six.

Daryl whipped around, his eyes shooting daggers right into my brain and down into my soul. Shit. I caught him off-guard and pissed him off... not the best way to start.

"The hell'd you just say to me?" he hissed challengingly. I wasn't gonna lie, he was intimidating and ten times scarier than Merle made him out to be.

"Merle wanted me to tell you that he says hi," I repeated myself, mumbling this time. I was nervous for what he'd do next.

"This some kind of sick joke," he asked, his voice lowering as he crouched down in front of me. "Who the fuck are you anyway? Just show up outta nowhere to harass us?"

"He—he's in my group," I stammered.

"Where?" Daryl growled, leaning in inches away from my face as if he were an investigator interrogating me.

"Up the road a while like I said before. I ain't lying, I promise," I said, almost inaudible. Daryl was scaring me, his eyes like the dark blue sky before a storm. He slowly rose, his eyes never leaving mine; his gaze made my face grow hot again like it did at the store. "But I wouldn't go there if I were you."

"Why not?"

"The leader's batshit crazy. If you show up he'll take you in, never let you leave. People don't escape often, but many wanna."

"You escape," he questioned me, nearing my face again. "You do somethin' back home to piss 'im off? You were in the woods 'cause he's lookin' for ya, ain't he?" My breathing began to quicken as my anxiety flared back up. He got me. He figured me out in a matter of seconds. I slightly inched back, feeling that he could possibly hurt me; he could snap my neck in one swift move if he wanted to. "The hell'd you do?"

"I didn't do nothin'," I said straight to his face, standing my ground.

"What, did Merle put you up to this? He wanna play a fuckin' joke on me?" His chest heaved up and down with anger.

"No, but he was the one who told me to get the fuck outta there," I told him, watching Daryl as he paced back and forth. "He knew I wouldn't make it another minute if I stayed." Daryl glared at me again, his hands balled up into fists. My eyes shifted to them nervously. They moved the slightest bit and I flinched, expecting a quick impact. I carefully gazed up at him when I realized it didn't come, my hands shaking almost unnoticeably in fear... I could definitely feel them. His face had softened like he was busy thinking of something. He then scoffed, stomping away. A petite gray-haired woman had cautiously entered my cell a few moments after Daryl had ran off.

"Oh wow," she whispered, gazing down at my ankle. I finally looked down at it. The pudginess of it made me feel a little sick to my stomach. "I'll grab a bandage. That and elevation will help with the swelling," she smiled. I smiled back softly. She briefly looked outside the cell then lowered her voice. "I'm gonna give you some quick advice: Daryl hasn't seen his brother in a really long while, so be careful. He gets a little on edge whenever anyone brings him up," she began. "And if you need any help any other time, just come find me, alright? My name's Carol." 

"Nice to meet you." I relaxed in her presence; she gave off a calming aura. Carol gave me a small grin in return. 

"I'll be right back." She left to get me a bandage. I lifted up my leg up onto the bed and gently laid it down, elevating it like Carol told me to.

A weird feeling took over my stomach; I'd never been in a prison before, let alone a cell of any type. It made me think back to Penny... she was dead the whole time. The straitjacket, the chains... fuck. Tears brimmed my eyes as I laid down. I tried to get my mind off her and her dead eyes. 

The bed was slightly comfortable, the mattress reminding me of sleeping on the floor at a friend's house. I closed my eyes, pretending I was in a recliner back at home. I could almost hear my mom and Penny busy making dinner in the back of my mind. 

Penny... Penny. 

She was alive then and happy as ever. Yes, that's how I wanted to remember her as. My imagination comforted me as I felt myself drifting off, all of my running from today getting the best of me.

When I woke up, I could hear people mumbling. I sat up and swung my legs down to touch the cold concrete. I noticed the bandage was now around my ankle; Carol must've put it on while I was asleep. I limped out into the general population area, meeting almost everyone's eyes once again. I did my best to ignore them, hobbling outside to avoid the awkwardness. I watched the entryway from afar where a car went into park. I felt the need to stay back since I didn't know if I was allowed to go too far or who was even in the car; it could be anyone. The boy's father exited the car along with a few others. A girl with short brown hair, who was probably around my age, stood a ways back watching.

"Anything?" she called down to them.

"Just a hick," the boy's father spat in obvious annoyance. I was confused, wondering as to why he seemed so angry.

"Now, now Officer Friendly, that's not the way to treat a guest, is it," a familiar voice chuckled lowly. My breath hitched in my throat as Merle stepped out from the shadow of the car, Daryl crossing in front of him to grab something out of the trunk. My mind began to race. Where did they find him? Did they invade Woodbury? Was my dad still alive and does he know where I am? I slowly began to limp down the trail, squinting my eyes in the sunlight. I stopped very briefly to ease the pain in my ankle.

"Merle?" I shouted, my voice acting as a surprise for everyone to hear. They all looked at me, Merle inching forward with his hand shielding his eyes.

"Red," he bellowed. A smile spread across my face, excitement bubbling in my stomach. As I began to hobble over to him, he jogged over to my side and allowed me to hug him. I was more than happy to see him, to know he got out alive. "I didn't think ya made it," he marveled, his voice low. I pulled away from him, furrowing my brow in confusion.

"Why not?"

"You're a small girl. Anythin' could bring ya down easy."

"I can defend myself when I need to," I said, catching Daryl staring at me out of the corner of my eye. My eyes fully flickered over to him as if I were challenging him. His gaze quickly shifted to the ground. "I know I may not be someone who looks like they can, but I think I know what I'm doing now. I took watching and learning very seriously." Merle smirked in approval. Daryl sauntered over near us, briefly stopping.

"Y'all just gonna stand there or what," he snarled. "Ain't the best idea for you to be out here, anyway," he muttered to me, brushing past. Merle nudged me hard, smirking. I scoffed, rolling my eyes. Merle noticed my sudden change in attitude and became confused.

"What happened?" he asked with disappointment in his voice.

"He's kind of an asshole," I huffed under my breath.

"That'll do it," Merle chuckled to himself. "Here, I got ya, girl." He wrapped his arm around me and helped me back into the prison.