Kari trudged through the mud behind her newfound companion, debating whether to knock him out or not. From his behaviour in the last few minutes, she had decided he either had a concussion or was just plain stupid. She cringed when he called out the name Sophia once more, her head snapping up when she heard a twig snapping in the distance. How long before a herd of infected were upon them due to the man's antics?
"God, would you keep it down? Your girlfriend isn't here!" Kari hissed, rushing up behind him, pushing down the urge to clamp her hand over his mouth.
"The hell you talkin' bout? I'm looking for a little blonde girl, alright? You seen her?" Daryl retorted.
"Oh yeah, Goldilocks, right? She's just past that tree with the three fucking bears. There's no one out here but the dead!" Kari insisted, watching as Daryl rolled his eyes, turning away from her.
"Sophia!" He called out once more, as a groan echoed in the distance.
"Case and bloody point..." Kari trailed off when she noticed two infected men stumbling toward them.
Removing the dagger from her belt, she twisted it around in her hand, her eyes darting between the two moving corpses. She set her sights on the slower infected, who was already missing an arm. An easy kill, she figured. Jogging toward the creature, she was able to easily miss its swaying arm, ducking beneath its fingers and raising her arm out to stab it in the head with her dagger. The sharp blade pierced through his skull with ease, but pulling the weapon out proved more difficult. The other corpse had turned toward her, both its arms clawing at her, now only inches away. With a sigh, she kicked out at the infected whose skull still had her blade poking out. The two corpses fell to the ground, a pile of rotting skin and bones, teeth still snapping at her. Before Kari could put an end to the creature, an arrow whizzed through the air, piercing into the infected's eye, who went instantly still.
"You might be an idiot, but you're a good shot, I'll give you that" Kari mumbled, reaching down to tug the arrow out of the corpse's eye.
"Walker's are slow. Easier to take out than a rabbit" Daryl shrugged, as Kari's brows knitted together.
"Walker? That's what you call the infected?" Kari asked, gaining another slight shrug in response.
"Look, I'll cut you a deal. I'll give you your arrow back if you stop drawing attention to yourself" Kari suggested, making Daryl snort.
"You really think you can stop me from getting my damn bolt back, treehopper?" Daryl mocked, as Kari raised an eyebrow.
"Just keep quiet, alright? And it's Kari" She huffed, reluctantly holding the arrow out to him.
"Think treehopper suits you better" Daryl muttered, grabbing the arrow and wiping the walker's blood off it.
"...I told you before, you're the only alive person I've seen in weeks. There's been no kid through here" Kari explained, watching as Daryl's shoulders tensed up.
He was then shoving his arrow back into place over his crossbow, and storming past her. Her answer clearly wasn't the one he was hoping for. Still, he wasn't calling out the little girl's name anymore. Despite his angry steps, Kari could see how he would sway from side to side every few seconds. Considering he had only let her do half the job patching him up, she knew he had to be in agony with every step.
"She your kid?" Kari inquired.
"No" He replied, gruffly.
"The kid of a friend?" Kari pushed, as Daryl simply shook his head.
"Why're you so determined to find this girl then?" Kari frowned, as Daryl twisted around to face her, a scowl on his face.
"Weren't you just saying we better be quiet?" Daryl snapped, as Kari pursed her lips, but didn't bother arguing.
"...How far is it back to your camp?" Kari asked.
"Couple hours on foot. Why're you still followin' me anyways?" Daryl mumbled.
"Cause' after all that effort I took patching you up, I'll be dammed if I let you die out here" Kari stated, as Daryl's eyes narrowed, as if he was trying to figure out whether she was telling the truth.
Eventually, it appeared to be enough for him, as he was staggering forward again, clutching at his side. The guy was as stubborn as a mule, Kari thought to herself. No wonder he had survived as long as he had.
"You know, maybe we should take five. Catch our breath" Kari exclaimed, noticing he was swaying again.
"I ain't stopping. Sooner I get back to camp, sooner I can get the others searching this area" Daryl retorted.
"Great. Then I can have more people stomping over my land" Kari huffed, as Daryl opened his mouth to argue, but the words died in his mouth when he saw rotting faces through the trees.
Kari's gaze followed his line of sight, a strangled gasp leaving her lips when she saw that over twenty walkers were stumbling past them, thankfully not having spotted them yet. Daryl's hand was reaching back to grab his arrow when Kari gave him a warning look. Instead, she shrugged off her backpack and pulled out a brown paper bag. Daryl's frown deepened, figuring she had food inside the bag.
"You really think this is a good time for—" Daryl began, when Kari's palm slapped him in the face, leaving him lost for words.
It was only then he felt something cold against his cheek, realising she was smearing what appeared to be chunks of walker flesh over his cheeks. She placed her free hand to her lips, before pulling her hand back to rub the guts over her own face. Within a few seconds, their faces were both stained red, the disgusting smell wafting up through their nostrils. Kari was then grabbing onto his wrist and dragging him down to hide behind a nearby tree, just as a walker trudged over to them. It stood rooted to the spot for a few moments, clearly having heard their muttering, before it continued right past them. The small herd staggered on, not paying them even a glance. It was like they were invisible to the dead. As long as they stayed quiet.
Once the last walker was out of hearing distance, Kari let out a long sigh, leaning her head back against the tree. Daryl was quick to wipe away at his cheeks with the back of his hand, grimacing at the smell that was only growing stronger.
"You got a bag full of guts in there?" Daryl mumbled, as Kari gave a quick shrug.
"How'd you think I've survived so long? I smear this shit around me before sleeping in trees, and it's a peaceful night for me" Kari explained.
"Don't sweat it. You smell no worse than you did before" Kari smirked, pushing herself to her feet, earning a scoff from Daryl.
Kari's eyes narrowed as spotted the quaint farmhouse in the distance, somehow appearing completely unaffected by the horrors that had swarmed across the world. The words too good to be true came to her mind. Still, there didn't appear to be any walkers in sight. Maybe they hadn't reached that far into the countryside yet, but it was only a matter of time. There was nowhere safe anymore.
"Home sweet home" Daryl huffed, in a mocking tone.
"Try to avoid getting impaled on any more arrows, yeah? I'll see ya' around" Kari murmured, taking a step back, away from the tree line.
"You really ain't coming any further? We got food" Daryl pointed out, as Kari shook her head.
"I'm not much of a people person anymore" She shrugged.
"Suit yourself" He muttered, running a hand through his sweaty hair.
"I hope you find that kid. I really do" She said, with a slight smile.
Daryl gifted her with a soft grunt in response, which she figured was probably his way of saying thanks. With a fond shake of her head, she turned on her heel, ready to make the long trek back to her makeshift treehouse when she heard shouting from behind her. Daryl had made his presence known by stepping out of the treeline, limping as he dragged his crossbow behind him, appearing utterly exhausted. Kari's forehead wrinkled when she saw a group of four men charging toward him, all carrying weapons in their hands. It was only then she realised how he probably looked with walker guts smeared over his cheeks.
"Shit" Kari sighed, stepping out of the undergrowth.
After all she had done to get the man back to his group, she didn't want to watch him get shot in the head by his friends. The men in question finally caught up with him, the man at the front holding his gun directly toward Daryl's head, finger on the trigger.
"That's the third time you've pointed that thing at my head. You gonna pull the trigger or what?" Daryl called out, as the men let out a sigh of relief.
"He's not infected—" Kari announced, flinching as the gun was suddenly turned toward her.
"And neither am I! Jesus, a little trigger-happy, ain't you?" Kari complained, holding her hands up in the air.
"Who the hell is this?" The man holding the gun questioned, as Kari spotted something glinting in the distance.
She squinted as she noticed a woman lying down on top of an RV near the farmhouse, wondering what she was doing. It almost looked like she was lining up a shot...
Without a second thought, Kari was shoving Daryl to the ground just as a bullet whizzed through the air, narrowly missing him, but she wasn't so lucky. The bullet pierced into her arm, knocking her down, as she fell to the grass with a loud thud. The men around her were all suddenly shouting, waving their arms around in a panic in case any more bullets came flying their way. When Kari's eyes fluttered open again, she found herself surrounded by concerned looks, as something warm ran down her arm. She groaned as she looked to her side to find blood pumping out of her upper arm.
"Ow..." Kari trailed off, reaching out with her other hand to try to stem the blood flow.
"Is that what you guys...would call a warm welcome, huh?" Kari grumbled, as an arm wrapped around her uninjured shoulder and helped pull her into a sitting position.
"You alright?" The man with the gun questioned, as she shot him an unimpressed look.
"Give me your belt" Kari exclaimed, to the man next to him, finding a black belt hanging loosely around his hips.
"Come again?" The bald man frowned, giving her a dumbfounded look.
"Unless you want me to, y'know, bleed out to death in this damn field" Kari insisted, holding out her hand for his belt.
Cursing under his breath, the older man reluctantly unlopped his belt and handed it to her. Kari was quick to wrap it around her upper arm, tugging it tightly to help stem the blow flow to the wound and limit how much blood she was losing. Still, it could have been a lot worse. There was an exit wound, meaning the bullet had gone right through her.
"Oh my God. Oh my God, is she dead?" A blonde cried, as she and an older man came racing toward the group.
"She's alive, no thanks to you! The hell you doing with a rifle, woman?" Daryl accused, storming over to the woman.
"I think I'm lucky you're such a lousy shot" Kari stated, her words beginning to slur as she grew dizzy.
"C'mon, we need to get you to Hershel" The man with the gun announced, as he and the bald man wrapped their arms around her and helped haul her to her feet.
"No. I'm good. Really..." Kari trailed off, as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she slumped forward.
"You gonna' tell us who this girl is now?" Rick questioned Daryl, as T-Dog leant down to pick up Kari's backpack which had come off her shoulders.
"...What the fuck?" T-Dog gaped, as he spotted something familiar poking out of the bag.
It was Sophia's doll.
When Kari came round next, a white-haired man was stitching up her arm, causing her nerves to feel like they were being pulled apart. She grimaced, her face contorting in pain but refused to let out a cry. She still didn't know the people on the farm and showing weakness around people never led to anything good.
"We don't have any more local anaesthetic left" The man, who she assumed was Hershel, explained.
"You a Doctor?" Kari inquired.
"...Veterinarian" Hershel confessed, as Kari raised an eyebrow.
"This day just gets better and better" Kari sighed, lying her head down on the fluffy pillow underneath her.
She looked around the room, realising it appeared to be a girl's bedroom, finding a few posters and ornaments dotted around the bedroom. It was neat. Way neater than any of her bedrooms had ever been. The amount of pink made her guess it was a young girl's room.
"I said I'd let you stay in my youngest's room. Just for the night" Hershel told her.
"Don't worry. I plan to be out of your hair as soon as possible" Kari mumbled, as he cut off the end of the stitches.
"Rick's group want to talk to you. Mind if I let them in?" Hershel asked, as she gave a curt nod, moving up in the bed so she was sitting up against the wooden bedboard.
Not two seconds later, the same group of men that had surrounded her out in the field, were crowding into the small bedroom. Now, luckily with no weapons in sight. Kari's forehead wrinkled as the bald man chucked the doll that had been in her backpack on the bed, an expectant look on his face.
"Where'd you get the doll?" He asked.
"Why, you want one?" Kari teased, sensing quickly it wasn't the right thing to say.
"That doll belongs to a little girl that has gone missing. So...why do you have it?" The man, who she guessed was Rick, insisted.
"Shit. This belonged to that Sophia girl? Look, I swear to God, I only found this doll like two days ago in the creek. I've been using the stuffing to help build a fire. I never saw anything else" Kari admitted, as Rick's eyes narrowed, before he gave a slow nod.
"What, that's it? Just like that, we're supposed to believe this girl?" The bald man huffed.
"Why would she lie?" A younger man, wearing a baseball cap, pointed out.
"If I had seen anything I would have told Daryl. Look, maybe the girl did pass through the creek, but she'll be long gone by now. I found the doll days ago" Kari reminded them.
"Daryl tells us you're a nurse. That you're good with a knife too" Rick announced, as Kari realised that her daggers were nowhere to be seen.
She was trapped in a room with four strange men and no way to defend herself. Rick seemed to notice the sudden fear on her face and cast a glance over his shoulder toward the rest of the group who begrudgingly left the room. Rick then pulled a chair over toward the bed, and sat down, his hands laid down on his lap.
"The way I see it, you saved Daryl's life today. We're grateful for that" Rick stated.
"Yeah, I can feel how grateful you are" Kari scoffed, rubbing at her stitched-up arm.
"That was an accident. One that shouldn't have happened. I apologise, and I know Andrea will too" Rick went on.
"...I'll get over it. I've always been more of a righty than a lefty anyways" Kari shrugged, as Rick's lips twitched into a smile.
"How have you survived so long on your own?" Rick inquired, curiously.
"I wasn't on my own until a couple of weeks ago" Kari admitted.
"Your family?" Rick asked, as Kari shook her head.
"I only have a brother. Back in England. Sounds like they've had it just as bad as it's been round here. He's probably as dead as everyone else is. Any more questions? Maybe what my favourite colour is? It might surprise you" Kari continued, as Rick pursed his lips, to hide his amusement.
"I'll leave you to get some rest. We can decide whether you can stay or not in a couple of days" Rick suggested.
"Let me save you the trouble. Once my arm heals up enough to hold a knife, I'm out of here" Kari exclaimed, as Rick's brow furrowed.
"It's safer in numbers," Rick told her.
"No, Rick. It really isn't" She muttered.
With no idea how to reply to her comment, Rick made his way to leave the room, almost colliding with someone standing in the doorway. Kari twisted around to find a woman with short, grey hair and a food tray in her hands, a gentle smile on her face. Kari eyed her suspiciously as the woman placed the food on the table next to her, as Rick made a quick exit. Kari couldn't help but wonder how long the silent woman had been standing there.
"Thank you" The woman announced.
"...For what?" Kari frowned.
"You brought Daryl back" She pointed out, as Kari gave a half-shrug, her arm aching as she did so.
"Didn't fancy tripping over his corpse every time I went to get water" Kari replied.
"I brought you some dinner. We don't have much but..." The older woman trailed off as Kari reached out to grab a piece of the chicken, scoffing it down in a matter of seconds.
"Hungry?" She smiled at Kari.
"I've been eating out of cans for the past month" Kari admitted.
"...Did you really not see any sign of Sophia out there?" The woman questioned, as Kari opened her mouth to reply, but clamped her lips shut when she saw the look on her face.
Grief.
Only a mother could look that heartbroken. God, she was about to say the kid was probably dead. But was it better to give the woman false hope?
"If she did come through the creek she wouldn't have seen me anyway. I'm sorry. But hey, maybe it's a good thing. From what I've seen the infected usually go for bigger targets anyway. You know, more meat on their...shit, sorry. I do this thing a lot where I put my foot in my mouth. It's a talent really" Kari ranted.
"It's alright. I'll get you some seconds" She exclaimed.
"Hey, what's your name?" Kari called out, before she could leave the room.
"Carol" She answered.
"Daryl must really care about you. I don't think there's gonna' be anything that can stop him from finding your little girl" Kari explained, as Carol's lips spread into a smile.
"He's not doing it for me. That's just who he is. Even if he doesn't realise it yet" Carol told her, leaving Kari more confused.
Early the next morning, Kari had staggered into the bathroom in the farmhouse and was busy washing the blood and dirt away from her face. Her arm hurt every time she moved it, but even that had improved somewhat overnight. She grimaced as the water in the basin turned a dirty pink colour, looking up into the mirror to find she looked a little more like herself. Biting her lip, she reached down to pull up her shirt, feeling panic course through her veins when she saw the state of her abdomen in the mirror. The left side of her stomach was covered in red bite marks, right over a dip above her belly button where the little girl had torn out chunks of her flesh. The scar would never completely fade, always reminding her of how wrong her survival had been. Of course, that wasn't the only time she had beaten the odds. Pulling up her trousers, she looked down at a singular bite mark on the back of her shin, teeth marks still visible in her skin. What if the virus was slowly infecting her?
That was why she couldn't stay with the group. Why she couldn't be around people at all. She was a danger to them. Maybe even more than the walkers outside.
"Everything alright in there?" A voice called out, followed by a knock on the wooden door.
"Yeah. Just coming out" Kari replied, pulling her clothes back over her scars, and splashing some more cold water on her face.
"You're welcome to have a shower if you want. The water will be cold though" The voice explained, as Kari opened the door that separated them.
"I'm good. Thanks, though. You one of Hershel's daughters?" Kari guessed, finding a woman around her age, with brunette hair staring back at her.
"Maggie. Nice to finally meet you. I hear you're a nurse" Maggie exclaimed, as Kari gave a slow nod.
"Yeah, everyone seems to be saying that lately" Kari mumbled, making her way past Maggie.
"It's just...a good thing to have someone around with medical knowledge apart from my Daddy. He's tried to teach me and my sister but...well, I'm sure you know a lot more" Maggie went on.
"Would your dad have chucked me out already if I wasn't a nurse?" Kari guessed, as Maggie opened her mouth to argue, but closed it again shortly after, not sure of the true answer.
"How's your arm?" Maggie inquired.
"Fine. Hershel stitched me up well. Which room is Daryl in?" Kari questioned.
"Oh, he's in the room on the left. Do you—" Maggie began, as Kari shook her head before even knowing the question.
"Can we have a bit of privacy, you think?" Kari exclaimed, as Maggie slowly nodded, watching Kari knock on the door she had pointed toward and step inside.
"Morning, sleepyhead" Kari announced, slamming the door shut behind her to make sure Daryl woke up.
"The hell you doing?" Daryl grumbled, rushing to pull the thin sheets up above his chest and back.
She had still caught a glimpse of the old scars that littered his back and chest, making sure to mask her reaction to them, knowing the older man wouldn't want any of her sympathy. Instead, she reached down and picked up a handful of the beans still lying on his plate untouched from the night before. She was going to eat every scrap she could get before leaving.
"Just checking you're still alive. And I was hungry" She pointed out, taking another handful of the leftover food.
"Kitchen's out there" Daryl huffed, having pulled the sheets up to his shoulders.
"Your group's a bit too chatty for my liking. I think I prefer your grunts for company" Kari shrugged, as she went to sit down on a chair in the corner of the room.
"Well, don't get used to it. Ain't you supposed to be leaving?" Daryl retorted.
"As soon as I can lift my arm again. You're welcome, by the way. For, you know, saving your life and all" Kari stated, making Daryl scoff.
"I didn't ask ya' to step in front of a bullet," Daryl told her.
"Wasn't exactly planning on it either" Kari admitted, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees.
"Then why do it?" Daryl pushed, as she mulled over his question for a moment.
"...Because I have this annoying tendency of trying to save people" Kari mumbled, with downcast eyes.
"Shit like that'll get you killed one of these days" Daryl exclaimed, as Kari let out a long sigh.
"Yeah. I know" Kari said, absentmindedly running her hand over the scars on her stomach.
"So, you planning on sulking in here all day or what?" Kari announced.
"What's the point? I ain't found anything out there" Daryl muttered.
"Shit. They haven't told you? I found a doll out there days ago, they think it's Sophia's. Sounds like you were right. Maybe this kid is still out there...the hell are you doing?" Kari frowned, as Daryl was suddenly reaching out for his shirt lying on the other side of the bed.
"What're we still talking about it for? I ain't letting that girl spend nother' day out there on her own" Daryl insisted, tugging the shirt over his shoulders, wincing as he did so.
"I think you're forgetting about the part where you almost got skewered yesterday. You can't go. At least not today, alright? All you're gonna' do is get yourself killed" Kari pointed out, pushing herself up from her chair.
"And who's gonna' stop me, huh? You?" Daryl scoffed, grabbing the side of the bed, ready to haul himself up.
"Yeah. Me. And I am not above knocking you out either. So, sit your arse back in bed before I ask Hershel for a goddamn horse tranquiliser" Kari announced, marching over to loom over him.
Daryl glared up at her, trying to figure out if she was bluffing or not. He cursed under his breath when she raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to get back into the bed.
"Or I could probably knock you out with this lamp. I'm sure your skull is thick enough" Kari teased, lifting up the object, and twisting it around in her hand.
"You're a real bitch, huh?" Daryl complained, reluctantly pulling his legs back up into the bed.
"Hey now, don't try to sweet talk me. I ain't that easy" Kari grinned, throwing the sheets back over him.
"Tell the old man to bring me some real food!" Daryl called out, as she turned her back to him, biting down a laugh.
Kari sat outside the farmhouse in the camp Rick's group had made, perched on a foldup chair, close to the stove. She flexed her hand out in front of her, glad to see there appeared to be no nerve damage from her wound. She attempted to lift her arm up, feeling pain shooting down from her shoulder all the way down to her elbow. It would at least be a few days until she was healed up enough to leave camp. She just had to keep her head down and—
"Peach?" A voice announced, as a piece of fruit was thrust in her face.
"Peace offering for waving a crowbar in your face yesterday" The man in front of her went on, as she recognised him as one of the men who had raced over to her and Daryl in the field.
"You're lucky, bribery works well with me" Kari smiled, as she took the peach from his hand.
"Ha. Yeah, that's good...good to know...I mean, not that I know anything about...anything..." The man stuttered over his words.
"Huh. So, do you have a name, clueless?" Kari grinned.
"Glenn. Uh, Gleen Rhee. You?" He asked.
"Kari Smith" She exclaimed, taking a bite of the peach.
"Your English" He pointed out, as she gave a slow nod.
"Observant guy, aren't you?" She teased, as his face paled.
"No. No, I've seen nothing. I...um, I better go...hand these out..." He trailed off, practically falling over his feet as he rushed away.
"Weird guy" Kari laughed, shaking her head a little.
"You get used to him" A female voice interjected, as Kari twisted around to find a familiar blonde walking over to her.
The woman who had shot her. She had heard the others calling her Andrea. She was glad to see the blonde no longer had a gun in her hand. At least she couldn't shoot her in the foot by accident.
"Look, I just wanted to say...I'm so sorry. I feel like shit" Andrea announced, as Kari quirked an eyebrow in her direction.
"Yeah, you're not the only one" Kari huffed.
"I thought you were a walker" Andrea went on, as Kari stiffened.
She was only half wrong, after all.
"The sun was in my line of vision, you were so far off—" Andrea began, as Kari cut her off.
"So, you thought you'd just blindly shoot me?" Kari retorted.
"...I was aiming for Daryl" Andrea admitted, making Kari scoff.
"Let's just say we're both glad I'm not dead and leave it at that, okay?" Kari exclaimed, as Andrea gave a curt nod, a disappointed look on her face.
She was then turning around to walk in the other direction, clearly wanting to have her guilt fully resolved. But what good would that do her, Kari figured. Who would it be next that the woman accidentally shot?
"Rick tells me you're planning on leaving" The bald man she remembered from the day before, stated, as Kari refrained from rolling her eyes.
Was it too much to ask to have a moment of peace in the camp?
"I don't think it's really any of your business...?" Kari trailed off, looking for his name.
"Shane. And you see, it is actually. Cause' that's my best friend over there. That's my family. And I don't want anything or anyone putting them in danger, do you see what I'm getting at here?" Shane explained, as Kari pursed her lips.
"Put your dick back in your pants, would you? Couple of days and I won't be a problem. No need for a pissing contest" Kari huffed, watching as the man clenched his jaw.
"Jesus, you got a mouth on you" Shane muttered, with a shake of his head.
"Yeah, I hear that a lot. Anything else you want?" Kari exclaimed, in a dismissive manner, looking up at the older man.
She immediately wished she hadn't. There was something off with the way Shane was looking at her. Predatory. It made a chill go down her spine. She found herself wishing for the second time that day that she had never followed Daryl back to his camp.
"I'll be sure to let you know" Shane replied, looking her up and down once more before walking away.
The next few days couldn't go quick enough.
