All I Ever Will Be
Chapter Three - The Tunnel
Daryl got down on his belly and inched forward, hovering over the hole where Beth had fallen. His heart was still racing at her sudden disappearance, but she looked no worse for wear, besides being in a hole. "A door?" he asked, curiously. "You sure?"
She looked up at him again and glared. "Yes Daryl," she said. "I think I know what a door looks like."
Daryl grunted. "Well you best come up here, away from it. We don't know what's in there and I'm not trying to take a chance..." He almost said at losing you again, but decided not to.
Beth broke their gaze and stared at the door again. "Daryl, anythin' could be in there. This could be underground shelter! We have to at least check it out." She looked up at the sky, beyond him. "Plus, I'm not thrilled about the idea of campin' outside tonight."
Daryl pondered this for a minute, knowing the situation could be potentially disastrous or exactly what they needed. His thoughts erupted into a fantasy, envisioning weapons, food, a warm place to sleep, but he knew it was far from likely. And if those things were inside, there was definitely someone protecting it.
"Maybe just for the night," he thought out loud.
"That's it, c'mon down Daryl!" Beth exclaimed.
"Mmhm," Daryl said. "I'm comin'. Just give me a minute - we need a way to get out."
He hopped up onto his feet and had a look around. The hole was about six or seven feet deep, give or take, so he'd have to find a wide log or tree branch that would hold their weight when they needed to climb back up. "I'll be right back," he called out to Beth as he started to search.
It proved to be relatively easy to find a tree branch that was large enough, but moving it was a different story. He heaved and tugged with all his might, finally lowering it down into the hole with Beth's help. He sat on the edge for a minute, catching his breath and wiping his brow. Beth's excitement was clear from where he was sitting - she might as well have been jumping up and down at the discovery of the door, but Daryl knew her enthusiasm may not last for long. There was a very good chance they would run into a dead end.
Once he'd gotten his second wind, he lowered himself into the hole, landing balanced on his feet. Beth reached out to squeeze his arm, as if she was checking to make sure he was still real, and he let her. It was just what she did - touched him sometimes. And he was oddly okay with it.
He glanced at the wall, coming face to face with an unmistakable door. It was hidden well enough so it wouldn't be noticeable from where he'd been standing above. Made from heavy wood, the entrance touched the floor and rose up only about four feet so they would have to duck to go in. There was a large handle on the side, begging to be opened. Daryl looked at Beth who was breathing heavily, her eyes glistening with excitement as she looked the door up and down. Daryl could tell she was imaging all of the possibilities that could be inside.
"Beth," Daryl said, looking at her seriously, breaking her trance. "When we go in, you gotta be on guard. Just in case somethin' or someone's inside."
Beth nodded, looking determined and grasped the handle of the knife that sat on her hip tightly. "I know Daryl. I'm ready."
He placed his hand on the door, tugging on it, letting it slide across the dirt floor. It was heavy, but he was able to get it open wide enough that they could both slide through. The entrance was dark and damp, smelling of mildew. Daryl stuck his head in, keeping one arm on the outside of the door frame and whistled. He turned to Beth and put a finger to his lips to signal silence.
He listened, but heard nothing. Daryl let go of the frame and without thinking, put his arm behind him as he headed into the darkness. Beth grasped his hand, her sweaty palms dwarfed by his own, sending a jolt of electricity through his body. There it was again - the feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on. A flutter, deep in his belly that made him feel slightly nervous and lightheaded. It frustrated him, so he ignored it, determined to stay focused.
Heading forward, he tightened his fingers around hers. "Daryl, wait," she said and he stopped, looking back at Beth. Her figure was illuminated by the sliver of light that shone in through the door and he saw her fumbling in her backpack, tongue between her teeth, reaching for something. Her eyes widened when she found it and she smiled to herself, bringing out a flashlight. He smiled. "Good thinking," he whispered.
"Might help," she said, reaching for his hand again. He took hers and she threaded their fingers together, getting a good, tight grip on him before they started moving.
Beth shone the light to the sides first, illuminating dark walls, curving over their heads. The light bounced around the walls, and she shone it down towards the end next, landing on nothing but dirt and darkness in the distance. The walls curved away from them so they couldn't see the end.
"A tunnel," Daryl said out loud, without thinking. "We're in a tunnel."
The sound of hands clapping came slowly, echoing off the walls. It confused him at first, his senses dulled from not being able to see, before he realized there was another somebody in the tunnel there with them.
"Why yes you are!" came a deep voice, as a shadow holding another flashlight rounded the corner. Suddenly, Beth screamed, dropping her flashlight. Daryl turned, dropping her hand and reaching for his cross bow, but it was too late. Before he could react, his world was engulfed in darkness.
Beth hadn't realized she was screaming, until a hand was clasped over her mouth. It was sticky from sweat, so she hoped - smelling strongly of rubbing alcohol. She looked around wildly for Daryl, her eyes widening as she saw him slumped over on the ground, not moving. The man had charged him, slamming Daryl's head into the wall behind him, knocking him out instantly.
"Shut the fuck up you stupid bitch!" the voice said, the owner's breath hot and disgusting, stinging her nostrils. "You wanna bring some fuckin' corpses our way now?"
Her eyes had adjusted and a large man came into view, standing very close to her. He was extremely tall and overweight, sporting a few hairy chins, handlebar mustache and a bald head with a black bandana tied around his forehead. He had a thick unibrow and a wide nose - mushy features that made him look like a cartoon character. He glared at her, waiting for a response.
She shook her head emphatically, feeling like she was unable to breathe. Her mind was screaming at her to get to Daryl, check if he was okay, get him help. The man's chubby hands were on her waist then, grabbing her knife out of its holster and shoving it into his pocket. Next, he ripped her backpack off of her shoulders, the straps snapping free from her arms.
The man backed away from her, leaning down to pick up the flashlight she'd dropped, then hovered over Daryl, shining his flashlight over his body like he was looking at roadkill. "Ugh," he groaned. "This won't be easy to carry back." He circled him, leaning down and grabbing his heavy crossbow, throwing it easily over his shoulder.
"Daryl?" Beth whispered, knowing she shouldn't but unable to help herself. "Is he…?" Her breath caught in her chest at the sheer thought of losing Daryl. It was unfathomable.
The man turned his head to the side to glare at her. "He'll be fine," he snapped at her. "What's he, your boyfriend or somethin'?" He laughed cruelly.
Beth stayed silent, looking at Daryl on the floor. It was rare to see him like this and she wanted nothing more but to run to him and get him to his feet. He would know how to handle this. He would know how to fight. Not Beth. She was practically useless. The tears came then, hot and angry and unwanted and she wiped them off on her dirty t-shirt, feeling small and helpless.
His hands were on her again, tight and strong around her bicep. "Let's go," he slurred, pulling her towards him. He started walking and she had no choice but to follow him.
"Where?" she asked, feeling extremely stupid. He was dragging her away from Daryl, down towards the curve of the tunnel. "What about him?" she asked, looking back at Daryl who still hadn't moved.
"I'll deal with him later. Shut the fuck up or I'll blow your fuckin' brains out." He pulled a gun from his pocket, waving it at her.
Beth stopped talking, but tears kept rolling down her cheeks, dripping down her chin and onto her shirt, despite her best intentions to stop. The man had now dug his fingernails into her arm. Perhaps he was afraid she might run back to Daryl. There wasn't much she could do at this point - running wasn't really an option - who would she go to for help? There was no one left.
This thought destroyed her and she let a heavy sob leave her throat. She choked another one back, afraid the man would react to her cries and tell her to be quiet again. As they rounded the corner of the tunnel, a greenish light was visible in the distance. Beth's legs felt heavy and sore, but she kept walking, steady with his pace.
The dirt floor of the tunnel ended abruptly, turning into concrete, the light getting brighter as they came towards it. There were more lights, placed down the rest of the hall, illuminating the walls which were pure, plain gray concrete. As Beth looked down she saw that the tunnel narrowed the further down it went. Their footsteps echoed loudly as the walls came closer together and Beth felt slightly claustrophobic as they continued on.
The walk seemed to last for miles, he was dragging her through a maze of twists and turns, then finally they reached a plain wall that he stared at, his grip still tight, leaving indentations on her arms. He stood in front of it, just staring at it for a minute and Beth wondered briefly if he'd lost it. She considered making a run for it then, but then he stepped forward. He pushed the wall with his shoulder, grunting as he did so, causing Beth to lose her balance as he thrusted forward into the solid concrete.
To her surprise, it shifted, causing a break in the wall. A hidden door - she would have never known it was there if he hadn't stopped in front of it. He pushed it again and it slid forward, opening an entrance through which he pulled her.
Briefly, she caught a glimpse of the room - it was large and circular, with a large concrete pillar in the middle of it. There was furniture laid about, spread out haphazardly. She didn't see any other movement or people, but before she could look around any further, he'd pushed her forward into an open door. Lights flickered on above her and she finally got a decent look at her captor, his chins wobbling as he forced a maniac smile at her.
"See you," he said, and then closed the door. Beth came up to it as he closed it, the metal feeling cool against her fingers and broke out into a cold sweat as she heard him turn keys on the other side. He was locking her in.