Beth turned in surprise, to see a man she didn't know standing against the door frame. He was tall and lanky with black hair obscured by a dirty baseball cap. He had what looked like a toothpick in his mouth and he rolled it around his lips as he looked her. Beth felt a wave of apprehension wash over her, and she immediately wanted to say no. She looked over at Maddie, who was wearing a look of annoyance on her face. She nodded noncommittally and went back to her clothes. Beth had no choice in the matter now.
"Sure." Beth said hesitantly, moving around the stacks of clothes and walking outside with him. She stood next to the door with him across from her.
"My name's Martin. I just wanted to introduce myself. I've seen you around. Usually you're with Gareth." He said looking at her in a way that made her feel uncomfortable. "Figured the only way I'd get to talk to ya is if I came down here." He grinned at her like he'd found an incredible loophole and was astounded by his cleverness.
"Why can't you talk to me when Gareth's around?" Beth asked, looking around the courtyard, hoping someone would see her talking to him.
"Gareth tends to be… greedy. You're a pretty girl. Just wanted to let you know there are other options in this community. Gareth might be a good talker, but I'm better without words." He told her, leering at her. Panic was starting to set in as he put his hand on the wall and moved closer to her. "Just remember, I'm always a possibility." The stench of his breath was invading her nostrils.
"I have to get back." Beth said, her hand moving to the doorknob. Martin pushed his hand on the door, effectively giving her no escape route. She was trapped, and the only way out was through. "Move out of my way." She said dangerously.
"Feisty, huh? That's where the real fun is." Martin's voice was husky, desire dripping in every syllable. His face was moving closer to hers, and she knew it was now or never.
Beth's foot made contact in Martin's most prized area before he knew what was happening.
"Stupid bitch!" He yelled winded as he fell to the ground. People came around the corner, Mary leading the group. She narrowed her eyes as she assessed the situation, quickly coming a conclusion to what had happened. She grabbed the shirt of the man standing next to her and told him something. He took off in the direction of the cafeteria and Mary started walking towards her.
"Did he hurt you?" She asked, eyeing the groaning man on the ground.
"I didn't do nothing to her!" Martin called out from the ground.
"Hush you. Beth, are you ok?" Mary asked, turning her full attention to Beth.
"I'm fine. He, he just…" She trailed off, staring at her attacker, who was trying to regain his footing.
"Come on, Gareth will want to see you. He doesn't take things like this lightly. He's going to be furious. I told him we should've… never mind, lets get you out of here." She rambled, putting her arm around Beth.
"Really, I'm fine Mary. You don't have to-"
"What's going on here?" The sharp voice made Beth's hair stand on end. She turned to see Gareth assessing the situation, anger growing by the second.
"He just, he got too close to me." Beth muttered, trying to wrangle herself free of Mary's grip.
"Did he touch you?" Gareth asked, anger seeping into his voice.
"No. He had me trapped, I had to. He would've." Beth was rambling now.
Maddie had finally opened the door to the laundry building, with a bewildered look on her face. "What's… going on?" She asked, glancing at Martin's wincing face.
"She kicked me in the family jewels!" He yelled, finally gaining his footing again.
"You don't know the meaning of personal space!" Beth yelled back at him.
"Martin, come with me." Gareth said coldly. "Beth, go back to work, but find me when you're done." The adrenaline had run its course through her body, and she wanted nothing more than to hide from all the staring. "Everyone! Back to what you were doing! Its not polite to stand and gawk." Gareth shouted at the spectators. The crowd dispersed, a few more glances over their shoulders before getting back to their work.
"Are you sure you want her to go back to work?" Mary said incredulously.
"Beth will be fine. Martin won't be bothering her anymore." Gareth spat at his mother, his anger taking over. Mary looked like she wanted to give her a piece of her mind, but held her tongue. "Beth, I mean it, find me when you're done. I'll be waiting in my room."
"Okay, Gareth." She said with a hint of disdain in her voice. Gareth turned to look her.
"Sorry, its not your fault. I just don't tolerate this kind of foolishness." He said softly. He pushed Martin to start him walking. "I thought I made that clear." Martin just scoffed at him, almost like he had something he wanted to say, but didn't. Gareth started walking away, and Beth was left with Mary, watching the two of them.
"I swear, that boy." She muttered under her breath. "I'll see you at dinner, Beth. Holler if you need anything."
"I will." Beth assured her.
Mary walked away and Beth walked back into the laundry room with Maddie.
"So, uh, what in the hell happened out there?" She asked Beth as she shut and locked the door.
Beth explained to her everything that happened. By the end, Maddie was fuming.
"That idiot!" She yelled, handing Beth a stack of clothes to fold. "He knows better than to try to pull that shit. Especially with someone Gareth has taken an interest in. That's just playing with fire."
Beth raised an eyebrow, but shrugged, physically exhausted by the day she had. She just wanted to be reunited with her small cot and be alone for awhile. She knew however, these days you rarely got what you wanted.
xx
It had gotten chilly by the time it was finally time to call it quits for the day, but Beth was feeling relatively better. That is, until Maddie reminded her that she had to go find Gareth. They had been walking towards the Mess Hall when Maddie asked where she was going. Beth looked at her like she was crazy.
"I'm going to get something to eat, I'm starving."
"Don't you have to go talk to Gareth?"
Beth inwardly groaned. Her number one priority right now was getting her hands on something to eat.
"Shit, you're right. I'll see you later."
She turned in the opposite direction and headed toward the building she and Gareth resided in. Dread washed over her, and she started overthinking. What if he was upset that she had attacked Martin. He had said it wasn't her fault, but maybe he was upset it had to come to violence. Her mind was racing as she opened the door and let herself inside. She climbed the stairs to their floor and approached his door. Her knock was timid and she was almost sure he couldn't have heard it. She inwardly cursed herself and raised her hand to knock again when the door opened, heat radiating out of the room. She shivered as she saw Gareth standing there, holding the door open for her to enter the room. Beth wondered if it was just the chilly air she had been standing in or just Gareth's presence.
"Hey." He said, voice husky. He coughed to clear his throat before speaking again. "How are you?"
"I'm alright."
He led her in the room, where two plates of food sat at a card table with two chairs placed next to it. None of it had been there the last time she'd been in his room, she looked at him curiously.
"I figured we could eat up here tonight. I figured you wouldn't want everyone staring at you." He told her, sheepishly.
"Thank you Gareth." Gratitude pouring into her voice. She hadn't even thought about it before that moment, but she was glad he had.
Gareth pulled out a chair for her and she sat down. Tonight's dinner was meat, potatoes and corn. 'Ah consistency.' She thought to herself.
"I thought maybe we could share a glass of wine tonight, if you want." Gareth said, opening one of his desk drawers and pulling out a dusty old bottle.
"Wow, Gareth, you really know how to woo a girl don't you? Private dinner, with wine." She giggled to herself.
"The only thing I'm missing is candles and Marvin Gaye, right?" He laughed.
"I'd love some. I've never had wine before. What better time than now?" A nagging voice in the back of her head reminded her that she hadn't known Gareth long, and with the days events, this was just asking for trouble. She decided she trusted Gareth, and honestly didn't mind if the wine got to her head a little.
"I'm not sure what kind this is, its some kind of red wine, I do know that. The label is long since gone. We found it in a grocery store. No one's really a wine drinker, but we figure if push came to shove, it was something to clean with and I read somewhere that its good for disinfecting fruits and vegetables. I know the label says something like Coppola on it." Gareth shrugged and laughed. "I know literally nothing about wine." As he spoke, he retrieved two plastic wine glasses. He pulled the paper off, twisting and turning the cap, only to discover it was in fact a cork bottle. He sighed heavily, and went in search of something small and pointed. He found a broken pair of scissors and shoved the remaining blade into the cork. He pulled as hard as he could, visibly straining against the stubborn cork, but finally with a very loud "POP", it came free. He put the scissor on the desk and poured them each a glass. Beth let out a giggle as she took it from him.
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen." She chuckled. She swirled the liquid around in the glass. "I think this is what you're supposed to do before you drink it. My mom used to watch all these cooking shows and that's what they'd do if they were serving wine with the meal." Gareth did the same, a little too eagerly which resulted in some of the liquid finding its way to rim and spilling. Beth giggled as she took a sip from her glass. It tasted like berries with a hint of vanilla, and Beth closed her eyes, letting it rest in her mouth for a moment before swallowing. When she opened her eyes, she was treated to Gareth wearing an incredibly disgusted face.
"People actually enjoyed this?" He spat, wrinkling his nose as he looked at the glass. Beth laughed heartily and Gareth stuck his tongue out at her, causing Beth to laugh more.
"Oh, we're going the childish route about it, are we?" She said, chuckling. "I've heard you either like wine, or you learn to like it. Try drinking more." She told him, taking another drink.
"My, my Beth. Are you trying to get me drunk?" He exclaimed satirically. Beth blushed bright pink.
"I could ask the same of you." She stammered. She avoided his eyes now, a shameful smile dancing on her lips.
"Of course not," he took another sip of the wine, "I wouldn't want you to do anything you wouldn't want to." He gave her a mischievous smile and gestured to the food. "Lets eat."
As they cleared their plates, Beth told him her side of the story with Martin. She told him how he got close enough to smell his rancid breath. Gareth cut his meat with more force as she spoke, but otherwise kept his temper in line.
"I've told him to steer clear of you. If you have anymore problems, let me know. You shouldn't. He knows the penalty." Gareth said darkly looking down into his lap, hands folded into a triangle and elbows resting on the table, his face effectively masked from Beth.
By the time they had finished dinner, Gareth had finished his first glass of wine, and Beth was working on her third. Her whole head felt fuzzy, and the world seemed to have a blur around the edges. She had become a lot more giggly and her and Gareth had made their way to the couch. They were sitting upright, with Beth's body resting against his and her head on his shoulder.
"Hey Gareth?" She asked.
"Yea, Beth?"
"Here I am, rather tipsy on your couch and I don't even know your last name. Mine's Greene. With an extra 'e' at the end."
"Hunter." He said. "No extra 'e' on the end."
Beth erupted into giggles and Gareth chuckled at her raucous laughter. "How old are you?" She asked when giggles subsided.
"Twenty-five when the fall happened, so I'd estimate twenty-seven now." Gareth said focusing on the ceiling, "And yourself?"
"Well lets see…" she started, draining the last of her wine. "I was sixteen when this all started, so I guess I'm about twenty-eight. I mean, eighteen." Giggles started again. She held out her glass to him, eyeing the wine bottle.
"I'm not sure if I should even let you have anymore." He teased as he poured more in her glass. "Not to mention you're underage. Wouldn't want to get busted.
"I think," Beth said, taking a sip. "I think we're gonna be alright."
Gareth considered her for a moment and slid off the couch to sat crosslegged on the floor. "I don't think I ever apologized properly for last night." He said remorsefully.
"Yea what was that all about." She said, her head resting on the back of the couch, eyes closed.
"I just… seeing your face today… It reminded me of Mary." Gareth rambled, putting his head in hands.
Beth sat up and looked at him. "Your mother…?" She said with a mix of sadness and confusion.
"When we first came to Terminus, we wanted to help people. We put up all those signs because this was a sanctuary for all. We wanted people to come here, for them to be safe here." He told her. The words almost seemed stuck in his throat as he told her his story. "Everything was okay for awhile, people were showing up left and right and while we were having problems getting enough food, we had the numbers to send people out to look for it. Everything was nice and happy, till they showed up.
"There were about fifteen to twenty of them. All of them were big burly guys. Mean looking bastards too. We should've known then, that we were in some shit. Mom said we should let them in, only seeing the good in them." Gareth's face twisted into one of rage. "So we did. And they overtook us and after the first day of them being here, we were locked in train cars and they were raiding our camp for food.
"Every night, they'd thrown in some food. The third night, we heard a woman screaming, 'No! Stop! Get off of me! I knew immediately who it was." Gareth's voice was full of emotion "Her name was Suzanne, and she had been with us since the beginning. We listened to her screams, and tried fruitlessly to get out of that train car. We heard one of the other train car's door open and shut. She cried for the rest of the night.
"They kept us in there for the better part of three weeks. Every night they would take the women, apparently just the one wasn't enough fun for them. They took my mother. Every night, she would sit in the corner, eyes wide, never sleeping more than a couple minutes at a time. The look of fear on her face, I'll never forget it." Beth moved down onto the floor next to and put her hand on his. He moved his hand to the ground and she gripped with her own.
"We knew the only way we'd get out of there alive was if we fought. The night we decided was the right night, when they came for the women, a man named Jonathan stood by the door, waiting for them to open it. Our plan was to get the gun of the one that came and take out the rest, and he, my brother and I were going to take back Terminus. So many of us died that night, but we stood victorious by the end of it all." His voice was raw as he finished his story. He looked at Beth, gauging her reaction.
"Gareth I'm… I don't even know what to say." she told him mournfully. "Why did you even take me in, when that had happened. If I were you, I wouldn't want to let anyone in, who knows what they would do."
"We only bring people in now who we meet out on the road." He told her, lifting his head from his hands. "I know you coming here seemed more of a kidnapping mission, but you were alone and albeit stupid, those men meant well."
"They did right to bring me here, I just wish they would've been patient enough to wait for Daryl. He even followed the car!" She exclaimed indignantly.
"Beth, you were a small girl, and he was a big mean looking guy from what they told me. They didn't know if you were running from him, they acted in the moment." He told her, desperate for her understanding.
"I know, I'm sorry." she said solemnly. Silence fell upon both of them, as they both retreated into their own thoughts. Beth thought of the day she had, as she finished the rest of her wine. She was pouring the last of the bottle in her glass when a thought popped into her head. She turned to face him before she spoke. "Maddie said something to me today, in regards to the Martin incident." She said, drawing it out to choose her words wisely. Gareth raised an eyebrow at her.
"And what exactly did she say?" He asked apprehensively.
"She said Martin was an idiot, said he knew better than to act the way he did." Gareth's expression was unsurprised.
"Well he is, and does." He muttered under his breath.
"Especially towards someone you have taken an interest in." She finished. Gareth seemed to be reading her expression, which she kept passive as possible, despite her heartbeat increasing.
"Did she now?" He murmured. He got to his feet, stretching to his full height. "Well, its not secret I have taken interest in you Beth. Its not everyone here I bring up to my room to have dinner and wine." He said chuckling. "If it makes you uncomfortable, I'll understand."
"No, its not that. Its just… why? I'm a farm girl from Georgia." She said flustered.
"You have seemingly boundless faith. I think you're quite beautiful, and when I'm around you, I just feel hopeful." He shrugged while her stomach erupted into butterflies. She could feel the pink blooming on her cheeks and she made an effort not to look into his eyes.
"I just, I don't know what to say." She told him.
"You don't really have to say anything. Its just a little fact. I'm interested in you." Gareth shrugged. "I learned how to deal with rejection a long time ago. I wasn't the most popular kid in school, while I still had dreams of dating the cheerleader."
"I didn't date seriously during high school until I met Jimmy. We were together for a couple months before the fall. We were together when everything went to shit. He didn't make it off the farm with us though." She told him sadly. She moved towards Gareth and cupped his cheek in her hand. "You're a great guy, Gareth. I would have to be blind to not see that. You've suffered so much tragedy, and yet here you are, still helping people." Gareth placed his hand on hers, and gazed at her with a reverence. His face moved to hers, and soon his lips were on hers. She could taste the wine on his breathe and she returned the kiss.
They broke apart in shock when Gareth's brother Alex ran into the room, "Gareth, Gareth! We have a problem. Walkers got in! I think the overpowered one of the walls." he told him, breathless.
"Has anyone been injured?" Gareth asked him, moving away from Beth and picking up his jacket from the desk.
"Not yet, but we need people out there to keep it under control so we can get the breach fixed."
Gareth was putting on his jacket when he turned to Beth. "Beth, I want you to stay here. There's a gun in the drawer there, if you need it and a knife under my pillow. Stay here till I come back ok?"
"I can help-"
"Beth I believe you could, but I also know how much you've had to drink, I need you to stay here and stay safe, ok?"
Beth wanted to argue that she was fine, but as she moved to the drawer to grab the gun, she realized the adrenaline hadn't gotten rid her drunkenness. She nodded at him and he left a kiss on the top of her head before exiting the room.
And there Beth was, feeling useless and helpless as she listened to the gunfire protecting her and Terminus.
Ooooh, some of the backstory for Terminus and rapey Martin. This chapter was like a powerhouse for me to write, I finished it in under a day, so please please please tell me what you think! For the Bethylers getting discouraged, this is all necessary. I'm tired of never been scorned Beth. I promise you, that there is Bethyl to come, but her stay at Terminus needs to play out. Thank you SO much! :D This chapter is almost a thousand words longer than the last one, I'm really proud of myself for that!
Remember, reviews light the fires in my fingers.
