AND THEN I FOUND YOU » Daryl Dixon

19. IT'LL BE ALRIGHT

"Get the hell off me!"

Jasmin wildly thrashed in the arms of her captor. Their chain-like grip tightened as she dug her elbows into their chest, straining against the duct tape that bound her wrists.

Desperation was spreading through every fibre of her being, urging her to keep fighting for what little chance she had to escape.

What once was fresh air that surrounded her had suddenly turned stale and stuffy. With the slam of a door, it was clear she was now in some sort of room.

The arms wrapped around her torso released her and she was sent crashing to the ground with a startled gasp. A rough hand hooked under her arm and yanked her up back to her feet, walking her backwards until she fell into the seat behind her.

The hood over her head was tugged off, and she was sure strands of hair had been ripped out with it. The light was not nearly as bright as she expected it to be, but her eyes still needed time to adjust from dark to light.

She looked around the room with blurred vision seeing the four walls that had her enclosed. It was a caravan. A tall, dark figure stood in front of her but the two others sitting beside her had her utmost attention.

She blinked away the fading blurriness to see two familiar faces next to her, wearing the same bounds as she.

Her eyes widened in shock. "Michonne? Hersh-"

"Quiet." A deep voice cut her off.

The walls she had so intricately built up to protect herself began crumbling to ruins at the sound of his voice. Dormant memories that carried unbridled fear were resurfacing at an overwhelming rate.

Jasmin turned her head back to the person who stood in front of her and saw him.

Phillip.

In her head, she lunged for him and snapped his neck then and there. She wished she could say that was what happened, but it wasn't even close. Instead, she froze, staring up at him in a trance-like state.

He looked different – calmer. The anger he used to wear so often was tucked away in a dark hole. It watched from a distance, waiting for the perfect moment to jump into the light

It was only a matter of time before his mask slipped and the monster crawled out once again. Seeing her again would only make it that much easier for the anger to return. Her simple existence enraged him, and she never quite understood why.

His hair was longer and carefully combed to the side. His clothing had changed from a mayor's get-up to black, head-to-toe coverage. Covering his right eye was a black patch that resembled a pirate's. It certainly suited his personality. The last time she saw him, both eyes were intact, so the accident must've happened after she escaped.

He stared down at her. The expression on his face was unreadable.

"Dolgen!" he suddenly called out.

The shout tore her out of the haze she was in with a startled jump. Her body shifted right back into defence mode, eyeing every little move he made.

With painstakingly slow movements, she reached down to her belt. Perhaps, by some chance, he had forgotten to take away the knife she kept holstered on her hip. Of course, he hadn't forgotten.

Within seconds, a man with a rifle strapped over his shoulder and a camo hat opened the caravan door. "Yeah?"

"I've heard everything I need to know from these two." Phillip gestured to Michonne and Hershel.

Michonne's glare remained latched on Phillip, but Hershel had looked over to Jasmin. He tried to give her a tiny, reassuring smile but behind his eyes was an obvious pit of dread. They all knew what this man was capable of.