Chapter One: The Woods

Beth and Daryl were in survival mode again. Their respite at a remote funeral home had been brief yet comfortable, and Beth was clearly in shock from the unexpected turn of events that had caused them to flee. Daryl had further concerns. The first rattle of their walker alarm, the long line of twine and cans that caught a walker's foot and made a loud racket, had only revealed a small dog at the door. It couldn't have been an hour before an entire herd of walkers had set the alarm off a second time, catching them completely off guard. Escaping the house, they'd been nearly run down by a car in the driveway. Daryl had been dragging Beth, forcing her legs to move faster than a wounded leg should go, and they'd made it into the woods before the driver of the car could make another move.

The home had been clean, almost immaculate, and stocked with food. They should have known someone was living there, someone who would protect his territory. They should have raided it and moved on. Daryl's mind had hollered plenty of "should haves" at him these past couple of days. He wondered what Beth was thinking. She'd been pale and silent since that night, only breaking down once immediately after they'd run.

Beth had been whimpering in pain as they'd made their way through the trees, but the sound hadn't registered with Daryl until a walker lunged at them in the dark. He'd dropped her and pushed the thing away, smashing its rotten face with the butt of his crossbow as it struggled on the ground. Beth was a lump on the ground, crying into the dirty leaves.

Daryl thought back on that night with some shame. His instinct as she lay balled up on the ground was to silence her, not out of concern for her but out of concern for their safety. Noise drew walkers and he needed her to be quiet. He'd crouched down and tried to shush her, but it didn't seem like she was paying him any mind. That's when he'd done the only other thing he could think of. Daryl had gotten right in her face and promised he'd kill her himself if she didn't shut the fuck up. It didn't occur to him that he could have been kind until after she'd balled herself up even further and gone quiet.

He'd spent that night sitting next to her, his mind racing and ready for the next walker attack. Beth had uncurled and opened her eyes at first light that morning, but she hadn't spoken a word to him. He'd bid her to get up and start walking, helping her when she struggled to her feet. They had moved slowly as Beth limped along. Sometimes he'd carry her on his back, the rest of time he'd helped her along like a crutch. Miraculously, they hadn't come across any more walkers.

Morning had come after another sleepless night and Daryl was exhausted. He had their only weapon, their only means of protection, but he couldn't keep them safe if he was dead on his feet.

"Beth," he began in a raspy, unused voice. "Think you kin keep watch while I get some sleep?"

Beth looked up from where she'd been staring, blue eyes wide and blinking. She nodded and seemed to come back from wherever she'd been, so Daryl settled himself on the ground a few feet away from where she sat and tucked an arm under his head.

Beth stared out at the forest around them. Her haze seemed to dissipate some as she looked around. Leaves, branches, bushes, a fallen log, dappled sunlight… no rotting corpses intent on eating her flesh. For now, anyway. Beth sighed. She knew she had to pull herself together. She knew it, but scraping her last bit of hope together was proving to be very difficult. She had lost so much. Her family and friends were dead or gone. Daryl was all she had left but she didn't know what that meant.

She couldn't stop thinking about the way he'd looked at her that night at the kitchen table. Before that night, his eyes had always been searching her face, unsure of her and wary of what she wanted from him. That night, it was like he'd made up his mind that he liked what he saw. That look had made her feel special, feel safe, feel like going on. She hadn't seen that look again. Now, Daryl just looked angry.

An image of her daddy on his knees flashed before her eyes, out of nowhere. A wave of grief threatened to take her but she kept her eyes on Daryl's sleeping form. Tears fell down her cheeks but she kept her ears sharp to the sounds of the forest and reminded herself what she was listening for.

A walker could be detected from a considerable distance under the right circumstances. A squirrel might snap a twig but the sound was louder under a foot. Once a walker caught your scent, it would groan. If you could hear that, you had just enough time to gather your weapon and scan your perimeter. Beth had kept the two of them safe dozens of times while they'd been roaming and she could do it again, whether or not her daddy was alive.

She found herself wondering what their next move should be. They desperately needed to find supplies. A thought crossed her mind that made her shudder. The car, someone had been driving it. Someone had led walkers to the door to scare them away and then tried to kill them. It seemed insane but that was the only sense Beth could make of the events that night.

Another thought crossed her mind. The house had a driveway, which had to lead to a road at some point. If they backtracked a ways and scouted, maybe they could find it. She decided to bring the idea up to Daryl when he woke up.

It wasn't long before she had to wake him herself. Beth heard the rustling of bushes and a low groan before she could even see the thing. She scurried to Daryl and shook him.

"Walker!" she hissed in his ear. He was up and aiming before she could even stand.

A young woman was drawing near, armless and snarling. It was a pathetic sight. Daryl's arrow hit her between the eyes and she fell backwards, motionless. He retrieved it and wiped it down on her clothing unapologetically. Beth watched from where she sat. He looked back at her.

"Think you kin walk?"

She nodded.

"We should track 'er, see where she came from."

As he pulled her to her feet, Beth met his eyes. There was a lot behind those eyes- pain, sorrow, anger. But there was something else as well. Concern? She didn't know what it was, but it made her feel strong. As she limped along behind him, Beth resolved to stay alive.