Over the next two days not much had changed. The Redneck came out to eat every now and again and whenever Rick needed him for something he was there to help. They had noted that they were running low on a few supplies and so it was offered by the Hunter to make a run into town and grab a few things, having it set in his mind that he would go alone. Glenn had also volunteered to go but ever since his close encounter with death, Daryl was surprisingly protective over the boy. He denied the Korean's requests of tagging along and made up an excuse so that he would stay behind.
He gathered up his crossbow, slinging it over his right shoulder before attaching his hunting knife to his right hip. His right hand lifted to rest upon its usual place on the strap of his crossbow before he started to head out. "I'll be back 'fore dark." Daryl told Rick as he began to exit Cell Block C.
"Be careful out there, Daryl." Rick called back to the Redneck as he watched him disappear around the corner.
"Good job with trainin' t'day, M." Nora spoke softly to Michonne as she walked back towards the doors of the prison. The ebony woman merely smirked in response. "It's good ta see Andrea catchin' on nicely."
"Same here. I thought I'd get rusty. I just wish you could've joined in." She replied. Nora grinned somewhat and allowed her friend to enter the prison first... until she had seen Daryl exiting the building. Their shoulders collided, causing Nora to grunt as pain seared her torso, making her grunt in response. She almost doubled over, flattening her palm over her stomach. "You okay?" Michonne's words caused her to force her pain away. She nodded.
"I'll catch up." She announced as she followed behind Daryl swiftly. "Oy, Beast. Where you runnin' off to in such a 'urry?"
Daryl ignored Nora as he pushed past her, continuing his stride as he headed towards the gates of the prison. Of course his hopes of privacy didn't last too long before the Irish woman came rushing after him, sticking her nose in his business. A look of annoyance instantly washing over his features as he rudely responded, "Out." Completely short with Nora, having no intentions on being more specific than that.
The nonchalance. The cruelty. The rudeness.
The fucking nerve!
Nora had paused mid-step, her breathing heightening. She could feel her heart pumping nothing but the rage and adrenaline she had held back over the past few days every time she had been forced to deal with his harsh words and sideways glances. The saintly redneck had no idea just how easily her buttons could be pushed to the point of seeing nothing but crimson. She stormed up to him, barely bothering to properly compute exactly what she was going to say in the first place.
At that point, she didn't really care. All that mattered was shouting, ranting and raving. Maybe stringing together a few words that would construct a perfectly comprehensible thought for him to feast on and hope he had a good appetite for it.
"Y'know what, Daryl Dixon? Fuck you." Probably one of the least creative insults the Irishwoman ever could have mustered, but damn it... she was just so angry! "You just don't fuckin' get it, do yah? That the whole reason I came back, the whole reason I'm still 'ere... still alive and breat'in'... is because o'you!" She poked his chest over-dramatically, wincing slightly from the pain that shot up her side as a result. "I got strengt' from God-only-knows-what-part-of-ya, came back an' all I get is... is... just... FUCK you."
The Redneck came to an abrupt stop when the Irish woman had thrown herself in his pathing. Fire was blazing in her eyes as she glared upon him with her crystalline orbs. He was taken back by her sudden outburst. The way she had spat out his name like it was venom from a snake bite. She was pissed. A whole level of pissed he had never seen her before. And even though it surprised him, his expression did not falter as his brows pulled together in total irritation and confusion. He was irritated with her for having cut him off, but even more so confused with all that she had just said. She came back for him? She lived because of him? She got strength...from..him?
Daryl stared into her face for a long while, only breaking his trance as she bravely jabbed at his chest with her small finger as she added on the whole 'fuck you' bit. He soon returned his gaze to meet hers though, his eyes squinting as he looked her over silently. Having not really noticing just how much of a toll his behavior had been having on the woman. Daryl had been to selfish in his own...whatever it was to realize he had been badly affecting Nora with his isolation and cold shoulder. He stood in silence for a long time, the two of them exchanging nasty looks to one another for what felt like a lifetime before Daryl finally spoke. Complete confusion in his tone as he said, "What?" His eyes narrowed.
Breathless and livid, Nora merely stood in an angry trance when Daryl's confusion settled in. The pain in her torso was enough to bring tears to her eyes from that one poke she'd made in his steely chest. But she wasn't done just yet.
"You really don't know th'sacrifices some people make for yah, do ya? Th'risks some people take for ye? And you t'ink your risks and sacrifices are all dat should matter. It's bullshit, Beastie. So busy try'na make yerself fit in 'ere an' th'second someone gives ya a glad eye, ya crawl back inta yer little shell like a hermit wit' anger management issues!" She shook her head. She was getting off track. "Y'know what? Nevermind. Just go, ye're never gonna-OW!"
She had made to brush past him. But in the midst of her anger, she had wound up colliding with him, torso to sinewy arm. All the things she had tried so desperately to hide over the past few days had resurfaced and she clutched her side, keeling over at the waist and falling down on one knee.
"Son of a bitch! Owwww!"
Daryl quirked a brow at her as she continued to scream at him. She had clearly been holding back a lot of things the past few days and this had been the last straw. The Redneck stood motionless as he listened to the Irish woman roar at him. Nora spoke the truth. He did crawl back into his shell whenever people showed him gratitude or acceptance. But it was only because it was easier than dealing with trying to figure out how to fit in properly. How to act normal with people. What do other people do in such situations? Daryl didn't know. All he knew was what little was passed down to him from his big brother and that was hardly anything to follow.
The Redneck was speechless by Lenora's rant, having hardly any idea what she was on about regarding the sacrifices made for him by people. He had been unaware that any such sacrifices had been made. Here he was ignorantly thinking that he had been the only one to make an effort with the group and not vice versa. He was going to let the pale woman go. Let her finish her rant and storm off in a huff like she usually did when they didn't see eye-to-eye, but this time was different. Just as she had bravely bumped into him to make her point as she brushed past him, she cried out in pain. It shocked Daryl. He had not expected such a sound to escape her very lips. The Hunter turned quickly, watching as she clutched at her abdomen and collapsed to one knee. He heard her cuss through gritted teeth as she tried to force back the pain that was coursing through her entire torso and side.
Without even thinking Daryl had moved to crouch at her side. His right hand hesitantly moved to rest at her left shoulder. Any other time in the past and Daryl probably wouldn't have even made an attempt towards her until he absolutely had no choice, such as the first time he ever found her in the woods bleeding out. But his instant worry over her pain was an indication all in itself at how attached he had become to the woman. "The 'ell is wrong with ya, Leprechaun?" He boomed, but concern was in his eyes as he leaned his head forward to get a glimpse of her face.
So many bumps and bruises coming back to haunt her that Nora hardly had the ability to realize Daryl had placed a strong hand upon her shoulder and crouched to her level. She had ignored her pain, tried her best to dress her own wounds and keep moving as though nothing was wrong... but they just seemed to be worsening by the day. Each movement was becoming tougher and her reality check was beginning to dawn; reminding her that maybe... just maybe... she couldn't fix this one by covering it up.
She hated thinking like that.
"Oh, y'know... bumps 'n' bruises, dat sort'a shit." She gritted out through clenched teeth as her scratched up fingers roved delicately over her torso. She pushed her hair off to one side absentmindedly, revealing the faded bruises of fingerprints on her neck just so she could get a better view of her torso. The pain had spread along her side and without thinking, she had lifted the heavy sweater in the midst of the Georgia heat and eyed the intense shades of blues, purples, reds and blacks that decorated the flesh of her ribs, back and stomach.
She attempted craning her head back to peek at the wounds that traveled all the way to her spine, grunting. "I t'ink I may 'ave broken somet'in', though..."
Daryl remained at her side, crouched in silence as he listened to her response. She seemed to ignore the fact that he was there beside her as she absentmindedly moved her hair to view her stomach better, which revealed her bruises upon her neck. His crystalline hues instantly recognizing the type of bruising, having worn identical ones in his childhood many times. His brows pulled together and his mouth opened to begin to question her, but he instantly stopped as his breath was taken from him. His eyes rested upon the nasty shades of red, purple, and blue that adorned her flesh across her ribcage. Everything around him came to a stand-still. His gaze penetrating the wounds as he took the time to absorb every last detail of them.
His hand moved from its place on her shoulder and grabbed at her hand that was wrapped around the hem of her shirt. He untangled her slender fingers and examined the cuts and scraps along her hands and wrists, taking notice of the damage her flesh had taken from digging out of her own grave. A fire ignited in his eyes as he pulled back the long sleeve of her shirt and exposed all of the other signs of abuse she had endured over the past month. His mouth closed, his teeth clenched tightly. His jaw flexed as his brows pulled together angrily. Somebody...Some bastard...was going to die. His giant hand closed over hers for a second as he lifted his head towards her, meeting her ocean orbs with his. "..." He was a whole level of furious she had never seen before and what made it even more frightening was his silence. Daryl stayed quiet for the longest time before he finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "Who done this t' ya?"