"What on earth's going on out here?!" My dad yelled as he and everyone else from inside came charging out of the house. I ran from the shed, meeting them in the driveway with an oily rag in my hand, looking out at the campsite where we could faintly see 7 or so figures in the distance, gradually getting closer to the house. One of them was clearly Dale with his fishing hat and the others were Andrea, Glenn and T-dog. Then there were three other people standing close by each other and were harder to make out, but with a quick sweep of the people around me I soon realised it was Rick, Shane and potentially Daryl.
I was proven right when they all reached us, Daryl unconscious as Rick and Shane held on to one arm each, dragging him over to the house. I quickly ran inside, grabbing a few first aid supplies and setting them up in an empty room as they dragged him inside.
"What happened?" My dad demanded as they placed the unconscious Daryl down on the bed.
"He came out of the woods alone. From a distance he looked like a Walker." Rick stated.
"We all ran up to deal with it, but Andrea took the shot from far back. Only grazed his head though. Lucky we were right there in front of him to bring him back right away." Shane added.
"The rest you'll have to ask him." Rick explained.
"His side is bleeding as well." I observed as my dad was grabbing a clean cloth. It wasn't a difficult observation. Daryl had ripped off his sleeves and tied them around his waist to bandage the wound. I undid the knot he had created and lifted up the bottom of his shirt to see a painful looking wound that went clean through his side. "I don't think whatever it was did any permanent damage."
"Okay, I'll look at that. Kat, you clean off that head injury and see if it needs stitches."
I nodded as he handed me over the cloth and I began to clean the gash on his hairline. I was just finishing up when Daryl suddenly woke up, jumping a little, probably not expecting to be in a bed let alone having people looming over him.
"Easy." I whispered. I was meaning to say it louder, but it just came out as a whisper.
"Daryl..." Rick began, "what happened?" He asked once Daryl had his bearings and let my dad and me carry on with what we were doing.
"Damn horse threw me, fell down a cliff and into the creek. Got one of my arrows stuck in my side and had to climb back up."
"What happened to the arrow?" I asked curiously.
"Ripped it out when a Walker attacked me." He stated like it was nothing.
"Oh, of course... naturally." I mused, doing my best not to cringe at the thought. Had to give him credit though.
"And this?" Rick asked, holding up a doll that I hadn't noticed before. "It was Sophia's, where did you find it?" Shane handed Rick over the map Maggie had found yesterday and they folded it out on the bed next to Daryl so he could point out where he was.
I picked up Daryl's hand and moved it so he knew to hold the cloth to his head to stop the bleeding while I walked over to the kit and picked out a few bandages and cotton swabs.
"I found it washed up on the creek bed right there." He pointed to a spot on the map. "She must have dropped it crossing there somewhere."
"Cuts the grid almost in half." Rick said, turning to face Shane.
"Yeah, you're welcome." Daryl spat as he looked down at his side where my dad had began stitching.
"How's he looking?" Rick asked.
"I had no idea we'd be going through the antibiotics so quickly. Any idea what happened to my horse?" My dad answered bitterly.
"Yeah, the one who almost killed me? If it's smart, it left the country." Daryl shot back and I couldn't stop smiling the tiniest bit as I came back over and took the cloth from his hands.
"We call that one Nelly, as in 'Nervous Nelly'. I could have told you she'd throw you if you'd bothered to ask. It's a wonder you people have survived this long." Dad finished as I dressed the gash and then began to bandage it, which Daryl didn't seem all that impressed about.
Rick and Shane left after a few more moments and Dad then stood up. "I'm going to go check and see if Nelly made it back to her stall. You right to finish up in here?" He asked.
"Yeah." I nodded before he left and I stood up, going to pack away the kit.
"You been rollin' 'round in petroleum, or somethin'?" Daryl asked as cleaned up.
I grinned as I looked down at my white singlet that would probably need bleaching... or just throwing out.
"I've, ah, been tearing apart a car engine, actually." He gave me a somewhat surprised look before almost shaking his head. "You shouldn't move to much for the next 24 hours or so. Either dad or I will change those dressings tomorrow and then you should be all right. Do you need anything? I can see if I can find you a book or something so you have something to do?"
He stared at me for a long moment before barely nodding in agreement. I took that as my queue and left with the kit, heading to the study and finding a book that I remember being okay and then headed back to his room, but before I could make it there Andrea confronted me.
"How's he doing?" She asked me.
"He'll be fine." I responded in a slightly hostile voice. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Excuse me?"
"What were you thinking?"
"I was trying to protect the group." She defended in a tone that infuriated me. I hadn't actually spoken to Andrea one on one before.
"No you were trying to prove yourself."
"I thought he was a Walker, believe me I feel guilty enough."
"This isn't about Daryl or who you thought you were shooting at. If he was a Walker there were four people running at him to take care of it, quietly. You shot from a long distances, risking the possibility of hitting one of your own, who were already standing in front him when you fired, for one walker that would have been taken care of. That gunshot could have drawn a whole heard. You were there yesterday when we went over this. If it had been a Walker, Andrea, and you had killed it, we would still be having this conversation. If you want to prove yourself... stop trying."
I really couldn't care less how harsh I sounded. We had made it clear about gunshots around the house yesterday and she was definitely there for that. I didn't feel like getting into a full blown argument and if I stayed standing with her I had a feeling that's where this would end so I briskly walked away, going back into Daryl's room and handing over the book.
"She was trying to protect the group. I'm the one who was shot, I should be mad." He spoke up suddenly.
"You heard that?"
"Well you were standing right outside the door."
"And you think I'm overreacting?"
"Maybe." He shrugged.
"My top priority, every second of every day, is my families safety. If Jimmy had been with Rick, Glenn, Shane and T-Dog, standing in front of you when you were shot... I would have given Andrea a couple of supplies and kicked her off this property... if it had been Maggie or Beth... you don't wanna know." I stated with a slight head shake.
"Walkers are a danger."
"Yes... and she could have drawn more here. Get some rest. I'll bring you something to eat later." I finished before finally taking my leave and heading back out to the shed. It was another few hours before Beth came over.
"Dinners about ready. Daddy sent me. He said you should get washed up first." Beth stated, looking over my now almost completely black singlet.
"Okay, I'm coming."
I washed up and got changed into a pair of black pants and a large grey t-shirt that was slightly too big for me, but still kept my cowgirl boots on, and made it down just as dinner was being laid out.
Due to the abundance of people an extra table had been set up off to the side with four chairs. One for Beth, Jimmy, Glenn, and Maggie... they had apparently been assigned the "kiddy table," which I found all too amusing.
Everyone ate in silence, never saying a word, Dad being at one head of the table and Carol at the other as she had organized it. I was sitting to Dad's left next to Shane and Patricia was to his right.
"Does anybody know how to play guitar?" Glenn tried to break the silence. I had seen him walking around with one a couple of times, but I'd never actually seen him play. I did know how to play, but given the awkward circumstances I didn't feel like speaking up. "Dale found a cool one. Somebody's got to know how to play." He smiled, leaning over his chair.
"Otis did." Patricia answered from the other side of my dad, opposite me.
"Yes, and he was very good too." Dad confirmed, no one mentioning that I could, getting the hint by my silence and now not wanting to once Otis had been brought up. We finished eating in silence and I was one of the first in the kitchen, immediately getting a plate together.
"Is that for Daryl?" Carol asked as she came in.
"Yeah."
"Do you mind if I take it to him? I just want to thank him for what he did today."
"Of course, here."
"Need a hand?" Beth asked me as she joined me in the kitchen.
"Sure." After a few more minutes we were joined by a few more people and the kitchen was cleaned and the dishes done in no time.
Rick's group slowly cleared out and went back to their camp and Patricia went to bed early, as she had been doing the past few nights. Dad went into the study to read for a while and Maggie seemed to completely disappear.
I was sitting on the couch, my knees pulled to my chest, when Beth came and joined me, holding out my guitar that she must have grabbed from my room.
"You haven't played in ages." She stated. I smiled at her gently, my eyes flicking to the guitar. "Please. Dinner made me want to hear." She begged softly.
"Alright." I agreed, taking the instrument from her hands and setting it up in my lap as Beth sat down on the other side of the couch.
Third Person
Kat strummed to no particular song at first, but then finally settled on one and began to softly sing along.
'You heard my voice I came out of the woods by choice
Shelter also gave their shade
But in the dark I have no name'
Hershel Greene heard his daughter voice and slowly rose from the study chair, placing down a book that he had been reading and quietly walking over to the archway, listening to the melody.
'So leave that click in my head
And I will remember the words that you said
Left a clouded mind and a heavy heart
But I was sure we could see a new start'
Daryl Dixon lay in his bed, just able to hear the sound and slowly sat up right, straining to hear.
'So when your hope's on fire
But you know your desire
Don't hold a glass over the flame
Don't let your heart grow cold
I will call you by name
I will share your road
But hold me fast, Hold me fast
'Cause I'm a hopeless wanderer
And hold me fast, Hold me fast
'Cause I'm a hopeless wanderer'
Beth Greene began to sing along with her sister just as Jimmy made his way to the adjacent room, looking in at the main living room.
'I wrestled long with my youth
We tried so hard to live in the truth
But do not tell me all is fine
When I lose my head, I lose my spine
So leave that click in my head
And I will remember the words that you said
You brought me out from the cold
Now, how I long, how I long to grow old'
Maggie Green ran up the stairs of the house, pausing for a long moment, composing herself. She slowly opened the door and followed the familiar sound of her sisters singing, stopping next to Jimmy with her dad in the doorway at the opposite end.
'So when your hope's on fire
But you know your desire
Don't hold a glass over the flame
Don't let your heart grow cold
I will call you by name
I will share your road
Daryl, despite the pain in his side and the orders to remain in bed that he had been given, struggled to his feet; making his way to the door and cracking it open the tiniest bit, just able to see. Hershel's back was to him and from the poor angle he couldn't see Maggie, Jimmy or Beth, but he could see Kat Greene on the couch, lightly strumming a guitar that rested in her lap, singing along to the chords.
But hold me fast, Hold me fast
'Cause I'm a hopeless wanderer
And hold me fast, Hold me fast
'Cause I'm a hopeless wanderer
I will learn, I will learn to love the skies I'm under
I will learn, I will learn to love the skies I'm under
The Skies I'm under'
The sisters finished, smiling at one another before Beth looked over Kat's shoulder at their father, still smiling. Kat followed her gaze just as he smiled back and nodded from where he stood. Kat got the briefest glance of Daryl's door closing, but no one else seemed to notice. Beth then smiled as Jimmy approached them, but Kat's eyesight was then drawn to Maggie who remained standing back, silent.
Kat POV
I gave Maggie a curious look as I noticed she seemed agitated and nervous about something before she subtly nodded for me to follow her outside where we could talk privately.
I looked over to see that dad had now gone back into the study and Jimmy and Beth were to distracted talking to each other to notice, so I rose from the couch and handed the guitar over to Beth before following Maggie out to the verandah.
"What wrong?" I asked. "Where did you disappear to?"
"I was meeting up with Glenn." She said slowly. "I wanted to see him again so I passed him a note during dinner and he wrote back with a reply, but I only read it after we'd done the dishes."
"And? Do I need to kick is ass?" I asked right away.
"No." She replied quickly, her voice always remaining hushed, not wanting to draw attention. "But he wanted to meet at the barn... I got there too late, he knows about the sick inside."
"Oh god." I breathed. "Is he going to tell the others?"
"I don't know. I think I managed to convince him to keep his mouth shut for a while, but I'm going to speak to him again tomorrow. He's like them, Kat. He doesn't believe that they can be saved. I don't know what to do. What if he tells his group?"
"This isn't their land, they don't have the right to tell us what to do on it. As soon as Carl is ready for travel and Sophia is found, they'll move on. Dad has made that clear to Rick. If Glenn does say something before then, well... I guess we'll deal with it according to their reaction."
"Should we tell dad?"
"Not yet. Talk to Glenn again first. We'll take it from there."
"If they react badly..." Maggie began. "Shawn and Annette are in that barn, Kat." Maggie said worriedly.
"I know."
I couldn't find a cover of 'Hopeless Wanderer' by Mumford and Sons that i felt worked with Kat so the media is just the original song with the band singing and not a female, but there you go.