TITLE: Another Day
RATED: M
DISCLAIMER: As stated before, I own nothing.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: So I wasn't going to update so soon, but the feedback has been so amazing that I just wanted to update as soon as possible. You all are amazing, and I know I say that at the beginning of every chapter, but I mean it. I haven't written in so long that it just makes me happy to get such positive feedback on my first story in years. Having an audience really is what drives me to write. I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter; I know it's written kind of odd, but I feel like this was the best way to set up what was to come. I hope you all still enjoy it though, and keep on reviewing, let me know what you think.
"I mean, it's worth a shot, ain't it? Better than nothin'?" Her voice was filled with nothing but exhaustion as they stood on the forests edge, staring straight at what could potentially be their new temporary home. If Beth had to guess, she would say it was an old community college campus – the kind that had one main campus located somewhere in the heart of the city, with smaller campus locations scattered throughout different parts of the city. This particular one consisted of three simple brick buildings; more than likely a mixture of dormitories, classrooms, cafeterias, and a few more needed spaces for the small off site campus.
Daryl shrugged his shoulders, running a hand through his greasy hair as he looked at Beth and then back at the buildings, it was clear someone had made it into something worthwhile. "I dunno, Beth. Could turn out ta be a buncha crazy bastards. I ain't tryna deal with 'nother Woodbury."
"Daryl, I'm beggin' ya!" Beth looked at him with tired eyes, her voice lacking any emotion at all. "We haven't had a break, or a meal, or actually felt safe in a long time."
Her breath was stuck in her throat as she felt her back hit the cold ground with a thud, her knife falling out of her hand, and the decaying walker landing on her hips. "Shit…" She muttered, struggling to figure out exactly what to do. The gun that had been tucked into the waistband of her jeans was still there, tucked uncomfortably beneath not only her own weight, but the dead weight of the walker on top of her. She sucked in a deep breath as she reached for the knife, struggling only momentarily before she grabbed it. She wasted no time in shoving the knife deep into the soft skull of the woman, blood spraying all over her as the body fell completely lifeless on top of her. She let her head fall back into the ground, trying to catch her breath as she plotted her next move. It was her idea to be a distraction so Daryl could get to the truck, and so far it was doing nothing but backfiring in her face.
Daryl bit his bottom lip, staring at the buildings in front of him before looking back at Beth. She had taken a bit of a beating during their escape, and the past night probably hadn't been too easy on her either. It was easy for Daryl to see how exhausted she was – mentally, physically, and emotionally. It had been nothing but a downhill roller coaster since the battle at the prison and it only seemed to get worse with each passing day. The world had become a whole new level of hell, and trying to survive had turned into the battle of a lifetime.
"What do you mean the car won't start? What the fuck are we supposed to do Daryl?"
Daryl cringed as the harsh language left her lips. He knew she was frustrated though, and with every right to be. She had just run for her life while purposely attracting a herd of walkers in her direction. And judging by the look of her torn and bloodied clothing, and the blood on her skin, it hadn't been easy. Unfortunately, he hadn't had time to ask her what had happened as they had bigger things to worry about. Like the fact that the truck wouldn't start and the sound of walkers was getting closer by the minute.
"What are we going to do? I don't know how much longer I can run, and we both know we can't go back to that house!"
"Calm down Beth! I'm doin' everythang I can tah figure somethin' out and yer bitchin ain't exactly helpin'. I'm thinkin', jus give me a minute."
Beth let out a defeated sigh as she leaned up against the car. It all seemed so hopeless now.
"Fuck!" Daryl kicked the front bumper of the car as he looked down the road, realizing it was time to run again. "We gotta go Beth, now!"
Beth nodded her head, looking in the direction Daryl was and knowing that their time to mess with the truck was gone, the walkers were coming their way and they had to go. She grabbed her bag, slinging it onto her shoulders as she fell quickly into step with Daryl, the pair running quickly off the road and into the depths of the forest. His words rang out through her mind as she pushed on, pushing her tired body and burning legs to their limit as she ran, those exact words becoming all too familiar, and it was almost too much to handle.
"Fine." Daryl's voice was low as he spoke, his tone more than serious. "But jus 'til we figure somethin' else out. Three days, max." He paused. "Hell, we don' even know if they'll take us in…"
Beth smiled brightly as she nodded her head. "It's worth a shot Daryl, it's not like we have any other options."
"We ain't gonna tell them a single thing 'bout were we're from, what we're doin'." Daryl shot Beth a glance, causing the smile to drop from her lips. "We ain't here tah get close tah these people, Beth. We're here to survive. Keep the conversation an small talk tah a minimum and don't reveal too much. We won't be stayin' long enough to build relationships."
Daryl looked at the petite blonde as she retrieved a small blanket from her bag before grabbing another one out of Daryl's bag. She took the smaller of the two blankets and laid it out on the ground before rummaging around in her backpack and pulling out the hammer and a few nails from the house. She quickly, and as quietly as she could, used the rusted nails to hammer the other blanket to the tree, making what appeared to be a makeshift 'fort'.
"Shit…" Daryl hushed Beth as he watched two walkers wondering slowly in their direction, the noise of the hammering having caught their attention.
"I've got an idea." Beth whispered, creeping up behind Daryl silently as she spoke. "Kill them two walkers an bring them over here. We can lay them out in front of the blankets. Use them as some type of repellent like Michonne talked about."
Daryl nodded his head as he quickly and silently put the walkers to rest before dragging their bodies back to where he and Beth had decided to rest. He did exactly as she told him too and laid the bodies at the edge of the smaller blanket before falling back onto the thin cloth, leaning up against the tree.
"I know it ain't much…but we need to rest for a bit, and it's the best I could come up with using what we have." Beth smiled a defeated smile as she sunk to her knees on the blanket. She grabbed the other piece of cloth that she had hung from the tree and pulled it over them, tucking it beneath the walkers so it acted as somewhat of a tent for the two of them. She let out a sigh as she leaned back, positioning herself just a few inches away from Daryl, leaning slightly into his warmth as she rested her head on the tree. Within minutes she felt her eyes closing as she gave into the darkness, letting her exhaustion defeat her.
"Let's go Beth."
Beth nodded her head softly as she followed closely behind Daryl as they made their way to the fences that surrounded the former campus. Within moments they were harshly greeted by two men and one woman, all with their guns pointed, aimed at Daryl and Beth and ready to shoot if they needed to. The woman moved quickly to open the gate, and the two men grabbed Beth and Daryl, roughly pulling them just inside the fence as the woman shut and secured it.
"What are your names?" The woman's voice was soft.
The men kept a firm hold on Daryl, who was becoming more and more aggravated by the second, and Beth, whose eyes were wide with fear and potential regret. Maybe they should have just kept running, never even paying a second look to this place.
"Answer the woman! Who the hell are ya'll and where the fuck are you from?"
Beth cringed as the man pushed her forward, releasing his grip on her and readying his gun once again. She swallowed hard as she looked at Daryl, who was glaring, clearly angry at the man who not only had hold on his arm, but had a handgun pointed at his head, ready to blow. She let out a soft breath as Daryl nodded at her, giving her the okay to answer their questions.
Beth offered the other survivors a soft, innocent smile as she spoke, keeping her voice low. "I'm Lori…" She paused motioning to Daryl. "And this is Shane."
Again, not completely satisfied, but I suppose it didn't turn out too awful. Leave your love! Until next time…Much love.
