"Listen to me, Beth." The rugged man lifts his arm and points a finger northwest of the spot he and his friend are standing in now. "I want you to run," he says. "I want you to run and you don't stop for nothin'."
The girl shakes her head and swallows the lump in her throat. "We've all got jobs to do. That's how we get this done," she reasons with herself.
Daryl lifts his hand to her cheek. "Understand?" His voice is harsh, but also comforting and understanding.
"I understand," she says.
"Go straight for that field." He squints and brings a hand up to his forehead, protecting his eyes from the unforgiving Georgia sun. "I'll be right behind you."
Her blue eyes start to well up with tears. "What if we get separated? I can't be alone in this mess! Not after what happened to my daddy."
"BETH!" Daryl grabs hold of the hysterical girl. "You are a figh—"
ZWOOOOOM!
A bullet shoots through Daryl's arm. "Damn it!" His hand shoots up to cover the wound. "Damn it, Beth! GO!"
Horrified, Beth spins around and starts to run off in the direction Daryl had told her to go in the first place.
The two sprint to the field of tall grass, pushing the stalks out of their way. Voices can be heard in the distance.
Beth suddenly trips over her own two feet and falls to the grass. She couldn't get back up.. her body wouldn't let her. Was it fear that had held her weak frame to the ground? Or was it the fact that her protector had also fallen? The two hadn't eaten a satisfying meal in days, water was scarce, and the heat was unbearable. He probably passed out from exhaustion and malnourishment.
"Chris, where do you think they went? Think they're still in the fields or do you think they went back to the woods?" The voices are closer now.
"I'm not sure but, let's split up. We'll get them quicker that way… And Greg?"
"Yeah?"
"Get closer before you shoot next time. We practice this lifestyle for a reason, dumbass. If you get close enough, there is no way you can miss."
"Sorry," Greg replies.
"You take the field. The guy looked like he was at home in the woods. There's more of a chance they went where they're comfortable. If that's the case, I want to be the one to find them."
The footsteps drift away.
"Daryl. Pssst." Beth nudges her friend and tugs on his vest. No response. She pounds the ground with her fists, trying to come up with a way out of this.
Swoosh, swish, swish, swoosh.
The sound of footsteps grows closer as the grass parts. Judging by the sound, the suitor must be huge.
Running out of options, Beth snatches Daryl's handgun from the holster around his waist. She crawls away from Daryl. Beth lays down, hidden by the tall grass.
"Lookee what I found." Beth peers through the stalks and sees Greg standing over Daryl. "We'll eat good tonight," he says. "All the muscle on that body."
"Eat?!" Beth's eyes wide as fear drowns her heart. Returning to the situation at hand, Beth watches as Greg bends down to pick up Daryl. Walkerrs are closing in around them, but they are still a long ways away. They stumble through the woods, their hideous moans echoing through the trees. Once Greg turns around to flee, Beth jumps up from her hiding spot. "I'm a fighter," she tells herself.
Click.
She pulls back the hammer on the handgun. Greg turns at the sound of the noise, Daryl still over his shoulder.
"Put. Him. Down." Beth commands. Greg doesn't move a muscle, except for the smirk growing on his face. "NOW!" This sudden burst of confidence comes from the memory of her father. She remembers the time he told her she would survive this world no matter what. He had told her she would protect herself and her friends. She had to do this, to honor her father and to protect the man who had taken care of her during the hardest days of her life.
"Hollllllld on, little lady. Just put the gun down and we'll talk."
"Don't underestimate me. I'm a hell of a lot better shot than you are." Beth feels the anger boil under her pale ski as she relishes in the shocked face Greg makes at the insult. "We'll try this again," she speaks politely. "Put him down, now." Her country girl accent comes through.
Greg raises his eyebrows and says, "Ok, nobody has to get hurt." He sets Daryl down and raises his hands in the surrendering fashion. His eyes plead as he realizes he is outmatched. If he takes one step, he risks getting his brains blown out. If he tries to run, the walkers will surely get him or he could get shot anyway.
"We can go back to my camp. This wasn't anythin' personal," Greg persuades.
"You are once naïve man if you think I'm gonna let you walk away from this.
POP!
Beth sends a bullet through the giant's heart. He falls with a thud. She debates ending his suffering right then, but decides against it. She stares at his gasping mouth as he desperately searches for air. How many innocent people did he and his group eat? She shivers at though. "I'll leave you for them," she says as she acknowledges the walkers by nodding her head in their direction.
By this time, Daryl has come to. He hasn't moved because shock has his body paralyzed. What happened to her? The sweet girl he met at the farm is long gone now. This world changes people and that's all there is to it.
Beth turns to Daryl, leaving behind her kill. She squats dow and wraps a delicate hand around Daryl's bicep after sliding the handgun into the back of her jeans.
"C'mon," she prods. "We gotta go."
"Hah," he chuckles. "You won't catch me arguin'." Daryl hops to his feet and puts pressure on his wound. The two start running away from the scene. Slinging his crossbow across his back Daryl murmurs, "Thank you."
Beth looks at him with her wide eyes and nods her head in acknowledgement.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" The survivors ignore the screams and keep moving.
Beth closes her eyes tight and blocks out the cries of the man she left for the walkers. A lone tear squeezes out of her eye and rolls down her cheek.