Hi well, I changed Daryl's age in this to a closer age to Beth but not too close as too ruin the whole badass vibe he has. Please review or PM me with constructive criticism or just a lovely compliment to make my day! Thanks
Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead.
Daryl admired Beth's optimism. Although they did have different views on the subject, he didn't diminish her hope. She believed there were good people left in the world, but Daryl couldn't help but think the good people were now trying to tear them apart. He told her that only bad people survived, because they were willing to do everything to survive but he quickly corrected himself when he saw her teary eyes. He could still hear her small voice whisper, "Am I a bad person?", he regretted what he'd said and reassured her that as long as he was around she wouldn't have to hurt anyone for survival. He'd felt a unfamiliar feeling in his stomach that immediately lifted his spirits when she'd smiled and thanked him quietly.
Their conversation had haunted him for days after, keeping him awake at night. In his experience, the small ones never lasted long. Beth was too innocent and kind-hearted to do what was necessary in a situation, she'd could hardly hurt a fly let alone a live person. If he didn't protect her she'd be dead soon, and the thought of it made his stomach drop. He owed it to Herschel to keep his baby girl alive, but he promised Beth she wouldn't have to change.
He'd decided to train Beth, to hunt and to kill. So if she ended up on her own somehow she'd know the basics and hopefully she'd find some of those good people she believed in, to give her a home and a family.
"Daryl, I don't wanna hurt nobody", Beth sat, cross-legged at the kitchen table munching on stale coco pops. Daryl leaned against the wall across from her, nibbling on a cracker coated with the remnants of raspberry jam that they'd found in the cupboard along with several bottles of cola, stale biscuits and various out of date foods. Daryl had found a snack box of pop tarts and planned to surprise Beth with them after their hunting Gerp.
"I know but ya gotta learn somethin' if ya ever end up by y'self", Beth sent Daryl a worried glance before finishing her breakfast. She nodded firmly at Daryl, sliding her chef's knife they'd found discarded a while back, into her belt. Daryl picked up his crossbow from where he'd left it on the kitchen counter, following Beth into the hallway where she'd begun to unlock the door.
"There's a stray lyin' up against one of the grave stones but other than that it's safe", Beth looked to Daryl for confirmation that it was safe to go out, he nodded and they both ducked under the strung up cans that provided them with a minor alarm system. The walker Beth had mentioned was still laying still against the grave stone as they approached it.
It wasn't until they were right beside it did they notice the skull was caved in with a weapon of sorts. What unnerved Beth was the way the walker was positioned. It sat up straight against the stone with it's belly torn open, several organs Beth would've considered fatal to have, we're scattered around its carcass and the stomach in particular was ripped open, showing all the walkers recent meals in full detail. Beth stared at the walker, she presumed it had been a man but it was unidentifiable now, his hands were in the position as if he were praying. She couldn't help but heave up her breakfast as Daryl rubbed her back, somewhat awkwardly yet soothing.
While Beth had been studying the dead walker Daryl was staring at the headstone across from them, whoever had ripped open the walker used the black, oily blood to write a message on the stone. He shook his head and maneuvered himself so that Beth wouldn't have to see it. It worried him that a live person had been here recently and done this. They must've seen the candle light through the curtains, or at least have noticed the alarms.
Beth stumbled slightly but with Daryl's assistance she managed to stand straight and calm down. Daryl put his hand gently on her lower back, pushing her away from the carnage. She burst into a sGerde, heading towards the woods confidently. Daryl jogged to catch up with her and stepped in front.
"Don' go gettin' ahead of yerself. We don' know these woods so ya gotta go slow, walkin' more on yer toes than yer heel", Beth processed the information and did as he advised, she was unsteady on her toes for a few minutes but once she gained her balance Daryl led her into the woods, crossbow ready.
The leaves made odd sounds underneath her feet and Beth cringed at the disgusting noises but they couldn't get any walkers, or anything at all really. "D'you hear tha'?", Daryl pushed Beth behind him, standing tall and glancing around him cautiously. Beth didn't understand what he was doing. Slowly, but steadily he tiptoed through the trees stealthily, grinning to himself.
"I don't hear anythin' ", Daryl shushed her, pulling her in front of him and holding her tightly. Beth blushed a bright red colour at the close proximity of her and Daryl, she'd never been so close to him before and she could feel her stomach flutter, and her palms begin to sweat. Daryl's rough stubble brushed against her neck when he pointed through the trees at something Beth couldn't see, all she could concentrate on was how warm his body was and how ticklish her neck now felt.
"Ya gotta use all yer senses. Not jus' sight, listen hard and you'll hear it", Beth bit her lip, closing her eyes she focused on listening to her surroundings. She could hear Daryl's breathing, the wind blowing through branches and leaves. Sighing to herself, Beth tried to listen harder and almost gave up until she heard a twig snap and the whisper of something eating grass. She beamed up at Daryl who gave her a small smirk, so small she thought she might've imagined it.
She gazed around the tree trunk and saw the doe chewing grass in the clearing. Daryl handed her his crossbow and aimed it directly at the deer's head, going for a clean shot. Beth struggled to hold the heavy bow but Daryl's arms directed her and whispered the count of three in her ear before putting pressure on her finger, making her press it firmly and she watched in fascination as the arrow penetrated the deer's skull, killing the animal instantly. Daryl grinned in satisfaction at the success before jogging over pull the arrow from it's head.
Just as Daryl had managed to yank the arrow from it's position just above the left eye socket, they both heard a shaky, male voice call out to them, "Leave the deer, we'll let you go without a scratch", Beth glanced all around her and eventually her eyes nested on two dark figures that were watching them curiously from the midst of trees and shrubbery. Daryl smirked inwardly at Beth's nervous look, he could easily handle two people even with his crossbow across the clearing, next to Beth. The stood straight, arrow in hand and stared right at the two shadows, unwilling to show their faces.
"Come out then", Daryl's rough, intimidating voice provoked one of the two to step out into the clearing. A boy, around 20 or 21 even, pointed a gun at Daryl's head threatening him. Beth's almost inaudible gasp managed to reach Daryl's ears and he glanced at her reassuringly. "Who're ye?", The boy kept the gun trained on Daryl, but he glanced at Beth several times and his tough guy facade flickered.
"Not important now is it? I'm the one with the gun, you'll do the talking", Daryl grunted, how horribly cliche. He watched as the other person, a woman, stepped out from behind the trees and placed her hand on the boy's shoulder gently. She whispered a few words into his ear, that neither Beth nor Daryl could make out clearly and the boy lowered his weapon. "Who're you's?", The boy looked over to Beth for the answer, and she could see the worry in his eyes.
"I'm Beth, that's Daryl. We don' mean any harm, we're jus' hungry", Beth's eyes darted between the two, searching for any sign that they might let them live. The boy drew his gun again, aiming at Beth and faced Daryl for answers.
"You shoot 'er and I'll stick yer gun so far up yer ass tha' it'll damage your God damn brain", Daryl growled menacingly at the boy, snapping his teeth viciously. The boy, who had yet to introduce himself grinned, tucking his gun into the belt of his jeans. Beth visibly sighed in relief, as the boy approached Daryl with his hand extended.
"I'm Gavin Boyle, that's my sister Becky. You's got a camp 'round here?", Daryl glared at the hand until Gavin shrugged him off and put it in his hoodie pocket. Beth briskly walked over, dragging Daryl's crossbow with her and stood next to him to face Gavin. Becky was keeping her distance from the trio, observing Daryl warily.
"Small house, not too far from 'ere",
"You got others, people I mean?", Gavin glanced at Beth through his over grown hair, then Daryl. He appeared nervous, but relieved that they had a set-up.
"No, it's just the two of us. Do you have any others?", Beth half smiled at Gavin, who merely shook his head. Becky stepped up beside him, taking his hand in her own. The two seemed trust worthy enough, if you overlooked the gun pointing anyway. "You can stay awhile if you'd like, we can cook up this deer and talk", Gavin smiled genuinely at the idea, showing his approval by grabbing the doe's legs and waiting for Daryl grab it's head so they could lift it to the house.
Beth, and Becky walked ahead slightly, out of the boy's hearing range anyway. "How does your settlement work?", Becky was a quietly spoken girl, most of her words barely a whisper but Beth could hear her perfectly. For a minute Beth was confused, but she realised soon enough after that Becky and Gavin didn't understand their situation. They could think they were father and daughter, brother and sister, a couple or just two people who found each other and stuck together.
"We had a much bigger group, me an' Daryl were separated from 'em few moths ago and we've been try'na find 'em ever since", Before Becky could reply, Beth heard a loud, snarl from above them. The two girls glanced up and couldn't see anything immediately but when the snarl became a growl and the walker above them began to kick in the air.
Beth stepped back, gazing in horror when she seen the horribly disfigured walker hung from the tree. From what she could see the walkers eyes had been gouged out, and it's jaw was merely hanging on by a thread, if even. The walker's trousers had been pulled down to it's ankles, the flesh of it's legs was non existent but it didn't appear eaten, instead it looked as though the flesh had been ripped off or cut off with a machete or an extremely sharp knife at least. It's stomach was bloated, and it seemed well fed even though it hung from a rope, on the highest tree branch. The growls and moans got louder until Daryl and Gavin caught up with them and Daryl shot an arrow at it, the pressure of the arrow hitting the walker made it collapse to the ground, and the bloated stomach burst open, all it's rotted organs and black, oily blood to splurt out at the four.
"Aye Daryl, girls look someone cut the li'l fuckers cock off", Daryl pulled the arrow from it's brain, glancing down at the walkers crotch only to find a bloody mess the walkers genitals and penis had been cut off. "Wanna go look for it?", Gavin smirked in amusement, staring at each of the group members before settling on Beth. "No? Okay then, another time maybe. Becks, you help aul Daryl there, I'm gonna keep Beth company", Becky grabbed the deer's legs seconds before Daryl argued, not trusting Gavin alone with Beth but he noticed Beth's hand instinctively go towards her knife and grinned inwardly, knowing she'd be safe.
Becky wasn't much of a conversationalist, not too Daryl anyway but he enjoyed the silence having not gotten much of it with Beth. He just glared at Gavin's retreating figure and lumbered along after them, dragging tonight's dinner along.
"So, what age are you and the old man back there?", Gavin chuckled at his lame attempt at a joke, giving up when he saw Beth wince. "Look, I'm sorry. My sister's pretty hard skinned, she usually just ignores my bad jokes. I love her though, she's all I got and Daryl, did I pronounce that right? Well he's all you got right now, so you and me got something in common", Beth nodded, appreciating his apology.
"I'm 18, and Daryl's 27. How 'bout you's?",
"I'm 19, Rebecca's 17 so we're like a little aul age sandwich, aye?", The statement made Beth giggle and Gavin took that as a compliment, "See, there we go! You got a lovely smile Beth, you should use it more. With me, I got crooked teeth and a weird upper lip so all my smiles do look like I'm gonna murder someone. But you Beth, I want your trust honest. You and Daryl seem like good people and I need to keep my sister safe", Gavin was gazing at Beth, checking out what he was dealing with.
Her curly, blonde hair was stuck to her head in sweat, though Gavin couldn't judge, they all looked like that. She had beautiful, bright blue eyes that were swarming with emotions. Her childish features held an innocent beauty that most would overlook, because her eyes showed no such innocence. She was a head shorter than Gavin, who was tall in general but to him she was tiny. Her skinny body showed undernourishment, just as his and Becky's did too but she had curvy hips and firm breasts. Gavin couldn't help but fidget with his trousers when she wasn't looking.
"I understand", Beth smiled thinly at Gavin who was watching his shoes as though they were the most interesting thing in the world, Beth felt offended in a way that he wouldn't even look at her while they spoke.
"Before all this, did you have any siblings?", Gavin's eyes held a certain sadness that Beth could relate to. He must've lost a sibling. Beth nodded, biting her lip to keep away the tears. "I'm really sorry, if I hadda known I was gonna make you upset so much I would've stayed back with the brick wall", Beth laughed whole heartedly at the name for Daryl and Gavin felt a sense of pride at making the girl laugh. He didn't hear his sister laugh anymore, not even at the good jokes he told and it always left them in an awkward atmosphere for days. "I really like your laugh, and your smile. Where do they usually be?"
"We've only met, and you had a gun pointed at my head and at Daryl's so I'd 'ave been crazy to laugh or smile then", Gavin laughed at Beth, and she stared at him in surprise and offense.
"Wanna know a secret?", Beth nodded "That gun isn't even loaded", Gavin pulled the gun from his belt, aimed it at a tree and fired but nothing came out, just as he'd said. Beth gaped at him in shock and he just shrugged, nodding at the house now that'd come into view. "It's a pretty little thing isn't it? Bit morbid with all the graves and stuff but nice none the less", Gavin strided ahead of Beth, turning around to smile at her. He whooped and jumped in the air while running which made Beth laugh again and Becky snorted from behind her, making her jump a bit.
Daryl nudged Beth with his shoulder, urging her to keep walking so they could follow. Beth jogged toward the house at a nice pace, catching up with Gavin and prying the door open. She walked in and set Daryl's bow against the kitchen door frame. Daryl and Rebecca manuevred through the door, bringing the doe in for safety. It's scent would attract walkers if they left it outside.
Gavin whistled appreciatively, reappearing in the hallway after thoroughly searching the house. He and Daryl made awkward small talk while Beth dragged Rebecca to the bathroom to get her cleaned up. She hadn't noticed until they stepped into the house that Rebecca and Gavin were both covered in blood, not walker blood but what looked to be their own. Rebecca lifted her filthy tank top over her head, showing Beth the severe damage that had been done to her body.
Rebecca's entire stomach was covered in blood, but where the blood had either crusted and chipped off of her skin or where the top had rubbed it off, Beth saw fresh pink scars. Vertical, horizontal, diagonal all directions they were in, Beth was horrified by it and demanded that she take off her jeans also. Rebecca was hesitant but she pulled them off slowly, revealing the exact same type of skin underneath although there were much older scars there too.
"Oh my, what happened to you?", Beth's eyes began to sting, she could feel tears prickling but Rebecca's face remained stoic while Beth fawned over her, grabbing several bottles of water they'd left in the bath and dabbing it on to cloths to clean some of the blood.
"Me and Gavin were taken, by this man who told us he'd keep us safe. There was me, Gavin and our little sister Geraldine. Instead of keeping us, and the other dozen people there safe, he cut us up and cooked whatever organs we didn't need to survive. Ate them he didn't. But my sweet, baby sister she-" Rebecca couldn't finish her sentence because tears had begun to fall from her eyes rapidly and she fell against the bathroom door sobbing her eyes out in front of Beth who couldn't do anything to comfort the girl. Although Rebecca didn't finish her story, Beth could put the pieces together and she presumed the child had been killed.
Watching Rebecca cry, Beth sat on the toilet lid and observed her. Rebecca was far too skinny, not malnourished but just skinny in general, Beth had a nagging feeling that before all this Rebecca wasn't a regular eater anyway. The girl's long brown hair had natural sun streaks through out it and Beth envied the beautiful colour, previously when she'd been chatting with Beth, she noticed Rebecca's odd eye colour, she couldn't tell if they were grey or a light blue but she had long, dark eyelashes that Beth would've died for any other time. Rebecca had plump, pink lips that were red and bloody from biting and hollow cheeks. Although the girl looked unhealthy, Beth had to admit she must've been a heart breaker before it all.
"I'm sorry, it's just. . . me and Gavin haven't talked about Tri since it happened", Beth nodded sympathetically, moving to hold Rebecca's frail body. "The man, he. . he cooked her up. Not just her insides but he burned her alive and ate her heart and lungs in front of us, and the others that were there. He kept repeating 'their time has come. Yours is next'. We escaped from it all, six of us but only two of us are left", Reading Beth's face through her tears Rebecca answered the unasked question, "About a week ago by now, no longer I'd say",
"There's a well, 'round the back. I can get you 'nough water to have a bath, it'd be cold but it's always somethin'. You can get washed up, and I'll find ye some clothes", Rebecca nodded, allowing Beth to lift her up from the door and leave to find Daryl. Gavin was at the kitchen table, nibbling on a slice of moldy cheese. He smiled when he saw her, but she could see the fear, and worry in his eyes.
"Is Beck okay? I heard her crying but didn't want to barge in", Beth nodded, glancing around for Daryl. "Sit with me, crossbow Joe will be back in a few. Gone out for a piss", Beth stifled a laugh at Gavin's nonchalant voice and sat across from him. He offered the remaining piece of cheese to her but Beth gagged at the smell. "Aye, the moldier the tastier babe. You can't diss, what soon you'll miss hunzo",
Daryl waltzed in, glaring at Beth and Gavin together. Beth felt a pang of guilt with him so she stood up and grabbed the bin to use as a bucket. "I'm gonna go out to the well and get some water for Rebecca".
"We got perfectly fine water in 'ere", Daryl muttered under his breath, only managing to hit Beth's ears.
"She needs a bath Daryl, we ain't using up drinking water to clean ourselves. That okay with you, dad?", Beth struggled to say 'dad' but gained her confidence back when Daryl's face showed realisation. Gavin leaped from his seat at the table and yanked the bin from Beth, running out the door before anyone could object. "What's your problem Daryl?", Beth whisper shouted at Daryl who was glaring at his feet, refusing to meet Beth's eyes.
"Ye don't see what I see Beth, these people can't be trusted yet. We barely know 'em yet that boy and ye seem to be on a grand aul honeymoon. You trust 'im and he'll get ye killed. We stick togeth'r, I trust you and ye trust me", Beth snarled at Daryl who stood proud at his short speech.
"They trust me Daryl, they're good people who lost some of their own jus' like us", Gavin ran through the door again and asked Beth where his sister was, she pointed toward the bathroom and Gavin disappeared again, lugging the bin with him. Both Daryl and Beth were silent, listening intently to Gavin and Rebecca. All Daryl could hear was Rebecca's painful sobs and a softer, almost feminine voice soothing her. "I'm gonna see if she's okay",
Beth tip toed toward the bathroom, only to see the door opened an inch so that she could see what was happening. Gavin was on the floor, leaning against the wall with Rebecca sitting between his legs, her back against his chest and his arms wrapped around her as she sobbed into his hands. He had tears staining his cheeks, soaking his little sisters hair. Rebecca now wore Gavins hoodie, covering herself slightly. Beth could only see his mouth and nose when he had his hood up but now she could see his coral blue eyes and long, black hair. He had high cheekbones and hollow cheeks just like his sister did but he was evidently healthier. Beth sighed at the sight, it warmed her heart to see two people who cared about each other, not trying to destroy each other like Daryl and Merle had, or Rick and Shane who had been best friends most of their lives.
Beth knocked on the door gently to alert them of her presence and she walked in and lifted the bin from where Gavin had dropped it to comfort his sister, she poured it into the bath. Rebecca stood up shakily, signalling for her brother, and Beth to leave her in the half full bath. Gavin kissed her on the forehead, whispering something inaudible to Beth in her ear and left. Beth stayed a minute or two longer, just to make sure she was okay by herself. Grabbing a decent towel, Beth opened the door of the bathroom only to leave it on the toilet lid where she'd sat with Rebecca.
Turning around to leave Beth recognized the smell of fresh blood and glanced at Rebecca quickly. Rebecca was lying in the bath, most of the blood gone but her neck was bleeding and she was losing blood rapidly. Beth screamed and tried to lift the girl from the bath. Gavin and Daryl bursted through the door, covering their eyes for Rebecca's privacy until Beth could cover her with a towel. Gavin lifted his sister from the bath, crying silently and looked at Beth and Daryl for help.
"Get her downstairs, shove the walker off of the table and put her on it, with the towel 'cause it'll keep her clean from whatever might be on the table. Daryl, go get any clothes you can possibly find and bring them down. I'm gonna try stitch up her neck, it looks too deep to heal on it's own", Gavin sprinted as fast as he could with a seventeen year old girl in his arms while Beth grabbed more towels.