Daryl's POV
The rabbit darted directly across his path. With lightening reflexes he pulled the trigger on his crossbow. The bolt sent the rabbit tumbling. Before he could take a step to retrieve his kill, a white pit bull came charging out of the woods and jumped on the dead rabbit.
"Hey! Hey! Get away from that!" He took a step towards the dog, but paused when the dog looked up at him warily. Wouldn't do to get attacked by a stray dog. Slowly he started to pull his hunting knife from the scabbard but stopped when the dog began wagging it's tail. Slowly, with it's head lowered, it approached Daryl.
As he reloaded his crossbow he sighed. "Oh hell, go ahead and have it. Supposed you saw it first." Daryl had a real soft spot for dogs. He had owned a coonhound once. Saved money for a year to buy that thing, named it Ben. He had had it for about six months when his father shot it one night because the dog started baying at an animal in the woods. He never got another dog.
The dog reached Daryl and looked up. Without hesitation Daryl reached down and scratched the dog between the ears. Looking at his dirty hand on the pristine white fur, Daryl paused. "Hey girl, you're awfully clean for a stray. You got someone around here?" Just then a scream rang out through the woods. The scream was short and ended abruptly. It was definitely a woman. The dog tensed instantly under his hand and after a second's pause turned around and ran back towards the way it came.
Daryl felt conflicted over what to do. On one hand whoever screamed wasn't one of his. She wasn't his problem. On the other hand, anyone who managed to keep a dog with them all this time, and in such good condition, was most likely good people. After a moment's indecision, he swore and headed after the dog.
As he reached to road he was astounded at the sight before him. He had expected to see walkers. What he saw was worse. The dog was launching herself at a man that was laying over a woman. The woman's clothes were torn and her face was bruised and bloody. Her hands were being held above her by a second man. Yet a third man, a giant of a man, was looking on, with his back turned slightly towards Daryl.
As the dog made contact with the man laying on top of the woman, shouts of disbelief and fear rang out. "Shoot it! Shoot it!" The man being bit called out. The woman started to struggle, trying with all her might to get her hands free. The large man pulled out a gun. As he moved to take aim at the dog, Daryl walked out of the woods. The giant must have sensed the movement behind him. As he turned his head Daryl pulled the trigger. At only fifteen feet away he couldn't miss. The arrow went into his right eye. He fell to the ground, dead.
The second guy looked over and saw Daryl striding towards him. He hesitated for a moment and that was all Daryl needed. He swung the crossbow, catching the attacker across the face. The woman jumped up, pulling a gun out from behind her. He couldn't worry about her right now. The asshole in front of him was trying to get to the gun the other guy had dropped. He reached the gun at the same time Daryl reached him. As the man on the ground wrapped his hand around the grip of the gun, a knife entered his heart. Daryl turned the man over and made sure he wouldn't rise again.
Just then a shot rang out, startling him. Glancing over he saw that the woman was bent over the man, the dog still at his throat. Quickly he moved to the giant and yanked the bolt from his head. He turned towards the woman. As he straightened himself up he saw her sway on her feet. Daryl rushed over to her and caught her just before she hit the ground.
"Shit," he thought to himself. "Now what do I do with her." He couldn't just leave her. Looking around he saw the tire propped up against the side of the car and was able to guess pretty quickly what happened. Laying her gently on the ground he pulled the two sides of her shirt together. The white dog came over and pushed herself between them. After sniffing at her owner, she bestowed her best kiss on Daryl. With that she curled up next to her owner, head on her thigh.
Daryl smiled, "Guess I've been dismissed." With that he turned his attention to the task at hand. Moving to the back of the SUV to get the rest of the tools out of the car, he was surprised at the amount of things piled on the side of car. Peaking in one of the boxes he was amazed to see small boxes filled with vials of medication. No wonder why she tried to stand her ground. Medication was like gold now. It was the most desired item for trade and the thing hardest to get.
Remembering the gunshot Daryl got to work. Walkers could be on coming this way right now. Quickly he changed the tire. After lowering the car and removing the jack, he tossed the tools in the wheel well and walked over to where the woman was laying. She was so still Daryl started to worry that maybe she was seriously hurt. She had obviously taken quite a beating. Her face was starting to swell rapidly. Only the rise and fall of her chest reassured him. Trying to be as gentle as possible he lifted her into his arms and walked over to the passenger side of the Range Rover. He placed her into the seat and laid it back as far as it would go. As he adjusted her in the seat, he was startled by the dog leaping over the back seat. Apparently she wanted to make sure she wasnt' left behind. Moving to the rear of the SUV he started loading the boxes and bags as quickly as he could. He was worried. He had to get her to Hershel.
Daryl drove as quickly as he could back to the prison. When he got close he realized he had a problem. The others weren't going to recognize the car and therefore wouldn't open up the gate for him. There was only one solution. he'd have to park the car down the road and cut through the woods to get to the clearing surrounding the gate. Once they saw him, they'd open the gate for him when he drove up.
He hated leaving her there though. He doubted that anyone living would happen across her, the odds of seeing two sets of living people in a day were slim. Walkers could come upon the car though, and if the dog made any noise they could bust through the windows. Problem was, he didn't see any other solution.
Luck was with him today though. As soon as he stepped foot into the clearing he saw Glenn up in the tower. Glenn noticed him right away. He signaled to Glenn that he'd be back in a minute and ran back to the car.
When he got back into the car he said to the unconscious figure beside him, "Hold on woman. This is gonna get a little bumpy." In order to get through the prison gates without letting a bunch of walkers in, he'd have to head over the dirt road at a pretty good clip. Although she moaned a couple of times, for the most part she remained blessedly unconscious.
When he got close to the prison he rolled down the window and held the crossbow out just to reassure everyone that it really was him. Sure enough, as soon as Glenn saw that, he yanked the gate open. The Range Rover sailed through the gate. Instead of stopping just inside, where the rest of the cars were, Daryl drove right up to the entrance to Cell Block C. Throwing the car into park he bolted out of the driver side. "Someone tell Hershel I'm bringing someone in!" he yelled.
Carol came rushing over, her hands still full of wet laundry. "What on earth are you doing Daryl Dixon? Where did you get this car?" Her voice abruptly died as she saw the woman Daryl was lifting from the passenger seat.
"Carol, didn't I tell you to go get Hershel?" Daryl snapped. He was really worried now. The color had drained out of her face. Well, the half of the face that still looked relatively normal. Rushing into the prison Daryl didn't wait for anyone. "Hershel! Hershel! Come on, she needs your help!"
Hershel emerged from the cell he had been using. Daryl didn't like getting the old man out of bed so soon. The day after they had arrived at the prison, Rick chopped off the old man's leg with a hatchet after he was bitten by a walker. There was nothing for it now though, had to be done. The woman needed help.
Hershel didn't wait till Daryl was closer before he started issuing orders. "Put her in the empty cell there. Carol grab my bag. Beth gather as many bandages as you can."
Daryl stopped listening as soon as he had his task. Rushing into the open cell he laid her gently on the bed. Shocked, he staggered back as the dog jumped up immediately. He had been so focused on the woman, he had forgotten about the dog. He watched as the dog seemed to take inventory of the unconscious woman.
Just then Carol came rushing into the cell. Two things happened simultaneously. Carol saw the dog and let out a screech, and the dog began barking and growling in Carol's direction. Carol quickly dropped Hershel's bag and backed out of the cell. The dog hopped down off the bed and ran growling towards the door. She stopped at the doorway though, and walked back to nudge Daryl's hand and whine up at him.
Unfortunately it wasn't just Carol's startled yelp that the dog didn't like. When Hershel and Beth arrived in the doorway the scene was repeated again. Except this time, the dog didn't move from the doorway. She barked ferociously at anyone that even looked like they were gonna take a step inside that cell.
"Stand back Daryl. I'm gonna shoot it." Rick yelled above the noise. As he drew his gun Daryl yelled back.
"Don't! Open the cell next door. I'll get her in there."
"Are you crazy? This dog is nuts! It'll rip your head off in two seconds. How the hell did it even get in here?"
"Don't think so, the dog rode all the way here in the car with me, and the worst I got was a couple of licks. Just open the door and stand back. Be prepared to close it though. Everyone back away from this cell."
Daryl heard T-Dog mutter something about crazy rednecks, but all his attention was on the dog now. She wasn't paying any attention to him, and he really didn't think she'd bite him, but who the hell knew.
As everyone moved away from the cell door the dog quieted down. She whined and glanced back towards her owner. Giving the group of people one last long look she trotted back over to the side of the bunk.
Reaching down Daryl gave her a couple of strokes along the top of her head. When she didn't react negatively to that, Daryl took a deep breath and scooped her up, holding the scruff of her neck tightly, and away from his body.
She let out a squeal so loud it almost caused Daryl to drop her. The sound was more fitting for a pot bellied pig than a pit bull. As the dog started to thrash in his arms, he carried her quickly to the cell next door. "Pull the door shut behind me, but don't lock it," he called out to Rick.
Entering the cell he began to bend over, intending to place her nicely on the ground, but she twisted violently breaking his grip. She landed on the ground with a thud. As she bounded back on her feet, Daryl was already closing the cell door behind him. Rick quickly turned the key in the lock.
Daryl began to turn away but looked back as the dog began to throw herself against the cell door, screaming. As she jumped up she tried to push off the door, but her feet kept slipping between the bars and over and over again she landed on her side or back.
"She's gonna hurt herself, we can't just leave her in there." Carl said frantically. Indeed, the sight of the animal's attempts to reach her owner were heartbreaking.
Daryl sighed. "Open it back up. I'll put her out in the yard. Maybe then she'll calm down a bit. Everyone's in here right?" At Rick's nod he braced himself to go back into the cell. This time he didn't know what to expect. "On the count of three. Ready? One, two, three!"
They had timed it perfectly. As Daryl opened the door, the animal had just tried to unsuccessfully push off again. He managed to get in before she had gotten back on her feet. When the dog saw Daryl had entered the cell, she stopped screaming. She started quivering all over, the stress of being separated from the woman next door was apparent. Leaning over Daryl scooped her back up. This time she didn't try to flail or get down. He carried out to the yard and set her down by the SUV. She immediately ran back to the door that they just came out of.
"Stupid dog," Daryl muttered. Still he couldn't just shove her out of the way and go back in. He'd deny it to anyone but the dog's loyalty had touched him. Opening one of the rear doors to the Range Rover, he pulled out a blanket and what was obviously a dog toy. "Come here girl." he called, whistling. "Come on over here."
The dog turned and seeing Daryl spreading the blanket out on the ground trotted over. As soon as Daryl was finished he placed the toy on the blanket and stepped back. The dog stepped onto the blanket but didn't lay down as he had hoped. Instead she sat down and started to howl.
Grimacing at the commotion Daryl said to the dog, "Well, the noise level's the same, but at least you aren't gonna break a leg doing that." He turned round and walked back into the prison.
Walking back into Cell Block C he moved quickly through the common room to where the group was gathered. Rick, Carl, Lori, T-Dog, Glenn and Maggie were a few feet back from the cell door. Rick was the first one to address him. "What the hell happened Daryl?"
Before he could answer Hershel called out from inside the cell. "Telling you can wait, I need to hear it first." Daryl shrugged and moved over to the doorway.
"What do you need to know?" He asked. He tried not to look directly at the woman laying on the bed. All of her clothes except her underwear had been removed and her nakedness made him uncomfortable.
"Well for starters, how'd she get this way?" Hershel asked, his voice filled with exasperation.
Daryl quickly gave Hershel the broad strokes of the story. It was enough. "Are you sure they didn't rape her?" Hershel asked.
"Didn't seem like it, don't think there was enough time. 'Sides, she still had her pants on when I found 'em." Daryl said, staring at the ceiling.
"Well, there was enough time to do a fair amount of damage, at any rate. Don't think she's in too bad of shape, except for some broken ribs. This cut's gonna scar though. Shame, such a pretty face too." Hershel trailed off, talking more to himself than anyone else.
Pretty? How could Hershel tell? One whole side of her face was swollen and bruised and the other wasn't exactly mark free either. She did look better now that Carol had washed the blood from her, but still...
Daryl turned and walked out of the cell block. Figured everyone had the idea of what happened, and he had no desire to gossip about the little details. Stepping outside he realized the dog was no longer howling. She was no longer on her bed for that matter. Glancing around the yard he saw the reason why. Carl. Kid must have snuck out here when everyone was listening to what had happened.
As he watched the two of them down by the fence he shook his head. Tag, they were playing tag. One would chase the other and as soon as they were tagged, they'd turn around and the chase would be reversed. Looked like Carl was doing most of the chasing.
Seeing the dog Daryl thought of the owner, of the state he last saw her in. Better get her some clothes. Daryl opened the SUV and began digging through things till he though he found what she needed.
Bringing the bags back in to the prison he motioned to Lori. "Got a few of her things here for her. Figured she may want them."
"Beth grabbed a dress that they've already put her in. Hershel said there's nothing to do till she wakes up."
Daryl looked past Lori to the hallway outside the cells. No one had moved much since the last time he was in there. "I'm going out to keep watch. No point in going out hunting now. Sun will be gone soon."
"Want me to let you know if she wakes up?" Lori was always good at guessing other people's unspoken wants.
Daryl nodded and started to head back out when Lori's voice stopped him.
"Hey, by they way. You seen Carl?"
"Yeah, he's outside."
"Outside? With that dog? Alone? Are you crazy?" Lori pushed him aside and ran as fast as she could to the door to the yard. Daryl followed at a leisurely pace.
"Yeah, thought about throwing him over my shoulder and hauling him back inside. Could still do it if you want," he said when he stopped by Lori in the yard.
She was standing there, hand covering her mouth, and tears in her eyes watching Carl run and play with the dog. The sound of Carl's laughter drifted over the field, breaking her trance. Looking somewhat dazed Lori threatened, "Don't you dare Daryl Dixon. I haven't heard my boy laugh in so long I can't even remember."
Smiling Daryl climbed in the Range Rover and moved it over to the bottom of the guard tower. Climbing out, he grabbed his crossbow and looked back towards the prison. He didn't know what to think of the woman he brought in, but for now there was nothing else to be done. With that he started the climb up to the top of the tower.