CHAPTER NINE

°WE DON'T STAND A CHANCE°

"I'm trying to put it all back together. I've got a story and I'm trying to tell it right."

THEY SAY WORD spreads quickly in prison, and in this case word traveled just as fast as a flying bullet, it's fear hitting everyone sending panic erupting throughout the community.

Word of a tank and an impending attack on the prison was concerning to say the least, and the council was having a hard time keeping everyone calm. People began protesting, insisting that everyone just leave and abandoned their home, but to Rick that wasn't an option. To Reign, she was never the one to back out either, so to her she wasn't about to let this group take her new home from her. She had been here for almost two weeks, and already she felt closer with this group than she had with anyone before. She had actually made friends, people who she would risk her life for, and to Reign that meant everything.

Rick had implemented a new curfew along with new rules, insisting that only authorized peoples were allowed outside the fence, and only for a vital reason. Watch posts were sent up, Reign being assigned one with her brother. Although it wasn't the ideal pair up, Reign handled it.

"Have you talked to Dad yet?" Dylan asked, looking through the scope of his sniper gun, looking for anything suspicious along the treeline.

"Nope," Reign replied. She was beyond bored. They had been standing there since seven in the morning, and that had been five hours ago.

"When do you plan on doing that?" he asked.

"When the earth stops spinning." She remarked with a shrug.

"Reign, come on. He's your dad. Give him a chance," Dylan said, becoming annoyed.

"I don't want to right now," she sighed, not in the mood for talking about family problems when they had bigger ones facing their doorstep.

"Too bad, 'cuz I invited him up here," Dylan suddenly smirked.

Reign turned to her brother with wide eyes, anger boiling up inside her. "You what?" she snapped.

Dylan let out an amused smile just as Daryl came up from behind them. "I'll leave you two alone," he said, leaving Daryl and Reign standing awkwardly beside one another.

Reign shifted on her feet uncomfortably, glaring at Dylan as he walked below them from the guard tower to the prison. She would have at him later, but for now she was stuck. Taking a deep breath, she thought of what Dylan said- about how she didn't even have to talk. Just hear him out.

"You're pretty skillful with that sword," Daryl suddenly spoke up. "How'd you learn how to use it?" he asked, trying to start by making friendly conversation. If anything, Reign hated friendly conversation; it was the evil twin sister of small talk. She wanted to get straight to the point, but even then she couldn't find the words to say.

"I taught myself," she muttered.

"We already have something in common,"!Daryl smiled, playing with his crossbow. "I taught myself everything I know about this thing."

"Wow. Look at this bonding. I can already feel us growing closer by the second," Reign remarked sarcastically, a little too harshly.

"Rey,"

"My name is Reign Clara Boyd. I'm nineteen years old, born August 16th, lived in Atlanta Georgia, barely passed high school, favourite colour is blue, use to be obsessed with supernatural creatures, had a mother and has a brother, use to sit alone at lunch, was regularly sent to the principal's office, and occasionally would commit fraud on the corner store by my house, just to survive. But you wouldn't know half of the stuff I just said, would you?" Reign asked. She knew she was being harsh, but she needed to let it out. She didn't want to be mad at her father- a person she had looked for all her life- but she couldn't understand why he had never been there.

"No I wouldn't have, because your mother never let me," Daryl said.

Reign shook her head in aggravation. "Why would she do that? There's no reason she would keep us from you. What were you hiding?" Reign questioned.

"She didn't think I was a safe person to be around, let alone a good father. She made that clear that she didn't want me to have any part in your life the day you were born. She didn't want me around you or Dylan. That's why you don't have any pictures of us aside from that hospital one you carry around with you," Daryl explained grimly.

"What reason would she possible have had to keep the father of her children away? I told her every night I wished to see my father, just once! Just once I wanted my father to come home and tell me he loved me, just one fucking time so I could see his face!" Reign yelled.

By now she had lost it. She was done trying not to be harsh, not that she had done a very good job of that before. She wanted to know everything, and she wanted to know now.

"Because I am a vampire hunter!" he finally admitted, causing Reign to grow silent. "She knew for two years when we had Dylan, but after you were born my job almost got you killed, so she kicked me out. I couldn't live with the fact a vampire had almost killed you, so I listened, and never came back. I did it to protect you, Reign. Never did I want to hurt you," Daryl said, hurt shining in his eyes as he remembered the night a vengeful vampire had almost snatched and killed baby Reign. That was the wake up call, and the end of the relationship Daryl Dixon would ever have with his kids until now.

"So that's it? You did it for my safety? What about the fact we were barely surviving, barely making income? You couldn't have phoned or written, or sent a cheque?" Reign asked angrily.

"You don't understand, Reign. Your mom cut me completely from your lives. I came back two days later after she kicked me out, only to find the house empty, everything we had built destroyed. That was the last I heard of her, until each Christmas she had the heart to send me school photos of you two," Daryl said. "You don't understand what it felt like to walk in our home, seeing it empty. Your mother couldn't have made the message any clearer."

Reign didn't say anything as she watched her father in front of her break down, admitting the truth to her once and for all. She realized now she couldn't blame him solely, but her mother as well. Her mother called her crazy whenever she mentioned vampires, when they had in fact been real. Her mother had unintentionally made her feel crazy, and to cope Reign resorted to substance abuse. Her family broke nineteen years ago, and only now was it starting to come back together. All her anger had subsided, making her numb and confused as to how she should be feeling.

"So..," Reign began. "Vampire hunter huh? Maybe I got my obsession from you," she smiled lightly.

Daryl shrugged. "Probably. You still wear the bracelet I sent you on your 16th birthday?"

"Yeah," Reign said, showing her wrist where the silver metal bangle was placed.

"Smell the charm," Daryl said, confusing Reign. "Just do it," he said, rolling his eyes at her doubtfulness.

Reign hesitated before bringing the charm to her nose, smelling the familiar sweet smell. "Vervain?" she questioned.

Daryl nodded. "Prevents against compulsion. I got Dylan a Vervain ring when he turned 16," he explained.

"At least I know I won't have to drink the shitty stuff anymore," Reign laughed, causing Daryl to laugh along too.

For the next few hours the two father and daughter talked about different things, finally making a connection. All it took was that one argument to break down the wall separating the two of them, allowing them to reconnect. For Daryl, the day couldn't have gotten any better as he got to know his daughter he so hopelessly missed out on knowing for nineteen years. And for Reign, she got to know the father she never had. Although things were still a little awkward, it was a start.

Unfortunately for Reign, when things got started, they usually came to a fast end.

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud explosion, as the tower beside them blew to pieces, debris and ash spraying everywhere. The sudden explosion sent Daryl and Reign down to take cover, but hiding wouldn't help if the next shot was targeted on their tower.

Reign lifted her head up just in time to see the tank coming out of the bush, aimed at their tower, the shot flying rapidly into their path. Reign didn't have time to think as she grabbed her father by the arm, and hulled him over the tower, jumping to the ground just as the tower exploded.

They landed on the ground with a painful thud, landing on their feet sending a wave of pain up their legs. It had been a fifteen feet jump, but they made it out alive for now.

Up ahead in the prison the two could see chaos forming, as everyone scattered to their assigned positions Rick so forcefully made them practice. They had been so prepared for an attack, yet Reign had never felt so unprepared. She hadn't even seen the tank as it disguised with the forest until it was too late. Maybe it was because she was distracted. Who knew.

Pain sprang up her legs and through her shoulder, her body begging Reign to rest but she couldn't. Daryl groaned in pain before getting up and pulling his daughter up with him. The two of them made a run for the prison, bolting as fast as their legs could carry them where everyone else was.

Once they reached the inner courtyard, they took cover behind some of the pre-laid barriers Rick requested be set up. People ran to their positions, getting children on the bus and packing up their things in case an evacuation was necessary while other wheeled around the giant laundry baskets of guns.

Soon after the shots stopped firing, and the chaos died down, all that was left was a very panicked group of people with a fairly good enemy army standing outside their gates. More importantly, they were epuipped with a tank, just like Chad said.

"Well," Reign breathed out. "Chad wasn't lying."

Daryl only glanced at his daughter before back to their attackers. By now Rick and the gang had joined them, Dylan sprinting towards his sister.

"You okay?" he asked, checking her up and down in concern.

"Fine," she nodded, turning her attention back to the army standing outside their fence.

Once the vehicles were parked, and the tank stood still, it's gun aimed right at the prison, people finally started to get out. Their arms were carrying guns, and their legs were carrying ammunition, strapped to their bodies. They looked prepared, like they had been wanting to do this for a while.

"What do we do?" Reign asked, struggling for breath from all the running and panic.

Before anyone could respond, a familiar tall man with one eye patch made his way to the front, standing just outside the gates.

"No fucking way," Reign gaped.

It was the Governor, and behind him were Michonne and Hershel, on their knees with guns pointed to their heads.

Chad had been right about one thing. They didn't stand a chance.

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[EDITED: 07/11/17]