The Walking Dead - Drained and Insane ([Daryl Dixon]Fanfic)

Chapter 15: When the Angels Scream

"Evangeline, darlin'. Please answer me," Daryl whimpered, tapping on the bars of the cell door.

Evangeline was in the furthermost corner of the cell room, away from the door. She was curled up with her knees to her chest, forehead pressed heavily against the corner where the two walls met and hands in her lap. Her back was arched, Daryl could see every bone of her spine through her blood covered, ragged t-shirt.

She had locked herself in, hidden the key inside her cell, not moved from her spot in the corner for 5 days and had not spoken a word. She ignored every cry and plead for her to return to the group and sat motionless and still; lips chapped, eyes closed and face hollow. 

Daryl sighed and rested his head against the pale white bars in defeat. When he wasn't on watch or doing the daily duties, he was by her cell door, speaking his thoughts aloud quietly to her, hoping she would be listening and maybe, if he was lucky, respond to him. 

Daryl left her cell, lingering slightly for a second, then shuffled back towards the group. Without Evangeline, he was starting to loose motivation to get through each day. He missed her voice and the way she looked at him.

She wasn't just beautiful, it was the way she saw beauty in things around her. She saw the way branches swayed in the wind, the sparkle of the morning dew and the faint sound of the rustling leaves. But now, Daryl knew that she no longer saw that beauty, she was surrounded by darkness and she couldn't see his outstretched hand that could pull her out of it. 

"Has she come around yet?" Carol asked wide-eyed, her voice full of hope.

Daryl shook his head with a grunt and slumped down onto the bottom stair that lead up to the second level. Carol sighed and brought her hand up to her forehead, she had been worrying about Evangeline like she worried about Sofia, she saw her as if she was her own. 

A crash echoed throughout the prison and Daryl bolted towards Evangeline's cell block faster than he thought possible. When he arrived he saw that Evangeline had knocked over the bunk bed and it was left broken in sharp pieces on the floor with the pillow and mattresses strewn across the room.

Evangeline had a bottle of wine in her hand, probably having stashed it under the bed previously. She took a long swig of it and stumbled into the wall. Her eyes were dull, skin a sickening grey with her bones protuding out of her tight skin unhealthily. 

Carol frantically came up beside him and brought a hand to her mouth with a gasp. 

"Evangeline what are you doing?" she exclaimed.

"I'm a monster," she growled lazily and took another swig of the wine.

"Don't be silly," Daryl tried to assure, his voice shaky. 

Evangeline scoffed and drank another mouthful of wine, shuffling in her place.

"You don't get it do you?" she began with a drunken, crooked smile.

"Get what sweetheart?" Carol replied back as softly as possible.

Evangeline's expression turned into a scowl, "I'm going to rot in hell!" she cried.

"Ange. It's going to be ok," Daryl tried to reassure.

"NO!" Evangeline shouted, "Don' start with me with that bullshit Daryl! My mother told me that before I was beaten, she's dead. Charlie told me that before the accident, he's dead. Sam told me that before he disappeared, he's dead. SO DON'T YER FUCKIN' TELL ME THAT EVERYTHIN' IS GOIN' TO BE OK!!"

She took the bottle and with one clean swing, slammed it into the wall, shattering it to pieces. Red liquid splattered everywhere and Evangeline was showered with glass. Her hand that was once holding the bottle was coated with blood and fragment of glass embedded themselves all over her arms and legs, dripping with blood.