"We should burn it down."
...So that's exactly what they did. It was their only shelter, but at least they got some use out of it. Though, they didn't really use it for shelter, instead they found a couple jars of moonshine and played a stupid drinking game. And that's right about the time Daryl found himself falling for her. He may of already fallen, if he was being completely honest with himself. But it took a while for him to realize it.
The whole thing was Beth's idea, she needed a drink and stomped off before he had a say. Hershel never liked the girls to drink since he was a recovering alcoholic, so she never drank. Not even when they had a few drinks at the prison.
But pain changes people, makes them see life for what it really is. And this life was anything but magical or a damn romance novel, he guessed Beth had plenty of time to think about it.
It really hit him, as they stood watching the shack go up in flames, that he felt more connected to Beth. She wasn't that little girl trying to commit suicide, or singing all the damn time - she was different now. She grew up. He just hoped it wasn't a bad thing, her finally holding her own. But it had to happen sooner or later.
They ran all night until they came to a clearing in the woods. The sun was peaking up over the horizon and down on the trees and grass, morning dew glistening in it's rays. They trudged through the damp field until they came to a small dirt road, where they found more than a thousand footprints.
Walkers.
Beth was horrified at just how many passed through, and how many probably passed them that night of the storm, when they had to hide in the trunk of a car. She looked to Daryl, but he wasn't phased by any of it, just accepted it for what it was worth and moved on. But it wasn't okay. None of this was okay.
She followed him anyway, the silence between them speaking volumes. He was scared just like she was, but wasn't going to admit it. He had a hard time admitting anything really. It was almost as if he was afraid people would make fun of him, and she could almost bet it had something to do on the scars on his back.
Though she never saw them personally, her Daddy had at the farm when Daryl fell off Nellie. He needed a few stitches and he saw the scars and instantly knew they were from years of abuse. You don't get those kinds of scars from bar fights. But Daddy never said anything to him, and made her swear she wouldn't either. It would only embarrass him if people knew.
"So where are we going now?"
Daryl glanced behind him briefly then returned his eyes to the road."Gonna find some warmer clothes, gettin' cold at night and it's only gonna get colder."
"It must be fall then." She noted, looking up to the sky.
"Then M'hopin' we find a place to stay. Somethin' safe an' secure."
Beth blushed."And I swear I won't burn it down."
Daryl snorted and looked down, kicking a rock clear across the dirt road. She had a way of making him smile, but it wasn't that hard, he found himself smiling like an idiot when he was around her anyway.
"I won't if you won't."
Beth smiled and moved closer to him, their hands brushing up against each other. He didn't make a move to leave and neither did she. Maybe he felt safer this close to her, because she felt pretty safe this close to him. She wouldn't tell him though, for fear he'd get scared. He seemed to get scared when people got too close. At least, that's what she observed at the prison and the farm. She had a lot of time on her hands, in between trying to commit suicide and taking care of Judith. Observing others became a sport, or really something to pass the time away.
"Beth."
She glanced up and realized she had been zoning out. She blushed."Sorry, what?"
"Said There's somethin' up there. Keep close an' pay attention."
"Right, sorry."
He nodded and they both hurried over to a tree close to the edge of the woods. There was a small group of cabins and a stream running through the back. It looked like something out of a scary movie. Beth silently prayed there were clothes and food inside, because it was giving her a bad vibe.
Daryl motioned for Beth to follow him, he didn't really wait for her to respond, before he was nearly half way across the camp. She hurried after him and as she reached him, he was already wiping a small area of the window and peering inside.
"I'unt see anything."
"We should at least check." She insisted."You never know what's inside."
He sighed and walked to the door, jiggled the knob a little and the door popped open with a squeak. They waited until it swung open and hit the back wall before even attempting to enter. They decided that was a must, so that they weren't surprised.
Dust coated every inch of the place, and the floorboards creaked when they walked. Plaid curtains hung loosely from the single window in the back, and ripped posters of 70's icons were plastered on the wall. It looked as if it had been untouched for decades. Maybe it had.
Daryl strode over to the cabinets and opened one, a small field mouse jumped out on to the counter and scurried off under the stove. Beth squeaked and jumped in the corner of the cabin, earning a glare from Daryl, a look of both annoyance and amusement. She blushed and mouthed an apology. She always hated mice.
"Ain't sure how old these are, check the dates an' wipe 'em off." He tossed a can of dusty green beans at her.
After she successfully caught the can, she stuffed it into the black backpack. Daryl whistled and she whirled around, just as he tossed her another can, this one baked beans. She stuffed that into the bag as well and walked over to the closet. She sucked in a breath and quickly swung open the door, when nothing came out she let out the breath she'd been holding.
There were some clothes hanging on a few hangers - a flannel, a grey sweater with some holes in it, a pair of shorts thrown on the top shelf and a pink summer dress laying crumpled on the floor.
"Here." Beth handed Daryl the flannel."It's something until we find something warmer."
He nodded and threw it over his shoulder. Beth shrugged on the stiff sweater and fixed the collar a bit.
"It's itchy, but it'll do."
"Got holes in it, gonna be warm enough?" He worried.
She shrugged."It's temporary."
He nodded and pulled on the much larger flannel, buttoned it up then pulled his vest back on over top of it.
"If your cold, jus' let me know." He mumbled.
It wasn't like he had much to give her, but, she tried imagining herself wearing his leather vest, and nearly giggled at the thought. However, he most likley meant they'd go into a town and look for a clothing store, that way they could both find something. She knew he didn't want to go into any towns, beings they were so populated with walkers. But she knew he would if they had to.
After ransacking the cabin and finding a few more useful things, they left the area quickly, as some walkers stumbled into the campground. They figured they had enough for the night, and they would worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.
They ended up back in the woods somewhere, looking for some shelter before the storm rolled in. Walkers usually traveled in packs during storms, and they'd be dammed if they ended up facing another herd.
While looking for shelter, Daryl had been tracking a deer for a few miles, they were both excited for the possibility of some decent meat, until a few sluggish tracks entwined with the deer tracks. He immediately knew they weren't going to be so lucky. He turned to Beth and pointed at the ground, her brow furrowed a bit as she inched closer to the ground.
"What am I looking at?"
"You tell me." He brought his thumb up to his mouth.
"Hmm." Her forehead creased."Looks like I need a lesson in tracking."
She stood up and turned to Daryl, her eyes pretty much begging him to teach her.
"Ain't much to learn, jus' trial an' error."
"C'mon Daryl, I mean, I wanna know what we're hunting for, not just take your word for it." She heaved a sigh."Please?"
Daryl grunted."Fine. But ya gotta pay attention, I ain't doin' this twice."
She smiled and held out her hands.
Daryl's brow furrowed."What?"
"I need your crossbow."
He snorted.
"Daryl how can I track properly if I can't use your crossbow?"
"You think I learned with one?"
She huffed and stomped her foot."Please?"
He rolled his eyes and carefully handed it over."S'lighter than my old one, might be heavy for you."
"I can handle it." She took it into her hands and watched as Daryl explained how to use it.
It was a crash course but she listened carefully, he was only going to explain once, or so he claimed. After he was done explaining the basics, he followed her as she took the lead. Every so often he'd remind her about her posture, or where her hands should go, but other than that she was on her own.
She picked up the tracks that Daryl was following earlier, half expecting him to say something on what to look for, but he was quiet - observing her, as she studied the prints.
All she could see were deer tracks, but sluggish prints entwined. She stood back up and looked around, listening for any signs of a walker or animals. When she was satisfied, she looked back down at the tracks and followed them closely.
"They're all zig zaggy." She finally spoke."Like a walker."
"Or a drunk."
She smirked."So why're we following it then?"
"You tell me, you're the tracker." He shrugged.
She rolled her eyes and turned back to the trail."I guess we could see where it leads us."
"You're the boss."
A triumphant smile spread across her face."Pretty soon I won't need you at all."
He inhaled a sharp breath."...Yeah. Jus' keep walkin'."
And they did.
They followed the tracks for about 10 or 15 minutes, before coming to a clearing in the woods, where a walker sat hunched over a deer. The deer they were tracking for a few miles, a deer they got their hopes up for. Beth frowned as she looked ahead at the walker, wishing like hell it hadn't of gotten to it first. And as if to remind her, her stomach grumbled.
She looked to Daryl for support and he nodded his head. It would be her first kill with the crossbow, and she couldn't deny how excited she was. She quietly crept up behind the walker, exactly how Daryl explained it, her hands placed in the right spot, her finger hovering above the trigger but not yet on it.
She was getting closer and closer, so close she could already smell the rotting flesh. She raised the crossbow, ready to take aim and shoot, when something clamped down on her ankle. For a split second she thought it was a walker, but there were no other walkers in the area. She fell to the ground and raised the crossbow, shooting an arrow in it's neck. It wasn't enough to do any damage, but to slow it down a bit.
Before she knew it, Daryl was ripping the crossbow out of her hands and swinging it into the walker, knocking him down and crushing its head with his boot. He raced back over to her and dropped to his knees beside her, grabbing ahold of the bear trap and prying it apart. The trap snapped shut as he tossed it into the grass.
"You alright?" He questioned, concern obvious in his voice and actions.
"Yeah, just hurts when I move it."
He moved his hand down her leg and squeezed, it wasn't until he got to her ankle that she hissed. He stood up and grabbed her elbow, hoisting her to her feet. She hissed again and fell into him. He wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Take your time." He assured her."Probably jus' a sprain."
She nodded and gripped his vest as she took a step. She hoped it got easier to walk on the more she walked on it, depending on how severe the sprain was. Daryl didn't seem too concerned with it, so it most likely wasn't as bad as she thought.
They walked a good mile at least, before it really started to throb. She needed to get off her feet for a while, but didn't know how to bring it up. She released her grip a little and leaned down to rub her leg, he stopped completely and stood there watching, his arm and hand still very much around her waist.
"I gotta sit down for a bit." She slid from his grip and sat on the cold ground.
"Take your time. Looks like a house up there anyway."
Beth glanced up from her ankle and saw what Daryl was talking about. Up on a hill over looking a cemetery, was an older looking house, with two large pillars in the front. It was a hike to get up there, but once they were up there, it looked like a safe and secure place to hunker down in for the night, possibly longer if needed.
Daryl helped her stand once more, her ankle throbbing something awful, making her whimper in pain. He moved out in front of her and knelt down a bit, she looked at him; puzzled.
"Hop on."
She snorted."Are you serious?"
"Yeah, a serious piggyback." He wiggled his fingers, signaling her to hurry.
She inhaled a sharp breath, placed her hands on his shoulders, and hopped on to his back. His hands gripped the back of her thighs, as she adjusted to being on his back. She was carrying a large bag, so everything was more awkward than it should've been.
"Heavier than ya look."
She breathed a laugh."Thanks."
They started the journey up the hill towards the house, a little slower than they both would've liked. But it was a nice change of pace for once, and Beth took the time to really study their surroundings. Everything was still and waking up from the night, making it almost possible to forget where they were, or what they were running from. But a sinking feeling suddenly washed over her that she couldn't shake; she bit her lip.
"What if there's people?"
He shrugged."I'll take care of 'em."
"What if they're good?"
"All the good ones are dead." He said quite bitterly.
"Not all of them, Daryl."
He didn't respond and the silence grew again between the two. Beth didn't feel like arguing anymore, she turned her head and stared the trees.
To be continued...
I've always thought that Beth and Daryl could have made a life at the funeral home. So I'm giving it a shot!
The first chapter is a little fast pace, but I wanted to get in the things we never saw, but should have, while trying to fit in what we already know. That should continue throughout the story :D
Xoxo