The Walking Dead (Closed to Artemidorus)

[AlwaysFaithful]

The dull throbbing in her head woke Katherine. Her pale eyes fluttered open, jerking a bit as she noticed her companion, who was just sitting, staring at her silently. "Jeez, Jazz," She muttered, sitting up slowly. She was snuggled into a big bathtub, that she had filled with blankets and a couple of pillows. After she'd been attacked by three men, she'd figured this was the best place to hold up. She'd picked a house at random and barricaded herself in the upstairs bathroom. With it being upstairs, she figured the dead would have a harder time getting to her, and if the living came in the house, she'd be able to hear them a head of time.

Groaning, she pushed her long mahogany hair out of her face, tying it back in a tail. She was 5'6" and an athletic 120 pounds. She'd been in shape before the end of the world, but now, after it all ended? She was in excellent shape. lifting her shirt she looked at her rib cage, it was all dark bruising, after the beating she'd taken two days ago. Kat had been surveying a small town a couple miles from here. Jasper had been up ahead of her when the men had come out of a store and grabbed her, dragging her inside. When she'd fought back, they'd overpowered her. She'd gotten a few good hits in, but ultimately it was three men against one small woman. They'd beaten her pretty badly, and certainly intended to do more until Jasper had leaped through the glass window, attacking the leader, giving Kat time to grab one of their guns. She'd killed two, but the third, had gotten away.

Kat and Jasper had taken off, and she'd decided to take cover and hold up, until she healed. She still had the man's gun, and her own hunting knife. She'd been US Army then private security before the world ended, so at least she was well equipped to handle weapons. Sighing she settled back in the tub, thinking she'd have to get up and find some food today. Then she heard the sound of the front door creaking open downstairs. the sound of boots on the wood floor. Jasper snarled. "Silence!" She hissed, grabbing her gun, readying herself. She listened to the sound of someone downstairs. Hoping they'd just do what they needed and just keep going, and not go looking around the entire house.

 

[Artemidorus]

After he lost Beth, Daryl searched for days. He had lost her, lost the group and pretty much lost where he was entirely. Which was fine. He wasn't ready to face the group anyways. He stumbled across an abandoned town full of abandoned houses. He's run into walkers but no people, which was what he preferred.

When he got close he had turned off his bike and stashed it, walking into the town unheard. He wasn't sure what he was trying to find, but he had some food and all he wanted was a safe place to sleep. He picked a house at random, a two story one, and let himself in, crossbow to his nose.

He surveyed the first room, then the rest of the first floor. He listened for the tell tale sounds of walkers but all he heard was his own breathing. But that meant little.

He began to move up to the second floor. He cleared the first two roomsn but the third opened and he realized he wasn't alone. A snarl greeted himn and hea realized he stumbled upon a girl in a bathtub and a pretty threatening looking dog.

"Ey! Ey!" he spit. "Call off your dog. Call off your dog! Unless you wan em' to get shot!" he nudged his cross bow to show that he meant it.

 

[AlwaysFaithful]

She heard the sounds of boots on the stairs and she hissed, shifting she got to her feet, favoring one leg she stood in the bathtub, Her german shepherd naturally between her and the threat. She heard the first two doors open, then saw the knob turn and the door open. As he was trained to do, Jasper lunged, teeth bared. The dog was a highly trained security K9, he was trained to defend his handler at all costs. Katherine barely checked herself from firing off a shot. She heard the man's words, saw the cross bow at her dog's chest. "Hold!" She ordered sharply.

The big 90 pound dog froze, displaying an impressive set of teeth. Kat assessed the situation for a moment before murmuring to the dog in a foreign language. The dog spun around, returning as close to Katherine as the tub allowed. But Kat didn't lower her gun, she was much to vulnerable for that. The bruising on her face showed as much. "What do you want?" She asked, her voice a strange but pleasant mix of western drawl and a whisper of Irish. Her pale, nearly colorless eyes focused on the rather rough looking man. She was relieved that he wasn't her one attacker who had gotten away. But still in this world, you feared the living as much as the dead.

 

[Artemidorus]

Daryl stood for a moment glaring at both of them. Then he lowered the crossbow, still holdint it, finger on the trigger. "Looking for a place to crash. Maybe take a shit. Nona your business really." he said roughly, kicking at something on the floor. He wiped his nose then looked back up at her.

"Those bruises ain't from a walker." he said, gesturing to her. She was pretty beat up. He felt a note of sympathy for her, like Beth, wrapped up in this fucked up world. And this girl was alone, getting beat on by thugs. If it was anyone else he would have just left. Last thing he wanted right now was someone dragging him down.

"You with anyone else? Just you and the dog?" he asked, hisbhead cocked. "Tell me the truth. Anyone else walks up and I'll shoot em. No questions asked."

 

[AlwaysFaithful]

Katherine winced when he made comments about her bruises. Chewing her lower lip she eyed him, debating about whether or not to answer truthfully. She thought about saying that she had a few friends that would be back soon. But finally she shook her head, "No. It's just me and Jazz. Has been basically since the beginning." She mused, "Sure we've been with a few groups, but none stuck. Either they all died, or we just didn't fit in long term." She shrugged, finally lowering her weapon, rolling her sore shoulders. "Most recently we've been alone for a month or two, I think." She didn't really keep track of the days, not exactly at least.

She just stared at the man for a few minutes before finally saying, "You can raid whatever you want from the house. I haven't even searched it." She said, not claiming anything in the house. All of her possessions were in this bathroom with her, and it was hardly anything all, just what she could fit in a backpack. "We'll be leaving soon anyways." She limped out of the tub, keeping her weapon in her hand, but no longer did she feel threatened by this man. Her dog sat at her side, opposite of her weapon, the big dog's amber eyes never left the man, ready to move at command from Kat. She rested her hand on the dog's skull, silently calming the dog, though her own eyes never left the man. Sure she didn't think he was an active threat, but that could change quickly.

 

[Artemidorus]

Daryl looked at her awhile. She didn't ask him for help, which was odd. People nowadays always wanted something. Food, shelter, companionship, protection. She was fine by herself. And he was cool with that. He was independent as well, and preferred living without someone mooching off of him. Not that Rick and the group mooches off of him, but life was freeing when you didn't have to worry about anyone other than yourself. Maybe you spared someone's life only for them to kill someone else you were supposed to protect. Shit like that was too complicated for Daryl. It felt like everything he did was the wrong choice. Even when he did good he was doing something bad.

He was better off on his own.

But this girl was beat to shit, holed up in a bath tub and somehow she had made it this far on her own? Daryl was impressed and half interested in her story. More interested in being around her than he had for being around anyone in quite some time. Daryl leaned his crossbow against the doorjam, freeing up his hands to dig around in his pockets. He procured a lighter and a carton of cigarettes.

"Wanna smoke?" He asked, offering her a stick as he lit his own.

 

[AlwaysFaithful]

When the man set down the crossbow, she set her own weapon down. Tilting her head at his offer, she saw it for what it was, a conversation starter. So despite her not being a smoker, at all, she nodded, "Sure," She took one, waiting for him to light it before she took a slow drag, coughing a bit, wincing at the pain, coughing caused in her ribs. She'd smoked a bit as a teenager, but really not much after that. "Hell." She shook her head, "I think I've lost my taste for this. I'm Katherine, by the way." She said, introducing herself.

She leaned against the counter with the sink, her leg was hurting a bit, and her ribs were throbbing from all the movement and the talking. Coughing certainly wasn't doing her any favors. Lifting a hand she rubbed it over her ribs. While the beating hadn't broken anything, they'd certainly bruised a few ribs, maybe a kidney. She set the cigarette in the sink, and just leaned further against the counter.

 

[Artemidorus]

"Daryl." he gruffed, taking a drag of his smoke. "Hey!" he said, jumping up to grab the cig that she had disgarded. "Shits worth gold nowdays." he said, as he pinched off the end and slid it back into the pack.

Katherine winced and ran her hand along her ribs. "You okay over there?" he asked, giving her a sideways look. He stood up, motioning for her to move up onto the side of the tub. "Let me look at that. You sure nothin's broken?"

"Here." he dug around in his pockets that covered his sleevless jacket. Finally he found a handful of small pills. He offered them to Kat. "Spread em outm shits worth MORE than gold."

 

[AlwaysFaithful]

Kat just shrugged, "Yeah, I'm fine." But she followed direction, sitting on the edge of the tub, lifting her shirt up, not minding that he saw her in her sports bra. Her naturally gold dust colored skin was marred with bruises all over her ribcage. "Nothings broke. I've had broken ribs before, this doesn't hurt as bad. Still hurts like hell though." She tilted her head when he offered her a handful of small pills, "Pain killers?" She asked curiously. She took the pills, but she wasn't sure she'd use them. Not until she knew she was safe enough that she could be a bit out of it, just in case the medication made her tired or loopy.

She slid the baggy of pills into her pocket to save for later. "Thank you," She kept sitting on the edge of the tub since it was more comfortable than standing. "You on your own too?" She asked curiously. He certainly looked tough enough to have been on his own since the beginning, and he personality seem rough enough that maybe he didn't get along with people too well. But he seemed to have a caring and protective streak, which she'd noticed as he was checking on her, and he was sticking around to chat, he didn't just leave immediately and he didn't kill her. It made her curious about him.