Katie's POV
The weak morning sun shines into Beth and Maggie's room as I slowly pull myself from my slumber. I smile down at Bethy who is cuddled tightly to my chest, still sound asleep. I gently wipe her messy blonde hair from her face. It has been about a week or two since we arrived at the farm. Carl is still in rough shape. He's been in and out of consciousness since the surgery, but Hershel is confident he will begin to recover soon. My leg has healed almost completely since our first night here. It is still painful to walk, but I push through it anyway, refusing to use the crutches any longer. Shane and I have been distant. I spend most of my time helping the girls around the farm, and now that I am well enough Daryl and I have been going out to search for Sarah. We still haven't found her...but Beth reminds me everyday that anything can happen as long as I keep hope. Everyone, even Jimmy have been pitching in to help find her. We had gun training a few days ago, but Hershel insists on us keeping our guns stored away while we are here. Shane hates the idea, and I would definitely feel more safe with my gun especially after we found that walker in one of the wells. Our group lowered Glenn in and it almost got him killed. This place may be preserved from the outside world, but it still isn't safe. Beth and Maggie have become like family to me. Little Bethy follows me everywhere, we only separate when I go into the woods with Daryl. Her bright smile gives me hope, that even after everything there is still some good left in this world.
"Bethy.." I whisper gently as I rub her hair. "Bethy it's time to wake up." I smile at her as she blinks her eyes open. She smiles and slowly pulls herself out of bed, letting out a small groan. I sit up as she looks over at Maggie's empty bed.
"Where's Maggie?" She asks sleepily.
"I'm sure she just went to start feeding the animals." I say with a smile. Everyday the three of us make our rounds, and feed all of the animals before everyone else wakes up. We both get changed and head down stairs. We pull on our rubber boots that sit by the door and walk side by side out to the barn where they keep the cows. Sure enough Maggie was hard at work feeding all of the cows. She smiles at us as we approach her.
"Mornin" She chirps.
"You're up early." I say.
"Figured I'd get a head start. I'm goin' on a run with the Asian guy soon."
"Glenn." I say laughing. "His name is Glenn." I stop laughing when I see the worry on Bethy's face.
"You're leavin'?" She asks quietly. Maggie nods.
"We're getting low on a few things..Glenn was gonna go alone, but he doesn't know where he's goin'. I'm just takin' him to the Pharmacy on the edge of town." I wrap my arm around Beth's shoulders.
"Glenn's done stuff like this tons of times. She'll be fine. Don't worry." I say with a smile. She nods, not convinced.
"I'm just about done here but the horses still need hay."
"We can take care of it." I say letting go of Beth. "You should get ready to go." She nods.
"Thank you." She kisses Beth on the check then heads out of the barn. Beth and I stay back and pet the cows.
"You ok?" I ask her noticing her sullen face.
"Just worried about Maggie that's all." I nod.
"Well, the only thing we can do for her right now is get the horses hay." She lets out a small laugh. "Come on, maybe if we hurry we'll be able to see her before she leaves." She nods and we head to the horse stable. I clean out the stalls and Beth lays down the fresh hay. Nelly rears on her hind legs, I stumble away, avoiding her flailing hooves. I fall back, landing on my butt outside her stall. Beth runs to my side. I grip my gunshot wound that was throbbing with pain.
"Are you alright?" She cries as she squats down beside me.
"Yeah, I just spooked her." She helps me to my feet. "Ya'll don't call her Nervous Nelly for nothin'" I mumble, laughing.
"Did she hurt you?" She asks worriedly as I wipe the hay off of my jeans.
"No, i'm fine." I say with a smile. I slowly re-approach the horse. A hand full of hay in my hand.
"Please..be careful." Beth begs. I nod and keep going.
"It's ok girl." I say gently. She shakes her mane. "It's alright." She stomps her foot then settles down. "Thatta girl." I say as I slowly place my hand on her snout. "Good girl." I whisper as I let her eat the hay out of my other hand. She let's me pet her as she eats. Beth cleans the stall around us while I keep Nelly calm. When she's finishes we add the new hay and close her back in.
"You're really good with her." Beth says sounding impressed as we walk back to the house. I smile at her. Just then Daryl walks up to us.
"Can I talk to you...alone?" He asks gruffly. I look to Beth. She nods and heads to the house. He pulls a beautiful white flower from behind his back.
"A flower?" I ask him curiously.
"A Cherokee rose." He hands it to me, I examine it as he speaks. "The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the trail of tears the Cherokee were grieving and crying cause they were losing their little ones along the way. From exposure, disease, starvation, a lot of them just disappeared." I look up at him sadly. "So the elders, they said a prayer..asked for a sign to uplift the mother's spirits. Something to give them strength..and hope. The next day this rose started to grow right where the mother's tears fell. I'm not fool enough to think they're are flowers out there bloomin' for my brother. But I believe..I believe this one bloomed for Sarah. I know you're not her mother or nothin', but you're the closest thing she's got." I pull him close to me, tears burning in my eyes.
"Thank you Daryl..thank you.." I cry into his shoulder. He holds me.
"I'm gonna find her...I promise." I pull away when I hear someone scoff from a feet behind us. I turn to see Shane existing the house. I avoid his gaze. He walks up to us.
"Look. Rick's tryin' to set up another search party. He wants to set out in an hour...I think you should tell him to call it quits." he says coldly.
"What?!" I ask shocked that he would even suggest that.
"Alright. I'm just gonna say it cause no one else will. This is pointless Katie! We have everyone out there risking their lives, risking the well being of the group for-for a little dead girl that you barely knew!" He yells angrily. I slap him hard across the face, tears pouring down my face.
"Don't you dare!" I scream.
"It's been weeks Katie!" He screams angrily not phased by the fact I just slapped him.
"Go to hell." I mumble storming toward the house. I stop and turn to face him. "I will not stop looking. If I have to go out there by myself that's fine, but I will not stop! Not until I know..." I cry. Rick comes flying out the door.
"What the hell is going on?" He asks from the porch.
"Shane wants to call off the search party for Sarah." Daryl answers angrily.
"You what?" Rick asks Shane.
"Oh come on man. You know just as well as I do that little girl is long gone." He spits angrily.
"You best shut the hell up." Daryl says taking a few steps toward Shane.
"I can't..I can't deal with this..." I run my hands through my hair anxiously.
"Katie..." Shane says softly.
"No." I say quietly. "No." I repeat. I run frantically inside. I storm upstairs and pull a shoe box out from underneath Beth's bed. I open it revealing my gun, ammo, and knives. I shove the gun in my pants and stick my knife in my boot.
"Katie...what's goin' on?" Beth asks quietly from her spot on the bed.
"I-I just need some air...ok?" She nods quietly.
"You're crying..." She whispers.
"I'll be back by dinner alright?" I say wiping some tears away.
"Where are you goin'?"
"For a walk." I whisper before taking off down the steps and out the front door. I shove past Rick and run straight for the woods, ignoring the throbbing pain in my leg. I hold my swollen belly as I run, tears blurring my vision.
"Katie! Katie!" I hear Shane and Daryl screaming. I don't care where i'm going. I don't care if they follow. I just need some space. I don't get very far before I'm out of breath and my back is aching. I hold my lower back and stand up straight, stretching. Shane catches up with me.
"Katie what the hell were you thinking?!" He asks suddenly concerned. I roll my eyes. "You're almost four months pregnant..you can't just run off like that. You could hurt you self..or the baby." He says suddenly giving a crap.
"It's not like you care." I mumble. His eyes widen.
"Of course I care."
"Oh really Shane? Cause where the hell have you been?" I yell, hurt and angry by how absent he's been lately.
"I just..needed some time..." He says quietly.
"Well congratulations. Now you have all the time in the world. I'm done. I'm done with these games Shane!" I cry hysterically. He grabs my hands.
"No Katie please. Please give me another chance." He cries. "Baby please." He begs. " I swear i'll make it up to you." I lower my head, crying tears of frustration.
"I can't keep going like this Shane. It hurts to much!" I cry.
"I know. I know baby I'm sorry." He whispers as he pulls me into him. "I love you Katie." He says after a while.
"I love you too..." I say quietly. When we get back to the house. Maggie and Glenn have already left. Daryl rushed up to me.
"You alright?" He asks.
"She's fine." Shane answers coldly.
"I'm alright." I answer as Shane walks away.
"I'm goin' out to look for Sarah. I don't care what that good for nothin' son of a bitch has to say." I cough, covering up a small laugh. "You comin?" He asks.
"Of course." He smirks.
"I'll go grab some stuff." I mumbles as he walks away. I go find Shane who is sitting in the living room.
"What was that all about?" He asks jealously.
"We're going to look for Sarah. I just need to grab a few things."
"What? How long will you be gone?" Beth asks cutting in from the kitchen.
"I don't know sweetie, probably a few hours."
"I don't want you to go." She says lowering her head. I pull her into a comforting hug.
"I'll be back as soon as I can, alright?" She nods. I kiss her forehead then turn back to Shane.
"I don't think this a good idea." He whispers.
"I'm not asking for permission." I say boldly. "I'm going."
"Well alright then." He says quietly. I peck him on the cheek then run upstairs to grab my travel bag that I always keep packed...just in case. Then I take off outside to meet Daryl. I find him by his tent pulling on a backpack.
"You ready?" He asks.
"Yep." He nods and then we head into the woods. "So what's the plan?" I ask as we walk.
"I figure we follow the creek. Go further than we have before. See if we missed something."
"Sounds good." I say quietly. We walk for hours, scouring the woods for anything that could be a clue to where Sarah may be. After awhile we come across a raggedy old house.
"She could be in there..." Daryl says hopefully. I nod and we silently approach the building. I stand with my back against the outside of the house as Daryl peers in through a shattered window. "Somethin's in there." He whispers. I hold my gun up and carefully pull the door open. Daryl walks in first. Our attention is immediately drawn to a door at the opposite end of the kitchen. Fresh garbage is piled neatly outside the sealed door. Daryl cautiously approaches the door. I aim my gun at the door as he rips it open. My mouth falls open when he reveals what's inside.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" A woman around my age screams. Fear obvious in her bright green eyes. I lower my gun, but Daryl keeps his crossbow pointed at her head.
"Who the hell are you?" He asks, his voice rough.
"M-my name is Cas..short for Cassandra." She says her voice trembling.
"You got a group." He asks.
"N-no. I'm on my own. I have been..since, since the beginning."
"You've been alone all this time?" I ask sadly. She nods. Daryl finally lowers his bow.
"You seen a little girl 'round here? 'Bout six" He asks her. She shakes her head.
"No..sorry." I lower my head. She stands. "I-I have food...are you hungry?" She asks us.
"You should eat." Daryl says to me. "I'll watch the perimeter." I nod rubbing my belly.
"You're pregnant?" She asks happily. I nod. "That's incredible." She opens a can of soup and hands it to me. She leads me to the living room and we sit and talk as we eat. I don't know how long we talked, but when Daryl came back in it was already getting dark.
"It's getting dark. We're never gonna make it make to camp. We'll have to stay here for the night." He says gruffly. He blocks the front door with the kitchen table then he lays on the recliner opposite of the couch we are sitting on. I worry about my family back at the farm. I hope Maggie and Glen made it back alright. I sigh and Cas and I get comfortable. I lay in the darkness lost in my thoughts until I finally fall asleep. Daryl gives me a light shake and I jump awake.
"What?! What is it!?" I panic.
"Nothin'. Calm down. It's time to go." He says calmly. Cas is in the kitchen collecting her things. "She's comin' with us." He says.
"Well obviously. We aren't just gonna leave her here by herself. He smirks at me and we head out the door, with Cas right behind us. It takes us hours to get back to the farm but when we do Beth comes running outside to meet us.
"Katie!" She screams happily as she jumps into my arms. "I'm so glad your back." Maggies joins our hug.
"You had us worried." They both let go and I smile.
"We had a little..uh..pit stop." I say laughing. "Guys this is Cas." I say introducing her to the group. I see Shane looking her up and down, his gaze on her for an uncomfortable amount of time. "I hate to just drop her and leave, but we have to get back out there." Daryl sends me a questioning look, but he goes with it.
"No, please don't leave again." Beth begs. I hug her again. "I have to find her..I have to. I try to explain." She nods. I squeeze her arm before turning to Daryl. "Time to go." I say quickly. I grab his hand and lead him back toward the woods. I stop once we are out of earshot. I turn back and see Shane with his hand on Cas's lower back, leading her inside. I grunt in frustration, dropping Daryl's hand.
"You gonna tell me what the hell that was all about?"
"Shane...he's just..he's just..ugh! I love him, but I freaking hate him! He's driving me crazy!" I scream.
"You good?" He asks. I nod taking a deep breath. We spend a few days in the woods, following the creek. We thought we had a lead a few times, but they all ended in dead ends. By the middle of the third day we are both exhausted. We decide to call it a day and head back to the farm at least for a little while. Daryl stays at his campsite away from everyone else and I head to the house. I'm greeted with happy hugs from everyone. I am so happy to see them all, but i'm particularly excited to see Shane, I hate the way I left things and I honestly just miss him so much. My heart drops into my stomach when I realize he is nowhere to be found.
"Where's Shane?" I ask Rick.
"Uh..I don't know I haven't seen him since this morning." He turns to T-dog and Glenn. "Ya'll seen Shane?" He asks them.
"I think I saw him walkin' down by that shed, but that had to have been hours ago." T answers.
"Thanks." I mumble as I head toward the small shed set aside from the other buildings on the farm. I hear movement from inside as I get closer. I quickly open the door. My mouth drops, tears instantly filling my eyes. My heart shattering into millions of pieces.
"Katie..." Shane whispers. "Katie..I-I can explain." I stare at him wide eyed as he lays naked on the ground...beside Cas. She quickly pulls away from him, frantically trying to cover her bare body. I take a step away from them. "Katie wait..." He begs as he trips over himself, trying to get his pants back on.
"You son of a bitch!" I scream my whole world crumbling around me. He walks up to me, his pants still unbuttoned. He reaches out for me, but I shove him hard in the chest.
"Katie please!" He begs.
"Fuck you Shane!" I laugh, devastated. "Oh wait she already did!" I scream angrily. I turn around and go to walk away.
"Katie it's not what you think! I can explain!" I turn back to him.
"No it is exactly what I think! I-I go out looking for a lost little girl that you gave up on a-and I come back and find you naked beside some whore you just met!" I scream. now the whole group is watching in shock. Shane stands there half dressed caught in front of the entire group.
"Oh come on Katie don't act like you didn't sleep with squirrel boy over there!" He yells pointing in the direction of Daryl's tent. I laugh.
"I never cheated in you, you paranoid ass whole!" He just stares at me. "I stayed with you after everything! After everything you put me through! I kept my mouth shut when you forced yourself on me at the CDC! I protected your sorry ass! I defended you! A-and this is what I get?! I forgave you over and over and over and you go and screw some bitch as soon as I turn my back?!" I see Carol usher Sophia inside out of the corner of eye. I take a deep breath and turn to walk away, but he grabs my arm.
"Katie wait!" He pleads. I rip my arm away.
"Don't you dare touch me! I swear to God if you ever..EVER come near me or this baby again I'll shoot you." He tries to grab my hand, but I whip my gun from the waistband of my pants. I click off the safety and aim it at his head. He shifts closer. "Come any closer any I swear I'll shoot!" I scream hysterically.
"Katie don't!" Maggie screams.
"Katie this isn't the way to do this." Dale pleads.
"Katie put the gun down." Rick begs. I wince when I feel a small hand on my shoulder. I turn my head, not wavering the gun, and see Bethy standing beside me. Her eyes wide and watery.
"Please Katie..put it down." She whispers her voice wavering. "It's gonna be ok..you just have to put it down..please." She begs. I click the safety back on and lower the gun. I hear everyone sigh with relief. Then I pull my hand back and smack him in the nose with the butt of my gun.
**Author's Note: I decided to post this update even thought I haven't edited it yet, since I haven't updated in so long. Please, please, please let me know what Ya'll think of this crazy chapter. Your comments mean everything to me! <3
P.s. Shout out to JasmineDixon495 for giving me some incredible ideas for this chapter! **