"Daryl!" woke him as Daryl felt terror, frustration and anger moving through his head and he opened his eyes.
"Calm down. Everything's fine," someone said.
"Get off me!"
"Where is that syringe?!"
"Shit! She just kicked Dawsons in the balls!"
"Hold her down!"
"Daryl, help me!"
Daryl realized the straps holding him down weren't too tight as he freed himself from the stretcher then he got up. He felt a little dizzy as he looked around the room and he saw several people surrounding the stretcher his sister was lying on.
When Caroline Daye, now Caroline Dixon, found out she had been illegally adopted after her adopted father had died in a car accident. She had received a key which led to a safe deposit box. Inside the box was the information about the adoption and she had gone to an agency which helps adopted adults and children find their birth parents.
A few months later, she got in contact with a man who claimed to be her birth father, Will Dixon. He seemed to know a lot about the adoption and she was surprised by how eager he was to see her.
She had her doubts. She almost told him to fuck off. But her need to find the truth told her to agree to the meetup.
He told her to bring any and all proof of her identity and he assured her he would bring any and all proof his identity as well.
They arranged to meet in Atlanta, but her flight to Atlanta had been diverted to Savannah.
Years later, she arrived at the Kingdom.
When she met Daryl, and told him Will Dixon was her father, Daryl didn't believe her even when he saw the proof and took a blood test.
And she was shocked to learn the man who contacted her wasn't Will Dixon, but Merle.
It wasn't until they shared a strange dream that they were finally able to get some answers to their questions and both of them grew closer.
Daryl suddenly realized the room was gently rocking back and forth and he heard the soft creaking sound of metal.
"I said get off!" Caroline shouted as she kicked one of the men in the face.
"The bitch broke my nose!" the man shouted, cupping his face with his hands and blood rolled down his face.
"Knock her out!" one of the men shouted and Daryl saw the man was holding down Caroline's right forearm.
Caroline's adopted mother, Jessie, had taken a meat hammer and nearly smashing Caroline's right hand into a pulp after Caroline had drawn an idea for a tattoo on the back of her right hand.
After numerous surgeries and intense physical therapy, Caroline regained the use of her right hand and her right hand and wrist were covered in scars. She wore fingerless gloves to hide the scars and feels self-conscious when she had to remove the gloves.
Daryl watched the light shimmering off the bone saw in the man's right hand then Daryl saw a scalpel on the small table. He picked up the scalpel when he grabbed hold of the man holding the bone saw and he placed the blade of the scalpel against the man's neck. The man dropped the bone saw onto the floor and Daryl glared at the others.
"Let her go or he gets another mouth!" Daryl growled and the men looked at him.
"Aw, shit, he's awake!"
"Look," the man who was holding onto Caroline's right forearm said. "We don't want any trouble. But she's going to die if we don't remove her hand."
"I ain't gonna die! What happened to my hand happened years ago! Now let me go!" Caroline shouted.
"Do it," Daryl said and the man he was holding gave the others a pleading look.
"Let her go," the man with the broken nose said.
Daryl watched as Caroline got off the stretcher after they let her go then she ran to Daryl and Daryl shoved the man he was holding toward the stretcher after placing the scalpel back on the tray. Caroline held onto her twin's left side as Daryl wrapped his right arm around her and they looked at the men.
"Where are we?" Daryl asked while he and Caroline backed up toward the door. Caroline let go of her brother when she opened the door and saw a man with a rifle next to the door.
"Shit," Caroline whispered and punched the man in the stomach. The man dropped the rifle and she picked the rifle off the ground, pointing the rifle at the man. "Go inside."
The man crawled by them as he got to his feet and Daryl walked outside, closing the door. He used a metal bar he found on the floor to make sure the door stayed shut as they walked to the railing and both of them were stunned to see the endless sea stretching out before them.
Alexandria
Carol sat on the couch in Daryl's room while she looked at the window and she sighed.
When Daryl and Caroline set off on a trip northeast, Carol been told they had been ambushed and had sent out search parties.
"Where are you?" she whispered.
Dog walked to her as the dog placed its right paw on her left leg and she scratched the top of Dog's head.
"I miss them, too," Carol whispered.
Footsteps on the stairs startled her as Dog growled and she got up, walking to the stairs. Standing on the stairs was Mercer and he gave her a small nod. Carol moved back so he could walk by her and she watched him head for the couch
"Have you found anything?" Carol asked.
"Yes, we have," Mercer said and Carol walked to the couch then they sat down.
"What did you find?"
"We found Daryl's motorcycle, their backpack and their crossbows in a ditch not far from here."
Carol felt her heart catch in her chest and her hands slightly shook.
"Did you find Daryl or Caroline?" she asked and he heard the fear in her voice.
"No, we didn't. We did find footprints around the motorcycle and at the top of the ditch."
"What sort of footprints?"
"Human. But they weren't in the sporadic patterns associated with a swarm. And there was no blood or remains."
"Did you find anything else?"
"Yes, there were signs of a struggle."
"Anything else?"
"We also found some footprints and tire tracks not far from the ditch. It looks like the tire tracks were heading east."
"Did you bring the motorcycle, backpack and the crossbows back here?"
"Yes. They are being checked for explosives and fingerprints."
Sighing, Carol nodded and Mercer stood. She watched him head up the stairs when Mercer left the room and Dog walked to the couch. Carol felt the tears in her eyes as she lowered her head and she sobbed.
The Blue Dolphin.
Daryl and Caroline placed their hands on the railing when a tall man with white hair and hard gray eyes walked toward them. He was wearing a black sweater, a black leather belt, black jeans, black boots and a black Navy pea coat.
"Hello," Captain Hank Trask said with a nod.
"Who are you?" Daryl asked.
"I'm Captain Trask."
"I know we're on a ship….," Caroline said.
"This be the Blue Dolphin," he said then looked from Daryl to Caroline. "She's your sister?"
"How did you figure that out?" Caroline asked.
"You look a little like him. You're twins?"
"Yeah," Daryl said with a nod.
"Why are we here?" Caroline asked.
"Can't tell you that," Trask said.
"What can you tell us?" Daryl asked.
"We don't have the fuel or the time to turn around and take you home."
"Then drop us off at the next port," Caroline said.
"Can't."
"We're your prisoners?"
"No, you're cargo."
"Cargo?" Daryl asked.
"Yeah. But don't worry. We'll feed you, give you stuff to drink and you'll have somewhere to sleep."
"Can we leave the ship?" Caroline asked.
"No."
"What if we try to leave?" Daryl asked.
"Then I'll lose my payment for delivering you."
"Does that sound like they'll kill us?" Caroline asked her brother and Daryl nodded.
"Now that the introductions are over, I'll show you to your quarters."
"You mean our cells," Daryl grumbled.
"Don't have cells. Well, not ones for people like you."
"Like us?" Caroline asked.
"People I know won't cause trouble. Move."
Daryl and Caroline followed Trask as they headed for the blue door which led down below and Trask opened the door.
"Where are our weapons?" Caroline asked.
"You didn't have any weapons on you when you were brought onboard," Hank said.
"How long have we've been here" Daryl asked.
"About two or three days. Before that, you were kept somewhere else for a week."
"We've been sleepin' fer over a week?" Caroline asked.
"Yeah. From what I was told, they kept you on some sort of drip. If you're hungry, I'll get you some dinner."
"Why did you want cut off my hand?"
"Sorry about that. My crew thought you were infected."
They went inside as Trask led them to the stairs and they walked down the stairs. They headed down the hallway as Daryl looked at the doors to the other quarters, but he didn't see any security cameras.
"You're in here," Hank said as he opened the door and he flicked the switch. The lights came on as Daryl and Caroline walked in the room when Trask closed the door and they heard a soft clicking sound. Daryl tried to open the door, but the door was locked and he sighed.
Alexandria
Carol walked through the woods with Dog as the dog sniffed the leaf litter and Carol felt the cool air moving over her. She knew it wasn't a good idea to be out on her own, but she also knew no one would believe her if she told them who she was going to see.
"Hello, Earth Mother," made her stop and the sky turned bright green while the sounds of drums, flutes and chanting filled the air.
"Hello, Jeb," Carol said.
Jebidiah Blackfoot was a Cherokee shaman from the 1800s. When he was young, he inherited the power of the Old Man of the Mountain from his grandfather after his father had died. He was able to shape shift into a black bear or any creature that roams the land, flies or swims. He swore to protect the land, but he failed more times than he succeeded. Another power he possessed was the ability to pull people into a dream realm where they can speak to the dead. He was six foot seven and had long, scraggy black hair mixed with white and gray hair and hard amber eyes. A long scar went down the right side of his face and, due to his past, he didn't like being around people. After he had met Daryl, Carol and Caroline, he decided to give people another chance and he gave Caroline the nickname "Little Squirrel", Daryl the nickname "Demon Slayer" and Carol the nickname "Earth Mother". He finally died of old age and Daryl put him down before he turned.
Carol turned to look at him and Jeb stood against the trunk of a tree.
"Where are they?" she asked, walking closer.
"If you're talkin' about your man and his sister, I'm not sure. All I know is they're not here. Not anymore."
"Why didn't you stop them from being taken?"
"Like I told you before, there are things that I can't interfere in. This was one of them."
"How do I get them back?"
"I'm workin' on it."
Carol glared at him as Jeb vanished and the sky returned to normal. She felt the tears in her eyes as she looked up at the sky and she crossed her arms over her stomach.
The Blue Dolphin
The room was dark while Caroline rested on the top bunk and Daryl rested on the bottom bunk. There was a small, wooden table and two wooden chairs, a dresser, two lockers and a weapon's cabinet in the room and two portholes were on the walls. They could feel the gentle rocking of the ship and Daryl had opened one of the portholes to allow air into the room.
"You awake?" Daryl asked.
"Yeah," Caroline said. He could tell when she was upset and he sat up on his elbows.
"What's wrong?"
"I was just… I was thinkin' about him."
"That guy you fell in love with?"
"Yeah."
"You told me you pulled a gun on him the first time you met."
Caroline smiled as the image of what happened moved across her mind and she placed her hands behind her head.
"Do you want me to tell you what happened?" she asked.
"Sure."
Boston
The loud banging sound woke her as Caroline opened her eyes and she heard the doorhandle moving.
"Open the door!" caused her to sit up as she quietly got out of bed, slowly opened the night table drawer and she removed the gun her adopted father had given her for protection.
"Fer th'last time, open th'damn door!" made her head for the door as Caroline held the handle of the gun tightly in her left hand and she looked through the eyehole. She looked at the young man with dark hair standing in the hallway and she could just see he was wearing jeans, a black t-shirt and a black Navy pea coat. He looked angry and a little drunk and he placed his hands on the door. His head was down and she swore he sounded like he was going to be sick. She moved the handle for the bolt lock back as she opened the door enough to slide the barrel of the gun out and she heard him suck in a breath of air.
"Christ!" he yelped and she could see him back up. She opened the door as far as the small chain could go and she locked eyes with him. "Uh… Hi."
"Who are you?" she asked.
"What? Uh… I'm…. Shit… "
"Who are you?!"
"Gimme a second," he said as he tried to clear his head then he looked down at his jeans. "Oh great. I jus' pissed myself."
"I am not gonna ask you again!"
"Ok! Ok! I'm…."
"Murphy, what th'hell's goin' on?!" came from down the hallway and he turned to look at whoever was talking to him.
"I'm tryin' not t'get shot!" Murphy said.
"What are you talkin' about?!"
"No, Connor, stay there! She's got a gun!"
"Who does?!"
She could just see the young man with light brown hair walking down the hallway and he was wearing just a pair of brief underpants. He stopped next to Murphy when he looked at her then the gun and his eyes widened.
"Christ!"
"Lord's name," Murphy warned.
"I don't think this is th'time fer that," Connor said as he looked at her. "Look. Uh… We'll jus' be goin' now. Ok?"
"I don't think she'll let us."
Caroline saw the fear in Murphy's eyes when she lowered the gun and she bit her lower lip.
"Why were you tryin' to get into my apartment?" she asked in a soft voice.
"Yeah. Why were you?" Connor asked, looking at Murphy.
"I thought it was our apartment," Murphy explained.
"See, this is why I don't like you goin' out on yer own."
"I'm fine."
"You're drunk."
"Not drunk enough t'knock that look off yer face."
"Bring it."
She wasn't sure why, but Caroline started to laugh. They looked at her as she cleared her throat and Connor gave Murphy a smug look.
"What's yer name?" Murphy asked.
"You first," Caroline said.
"I'm Murphy MacManus. This eejit is my brudder, Connor."
"Caroline. Caroline Daye."
"Well, Caroline, hope you will accept my brudder's apology fer wakin' you up," Connor said, lightly pushing Murphy toward the door. Murphy gave her a guilty look as he made a little cough and she found herself getting lost in his blue eyes. Connor also had blue eyes, but Murphy's eyes had a sadness to them.
"Apology accepted," Caroline said.
"Uh, you weren't really gonna shoot me, right?" Murphy asked.
Caroline closed the door for a second when she moved the chain back, opened the door and she could see the gun better in the hallway light. She had left the safety on and she snorted a laugh.
"Left the safety on," she said and he made a soft gurgling noise. "You're not gonna get sick, are you?"
"I might," he said and Connor lightly took hold of him.
"Let's go," Connor said as he glanced at her. "Night, Caroline."
"Night," she said and she watched them go down the hallway. She flinched when Murphy vomited on Connor's feet then they went into their apartment.
"Did he really piss his pants?" Daryl asked with a grin.
"Yeah, he did," Caroline said.
"When was the next time you saw them?"
Boston
Caroline opened the door when she walked out into the hallway and she closed then locked the door. She turned to see Murphy standing in the doorway to his apartment and he made a crooked smile. He was wearing a gray bathrobe and she could just see the boxers he was wearing.
"Mornin'," he said with a small nod.
"Mornin'," she said as she walked closer. "How're you feelin'?"
"Been worse. Goin' t'work?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Got th'day off."
"Murphy, who are you talkin' to?" came from inside the apartment and Murphy moved back. Connor appeared in the doorway and he gave Caroline a surprised look. He had on a matching gray bathrobe and the white briefs and he quickly tied the robe shut. "Hey there."
"Hi," Caroline said.
"Sorry about last night. Do you always shoot first then ask questions afterwards when you open th'door?"
"No," she said when they heard the sound of the elevator and she looked down the hallway. "Shit."
"What's th'matter? It's jus' th'elevator."
"I know," she said and he saw the fear in her eyes. "You have to close the door."
"Why?" Murphy asked.
"Just do it!"
Connor closed the door as the elevator doors opened and she watched the large man get out of the elevator car.
"Who was in the elevator?" Daryl asked.
"It was Frank Morris," Caroline explained
"Who the hell is Frank Morris?"
"He was my boss…and my babysitter."
"Babysitter?"
"Or bodyguard," she said with a sigh. "See, Frank was one of Dad's friends. He agreed to look after me while I was in Boston. He took me to and from work, to the store and to the doctor's or to the dentist."
"Did Frank ever meet yer friends?"
"Yeah. He wasn't ok with me bein' around 'em at first. But, after he saw how they were helpin' me adjust to things, he was ok about it."
"When was the next time you saw them?"
"Uh…," Caroline said as she looked at the ceiling. "If I tell you, you're gonna get angry."
"No, I won't," Daryl said and she puffed out a breath of air.
Boston
The apartment was dark as Caroline sat on the bed and she looked toward the windows. She had been told to keep the shades drawn and not to turn the lights on at night in case Jessie or someone she had sent had found out where she lived and needed to know which apartment was hers.
"Daryl?" Caroline asked. She could feel the anger coming from Daryl as he snorted a breath of air and she cleared her throat. "Maybe I shouldn't tell you this."
"Tell me," Daryl grumbled.
Boston
Caroline looked at the soft glow of the digital clock when she saw it was ten thirty and she slid down to rest on her left side. The sudden knock on the door made her sit up and she looked toward the door. She carefully got out of bed when she silently opened the night table drawer then stopped from removing the gun when she heard Murphy whisper her name.
"Are you awake?" his voice asked from the other side of the door. She walked to the door when she looked through the eyehole and smiled. She unlocked the door as she opened the door enough for the chain to catch and Murphy gave her a shy smile.
"You don't have yer gun, do you?" he asked. She saw he was wearing jeans, a black leather belt, his work boots and a black t-shirt and he seemed to be a little upset about something.
"No," she said with a shake of her head. "What do you want?"
"Uh… Well… See… Connor's workin' late. I went out t'get some cigarettes and, well, I sorta… I kinda…"
"Did you lock yerself out of yer apartment and fergot yer keys?"
She couldn't help, but smile and he lowered his head with an embarrassed look on his face.
"Can I use yer phone?" he asked.
"You want to call Connor and ask him come to let you in?"
"Either that or I could sleep on yer couch."
"Uh…."
She looked behind her when Murphy shook his head and sighed.
"Sorry. I didn't know you had company," he said.
"No. I'm alone."
"Then why don't you want me t'come in?"
She wondered that herself. It had been two months since they met and she knew neither he or Connor were dangerous. He waited for her to say something or just close the door and he rocked on his heels. She did close the door to move the chain back then she opened the door.
"Come on in," she said, stepping back. She watched him walk by her and he moved his hand along the wall as he tried to find the light switch. "No! Don't turn the light on!"
He must have seen the fear in her eyes when he moved closer and she backed up toward the hallway.
"Caroline, what's th'matter?" he asked.
"You were goin' to the light on," she said.
"So?"
Her body must have been shaking as he gave her a concerned look and he held his hands up.
"Ok. I won't turn on th'light," he said, softly.
They went in the apartment and she closed the door. The dim light made it easy to see him as she walked to the bed and he reached out for the couch. She took the blanket and pillow off the bed when she carefully walked to him and she handed him the pillow and the blanket.
"Thanks," he said and he could just see her nodding. She headed for the bed when she got in bed and she watched him settle on the couch. He suddenly got up when he headed for the door, locked the door and placed the chain in place then he went back to the couch. "Fergot t'lock th'door."
"Thanks," she said with a yawn. She settled under the blankets when she suddenly felt a sense of peace and safety move through her and she heard Murphy sighing. "Night, Murphy."
"Night."
"Just so you know, I had a knife under the pillow in case he tried somethin'," Caroline explained.
"Was he still there in the mornin'?" Daryl asked as he went to rest on his back.
"Yep. He made me breakfast then he left fer work."
"Still shouldn't have let him in."
"I know, but I felt safe havin' him there."
Caroline closed her eyes when Daryl felt her mind relaxing and he looked up at the dark ceiling. He made a soft sigh then closed his eyes and he soon drifted off to sleep.