Note: Hey everyone! I just wanted to say thank you to all of those who read and reviewed the last chapter! Your response to this story was very positive so I really hope that you'll all stick around when things get a little (A LOT) rougher in the next chapter! For now, I hope you enjoy this one! :)
Endurance
Chapter 2
Daryl felt as if time was moving slower, somehow, even though he knew perfectly well that it was ticking away. He and Rick had helped clean Heath's cuts and bandaged him the best they could while the young man told them what he had seen.
"We were ambushed by a group of men," he explained. "They came out of nowhere… We never even saw them coming."
"What happened to the others?" Rick asked, his hands clasped in front of him, as if he was praying. Daryl nearly snorted at that, knowing that both he and Rick had long ago given up on prayers.
Glenn's small group had gone on a run to try and find more medicine a few towns over. They had set out a few days ago with two cars, three people in each.
"They killed Johnny before he even got out of the car. Shot him right through the windshield," Heath told them. "They took Emma and Annie hostage, I think."
"You think, or you know?" Daryl wondered.
Heath shifted, "They took them with them when they left the rest of us for dead."
"And what about Steve?"
Heath's lower lip trembled as he lowered his eyes. "They killed him too," he whispered. "Beat him to death before they started on Glenn and me."
"The girl? The one who stopped them?" Rick asked. "Who was she to them and why did she stop them?"
"I don't know," Heath said, shaking his head. "She was standing in the middle of them all, but she wasn't grinning at us the way that they were. She was just watching as they killed Steve, without even blinking. Glenn tried to talk to her for some reason… I don't know why."
"What'd she look like?" Daryl interjected.
"Blonde, thin," Heath shook his head. "Scars all over her face. Who cares?"
"We need to know if we're going to go after her group," Daryl said. "We need to know who we're looking for."
His heart was beating quickly in his chest. A thin blonde with scars all over her face? It was too good to be true and Daryl didn't dare to start hoping now.
'Would it kill you to have a little faith?'
Daryl nearly growled at himself when he shook his head. It wasn't the first time his mind created inner voices to urge him on. Sometimes it was the voice of his dead brother or father, but most of the time these past three years, it had been Beth. There were days when he hated it and then others that he missed her so much that it felt good to have her in his head, telling him what to do and commenting on his choices of action. In a twisted way, it was as if he was keeping her alive in his mind but to be quite honest, he sometimes wondered whether he was just losing it. He knew that Aaron and Eric had sometimes stumbled upon him when he was mumbling replies to the Beth inside his head, though the two of them were kind enough to now press for any answers.
Daryl needed answers now though, which was why he was pressuring Heath. The kid wasn't bad. He had proven himself time and time and again when out on runs with Glenn. The two of them shared the responsibility of organizing and running the bigger runs into the bigger towns and cities surrounding the area and so far, they had never encountered any problems. They were good at being quiet and they were the best at sneaking around undetected. Their team had been hand-picked by them, all with the same abilities and more and now, more than half of them had either been killed or kidnapped.
"She said something about letting us come back here," Heath told them. "Something about it being better to take the women and then send us back."
"Why?" Rick pressed.
"Because it sends a message," Daryl pointed out. "They want to get us out there. They want us to look for Emma and Annie. They want us out there, on their turf."
"How exactly are we supposed to find their hiding place if we don't even know where to start looking?" Rick ran a hand through his hair. "How are we supposed to get them back?"
The door opened, interrupting their conversation. Daryl turned around and his eyes met Deanna's as she walked into the room, her face calm. "Glenn is stable," she told them. "He's been sedated for now but it looks like there wasn't any internal bleeding. It's a miracle, or at least that's what Denise said."
Daryl stood up from the chair, knowing that Deanna's entrance most likely meant that she wanted to be filled in by Heath as well.
"Daryl, hold on just a moment," Rick stopped him. "I need to have a word with you. Deanna, will you excuse me for just a moment? I'll be back in a minute."
"Go ahead, Rick," Deanna said. "I am going to listen to what Heath has to say and then we can discuss what we are going to do next."
Daryl waited on Rick and then the two of them stepped out of the room together. He looked around, but Maggie was nowhere to be seen. The door to the room that Glenn was in was closed and Daryl could only assume that she was in there with her husband. The hallway was empty, but Rick followed his example and looked around before putting his hand on his arm to gain his attention.
"Are we gonna tell Maggie what Glenn said before he was knocked out?" Rick asked him. "'Bout… Beth?"
Daryl clenched his fingers at the mention of her name. He shook his head slowly. "No," he replied. "Don't think it's a good idea."
"Do you think it can be true? That there's… a chance?" Daryl could hear it in Rick's voice that he was just as affected by the events that had occurred as he was. It was enough of a shock to know that there was another threat out there but to also have one of their own beaten in such a way and then having him claim that Beth out of all people is still alive, it was just too much.
"Glenn was beaten bloody," Daryl said. "He could have been delusional. Maybe they got some hits in on his head and he confused someone in the crowd for Beth. There's no way she's alive, Rick. We both know that."
Rick looked deep in thought, but nodded, nonetheless.
-§-
Daryl stood outside on the front porch of Denise's house. It was late and it had already gotten dark but he had told himself that he was going to stick around the infirmary for a while longer, just in case Glenn woke up. He needed to talk to him and hear directly from him why he thought that he had seen Beth among the crowd of those who had attacked them.
They had forced Maggie to go home to their baby boy and even though the woman feared for her husband's life and had been almost inconsolable when she had first seen Glenn, she knew that she needed to go back to their son. Rick had left shortly after talking to Deanna. They had made the decision to wait for Glenn to wake up too before they acted. Daryl didn't really know why he was nervous. He knew that there was no possible way that Beth could be alive, but for some reason, he was forcing himself to go over it all in his head again and again.
He had tasted her blood on his lips. He had pulled the trigger on the other woman seconds after Beth's body had fallen to the floor. There had been so much blood and all that he had been able to see had been red. He had watched her die and then he had killed in her name. There was no way that she was still out there somewhere. There was no way that she had somehow survived. He had carried her body down five flights of stairs and held her in front of her sobbing sister.
He had put her in that trunk when they had been overrun by walkers and he had shut her inside it, leaving her body to rot in the heat.
Daryl looked at the burning cigarette between his fingers. It had been a while since he had smoked but damn it, he needed it more now than ever. His mind was a whirlwind of images and he felt as if he was trying to piece together a puzzle with one piece missing.
"Mr. Dixon?"
Daryl sighed to himself and grunted out in reply, sticking the cigarette between his lips, not bothering to look at Sarah as she stepped up to him from behind. He had thought that everyone had gone home. Usually, it was only Denise who stayed in the infirmary when there were patients there, but apparently, her nurse had stayed behind as well and he had somehow missed it.
"Ya don't gotta call me that," he told her and he knew it was probably the most words he had ever spoken to her.
"Daryl it is then," Sarah said, offering him a smile. She was a kind woman, that much he knew. "What are you still doing here?"
"Waitin' to see if Glenn's gonna wake up," he said.
"We gave him a stronger sedative because his body needs to heal," Sarah explained. "He'll most likely not wake up until tomorrow." Once again, Daryl grunted, stubbing out his cigarette and exhaling the final bit of smoke.
"Good thing I didn't wait 'round for nothin'," Daryl muttered.
Sarah let out a low giggle and he looked at her for the first time that night. A blush covered her cheeks and he frowned at her. "Sorry," she said, covering her mouth. "I was just– What you said, well, it sounded kind of funny I guess."
"Wasn't tryin'a be funny," he said, still frowning at her.
Her blush deepened and she had the decency to look embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she said again. "You're here worrying about Glenn and here I am, thinking you're making bad jokes." He didn't reply to that because he didn't know what to say. "I can only imagine how difficult this must be for you," she continued. "To see your friend hurt like that."
He looked down at his feet as she took a step toward him. Her shoes soon stepped into his view. Only when her hand touched his arm gently did he look back up at her and he forced himself to resist the urge to jump back when he saw just how close she had gotten to him.
"Glenn's gonna pull through," he said. "He always does. Think it might be somethin' with him an' that it only got stronger when he married Maggie."
What was he saying? Why wasn't he pushing her away? Why was he only standing there, babbling like an idiot and not doing anything to stop her from leaning in?
Sarah's grip on his sleeve tightened and Daryl didn't even close his eyes when she leaned up and pressed her lips to his cheek, lingering only for a moment before pulling back, looking even more flushed than before. He stared at her and she lowered her gaze, a small smile on her lips as she finally let go of him and took a step back.
"You have a good night, Daryl," she said kindly and Daryl yet again didn't reply. Instead he watched her walk away, knowing that he most certainly wouldn't get any closer to solving his puzzle tonight because Sarah had just scrambled up the few pieces that he thought he might have put together.
-§-
The next morning, Daryl woke up with a headache. His night had been filled with dreams once again; about Glenn being beaten by blurry shadows, an attack on the Safe Zone and Beth.
Glenn's words had messed with him more than he had first thought. In his dreams, Beth was alive and well and he found her somewhere in the woods, alone. He felt elation at first, but the good dream quickly turned into a nightmare when Beth asked him why he didn't look for her sooner and why he didn't believe in her.
Daryl shuddered as he made his way to the infirmary. He didn't even want to think about the nightmares or the possibility of Beth actually being alive. There was no way, he kept telling himself, even as he stepped into the house and walked over to Glenn's room. Maggie was inside with baby Hershel and she greeted him with a smile. Daryl looked at the bed and saw Glenn sitting up, his face still bruised and swollen, but at least he was awake. Without speaking any words, he walked over to Maggie and ran his hand over the toddler's head, earning a toothy grin from the kid.
"'Ar'l," the boy squealed, lifting his hands in the air, his small fingers making grabbing gestures. Maggie didn't hesitate at all when she lifted the child up and offered him to Daryl, who took him into his arms instantly.
Before the Outbreak, he might have been uncomfortable holding a wiggling child in his hands. Before, he probably wouldn't have stepped close to a kid, not because he hated them or anything, but rather because he worried that he might pass on his bad childhood to them. However, when Judith had been born, there had been nothing other than keeping her safe on his mind and when he had first held her, he had realized that maybe, just maybe, he could help do just that. Sure, he was still fucked up in so many ways; still uncomfortable around new people. Though that didn't mean that he wouldn't do everything in his power to protect every innocent child that joined their community. He had sworn to himself that if he ever saw one of the parents abusing their kid, he would kick them out without asking a single question. They would be lucky if he didn't put a bolt in them first.
Baby Hershel tugged at his hair, like he always did when it got too long and Daryl didn't bother tying it up. Daryl held the little boy's hand, getting his hair out of his grasp before turning to Glenn, who despite looking like hell, was smiling at the scene in front of him.
"How ya feelin' man?" Daryl asked, bouncing the child in his arms a little.
"How do I look like I feel?" Glenn returned, his voice hoarse and weak.
"Good point," Daryl nodded curtly. "Do ya remember anythin' from yesterday?"
Glenn paused for a moment then nodded and Daryl noticed how his eyes flickered over to Maggie before he turned his attention back to Daryl. He opened his mouth to say something, but the door opened and he quickly stopped himself. Daryl turned around and saw Sarah standing there, her eyes moving from Glenn on the bed to settle on baby Hershel that Daryl was still holding in his arms. Her cheeks flushed when Daryl changed his hold on the toddler and to his embarrassment, Daryl realized that she wasn't staring at the baby at all, but rather at him holding the child.
As quickly as he could, without drawing too much attention to himself, he handed Hershel back to Maggie and stepped away from the bed, not daring to do anything other than glance toward Sarah. The woman cleared her throat, tearing her eyes away from Daryl, blush still there as she approached the other side of Glenn's bed.
"Good morning," she said, her voice even. "Denise asked me to check on you since she's making some house visits. How are you feeling, Glenn?"
"Better than I was feeling yesterday," Glenn replied. "Everything hurts though."
"I'll give you something stronger for the pain," Sarah said, "but not before Rick talks to you."
"Ya saw Rick?" Daryl wondered. As soon as he spoke, Sarah turned to him and he instantly cursed himself for not being able to keep his big mouth shut. He didn't want her attention. Especially not after her kissing his cheek the night before. He didn't need any of that but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to say that to her.
"I saw him on my way here," Sarah explained before taking out a stethoscope to listen to Glenn's breathing.
When Hershel began making a fuss in Maggie's arms, Maggie bounced him a few times, "Shh, baby. You have to be quiet because nurse Sarah's checkin' on daddy."
Daryl noticed a small smile covering Sarah's face.
"Maybe it'd be better if you took him outside?" Sarah suggested.
Maggie nodded and stood up before quickly leaning down to peck Glenn's lips. The man winced and Daryl almost shook his head at them, but he knew that this was difficult for them. Glenn offered his wife a small smile and Maggie squeezed Daryl's arm before stepping outside the room with Hershel. Sarah went back to listening to Glenn's breathing and Daryl stood there quietly with his arms crossed. When she pulled away and placed the stethoscope on the desk she looked back at Daryl.
"Rick told me that if I found you here with Glenn, he wanted you to stick around so that the three of you could talk about what happened," she said.
"M'kay," Daryl mumbled, sitting down on the chair that Maggie had previously been occupying. Sarah began changing Glenn's bandages in silence and Daryl's leg was bouncing. All he wanted was for her to do her job and then leave the room. He was feeling uncomfortable after last night and it wasn't as if he had slept much, thinking over everything that had happened. Those few hours of sleep that he had gotten hadn't been good either.
Thankfully, it didn't take more than a few minutes for Rick to get there. As soon as he arrived, Sarah finished up with Glenn and after sending one last glance Daryl's way – which he pointedly ignored – she excused herself and left the room.
"We need to hear your view on what happened," Rick said, jumping straight to the point.
"Sarah said so," Glenn said. "Don't really know where to begin." His voice was still raspy and Daryl felt bad for him, but he knew that they needed answers.
"Heath gave us the basics of what happened. Ya got ambushed by a bigger group, they killed Johnny and Steve and took Annie an' Emma 'fore they started beatin' on ya," Daryl summed up. "Ya got anythin' to add to that?"
Glenn silently shook his head, wincing as he tried to sit up a little straighter on the bed.
"Ya remember what ya said when we brought ya in?" He felt as if he was the one asking all the questions, though, he knew that he needed the answers.
"Yes," Glenn replied immediately, his voice sounding much more certain and strong now. "Everything was a blur, but I know what I saw and what I told you guys."
"How?" The question was basically growled out and Daryl clenched his jaw as he stood up.
"I know what I saw, man," Glenn repeated. "I know that I saw her and she saw me too."
"Saw who?" Rick asked for him to specify because Daryl couldn't bring himself to say anything else.
"Beth," Glenn said. "She was there with them. She was a part of that other group."
"Glenn," Rick shook his head, sighing. "Beth's dead–"
"I know what I saw!" Glenn snapped, raising his voice. He was breathing heavily, chest falling up and down at a rapid pace that Daryl figured couldn't be good for him. "I know what I saw."
"They were beatin' on ya," Daryl stated. "Could'a hit ya on the head."
"I saw her before they started hitting me," Glenn said, his hands clenching the sheets. "I'm telling you guys that Beth is with them. She was there."
"Tell us everythin'," Daryl demanded. "I'm not understandin' anythin' an' last time I checked, I ain't stupid. If she was there, she would'a stopped whoever they were from killin' Johnny an' Steve." He couldn't bring himself to say her name; he had already said it too many times these past twenty-four hours.
"She wasn't there when that happened," Glenn told them. "She drove up in another car with some other guy with half his face burned off when they gathered us all in the middle. As soon as I saw her, I knew it was her. She looked the same except for a bunch of scars on her face and the clothes she was wearing. Guys, she froze the moment she saw me and I knew that she knew who I was."
Daryl stayed quiet, as did Rick. They were both listening with interest.
"It was like she was pretending that she didn't know me, and I understood," Glenn continued. "I understood that she didn't want anyone knowing that she knew me. Still, I tried to talk to her, without saying her name. I begged her to do something, but she didn't." He cleared his throat, "At least not at first."
Daryl looked at him sharply then, his heart pounding in his chest. Could it be possible? Could it be real?
"When they started beating up me and Heath, she stood there and watched for a moment. She didn't even flinch, guys. She didn't show any signs of weakness or knowing me, but then, as soon as she told them to stop, they all backed away. It was like she was their leader or something. She told them that it would be better to let us return to our community as a warning and for them to just take the women. It was her voice, you guys," Glenn said, his eyes filling with tears. "Do you remember what her voice sounds like?"
Daryl knew he did.
It had haunted him every single day since he had lost her as well as the questions that he had left unanswered between them.
'What changed your mind?'
"I watched her when she took Annie and Emma with her into her car, not letting the other guys touch them at all. Before she drove off, I know that she looked back at me and that's when I knew that I wasn't dreaming," Glenn finished. "She's out there, with that other group. The men kept spewing out words about going back to 'the Sanctuary' before Beth showed up, so wherever that is, that's where she'll be."
Daryl's chest felt tight and he didn't know whether he was still breathing. Glenn was sounding so sure of himself and the way that he described it all… Daryl had to know the truth.
He didn't even realize that he had started for the door until Rick grabbed a hold of his shoulder.
"Where are ya goin'?" Rick asked him.
"I gotta go, man," Daryl replied. "If there's even a chance that she's out there… I need to go, try an' track those men. I'll ask Heath where they were ambushed and check it out."
"Will you be okay on your own?" Rick wondered, knowing that he needed this; that he needed to do this. With a sigh, Rick patted his shoulder, "Stay safe and stay outta trouble."
"I will," Daryl replied and kept walking.
It was all a blur after that. He visited Heath and asked for the location that they had been attacked, then went back to his house to get his weapons. Somewhere along the way, Aaron walked up to him and asked him if this was a really good idea. Daryl told him that he had to do this, but didn't give any details on why.
As Spencer opened the gate for him and he drove out of the Safe Zone on his motorcycle, he couldn't help but wonder, if it was a subconscious part of him that hadn't let him move on. He wondered, if maybe, he hadn't allowed himself to forget about her because he deep down had known that she was still out there. He didn't want to get his hopes up though.
Yet, the way that his heart was beating strong in his chest, Daryl felt like there must be a reason that he felt as if he was breathing again, for the first time in three years.
Note: Aaand there goes Daryl! :P Hope you liked the chapter! Feel free to point out any spelling-mistakes in there because those fuckers always sneak in somehow, despite spell-check and proof-reading!
I just want to say that I already have the next chapter written out, but it's really, really dark. Or at least it's a lot darker than I usually write and brutal (in my eyes) and well, psychologically abusive too. I'm gonna put up a warning in the note before the chapter, but I just wanted to mention it here as well so that you guys know what to expect. Oh, and it's all about Beth. And the Saviors. So there's that.
As I said, I hope you liked this chapter! Please drop a review and tell me what you thought, it's highly appreciated! :) Lots of love! xx
