Daryl paced up and down the gas station roof, the cold wind causing him to shiver under his leather jacket. It was dark, before sunrise, and unnervingly quiet. The rest of the group were still asleep, thankful for the couple of nights they would have some shelter over their head. The gas station had likely been in disrepair even before the world ended, but at least it gave better protection than they had most of the winter. The nearest herd would be on top of them in a matter of days, meaning everyone knew to savour it. A muffled snarl had Daryl's head snapping up, quick to spot a walker stumbling out of the tree line. Its leg was half chewed off, making it slow. An easy target. He raised his crossbow...
And a different arrow whizzed over his shoulder, hitting the walker in the shoulder, as a curse was muttered from behind him. Lowering his crossbow, he turned to find Kari standing a metre away, her bow still in hand. She was pouting, clearly irritated that her arrow didn't meet its target. Daryl's lips twitched for a moment into something akin to a smile, before he masked his reaction.
"That's a five," Daryl told her, before turning back to the walker, shooting it in the head with ease.
"Five? C'mon, it's at least a six out of ten!" Kari complained, coming to stand beside him.
"Shoulder hit ain't gonna' do much," Daryl pointed out, as Kari pulled another arrow out of her makeshift quiver.
"It was the wind," She muttered, placing the new arrow against her bow, attempting to line up the shot.
"You're too damn tense," Daryl insisted, as he came to stand behind her. He missed a beat, before slowly placing his hands on her rigid shoulders. Kari glanced back at him, as he started rubbing at her shoulders, loosening some of the tension. "Need to relax your bow grip," He explained.
Consciously lowering her shoulders, Kari did as she was advised, loosening the tight grip she had on the bow. She lined up the shot at the walker's head. Daryl's warm hands were dropping from her shoulders then, as Kari blinked a few times, attempting to regain her focus. Aiming a little above the walker's head, she released the arrow, waiting with bated breath to see where it would land.
"Alright. That's a seven," Daryl commented when he peered forward to see the bolt had pierced through the walker's neck. She'd only had the bow for a month, and unlike how his brother used to mock him, Daryl figured Kari could use some encouragement. "Cover me," He mumbled, before heading toward the metal fire exit on the side of the building.
The bow had been a mess when they had found it, likely being dumped due to the state it was in, but with a few tweaks from Daryl, it was back in working order. None of the group were surprised when he had gifted it to her, stating she'd need it due to her 'shitty aim with guns'. And Kari was glad to have a better weapon than just her daggers. She hated using the guns anyway, remembering all too well when she had shot out at Rick and Shane.
"So, what do I get if I manage a ten?" Kari called back, pulling out another arrow.
"What, you wanna' make a bet?" Daryl huffed, as he began lowering himself down the fire escape ladder.
"Not like there's anything more interesting going on," Kari pointed out, looking out at the treeline.
"What's the stakes?" Daryl exclaimed, jumping down the last couple of steps, and rushing over to the arrows.
"Well, you don't exactly have much to offer me, Dixon," Kari teased, hearing a huff from Daryl from down below. He was quick to retrieve all three bolts, making a beeline back to the fire escape. "Twenty-four hours where you do whatever I want. You do all my shifts, complete access to your stash and...no grunting," Kari smirked, as Daryl started to ascend up the ladder.
"And if you don't get no ten?" Daryl retorted, reaching the top quickly.
"Same deal, in reverse," Kari stated, as Daryl pushed himself up to join her on the roof, mulling it over.
"...Alright," He nodded, before spitting on his hand and holding it out to her.
"I can't believe you just did that," Kari groaned, as Daryl thrust his hand forward. With pursed lips, she reached out for his hand, shaking on it. "So, how long have I got to make good on the deal?"
"Three days," Daryl shrugged, as she gave him an exasperated look.
"What? You're obviously gonna' win then," Kari complained, as a small smirk grew on Daryl's lips.
"You shook on it," He pointed out, as she shook her head, with a fond expression. He watched her closely for a few moments, before catching himself, averting his gaze down to the brick beneath his feet. A thought crossed his mind then. "Ain't T supposed to be on watch with me?" Daryl realised.
"I swapped out with him," Kari replied.
"You make a deal with him too?" Daryl scoffed, as Kari reached into her jeans pocket for something.
"Yep. I got a bribe," Kari admitted, before holding out the offering to Daryl, who's eyes doubled in size. "For you," She clarified, as he huffed out a laugh, taking the cigarette from her palm.
"Asshole. How long he been holding onto this for?" Daryl mumbled, when Kari suddenly snatched it back.
"Uh-uh. Like I said, this is a bribe..." Kari trailed off, as Daryl grew uneasy.
"You got that damn look in your eye again. Like you had on the farm," Daryl sighed, knowing he wasn't going to like what she had a say.
"We hop on your bike, head about three hours in the direction, we'll hit the city. On the outskirts, the hospital where I used to work," Kari began.
"You want a reference or somethin'?" Daryl retorted, tone full of sarcasm.
"Or something," Kari shrugged, with a growing smile.
"No."
"No? That's it?" Kari huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
It was later that morning, the group had awoken, ready to start their daily tasks. Some scavenged for food, others kept guard, and others like Lori, had no choice but to watch them. Kari and Daryl had pulled Rick into the back room to talk over their plan, and their leader was less than happy to hear about.
"It's a suicide mission," Rick insisted.
"I'd go with her," Daryl pointed out, as Rick gave him a look.
"Then you'll both be dead. This is not happening," He said, firmly.
He shook his head from side to side, jaw clenched as he went to storm away. Kari reached out for his arm just as he was reaching for the doorknob, yanking him back. She needed to get him to hear her out.
"I worked there for a whole year, Rick. I know it like the back of my hand. The military were locking it down, and that means the dead are gonna' be slow and kept to the emergency areas. Mostly," She went on.
"All it takes is one bite. One scratch," Rick reminded her.
"We need what they have. Surgical equipment, anaesthetic, antibiotics. Hell, food even!" Kari exclaimed, as Daryl nodded, in agreement.
"We'd be gone less than two days. Before the herd makes it here," Daryl added, as Rick raised an eyebrow.
"And when neither of you make it back? You expect us to wait?" Rick huffed.
"No. No, you go. Look, we know the risk. We accept it—" Kari started, when Rick cut her off.
"I don't," He retorted, with a furious look in his eyes.
"Rick. If I get everything that I need...Lori has maybe a fifteen per cent chance of making it through labour. If I don't...she doesn't have any chance. You might as well kill her now," Kari informed him, bluntly.
Rick swallowed thickly, taking her harsh words in for a moment. Kari thought he might be considering her plan, but his mind was already made up. He wasn't going to risk two members of the group for a suicide run. No matter how much he wanted to save his pregnant wife.
"Lori made her choice," Rick muttered, in a shaky voice, clearly wishing he didn't have to give the answer he knew he needed to. "Apart from Hershel, you're the only one in this group with any medical experience. That wound Glenn got from the fence last month? You patched him up, gave him the right antibiotics. He'd be dead if you weren't here."
"Then I'll go," Daryl spoke up, as Rick let out a scoff, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I can't count on my damn hand how many times you've saved my life since the world went to hell. You're the best shot we got. If we come across another group, who's gonna' help defend us? Beth? Lori? My kid?" Rick pushed, as Daryl averted his gaze, looking like a scolded child.
"I can't let anything happen to her baby, Rick," Kari pushed.
"This is over. I don't want to hear another word of it," Rick muttered, before twisting on his heel and storming out of the room.
Daryl and Kari turned to each other, their minds also made up. The group had been surviving on scraps for the last few months. They had eaten everything even partly edible in the small towns. Eventually, they'd be forced to head toward the nearest city.
"We still going?" Daryl asked.
"Yep."
Beth let out a frustrated cry as she tried and failed to stab the walker in front of her, not using enough force to pierce through the dead man's skin. She glanced at Kari, who gestured for her to try again. She had already tied the walker to the tree, its arms tied down, giving Beth the safety to practice. This time, her knife did the job, cutting through the skin and muscle, causing a line of reddish-brow to splutter out of the walker's chest.
"See. You got it," Kari told her.
"Yeah. When they're not moving," Beth mumbled, as Kari nudged her with her arm.
"And with a little more practice, you'll be killing these things left and right," Kari insisted, her words making Beth wince.
"You ever think about...who these people were before?" Beth inquired, as Kari shook her head.
"Nope. They're dead. Doesn't matter who they were. This guy hasn't been a person for a very long time. Besides, if there's one thing a nurse is good at, it's disassociating," Kari explained, before tugging the knife free from the walker's chest. She placed the weapon back onto Beth's palm, ushering her forward. "You've got two big arteries you want to aim for. Carotid and femoral. Now, most are gonna' see you comin' with the neck slash, but the thigh? People don't realise how bad the damage can be," Kari went on, guiding Beth's hand toward the walker's leg.
"I thought you were teaching me how to take out walkers?" Beth frowned.
"Worse things than the dead out here, Beth. If you get separated from the group one day...a pretty teenage girl on her own? You need to know how to defend yourself against people," Kari explained.
"I don't think I'm ready for that," Beth mumbled, dropping her hand to her side.
Neither her dad or Maggie knew about their 'training sessions'. But Beth had been insistent. She didn't want to be a burden to the group anymore.
"Okay," Kari nodded, placing her hand on the blonde's shoulder. Beth's birthday had been and gone, but she was still just seventeen. Sometimes it was easy to forget she wasn't that much older than Carl. "You up for killing this walker?" Kari asked, earning a quick nod from Beth.
"Through the eye?" Beth suggested, as Kari ushered her forward.
Sucking in a deep breath, Beth gripped the knife tightly in her hand, and lined up the blade to the walker's left eye. With a grimace, she plunged the knife forward, hearing the squelching sound as the knife slowly pierced through the dead man's face. Silence followed as the walker finally stopped growling. Beth's forehead wrinkled as she realised she didn't feel anything. No guilt, hatred, fear. Nothing.
"Good job," Kari congratulated, as Beth went to hand the knife back to her. Shaking her head, Kari wiped off the blade from the blade and then went to place the knife in the waistband of Beth's trousers. "I think you're ready to keep hold of this yourself."
Ragged panting and heavy footsteps had the pair twisting around, half expecting to find walkers approaching, but instead, Lori waddled toward them. She was five months now, her baby belly on full display. Half of their food and water was going to her, as if the baby had any chance of surviving, it would need all the nutrients and vitamins it could get. Kari was ready to scold her for wandering off after them without a weapon when Lori spoke up.
"It's Carl. He's gone. My baby's gone," Lori cried, as Kari's eyes widened.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Kari questioned, rushing over to her.
"He's gone! I haven't seen him in hours. God, where is he?" Lori sobbed, clutching at her bump.
"Hey, hey. Calm down, he probably hasn't gone far," Kari tried to soothe her, when Beth grabbed her arm.
"He...he made me promise not to say anything. I didn't think he'd—" Beth started, when Kari cut her off.
"Beth, what happened?" Kari insisted.
"...He heard you and Daryl talking earlier about the hospital. He was upset about it," Beth confessed, as Kari let out a groan, running a hand over her face.
"Rick is gonna' fucking kill me."
Less than an hour later, Rick had finished grabbing the supplies he needed to head into the city. His son was out there, perhaps already halfway to the hospital. Lori was worried sick, looking worse than she had done the whole pregnancy. They didn't have much ammo to spare and he wasn't about to put the group at risk for himself. Swinging his backpack over his shoulder, he shoved the gas station doors open, finding Daryl and Kari seemingly waiting for him, leaning against Daryl's bike. With a shake of his head, he approached them, already knowing their argument.
"He's my son," Rick announced.
"And this is your group. Look, I'm no leader. And Daryl here communicates with grunts—" Kari started, as Daryl nudged her arm.
"Hey," He huffed, as she gave him a fond look.
"They need you, Rick. And we're not coming back without Carl. I give you my word," Kari insisted.
"Besides, the scrawny kid ain't gonna' get far before we catch up with him," Daryl shrugged, but Rick still didn't seem convinced.
"It's not your responsibility," Rick stated, as Kari rolled her eyes, and went to pull the backpack away from his shoulder.
"He's part of the group. That makes him our responsibility."
Rick regarded Kari closely for a moment, recognising the determined look in her eye. They may have only known each other a few months, but somehow he found him willing to leave his son's life in her hands. Marching over to Rick, Daryl placed a hand on his shoulder, catching his eye.
"We'll bring him home, man," Daryl told him, squeezing Rick's shoulder once, before letting go.
"Don't die," Rick warned, as Kari's lips pulled back into a smirk.
"Didn't plan on it. Maybe next week," She shrugged, as Daryl ushered her back over to the bike.
"Hold on!"
They watched as Carol raced out of the gas station, gripping her handgun with a panicked expression. Before Kari had a chance to argue, the weapon was thrust into her hands. Carol didn't look like a woman prepared to take no for an answer. Most of the group was still tense with Carol, not sure what to say to her. That meant she spent most of her time with Kari and Daryl, not that neither seemed to mind.
"You're a better shot than me anyway," Carol murmured, before grabbing Kari's shoulders and bringing her into a tight hug. Daryl watched as Kari forced the tension to leave her body, and circled her arms around Carol's back, sharing the embrace. He didn't hear what Carol whispered in her ear.
"Look after him," Carol pleaded, in a quiet tone, as Kari pulled back.
"Will do," Kari said, shooting her a quick smile, before placing the gun into the waistband of her jeans and heading over to Daryl.
"We're not leaving without you," Rick began, as Daryl jumped onto his bike, exchanging a concerned look with Kari. They both knew they might not be coming back from the city. "That's the deal. No one's getting left behind," Rick muttered.
"We'll see you soon," Kari replied, climbing onto Daryl's bike, as he revved the engine.
Neither looked back as Daryl sent them riding off down the road. Kari reached up to hold onto his shoulders, allowing her to sit upright further and peer over him at the road ahead. They had no idea what route Carl took toward the city. He wasn't stupid and without a vehicle, she expected he realised his safest bet was to cut through the woods. They would have to stick to the road, hoping to either spot his trail or simply get to the hospital first.
"You good?" Kari called out, trying to speak up over the wind.
She could feel how tense Daryl was from how his shoulders were hunched over and the way his knuckles had grown white. He gave a grunt and a nod, the closest thing to a reply Kari knew she would get. He was hyper-focused on looking for any evidence of Carl on the road.
"We'll find him," Kari stated.
"How're you so sure?" Daryl mumbled, eyes narrowed as he looked through the treelines.
"Because he's gonna' be able to smell you a mile away," Kari teased, making Daryl snort.
Still, she could feel how the muscles in his back had loosened somewhat under her hands.
By the time they reached the outskirts of the city, night had fallen. Rick's hope of the cold slowing down the walkers had come true, allowing them to get through the few streets toward the hospital. They headed toward a nearby building, killing a few more walkers that still lived in the foyer and made their way to the roof. There was only one viable entrance to the hospital building, and from their new vantage point, they'd be able to see when Carl appeared.
"So, what's the plan?" Daryl asked, from where they were huddled in the doorway of the fire exit on the roof.
"Our best plan would be to get the backup generator running. That way we could herd the walkers into certain areas, lock them in...only problem is, I've got no fucking clue how to start a generator," Kari confessed, as Daryl gave a half-shrug, indicating neither did he. "Plan B. Elevators," Kari exclaimed, as Daryl gave her a confused look.
"Main theatres is on the third floor, and when I was there, we lost all power. The elevator in the south wing was on the ground. Meaning, we open up the doors and climb up," Kari advised.
"Why not just take the stairs?" Daryl mused.
"The stairs that the military started locking people inside?" Kari responded, as Daryl grimaced.
"How'd you survive being there when it all went to hell?" Daryl inquired, as Kari went deathly still.
"Just lucky, I guess," She stated, looking away from him.
It didn't seem like the best time to admit all her secrets. The thought of returning to the place she had first been bit was causing her stomach to knot together. She couldn't help but wonder if anyone else who had received the military's inoculations had failed to turn. The probability of her being the only one seemed unlikely. Then again, as she had told Beth, there were plenty of things that could otherwise kill them.
"Must have seen some bad shit," Daryl suggested, as she glanced over at him.
They were sat on the staircase, sitting opposite each other, backs pressed up against the wall. Daryl had the binoculars handy that Rick had packed, and would peer out of the doorway regularly, to check for Carl, but otherwise, they needed to try to keep warm from the freezing wind on the roof. Daryl had a look about him. Something akin to concern. It was for her, she realised, a little startled.
"Haven't we all?" Kari retorted, crossing her legs and beginning to fidget with the lace on her shoes.
"Carol thinks you're bottling stuff up," Daryl told her.
"Carol's projecting," Kari muttered, as Daryl gave another shrug. She peered a little closer at him, knowing him well enough now that it was clear there was more he wished to say. "Daryl Dixon wanting to talk about feelings? Something must be really wrong with me, huh?" She grinned.
"Guess I'm just not sure you're doing all this for the right reasons," Daryl suggested, as Kari quirked an eyebrow.
"Meaning?" Kari pushed.
"It's all been about saving Shane's baby, right?" Daryl went on, watching as Kari's jaw tensed.
"I'm just trying to help. Contribute to the group," Kari retorted, as Daryl made a humming noise, not believing her for a second. It was annoying how easily he could see through her bullshit sometimes. "Well, why are you here then?" Kari pushed.
"You bribed me, remember?" He huffed, as she kicked out at him, hitting him playfully in the leg.
"Bullshit. Why'd you really come?" Kari insisted, as he gave a grunt, avoiding her gaze.
"I need a Dixon dictionary to interpret all those grunts," Kari snorted.
"You should get some rest. Dunno' when you'll get to sleep again," Daryl pointed out.
"Worried about my sleep pattern now? I'm honoured," She laughed, before pushing herself up onto her feet and lowering herself back down to sit on the step beneath him.
"Don't get used to it," He mumbled, as Kari gave him a small smile.
Despite their shelter in the doorway from the wind, it was still freezing. Pulling out the blanket Rick had packed, Kari placed the scratchy fabric over his lap, smoothing it out over his knees. He opened his mouth to argue, but she spoke up before he could, gesturing to the poncho he had gifted her back on the farm.
"I've got this, remember?. Might look like shit, but it's warm," Kari retorted, pulling her legs up to her chest so she could cover them with the poncho.
"You complain a lot about somethin' you wear every day," He teased.
"...I've had worse gifts," She mused, missing the way his lips pulled into a grin.
"Yeah?" He pushed.
"Yeah," She agreed, before leaning against him, glad for the body heat.
They sat like that for a few minutes, a comfortable silence growing. With Kari's head lying on top of his shoulder, and her knees leaning against his outstretched legs, it was something neither would usually do in front of the group. It was just nice for both of them to be...close. It didn't mean anything, Kari insisted to herself.
"...I promised Shane I'd look after the baby," Kari admitted, in a quiet voice.
"We will," Daryl murmured, as Kari finally closed her eyes.
Kari awoke a few hours later to incessant shaking of her arm, and Daryl's voice calling her name. She was barely awake as he tugged her upright and started dragging her down the stairs. Kari grabbed the backpack on their way down, blinking her tired eyes, as her memory came back of why they were in the building. She frowned as Daryl pulled them toward the large glass windows of what would have likely once been a boardroom. He pointed to the street below, as Kari's eyes widened when she saw a familiar kid racing through the streets...with over twenty walkers quick on his heel.
Despite being able to see Carl, they were over ten floors up and would never be able to get to him in time. Daryl frowned as he watched Kari rush over to the other side of the room, thinking that she may have chosen not to look at what was about to happen to Carl. Instead, she grabbed one of the boardroom chairs and smashed it against the window. The glass shattered, but didn't break. It was then that Daryl realised what her plan was, and grabbing a larger chair, he chucked it at the window, which broke into tiny pieces. They watched as the walkers came to a disordered halt, having heard the crashing sound from above. The shattered glass and chair smashed into the concrete a moment later, as the walkers began moving toward them. Realising their plan was working, the pair continued throwing more things through the windows, as more and more walkers began to crowd around the sidewalk. Kari peered down, glad to see Carl sprinting off down an alleyway behind the hospital.
"Now, what?" Daryl huffed, as Kari glanced down to realise they had unwittingly caused the small herd to now cut off their escape route.
"How are you with heights?"