowned, torn, knowing the poor mother's plight. They, too, were concerned for the well-being of that little girl and for the well-being of their friends.

"If Sophia came back and we were gone, that'd be awful." Andrea stated. "We can't just leave."

"Then, I'll stick 'round fer tonight in da RV." Daryl offered.

"So will I." Katherine added from beside him.

Carol brightened, if only slightly. "Thank you." she breathed appreciatively. The two gave her nods in return.

"If the RV is staying then, so am I." Dale piped up.

"I'm in." Andrea also volunteered.

"Well, if everyone else is staying, I am-"

"No, not you, Glenn." the oldest member of the group cut the Korean off, much to the young man's dismay. "You have to take T-Dog and go."

"But-" Glenn started to protest.

"T-Dog is getting worse. Look at him, Glenn." Dale motioned to the only person standing away from the group, looking away as he swayed slightly on his feet. "He has a very serious blood infection. If he doesn't get help and soon, he's going to die."

Glenn didn't have a rebuttal after that. Daryl had something to say, though. "Why didn' an'one say anythin' sooner? I got Merle's stash."

Upon that statement, the brunet moved over to his sibling's motorcycle only to scowl at a piece of cloth flung over it before grabbing a plastic bag from within a satchel draped over the back of the bike. "Don' put yer dirty rag on my brother's bike, ol' man," he barked curtly, throwing said rag at Dale then, placed the plastic bag filled with pills in smaller baggies, canisters of medication, and a packet of cocaine. "Got sum wicked painkillers," He tossed those to Glenn. "'Nd…yeah, sum doxycycline." He threw that over as well. "Ain't da generic shit neither. First-rate. Merle got da clap on da occasion." He had said it so nonchalantly.

"Oh, yeah. That's right." Katherine's voice was just as careless. Then, her green orbs looked over the contents of the bag. "What else ya got in there?"

Instantly, her child friend narrowed his eyes and snatched up the bag. "Nuttin' fer you."

She blinked, taken aback by his abrupt reaction. "Wha-What? I was just askin', man."

"'Nd I was jus' answerin'."

"I didn't want anything."

Not unless he had a carton of smokes in there.

"Good."

He turned away to put Merle's stash back in its proper place, leaving Katherine downright dumbfounded and annoyed. She looked to the others, hoping they had any idea as to why Daryl had responded that way. Alas, they looked just as stumped as she.

So, scoffing and shaking her head, Katherine threw up her hands. "Y'know what? Whatever. I'm too fuckin' tired to care right now." she grumbled as she stomped towards the RV.

Her body was still out of sorts from dehydration, starvation, and lack of sleep; unfortunately, those were things one didn't recover from in a day, especially when that person continues to put strain on their body the very next day. Besides, she just didn't have the energy to deal with one of Daryl's moodswings; something she had definitely not missed. Then again, he had been acting a bit distant with her since the church now that she thought about it, but that might've been all in her head due to exhaustion and the heat; he did have other things to worry about. Well, either way, Katherine was sure his mood would be gone by morning one he, and everyone, had a "good" night's sleep—minus Glenn and T-Dog—as it had been a long day.

Or so Katherine had hoped…

Dale was on watch, so he was pacing back and forth upon the top of the RV. Carol was crying in the bedroom, trying to be quiet about it, but failing. Andrea was playing with the gun stash, trying to dissemble and reassemble them; the woman had a serious gun obsession. And Daryl, with all the noise, kept shifting about, which meant that Katherine couldn't sleep.

Eventually, as if were, Daryl had had enough of it all before Katherine, as he rose from his place on the floor and gathered his crossbow and clip for his gun from Andrea. The women surrounding him gave him perplexed expressions.

"Gonna walk da road. See if I can find anythin'." he admitted. He gave Carol one last reassuring nod and stepped out of the RV.

The two blonde women exchanged glances before springing up, gathering their equipment to follow Daryl out.

"We're comin', too."

Daryl stopped and shook his head, his usual scowl deepening. "Andrea, fine, but not you, Kat."

"What? Why the Hell not?" sputtered Katherine.

"'Cuz ya need ta rest."

"The fuck? What are ya talkin' about? I'm fine."

"Fine my ass. Ya ain't fine. Ya were shakin' all day. Ya pushed yerself too much."

"I'm fine, Daryl."

"Get back inside."

"No. You ain't my father. I'm comin' with to help."

"Get back inside."

"No,"

"Dammit, Katherine! Inside! Ya ain't any of use ta me when yer 'bout ta keel ova! Yer useless ta me if I gotta babysit yer ass at da same time! Now, inside, woman!"

Katherine could not believe what she was hearing, staring at him with tightening chest. He had called her useless.

Anger bubbling up to hide the hurt, she snapped, through gritted teeth, "Y'know what, Dixon? Fuck you." Whipping around on her heel, the young woman slammed the RV door shut behind her.

There was silence for a while outside before Dale ultimately spoke, his voice slightly muffled to Katherine's ears, "Andrea, do you think you should be going, too?"

"Dale, let it go." she retorted dryly.

Clearly, those two had something as well going on between them that was unknown to Katherine.

"Women," Daryl scoffed in a low voice, probably so only Dale would hear, but…

"I heard that," chorused the blonde women, Katherine only temporarily sticking her head out of the vehicle.

Daryl just mumbled "whatever" dismissively and trailed after Andrea, disappearing into the crowd of cars and into the darkness of the night. Katherine watched them go through the window before sighing deeply and slumping.

What the Hell was that all about? What was Daryl's problem?

Inwardly cursing the confusing hunter peeved, the flaxen-haired female collapsed in one of the cushioned booths to the tiny kitchenette table, body fatigued and tight.

Daryl was right. She was still tired, but that didn't mean she was incapable of helping nor did it mean she was happy about the way he had spoken to her. He had no right to tell her what to do, especially so harshly; he also knew how much she hated being called useless. She had had enough of that with her father and brother. She had just wanted to help. He had to have known that. He hadn't had an issue before. So why was he babying her so much?

Another sigh left Katherine's lips.

Even after all this time, she still did not why Daryl acted the way he did sometimes with her. Even before the Geekcaplypse, he'd be hot and cold with her, confusing her to no end.

"K-Kat?" Carol's broken voice broke her from her thoughts, causing her to blink at the short-haired woman now out of bed and standing before her.

"Hmm? Yeah? What's up, Carol?"

"I-I just…" She sniffled, wiping at her moistened eyes. "I just wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"For helping search for my daughter."

"Oh. Don't worry about it. No need to thank me, really."

"No, really," Carol insisted, settling down across from Katherine. "You are a stranger to us and you've more th-than paid back for the supplies, yet you're still offering to…to help. And I greatly appreciate that, I do. Its…" She fell silent briefly, hanging her head, to stare down at her tightly folded hands with a pained expression. "It's more th-than her own father ever did."

Katherine felt her chest tighten again, but for a different reason. Only for it to worsen when Carol continued to speak, "You're a good person, Kat."

A frown soon marred her face as she adverted her gaze from the female's before her. "No, no, I'm not."

"Kat,"

"I'm not. Trust me."

Memories of Atlanta flooded her mind, plaguing it, weighing down more than they already did, making the tightness in her chest to become suffocating.

Walkers, they were everywhere, as far as the eye could see and further.

Hundreds. Thousands.

All hungry for blood and human flesh. And their newest meal had just popped into the city.

That was all needed to be done.

One step into that city and the group was done with. The Walkers had been drawn in immediately like a moth to a flame. ¾ of the group had already been cut into within the first half hour.

Blood smeared the streets further as the screams of men, women, and even children echoed, resounding off the buildings, deafening Katherine. However, she had no time to dwell upon it. She had to run, harder and faster than she had ever done for track and field in high school.

Her breath came out short and heavy as her heart thundered in her eardrums, thundering against her chest cavity in adrenaline, desperation, and in fear. With every turn, there was a Walker. No, there were Walkers; there was never just one. This way and that, she had to dodge, ammo, along with people, diminishing with each passing minute. Before long, the group of twenty some odd people had dwindled down to two people: Katherine and Keith. And they were nowhere near escaping the city just yet.

"W-We need a…a distraction of…of some sort." panted out Keith as brother and sister hid out in a fortunately deserted alleyway to try and catch their breath.

"Th-This is all…all y-your fault." Katherine accused, glowering at the eldest Sherwood child from beneath her matted bangs.

He looked to her incredulously. "H-How is this my fault?"

"How can you even have th-the balls to ask that? We're here 'cuz of you! Everyone's dead, put up f-for the…the slaughter 'cuz of you, Keith!" Katherine snapped heatedly.

He scoffed. "Ya don't know what you're talkin' about, Katherine. They all died 'cuz they were too weak for this world."

"There were children, dammit! You forced the group to come or you'd leave 'em behind with no supplies! You're a murderer! Everyone trusted you to keep us safe! They're dead 'cuz of you! It's your-"

Burning pain met Katherine's face as the back of Keith's hand met her cheek, snapping her head back.

"You shut your fuckin' mouth. I have had enough of your back-talkin' and doubt. Enough. You shuddap and do as I say and we will get out of this alive. Ya hear me? Not another word. Not another damn word. Or I will leave your ungrateful ass behind." Keith warned.

And he would do it, too, Katherine knew, if it meant he'd survive. She was shocked that he hadn't already. Then again, that maybe because he had needed someone else to order around and needed someone to beat around and she had been his easiest target for she had thought he was her only way to survive, just like the others had.

Not anymore.

Cradling her throbbing cheek, swallowing back the tears that threatened to fall, she turned to Keith with dangerously narrowed eye. "No, Keith," she hissed venomously. "If anyone is being left behind, its you."

"What are ya babblin' about now, Katherine?" Rolling his eyes, he tore his attention from the passing Walkers outside the alley only to have his sister's silver Smith & Wesson pointed at him. "Woah! What are ya doing? Put that away."

"Creatin' a distraction." was all she said dully.

Without batting an eyelash, Katherine shot Keith in both his legs, bringing the man to the ground with a cry of agony.

It wasn't long after that did Katherine hear the Walkers approaching and it wouldn't be longer after that that they'd be coming to see what had caused the noise, attracted to it. Thus, she turned tail, grabbing the backpack of supplies they had gathered. She didn't look back once, not even when Keith had screamed her name when the Walkers had stumbled upon him.

She was going to survive. She was no longer going to risk her life for people who didn't care about her. She was no longer going to depend on others to survive. She was going to live.

Shaking her head, Katherine rose from her seat. She looked sadly to Carol. "I'm not a good person, Carol."

No, she hadn't stood up to her brother in order to spare innocent lives. No, she had sacrificed her own flesh and blood to save her own hide and she didn't regret it, at least not entirely. She had found Daryl, which she was grateful for and she would not have been able to if it weren't for those facts. Nonetheless, deep down, the guilt was there. So, maybe helping these strangers find Sophia was her selfish way of trying to seek from penitence. Not from God, but from her conscious and nightmares.

She left, making her way out to join Dale on the roof for some fresh air.

With a huff, she plopped down in the navy lawn chair unoccupied to take out the remaining Marlboro from the pack within her ratty jeans. She lit up before finally addressing Dale, who had been surprised by her sudden appearance, "Stars are always beautiful no matter what happens, huh? Sirius always shining the brightest. Looks like you can even see Venus tonight."

"Were you an astronomer before all this?"

Katherine let a laugh. "Hardly. I was a waitress at some dinky lil' diner in town, tryin' to pay off college loans. Went to art college. Much to my father's dismay. Had wanted me to stay and work on the farm after I graduated high school, but I refused. Thus, the crazy, old bastard refused to pay, though we had more than enough money to at least pay for a chunk of it. So I was left with a bachelor's degree that did me nothing and a shit ton of debt." She gave a shrug of her shoulder, though. "Not that I'm complainin'. I liked working for my money."

The bearded man, blinked, taken off guard.

That was the most he had ever heard Katherine speak to him anyone, aside from Daryl. She seemed very closed off and distant, guarded, a lot like Daryl, but there she was, willingly talking about a small tidbit of her past, of her life before the world had ended. And she had given Dale a bit more detail into whom she was.

She liked astronomy. She had gone to art school despite her father's wishes. She had grown up a farm that had done particularly well; that part he had guessed since Daryl had claimed he had worked for said farm when he and Rick had first brought her in. Besides, her demeanor hinted at fine upbringing, at least in some form or another; she might not have come from affectionate upbringing considering her standoffish behavior or that could've been thanks to the new world.

Either way, if she were willing to talk, Dale would not let it pass by.

He was curious and cautious of the newcomer, like the others. The unknown made them anxious and though it seemed Rick had accepted her without question and though she was Daryl's friend, Dale wanted to protected the group as much as the next person. He wanted to get to know as much as he could about this peculiar young woman.

"I had my own share of debt. I was a shoe-salesman. My wife and I would travel in this RV from town to tow so I could sell my products while seeing the country." he confessed.

Katherine paused, searching his face. He had had a wife, but what had become of her. She wasn't sure if it was appropriate to ask, but couldn't help in doing so, "…Walkers?"

"Cancer," He shook his head solemnly. "Long before this."

"Oh…"

She bit her lip and raked an uneasy hand through her hair, which had been unwrapped from its braid to sleep. "…My mother died givin' birth to me," she admitted hesitantly. It was only fair.

"I'm sorry, Kat."

"I'm sorry about your wife."

"Thank you."

Silence fell, but Dale didn't want the conversation to end. He had to trod carefully, though and not pry too much.

"Daryl had said you were in those woods alone before he and Rick had found you,"

A frown appeared and even though her face was turned away, Dale could see it and the rising tension in her shoulders. Yet, she answered albeit stiffly, "Walkers took care of my family and everybody else. Just barely made it myself."

'If I hadn't sacrificed Keith…'

"I'm sorry, Kat."

She wasn't. Not entirely.

"…Thank you."

"You're safe now," he reassured gently, causing her to look to him again. "You're surrounded by good people. They're cautious of you, but they'll come around, especially with you so kindly offering to help. They'll see you're a good person."

But she wasn't…

"Besides, Daryl will not allow anyone to make you leave."

Katherine deadpanned, cigarette slumping between her pursed lips. "Yeah, so he can baby and order me around some more?"

"I'm sure he has his reasons. He's clearly very protective of you. Just watching out for your well-being. You did need to rest more. You should be sleeping right now actually." Dale pointed out.

Katherine's temper flared as she rebuked defensively, "That's not his call, Dale. He can't tell me what I can and cannot do." She stood to face him. "And y'know what? Neither can you. I decide whether I need to rest or not. Not Daryl and certainly not you."

"Kat, I didn't mean-"

"Forget it. This conversation is done." she said coolly. "Clearly, I'm much too tired to take a small walk, let alone talk."

With that and with the throwing away of her smoke, Katherine headed back into the RV, fuming.

Dale sighed.

He had pushed too far.

He really needed to learn how to not put his foot in his mouth.