Protector (TWD fanfiction)

Chapter 3

While cleaning his crossbow, Daryl catches movement down to his left. He looks up and sees a blond Head peaking out from the cell door, which disappeas hurriedly. He looks back to his bow and after a while he sees her do it again. This time though, she also looks past him and checks down the row. She then shuffles out of the cell and slowly walks to Daryl and sits next to his mattress on the metal floor. He doesn't ask her anything and just let's her sit there, watching him and She really appreciates it. He doesn't crowd her or fuss about her. He is just laid back. Sometimes though, he just seams annoyed by her. But then again, he seams to be annoyed by everyone.

After a while he looks at her and catches her starring. "Somethin' you wanna tell me, lil Girl?" he drawls and inwardly winces at his antiques.

The girl feels intimidated and shuffles two steps backwards on her knees, to turn around and run into her cell. She stays there for the next few hours, until Carol calls her out to come eat. She doesn't come out right away, but Carol doesn't give up and tries again.

"Sweetheart, you have to eat something eventually. You haven't eaten all day and who knows when before that. Please Come eat. The others are waiting to meet you."

And sure enough, she steps out and walks up to Carol and Daryl. Carol notices that the girl still hasn't changed into Sofia's clothes and her heart sinks a little, but still she smiles. Daryl stands up to move next to Carol and makes room for the girl to pass. He kicks his cot into the cell next to it and the girl cautiously steps around him to stand next to Carol.

They walk down the stairs and into the little gathering area, where they normally eat. Everyone is already seated and Carol moves to her spot and the kid takes a seat next to her.

Carl leans over to Rick and whispers something, his eyes looking the girl up and down. The girl notices this and looks down on herself. Her eyes wander over her dirty hands and with 'walkerjuck' covered clothes. Then, her eyes go over the people sitting around the table. All clean and spotless.
Daryl sees this, so he goes and  knocks on the table in front of her.

"Eat." he orders.

She looks up at him and back down on her plate. There is bred and stew on her plate and she goes to dig into it with her hand. Before she can even touch it, Carol catches her wrist and the girl looks up at her confused. She struggles lightly in her grip but stops when she sees Carol bringing a spoon into her hand. She looks around and sees that they all stoped to look at her next move.

"It's okey sweety. Go on eat. It's geting cold." Carol says lovingly and the girl digs in.

Rick clears his throat, telling everyone to handle their own food, instead of watching the girl. Dinner goes by in silence, with some glances here and there but no one bothers her really. Her eyes go to her right, to sneak a glance at the bow-guy and when he stands up, she gets up too.

She heard him...and them. What they wanted to do. He is safe.

Daryl walks off without paying her any attention and with a look back at them, she hurries after him. He walks out of the building and towards the watch tower. In the middle of the way, he stops and turns to face her.

"What are ya doin' kid?" he asks but the kid only looks at him.

"What? Cat got yer' tongue?" He ads as he Fetts no answer. She leans her head lightly to the right, which is reminding him of a puppy that is trying to understand something.

He grunts and continues to the tower. He hears her hurried steps behind him and frowns.

"Thank you!" She calls and stops in her tracks.

Daryl halts too and looks at the kid. "Oh she talks! Wha' for rockstar?" he asks, bending on his middle to get to her eye level, so that she can see his frown. He is not someone that a kid should be around with, so he does what he can do best. Being intimidating.

'There it is again' the girl thinks to herself. He called her that before. She likes the nickname. "For...uh...standing up for me?"

His eyes squint lightly and he steps half a step to her. "You heared?" he asks and her eyes widen.

"S-sorry!" She says and takes a step back.

"You have nothin' to worry about. No one means you harm here kid. These People, they been through hell. I don't know what exactly You've been through, but I'm sure it was no Picknick neither. They're just scared." She doesn't know what this ‚Picknick' is but she knows how it feels to be scared out of your mind, so she nods one time.

"Can i stay?" She asks biting her lip and puts her hands in her Pockets.
Daryl answers by walking the rest to the tower. She follows.

When night hits, Glen comes and takes over watch. The kid goes into her cell and sees the fresh pair of clothes. She looks out her cell to see Daryl situating his sleeping-cot back on the catwalk, to block everyone from geting to her. She Looks down to see Rick carrying Judith and lightly bouncing her in his arms. No one else is up and about, so she waits for them to go to sleep.
She crawls under the bed and looks up at the underside of the mattress.

Hours go by until it's dead silence in the cell block. Carefully, she moves out from under the bed and takes off her boots. She crawls to the door and looks around the corner to see Daryl asleep and the floor downstairs free.

She gets up and walks to the new clothes on light feet, takes them and creeps out of her cell, the metal of the floor sharp on her feet. When she gets to Daryl, she kneels down to check if he really is in deep sleep. When she is satisfied, she straightens and starts to think of how she can pass. She looks at the bars of the cell he is sleeping in front of and nods.

She holds on to them and pulls herself up. She breathes in and climbs across the cell-door and lightly lowers her feet to the ground on the other side.

She creeps to the stairs and stops to check again. She goes down the stairs as silent as a thief in the night and hurries past the cells. It takes her a while to find the showers in this place and sighs in relief when she does.

In fast, swift moves, she takes all her clothes off. there ist soap and the water is ice cold. She has to breathe out in Shock, as the water touches her back. She showers as fast as she can, washing herself three times to get all the dirt out. She has no towl to dry herself and is a shiverring mess. She hurries and puts on the girly clothes, which are not like anything she ever had. They're colorful and clean...and now wet.
She wrings her hair as best as she can but the dampness still wets the back of her shirt. She gathers all her dirty clothes and runs the way back that she came.

Her jaw is jittering and when she makes it to the cellblock, she clenches it shut. She hurries up and climbs over Daryl again. She throws her dirty clothes into the corner of her cell and crawls under the bed, pulling the blanket from the bed with her in the process. It takes her a while to fall asleep because of the shivers but eventually she does.