She's Gonna Beat This World (twd fanfic)

34. The Protector

       My heart stops what's going on, "Lori!" I yell, and take off running, back to the rec room, dropping my books in the process. I fling open the door just in time to see Lori run her finger nails down Shane's neck. He lets out a grunt of pain. He looks surprised at her actions. What happened?
     "Get away from me don't touch me!" Lori yells. I think I just walked in at the wrong time. Shane turns around. He has fire in his eyes, he's been drinking. I'd know that look anywhere. It's the look daddy came home with so often. The look that says 'ya better run, or ya won't be able to later' so I do what I'm told. I run like my life depends on it, it very well could.
     I know Shane doesn't want anybody to know what just happened here tonight. I don't know what he would do if he saw me watching that when he was sober. I can't imagine him drunk.
     It doesn't take long for him to catch up to me. He grabs my arm in a tight grip. I let out a yelp cause it hurts pretty bad. I reach for my gun, but remember I left it in my backpack.
"Shut up! How much did you see!"
"N...not m...much." I stutter, Fear is coursing through me as Shane looks even angrier. He swings his hand up, and brings it down hard across my left cheek. I let out a cry, and cover my burning cheek.
"How much!" I'm crying at this point,
"Just Lori scratch you. I swear! Please leave me alone! I won't tell anybody! Please! Don't hurt me!" I whimper.
"If you tell anybody I'll..."
"Please don't hurt me!" I sob.
"Your always where ya don't belong. Your a selfish little brat. Nobody seems to want to give you what you need, and I'm gonna right now!"
With that he pulls his belt out of the loops of his pants. I start hitting him, and kicking him best as I can. He only slaps me across my face again. This time I fall to the ground because of the force of the hit.
"Leave me alone!" He just laughs, he's just like my daddy. He reminds me of him, and the flashbacks come instantly.
I'm on the floor in the living room I'm only about five.
"Please, I'm sorry. I didn't mean too! I won't do it again!" Daddy laughs, it reminds me of the villain of a horror movies laugh. I start crying even harder,
"No I'm sure you won't... ever." He draws back his belt.
I snap out of the nightmares of my past, when I feel the stinging of Shane's belt across the middle of my back, over and over. I can't move, can't scream, and can't even think straight, all I can do is beg Shane to stop, and pray he'll pass out from his drinking.
I hear Lori's screams.
"Shane stop! Your insane she's a little girl. Shane, enough!" Lori is sobbing,
But not as hard as I am. I can feel a stickiness streaming down my back, staining my shirt. I've counted ten so far and there's no sign of an end.
I hear the sound of it swing up, but it doesn't come down. Instead I hear a new sound like when I'm hunting, and I hit a squirrel with a knife. I'm cringing, expecting the lashes to continue, but they don't.
When I look up I see the most relieving sight I've seen in entire life. It makes my heart drop to the floor.
I see an arrow, with orange and green feathers... Daryl's arrow. I cry in relief, when I hear his boots slap across the tile floor, which means he's running over to us... over to me.
"Daryl." I whimper. He leans down, and moves the hair out of my eyes. He gently strokes my sweating forehead.
"Shhh, it's over. He ain't ever gonna touch ya again. I won't let him. It's gonna be okay now. I'm gonna take care of ya Masie."
"Promise?" I sob out, an He continues to stroke my hair back,
"Promise." He says firmly,
"But I'm gonna take care of somethin' first."
With that he gets up, and storms over to Shane. He doesn't hesitate to swing his fist at Shane's face. Before I can even comprehend it Shane is on the ground, with Daryl on top. Shane's nose is gushing blood, and his eye is black and blue. Lori is crying, and I am too, but not because of the fight, but because of the pain coursing through my body.
"Look what you did to 'er" he yells, but with a few more choice words I wouldn't dare repeat.
      "Daryl." I whimper pathetically. He stops, and comes over to me,
"Hey now, come on." He lifts me into his arms, careful of my stripes.
Lori isn't there, she was probably worried somebody would tell Rick what she was up to while he was in a hospital bed, or what just happened. I'm crying silent tears, wanting the pain to go away, but it probably won't. At least not for a few days.
     When we got to the room Daryl carefully laid me on my stomach, onto the cot. The slight movement made me whimper, my dog is going nuts, he try's to lick my cheek.
"I'm sorry, I'm trying to be careful."
"Don't worry it ain't your fault."
"It ain't yours either, don't start blaming yourself," He orders.
I sigh and try to argue,
"But if I hadn't been there..."
"Lori could've been worse off." He cuts off.
"How did you...?"
"I wasn't born yesterday... I saw those marks, and Lori was there."
"That was me, he didn't do anything to anybody but me. I was supposed to go to bed, but I disobeyed, and..."
"Don't lie ta me," He says sternly.
He can't know, Shane will kill me.
"I'm not, Lori heard me crying, and..." he sighs,
"Stop it, ya can't reach his neck, and yer nails ain't long 'nuf. Ya bite 'um."
"Please don't tell anybody! Please Daryl ya can't, please!"
"Hey hey hey, no shhh. What's wrong, what'd he say ta ya! Tell me right now!" I just sob,
"Please Daryl, ya just can't!"
"Wait here, I need ta get some things to help with your..." He trails off not wanting to bring it back up.
"Okay," I close my eyes, and Apollo lays his head on the side of my bed.
I start to fall asleep, but I wake up quickly when the door slams shut. I try to get off the cot, but strong hands hold me down.
"No please!"
"Hey Mason! It's okay it's jist me!" I start crying,
"I'm sorry! I didn't know!" Hey strokes my hair gently.
"It's okay, nobody is gonna do nothin." He says in his usual rough voice, no trace that he just saved me.
     "I gotta clean the wounds, This is gonna hurt a bit." He pulls my shirt off gently. I hear his sharp intake of breath. My scars, the marks of Shane's belt will only blend in, in a few weeks. Daryl doesn't hesitate to start putting a sticky salve in the open wounds.
A bit didn't begin to describe the pain. I yelp, and grind my teeth together to try to stop the yell.
"Almost done." I can tell he's trying to go fast, which I'm thankful for. He puts a cloth, of some kind over the slashes, it feels much better, but it still is enough to bring tears to my eyes.
"All done," he says, and I sigh in
relief,
"Thanks."
"Get some sleep it's gonna be a long day tomorrow."
"Goodnight Daryl." He just grunts in affirmation.