A/N I am just going to say that you may not like Cara for the first bit of this chapter. But you might, I don't know. Enjoy and don't forget to Review.

Time To Grow Up

Chapter 3: Hunting

…Previously…

"You aren't my father…"

…Presently…

"You aren't my father. And if you were, I would have fed myself to a Walker! Isn't it sad that someone would rather be eaten by a dead thing then be your child?" I shout, leaning towards him.

"Cara Elizabeth! You don't talk like that!" My mother yells, which surprises me.

"And you! Grow a backbone! You sit back and watch as your husband touches your daughters in the most inappropriate way imaginable! How could you stand by and let that happen?" Tears threaten to fall.

"I-I didn't know." She whispers.

"That is a lie! We cried out for you. You've done one good thing for us by living him and taking us away, but then you messed it up by going back to him!"

"Young Lady," My father's gravelly voice calls from behind the crowd, "don't you dare raise your voice like that. I will not stand for it." If this was a few months ago, he'd be plastered with another beer in hand.

"I learned from the best, didn't I? I learned from a man who physically, and verbally abused her and his children." My father walked towards me, his mood the darkest I've seen since this whole thing started.

"Don't use that tone with me-" He moved to hit me, but was stopped by a dirty hand.

"Don't ya dare lay a hand on her asshole." Daryl's southern drawl rang through the crowd. My dad scowled at him.

"What ya gonna do about it, ya hick? You know, she is my kin not yours." Daryl flipped it around so that he had my father in a choke hold.

"I can whole to ya. And I don't care if was my kin or not, I take better care of her then you or your wife do. You only like those who will submit to ya and she doesn't do that to ya like your other one does." Daryl hisses, tightening his grip.

"You don't know me or my family."

"I know enough. Now, this whole thing is done. I want ya to leave her alone. There are other people that can take care of her. And if ya don't leave her alone, ya'll have to deal with me. Got it?"

"…."

"I said got it!" He gripped tighter.

My father just nodded, to which Daryl released him. I moved away from my spot in front of the RV towards where Daryl stood. When I met him, I didn't know why I liked him so much. I just kind of gravitated towards him, like a daughter would do to a father figure. And since I don't have a very good father figure, I guess I subconsciously drifted to him. Him being a man that actually cared about me and taught me to take care of myself.

"All right, that is enough excitement for one day! Everyone back to minding their own business." Dale yells, stepping out of his RV. Everyone grumbled, making their way to their little tents. My mother gripped tightly onto Sophia, following after my father. Sophia looked back at me, looking as if I had just killed a unicorn with a rainbow. I rolled my eyes, looking towards Lori and Carl.

Shane had join them shortly after Dale's order. Shane and Lori were whispering something to Carl. I can tell they were telling him to stay away from me, because I would influence him to bad things like that. If Lori had any sense at all, she would be telling him to stay from Shane. But she is sleeping with him, him being Shane not Carl. That is gross. I only know that they were sleeping together, because I had overheard them one night. I hadn't been able to sleep, so I got up and went to sit outside. My tent is close to Shane's, but not really that close. I saw Lori sneaking into it, which was soon followed by the sounds of her moaning. I had quickly gotten back into my tent and covered my head. I had nightmares for days after that.

"Are you alright, kid?" Daryl's voice caused me to look away from the others.

"I am fine. I've been dealing with my family for 12 years. That was just a lot of pent up aggression. I may have overreacted when my mother stepped into my fight with Shane. But everything I said was true and needed to be said."

"I am proud of ya. It took some real balls to stand up to not only ya old man but Shane as well. I think ya did loss it when ya were dealin' with your mom." He patted my shoulder, leading me towards the woods.

"I think I had a right to yell at her. What I said to her was true too. She did stand by and watch as her husband beat us." I pull my knife from my boot, playing with the tip.

"I know what ya going through kid. I lived it." I nod, looking down at the ground.

I listened to the rustling of the leaves in the wind, turning to the West. I tapped my nose and pointed in the direction that I am facing. Daryl put his hand on my shoulder, pushing me forward. I moved quickly, trying to be silent. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of our feet crushing the fallen leaves and the sound of animal feet hitting the ground. I hope it is a deer, we haven't had deer in a long while. It was a treat when we did get it, because there was a lot more of it. I mean the rabbit and squirrel that Daryl (and sometime me) catch is good, but we need a lot of it to feed the number of people in our group.

I stick my arm out, stopping him. I bend down, watching the beautiful deer drinking from the pond. I look back at Daryl, who was putting an arrow into his bow. He raised up, setting the bow in place. He fired. The arrow lodged itself into the deer's neck. The deer fell into the pond, causing Daryl to push through the bushes that we were hiding behind. Handing his bow to me, Daryl picked up the deer. He carried the dead animal on his shoulders all the way back to the camp.

Once we were back at the camp, Daryl taught me how to skin and clean the deer. It is a gross process, but a necessary one these days. Daryl and I cooked the meat, cutting it into piece to make sure that everyone had a good bit of it. My mother came to help us pass it out, along with Lori of course. My sister was sitting next to Carl, neither of them looking at me. Glenn and Dale smiled as I handed them their food, before going back to their conversation about the RV. Daryl went to sit with his brother, who I did not like. Everyone was eating and chatting amongst themselves, so I went and ate in my tent. A 12 year old outcast, so 2009. I think.

The only good thing about today was the hunting.