Hello again! My muse hates me at the moment, so I'm taking a break from Expired Lover (my other Bethyl AU). This is kind of a shot in the dark, but I hope you enjoy!
Atlanta was a lot bigger than Beth expected. Tall skyscrapers were etched into the horizon as Beth made her way into the bustling city. Excitement and fear twisted in her stomach when she thought of living by herself.
Beth had promised her parents that she'd attend Georgia State University in order to get off of the farm. All of her hard work had paid off when she got the acceptance letter and a scholarship to GSU. Beth practically applied for every scholarship she could.
A week prior, Hershel, Annette, Maggie and Sean had snuck to Atlanta and rented and furnished her new apartment. Beth and Hershel had compromised on an apartment instead of a dorm on campus. Hershel was paying her bills for the first year and then she would be on her own. Beth cringed at the thought of job hunting, the only "job" Beth had ever had was occasionally helping Hershel out at his veterinary clinic.
Beth snapped out of her deep thoughts as she pulled up to the apartment complex. She pulled out the folded piece of paper with the address and apartment number out of her purse.
"Apartment 16." She read aloud. She looked up and found the number on the fourth door on the third floor.
Beth only had two suitcases in the trunk of her car. The rest of her belongings were already in the apartment thanks to her family. The hauled her suitcases up the black stairs and walked towards her new apartment. She unlocked the door and gasped at how nice it looked. Her parents had bought her a new flat screen TV along with a brown leather couch and a matching chair. Everything was so new and crisp.
As much as she wanted to stay in her apartment and relax, she couldn't wait to explore the city. There was a bar a few blocks away and Beth was suddenly glad that she had accepted her friend Tara's going away present. Tara had thought ahead and had a fake ID made for Beth. Much to everybody's surprise, Beth wasn't the perfect teacher's pet she was made out to be. During her senior year, Beth had been to too many parties than she could even count.
Beth rushed to her room with her suitcases to get ready. She was a little uneasy about going out after dark alone, but she wasn't going to let that stop her from having fun. She pulled on her favorite pair of skinny jeans along with a black top. After she laced up her black Converse, she headed to the bathroom to tame her mass of blonde curly hair.
She ran a curling iron through her hair and blotted on some makeup before grabbing her wallet and padded to the door and exited. She half jogged down the stairs and towards the street. She slowed her pace to walking speed, enjoying the cool night air and city noises.
"Just give me the fucking money!" She heard a voice shout in the upcoming alley way. Beth's interest peaked and she tip toed over to the corner to see what the commotion was about. A man with shaggy brown hair that looked close to her age had another man pinned against the alley wall, his hand threatening to crush the smaller man's wind pipe.
"I said to give me the goddamn money, Jimmy." She shaggy haired man said his voice lowering in contempt.
"I don't have it!" Jimmy croaked out, the other man's grip tightening around his throat.
"Whad'ya mean you don't have it?" The other man bit out.
Beth was so intent on listening to the ongoing conversation that she didn't hear the silent foot falls behind her until it was too late. A large hand clamped her mouth shut and in an instant her arms were pinned behind her.
"Don't say a fuckin' word, blondie." A voiced growled in her ear. Beth struggled against the stranger's grips until she saw the man called Jimmy skidding out of the alley and down the street. Beth was thrust forward and toward the shaggy haired man who was shuffling money in his hands.
" Lookie what we have here, baby brother." The man called out. The shaggy haired man whipped his head up, his jaw dropping when he met Beth's pleading eyes.
"Merle! What the fuck d'ya think you're doin'." The man almost shouted.
"Calm down Darylina. I was walkin' down here to see if ya got the money when I saw this one peeking around the corner." Merle said, jerking Beth forward slightly.
"You can't just take someone hostage like that!" Daryl justified, throwing his hands in the air.
"Little blondie saw everythin'. The way I see it, I'm tyin' up loose ends. You want us to get caught?" Merle asked.
"At least let her speak for herself." Daryl stated, Merle's hand lifting from her mouth and releasing her wrists.
Beth rubbed her wrists and rolled her jaw before lifting her eyes and meeting Daryl's. His mouth was pressed into a thin line and his eyes were a hard, steely blue. Beth had been right, he didn't look but a couple years older than her.
"What did you see, exactly?" Daryl aksed.
"Enough." Beth answered in a rude tone.
"Watch yourself, blondie." Merle growled, his fingers digging into her arm. Beth squeaked in pain and Daryl stepped closer gripping Merle's wrist.
"Merle.." Daryl warned.
"You best move your fuckin' hand, baby brother." Merle growled.
"Let go of her." Daryl bit out. Merle squeezed Beth's arm once more before letting go. Daryl turned to Beth, bending a little to get eye level with her.
"I'm gonna ask you one more time. What did you see?" Daryl asked, his voice hardening as stared into Beth's eyes.
"What makes you think I have to answer you?" Beth's voice hardening also as she squared her shoulders and stepping closer, lessening the space between the two.
"Merle." That was all Daryl said before Merle clamped his hand over her mouth and gripped her arms behind her before he shoved her down the alley way.
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