On the coast in France. A couple months later.
I spit out the ocean water when i landed in the sand.
Disgusting.
I couldn't stop coughing but looked around.
Daryl was lying a few feet away from me in the sand on his back. He wasn't moving.
I froze "no no no no no, Daryl!"
No movement.
I stood up and made a few steps before dropping to the ground because i was too exhausted and my clothes were drenched and heavy.
Me "Daryl!"
No movement.
I crawled over to him and shook him.
He had his eyes closed.
Me "come on, open your eyes"
Then i slapped his cheek a little "Daryl"
No movement.
I rolled him onto his side and opened his mouth "come on, D"
Then i saw how water left his mouth and suddenly his chest started to move.
He started to cough water out.
I put a hand on his back and patted it.
He moved onto all fours to cough out more water.
Daryl fell to his side and into my lap "Ken-"
I put an arm around him and the other one on his head "it's okay. it's okay. I am here"
Then i looked around.
--
Daryl and i walked around the place.
I hate being in drenched clothes....especially if sand sticks to it.
Daryl stopped walking and looked at a street sign "Ken"
I looked at him before looking at the sign and my jaw dropped.
French? are we in France?
We moved father into the the village and found a motorboat.
Daryl got onto it first before i followed him.
He went through the stuff and found a bottle of water.
I looked around.
Daryl drink a little from the bottle before handing it over to me.
I grabbed it"Thank you"
Then i drank from it but stopped when a third was left.
Me "D"
He looked at me and i offered him the bottle.
Then he shook his head "drink it"
I shook my had "you're barely drank from it"
Daryl "i want you to have it. "
I shot him a look "Drink it "
Daryl stared at me before grabbing the bottle and drinking some water.
He didn't drink all of it though and handed the bottle back to me.
I rolled my eyes and gave him a soft look.
He kept looking through the stuff on the boat and found an audio recorder.
Must have been from the owner.
Daryl sat down and played the tape "19 months at sea. Hoping to stay ahead of this thing. Nowhere's safe. We'll try Marseille next. Maybe the south of France is good. There's got to be a safe place somewhere. Sue had a heart attack. We had to let her go. I had to... take care of it. Our 10th anniversary would've been in June. Honey keeps crying. She wants her mum back. She wants peace, the way they were. She wants to go home. "
I sighed "we all do"
Daryl looked at me.
Night.
Daryl had caught some fish earlier and was frying it on the fire.
He walked over to me with a plate and handed me my fish.
I smiled "Thank you"
He nodded and sat down next to me with his fish.
I started to eat it.
Next day morning.
Daryl was packing some stuff in a bag. We had changed clothes into some clothes we had found on the boat.
I saw him looking at his vest before putting it in the bag.
Then he grabbed the audio recorder and recorded something "My name's Daryl Dixon. I come from a place called the Commonwealth. It's in America. I went out looking for something, and all I found was trouble. If I don't make it back, I want them to know I tried. Hell, I'm still trying. "
I sighed before grabbing a crowbar.
--
Daryl and i kept walking and walking and walking.
My legs started to hurt but we needed to move.
I stopped walking when i came across a market.
Daryl walked in and i followed him.
Looked pretty abandoned.
We split around and looked around.
I looked through some stuff that was on the table when i heard snarling behind me.
Daryl called out "Ken!"
I turned around and found a bunch of walkers making their way to us.
Daryl rushed over to me and started killing walkers with a boat hook.
I started killing walkers too.
suddenly i heard Daryl cry out in pain and looked over to him.
A walker was touching his arm and somehow his hand was burning Daryl.
My eyes widened before i rammed the crow bar through his brain.
Daryl and i killed them one by one till it went silent.
I sat down on a table exhausted.
--
Daryl and i were walking outside.
Me "Let me see your arm"
Daryl " i am fine"
Me "Daryl "
Daryl "It's fine"
Me "sit your ass down, now"
He looked at me and i shot him a look.
Then he sat down on the hood of the broken down car that had been left here.
I grabbed a bottle out of my bag "show me your arm"
Daryl shook his head "it's nothing, Ken, really"
I shot him a look "i am not gonna repeat myself"
he sighed before rolling up the sleeve of his arm.
The walker had left a handprint on his forearm. It looked like an acid print.
I poured alcohol on the wound and he gritted his teeth in pain.
Then i wrapped the wound.
Daryl looked at the wrapped up wound "thank you"
I put a hand on his cheek and put a kiss on his forehead "it's okay"
My eyes wandered up the hill and i saw someone standing there watching us.
I tensed.
Daryl felt me tensing and looked at me confused.
Then he turned around to look the same way as i did.
Daryl put a hand on my hip "Let's go"
Then we started to walk again but stopped at a sign.
Me "Lourdes and Montaut Pau"
Underneath the sign was a selfmade sign "DIUE VOUS AIME"
Daryl took out the French translate dictionary.
Me " "God loves you.""
He looked at me surprised "since when do you speak french?"
I shrugged "only a little bit"
Daryl nodded before we kept walking.
--
We got to an old abandoned farm.
someone was working there, carrying water.
Daryl stepped back and triggered a can-string trap.
I sighed and shot him a glared.
An old man showed up behind the girl.
The girl called out "Uh... bonjour. "
She started to say some things in french.
Daryl looked at me "you ain't got nothing to say?"
I shot him a look.
The girl looked at Daryl "Monsieur? "
Daryl called out "I'm sorry. We don't understand you. "
The girl called out "Hey! You are American. You know, I speak English very good. What's crackin,? "
We slowly got closer.
The girl"My, uh, grandfather, he hurt the ankle. Only... Only small English, him. "
The old man nodded "Hello. "
The girl asked "You got medical? We trade you for apple or, um, um, a rabbit, maybe. "
Daryl opened his bag and took out the medical before throwing it over to her.
She nodded" Merci. Food there. "
Then he grabbed a couple apples before throwing one over to me.
I took a bite of it and sighed. .
The girl "So, where are you going to? "
Daryl "Back where I came from."
The girl " Across the ocean? "
Daryl nodded "Yeah. "
The girl nodded "I'm Maribelle. Um, he Guillaume. So maybe we go together, you know? Get somewhere safe, maybe? You can help us. We can help you find a way. "
I put some of the apples in my back.
Suddenly a jeep drove through the front gate.
two man got off and walked over to Maribelle .
They started to aim a gun at Maribelle.
Daryl stepped in front of me.
Maribelle looked at us " "sit down" he said"
Daryl and i sat down as the other one aimed his gun at me.
They started talking in french.
One of the guy grabbed Maribelle and slapped her across the face.
The guy who was with us got distracted and i rammed my knife into his throat.
The other guy aimed his gun at us and fired. Daryl caught the shot but it scratched his neck.
i threw my knife at the neck of the other guy and he coughed out blood before falling to the ground.
Daryl looked at me " Can you get my medical bag? "
I nodded.
Suddenly everything went black.
In an abbey.
my eyes shot open when i heard Daryl groan in pain.
Two nuns were poking him with a hot poker.
I yelled "what are you doing to him? no!"
He screamed through the gag in his mouth.
--
A nun walked in and put hot water into the tub.
Then she turned to Daryl "You feeling better? My name is Isabelle. There's no need to be afraid. You're a guest."
Me " You always tie up your guests? "
Isabelle "It was for your own safety. "
Daryl looked at his covered up arm "Messed up my arm. "
Isabelle "At least you still have it. You had a wound from the brûlant. Cauterization is the best way to prevent the spread. "
Daryl asked confused "A brû-what? "
Isabelle "A brûlant. A burner."
Me " Dead ones at the market? "
She nodded "Mm-hmm. Here we call them "les affamés," "the hungry ones." Burner is just one kind. "
Daryl "Alright. "
She gestured to the arm "May I? "
He nodded""What is this place?"
She started to unwrap the arm " Like a convent or something? We're a small community of nuns. Verysmall now, after 12 years. We survive here, farming, gardening, scavenging. You're from America? Place called Commonwealth, right?"
I looked at her.
Isabelle " I found your tape recorder. How did you come to be in France?"
Daryl " A bunch of bad decisions. "
I sighed.
Isabelle "The cauterization is holding. Best to clean up, avoid infection. I'll be back with the dressings, Mr. und Mrs. Dixon. "
My eyes widened "you can call me Kendall. "
Daryl nodded "Daryl "
Isabelle "Enchantée. "
Then she walks out and closed the doors.
We heard a lock klick.
I stood up and looked out of the window.
Daryl took his shirt off and then his pants.
Then he got into the tub.
I looked at him.
Daryl looked at me "you know, this tub fits two "
I looked at him amused "it obviously does not fit two"
Daryl shot me a look "come here, i just wanna hold you"
my eyes softened and i walked over to him.
Then i took my clothes off.
Daryl's eyes never left my body and his eyes darkened.
I looked at him surprised.
Daryl "what?"
Me "how can you still look at me with this love and hunger in your eyes even though my body is covered in scars?"
Daryl face softened "you are perfect, Kendall"
I shook my head "Daryl"
Daryl grabbed my hand and slowly lead me into the tub.
I was straddling his lap and even though his dick was hard, this was not the time for sex.
Daryl looked at my upper body "you are the only perfect thing in this fucked up world"
I put a hand on his cheek and kissed him.
He kissed me back.