A/N: Hey all! so here I am, beginning yet another story when I still have two others that need to be finished. I went about writing this one differently. Instead of uploading it on here as quickly as my ideas hit the paper, I decided to take my time. I've been working on this story for a couple months now...hoping to find a new approach to where I may actually finish my stories. Anyway, this is a Beth lives fic because frankly, I hated that she was axed. So I'm gonna live in denial and write this fanfiction. Also, this has only been edited by me. I don't know how this whole getting a BETA thing works, so if someone could please inbox me if you are a BETA or could explain to me how I get one...I'd greatly appreciate that. Enjoy this chapter guys!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead. Credit goes to Robert Kirkman for this brilliant post-apocalyptic idea.


The sound of the gunshot was deafening; Daryl felt the alarm rise in his chest, the warm blood splattering onto his face.

That mess of beautiful blond hair sprawled out on the cold floor of the hospital; crimson gathering into the cracks of the tiles.

His mind couldn't process the scene before him, his body moved on its own accord; lifting the gun and aiming it directly at the officer's head, without hesitation his finger pulled the trigger.

He blinked; once, twice, taking in the scene that lie before him, he felt that same familiar pain in his chest, for a brief second his mind wandered.

He always thought that the more people you lost that you cared for, the less it would hurt.

But damn it if it didn't make it that much more unbearable.

Falling to his knees, he tried his hardest to control his choked sobs.

He made his way to her; He was running short on faith, but he hoped with the last ounce of it left in him, that when he held her close he'd feel her breath on his neck.

Daryl turned Beth over in his arms, looking down at her beautiful face that once held so much life, fade into a deathly white.

That was when he knew, the hope he felt burnt out, the denial he felt sunk into his gut as he came to grips with everything.

"Beth…" His voice came out as a rough, unfamiliar whisper.

"Open y' eyes, girl…" Even with Daryl's words, no response came.

He buried his face in her neck, unable to hold back the sobs that raked over his entire body. "I came all this way, I found ya….y' ain't supposed to do this to me Greene. I jus' got y' back."

The snarls of the undead were faint, but close enough for everyone to hear.

Officer McGinley ran to the nearest window her facial expression giving off a great deal of panic.

"Walkers, lots of 'em." She breathed, clutching her gun close to her chest.

The hand that rested on Daryl's shoulder was strong, but still gentle.

"We have to go, Daryl." Rick's voice held a great amount of sympathy, his voice strained from fighting back his emotions as well.

Daryl nodded slowly, running a trembling hand through Beth's soft blond hair before scooping her up into his arms and heading toward the stairwell without another word.


"We've got to move!" Rick led the group down the stairwell as quickly as he could.

Tyrese and Sasha followed suit behind him, Daryl who was clutching to Beth's lifeless body; and a weak Carol fell behind.

"Daryl!" He heard the shout for him echo throughout the stairwell. Rick had to be nearing the entrance of the hospital.

Sasha and Tyrese were almost out of sight as well but Daryl knew the only way to catch up would be to leave Beth behind…and that was something he couldn't do.

The walkers were closing in, they had to have encountered at least a dozen of them from the corpses that littered the hallway and the walkers that pushed forward inching closer and closer to the stairwell.

Daryl's eyes darted from walker to walker trying to figure out how to make it out alive with Carol and Beth.

Rick and the other two were too far ahead, Daryl and Carol were on their own.

Daryl had no other choice, as much as he didn't want to do this he needed to fight his way out.

He set Beth's body down on one of the stairs. Shielding her with his body, Carol stood next to him, readying her pistol and taking aim.

She managed to accomplish two headshots, but the sound of the shots would only draw more walkers to them.

"Son a' bitch…" Daryl muttered under his breath.

A sudden thud in Carol's direction broke Daryl's attention from the walkers.

Carol collapsed on the bottom step, trying to catch her breath and holding her right side in pain.

"Carol-"

"Look out!" She shouted to him at the same time he heard the sickening gurgling too close for comfort.

He felt decaying fingers grip his shoulder and in an instant he had released his crossbow and knocked it into the walker's skull in one fell swoop.

When Daryl's eyes met Carol's, the look she gave him told him what he needed to do, he wouldn't do it.

Carol reached for his hand, nodding her head. "You need to leave." She told him softly, a sad smile forming on her lips.

The groans of the undead were closing in on them.

"There's too many of 'em! We'd never make it!"

Daryl turned his attention onto the oncoming walkers.

He took a lone bow and pierced the eye socket of the walker zeroing in on him; the abomination fell to the floor.

He turned his attention back to Carol. "I'm not leaving you, or Beth." His lips were pursed into a tight line, his eyes serious.

He tried his best to swallow the lump in his throat; he couldn't deny that Carol was right.

They'd never make it.

Carol nodded her head in hopes of reassuring Daryl. "I'll be right behind you."

Daryl forced a nod, because he didn't trust himself to go along with this plan if he spoke, if he opened his mouth he'd protest.

Tearing his eyes from the two people who meant more to him than he could ever understand was probably on his list of the hardest things he's done in his life.

His eyes rested on Beth's lifeless body, this may be the last time he'd see her…the gaping hole in his heart ached, if that were even at all possible anymore.

"I plan on getting out, with Beth. She deserves a proper burial." Carol said to him.

Daryl ripped his gaze away, charging toward the handful of walkers blocking his path.

He removed the lone bow from the eye socket of his first kill.

He stuck it through the mouth of his second, a swift kick to the two that followed suit, stomping ones brains in and using the end of his crossbow once more to smash the next ones skull in.


Daryl's eyes glanced to the stairwell once more, he watched as Carol covered herself in the remains of the rotting corpses.

"I'll be right behind you, go!" He heard her shout as he made his way to the front entrance.

What waited before him was much worse than he could possibly have prepared for.

The entire front lot was overrun with zombies.

"It seems someone left the gates wide open." Daryl muttered.

His eyes found each of his companions fighting their way toward the red fire truck that was parked just outside the gates.

Daryl ran as fast as he could through the horde, fighting his way through as swiftly as he could.

The group followed his strategy meeting up back to back as quickly as they could.

They backed away from the walker in front of them, Rosita and Tara trying to focus on the ones that blocked their path in front.

"We have to go!" Abraham shouted.

Daryl shook his head in disagreement.

"Where's Carol?" Rick asked, fending off the duo of zombies coming toward him.

"She said she'd be right behind me!" Daryl saw Abraham shake his head.

"We have to go. Right now." Daryl headed back toward the hospital, only to be yanked back roughly; the grip on his forearm was to firm to shake.

"I'm not leaving them!" Daryl yelled, trying to fight off Abrahams grip.

He felt his feet being drug across the concrete with too much force for Daryl to shake off.

Maggie's voice was heard in the distance, "No! Beth! Where's Beth?!" Daryl's heart had sunk at the realization that Maggie wasn't aware of her sister's demise.

Daryl looked in her direction, both Glenn and Rick gripping her tightly to keep her from running through the horde and into the hospital.

"I'm not leaving them!" He shouted, still trying to tear himself away from Abraham.

His stamina faltered, his body giving up just before his mind. He was defeated, completely defeated.

He closed his eyes, wondering how many times he's cried for his loved ones completely unaware of it.

He felt the cool metal rest against his back.

His mind going back to Carol on the stairwell, insisting he go on ahead.

Then, the sudden image of Beth resting her head up against the old moonshine shack invaded his mind.

Her smile faded as she spoke. "Someday I'm gonna be gone."

"Stop it." He heard his gruff voice echo inside of his mind, the memory almost too much to bear.

"I will…" That night had been a quiet one, and Beth paused; staring at Daryl with such honest intensity in her eyes.

"You're gonna miss me so bad when I'm gone, Daryl Dixon."


A/N: Hope you all enjoyed and thank you all for the support!