Daughter of a Dixon ✔️

10: Safe & Sound

I was in and out of consciousness, on and off, for a long time.

During the times when I was awake, my vision was blurry and my hearing was strained, but I could still, somewhat, tell what was going on. I was able to figure out, as I had kind of thought, that the man with the crossbow was Dad. I didn't know what happened right after I passed out, I was out cold then, but when I woke up the first time, he was cradling me in his arms, sprinting somewhere as fast as he could.

The second time, I was lying on a bed with white sheets. People were towering over me, people I haven't ever seen before. Off to the right, though, I did see some familiar faces. Rick and Glenn were standing in the far right corner of the room, looking extremely nervous. They both looked awfully pale, and I think Glenn was even trembling a little. I looked in the left corner of the room, and that's when I saw a guy that looked very similar to my dad. Although, it didn't really look like my dad, because this guy looked immensely sad and horrorstruck.

He was looking down at the ground, his head hung low. His arms were crossed loosely against his chest, and he couldn't seem to bear looking at the scene in front of him. The last thing I saw of this man, my Dad, before I passed out again were the tear tracks staining his face.

When I woke up the third time, I was hit with a wave of pain so intolerable that I immediately screamed, and moved around on the bed. I could feel several, strong hands holding me down to the bed, but no matter how hard they tried, I couldn't stop moving. It felt like someone was taking a hot, burning knife and plunging it into my torso, over and over again. I was crying in pain at that point; I felt the tears streaming down my face.

I felt another pair of hands come to restrain me, this pair holding my legs. I tried to stop moving, I really did; but the longer the pain continued, the more unbearable it became. I suppose they were trying to safely get the arrow out of my side, someway, somehow.

Eventually, I guess my body couldn't handle the pain any longer, and it forced itself into a state of unconsciousness.

On the fourth, and final, time I woke up, everything seemed calm. Every time I inhaled, there was a sharp pain in my torso, but it was nothing like before. My arm ached as well, but it wasn't as bad; it was more like a throbbing pain than anything else. I couldn't move it though, which was probably for the better; any movement would probably result in a huge wave of pain.

I let out a content sigh after a minute, trying to open my eyes. My eyelids felt extremely heavy, but after a minute, I was able to work them open.

My vision was blurred, but I could still make out the figure of a petite, blonde woman sitting in a chair beside my bed, looking at me with a smile on her face. I didn't recognize her; she wasn't someone in our group.

"W-who are you?" I was able to muster our after a minute. The woman gave me a soft smile.

"Beth. And you're Sidney, right?"

I gave her a slow nod, and she returned my gesture.

"Nice to meet you... you and your group's here, on our farm. You're gonna be safe here."

I almost smiled. The word "safe" came as a comfort to me, like a warm blanket wrapping around me and holding me close. I was finally safe; safe and sound.

"Do you want me to get your Dad? Tell him you're awake?" Beth asked me.

My answer was immediate. "Please."