Reflections - TWD

40. Deserved it.

⚠️scene of self-harm in this chapter⚠️

Everyone jolted as some dogs ran out of the woods, all snarling and growling, some with blood around their mouth. Some people, like Daryl, Michonne and Rick got their knives ready, but Isabella thought it was cruel.

"We can't kill them." Isabella practiacally pleaded. "Please."

Nobody was really listening to her though, the dogs were barking loudly. Isabella walked towards the dogs, there were a few like that in the trailer park she grew up in. She'd only been bitten once, most of them were just scared, and when one did bite her, it barely hurt. She felt bad for them, they were all underweight and not taken care of properly.

Isabella held her hand out to the dog and smiled as it calmed down a little bit. "Good dog." She smiled, but that smile faded quickly as the dog bared its teeth and lunged at her arm.

She pulled her arm back just in time, but the dog had her pinned to the floor in a matter of seconds, it's teeth snarling and yapping in her face.

"Dad! Daddy!" Isabella cried, wanting Daryl to save her like he always did and pushing the dog up by the shoulders so it wouldn't get to her.

Daryl was the first to react, quickly lunging towards the dog, but Sasha put them all down, firing a bullet through their head.

Isabella hadn't even realised there were tears rolling down her face until she pushed the dogs dead body off her. She wasn't sad, but she was terrified.

Daryl dropped his knife and crouched down in-front of of her, cupping her face with both hands as he made sure the dog hadn't hurt her. He didn't know what he would do if the dog was diseased and had broken Isabella's skin, he needed her to be okay.

He grabbed her arms, rolling up the one sleeve that she had left and checked them, not even blinking twice at the scars he already knew were there. He let out a long breath after knowing that she was fine.

"You're fine, darlin', you're fine." Daryl breathed, unsure of whether he was telling himself or Isabella, or both. He continued to pull her head to his shoulder and rub the back of it gently, trying to get her to breathe.

The rest of the group started to shuffle around as Daryl calmed Isabella down, by the time she looked up, there was a fire going and Michonne was cooking meat over it. Great, first worms and now dogs.

Isabella sat by Daryl, she could only eat a little bit of it. She couldn't face it and was pretty sure she would throw it back up if she even tried any more.

The thought popped into her head of her calling Daryl 'dad' to his face, actually saying it. She didn't know what to think. He didn't seem to mind, but she felt embarrassed, the whole group had seen her do it.

Once they had finished their meal, the group needed to keep moving. There was no point in them just staying in that spot by the woods, that wouldn't get them anywhere.

Isabella was still slightly shaken by her encounter with the dogs, but she tried to shake it off. She couldn't dwell on it too much, she needed to focus on her surroundings incase there was any walkers or any dangers.

Maggie took a drink of water and then handed the bottle back to Glenn, they were talking quietly whilst walking in-front of Isabella. Glenn turned around and held the bottle out for Isabella. "You're still not breathing properly." He told her.

"I'm fine." Isabella shook her head.

Glenn sighed and took a step towards her, forcing it into her hands. "Drink." He told her, so she took a small sip and handed it back to him. Glenn held the bottle out to Daryl next.