Beth smacked her pen onto to the table out of pent up frustration as she rubbed her eyes with her knuckles, sighing loudly while resting her elbows on the crisp English book pages. She closed her eyes for a while, taking in the soft sound of white noise coming from her television, which kept her company in the small house that had recently been cleansed of abusive nights with a boy wasting too much of his own time throwing her around. She shifted her head to catch a glimpse through the small window in her kitchen as she watched her neighbor's dog bark at nothing more than a group of teenagers looking for midnight trouble. Ever since she moved in three months ago there was nothing but regret on her mind. The neighbourhood sucked ass and being named the "Druggie's Heaven" by newspapers all throughout the major city's headlines made Beth's head spin. Her rent was cheap though, given the "high quality" area she since has called home, she decided there was no better place to get her broke college hands on than this.
Her mind wasn't focused on studying, though her concentration on her notes and highlights weren't the focus of her attention since she wrote them in class last week, she still attempted to effortlessly study for exams she knew she'd be in trouble with. Beth was a good student, but her studies lessened as her bruises increased. Zach would normally come home late from parties around the neighbourhood, drunk and mad at Beth for no apparent reason. She would receive her usual beating until he would pass out on the couch without warning. Her self worth ran low until a few nights back, causing her to kick his sorry ass out (hopefully) for good. She didn't feel the need to house a drunk who had nothing to offer her.
Beth's gaze left the window and moved across the textbook before her. She slammed the book shut as she rested her recovering arm on it, studying the fading purple bruise that had Zach's name written all over it. She massaged the mark lightly, sucking air in sharply as she put pressure onto her skin. He had hit her hardest that night while he screamed raged thoughts into her face, cursing her with intoxicated words that tumbled out of his mouth without warning. She tried to refrain herself from thinking back to recent events by leaving the small kitchen table and heading towards her trusty futon. Popping an advil to relieve her onsetting headache, Beth stretched onto the couch contemplating on which shitty movie she should watch until she passes out till morning. Her eyelids lay heavily, increasing her grogginess as she tossed the remote onto her coffee table, giving up any motivation she had to stay awake. She drifted off slowly while letting sleep flood her brain as she tried to forget the stressful life she led.
...
Her heart raced as she flung up from the light sleep that seemed to have been cut short with yells from outside. She had just dozed off, looking at her phone only to find an hour had passed by. Beth jumped from the futon with new found energy, fumbling her way through the dimly lit kitchen while looking through her open window.
"Fuck you, you son of'a bitch! You're brother's doin' nothin' but rippin' me off!" Two men stood on the side of the road with tension that flooded through Beth's house as she watched in horror. She shouldn't have been surprised by the confrontation-they were a regular occurrence in the neighbourhood, but this one seemed different. Anger rose in the man who was yelling as he grabbed the other by his jacket, which had angel wings stitched roughly on the back, yanking him closer.
"You tell Merle I've gotta message for that piece of shit," The man being grabbed had no time to speak before he saw nothing but knuckle. Beth gripped the window sill as she watched the grown man fall to the ground, covering his face with failed attempts to shield himself from the blows above. The angry man went away at the other, leaving no stone unturned as he screamed into the bloody man's ear.
"I want my fucking money and drugs or else you're fuckin' dead!" The screaming man brought his fist back only to be thrown onto the ground somehow by his victim. Beth looked over his rough exterior, studying his shaking body as fear turned into fueled rage. She watched as he kicked the man underneath him, contradicting the angelic symbol on his back, making the fallen man grab his stomach in pain. The raged man didn't stop as he grabbed the crippled body below him and slammed his head one last time, collapsing onto the sidewalk as he covered his face, panting with exhaustion. His back was turned away from her house, giving Beth enough time to study his wings one more time; this was no angel. Beth stood for a second, phone in hand as she started to call 911. Her finger shook over the call button before looking up to meet eyes with the bloody man. He stood across her yard with sunken shoulders as he supported his arm with the other. They looked at each other for what seemed like minutes before he turned his attention onto the man beside him. A groan escaped the lying man's mouth as he attempted to get up. Beth watched as the standing man bent down, shuffling through the other's pockets before he bent over, leaving nothing but a few inches between the two. Beth could barely hear his husky voice as he spoke with a calm assertive voice.
"Get the fuck outta here," The groaning man received one last kick to the stomach before crawling to his feet, staggering away with curses filling the air. Beth stood in her small kitchen with wide, fearful eyes. She set her phone down as she covered her mouth, trying to sort out what had unfolded in front of her. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest while she looked over at her phone screen which still held the three digits that could fix the problem out front. She reached slowly, grabbing the phone quickly before jerking her head towards the living room. A loud pounding echoed through the small house, bringing Beth's anxiety up as she realized the man was knocking on her door. She sat in her chair for a second, contemplating on whether to call the cops and hide, or answer. Her brain was scattered, but somehow her body lifted off of the cold metal chair; her feet moved slowly, but the banging stopped. She stood in front of the door, waiting for any signs of him giving up and leaving. She shrieked out loud as the banging started up again. With the little courage she had left, she moved her fingers onto the doorknob, turning ever so slowly before swinging the door open, revealing the battered man before her. She seeked his blue eyes filled with rage, giving her a built up scream that wanted to escape her throat.
The man shifted uncomfortably at her doorway, transitioning into a completely different vibe than what she had seen just minutes ago. His body looked tired and broken; blood flowed lightly on his forehead as he held his arm. They stood in silence for a second before he cleared his throat.
"Best not call the cops," He looked down at her small hand that held on tightly to her phone. She glanced down quickly before looking back up at him with fearful eyes. She was scared, but for some reason the man words didn't seem as much as a threat but more as pleading. He stood there with his gaze still caught up in hers, begging her with his eyes to put the phone away. He couldn't get caught up with the cops again. Beth stood there for a second before shoving the phone into her back pants pocket. The awkward standing continued before Beth realized the man needed medical help.
"You should really go to a hospital," Her voice carried low, making the man lean towards her slightly. He shook his head at her.
"Ain't goin' there after all that," She looked him up and down before making her choice. Her body moved away from the door slightly, signaling him to come inside. He was hesitant for a second and also confused with the thought of an innocent looking girl allowing a violent person that she's never talked to before in her life, into her house. He moved slowly; his awkwardness filled the room as he stood alone while Beth closed the door behind them.
"Sit down," She looked towards the couch, "I'll be right back." Beth moved through the dimly lit room as she made her way into the kitchen, looking for her first aid kit that came in handy quite often for her own self on nights like these. She rummaged through her kitchen cabinet before grabbing the familiar white container, making her way back to the stranger which sat silently in her living room.
She took a wet cloth to his face, awkwardly patting it as he sucked in air through his teeth loudly. Pain shot through the man; his head throbbed. Beth finished her work as she wrapped his arm in silence, closing the box while setting it onto the coffee table.
"Thanks," He mumbled. They sat in the dark room with each other in stiff silence.
"What happened out there?" Beth's voice was choppy and her throat was dry.
"Exactly what ya saw," He snapped at her, making Beth raise an eyebrow. His mood swings were apparent. She fumbled with her hands before mustering up more courage to ask smarter questions.
"What's your name?" She asked softly
"What's it matter to ya?"
"Well seeing I invited you into my house and cleaned you up I'd at least expect to know that much," Her tone surprised him as she sassed him back. His eyes rose and met hers, looking at the much younger blonde in front of him-most likely college age.
"Daryl," He grunted, "Yours?" She shifted slightly, finally getting the name-to-face recognition. There was finally a name to the not so bloody man now, making her feel a little better.
"Beth, Beth Greene," They sat in silence once again as they both took in who they both were.
Daryl cleared his throat as he lifted himself off the couch, having enough of the awkward silence between the girl and him.
"Thanks, uh, Beth." He grabbed his jacket and headed towards the door without looking back. He stood for a second, thinking about what else to say to the girl, but came up short. He looked towards her, searching her face only to find confusion. Daryl nodded before opening the door, shutting it firmly behind him without giving her the chance to respond. God you can be such an ass sometimes. He thought to himself as he walked quickly away from her house. He didn't know what to think; he couldn't get the picture of her out of his mind. She saw what happened between Caleb and him. She probably was calling the cops as he walked away, reporting a serious fight that happened in front of her house, mentioning it was drug related most likely. He ran his hand through his hair, feeling the freshly cleaned wound as he did. Beth Greene had shit on Daryl now. Fuckin' great. This girl's gonna be another problem added on all 'cause of Merle. Fuck this.
He stopped for a second to grab a cigarette out of his pocket. He took in the nicotine, realizing his worries as he finished his walk away from the neighbourhood. Daryl's senses stayed alert as he watched for anyone or anything. His feet carried him on, leading him back to confront his dumbass brother. Fucker's in for it. He thought to himself as he made his way onto his street, dropping the finished cigarette onto the lawn while he made his way back to Home Sweet Home.
A/N: Hey guys! I decided to try out a non apocalyptic storyline just to have something different to write about! What'd you guys think so far? Should I continue? I'm hoping to keep this one up so tell me what you guys think :)
Thanks for reading! xoxo
