DARYL'S P.O.V.

"Beth!" The memories of losing Beth haunted Daryl's thoughts and, at night, his dreams. All he could see was the car pulling away and all he could feel were his feet hitting the gravel as he ran, but no matter how fast he went, it was always too far out of reach. "Beth!" He'd call again and the scenery would change. She was only a few feet away, but something wasn't right. Her eyes looked lifeless; her skin was pale. "Beth…" But no words came from her mouth. Her arm reached out as she sluggishly moved forward. "No…" Daryl shook his head and stumbled backwards, but suddenly his crossbow was in his arms and ready to shoot. "I'm sorry, Beth...I'm sorry I couldn't save you." He slowly raised his crossbow as Beth slowly moved closer. "I'm sorry," was the last thing he uttered before the arrow released and went straight into her head.

Daryl's eyes shot wide open, his chest heaving up and down. It was just a dream, but Daryl still had to lay there for a moment to catch his breath and get a hold of his bearings again. He had survived the night in the new camp, but he couldn't say the same for Beth and that alone killed him inside. Pushing himself up, he swung his legs off the old, tattered cot he spent the night on. The sounds of men going to work outside told him that the day had started which meant it was time for him to start earning his place. Grabbing his crossbow, Daryl made his way out of the tent and started walking out to the center of the camp.

"Ah, you're awake! We could use a hand with the huntin' today." Joe gave Daryl's back a pat when he reached him, but he merely shrugged him off. "You'll be goin' out with Len. Anything you get belongs to the camp."

"Yeah, I got it." Daryl grumbled and rubbed his eye before making his way over to Len, but as he passed the shed he spotted the day before, he stopped. There were soft sounds of movement and grumbles coming from inside it which only peaked his curiosity more. Cautiously, he took a few steps towards it to the point that his hands lingered on the handle. His eyes traveled up to notice the heavy lock and he fiddled with it in his fingers. What was in there that they didn't want getting out?

"Hey! What'd we tell ya about earning that?" Len called out, approaching Daryl. "Maybe after today you'll get to see what's inside there. Just don't fuck it up, hm? Now, come on. we got shit to do." He nodded towards the edge of the woods before heading over to it.

Not asking another question, Daryl furrowed his brows and nodded, following him into the woods with his crossbow in hand. Off in the distance, walkers' grumbles could be heard, but Daryl kept a close eye on Len. "So, what do y'all got in there? A couple walkers? It's not much of a surprise if you can hear it grumblin'. Why not just shoot 'em in the head and be done with it?"

"Believe it or not, that there walker in there maintains order. Keeps people in line. But it's not up to me whether or not you get to be a part of what's in there. That'll be up to Joe." Len raised his own bow to shoot a rabbit off in the distance, but Daryl beat him to it. "What do ya think you're doin'?"

Daryl walked over to the rabbit and retrieved his arrow, cleaning it off before putting it away and picking up the rabbit. "By the time you shot your arrow, it would have been half away across the woods. Gotta be faster than that."

But Len was anything but amused. "Well, that there rabbit is mine. It's claimed." He took a step forward, reaching out for him to hand over the rabbit. "Whatcha waitin' for? Hand it over."

"That's not how the hunt works, bro. I killed it, so it's mine." Daryl sneered, throwing his crossbow back over his shoulder and started heading further into the wood.

"I bet there's a bitch that's got you all messed up," Len began, keeping his eyes on Daryl. "Got ya walkin' around like a dead man." Daryl had stopped dead in his tracks, trying his best to ignore what Len was trying to get at. "Was it one of the youngin's? Because those don't ever last out here."

Not thinking, Daryl pulled out his knife and lunged at Len, pushing him to the ground and pinning him. "You wanna say that again?!" He held the knife close to Len's neck and brought his face close to his. But before Daryl could physically harm the man, he was being pulled off by Joe and dragged away.

"Things aren't lookin' so great for you right now, fella. You wanna be a part of us? You gotta give respect where its due. Startin' with the people who are graciously give you a place to live, hm?" Joe shoved Daryl into the center of the camp, but didn't stop there. "Come on. It's time for you to learn what happens when you fuck up around here." The older male pushed Daryl into what appeared to be a broken down warehouse on the camp. Not another minute had passed when the others in the group joined. Daryl had begun to turn around when Joe's fist collided with his jaw and Daryl fell to the ground. "Whatever you were told out there with your other people, it's not the same here." He gripped Daryl's hair tightly before throwing him down to the dirt and began kicking him in the abdomen.

Pain seared through Daryl's body and he grimaced, trying to get away from the punishment, but it was pointless. He tried finding something to focus on in the warehouse to help him through it. That had been when he saw it - the car.


A/N: Hopefully that last part wasn't too vague! Do you guys think he'll find Beth soon? Or do you think things are going to get worse before they get better? Send me your thoughts! Thanks again for the support!