So I wasn't really satisfied with where my original story line was going. So I decided to rewrite it, and Riain was kind enough to offer me her help, so I have rewritten this story with her. Thank her, cause I was going to delete this! Anyways, I hope you enjoy the rewrite!
The aged armored yellow school bus jostled up the gravel road leading to the prison. The passengers were of all ages, pockets of kids, most of them adults and teenagers – all coming from Woodbury. They had been living with the Governor until he went off the deep end, killing residents after the dismal assault on the prison. Beth and Carl watched the bus approach from behind the fence, shoulders brushing against each other.
"Are we sure about this?" Beth asked, bouncing Judith up and down on her hip. "I mean, they lived with the Governor," she said, repulsion taking place in her face. Anything that had to do with the Governor was a toxic subject with her, especially with the man terrorizing Maggie and attacking the prison.
Carl nodded, watching Carol push the fence back for the bus; Daryl leading the caravan on his motorcycle, and cars to come through. "We should probably get down there," he said, emotionless. "Should give them a warm welcome." Beth looked after Carl as he started to walk away. She couldn't help but think he was being sarcastic, a seemingly normal habit beginning to be associated with Carl as of late. Beth sensed a darkness gripping his heart since he took his mother's life. Carl was just not the same anymore, but who was in this hell they now lived in? She was sure that as much as she tried to hold onto her previous life, her humanity, it was slowly slipping through her fingers.
Beth jogged to catch up with Carl, wanting to stay by his side as the passengers filed out of the bus. They all shielded their eyes from the blazing hot Georgia sun, the interior of the bus dark from the metal plating on the one side. Most of them wore nice clothing: dresses, collared shirts and slacks; not the dingy, patched, threading clothes that most of their group wore. Beth was envious of them; it looked as if they had almost escaped the whole apocalypse boarded up in that little town just miles from the prison. That would make it harder on them to adjust to life inside the prison, not to mention life outside the strength of the walls. They had been shielded for the most part from the horrors outside the prison walls, which would make them a dangerous casualty when the threat reappeared.
But she wasn't quick to forget that they had lived within the same walls as the Governor, and he was worse than the walkers they had to deal with. The walkers had a singular mass purpose: to feed. The walkers were predictable. The Governor was a wild card; while his main purpose was to kill Michonne for killing Penny and taking his eye, he had other ideals driving him to purpose. The new arrivals pooled around the bus, waiting for directions from Rick, Daryl, Hershel and Glenn. Rick sidled up to Carl, dropping to his knees and hugging him. Carl's hat went askew from the embrace, earning a giggle from Judith.
Beth held her finger out to the toddler, the baby wrapping her chubby fingers around Beth's. Once Rick pulled back from Carl and readjusted his son's hat, he moved onto Beth. Well, rather Judith than Beth. She offered him his daughter and took her into his arms. He planted a kiss on her forehead before handing her back to Beth. Beth wasn't always happy with how little time Rick actually spent with his daughter, but she understood that he had to lead the group and keep them safe. Even during the apocalypse, her father had made time for both of his daughters, giving them one on one attention. But Hershel was a different kind of father, his mental state wasn't in question, and he dealt with the world around him differently than Rick.
As long as Rick continued to show even this small bit of love for Judith, Beth didn't have a problem with helping raise the little girl. Rick rejoined Daryl, Glenn and Hershel who were in the middle of a small discussion. They were probably deciding on what to do with the Woodbury survivors. After a few moments passed by, Rick addressed the group. Beth had tuned out the lecture he was giving, turning her attention to the baby in her arms.
Judith was starting to show features that looked more and more like Lori as they days went by. Maybe that was why Rick couldn't spend more than a few moments with Judith. Maybe she reminded him too much of his deceased wife, and Beth could understand that. It had to be hard having a living reminder of someone you once loved that was now gone. Beth dabbed at Judith's nose, giggles radiating out of her. It was a game Beth liked to play with Judith, hearing the little girl's giggles always made Beth feel better.
Carol had made her way back up to where the bus had parked. She wiped her brow free of sweat as she stood next to Beth. "Are we sure this is safe?" Beth whispered to Carol, not satisfied with the answer that Carl had given her. Carol sighed, pinching Judith's cheeks before answering Beth's question. Carol and Beth shared the duties of raising Judith, with Beth taking over the bulk of it when Carol had other chores to do to keep the group going.
"We have strength in numbers," the older woman replied. "Right now, we have to trust them. I don't really think they knew what the Governor was up to, and we have to give them the chance to earn our trust." Beth had agreed with what Carol said. The way she looked at it; it was exactly the situation back at the farm with Rick's group and her father, trust had to be earned on both sides. It was a lucky thing how that turned out, even with the loss of her home.
She remembered Rick running through the field; Carl cradled in his arms, blood soaking through both of their shirts. She was terrified when her father asked if he was bit; she couldn't imagine the pain of seeing a family member turned into one of those things, much less the heartbreak of having to kill one of your family members because they turned. They were intending on not staying long, but they had ended up staying for a number of weeks before the herd tore through the farm. Now Beth couldn't think of how it would be if they hadn't; she might not be alive, or her family. But on the flip side of that, they might still be at the farm, at home surviving. Beth had to remind herself that everything in life happens for a reason; and there was no going back, only forward. She tried to keep her mind open as she gazed at the Woodbury survivors.
"There's some kids your age," Carol nudged her shoulder. "Might be nice having them around."
Beth shrugged a shoulder; it would be nice to socialize with kids around her age. Then again, it would remind her of Jimmy, or her classmates that were most likely dead. She tried to stay positive, coming into this situation with an open mind. "Carl, there's some kids, too," Beth said, turning to her other side.
He nodded once again. "I'm not a kid," he said, looking up at her with a squint. She had forgotten that he didn't like to be classified as a child. But, with some of the things he had to see or do, he did have to grow up fast. He was fourteen, but was mature way beyond that age. Everyone seemed to age quicker with the world the way it was.
Beth turned her attention back to the new arrivals. Rick was wrapping up his speech; a few of the older survivors were nodding their heads in agreement. Rick clasped his hands together and led the way up to the prison with Daryl in tow. Daryl was Rick's second in command, and had been since Shane went crazy, and Rick visited crazy town. Anything Daryl said was the same as an order from Rick. Like always, Daryl's crossbow was strung over one shoulder as he walked into their home. That crossbow was an extension of him; powerful, silent, and deadly.
She gazed after them as they led the Woodbury survivors into the prison. Glenn stayed behind, walking over to join Carol, Beth and Carl. "Where's Maggie and Michonne?" Carol asked. Glenn cast his eyes back to the car, they followed his gaze.
Michonne was in the passenger seat, Maggie in the driver's seat. "It was Andrea. She didn't make it," Glenn said, rubbing at his neck. Beth had noticed he did that more when he was nervous or stressed out. "Michonne's taking it hard." They averted their stares, wanting to give her mourning some privacy.
"Why don't we go inside? They're taking them to D block, we can help them settle in," Glenn suggested. Carol and Beth agreed; Carl eventually followed after his stubbornness leached away. The four of them walked into D block amidst a deafening level of chaos. Kids ran up and down the catwalks laughing and calling out to each other, sounding like a stampede; adults were moving things into cells to start settling in, and the small group of teenagers were chatting amongst each other at the tables.
Daryl and Rick were talking at the base of the steps. "I'll take the baby for awhile, Beth, why don't you two go make friends with the other teens?" Carol prompted, pulling Judith from Beth's grasp; Judith protested for a moment until she realized who she was snuggled against. The baby cooed and grabbed at Carol's shirt, her own unique sign for being hungry. Carol walked off, singing a song to Judith as they made for the kitchen.
Beth looked to Carl and raised her brows, what would it hurt to try and make friends with the new kids? He sighed, stalking off towards the small group of Woodbury teens. Beth was on his heels, not sure of what he was going to say to them. Carl had a problem with having a filter these days, one word the wrong way could set him off. The boy was angry inside, having no productive way of venting that anger could be his destruction.
"Not much of a place this is, it's got blood everywhere," one of the boys in the group was saying to his buddies, nervous laughter bubbled out of the group of girls standing around him. It seemed that at one point in time this guy might have been the star quarterback and the girls were his groupies, Beth chuckled to herself. Oh would they have a rude awakening in store for them!
"What are you even saying?" Carl asked. "We're giving you a place to stay. Somewhere safe and you want to complain that there's a little blood on the walls?" He asked, pushing his way past two girls and up to the boy who had said the offending statement. Beth curled her fingers over Carl's shoulder; she was hoping that by touch she could rein Carl in from doing something that would cause serious consequences, for not only him but the group as a whole
The boy laughed, looking around to his peers. He was a good foot plus taller than Carl and more muscular, like he had grown up working on a farm. Beth realized her earlier assumption of him was probably true; this guy would have been the star quarterback if he went to her high school. Dark, shaggy hair brushed over his forehead, midnight brown eyes were trained on Carl, piercing right through the smaller boy.
"Yeah, you could have at least cleaned it up for us, these girls deserve something nicer than this." he sneered; earning more laughs from his friends and titters from the girls swarmed around him.
Carl scoffed; shaking his head, his fist balling at his side. Beth tightened her grip on her almost brother, waiting for him to explode at the newcomer. "If you don't like it, you can leave," he suggested coolly. His sudden calmness scared Beth; it was completely out of character for Carl as of late. "Try your luck out with the walkers." Though Carl wasn't handling it the best, Beth was agreeing with him. The least these people could do was be thankful for the home they were giving them, it was better than fending for themselves on the road for sure.
It might not compare to the state of Woodbury; with running water and electricity but it was safe. And that was what mattered; safety was key these days. A redheaded girl that looked like she could have been the head cheerleader, as perfectly made up as she was laughed out loud.
"And how many biters have you killed? One?" Her scornful tone was directed at Carl. Carl's fists tightened at his side, he was trying to control himself, the tides warring within him. It could go either way at the moment with all the tension in the air. Beth was holding so tight to Carl's shoulder her fingers were turning white.
"Cale here has killed so many he lost count." The words tumbled from the girls' mouth sounding like she worshipped the guy. 'Hell,' Beth thought to herself, 'She's probably on her knees for the guy every night.' Beth's felt the blush rise up at her own thought, quickly admonishing herself for such rude assumptions about someone she didn't know. Maybe the girl was Cale's girlfriend, who knew?
"Because that's all that matters. Counting how many walkers you've killed and showing off, not about surviving," Carl sneered, ripping his shoulder free from Beth's grasp and stalking off out of D block. She knew Cale's groupie had overstepped the line at her comments. She had no idea what Carl had been through and would probably never know, that was something that was kept close between the family.
Beth looked back to the group of teens in front of her. "Aren't you going to run after him?" Cale jested, one eyebrow cocked at her. Beth shook her head in dismay, she really felt sorry for these disillusioned people. It was like they really never left high school, being able to keep that rose colored glasses mentality.
"You really shouldn't have said that. He just lost his mom," Beth said. She idly wondered if she should even be telling them this. She figured that they would have found out sooner or later, it would slip somewhere. Nothing could really be kept secret for long, especially in closed walls like the prison. Even though they hadn't started off on the right foot, Beth had no reason to be rude. "I'm Beth," she said, holding out her hand. "That was Carl. Rick's son, I'm Hershel's daughter. You met them earlier."
Cale looked at her expectantly, gauging her appearance. She seemed harmless enough, but her bright blue eyes zeroing in on his dark eyes stirred something dark and heated in the pit of his gut. He cleared his throat, "I'm Cale, this is Madeline," gesturing to the mouthy redhead "And that's Jessie, Adam, Clark and Scarlett," he said gesturing to his friends. They gave half smiles to Beth. "What's it like being the leader's kid?" Cale asked, leaning forward slightly.
Beth wrinkled her brow, why would he even care what it was like being Rick' son? What did it matter to him? It wasn't like it made any difference, everyone was equal here. "There's nothing special about it," Beth said plainly.
Cale laughed slightly. "Okay, Elizabeth," he chuckled. Beth remained neutral; there wasn't any reason for her to get fired up over his erroneous assumption. She let him call her Elizabeth, the common longer name for Beth – but hers was Bethany. She didn't want to correct him and she didn't know why. "Why don't you meet me in that guard tower and we'll see about that. Tonight, just before dusk," he told Beth, earning confused stares from his friends; and a cocked eyebrow from Beth.
Scarlett and Madeline whispered something to each other, looking back to Beth with repulsion. Beth felt awkward, like she had stirred something up that shouldn't have been. She nodded; walked away with a wave, no longer wanting to be near the Woodbury teens. To be honest, Cale probably wouldn't have bothered with Beth if it wasn't for how different she was from the groupies. Beth wasn't wearing nice clothes, hair done and makeup on her face. The girls wore makeup! Beth couldn't recall how long it had been since her hair looked that nice, much less the last time she wore makeup. Maybe he was just looking for a change of scenery; girls like the groupies were usually stuck up bitches from what Beth recalled from high school.
Cale watched Beth walk away, reveling in how her collarbones jutted out across her chest, as well as how round and full her eyes were. The small features of her face were evenly proportioned. Round breasts and legs that went on for miles, that was something he liked about a woman. Scarlett and Jessie were attractive, but he never paid any attention to them before. They were mundane, one of the guys doing man's work in the town. Madeline though, she was the Doctor's daughter, used to a high class life. Madeline was his stress relief, the broad worshipped the ground he walked on and she liked it hard with kink. Madeline was Cale's "fucktoy"; she probably thought they were a couple, but he didn't care. Madeline served a purpose and not much past that. But Beth, she was different, she was a woman.
Cale watched as Beth walked through the crowd, meeting up with the short-haired woman near the leaders of the prison survivors. That was a difference from the group Cale came with; there was delegation between two leaders, versus a head honcho and his henchmen. Cale took orders from that asshole Merle, passed down from the Governor. Cale hated Merle; the son of a bitch treated him like he was dirt under his boot with no skills whatsoever. Merle had never come back to Woodbury, Cale was glad to see him gone. Beth took a baby from the older woman's arms, smiling and cooing at the baby. He couldn't pinpoint exactly who the child belonged to, but the smile on Beth's face told him it was hers. He licked his lips, so she had let someone relieve her of her virginity. What was to stop her from letting him take care of his needs? She didn't look to be attached to anyone floating in the group in front of him, so that left the option open.
Before the dead started to rise, Cale was popular in high school – the starting quarterback that everyone adored. He was used to women falling all over him. Hell, even his friends now were treating him like a god walking amongst mortals, but he had only eyes for one girl. He met her while he was at Woodbury, her name was Shay. Beth looked similar to Shay, the blonde hair, blue eyes with a similar body. It had been weeks since Cale had nailed one on with Madeline. Something about Beth was intriguing, just like Shay.
Shay didn't like it when Cale had come onto her; she really didn't when he had flipped on Shay when she rebuffed him. In Cale's rage of being turned down he brutalized and raped Shay. Shay never told who it was that had raped her, but it wasn't like anyone would believe her. Cale helped to protect the group; he helped feed the town with his hunting skills. They wouldn't expel him from Woodbury for taking advantage of a girl who was practically begging for it. He'd seen Shay out in the town off and on afterwards, he would look at her and she would look down. Once the evidence of what he had done began to show, Cale had stopped Shay on the sidewalk outside the pharmacy. She had pushed past him, crying and running for her parent's house. He hadn't even had the chance to say a word to her about anything between them.
When the Governor went off the deep end, Shay and her family escaped in the middle of the night. How they did it, he didn't even know – the walls were patrolled at all hours. But even now, Shay was as good as dead, either walker food or dead from birthing his bastard out in the wilderness. Either way he didn't give a damn; that was the past. Now, looking at Beth, he was feeling that same itch again. It had been awhile since he was able to have sex, Madeline had her girl problems and he had been busy patrolling or hunting. He wasn't satisfied with his own hand doing all the work, what man truly was?
Cale looked at how Beth was built; she was skinny, almost too skinny for his liking. He figured she didn't eat much, especially with having a baby around. She would be easy to overpower and to keep quiet while he satiated his hunger. It was a risk since she was a daughter of the leaders of the prison; but Cale always liked a challenge; his new challenge had a name and it was Beth Greene.
Tell us if you like the rewrite better than the original in a review please!