Disclaimer: I own nothing.
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Daryl and Beth walked the train tracks, Beth kept quiet, and Daryl looked for any tracks of any of their people. They'd been walking for days, and they were supposed to be hungry, but with the news of Carol and watching Hershel be decapitated stifled any hunger that spiked up in their stomachs.
It was hot, dry and lonely. Even with Daryl so close so close, Beth felt all alone. It was a deep, icy feeling, and it made the heat from the sun lessen. She didn't have any thoughts about her father. After the breakdown the other day, she didn't think much of him, just how to get the others back and where in the hell were they going to go. She couldn't take another place they called home being lost to walkers. She could keep telling herself she had a job to do over and over again, but it didn't change the fact that her father was dead, that her sister and brother-in-law and everyone else were scattered. They had no backup plan. The only reason they all went to the highway was because of Carol's little girl being lost there. That was sheer luck. Where in the hell was their luck now?
When they drove up to the prison and found the gate missing, Daryl had expected the worst thing that could happen was Rick or Carl had gotten bit. He didn't know he would find out Carol killed Karen and David, he didn't know the Governor and his merry group of assholes would come and destroy the prison. He thought the worst thing that could happen was some of their people died from the flu, but no, the world showed him just how bad it can get again.
He glanced over at the trees, but it was just the wind, not a walker. He sighed soundlessly. He couldn't get the picture of Carol stabbing Karen and David, dragging them out of solitary and setting them on fire, watching the flames devour their empty shells before leaving to clean up any blood she may have gotten on herself. He didn't know who killed them, but he sure as hell couldn't believe it was Carol. She owned up to it, but did she really do it? Did she kill them just to protect the group? Or was there more to the story? He would never know now. The prison was gone, his family was either wounded and scattered or dead and being eaten off of. And with Beth being here... He wondered if he should be on suicide watch. The last time she lost a sibling and parent, she took a piece of broken mirror to her arm, because she thought it was hopeless. Had her mind changed since then? She didn't cry anymore, she'd told him. Maybe her mental state was even worse now.
"Are these tracks?" Beth asked, peering through the leaves at the marks in the drying mud.
He bent down. "Yeah. Fresh too. Looks like two people came through here."
"Then let's go." She pushed the branch back and followed the tracks into the shade of the woods.
He fell into step beside her. He had a bad feeling about everything now. Losing so much...coming this far, he was wondering if there was a point to it. If there was, he would be there to see what in the hell it was. Him and whoever they found, because they would find them, eventually they would.
"Look." Beth pointed to the walkers on the ground.
He spotted some blood on some leaves. "That ain't walker blood."
"So, they took 'em out." Beth stepped over the bodies. "Keep goin'."
Snap.
Beth drew her knife and turned as a walker stumbled toward them, Daryl removed his crossbow, but Beth took it out. She thrust the blade into into the skull, it was hard and that meant he was a newborn walker. There was more around, because he had a gashing wound on his arm.
Daryl saw another one and shot it with a bolt, reloading.
"What the...?" Beth stared as more walkers flooded out of the woods. "Oh, shit! Daryl!"
He looked up through his bangs and killed the walker closest to him then pushed Beth forward and ran. They didn't get far. Walkers were closing in on them, Beth gripped her knife tightly, and Daryl was counting the arrows he had in his mind as they got closer and closer.
– – –
Carol watched as the prison fell, black smoke lifting into the sky, people scrambling, and walkers making their way toward fresh food. She saw the girls run off, but she couldn't see where they went to, especially through the smoke.
She saw Daryl and Beth running off. It must be worse down there, for Daryl to run. She could only see so much, but the damage she did see...all because of one sick bastard who wanted to play house. She'd seen the woman he was with and the child he killed. Son of a bitch. If only Merle had gone through with his plan...this wouldn't have happened, and a lot of good people would have been spared, but oh well. Nothing could done now.
She waited for the girls to reappear, and when they didn't, she left. She went around to the back to follow them. There was only one exit back there, so it would be easy to follow them.
That was two days ago. She hadn't seen them since the prison, and she concerned. She'd found a set of tracks that led toward the rail road, so she followed them. It was a man and a girl. She couldn't be sure if it was a woman or a child, bu by the way she stepped, she was small. It wasn't Lizzie or Mika. They were too small. She picked up her pace.
She stopped in mid-step at the sound of a walker, and she turned, but the walker passed her by. She frowned and looked in the way it was walking. There people down there. She recognized that blond hair and gasped. Beth! She saw Daryl, and her heart fell to her stomach as she saw the number of walkers closing in on them. She grabbed her gun and ran over to them, taking out the walkers when she could.
Daryl jerked his knife out of the walker in front of him and looked over as Carol came to them. He watched for a split second as she took out walkers then he pushed Beth back and tried to protect them both. Beth took out the walker to her right, and Carol had thinned out the herd. There were a dozen or so left, Daryl took out two beside him with his crossbow, and he kicked on back, causing it to bash its head open on the rock behind it.
Carol joined them, and they worked together to take out the walkers, and they had only three left. Beth went to kill it when she tripped from Daryl stepping back away from the walker that fell in front of him, and Beth groaned.
"Ah!" She heard the cartilage in her ankle twist. "Ahh."
"Beth!" Carol looked back.
"Carol!" Beth tried to warn her, but the walker wasn't dead like Daryl thought it was, and it sank its teeth into Carol's arm. "No!"
Daryl heard Beth's cry as he finished off the last walker. He spun around as the walker ripped the flesh off Carol's arm, he bashed in the walker's skull and grabbed Carol as she fell to her knees, shuddering. "Carol? Carol?"
"No." Beth crawled over to them. "Carol, no."
"Carol." Daryl held her close. "Hold on." He grabbed knife and pushed her sleeve up.
"No," she wheezed, feeling the infection in her veins. "No."
He looked at her with big, horrified blue eyes. No? Did she just say no? "No?" he repeated.
"No."
"Carol, we can cut it off," Beth told her. "We did it for Daddy. We can do it for you. We have to be quick. Daryl, do it. Come on!"
I'm here again, a thousand miles away from you
A broken mess, just scattered pieces of who I am
I tried so hard, thought I could do this on my own
I've lost so much along the way
Daryl shook his head though, and Beth stared, but he knew Carol wouldn't say no unless she say no point to it. Beth grabbed his knife and tried to amputate it, but she couldn't She whimpered and dropped the knife, sobbing.
"No. No, Carol, please. Not like this," Beth cried. "We can do somethin'! We can!"
"Yes," Carol agreed. "Yes, you can. But not with me. They need you. The others."
"We need you!" Daryl growled. "I—I... I need you!"
Then I'll see your face, I know I'm finally yours
I find everything I thought I lost before
You call my name, I come to you in pieces
So you can make me whole
She smiled and lifted her hand up to his cheek. "Everything works out the way it's supposed to."
His eyes burned heavily. "No, it don't. Carol, please, let me do this. Now, please."
"Do you remember that first night in camp?" Her eyes filled with tears. "You told us that silly story about Chupacabra?" She smiled a little. "You were always so...colorful and b—brave."
"Carol." Beth grasped her hand tightly in hers.
"Keep him safe," Carol told her. "Keep him sane, okay? You have to be there for him."
She nodded vigorously.
I've come undone
But you make sense of who I am
Like puzzle pieces in your eye
She grasped Daryl's rough hand. "Look at you, crying over me." She smiled at him. "I get to see my Sophia again." He gripped her hand tightly. "I love you, Daryl. I should've said it sooner, but I couldn't lose you. I'd nearly lost you twice, and I couldn't... Not a third time." Tears streamed down her face.
"Nine lives," he whispered.
Beth buried her face in Carol's chest. "I love you, Carol. I'm so sorry."
"This wasn't on you, Beth. It was never on you." She stroked her hair. "Shh. You're so brave, Beth. You don't know it yet, but you are so brave."
Then I'll see your face, I know I'm finally yours
I find everything I thought I lost before
You call my name, I come to you in pieces
So you can make me whole
"I ain't lettin' you become one of those things." Daryl grabbed his knife. "It's the pact."
"Daryl, no—Ahh!" She cried out as he broke through the flesh and bone. "Aaahhhh!"
Son of a bitch did it hurt to hear her scream like that. He had to keep going to stop the infection in time. Damn, he never wanted to hear her scream like this.
Beth squeezed her eyes shut tightly as warm blood sprayed onto her arm, but she was glad Daryl had done it. She didn't want to lose Carol. She hoped that this worked. That Daryl did it in time to save her. Beth couldn't lose her, not Carol, not anyone else.
I tried so hard, so hard
I tried so hard
Carol passed out long before Daryl served bone from flesh, Beth prayed hard that she would be okay as she grabbed the bag Carol had on her, and she looked for medical supplies. Daryl dropped the knife and grabbed her wrist, checking for a pulse. He placed his ear to her chest. It was weak, but there.
He leaned over to her ear. "You shoulda told me sooner," he whispered, "'cause I loved you too."
Then I'll see your face, I know I'm finally yours
I find everything I thought I lost before
You call my name, I come to you in pieces
So you can make me whole
So you can make me whole
Beth saw to her wound while Daryl waited for signs of her turning, and they waited. Beth tried to wipe the blood off her arm, but it was congealed now. She didn't want to focus on Carol completely, because it broke her heart and looking at Daryl broke her heart. His eyes were intense and clear. He knew what he wanted, and he wasn't giving up. Beth respected him even more in that moment, and she prayed like her daddy would have. For her, for Daryl and for Carol and for the others. She had to keep hoping. Without hope...they were no different than the dead.
They set up camp, using the walkers to get rid of their scent, and Beth stared a fire, and they shared a can of food. Carol was resting with her bag underneath Daryl's jacket, her arms over her chest and her leg propped up with her bag. Daryl watched her intently, and Beth raised her ankle up, using a tree. It wasn't comfortable, but it was good for her ankle.
They both tensed suddenly, Beth grabbed her knife, and Daryl gripped his knife.
"Ah," a groan slipped through Carol's dry, pale lips.