Chapter Twenty Two: Say The Word

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┏━━━━━━ Kayla's pov ━━━━━━┓

The baby wailing in my ear was the only thing pulling me to reality. I was crying in Daryl's chest after the loss of Lori. Out of all the things to happen in this apocalypse, this one couldn't be real. I wanted to wake up and see everything was okay. I wanted to wake up and see this little baby back inside and alive Lori. Dad was on the floor, looking like he was going crazy. He was swaying back and forth, staring at me, holding the baby in Daryl's arms. Glenn walked up to him and shook his hands in front of his face.

" Rick...Rick, you with me. Rick ?" Glenn repeated, but I knew my father was not there.

" Let me see the baby," Hershel said, holding his arms out. I handed Carl, the baby, before looking to Daryl with the tears running down my face.

" S-she told me to c-cut her open and t-take the baby out. I did." I cried while he wiped the tear coming down my cheek.

" You did fine." He said, kissed my head, but I shook my head.

" No, I didn't. I could have helped more." I cried more while Daryl hugged me close to him and looked to the baby in Hershel's arms.

" What are we going to feed it? We got anything a baby can eat ?" Daryl asked.

" The good news is she looks healthy, but she needs formula and soon or she won't survive," Hershel said, and the sentence made me spring up.

" No. Not her." I said, checking my gun to see I had enough bullets for a run." I'm going on a run."

" I'm coming with you." Daryl said, already slinging his crossbow over his shoulder." Maggie, stay here and keep an eye on the group."

" You got it," Maggie said when we heard the sound of metal being dragged on the floor. I looked up, watching my father grab an ax from the floor and almost leap the way we came from.

" Dad!" I yelled, but he just kept on going. I knew he was going to get himself killed and ran after him.

" Kayla !"

" Dad !" I yelled, seeing him up ahead.

He cut the walkers head off, having the blood splattered on my face even though we were feet away. I groaned, wiping it away, and jogged over.

" Dad!" I yelled again and touched his shoulder. He turned around and grabbed me by the neck, choking me. I looked in his eyes to see, not Dad, but something else." Da...Dad...it's me...Ka...yla...Dad, please."

He then threw me on the floor, and I looked at him, seeing how far out dazed he was. He didn't even realize what he did when he turned around and kept slicing off the walkers' heads. I touched my throat in horror to where his hands once were. He wasn't himself. He wasn't okay. I wanted to stay and watch over him, but the baby outside needed me. My little sister needed me. I slowly got up on shaky legs and made my way back outside, seeing Daryl give people orders before seeing me and turning his bike on.

" Hop on ." He said, and I quickly got on driving away.

Glenn opened the gate, and we were on the road. I groaned, feeling cold around my body where Lori's blood freshly stuck. I needed a bath badly, and I wanted nothing more than to get the blood of my stepmom off of me. We got to a daycare center not so far from the prison. I hopped off immediately and went to the doors seeing it was locked.

" Shit !" I cursed in frustration and saw a crowbar on the floor. I grabbed it and went near the window, breaking it down one by one till it was big enough for Daryl and me to get through.

" Here." I heard and turned, seeing Daryl hand me a flannel.

I took it knowing wearing a tank top was the worst thing to wear on the run. I hopped through the window seeing the daycare had everything my little sister would ever near. I went a cabinet and opened it to see diapers and bottles, quickly opened the bag and placed it inside. Daryl then came inside and looked around.

" Always wanted kids. Can't wait to take care of her." I said, seeing he handed me a box of pacifiers. I closed the bookbag before walking to the main hallway and seeing a sign that said baby room." Jackpot."

I opened the door slowly, seeing no walkers inside. It was almost untouched from the world that surrounded it. I checked around to see there were three boxes of formula for the baby. I packed it up and even grabbed girl clothes for her. The closet started rattling, and I turned around, thinking it was a walker. Daryl came over and opened it to see a possum baring its teeth at us, but Daryl shot it with a proud smile.

" Hello, dinner." He said, but I shook my head, seeing the dead animal in his hands.

" I'm not putting that in my bag," I argued when a walker popped out growling loudly. I turned ready to shoot it but stopped seeing the walker with a baby bump.

" Kayla !" Daryl yelled, and soon an arrow was in the walker's head. I jumped and leaned against the walk feeling the tears come down my face." You okay?"

" No !" I yelled, but groan since I didn't mean to yell at Daryl and slid down the wall. I took a deep breath rubbing my eyes and looking to Daryl." I lost two moms to childbirth, Dad is dead without Lori and...the group might look at me now, and I don't think I can be a great way to lead the group."

Daryl walked over to me and slowly slid down next to me." Nobody asked for this life, but we just have to do it. You're used to be alone when things go wrong, but you're not alone anymore, Kayla. You have me, and if you do have to guide this group, you're going to have me by your side."

I laughed, holding his arm." God, what did I do to deserve you ?"

" I think it's the opposite way around." He said and helped me off the floor before placing the possum in his bag." Come on, your sister is waiting for you."

I nodded and went ahead to the broken window when I saw a herd of walkers had found their way. Hearing my feet land on the ground, they turned growling towards me.

" Daryl !" I yelled, beginning to shoot some of them down. He hopped out of the window seeing the same thing I was.

" Shit, go for the bike." He said, and I nodded, running to the bike while Daryl killed some walkers.

He hopped on the bike, and we rode off away from them. It was nighttime, and I was still on the back of Daryl's motorcycle. I picked up my head and looked to see Oscar open the gate. We rode in and got our stuff, seeing pour Carl looking clueless while holding his baby sister.

" Beth," I said, handing her the formula.

Maggie helped her quickly ripping the package open when I went to grab her, but saw she was in the arms of Daryl. The baby stopped crying the minute she was in Daryl's arms and stared up curiously. Beth handed me the formula, and I walked over, handing it to him with a smile.

" Shh...hey, it's okay." He cooed to her while bouncing her up and down carefully. I stared in awe seeing the baby loved Daryl and Daryl loved her back." She got a name yet ?"

" I was thinking." Carl said, looking over to the group." Sophia, Carol, Andrea, Amy, Jacqui, Patricia, Jennifer, or Lori...I don't know." He said, feeling the eyes on him. I smiled, hearing Carl want to honor my mother in some way, and squeezed his shoulder.

" Yeah...You like that? Huh? Lil ass-kicker." Daryl said, making us all laugh.

I smiled at the new nickname, but my eyes were mostly on Daryl, holding something so innocent in his arms. It was cute, and in the future, I wouldn't mind if he did the same thing for our baby. I laughed to myself at the idea, but when Daryl looked over to me with that look in his eyes, I knew.

For the far, far, far, Future.

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