Sorry it's taken me so long to update! I hope this makes up for it, and if not, let me know!
He could feel her small hands scorching his thighs beside where her flushed cheeks were pressed up against his pants. And that smell. Whatever god damn shampoo she used, it flooded his nostrils, placing him in some alternate universe where he was surrounded by honey and roses. It was becoming difficult to think. He needed to get out.
Without a word to the man lingering in the opening of the tent, Daryl lifted her up from beneath her arms and placed her back on the cushion, careful to not wake her. She stirred on the thin mattress, rolling over and mumbling something in her sleep. "Daryl," he managed to make out, and Glenn's suspicion became conspicuous. The redneck raced out of the tent in the manliest way he could manage and burst out of the building, mouth agape like a fish as he greedily sucked in fresh air.
He was unwilling to spare another glance for the man who found him in the most vulnerable and questionable position, which seemed to fuel Glenn's hunch of what had went on the night prior.
"Daryl!" Glenn exclaimed after him once he stepped through the door and out of the building. Daryl spun around, his chest throbbing uncontrollably. "Are we gonna talk about this?"
Daryl shrugged his shoulders, building up his wall of an artificial lack of emotion. "Ain't nothin' to talk about." Daryl disputed, being overwhelmed with guilt. He hadn't really done anything wrong, but it was understandable if Glenn thought he did. Hell, he was beginning to believe he'd practically slept with her himself.
"Really? Because you just came out of Beth Greene's tent. That's definitely a good reason for conversation." Glenn was standing tall a few feet away, his eyes lit up audaciously. "I don't know what's going on with you two-"
Daryl scoffed, gripping his hand to tighten it on the Horton as had become a habit of his when he was getting frustrated, until he realized that it wasn't with him. He had left it in the opening of his tent. He was livid for a moment, considering all options of being attacked or being unable to protect Beth, til' he began to think. Something took a toll on him with the revelation that he had slept without it for the first time since the apocalypse began, and even though he tried to tack the reasoning to basically anything else, he knew it had more than a lot to do with the bucket of astonishment that was Beth Greene.
"Nothin's goin' on 'tween us." He clarified, but Glenn didn't look convinced. Out of the corner of his eye, Daryl could see some walker's getting restless along the fence, and he decided to focus on that to get his mind off of how the blond had just been spread out over his lower half. "Damn things been gettin' worse."
His tries came to a halt. "Don't change the subject." Glenn proclaimed with an exasperated sigh, holding his view on the matter. Any accusation in his voice had slipped through.
The kid had changed so much in the last year. No way in hell he would have been standing up to Daryl as he was now. If they weren't in some sort of argument right now, Daryl might have expressed his opinion.
"She had a nightmare." The rough looking redneck said, putting his hand on his side. The pain began to seep through his worry and confusion, and it was coming in strong.
This actually made Glenn blink hard. It would have been more credible for Daryl to have been in the tent for sexual reasons than for him to be doing it out of the goodness of his heart. "And you're suddenly the defender of dreams for pretty nineteen year old's?"
"She's eighteen." Daryl easily corrected, then realized that really wasn't helping his case. "And I saved her, jack ass." He declared, huffing out a big breath before trying to explain his and Beth's complicated relationship to the Korean kid before him. "And for whatever reason, she thinks that I can keep her from harm even in her sleep." He was shaking his head when Glenn decided to challenge him with another question.
Glenn pondered on this for a moment before responding a bit apprehensively. "So, you're saying she sleeps better when you're with her?" He wasn't trying to be patronizing and disbelieving, but God, he was bordering on it like a damn tight-rope walker.
His side was now causing him to slouch a little. The pain was a hundred times worse than it had been a day before, and now all of the tissue around the wound was swollen and sore. "Yeah, that's what I'm sayin'." Daryl bit back a little bit more harshly than he had intended.
Glenn's surprise at the roughness in the other man faded slightly when he recalled what he had gone through the day before, rightfully placing the blame on the pain that he must be going through. "Do you think you can?" The guy wasn't asking as a curious group member anymore, but as a concerned brother in-law. "Do you think you can keep her safe?" Daryl saw the ineluctable fear that was icing his demeanor, his hands twitching slightly as they spoke of Beth's safety. Glenn had dug himself in deep with the Greene family, and Daryl couldn't even hold it against the guy. He was close to doing the same.
He didn't answer this time because he wasn't sure. Of course he wanted to keep her safe, that had become second nature for him. But honestly, he didn't know if he could. That's what scared him so much about her leaving, if he wasn't sure he could keep her from hazards then the others in the group sure as hell can't. "I want to go on that run." He concluded, brushing passed Glenn and knocking his arm against the other man's, an immature way of showing his masculinity.
"Daryl, you know you can't." Glenn responded sympathetically.
"I don't give a damn about some scrapes and bruises. I'm going." He took a thick, hulking step towards his tent when a small hand grabbed his bicep. It wasn't Glenn's, he knew that, so he turned with caution, only to be caught in a staring match with even bluer eyes.
"Why are you so hard headed?" Beth asked, her hand still on his arm. Her thin shirt was hanging off of her right shoulder and her face was still smooth and blushed from her sleep. He caught himself staring and shook her off, but she feigned strength. "You can't go, so stop making Glenn feel sorry for tellin' your stubborn ass 'no'. You know I would like you to, but you can't. You're hurt and you need to sit down and shut up so you can heal."
Glenn looked at her in a new light now. Beth was handling Daryl Dixon, a man twice her size and twenty years her senior like a mother would a child, keeping him in his place, and he was pretty sure Daryl was going to end up letting her, even if he put up a bit of a fight first. He left them then, feeling as if he had meddled in enough of their business for the day.
"I'm goin' on that damn run and there ain't a thing you can do to stop me." He spat, tearing his arm from her grasp and unzipping the door to his tent.
"Daryl!" She stomped towards him rapaciously and stood behind him, hands on her hips. "For once in your dumb redneck life, put yourself before others!"
He grabbed his jacket and Horton before turning back to her in a rapid motion, leaving her mind spinning from his speed and the view of his muscles straining against his sleeveless shirt. "I can't let you go out there alone. You can hardly sleep by yourself! How the hell am I supposed to trust you to come back without a scratch?"
"I don't give a damn what state I return in, you need to take care of yourself before you take care of me." He wanted to speak, but she didn't let him. "Besides, with your side like that, you're more likely to attract walkers. Ever think'a that?"
He hadn't, but he wasn't going to let her know that. "And you're more likely to die without me!"
"I don't know why you care so much. I'm the weakest person in the group, why do you want to risk yourself for someone like me?" Beth wasn't actually sure if she wanted him to answer that, or if she was just speaking her mind without thinking. She liked that he cared, it just didn't make any sense. He hadn't given a damn about her til' the night they burnt down that old house with moonshine. "I'm not worth anything."
"Don't." The thought of her being reckless out there while he sat in bed pampering himself made him sick to his stomach, that's why. He didn't know the reason, he just knew that there was this blood curdling fear that ripped him up inside at the thought of her being hurt.
Beth smiled, shaking her head pathetically. "You protect so many people, Daryl. You're a hero."
His heart twinged at the word. Not many people had said anything like that to him before, and none said it with the sincerity that she did. It almost made him believe it. But, then Sofia and Merle came to mind. People he couldn't save. Zach. Hershel. People in his life before the world went to shit. "Nah. You're the one who sings and makes people feel like they gotta home to come to."
"Yes, you are. And that ain't a necessity. My singing isn't gonna keep people alive like you do." She took a step towards him, and looked down as her hand reached out for his. He let her take his fingers and spread her own softly out along his, measuring the difference between the lengths. Daryl couldn't help but watch her face as she concentrated on the tingles that reverberated from the mere contact. "You help people. You do it so much that you don't even realize it anymore." Her eyes cast towards his, and the intensity made him take the smallest of steps back. She was looking at him with adoration, making him fight with himself more than ever to believe that he didn't feel something for her. "You're good."
He found himself wanting to touch her face. To do something. He had never wanted to just hold a woman before, but right now, that would be enough for him. In fact, if he could hold Beth and keep her from going out in the world on that run today, he'd do it. Screw what anyone at the camp had to say, what Maggie would do. He couldn't have anyone else dying, and he sure as hell couldn't handle Beth being killed.
"Beth, you ready?" Bob asked while looking out of the door. Their hands dropped away from each other, and Beth spun with a bright smile on her face.
"Be there in a moment!" She called, then looked at Daryl. He was staring at her as if he was memorizing her face in every detail. "I'll be back, safe and sound." Balancing on the balls of her feet, she stood up to give him a kiss on the cheek, to which his entire body became rigid. She lingered for a moment, her pink plush lips pressed against the coarse hair on his cheek, before dropping back down and yanking his leather jacket from his unprepared fingertips. He looked at her with his eyebrows furrowed and his jaw dropped as she backed away. "It's gettin' pretty cold out, isn't it?" She asked tauntingly, then disappeared into building.
He stood there for a good moment before realizing that it was her way of promising her return, taking one of his most important belongings so that she had a reason to come back. That, and she now thought she took away his chance of going on the run because he wouldn't leave without his jacket since, like she said, it was gettin' cold out.
She was clever. When they had been on the farm, Daryl never even gave her a once over, and when she tried to off herself, he thought the group would have been better off without the weakness. Then, she started taking care of Lil' Asskicker, invoking a bit of reluctance on her part, but when he saw how well she did, how determined she was to put Judith's needs before her own, he came to a conclusion somewhere in his mind that she wasn't completely weak.
Then the Governor had attacked, making him and her leave together, and everything he had ever thought about her was lost as his everyday became filled with something new he learned about the youngest Greene girl. She didn't like killing stuff, ironic considering she had tried to do it to herself. Didn't eat much either, always tried to make sure he had more in his belly than she did. And she was respectful to the dead. With Beth around, they were just as comfortable in death as they should have been in life.
He had actually wanted to settle down with her in the home. Might not seem like much, but Daryl was an outdoors kind of guy. The fact that he didn't want to keep moving or sleep outside for the rest of their lives was a big deal. Even bigger that he wanted to stay their with her. If she hadn't been with him, there would have been no point in even going to that damn place. Looking back on it, he felt stupid and insecure. What if she had wanted to say no?
Then he heard a female scream pierce the air, instincts driving his body forward in a sprint, drawing back the crossbow as he ran.
…
Blood was gushing down Sasha's legs, pooling around her feet. The woman had screamed loud enough to leave a ringing in Beth's ears. For a moment, Beth thought she had just started her period in a violent manner, but the look in Sasha's eyes told her otherwise. She hadn't been attacked or anything, and as the possibilities ran through her head, Beth's eyes focused when she came to one conclusion. "Oh my god." She whispered before running to Sasha's side.
Daryl came barreling around the building as the others came running out, one hand on his hurt side. Beth held Daryl's jacket in front of Sasha's legs, shielding her from the gazes of everyone, then looked into the woman's eyes. "Sasha..."
Bob ran through the crowd, his hands automatically going to Sasha's face. "Sasha? What happened? Are you alright? Are you bit?"
Tears began to stream down the woman's face as she looked at her lover. Everyone had become quiet, but what came next really shook them to the core. Sasha gripped Bob's shoulder, shaking her head. "I lost the baby."
It was obvious that Bob had known just as much as everyone else about the life that Sasha was sure had been growing inside of her, but no one spoke a word of the child as Bob picked the woman up and carried her off inside. Maggie and Glenn held hands as the two faded away, and Beth glanced towards Daryl. He was walking steadily towards Maggie, and Beth knew he was going to propose taking Bob's place now that he was going to definitely stay with Sasha.
"I'm going." Glenn said quickly, giving Maggie a kiss and walking to where Beth stood by the car.
"You don't have to." Maggie interjected, looking at Beth. "I can go, right?"
Random voices in the group began to speak out, each one mentioning different variations of "I'll go" or "No, you have to stay here". They were getting too loud and Beth knew it was just a matter of time until someone drew attention. Daryl was getting damn well fed up.
"Everyone shut the hell up!" He announced, drawing some judgmental looks from parents holding their kids ears. "'Could've said fuck." He retorted, looking directly at them, drawing scoffs and disgusted expressions. For the most part, besides some of the parents telling their kids to not listen and to not say the new vocabulary words Daryl had offered up, everyone settled into the quiet. "We need to send someone out there. I-"
Glenn took a step forward then, cutting Daryl off. "I'm going." He said once more, this time with more certainty.
"I want to go." Carl said, stepping out of the crowd. Rick automatically shot that one down, and a few other guys raise their hands or took a step forward and announced their volunteering, but Maggie expressed that it was safer for members of the original group to go, save for Erica considering she had been working the watch duty basically since Maggie found her three weeks ago.
Beth walked up to Glenn and pulled him aside with Maggie to discuss what the plans were now, leaving the rest of the group to wander around and eventually go back inside. Rick was holding a bag with a small amount of supplies in case they got stuck over night, and he easily nodded in agreement to the new addition. Daryl looked from Glenn to Beth, wrath and fright and vexation all a strange mix on his face.
"We'll be back some time tonight, but if not, the latest will be tomorrow morning." Rick spoke, unknowingly stepping in the small amount of blood that now a puddle along the concrete. Beth cringed, biting her lip and looking away.
The wind blew her hair, and she pulled on Daryl's jacket before looking at him one more time.
Unlike before, he was watching at her. She could see the anxiety that had been on his face, and Beth smirked slightly when all of the signs finally pointed to the fact that... Daryl Dixon had been worried about her. Daryl Dixon had been worried about her. He had come running like his tail-end was on fire because he thought she was the one hurt, and she'd be damned if that didn't bring the slightest of smiles to her face.
His worry faded as he watched her there, wearing his jacket with pride. Of course, he should have been upset that she only had pride in the fact that she had stolen it, and now everyone knew, but he settled for amusement. Her small fingertips could barely be seen coming out of the sleeves, and the mid-section was much too baggy. Yet, he liked it better on her.
Glenn raised his eyebrows at Daryl, motioning towards Beth and his jacket, and the once easy smile on his lips melted into a glare, making Glenn laugh.
Everyone began to load into the vehicle, Rick driving, Michonne in the passenger seat, and Glenn, Beth, and Erica in the back. Maggie and Tyreese opened the gate, and Carol and Carl opened the second, waving as the car drove through. Beth looked out of the back window at Daryl who was watching their car disappear into the distance with squinted eyes.
…
"Beth," Glenn called, tearing Beth from her thoughts. She looked up to find that they had pulled into a parking lot that was relatively empty, stores lining the building. She knew instantly where they were, it was a little shopping mall her and her friends had traveled to on more than one occasion before the dead started walking. Everyone started to get out, but Glenn reached to grab her from exiting. She turned to look at him, and was surprised to find he looked concerned. "Is your head in the right place for this?"
Well, that took her a moment to comprehend. "Of course, why do you ask?"
Glenn scrutinized her for a bit longer, his eyebrows swinging together so close they almost touched. "Nevermind." He finally settled for saying even though it was obvious he had something on his mind.
They both climbed out of the car, seeing that the rest of the group had been waiting for them. "There something I need to know about?" Michonne whispered from beside Beth, making the girl damn near jump out of her own skin.
"Jesus! You're like a cat!" Beth rushed to say, then shook her head vigorously. "No, there's nothin'. At least, if there is, he ain't tellin' me." Beth said, her eyes going to where Glenn was now at the front of the group with Rick, discussing what their next move was.
Michonne accepted the response, but that didn't necessarily mean she accepted it as the truth. After that, they got into one of the many formations, picking off walkers one by one like a peculiar game of Wack-a-Mole. The sky was graying over, making it more and more difficult to keep up with time. Apparently, while Beth had been gone, nearly everyone's watch had either died, been given away, or stolen. It wasn't exactly a simple trip to the market anymore to pick one up, so they had to learn how to tell the hour by the sun. But with the clouds above, it could be 9am or 3pm.
Beth saw the JC Penny's entrance a couple dozen yards in front of them when the rain began to come down. At first, it was simply sprinkling, layering everyone's body with a thin sheet of icing that would serve to cause a shiver in everyone of their mouths, but before they knew it, it was raining cats and dogs. The struggle to get inside of the mall had never been stronger, and they huddled around the building as if a football team meeting had been called up against that saggy old brick building.
"You cold, Beth?" Rick asked. She didn't realize until he asked that she had been slouched over, teeth clanging irritably against each other.
Michonne's lips tilted into a grin, a sight that would have been utterly foreign just a month in a half before. "Not in that jacket, she isn't."
Beth's glare found the woman in an instant, and Michonne only let out a deep throaty laugh. Glenn doubled over in laughter, Rick even cracked a smile, and the little blond victim wallowed in mortification, but Erica was completely oblivious to the joke. "I don't get it." She repeated multiple times before someone finally got the energy to speak.
"Daryl let you take that?" Rick questioned, and Erica's ears perked up at the mention of Daryl's name. Beth tried not to allow her irritation to show.
She gripped the jacket, looking down at it fondly. "Nope, I stole this fair an' square."
"Great, she hangs out with Dixon for a few days and now she's a thief." Michonne retorted, earning yet another one of Beth's pathetic excuse of a death glare.
Erica laughed, despite her not truly wanting to. "Wanna know somethin' funny?" She didn't let them answer. "I tried to get with him last night, and I got pretty close, but I think that old man is wearin' out cause he told me he was too tired than proceeded to get in his damn tent."
What? Did this happen while she was sleeping in there? What did Erica mean that she "got pretty close"? What had they done while she was only a few feet away, sleeping soundly? The thoughts were grotesque, Daryl with his hands all over some woman who was more annoying than pins and needles.
"No way he even let you near him. Dixon's not the kind for intimacy." Michonne said, dismissing Erica's bogus tall tale.
She feigned a hurt pout, then nodded while Rick and Glenn worked on getting the door undone. "We kissed, and like I said, we would have gotten further if he hadn't had gotten so tired."
The group looked at Erica in disbelief, and Beth added a bit of resentment and passionate hatred. She was a pretty thing. Brown hair, curves and tanned skin. But she was conceited, pesky, and downright intolerable. Daryl wouldn't have laid a finger on her.
Yet, the more Erica went on, the more Beth was beginning to be drawn into the story. She spoke of lingering looks and even him mentioning something about teaching her how to shoot his Horton. That was what really set her off. Beth had been under the impression that him teaching her to track and hunt was sort of a milestone in their relationship, and yet it turns out he just did that for anyone with breast. Maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought.
"But, it was weird. When he left me to get in his tent, I swear I heard him talking to someone else in there!" Erica revealed, and now Beth knew there had to be some sort of truth to her story.
Glenn's eyes found Beth's, and they both coughed gently. Michonne looked between the two before letting her imagination run wild. Beth watched the gears turn in the woman's head and shook her own. "No ma'am! Don't you think like that! That's how rumors start!" Beth growled at her by her side, but was only answered with a sly grin on Michonne's lips.
"Maybe he just didn't want to sleep with ya'." Rick said, finally getting the door to the building unlatched. He plopped the pad-lock in his pocket and slid open the gate, letting them all go in around him.
Erica waited for all of about a millisecond before disregarding the notion with a swift flick of her hand. "Can't be that."
Beth let out a frustrated sigh from knowing that she was about to have to spend the night with this woman. Why did they even bring her? "It's gonna be a long day." Beth concluded, and everyone muttered their agreements as Erica went on, talking of egotistic and self conceited opinions that no one in particular cared for.
...
Everyone sat in silence at dinner that night, no one from the run had made it back yet, but the fear wasn't too high, since they already knew it was likely they wouldn't be back til' the morning. Still, Daryl was a little bit more ill-tempered than usual, replying to nearly everything with a snide comment. No one thought it was because he was trying to cope with not being able to protect Beth, but because he hadn't been able to go on the run. He was fine with them thinking that.
He got up, swaggering in his own way over to the bucket where they put their dishes and washed his off quickly, tossing it on the table and heading out to his watch. A wrongly placed foot let him know someone was behind him.
Maggie considered her next move as she made her way over to a now immobile Daryl, knowing he was fully aware she was near him anyway. His jaw twitched slightly, and she scratched the back of her neck before continuing. "I know you were in Beth's tent."
"Damn Korean's and their big mouths," he mumbled.
"Glenn didn't tell me, Daryl..." Maggie paused to let out an exasperated breath. "Carol did. I think she's a bit concerned, and I guess I am too. What are you tryna' do to Beth?" The girl inquired, and unlike Glenn, she was all full of accusations.
His mouth dropped for a moment before he could actually respond to her bold question. "Excuse me, sunshine. I ain't tryna' do nuthin' to her. Also, what's with all y'all makin' it your business what Beth is doin'? Girl's nearly nineteen. I don't think she needs her sister tellin' her what t'do anymore."
"She does when she's 'bout to be makin' a big mistake. You think you're good for her, Daryl? You think you can make her happy? Only reason she likes you is because you're older." Maggie shot back with a sour look on her face. "Girl doesn't know what she's doin'."
"Did I not just tell you ain't nothin' was goin' on?"
She laughed, rolling her eyes. "You think I don't see it? The way you are 'round her? If I didn't know better, I'd say somethin' happened between you two way before she got taken." She straightened up her shoulders and Daryl knew she was going in for the kill. Only one thing he knew she'd be willing to throw at him. "Besides, ain't you like fifty? Don't you know when a girl's too young?"
His pulse was beginning to race and his knuckles were aching to slam against something. What he really wanted to do was find some walker and beat his skull in until his fingers were saturated in his brains, but instead he put his anger to words. Girl chose the wrong time to come after him. His metaphorical panties were already in a bunch because Beth was gone, he sure as hell didn't need Maggie coming after him and yelling at him about his age. "Too young? The girl acts older than you, princess. You're the one with hearts in your eyes, falling head over heels and going all out on the romance wagon when people 'round you are droppin' like flies."
Maggie didn't seem too phased by this, her hands going to her hips and head tilting slightly. "Me and Glenn are married." Like that was an excuse. "I know you don't got no experience with love, but sometimes, it changes you. You gotta act out on it every once in a while. I have no regrets in the way I am with Glenn."
"Really? Not a single one? Hershel dies, separating you and Beth, and what do you do? You go out lookin' for your damn boyfriend like y'never even had a sister in the first place." Maggie's eyes were wide now, and soon enough, she was looking away from him. He could have left it there, but screw that. A month of searching for Beth without any help from her own damn sister needed to be addressed."Y'know what that woman did? The one who you think is "too young"? She told me she wanted a drink, and was hell bent on havin' it. Was damn near eaten trying to get it, but when she finally did, girl couldn't even look at the bottle without fallin' apart 'cause your daddy wasn't there to tell her not to do it. She needed someone there for her. I ain't fit for heavy shit like that, but I was there." His words were like ice now and God he hoped they stung her.
"I couldn't have been there. You know that." She whispered fervently, her eyes darting to catch his gaze. "Don't make me feel guilty for somethin' I couldn't help! I was hurtin' too!" She was yelling now, filling the night air with her self-pity.
Was she really whining about herself? Daryl bit back his need to scream at the top of his lungs. "She made me look for you for days, constantly searching for some damn sign that you weren't walker food, only to find out that you weren't even lookin' for her in return." Shaking his head, he mindlessly touched his side where the bandages that Beth had placed on him were. "Idiot had so much faith in everything. Didn't consider even for a moment that we weren't gonna find all of you. Then she was the one who got taken." He kicked at the dirt now, his face getting heated with his rage. "Your eighteen year old sister gets taken a few miles away and you can't even go out on one search party to look for her!"
"I had to find Glenn first. I needed to know he was okay, Daryl!" She stopped ranting for a moment, then licked her lips and closed her eyes. "I couldn't look for Beth. I couldn't stand the thought of finding her as a walker or... Worse." Her voice was sick with grief. It was a strange insight to find that Maggie, this strong independent woman who he had been blindly following for a month turned out to be the exact opposite. She was unraveling before him and Daryl didn't enjoy what he was finding.
"Blood is thicker than water, sweetheart. And Beth is the only blood you got left."
The night became deathly quiet now, save for Maggie's heavy breathing. She was looking around her, desperately keeping her eyes on anything that wasn't him. Daryl thought the conversation was through, but apparently, the woman still had some things to say, not that he wanted to hear them. "I had to be the new leader now. Had to keep everyone safe."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was hard for his mind not to go to Merle. Hadn't he been placed in a similar situation? Deciding between searching for his brother or staying with this group? It seemed a little different, considering Merle was a tough son of a bitch and Beth was... Beth. But, if he had to make the choice between looking for some girl he loved and Merle, he liked to think he'd find Merle first.
'Now brother, don't thinking things we both know you don't mean.'
Merle's voice echoed in his mind, and he tried to shake the thoughts that came after, but he couldn't. Truth was, he had never had a women he loved, but the closest thing he had to it was Beth, and if he had been separated from Beth and Merle in the same way, he would have went after Beth. It had been a long time coming, but he couldn't imagine just leaving her out there. Merle had been a fighter, and in the end, Merle was the one to kill Merle. He knew what he was doing when he went to the Governor. But Beth...
"We all got jobs to do." Daryl spoke up, drawing Maggie's bewildered eyes that slowly relaxed. She was probably thinking that was his way of saying her understood where she was coming from. It wasn't. Still, he knew her daddy's voice must have been doing wonders in her head because she nearly began sobbing when he quoted him. "Yours was to look after your sister."
He knew was being harsh, bringing up Hershel, but hell, that girl needed to hear it. She had talked about Beth like she was a small child when Maggie was the one who had been acting irrationally. Not that he should be getting this defensive over the mention of him and Beth, since there was no him and Beth, but after spending two weeks alone with her, ain't no way he was just going to let Maggie talk like she knew everything about her sister when she clearly didn't know a damn thing.
Somewhere in the midst of his ranting, she began crying. It was weird how if it had been Beth standing there with tears pouring, his fingers would have itched to comfort her, yet with Maggie, he had no trouble walking away, leaving the girl to grieve for what bullshit mistakes she had made.
As he walked off, Daryl turned, calling back over his shoulder, "That ain't your job no more. Now, it's mine." And he sure as hell was going to do it.
…
The group that had went on the run returned the next morning, supplies in hand and only a few scratches. Sasha and Bob stayed in their tent throughout those days, and everyone else settled right inside of the building in the opening where they usually ate lunch. The space used to be clear, allowing people to walk around, but now in the middle were flames surrounded by bricks. They all sat around the fire while each person spoke of something that had happened to them the day before, tales of walkers and close calls, but Beth stayed silent, wrapped up in Daryl's jacket as she lounged in an old chair.
She had caught sight of him a few times, but her eyes quickly averted when she realized he saw her. It was a gloomy contrast from the day before when she had left. He had half expected her to come running up and embrace him when they returned, yet instead she just took to avoiding him.
One time, he tried to come and talk to her, but she rushed passed, leaving him with a puzzled expression and a slightly twisted aching in his chest.
"She's been acting like that ever since we got back. Not sure what's going on." Glenn commented, his arms wrapped around Maggie. The older sister opened her mouth to speak, but quickly bit back whatever she was about to say. He definitely was alright with her new found filter.
Daryl left the couple, opening the door that lead out of the building. He only had to search for a minute before blond hair caught his eye, whisking carelessly in the wind. She was still bundled up in his leather jacket, and he took off in a strut towards her.
Beth stood, staring out into the distance at the walkers near the fence. Her fingers were playing absentmindedly with the ring on her finger, and fresh blood was filling her mouth with copper from the strength at which she bit her lip.
"Ain't nice to avoid people." A southern voice spoke, making Beth turn around. She looked a bit frightened, and Daryl's smirk dropped as he picked up the pace, coming to a stop in front of her. "What's wrong?"
That was a loaded question in the world today, but he knew she would understand what he meant. The girl hesitantly looked over his shoulder as she breathed out white steam from the cold, and he knew she certainly wasn't telling him something. He had began thinking that maybe it was a bad idea to let her go off with Erica, considering what had happened between the two.
Beth snuggled herself even further into the jacket, making it hard for Daryl to raise his voice and ask what the hell was going on. Before he gained the courage, she spoke up. "I'm sorry."
Well, that was unexpected. He looked at her, then looked away, then looked back. He was fidgeting. What? "Sorry for what?"
He almost didn't see her lift the jacket, but when he did, he began to laugh and all of his suspicion of Erica blew away with the breeze. He laughed so hard, his eyes were unable to remain open and he grabbed his sides to keep them from splitting. Beth was deeply confused, for on the arm of the sleeve was a big tear that had been made while she was wearing it. "Why are you laughing?" Beth questioned, unable to hide uncertainty.
Daryl laughed a bit more, than shook his head. "Damn girl, you nearly gave me a heart attack! I thought you had been attacked or somethin', or maybe you was 'bout to tell me you was leavin'." He chuckled again, not fully aware of what he had just admitted. "I don't give a damn 'bout that jacket. If anything, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth from the shit I been through with it."
She still gawked at him, her finger touching the torn cloth.
"'Sides, that can just been sewn up." He insisted, and Beth nodded vigorously.
"Of course, yeah. I'll give it back to you after I sew it up. Especially with this winter coming in." The girl was speaking quickly, gesturing nervously to the world around her and he had to fight the smile from invading his usually stoic lips.
Daryl took another look at her, lips red and skin pale. Her teeth were chattering, and she looked small and delicate in his jacket. "Nah, you keep it."
The wind picked up, carrying her gasp along before it could reach his ears. "I can't do that, Daryl. You don't have another one," her fingernails lifted, quickly tapping his bare arm. "And all your sleeves are kind of otherwise nonexistent."
They stood there for a moment, her close proximity making his mind a little foggy with an emotion he wasn't used to and therefor could not accurately determine. Her hair was flapping in the breeze, showing off the creamy skin of her neck. He hadn't ever cared about women in a way where he was literally afraid to be near them, but hell. Beth was bringing out a lot of his "first".
On the other hand, Beth was experiencing the opposite. She wanted to be near him, to be able to touch him in random affection, even as a friend, without fear of instant rejection. Daryl was so closed off and she was afraid he would run off. Honestly, she knew he would. That was the kind of person Daryl Dixon was. Couldn't handle all of the emotions, and so that's why she settled for a kind smile even though her traitorous mind was reeling with the possibilities of what could happen between them.
Daryl watched her smile back at him, knowing that he was making it incredibly awkward by not speaking, she wasn't calling him out on it and knew it was a needed moment for him to just... Catch a breath. She was wise, but she was so young. She couldn't even legally drink yet. And just like that, his mind traveled to what Maggie had said. All that stuff about his age really got to him, much to his chagrin.
He rubbed his finger along the jagged tear, examining the tear before letting the material drop from his callused fingers. "I want you to have it. Looks better on you anyhow."
Her heart beat strong enough to where it was thundering in her ears, and she felt her face burning as if she had shoved it in a fire. Right when she had settled on being friendly and simple, he had to go and say something even more simple, as Daryl does, and cause some sort of ruckus in her heart. He was just a simple redneck, and she was just a simple farmer's daughter. They didn't make sense, yet they were the cliché couple. Or was she just over thinking it all?
"I found Judy some clothes." Her voice lit up a little when she spoke Asskicker's name, and he smiled. She really was the girl's mom, even if Carol was takin' care of her a bit more now. Beth was her momma. "There was this small outlet mall that didn't have too many walkers, I think it might have more jackets." He didn't speak, letting her finish because she still had her mouth open, and was contemplating how to say what she needed to. "I-I could go with you, if you wanted. We could go on a run or somethin'. Just us. Or, if you want some of the others to come, like Michonne or Gle-"
"My side ain't botherin' me too much, but I know you ain't gonna say yes if I say tomorrow, so I'll let you decide." It was that easy? Beth thought she was going to be told no almost automatically.
She nodded. "Alright." She began walking, and he followed her. "Did you see all of the supplies we got? It was nearly enough to last us through the rest of winter."
"Yea, I saw." His words trailed of near the end, his eyes darting to the left of Beth. "Move!" He yelled, pulling his knife out of it's sheath and sprinting around her to stab into the skull of a walker who had been way too close to Beth for comfort. His knife slid easily out of the corpse's head, bringing out a brown goo with it, which Daryl flung most of it off. "How the hell did it get in here?" He questioned, and Beth trailed behind him as he took off running in the direction it had come from.
They ran through the first fence which had been stupidly left open, and headed towards the second. There had been more walkers along the way, Daryl taking down almost all of them before Beth could even see they were in their path.
She stopped in her tracks when she saw the gruesome sight before her. There were dozens pushing up against the fence, rotten skin slipping through and sliding easily off of their bones. Beth was reminded of the last few weeks at the prison. "Daryl?" She asked meekly, and he spun around to her with wide eyes.
"We have to draw them off. Go get the others." Just as he spoke, the fence began to bend. Metal creaking was splitting the air, and all of their dead eyes were on them. It reminded Beth of being in a fish market when all of those dull, lifeless eyes were on her and she felt an overwhelming amount of sympathy. Except, then, the fish weren't trying to kill her. Guess that plays a big part.
Then again, they were trying to climb over that fence like a wave. Everything was becoming too comparative.
She stepped beside him. "There isn't any time!"
Daryl put his hand in front of her chest, stopping her from going any further. "You ain't doin' this."
"Look!" She yelled, pointing to where the fence had almost buckled beneath the weight. "There isn't any time for you to be savin' me! We draw them off, then circle around and come back, alright?" When he didn't answer right away, Beth grabbed the hand that was over her chest. "Don't go soft on me now, Dixon. C'mon!"
He watched her take off toward the gate, banging her hands along the fence as she ran. He shook his head in defeat, and mimicked her movements. "C'mon you bastards!" He bellowed, and Beth let out some high pitch yells. He hoped the others were hearing them and would come out when they needed to and pick up the fence, but he wasn't too sure with that group. Not anymore.
They got to the gate, and Beth slipped through first, taking off in a brisk run as he closed it and followed after. Neither of them realized that the hoard against the gate wasn't the only one. Their was a large amount of them coming in through the woods still, and Beth ran into the worst of them. A woman who had died wearing her green monkey pajamas wrapped her hand that now only have three fingers around Beth's wrist.
She attempted to rip it away, but the dead had a strength that matched the hulk. Her hand that was being pinned held her knife, and as she tried to grab for it, the walker was gnashing her teeth violently at Beth's skin.
She felt the old deteriorating flesh fling from the walker's mouth and land on her hand, and Beth was shaking her hand and thrashing as it's mouth got even closer. It was no use, the walker was coming in closer and the rest were closing in around her. She felt panicked, looking around in every direction as the damn things came at her without a hint of mercy.
Then, the grip was released, flinging her to the ground from the lack of pressure. She tilted her head back, seeing an upside down version of Daryl Dixon stepping towards her and taking out another knife, grunting as he shoved his knife into anything that came near him. He was spinning and thrusting, successfully raising the amount of admiration Beth Greene had found herself feeling for the man. After a few moments, she pulled herself from her daze and stood up. They both got through the hoard and out of immediate danger, then took off sprinting once more.
They still screamed, his mostly being profanities. Most of the walkers were following them now, a few still lingering on the bent fence.
"Beth, head towards the sun!" He screamed, and she looked over her shoulder to make sure he was still close.
She ran as fast as he could, but after a good half hour, her breathing was getting the best of her. The sun was going down quickly, and she wasn't sure she could keep up this charade of health. She hadn't been eating much, they both knew that, and she hadn't gotten decent sleep except for that one night when he had came with her to her tent. "Daryl..." She finally breathed out.
He caught up to her easily, wrapping his arm around her delicate waist as she began to slump. "You can do it, Beth. Just a lil' bit further." His voice was filled with encouragement, and she even perked up a little bit for a few more hundred yards. But soon, she was tripping and her chest was pulling.
Fingers digging into her waist, Beth began to see black splotches. "I can't." She rasped.
"You can." He corrected, pulling her along further, but they both knew she was just running on fumes now. "Fuck. Remind me to force feed you." He told her, then stopped to look around desperately. The moans could still be heard, but they were a ways off. If they were quiet, the herd would pass right by them.
He spotted a little bit of pavement, and bent down, scooping her up in his arms. The sky was a maroon color, the sun fading into the distance. He knew they were a several miles from the camp, and it was an unspoken agreement that they would need to sleep somewhere else. Her eyes were drooping, and he began to fear that he had overexerted her.
"Hey, remember when we saw that dog?" Daryl asked, trying to think of anything to keep her awake. "Beth." He tried again, but she said nothing. He looked down, gently slapping her cheeks. "Beth, stay with me." She mumbled a little bit in response. "Remember that damn dog that nearly got us killed?"
Beth nodded. "The blind one?"
He laughed a little breathlessly, carrying her as quickly as he could to the now slightly visible house. "That's the one. Would you have wanted to keep him?"
"Of course. I love dogs." Beth was getting a bit pale, and he shook her. "Don't gotta be so rough."
He blushed lightly, "Sure I do. Else you gonna pass out on me and make me drag ya everywhere." Finally, they reached the front of the house. It was dilapidated, the wood looking droopy and grayish, but it was still standing and wasn't falling apart. He reached for the door, finding it was locked. He shoved it, and it still stood. That was a good sign. The wood was sturdy.
He cautiously moved Beth out of the way, lifting his hand. "You aren't gonna punch the glass out, are you?" Her voice coming out smaller than before, but still filled with humor and amazement.
"That's exactly what I'm bout to do." He responded, looking down at her. She pushed away from him gently, and he had a feeling she would have been soft about it even if she wasn't weak. He reluctantly sat her down on the porch, and watched as she shed his jacket. "Jesus girl, it's freezin' out here. Put that back on."
Beth ignored him, grabbing his right hand and wrapping the jacket around his knuckles. He looked up at her and saw that she was looking right back at him. "Well, what are you waitin' for?"
She was protecting him? After everything, she was the one protecting him? He almost laughed at the irony. Still, he was thankful, and possibly even flustered. She cared so much and he didn't know how one went about handling that. So, instead he set his mind to busting the glass and was more than glad to find that it didn't hurt a bit.
The groaning of the dead was getting louder, and he threw his arm in the window, messing with the knob until it finally clicked and he opened the door, pulling Beth in with him. He shut it quietly, locking the door and looking through the dim house for something to block the opening with.
Beth followed him up the stairs, and they found three bedrooms. She saw some photos on the wall of the first room, a girl who was a bit younger than her in almost all of them. She was pretty and had braces, and it made Beth stop to just look at her things. Had she died? Was she bit?
Daryl saw the way her eyes were beginning to shine with tears, and he quickly reached around her, pushing the picture frame down and out of her hands. She turned, looking up at him, and he held his gaze. "If you know somethin's gonna make you cry, I don't want you lookin' at it." He told her, half chastising and half pleading. "Don't need to shed your tears for no good reason." He gruffly mumbled, walking away to lift the tussled covers on the bed. "Come'ere and help me get the frame downstairs. We can put it in front of the door."
She shuffled to him, helping him toss the mattress and blanket off and pick it up. They carried it down, him going first down the stairs.
…
They had found the fire place, and Daryl said they could light a fire, but it had to remain small or else it might attract some walkers. They now sat before it, a queen sized bed laid out on the floorboards and separate covers wrapped around them each. Sure, they could have laid out different beds, but Daryl knew Beth felt comfortable around him for whatever reason.
"You think they got any food here?" Beth asked, and almost directly after, her stomach rumbled. Daryl reached beside him, picking up a can of peaches. "Where'd you get these?!"
He pulled out his knife, stabbing into the can lid. "Found it earlier when you were grabbin' the blankets. Thought you could use it." He handed the can over to her after he had pried it open enough to where she could eat all of it's contents with ease. "And you're gonna eat every last bit of it."
Beth smiled, taking the can from his, her fingers brushing against his own. She looked up at him and her smile grew wider. "You really are too good to me." She said, lifting the can and swallowing down some of the juice.
His first instinct was to dismiss her thought, yet he just didn't see the reasoning anymore. At least not here. When they were alone, he forgot why he was trying to hide from her. So, instead, he reached up, wiping away a bit of juice that had dripped down her chin. She watched him put the very finger in his mouth, licking it clean and keeping his heated gaze on her own. His finger was shining in the light of the fire, and she lifted the can again, this time letting some of the juice drip down slightly passed her lips, just to see what he did.
Daryl chuckled deeply, and Beth felt something warm pool in her stomach. "I see what you're tryna do." She feigned innocence, but her eyes gave her away. He watched her knowingly, but still reached up, removing the juice from her skin.
God, she didn't mean to. Had never been one for seducing and all of that jazz, but when he pulled his finger back a little and stuck the finger into his mouth again, she let out a moan that was nothing but feral. Her hand clasped over his lips, eyes wide in embarrassment. It was moments like this that she knew he thought of her like a kid, and it tore her up inside.
The noise had been heard by him, and he couldn't look away. Did she just... Moan? Because of him? He licked his lips, pulling his legs in a little tighter. The heat of the fire was on his face, but he saw the way she tugged the cover up, and no way in hell was he going to pass up the chance that the universe was offering him right now. "You can come on over here, y'know. If you want." He said, acting as if it was something he did for just anyone.
Her fingers went through her hair nervously, and she hesitated for a moment before scooting into where he now held the covers open for her. He was warm, and she didn't know how. He was wearing the least amount of clothing between the two now that Beth had the jacket back on.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Beth decided she wasn't getting any warmth from him. She was moving around, wriggling like something was biting her. "You got ants in your pants or somethin'?" Daryl asked, making her laugh.
"Just tryna get warm." Was her response before she ultimately lifted forward out of his covers. He thought she was going to leave him for her own blanket and couldn't keep the look of disappointment from his face, until he saw her removing the jacket. His eyebrows lifted in confusion. If she was trying to get warm, why remove the thing that was specifically designed to keep you warm?
She laid the material beside her, then leaned back into his covers, which he wrapped around her shoulder for her. They were skin to skin now, and Daryl understood why she removed the jacket. The body heat that was created between both of them would have challenged a furnace.
"You think they're worried about us?" Beth asked from beside him, and he could hear her yawn almost directly afterward.
Daryl watched the fire before them. "Yeah." Was all he could manage.
"You think they could manage without us?" Her voice was smaller now, and he knew she was getting more and more tired.
"Yeah." He responded instantly. Daryl wasn't sure what she was getting at, but he wanted to know. "Why?"
Beth snuggled in closer to him, one of her hands snaking in beneath his arm and pulling him to her like her favorite pillow. "I was wondering what it would be like if we just didn't go back." He watched her eyes flutter, making his heart do the same. "What it would be like if it was just you and me against the world."
"Would you want that?" He whispered to her for no good reason at all other than not being able to ask it any louder. An irrational fear that if he asked too loud, some outside force would hear it and come bursting in to ruin the moment.
He saw a smile overcome her, and she looked up at this man who had gone through so much trouble to find her. How he could be oblivious to his meaning in this world was beyond her. "Yeah." She responded, the smile falling from her while she watched him watching her.
They sat there in their own heat, eyes sliding between staring at the others lips and anything else. Beth's small little fingers gripped just a bit tighter on his arm before she was lifting up, pressing soft lips to his.
A door slamming a few rooms away tore him from his dream, ripping apart any feeling other than alertness. He groggily rolled over, seeing Beth wrapped up in her own blanket a few feet away. He hated to do it, but footsteps were entering the house. "Beth." He whispered, reaching out to shake her. She moved around in the covers, then looked up at him.
By the time she awoke, he was up, grabbing his knife and yanking her up. His jacket clung to her, making most of her body invisible to the human eye, including his own.
"'Been eye'in this house for a few days. Had to wait til' the damn biters cleared up." Someone with a similar southern accent said, each word giving them reason to believe he was coming closer. Daryl yanked Beth against him, turning and pinning her against the wall, thankful the fire had went out at some point during the night.
"You smell smoke?" Someone else asked, stepping through the door and into the room that they were in. Daryl had Beth behind an old rickety couch now, pushing her up in the corner of the room.
The scent of fresh ash was still in the area, and Daryl cursed under his breath. "There someone in here?" One of the men called out. Daryl had his back to the men, his face mere inches from Beth's, eye to eye and letting her know that they didn't need to go answering, as if she didn't already guess that much.
"We ain't gonna hurt ya'." Another called out, stepping further into the room. "Sheets aren't musty. They must'a been in here real recently. Randy, check the upstairs will ya'? If you find someone, bring 'em down here. Maybe they can come on back with us." Daryl contemplated for a moment. Of course they could have just been saying that to draw anyone out, but what were the chances him and Beth weren't going to be found? The guy said it himself that he had his eyes on this place. They more than likely would be looting it in the light, which was only an hour or two away.
"Stay here." Daryl murmured, making Beth shaking her head quickly and take a firm grip on his shirt. He looked down, prying her hand off and standing up before she could do it again. He held his hands up, scooting behind the couch.
The men lifted their guns, aiming straight at Daryl. Each one had their own matching jackets, leading him to infer they were some sort of biker gang. Not sure why those were relevant anymore, but he wasn't exactly in a position to question it.
"What's yer' name, son?" An older man asked, his facial hair a ghastly white. Couldn't have been younger than sixty.
Daryl took a few steps forward so that their lights wouldn't be shining on where Beth was. "Daryl."
The man lowered his gun slightly, taking a look at the specimen who had just come out completely covered in brown guts. "What were yer' intentions in comin' out from back there, Daryl? You stupid or just hopeful?"
"Ain't got much hope left. Sure as hell ain't stupid, though." He slowly began to allow his hands to descend, feeling a bit of the hostility lessening. The group threw him into a loop of his past. They looked like something Merle would have gotten caught up in, and honestly he wouldn't have been surprised if they knew his brother.
"You got anyone else with ya'?" Another man asked, this one much younger, probably early thirties. He looked well groomed and pretty well put together. "You don't have to tell us, but I recommend you do. We have a group and if you answer a few questions correctly, you and whoever else can come on down and we can see 'bout getting' you situated."
Daryl was well aware of Beth back there, but he still wasn't sure he could trust these guys. "Nah, it's just me."
The man with the white beard nodded, finally putting his weapon all the way down. "I'm Augustine." He pointed to the younger guy, "This here's Patch, Randy's upstairs and Jeff and Charlie are searchin' the rest of the house." Daryl nodded, and the man looked around the disastrous room. "You got somewhere y'need to be, son?"
"I've got a camp a ways out." He responded vaguely, and the guy chuckled at Daryl's suspicious behavior.
"Come on, we can give ya' a ride. Y'know how to ride a bike?" Augustine asked as more men came into the room after hearing the conversation. It was one hell of a question. Daryl of all people sure as shit knew how to ride one, but he knew right now wasn't the time for bragging.
"Yea." He responded, then turned back. All of the men looked at him with raised brows, and a few even began to aim their guns once more. "C'mon out." Daryl called, and all of the men watched at the pretty little blond came out from behind the couch.
She looked fierce as she stood, but the closer she got to Daryl, the more safe and like herself she felt. By the time she was next to him, she was offering all of the men bright smiles. "I'm Beth."
No one had asked, but they all accepted the words anyway. "Thought you said you didn't have no one else?" Patch questioned as he snatched up a bag from the floor.
"Thought you said I didn't have to tell you." Daryl retorted, earning a look of approval from Patch and Augustine.
"Fair 'nuff." Patch returned with a grin. His eyes slid to Beth then, and his smile widened. "Damn, you're skin and bones. Can we get you somethin' ta eat?" He asked. Daryl looked at Beth and saw what he meant. She was very lean, but who wasn't these days? Still, he couldn't pass up an opportunity to get something in her stomach, so he wrapped his hand around her arm and walked with her out of the home.
"Yes, please." Beth answered, and Patch handed an open can over to Beth, which Daryl looked at wearily before reluctantly allowing her to have. They stepped into the light of an almost-sunrise, the wind making Beth's hair flap against the side of her cheek.
"You can ride the Harley over there. Jeff's gotta man the truck with the supplies anyway." Augustine said, pointing to a large motorcycle parked near a thin dirt road. "You lead the way and we'll make sure ya get there safely."
Daryl knew it would be better if him and Beth just went, but they were being kind and offering them a bike to ride, and shit... It had been so long since he rode his bike. "Thank you." Beth called to them, eating some oranges from the can that Patch had given her. Daryl slid onto the bike with ease, even if it was incredibly different from his own.
He turned to Beth who was just looking at the beast of a machine. "Get on." He instructed, and she hesitantly took a step forward before hooking her leg over it and pressing her body against his. Her arms wove around his waist, letting her feel the tensing of every one of his muscles. He was reminded of his dream, but knew this was neither the time nor place to think about that.
"Left or right?" Patch asked after revving his engine and driving up beside them.
Daryl looked at the sun. "Right." he responded, then pulled the throttle and let Beth cling onto him as she was jerked back. He was amused by how afraid she appeared to be, gripping his shirt and pulling him even closer to her as if he was honestly going to allow her to go flying off of the back.
They rode for a few minutes then, Beth holding on for dear life and Daryl basking in being able to allow her to. He knew it was just a matter of time before one of these men asked them what the extent of their relationship was, but they'd cross that bridge when they came to it.
Daryl turned on the familiar road that lead to where the park was, and Beth straightened up behind him. His body became rigid, and it wasn't long before she had become the same. Their motorcycle came to a stop, and Beth flung herself off before falling to her knees on the ground. Her fingernails gripped the dirt, and Beth just looked in front of her without a single emotion on her pretty little face.
Daryl on the other hand got off and slung his knife to the Earth like he could kill it or something, kicking up some dust and yelling out, "Fuck!" As he paced beside Beth.
The bikers were stopped a few yards behind them, all of their faces showing sympathy or pity towards the two.
"Beth, we gotta go." Daryl said, shadowing his words from a few weeks prior. Beth didn't even respond to him in the slightest, and he knelt down beside her, placing his hands on her delicate shoulder. She jumped, turning around and finally acknowledging what had happened. She started off shaking her head, but soon she was convulsing, sobs wracking her body as she leaned into Daryl.
His hands very, very slowly began to pursue a path around her waist, eventually circling her and pulling her fully against him. "We have to leave." He insisted, pulling her up from the ground and dragging her to the bike.
When her head was against his shoulder, he still felt her body trembling. "Oh god, Daryl." she cried, and he just let his hand lay on her thigh before he realized that wasn't helping and was only serving to make her uncomfortable, so he pulled back and started the bike. Beth missed the affection the second he pulled away.
"Follow us," Augustine said, and the bikers revved their engines and took off down the road, Beth and Daryl following behind. As they drove off, the park building was in the distance. The fences around the place were knocked down in random parts and walkers filled the fields all around them. They were walking through busted down doors and some were spread out on the ground, filling themselves up with people who had once been considered friends. The group had spread once again, and this time, not everyone was going to make it back.
No, this time, death was going to come knocking, but he wasn't waiting for them to answer the door.
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