Level One: Physiological
Beth Greene felt a numbed sense of relief and a small spike of apprehension when she first saw the high gates surrounding the capital. Most of the surrounding streets seemed to be trashed and littered with random walkers, but the gates seemed strong and able to withstand a large herd. They were bigger than the fences at the prison, that's for sure. She looked back at Gabriel, who was lagging behind and limping slightly. "You gotta see this," she called, hoisting her pack higher up her shoulder and running a hand through her ponytail nervously.
Gabriel hobbled over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder to steady himself. "Told you. I had a good feeling about DC."
"Well come on, we ain't got all day," she said urgently. The priest groaned and Beth rolled her eyes inwardly. Ever since they decided to leave the safety of his church, all he had done was push forward no matter the consequences and complain. Granted, his foot was slightly fractured and had been walking on it for a few days, but there was nothing she could do about it with their lack of proper medical supplies. They were on the brink of winter, and he was determined to get to DC before the snows rolled in. It had taken weeks for them to get this far north, and Beth was absolutely exhausted. The balls of her feet had worn holes in her boots and her jeans clung to her legs like a second skin. The ponytail and braid she always wore were matted and the elastic probably had to be cut out of her hair.
"Let's just pray they're friendly," he muttered behind her. Ever since the night he had taken her away from Daryl, she felt a sense of resentment towards him. There was no hatred – she could never hate – but his blind assumptions and illogical decisions grated on her nerves like no other. Beth knew she couldn't survive in this world on her own, so she reluctantly stuck with him on his journey to Washington DC, of all places.
She wanted to look for Daryl and the group, but had no idea where to start. The hopeful, naïve girl in her whispered Maybe he figured out that there are less walkers up north. Maybe he'll come.
Beth pushed those thoughts away. Nothing in life ever came easy. Finding her family would never be easy.
As they approached the gates, and Beth knew they must have been a pathetic sight. The gates opened slightly and men in military uniforms rushed over to help them inside. "Are you bit?" one of them asked, looking over the unlikely pair. "Call Dr. Murray at the hospital, we need two empty beds."
Beth shook her head. "Have you seen-"
"We'll have time for that later, Miss. Right now we need to get you to safety." Two stretchers were pulled out of a building nearby and one guard lifted her up and placed her on one.
"What are you doing?" she asked as the stretcher was pushed towards a hospital, or what looked like one.
"We'll be doing some tests and giving you an IV. We'll then catalogue you into the system and President Corrado or one of her associates will most likely meet with you. But now, Miss, we're going to need you to relax," he replied, gently pushing her shoulder onto the mattress.
Beth surrendered to the poking and prodding of needles and doctors as they examined her for any bites or infections. Her dirt encrusted hands starkly contrasted against the sterility of the hospital room. She started feeling anxious with all of these people buzzing around her. Her disgusting clothes suddenly felt like a safety blanket, proof that she made it and that she can survive. They had removed her knife from her belt, and she was beginning to feel uneasy without it.
"Miss Greene?" a young nursed asked after checking her clipboard. "I'm going to leave these clothes here. You'll be able to get some more tomorrow. As for now, we're going to keep you for a few hours just to make sure everything's okay. Hang tight and I'll give you some privacy."
Beth nodded as the nurse left, and she weakly got out of bed and grabbed the plain blue cotton tee-shirt, grey sweatpants, and white panties that had been given to her. Beth changed, peeling her blood and grime encrusted clothes off but keeping them close by. Getting back onto the bed, she sighed and realized she hadn't been felt this safe since the prison or her time with Daryl. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she curled up on her side and dozed for a few hours.
…
That night, Beth was released allowed out of the hospital and assigned an apartment a few blocks away from the White House. Gabriel joined her quietly with his new crutches. "How's your foot?" she asked, looking down at her new set of keys.
"Could be worse. Gotta wear this thing for a few weeks, though," he replied, motioning down to his foot. Beth hummed and they walked in silence.
After helping Gabriel into his apartment, Beth cautiously entered hers. It was small and simply furnished - a couch and a coffee table and small TV with an outdated VCR sat across from a tiny kitchen, there was a door and surprisingly two bedrooms. It looked a bit like a fancy hotel suite that she stayed in one time with her family in Savannah.
After setting her pack down on the couch and getting a glass of water, there was a knock at the door. Beth opened it to find a young woman in a business suit standing in the threshold, giving her a comforting smile.
"You must be Elizabeth Greene. I apologize for not being able to talk to you at the hospital and for coming at this hour, but there was a false alarm over in Communications. My name is Adrian Smith, and I am an adviser to our current president, President Corrado. May I come in?" Adrian greeted professionally, holding her hand out.
Beth shook it, smiling back slightly. "Yes, of course." Undoing the hotel lock, Beth let the woman in and led her to the couch.
"Let's get down to business, I don't want to keep you too long. You're probably exhausted." Adrian pulled a file out of her briefcase and set it on the coffee table. "When the outbreak began and the country dipped into chaos, the first area that was protected was the White House and Washington DC. Our main goal was to protect any order and law that could exist in the future. Unfortunately, it was attacked and we lost all communication with all major cities across the country and around the globe. Most of the politicians did not make it, and most of the military was overrun or attacked by outlaws and those who thrive during chaos.
We established this safe zone in order to create a sense of normalcy and safety surrounding our nation's capital. At the moment, we have about 8,000 civilians living here. That's less than 1.5% of the population before the outbreak. Most adults are working in one of our new departments. Here's a brochure with all of the listings," she said, handing Beth a piece of paper. There were job openings in areas that ranged from Communication, Agriculture, Search Guard, Construction, and more.
"Wow, I honestly didn't think there was anything left," Beth admitted, looking up at the woman. "I don't know what I could do, I was still in high school when the dead started walkin'. I don't even have my GED yet."
"My files say you're from Georgia, is that correct?"
"Yeah, about an hour south of Atlanta," she replied. "My group and I never left the state, except we did wander around the wilderness a lot. Not sure exactly where we were, though."
"The Search Guard is preparing to go on a mission to look for survivors in the south. You'll have to pass some tests and possibly go through training, but they could really use your knowledge of the area," replied Adrian thoughtfully. "Just a suggestion. I won't keep you for long. It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Greene."
"You too," Beth replied, opening the door for Adrian.
"I suggest heading to the information center tomorrow morning. They'll help you get settled properly," Adrian smiled. "We're happy to have you here. Goodnight."
Nodding, Beth closed the door behind the woman and listened to the calm silence of her new apartment. The only sounds were the ticking of the clock and murmuring from her neighbors next door. Letting the fatigue in, she turned off the lights and fell into her new double sized bed.
Despite the amount of people and assurances of safety around her, Beth never felt more alone in her life.
…
The next morning, Beth walked with Gabriel to the Information Center. The sun was bright and warm, and they were a bit surprised to see kids and their parents running around. It warmed Beth's heart to see this domesticity when the world had gone to shit.
"Have an idea of what you want to do?" Gabriel asked, his crutches clicking on the sidewalk.
"Thinkin' about joinin' that Search Guard," she replied, not meeting his eye while playing with the hem of her tee-shirt.
"But Beth, you just got here," he tried to reason, "It's safe and that's what we wanted, right?"
"No, that's what you wanted," she retorted, glancing over at him. "I need to find my group. That lady, Adrian, said that they're planning a mission to head south. I'm going to find them. They're my family."
Gabriel sighed, "I guess there's nothing I can do about it, can I?"
"Nope!" Beth smirked humorlessly. "What are you doing? Got your work cut out for ya?"
"Might as well join the ministry. Ain't much else that I can do," he replied.
"Well, I'm sure you're gonna help a lot of people." Beth gave him a tight smile. "You may not have been the best survivor, but you'll be fine here. Where you're not runnin' from walkers and other things."
"Thank you, Beth," he said after a few moments of quiet.
"Don't mention it."
Beth spent the rest of the morning talking to the head of the Search Guard, whose name was Lieutenant Clarke. Having been in the army for quite some time, he seemed impressed with Beth's knowledge of guns and survival skills. He suggested taking a few extra training courses, but he felt pretty confident that Beth would be able to join them. She got a surge of confidence after talking to him – no one ever assumed that she was able to take care of herself. This was a nice change.
She spent the rest of the afternoon picking up items that had been donated to help new residents. She walked home with bags filled with clean clothes, toiletries, and food. Beth was tired as soon as the sun set, and that night she was too tired to be lonely.
…
Beth spent the next few weeks training and getting to know some of the other trainees. There was Leah, who was a bubbly brunette from Ohio. She arrived in DC a few months before her. There was Marcus, an ex-Marine who was from Alabama. He and his family had arrived after the outbreak happened and were among the few to have helped defend the White House. There was Kyle too, who was all the way from Nevada. He assured them that it was just as shitty on the West Coast as well.
She didn't see Gabriel very much during the week, only on Sundays when she would go to Mass and have dinner with him. They didn't talk a lot, but they appreciated each other's company.
She didn't say goodbye to him the day the team, affectionately named Operation Bible Belt, left the confines of the city. Beth rode in one of the three army trucks filled with supplies. The trucks would wait at a certain point for the helicopter to circle around the area, looking for survivors. When they found a group of people, they would take off and meet the helicopter and the group there to take them back to the city. It was a lot of waiting around and driving, but Beth would never forget the joy and relief on the faces of the people she helped save.
One morning a few weeks into the mission, Beth woke up to the sound of the truck rumbling to life under her. Sitting up, she looked over at Leah and Marcus who were adjusting their weapons in their holsters. "Did anything come in on the radio?" she asked groggily, fixing her ponytail and tucking in her black tank top into her cargo pants.
"Yep. A group with fifteen people just on the Georgia-South Carolina border. Biggest group yet," Leah replied, grinning. "They have kids with 'em too. Their dad sounded so relieved."
Beth nodded, smiling slightly. "How long til we reach them?"
"Bout two hours," Marcus sighed. "It's gonna be cramped on the way back."
The team drove down the highway in mostly silence, the chilly fall winds whipping her hair back and forth. It was a bit cool, but she knew it was only going to get warmer as the day went on. They saw a few walkers following them, but they mostly stumbled over their broken limbs and still corpses that littered the highway.
"Almost there," Kyle called from the driver's seat as he turned off the interstate onto a dirt road. Beth made sure her laces were tight and her guns where securely strapped in her twin leg holsters. Tightening the straps on her pack with food and water, she nodded at Leah and Marcus. The group was most likely going to be resistant at first, but they needed to convince them that everything was going to be okay and Washington DC was truly a safe place to be.
As the truck slowed to a stop, she heard Lieutenant Clarke shouting at Kyle where to pull in. As soon as the truck stopped, Beth climbed out, careful to avoid falling off of the large tires.
She began walking towards the lieutenant when she noticed a very familiar face standing by and talking to the lieutenant. Her heart beat racing, Beth's mouth went dry as she realized who it was. "Rick?" she called weakly, her voice cracking as she approached the men.
Rick Grimes turned and faced her, an expression of bewilderment and disbelief breaking out over his features. At the same time, another familiar voice shrieked her name, and Beth was tackled to the ground by her sister.
Beth wasn't sure if she was laughing or crying as Maggie clung to her, who helped her up and pulled her younger sister into a bone crushing hug. Wiping her tears on Maggie's thermal, she looked up and saw the faces of the ones she loved, her family.
Her eyes searched the crowd, imprinting every familiar and unfamiliar face into her memory. She paused on one in particular. He was standing at the back of the group, crossbow hanging loosely from his fingertips. His shaggy and greasy brown hair hung in front of his eyebrows and behind his ears. Beth felt her chest tighten as she met his gaze and let everything go quiet around her. Sliding out of Maggie's arms, she ran towards Daryl Dixon and launched herself into his arms, ignoring their audience. She wrapped her arms around his neck, giggling as her feet were lifted off of the ground as his grip on her waist tightened.
"Jesus, Beth, I'm so fucking sorry. I'm so sorry," he muttered over and over into her ear. "I should have been there – I should have – I let you down."
Beth shook her head, pulling back a bit to look him in the eye, knees almost buckling from the vulnerability that shone through. "You did what you had to do, which was keeping yourself alive." Reaching down, she found his hand and squeezed, interlacing their fingers together. "I'm fine. The man who took me thought he was saving me from the herd. He didn't lay a finger on me. I'm okay, I promise."
Daryl looked at his feet taking a deep breath, and glanced back up at her. "Still don't change the fact that I wasn't there when you needed me most," he almost whispered, cupping her face with his free hand.
Beth gave him a watery smile and shook her head again. "You were," she murmured and let him place a kiss on her forehead before burying her face in his chest.
A loud clearing of a throat interrupted their spell, causing Beth to turn around and see Lieutenant Clarke smirking at her. "Hate to speed up this lovely reunion, but you need to leave now if you want to get back to the city before dark," he called and started walking back to the helicopter.
"Right." Beth nodded and pulled away from Daryl reluctantly, giving his hand one last squeeze. Ignoring the stares that Maggie, Rick, and Carol were giving her, she took off her pack and began handing everyone water bottles and protein bars. "We have a few cans of fruit in the trucks. Are y'all ready to see Washington DC?" She asked brightly, smiling at the ones she loved.
