Hello all! I feel really bad for not updating soon. Finals and writer's block consumed my days. But fear no more my chickadees, for this is a nice long chapter for y'all. Things are going to pick up from here on out with the girl learning more every day. (Yay action!) Hope you enjoy this chapter full of friendship, trust, and fear. Keep reviewing! The reviews keep me going through the dark times of writer's block. Dun dun dun!
Enjoy, my chickadees! Love, Toni :3
The sunlight of a new day filtered through the slits in the walls of the shed, leaving long trails of light across the girl's face. Her eyes fluttered open, remembering where she was. She wiggled herself around so that the light didn't touch her eyelids. She was safe here, so she didn't have to worry about getting up right away to get a head start. She snuggled down into the warm comforter, smiling at the fact that this was the first day that she could sleep in since even before this all started. Actually, she had never really slept in, always having to go to early practices and such. This was nice. Now the girl understood why her old friends liked it so much. She frowned. She didn't want to remember now, she was happy again. Sleepily, she pushed those memories away.
After the camp woke up for breakfast, Rick decided to hold a mini-meeting between him, Daryl, and Hershel. Rick wanted to quickly brief the men before bringing someone new in to meet the girl after her bad reaction with Shane.
"Alright, how should we do this," Rick half said to himself.
Daryl looked ticked off for having to discuss how to confront this girl. She's only a kid, and she's scared. That's all. They don't need a game plan to go in there and bandage her fucking wrists up. Daryl frowned. Then again, she didn't seem to be the most friendly person in the world neither.
Hershel spoke up, "Well, you did say that she's a little irrational, correct?" Rick nodded, Daryl scowled. Hershel continued, "But Daryl seems to have a calming effect on her, right?"
Daryl frowned again. He didn't like where this was going. He took a step forward, making angry gestures with his hands. "Look. I ain't nobody's fucking shrink or nothin'. Just 'cuz I went in there twice an' she didn't kill me or nothin' don't mean shit! I ain't gonna be no security blanket for that bitch. I-"
Rick took a step towards the man, hand outstretched to calm him. "Hey, we don't know why, but she must identify with you or something. We're just asking you to go in there and make sure that she knows that we want to help here. That's all."
Their eyes locked, the sky blue meeting the steel blue. The latter sighed.
"Fine. Just... be careful." He stalked off, crossbow in one hand, the key in the other.
Rick and Hershel quickly glanced at each other, then back at the hunched square shoulders of the hunter retreating to the girl's prison.
Daryl walked up to door of the shed, unlocked the bolt, and prepared himself for what amazing feat he was going to catch her in the middle of this time. He opened the door and cautiously glanced in. Replacing the key in his hand with a small flashlight, Daryl stepped inside. He saw her immediately. Well, her nest.
On the beam he first saw her standing on, there was this great bundle of the sheets that he had brought the night before. They were all held securely to the beam with a belt. At one end, Daryl could barely make out a little brown mess of hair. He smiled and shined the flashlight on the spot.
"Wakey wakey."
The bundle groaned and squirmed.
"C'mon. Time to get up."
Another groan. The girl did not want to get up. Sleep was so nice...
Daryl smirked. He figured that she was obviously used to waking up in danger. So he would give her danger.
He loaded his crossbow. "Get. Up." SPRANG! The crossbow hit the crossbeam a couple inches away from the top of her head.
The girl bolted up, sleep still clouding her eyes. She noticed the arrow, narrowed her eyes at it. Fucking dumbass... An evil glance was thrown at the hunter, along with a tongue stuck out.
"Now, are you gonna get your ass down here or am I gonna get another shot off?" he smirked.
One overly dramatic eye roll and a quick release of the belt, the girl was sitting on the floor of the shed, sheets still engulfing her. Her eyes burned with mock hate.
Sooo... Why am I up?
Daryl crouched down, steel-blue level with the hazel.
He struggled with what he was told to report, knowing that it wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear. "Um, well, our..." The girl looked at him earnestly. Hoping, praying, that she may be freed. "Well, look. Hershel's gonna come in 'ere with Rick ta look at your wrists. 'Kay?"
The eyebrows furrowed, the eyes widened, then narrowed, face relaxed then the jaw clenched. She looked back at Daryl, and made a short stabbing motion with her finger while scrunching up her nose. Then she gestured to where she was chained a day earlier. Daryl think he understood.
"Who, Shane? The guy who you hissed at?" She bit her lip and glanced to the side. "Nah, he ain't gonna bother ya in here. Rick's a bunch nicer, an' Hershel's harmless."
She still looked worried. Daryl hesitantly reached out and touched her shoulder. She flinched, and looked back at him. "Don't worry, we ain't gonna hurt ya."
Her face was still clouded with worry, but she nodded. She trusted him. Alright. I'll be good.
Daryl smiled. He stood up and walked to the door. He stopped and glanced back at the girl. Her small form was staring earnestly at the door. Daryl looked down as he quickly exited. He hated feeling guilty. Besides, the guilt reminded him that he still had to go find Sophia.
Daryl unlocked the door, and glanced back at Hershel and Rick. They all had agreed to treat her like she was human, but still take the precautions that one would around a wild animal. No sudden noises. No sudden movements. Nothing that could possibly spook her. Daryl took a breath, unlocked the door and walked in.
The blankets were neatly folded on the table, two chairs placed at the table, and there she was, hanging upside-down from her beam. She smiled when she saw her friend. As the next man walked through the door, the girl leapt backwards off the beam, doing a perfect dismount. She landed and looked cautiously at this new man. She guessed this might be Hershel. An older man with white hair and hard, sad eyes. A soft smile crept across her face. Then she noticed the sunshine through the open door. The girl took a step to the side, yearning to feel a breeze from the outside world. Her eyes shone with want, for the air was her element. The sky was her home. The girl's fantasy was brought to an abrupt halt when the final man, Rick, slammed the door shut, and gave her a look. Startled, the girl took a step back and tried to regain her composure. She fidgeted before standing stock straight, hands clasped, head ducked.
The silence was deafening.
The girl's eyes flickered up to watch as Hershel placed his medical bag on the table and began to pull out a couple of things. Rick stood guard by the door, Daryl a few feet from the table, chewing his thumbnail. Hershel looked over at the girl. She did look afraid. Whether it be from the world, the men, or just simply the unknown, she was scared. However, he knew for a fact from the moment he saw the glimmer of hope in her eyes that this girl was not inherently dangerous. Hershel pulled out one chair, and sat in it. He pushed out the other chair to face his, and gestured for the girl to sit. Eying the two unknown men, she stepped forward, always on her toes. She daintily perched in the chair, wide eyes questioning. What now?
Hershel held out his hands. "First, let me examine your wrists to see how much work needs to be done."
She nodded. Yes, of course. The girl held out her wrists, hastily tied up with scraps of cloth.
Hershel let out a long sigh when he saw them, but methodically began unwrapping the blood-soaked cloth. The girl winced when the last of it was pulled off, bits of the scab coming off with the cloth. Rick had automatically reached for his gun, ready in case she flew into a rage. He was genuinely surprise when she didn't. After Hershel had unwrapped both wrists, he examined the pus-filled wounds. The girl had tried to clean them out best she could with the little water she had, but they still needed to be disinfected. Hershel reached into his bag and pulled out some tweezers.
"I'm going to have to pull off the scab, okay? There might still be something in there irritating the wound, which is why the scab is yellow. I'll disinfect it with some peroxide after, and wrap it good. But the bandage will have to be changed every so often, okay?"
The girl nodded. Yes sir, I understand. I'm ready.
Hershel nodded. "Alright, here we go."
Hershel had decided that pulling the scab off quickly would be the best for all in the room. He just hoped that it would come off cleanly. But of course, it did not.
The scab was tough and already calloused. A day of waiting was not the smartest course of action. Yet, the girl held her ground. She did not scream or cry. She bit her lip and stared at her now sticky wrists. The pus oozing down her outstretched hand and onto the floor. Mixing with the fresh blood, and carrying some of the old with it. Rick had to turn around. Both the sight and the smell was getting to him. Daryl just watched her face. Calm, determined, curious. She watched as Hershel pealed the last scab off, and deposited it in a small dish. He grabbed the peroxide and looked up at her. She nodded. He took her hand and began to pour the peroxide. She bit her lip as the bubbles disinfected the wound. Hershel rinsed the peroxide off with some water and picked up the roll of gauze. He began to simply wrap the gauze around her wrist, but the girl reached out and touched the elder man's hand.
All eyes were on her now. Everyone froze. What was she up to? The girl's face was completely calm, focused even. She seemed to be perfectly at ease in the presence of the medic. She smiled, and began to traced her finger around her hand. Looping around the wrist, across the palm, through the index and thumb twice. Now, change direction by going around the thumb and back across the palm. Around and around the finger went. Elegantly. Purposefully. Expertly. She had wrapped her wrist like this before; Hershel could tell. This was a common binding for a sprained wrist. It provided support to the wrist as it healed, as well as protecting the palm and allowing for a better overall grip. Hershel bound both her wrists according to her silent directions. Nearly every time he made a loop, she would tighten it up and encourage him to make it tighter and tighter. Hershel realized at the end just how ingenius her technique was. Not only would it stop the bleeding, but this binding would also allow for the soft tissue to heal as well. This girl obviously knew her way around muscles and ligaments.
Hershel smiled at the girl and began to pack his supplies. The girl reached out to touch his shoulder, she could feel his muscles tense slightly at her touch. The old man looked at her. Her warm smile engulfed his mourning heart like a warm towel on a dreary day. Her face reminded him so of Annette's. Hershel had heard rumors of the girl's violent nature, but he had a hard time believing that such a sweet face could do such a thing. She was not as dangerous as Shane made her seem to be. The girl took a step back and Hershel continued packing his things.
The girl met eyes with Rick. He looked like he didn't want to trust her but could find to reason to back that. She smiled at him. The girl was having a grand time. She had made a new friend, so why wouldn't she be in a good mood? Rick gave a weak smile back, and quickly looked to Daryl to confirm that they were leaving. Hershel picked up his bag and smiled again at the girl, somewhat sad that she was trapped in the shed. Rick opened the door and stepped out, holding it open for the elder man. Daryl began to walk toward the door, but paused for a moment. He glanced at the girl again.
Her eyes were glistening. She was craning her neck to catch a glimpse of the sunshine outside. She looked alive. A small breeze swept through the open door, and the moment it touched her face, she beamed. The girl glowed. She didn't belong cooped up in this shed. She belonged out in the world, regardless of it's current level of hell. She didn't even notice the sad look on her friend's face as he exited, his mind off on his mission. She was loving every second of her taste of the sky.
Rick saw the joy in her face, and for the sake of his brother's pride, he slammed the door again.
The girl's shoulders slumped as she slowly sank to the floor. She hung her head and brought her knees to her chest.
All she wanted right now was a taste of her sky, and even that was denied to her. These captors weren't breaking her, they were only breaking her spirit.
Her mamma had always said that she was born un pesce volante.
With a good portion of the farm's defenses out searching for Sophia, only a handful of men were left on the farm. Hershel and Jimmy had left earlier that morning to go on border patrol. Dale was perched atop his RV. Shane was storming around like normal, acting as if he was in charge of the camp while Rick was away. And Glenn, Glenn was sitting at the picnic table with Carol, idling chatting while peeling potatoes for dinner. Glenn glanced over to the shed where that strange girl he kept hearing about was being held. He had seen her briefly when Daryl had carried her back, unconscious and broken, and he knew that Shane thought she was a worthless piece of shit that should be put down like an animal, but the shy boy had also heard that she really wasn't too terribly mean. Apparently the girl was just a scared teen who apparently went through hell and back again. Glenn also knew that Daryl had asked him to bring the girl some food since Daryl had forgotten. Only problem was that Glenn was scared straight to go confront this supposedly dangerous being.
Carol noticed the look of concern on the boy's face. "What do you think they're going to do with her?"
Glenn glanced back at Carol, hesitating. "Well, I know that Daryl seems to like having her around. But since Shane absolutely hates her, she's probably going to be stuck in that shed for a while. Or at least until Rick decides who to listen to." He paused. "Daryl had asked me to bring her some food 'cause he forgot."
Carol stopped and looked at the boy. "So why haven't you?"
He sighed, "Because I'm afraid to go in there. She's been good for Daryl and Hershel, but with Shane, she-"
"But that's Shane." Carol continued peeling. "He's a bit of a brute, and he probably just scared her. As long as you don't startle her, you should be fine. At least that's what I remember hearing Rick saying."
Glenn sighed again. "Alright. I'll try not to. But I don't know how well that'll work. She's used to seeing Daryl all the time, I'm just worried about how she'll react to me." Carol looked up at him as he formulated how he was going to go about this. Glenn nodded and walked off to prepare a plate for the mystery girl.
A while later, Glenn had prepared a small plate of eggs, toast, sausage, and a potato pancake and began to head over to the shed. He had his rifle slung over his shoulder just in case, and was giving himself a pep talk about going in there. Shane had noticed the boy shaking and decided to take advantage of it. The man stalked over to the boy, and towered over him.
"Where d'ya think yer goin'?" he demanded.
Glenn jumped. "Oh. Well, I'm.." Shane raised an eyebrow, glaring at the boy. Glenn cleared his throat. His words tumbled out, "Daryl had asked me to bring the girl some food."
Shane chuckled. "Did he also ask you ta bring 'er a teddy bear?"
"Well, no... but-"
"No. 'Cause she's dang'rous. Don't know why yer goin' over there by yerself." The man grinned. "Here, lemme take that over t-"
Glenn took a small step back, holding the plate tighter. "I wouldn't think that would be a good idea, with her last reaction to you and all..." he stammered, faltering under Shane's glare, "but, if you want to stand guard or something, I would really appreciate it..."
Shane grinned again, more maliciously this time. "Sounds good. Let's go."
The two men walked over to the shed, Shane leading the way. They had agreed that Glenn would go inside and give the food to the girl while Shane stood guard outside. If anything were to go wrong, all Glenn would have to do was yell and Shane would rush in to put the girl in her place. Shane was looking forward to beating that girl into submission. He knew that the boy was skittish. He knew that the girl was sneaky. He just hoped that the girl would act according to his master plan.
The two nodded at each other as Shane opened the door for the boy and closed it behind him. Glenn stood on the threshold for a moment, not realizing how dark it would be in the shed. He blinked the dots of sunshine from his vision and looked around. Now he was afraid. He couldn't see the girl anywhere. He looked around the small room. There were sheets on the table, and blood on the floor, but there was no girl. Glenn took a cautious step forward. She had to be here, but what if she was just waiting to attack him? What if she was really as dangerous as Shane had said? No, he couldn't think like that.
"Hello?" Nothing. Glenn took a step back. "I'll just leave your breakfast on the table here if you want..."
Breakfast? Did that new guy say breakfast?
"I'll be leaving now, okay? I guess you can jus-"
THUMP. The impishly grinning girl landed but a foot in front of the quivering boy. The boy nearly hit the ceiling. But her breakfast hit the floor. Glenn dropped the girl's breakfast with a yelp and reached for his gun, pointing it at her heart. The fear in his eyes screamed at her. The gun frightened the girl. She did not like guns being pointed at her. She was not about to relive that last day in Atlanta all over again. Never again.
She leapt back a couple of feet and let out another bone chilling hiss. Her face contorted into a snarl while she went into defense mode. She arched her back and squared her shoulders, crouching over as she made claws with her hands, making herself look bigger, more menacing. She let out another hiss as she bounced on her toes, ready to spring.
Shane had heard the yelp. That was all he needed to gain entry into the shed. He rushed in, brandishing his black shotgun. He zoned in on the girl and started yelling. All the girl knew was that there was this asshole again. This time he had a gun. He was aiming at her head.
The girl crouched lower. She let out a menacing growl and backed into the shadows. Her kind intentions were gone. Her need to be free was forgotten. All she wanted now was for him to leave.
The man continued to yell. He wouldn't stop. The girl was frightened. She was terrified. She didn't know what to do.
He wouldn't back off.
He kept advancing. Gaining on her. Screaming at her.
The girl didn't know what to do. She was frozen. Inhumane growls kept escaping her throat.
And then she saw it.
The door. The door was open. The door was open, and she knew how to get to it.
She faked left and leapt under his raised arm.
One foot on the table. A hand.
Shane saw where she was going. He could not let her get away. Shane spun around, catching the girl and flinging her across the room.
The girl hit the floor with a thud and quickly sprung back on her feet. She was mad now. While he was regaining his stance, the girl lunged. She wanted to knock him over. She wanted a chance to get out. To be free.
But Shane was ready. He dropped his shotgun and grabbed the girl's shoulder.
The girl could feel the bruises blooming as her back hit the floor with a deafening thud.
She gave Shane a well-placed punch in his stomach. The girl scrambled to regain her footing.
Shane was mad. He grabbed the girl's heel and lifted her up. The man spun around, the girl's foot in his hands. He let go of her and flung her against the wall. The popping of her joints was audible to the small Asian boy cowering in the corner.
The girl fell to the ground with a thud. On all fours, the girl tried to ignore the pain shooting through her body and the blood that was sticking to her clothes. Her breath was labored. Ragged. Almost inexistant.
Shane was standing, looming over the hunched figured.
She knew what she had to do.
The brute lunged. The girl dodged. Glenn watched helplessly as the girl ducked under Shane's outstretched arm. She leapt nimbly across the room. The girl's feet hit the table, her body stretched across the air. Leaping wall to wall, the girl was able to alight herself in the upper corner of the shed. She pulled herself into it as much as she could. To be as far away from him as possible. To be safe.
The girl hissed again. Her features contorted into a strange demonic faces.
She was animal.
Shane frowned and cursed her. He stormed out with the boy on his heels.
The door slamming behind.
The blood of her wrists ran down her arms, the bruises littered her body, and the tears flowed down her face.
The girl was angry. She had but one question on her mind:
Why me?