Chapter 12:
"Most of the facility is powered down, including housing, so you'll have to make do here." Needless to say everyone was pretty much over the party atmosphere. I few people kept some bottles, I myself had grabbed a bottle of wine, as we followed Jenner down the halls. "The couches are comfortable, but there are cots in storage if you'd like. There's a rec room down the hall that you kids might enjoy," He wasn't speaking to me, but I was listening, rather intently. With a knowing smile he bent over to talk directly to the two of them. "Just don't plug in the video games, okay? Also," he stood up again, making eye contact with the group in its entirety. "If you shower, go easy on the hot water."
"Hot water?" Music to my ears and I jumped in place.
We all split up, heading to our separate rooms, Daryl and I picked ones that were next to each other, it wasn't intentional on my part, but the protective glance he gave me as we opened our respective doors told me that it was on his.
The room was nice, bare, like a hotel room, and I set the bottle down on the coffee table. I planned on getting a cot, but first order of business was, needless to say, a hot shower.
I didn't even check to make sure the door was locked, I simply kicked off my boots and ran into the bathroom. I tore my shirt off over my head, giggling to myself like a schoolgirl, while simultaneously dropping my pants to the floor. I hesitated for a brief second before twisting the handle.
The hiss of the water was exactly what I wanted to hear and timidly I took my first step under the showerhead. I laughed again once I put my head under the stream, running my hands through my hair. The water that ran off my body ran in dark browns, and I pumped some soap onto a waiting washcloth. I scrubbed until my skin was a lovely shade of pink, and then proceeded to shampoo, rinse and repeat a grand total of five times before the water ran cold. I groaned miserably and shut off the spout, grabbing a fluffy towel and drying myself off.
After I had dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, I exited the room with the soul purpose of finding the said storage area. Taking a right, I began to walk at a brisk pace, suddenly feeling very exposed in my short shorts and no socks, when I heard a ruckus from the rec room. Slowly I came to a stop, bringing my ear to the door, another yelp and without thinking I flung open the door.
Shane and Lori were alone in the rec room, standing some feet apart, but I could tell from Lori's posture it hadn't just been that way. I eyed them both cautiously, picking carefully through words in my head. Lori was breathing heavily, seemingly horrified, and Shane staggered around to look at me, pure hate in his eyes.
"Lori, are you okay?" I noticed the scratch marks on Shane's neck looked fresh. Neither of them said a word, but Shane rushed at me, his eyes slits. Backing me up into the wall of the hallway, Shane put a hand on either side of my head, his face mere inches from mine.
"Why are you always in the way little girl." His breath reeked of alcohol, and I was reminded of my confrontations with my father, which unfortunately left me feeling encouraged.
"Your neck is bleeding." I was trying to get at him, and He reared his fist back. I flinched, expecting him to hit me again, but he punched the wall next to my head instead. I was reminded of how hard he hit me in the quarry, and began to panic. I heard Lori cry out from inside the room, obviously startled.
"I asked you a question!" He was getting frustrated, his face was red. I recoiled as he raised his voice to me, letting out a small yelp. "I asked, why are you always in the way. Little. Girl." He articulated the last three syllables of the sentence, causing spittle to wind up in my face. I realized I was unsure of how this situation would play out. Lori was still in the position Shane left her in, and hadn't moved to help me.
There was movement down the hall to the left, and both Shane and I looked over to see Daryl coming into the hallway. He was confused at first, but once he saw Shane standing over my ever-cowering figure, he began to walk towards us, a deadly look in his eyes. Shane gave me one last lethal look before stepping away from me.
Daryl slowed down in the hallway, throwing Shane a hard shoulder, the two men squared off for a small second before Shane continued down to his room. I still hadn't moved from my spot on the wall, my eyes focused on Lori, the both of us frozen in terror. Daryl stopped a few inches from me, glaring at Lori, and without words he coaxed me away from the wall and back to my room.
I stood silently, taking deep breaths as I heard the door close behind me. Glancing back I saw Daryl gesture to the lock and I nodded my head. After a faint click, his soft footsteps on the carpet thudded up to me.
His rough hands rested on my shoulders before gradually sliding their way down my arms.
"Can't you ever stay out of trouble?" I turned around to face him, and his eyes read that he was not happy with me. I felt a gut instinct to kiss him, and without thinking about it again I leaned forward on my tippy toes, throwing my arms around his neck and crashing my lips down on his.
He didn't push me away but he didn't immediately warm up to the idea either and I pulled away, wiping my lips on my arm.
"I'm sorry." I felt so stupid, and I went to walk away, but his hands held a firm grasp on my upper arms. Daryl studied my face, but I turned away from him, realizing how vulnerable I'd left myself. His left hand slid up my neck, finding a comfortable place behind my ear, where he held my face firmly in place.
A kiss was his reply to my apology, and I could feel every little bit of anxiety and uncertainty, that this new world forced on us. He pulled me into him, deepening the already frustrated kiss, working his fingers into my hair. After a few moments he pulled away, resting his lips on my forehead.
"I don't know what this means." He was honest, something I hadn't quite expected, and I shook my head. I took a deep breath and felt the tears stinging my eyes. Daryl looked down at me and caught one of my tears on his fingers. He stared me in the eyes before taking a deep breath. We sat silently for a second before he stood up.
My heart fluttered as he pulled away, heading towards the door, and as the door closed behind him I began to cry.