Never Let Me Go

"Rusty!"

"Oh, God, Sophia!"

"Momma?"

"Who the hell are you?!"

"Get Daryl, he needs help!"

Words and shouts rang out from different mouths. Everything was one giant clusterfuck, and Dakota was caught up in the middle of it all. She was huddled over Rusty's body, her hands pressed to the bullet wound in his side while small tears pricked her eyes. "You're gonna be okay, Rusty. Promise ya." She whispered, pressing harder against his wound. He was bleeding profusely and without any medical attention, he'd most likely bleed out. "When I found out who shot ya, ooh boy," She growled. "There's gonna be hell to pay."

"Is your dog alright, ma'am?" Someone asked from behind her. Dakota glanced over her shoulder, locking eyes with a man. He was largely built, with a shaved head and an open shirt. He looked to be limping a bit from a recent injury but was still concerned and curious about her arrival.

Dakota shook her head, her whole body shaking with anger. "Nah, he's bleedin' a lot," She narrowed her eyes. "Who the hell shot him?"

"I did," A blonde-haired woman spoke up, approaching the group. Her face looked remorseful, but Dakota noticed a small grin on her lips. "I thought-" Before the woman could finish, she was on the ground with Dakota's fists flying at her face. There wasn't enough time for anyone to stop her; most of them were tending to Daryl and Sophia.

"You shot my fuckin' dog, ya bitch!" Dakota screamed, pummeling her fists into the woman's nose. The woman shrieked and cried, begging someone to help her. The man who approached Dakota first limped over and attempted to peal Dakota away from the woman, but earned himself an elbow in the crotch. He went down on his knees, groaning in pain.

"Stop it!" A strong voice shouted. "Stop it, now!" Dakota paused, breathing heavily while her fist hovered right above the woman's face. "We have a doctor, okay?" A hand was pressed against Dakota's shoulder. "He can fix up your dog and he'll be good as new."

Finally, with reluctance, Dakota peeled her eyes off of the bloodied woman in front of her and glanced up at the man speaking. His posture was tense, but his blue eyes held truth. With a gruff nod, Dakota turned back to the blonde and leaned down at eye level. "You're lucky I don't kill ya," She sneered and spit in the woman's face. Dakota sat up on her knees and turned to the man. "You get my dog the help he needs and then I'm outta here. I brought y'all your little girl. You're fuckin' welcome."

-

Daryl

He couldn't help but crack a smile when Dakota pounced on Andrea. It had been a long time since he'd seen a chick fight, but that was hardly just a “fight.” That was just an all-out brawl. Every time Dakota slammed her small fists into Andrea's face, it caused everyone around them to wince. It got even better when Shane tried to break the pair up and ended up getting elbowed in the jewels.

That nearly made Daryl laugh out loud.

But once Rick ended the fight, Dakota picked up Rusty and stalked away with every intention of leaving afterwards. Daryl had to admit, the girl was tough. She would be a good addition to their group, so long as she kept her hands to herself. That wasn’t likely to happen, though. After her little spew with Andrea, there was no way Rick would let her stay.

Daryl smirked as Shane came lumbering towards him. "Where in the hell did you find her, Dixon?" He muttered with one hand cupped over his groin and the other on the side of his hip.

Daryl shrugged, glancing back at the woman's retreating form. "She found me."

-

Dakota

"Hey!" She shouted gruffly and adjusted Rusty's limp body over her shoulder. "Hey, I need some help here!" Dakota's eyes scanned the small campsite, looking for this so-called doctor that the man had mention. "There a doctor here?"

"That'd be me," A voice spoke up. An old man sauntered over, his white eyebrows pulled together at the sight of her injured dog. "What can I help ya with?"

Dakota growled. "Some stupid blonde bitch shot him. He's bleedin' real bad and I think the bullet hit somethin' important," she sighed with a heavy heart, "There anything you can do for him?"

"Well, let me just get a look at him," He murmured. "Patricia, prepare the room for surgery-"

"Hey, now," A voice spoke from behind Dakota. She turned and met the eyes of the man who she earlier elbowed. He narrowed his eyes at her with a sneer. "I get that your dog is hurt 'n all, but we've got a little girl to check over," He jutted his thumb over his shoulder, revealing Sophia and an older woman with cropped hair. Both had tear stains on their faces and were gripping onto one another tightly. "She could be hurt real bad-"

"She's fine," Dakota snapped. "I've been takin' care of her for the past few days. She's been fed, she ain't got any scratches on her, and she's clean."

"Well, what about Daryl? He'd got himself a damn arrow wound an-"

A gruff voice spoke up. "'m fine, Shane." Daryl nodded towards the old man. "Should check 'er dog." His blue eyes met Dakota's and she felt a small bit of relief that he was on her side.

"And what about Andrea?" Shane spoke up once again, his nostrils flaring in anger. "Her nose is most likely broken, probably got a dislocated jaw, too!" Everyone's eyes turned to the woman. She had a dirty rag pressed against her face that was nearly soaked in blood, and her body hung off of some Asian kid who looked like he was about to mess his pants.

Dakota scoffed, "Does it look like I give a shit? I brought back the kid and one of your men. And what did I get in return? Some trigger-happy bitch shoots my damn dog!" Her eyes shot to Andrea and she clenched her jaw. "She's lucky she ain't dead!"

“Alright, hey!” The old man stepped forward. “Let’s all just calm down. Now, I get that Andrea shot your dog, and that you’re upset.” He spoke too Dakota softly. “I have no problem lookin’ at him, especially since you brought back the little girl, but I’m goin’ to need you to stay calm.”

After a few heavy breaths, Dakota finally nodded. “I can do that.”

The old man smiled, “I’m Herschel Greene. I don’t believe we been properly introduced.”

“I’m Dakota,” She gave a small smile and motioned to the dog on her shoulder. “And this is Rusty.”

“Well, now,” Herschel nodded. “Let’s have a look at him, shall we? If you’ll follow me…”

Dakota followed Herschel inside the house, not before glancing over her shoulder. She eyed Andrea and Shane, giving them each small glares, though neither of them looked at her. Her eyes found Daryl and she nodded in thanks. His lips lifted up into what some might consider a smile, before he turned and walked towards a tent with his hand pressed against his side.

Despite liking Sophia, and at least respecting Daryl, there was no way in hell Dakota would stay with these people. She would listen to her brother like she’s always done and go back on her own.

She refused to trust people, anymore.

Only herself.