SHE WHO SURVIVES

BY APRIL CATHLEEN CORNELIUS

CHAINSAWLOLIPOP

She had went out the window and ran for the road like he told her. Beth hadn't seen the car. In a flash the men grabbed her. She dropped her things as they threw her in the back seat and took off.

She looked out the window and saw Daryl running after her. Everything had been so perfect. Daryl finally admitted he was falling for her and they were about to kiss when they heard the dog again. They were set up. It was obvious now. The place was too clean, too perfect.

Beth looked around for a means of escape. She was not going to let this happen to her. She promised Daryl she wouldn't leave him and Beth was going to keep it.

Over the last two months, Daryl had taught her a lot of things. Hunting and tracking, how to use a crossbow and a few other things. He taught her just in case anything happened to him. They were the only two left and the pair had grown close. Very close.

"Ya need ta know ta take care'a yerself Girl not just huntin' and trackin. Not just the dead ya gotta worry about now," He taught her some basic self defense and Beth learned quickly. When the men grabbed her, she tried to fight them off but they were so much bigger than her. That's all right. She waited for a chance.

"Mary ain't gonna like this. Look at her she ain't got no meat on her bones. Not even worth it," The first man the one with the do-rag on his head said.

"Yeah but look at her she's young she'd make a good breeder." The second man said.

So that's what they took me for, thought Beth as they drove around in circles. Fuck that shit, she thought to herself. No way in hell was she going to allow herself to be either killed and eaten or used as a breeder. One way or another she would get out of this and then get back to Daryl.

Beth and Daryl had grown very close over the last two months. After the night at the cabin, things had changed. Daryl's anger disappeared. He treated her like he cared about her. And over the last week she noticed his beautifully expressive eyes on her more often. Daryl wasn't someone who could hide his emotions very well. His eyes were so damn expressive and recently Beth noticed something different in his eyes.

They found the funeral home that morning after she twisted her ankle tracking a walker. As she moved in to put it down, she got her foot caught in an old trap. Fortunately she was wearing boots. Her ankle wasn't broken, just sprained. He carried her piggy back into the graveyard. They stopped and looked at the stones . Then they went in the house.

It was so clean. Someone had been taking care of it but there was no sign of that now. There wasn't any dust. The other houses they found were full of dust. Not this place. Someone was dusting regularly.

It the pantry they found all kinds of food. Cola, peanut butter and jelly, pigs feet all kinds of stuff. It had been so long since Beth had peanut butter. It tasted so good. Much better than roasted rattlesnake.

"Dibs on the pigs feet," Daryl had said, smiling at her. His eyes met hers and she blushed. She was becoming very attracted to Daryl. He was the sexiest man she'd ever seen who didn't realize or care how sexy he was. Earlier that day they had found a stream. They couldn't really be alone. Someone had to keep watch.

Beth had stripped down to bathe in the creek. Daryl kept watch but twice she felt his eyes on her. Strangely it really didn't bother her. In fact she kind of liked it. And when he bathed, she peeked at him a little too. He had been looking at her as he bathed and as he stood up to get out she saw he was erect. Their eyes met for a split second. He knew she saw and he liked it. She turned away, blushing slightly. God the man was so incredibly sexy! Beth had thought.

He got out and dressed. They started to move on. Beth was slightly in front of him. He came up behind her, his body pressed against her back. He leaned over and whispered in her ear "Ya like what ya seen? Cause I did," he said and she felt his lips lightly brush her cheek. Beth thought she was dreaming for a second. She turned around and smiled at him., blushing. "Yer so fuckin cute when yer bashful," he said as they moved on.

"Daryl!" she giggled. They had a lot of conversations like this one since the cabin. Up til now she figured he thought of her as just a kid he had to look after but she figured it had to be September so she was close to her nineteenth birthday. She wasn't a kid.

In truth, Beth did like what she saw and she wondered what sex with Daryl would be like. She'd only done it once with Zack not really because she loved him (she didn't love him though) but because she didn't want to die a virgin. Now the closer she and Daryl had become over these months alone, Beth realized she liked him a lot. It felt good when he'd put his arms around her at night to keep her warm. And lately when he'd touch her she felt something. Sparks.

The night before the moonshine shack, they had spent in the trunk of one the cars they were raiding for supplies. It was getting ready to storm. The air was still, close and their clothes clung to their bodies. Then the herd started to come through. They got in the trunk. There wasn't a whole lot of room and Beth could feel Daryl's body pressed against her backside. From what she could feel, he liked it. A lot. So did Beth. By the time the sun started to rise in the morning, Beth's panties were so wet she would have to take them off first chance she got.

They had found the funeral home the next day after the cabin. They should have known it was a trap. It was too clean. Someone was taking care of it but there was no sign of them.

In the kitchen pantry, they found Cola, pickled pigs feet, and peanut butter and jelly.

"Diet cola, pigs feet peanut butter and jelly that's a white trash brunch right there," Daryl said scooping out a glob of jelly and licking it off his fingers, His eyes were on hers the whole time. It made Beth wonder what else he could do with that tongue and she felt herself blushing again.

"Dibs on the pigs feet," Daryl said. That was fine with Beth. Then they set up a makeshift alarm system and explored the funeral home. In one room they found a piano and a coffin.

Beth sat down and started to play, trying to remember one of the songs she wrote before the Turn. Daryl came in and hopped in the coffin. Beth stopped playing and turned around.

"What are you doing?" she said.

"What it's the most comfortable bed Ive had in years," he was looking at her, his eyes locked on hers. "Why don't ya keep playin?" he said.

"Thought my singing annoyed you." She said to him. He smiled at her

"Ain't no jukebox so.." she turned around and started playing again. By the time she was done he had fallen asleep.

Once he woke up, they fixed dinner and sat at the table.

"I'm going to leave a thank you note," she said to him. He was looking at her again with that look.

"Why? Maybe we could I don't stay here, if they come back, tell'em in person," he was blushing, "it could work,"

"Thought you said there w3erent any good people left. What changed your mind," he was moving closer to her.

"You' know," he said blushing. His eyes said it all.

"Oh," she said. She was stunned. He's thinking about you the way you're thinking about him, she thought to herself. They were moving closer, about to kiss when they heard the noise.

"Its that dog, maybe he'll come in this time," Daryl got up to let him in. "Stay back this time," she did stunned by the knowledge he was about to kiss her lips and she wanted him to.

"Beth run! Get your shit go out the window!" he screamed. There were walkers at the door. It was a set up they don't try to come unless they hear you. She ran for the window

"I'm not leaving you," she said. She got outside and ran for the road. She didn't see the two men until it was too late. They picked her up off the ground and dragged her into the car. She could see Daryl running after her and she thought to herself,

I will get out of this and get back to you Daryl I love you

Beth waited for her chance to escape. The car was going too fast to jump, she knew that. The sun was starting to come up when they reached their destination. The sign said

TERMINUS SANCTUARY FOR ALL.

A heavyset woman with ratted hair in ponytail and about six sweaters greeted them.

"Not enough meat on her for the larder take her to the breeder pen," Beth glared at her. She struggled against the men. "Quit fighting us little girl there's no way out for you,"

She spit on him "Fuck you," she said, He slapped her face. Beth remembered what Daryl taught her. She stomped on his foot and yanked herself free. She ran as fast as she could. Beth ran track in high school; she had no problem running..

She knew they'd be following her. She heard the car. She had no choice but to hide in the woods. She needed to think, find the direction back to funeral home.

She heard footsteps; the men were coming. Beth still had her knife, the one Daryl gave her.

"Lets split little bitch couldn't have gotten too far," the one in the bandana said. Beth was ready when he came around the tree. She stabbed him in the throat just like Daryl taught her. She pulled the knife out and rammed it through his skull. One down one to go then find Daryl.

Daryl had chased the car that had taken Beth. He ran all night til he collapsed on the road, tears spilling from his eyes. His heart was broken; somehow over the last two months he had fallen in love with Beth. It was silly he knew; he was a lot older than her but to him it didn't matter. Back in the old world, she was legally old enough to do what she wanted. Now nobody really cared.

They had been flirting for a while. Yesterday at the creek he caught a glimpse of her naked body. Good Lord the woman was so fucking hot he couldn't stand it. Her breasts were perfect. How he wanted to bury his face in them! He caught a glimpse of the soft curls of her mound and he wondered what she tasted like. He saw her watch him too, saw that he was erect. He wanted her for sure. But he wanted to do this slow. He didn't want to just take her. He didn't want her to think it was just about sex. He wanted her but he wanted all of her not just her body.

In his past, he had hookups. He never had a girlfriend per se, just sluts Merle brought around and trailer trash whores. Never meant anything. But Beth was different. She was special, good and pure. He didn't know if she was a virgin or not but even if she wasn't there was a pure sweetness about her. She shined like a light in the darkness to him and he needed her. He was lost without her.

Gonna find ya sweetheart don't be scared never let anyone hurt ya

"Dibs on the angel wings," Daryl was suddenly surrounded by a group of men. His crossbow in the leaders face the man said to him

"If you fire these men will drop you seven times over," said Joe. Daryl didn't care; he cared about nothing except finding Beth and telling her how he felt.

He went with them, knowing he didn't stand a chance by himself.

The other man was following her. She heard his footsteps though he hadn't spotted her. She doubled back til she was behind him. Beth was done playing games. She tracked him reading the signs that Daryl had taught her to recognize. Her knife was drawn. She stalked him as he was stalking her. She was afraid though the man was bigger than her.

"Size don't matter if ya do it right like I taught ya you can take down someone a lot bigger than you," he said. In this new world it wasn't just the dead you had to worry about. It was the living too. He taught to fight both walkers and living people.

She snuck up behind him quiet as a ninja and before he could react, her knife was buried in the back of his neck. He fell to the ground in a puddle of blood. She quickly rammed the knife through his ear into his brain. That one Carol taught her back at the prison .

She didn't think anyone else was following her. Now she had to find the way back, Back to Daryl. She wanted, needed him to know how much she loved him. How her heart ached every moment away from him.

She walked most of the day, hiding from the walkers. She had no supplies with her, no way to start a fire. She was afraid but she kept moving. It would be dark soon. She needed to find a place to hide.

There were some bushes off to the right. It would have to do though it wouldn't be comfortable. She crawled inside to wait.

Daryl learned the rules quickly. You saw something you wanted you yell "claimed" you don't lie or steal. In all honesty, Joe wasn;t that bad,. The other ones though were worse than Merle and his friends. He told Joe about Beth. He would stay with them for now but he had to find her.

Joe said they'd help but when and if they find her he best yell "claimed" or one of them would. He understood and had no intention if they found her to let the other guys touch her. Joe recognized that Daryl was more of an asset to the group than anyone else.

They were looking for a place to camp for the night. Daryl walked by a clump of bushes . Suddenly something burst out of them. He raised his crossbow. And then he saw her.

"CLAIMED!" he yelled "Beth oh Beth" she threw herself into his arms crying. He held her so tightly.

"New rule," Joe said to the rest of the men. "For as long as Daryl and Beth remain with us she is off limits to every one of you. If you touch her or even think of touching her the punishment is death Is that understood?" The men grumbled; a fine piece of tail like that and they weren't allowed to touch it? Crying shame.

"I ran all night I tried to find you," he was still holding her tightly.

"They were cannibals; those people they took me to Terminus they were gonna use me as a breeder. They're raising people for food!" she was crying.

"Sh… its over now Im here never gonna let ya go I-I love ya Beth have fer a long time now,"

She looked up at him, tears still in her eyes. "I love you too Daryl all I could think about was getting back to you," she hugged him tightly.

They set up their camp. Daryl and Beth set up off to the side. Daryl gave Beth her bag, all the things she had dropped. She was laying next to him, looking at him. She touched his face and he closed his eyes. Her touch sent butterflies through him. He took her hand.

"So," he said looking in her eyes. "Are we.." he was blushing.

Beth smiled

"Yes Daryl I'm yours ,"

He smiled and kissed her passionately and pulled her to him. Just before he fell asleep with his woman in his arms he thought

Good people do survive

He was holding one in his arms now.

THE END