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Chapter 4
He burrowed further into the bed, enjoying the feel of soft clean blankets against his still aching body. The boy allowed himself a small smile as he drifted off to sleep again. For the first time he could remember he felt safe and warm, his belly almost painfully full. He'd found out the old woman's name was Isabella, which he thought was pretty but she told him it was too much of a mouthful and he was to call her Bella. She'd come from a wealthy family ending up on the trailer park when her husband had died, leaving her with nothing but a pile of debts and she'd been forced to sell her home in the suburbs to pay off all his creditors. There had been barely enough left to buy the run down trailer she now lived in but she had managed to make it into a warm and welcoming home.
"He was a good man" she told him "Didn't have a clue when it came to investing money but well meaning and good to me. Never raised his voice or a fist to me in 36 years of marriage" she gave a low chuckle "and believe me, back in my younger days, I could be a bit of a handful" Looking at her he found he could believe it.
The pounding woke him abruptly, Bella was at his side, a reassuring hand on his shoulder as he heard the familiar voice bellowing from outside the flimsy door.
"I know you got that snot nosed brat of mine in there. Open the damn door 'fore I break it down" The words were slurred and he knew that, once again, his father was drunk.
"Stay in here, don't come out, no matter what you hear" Pulling her robe tighter around her tiny frame Bella closed the door to the small bedroom behind her. At once he was out of the bed, easing the door open a crack so he could peer out.
He saw her take a deep breath and pull herself to her full height of 5 foot nothing as she yanked the front door open revealing his father leaning arrogantly on the door frame.
"Took yer damn time" he sneered "Where's that piece 'o shit pussy I call son hiding out?"
Bella glared at him, showing no sign of the fear she felt inside as the aggressive, drunken man loomed over her.
"Firstly Mr Dixon, I don't appreciate you pounding on my door at this ungodly time in the morning, especially the state you're in" Bella was pleased her voice held no tremor as she stood up to the bully in front of her.
"And secondly what makes you think your son might be here?"
The elder Dixon pushed himself upright and stepped into her space,
"Neighbour over the road said he saw you dragging his sorry little ass in here last night. Brat belongs to me and I want him back. Gotta finish teaching him a lesson 'bout takin' what don't belong to him" He shoved his face close to hers
"Where is he?"
Bella put her hands on his chest and shoved him back.
"He's gone" she lied "and if he was here do you really think I'd let you take him? I can guess exactly what you mean by teaching him a lesson, I saw the bruises, the burns and the cuts. You're a disgrace for a man who doesn't deserve to have been blessed with a child" She turned away about to shut the door in his face.
"He ran sometime during the night, I have no idea when. Now get off my doorstep" she demanded.
Watching through the crack in the door the boy willed her to keep quiet, he recognised the signs and knew his Pa was about to lose it.
"Go, before I call the authorities and report you for the abuse you've piled on that poor child" His heart sank at her words.
His Father moved faster than he thought possible in his drunken condition. In one motion he'd barged into the trailer, pushing Bella back, slamming the door behind him as he pinned her against the edge of a table.
"You think you can threaten me, you stuck up, dried up old bitch?" he snarled as he raised his fist. Before the blow landed the child dashed from the room and grabbed his arm, pulling his hand away from the frightened woman.
"Don't hurt her!" the boy yelled as he tried to pull his father away. A blow from the man's other hand sent the child flying.
"Well look what's crawled out from behind her skirts" His father advanced on him "You aint no Dixon, hiding behind some old lady like a snivelling little pussy" His foot lashed out, catching the child in the stomach, causing pain to flare through his already damaged ribs.
"Yer comin' home with me now so we can finish what we started" he reached out and seized a handful of tee shirt, hurling the boy to his feet.
"Leave him be!" Bella launched herself at them, her frail arms pulling at the angry man's hands, trying to make him let go of the child.
With a roar his Father shoved her away, her slight weight no match for his alcohol fuelled anger and strength. She lost her footing and stumbled back, unable to keep her balance. Her head struck the edge of the table by the door and she hit the floor with a small cry.
"Bella!" the boy cried as he managed to twist free from his father's grip and run to her side. He dropped to his knees, not caring about the blood that was soaking into his pants as it seeped from under her head, slowly spreading across the floor.
Her eyes flickered open, her gaze meeting his.
"Run child, run from here now" she whispered, her eyes closing once more.
"Bella, wake up" he shook her shoulder, knowing the tears that were falling would get him another beating but not caring as he tried to wake the only person who had ever shown him any kindness.
"Damn it!" a hand dug into his thin shoulder, painfully pulling him to his feet.
"We gotta get out of here now"
Blankly he let his father haul him from the trailer and across the street. Once back in his own pitiful home he was dragged into the small back yard to the shed they used to skin and cure the animals they hunted. As his father hurled him inside he snarled at him.
"That was on you. You hadn't hid away like some little coward she'd still be alright. I might have shoved her but you're the one killed her. You think on that while yer in here"
The door was locked shut and he was left alone.
Daryl jolted awake, breathing hard, still feeling the pain and guilt at Bella's death. His father had left him in the dark, cold shed for 3 days with no food or water. When he'd finally let him out he told him he'd covered for him when the police began to investigate Bella's murder. He was kept locked away in their filthy trailer for weeks, unable to even look outside so it was a while before he discovered his pa had gone back to Bella's trailer and ransacked it, stealing anything of value, selling it and using the money for drugs and booze, before setting fire to it, burning both Bella's body and any evidence. It was months before he discovered the police had barely bothered to investigate the death, putting it down to nothing more than a tragic accident.
As his breathing calmed Daryl became aware of a soft touch on his face. He forced his eyes open to find Jasmine sitting on the bed at his side. Her hand was brushing the hair from his face, her thumb wiping away tears he hadn't realised were falling.
She gave him a gentle smile as she removed her thumb but remained sitting next to him, her hand now resting on his shoulder.
"Must have been a hell of a nightmare" she commented.
He gave a brief nod, embarrassed to have been seen so vulnerable.
"Aint talkin' 'bout it" he mumbled "Don't even bother askin'"
"I wasn't going to" Jasmine moved away, giving him the space she knew he needed to recover. After a few minutes of awkward silence she couldn't resist asking.
"Who was Bella?"
The look he gave her would have made most people run but she held her ground,
"Aint none of your business and already said aint talking about it" She noticed his his southern accent became much rougher when he was angry or stressed.
"Alright" she turned away "Though people do find it helps to get these things out. Maybe talking about it will stop the nightmares. I'm guessing this isn't the first time is it?"
He ignored her, instead going to the window and glancing out.
"Rains stopped,we should pack up and get ready to move out at first light" he brushed past her, heading back to the kitchen and with a sigh she followed.
The ride back to Alexandria took a few hours and Glenn was waiting for their return. The teasing he'd been planning at their overnight stay alone stuck in his throat when he saw the angry expression on Daryl's face as he dismounted and stormed into the house without a word.
"You okay?" he asked Jasmine, helping her with her bag as she climbed from the bike.
"I'm fine" she managed a small smile "Tired and dirty but unhurt" she nodded towards the house.
"He's injured and I'm pretty sure he won't come back to me so please keep an eye on him. Let Carol know, she seems to have some sway with him" Jasmine took her bag from Glenn and headed to her house, wanting nothing more than food and a hot shower.
Daryl threw his crossbow onto his bed and began pacing the small room he called his own. The last nightmare had stayed with him for a long time after he awoke, memories of Bella refusing to go away. He'd only been in her home for a few hours but it was probably the best time of his whole shitty childhood. The guilt of her death had eaten away at him for years. Part of him knew it wasn't his fault but his father's words still stuck in his head.
"That was on you"
"...you're the one that killed her"
Those days locked in the small shed scared, hungry and dehydrated, still in pain from broken ribs and burns, they were all he could hear. After letting him out his asshole father had reminded him about it at every opportunity, not letting up and even now he still felt the pain of seeing her lying there, blood pooling around her, soaking into his pants as he tried helplessly to wake her.
He was suddenly pulled from his dark thoughts by the sound of screams. Scooping up his weapon he headed outside, running into Rick on the porch.
"Hell's going on?" he yelled over the sounds of gunfire and shouts.
"They came over the wall, started hacking people to death. Looks like the same group that attacked us yesterday" Rick fired his colt, taking out a man just before he swung his machete into a fleeing woman's back. Jumping from the porch, watching each others backs, the two of them began to fight their way through the town. None of those attacking had guns but they weren't afraid to use their axes and blades. Not only did they kill indiscriminately they appeared to take great pleasure in dismembering the bodies as well. More than once Rick felt the bile rise to the back of his throat at the sight of limbs severed from bodies, especially on the one occasion it was obvious the limbs were those of a child.
He heard Daryl's sharp intake of breath at the sight.
"These are some sick bastards" the archer muttered as he shot another, trying to chase down one of the townsfolk.
Finally the immediate threat was over and they split up, searching each house for casualties or any remaining invaders.
Without planning to Daryl found himself outside Jasmine's house. His heart sank when he saw the front door was wide open. Slinging his crossbow over his shoulder and drawing his gun he approached cautiously. Downstairs was clear, no sign of any disturbance but on the stairs he found a body. As he plunged his knife into the man's head he noticed the deep cut on his temple.
He continued upstairs, finding both bedrooms empty before making his way into the bathroom. The room was warm and humid, the shower cubicle still wet and the man's body on the floor was still, a knife protruding from his stomach. Daryl pulled the knife free and used it to finish the corpse off. He straightened and moved into the hallway, unsure where to go next and finding himself concerned for the missing woman.
The movement behind him was subtle, barely enough for him to hear and react to. He ducked and twisted sideways, raising the pistol as the heavy lamp aimed at his skull hit the wall where his head would have been, showering him with bits of plaster and woodwork.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" The lamp hit the floor as Jasmine stumbled back, her eyes wide and panicked as she realised who it was.
"I thought you were another one of them" she tried to explain as he glared reproachfully at her, more relieved to see her unharmed than he had any right to be.
"Hell happened here?" he demanded
She shivered and it was then he noticed she was only wearing a short bathrobe, tied loosely around her waist. There was a lot of leg and cleavage on show and he averted his eyes, looking into her face. She seemed to realise at the same time, pulling it tighter around her body and retying the belt. He couldn't help notice the blush that coloured her face and found himself thinking how appealing she looked. Quickly he shoved those thoughts deep into his mind, wondering where the hell they had come from in the first place.
"Sorry" she apologised again "I was in the shower, didn't even know anything was wrong until I stepped out and found a man in the bathroom" she blushed again at the thought of the grinning stranger standing there staring at her as she stepped naked from the shower.
"In a way it was good because he was distracted looking at me and I managed to get his knife and stab him. I grabbed the robe and was going to make a run for it when I heard another one coming up the stairs. I snatched up the lamp and waited until he was at the top then I hit him as hard as I could. When he fell back and didn't move I hid in the hall closet"
"You did good" he told her, noticing how her hands were shaking "better than a lot of them out there could do"
Before he could move she stepped into his space, leaning against him and wrapping her arms around his waist.
"I was so scared" she whispered into his chest "I've never killed a person before and now I've killed two" her voice broke and he guessed she was close to tears.
He knew all she wanted was someone to comfort her, nothing more than a reassuring hug but he couldn't do it. For a few seconds he stood there frozen, his hands stubbornly by his side before he lifted them and pulled her arms from his waist.
"Gotta go" he mumbled, ignoring her surprised, tearful face as he fled from the room. He felt like a total douche bag as he ran from the house. All she wanted was a friend and he couldn't even do that.
"Is she okay?" Marcie and Coop were running towards the house, Eugene trailing along behind.
Marcie grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop.
"Is she okay?"she repeated the concern in her voice obvious.
"She aint hurt, just had a bit of a rough time, probably needs a friend about now" he managed as he pulled his arm free. Marcie and Eugene hurried into the house leaving Coop outside. Daryl looked up and saw the big man studying him intently.
"Meant what I said, you hurt her in in any way and you got me to answer to" he said softly, the threat clear.
"Aint gonna lay a finger on her, I aint like that" he said, annoyed that Coop would think so little of him.
"There's more ways to hurt someone than physical" Coop gave him a dark look "You just watch yourself around her, she's like a kid sister to me. I aint gonna see her upset" Without a further word he walked away, climbing the porch steps and disappearing into the house leaving Daryl staring after him, wondering what the hell he'd meant.
Thanks for reading.