Daryl heard the twig crack. Beth went to speak but he quickly grabbed her.

"Shh…" he whispered . She stayed quiet, trusting Daryl to keep them safe. He had his crossbow ready . They started walking back to the road.

Behind them, the two cannibals burst out of the brush.

And dropped to the ground as Daryl's arrows struck them.

"What the hell?" he said. He could see they weren't walkers. Of course, he'd heard the stories as a kid about the clans deep in the woods that were deformed and cannibalistic. He thought they were just stories but here was the proof.

Damn but they were ugly and smelled worse than the walkers. "Come lets get out of here there's probably more," Beth nodded her eyes wide. Then she screamed as the deformed creature grabbed her. She tried to fight, kicking and screaming as the half-human creature tried to drag her away.

When it rains, it pours.

Daryl was not about to let anything hurt Beth. He dove on the ugly thing, ramming his knife through its skull. It howled as it went down. Daryl stomped on its deformed head . Twice. It stopped moving. He helped Beth to her feet. Furious with the ugly thing, she kicked it in the head.

"Lets get out of here," he said and she nodded.

They got out of the woods quickly and back in the SUV. The thought was in both their heads: Could their people have been taken by those creatures? Daryl hoped not.

It was too late to try to get back to the mall so they stopped at the Sunoco station they passed. Daryl killed the two walkers inside and dragged them out. Now that it was clear, they had a place to spend the night.

Sitting together, Beth rested her head on Daryl's shoulder.

"What were those things?" she asked him.

"Don't know. Inbreds. Guess those old stories were true," he kissed her forehead. Beth wriggled herself into his lap and kissed him deeply. He love the feel of her in his arms, loved how her sweet hot kisses felt. She unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands over his chest . He raised her arms so he could pull off her shirt. He cast his gaze on her, illuminated there in the moonlight.

He was kissing a trail down her neck, occasionally biting and sucking. In the morning she would have little bruises, reminders . He loved to mark her like that, so that anyone would know she was his.

He nibbled and sucked on her breasts and Beth moaned, trying not to cry out as he bit hard enough to leave a mark. Then he went back to gently sucking as his fingers rolled her other nipple.

He reached her jeans and unfastened them. Daryl undressed her slowly, pulling off her jeans, kissing his way down her body til he reached her warm wetness and she moaned., his tongue found its way to her clit as his fingers slipped inside . He felt her spasm on his tongue

"D-daryl oh p-please" she moaned and writhed at his lovemaking

"Please what princess?" he loved watching her come for him, knowing no one had ever done that for her. Knowing she was HIS.

"F-fuck me D-aryl hard p-please," She needed him inside her now, her body craved his like a drug and nothing could quell the fire burning inside her. A second later he was inside her.

He took his time this time and Beth came again and again, her legs wrapped around him, his lips pressed against hers.

"Beth…..love you Beth.." he could barely get the words out as his orgasm took over and she felt him burst inside her. She held him close whispering in his ear over and over:

"I love you Daryl I love you,"