Chapter 4
Beth followed Daryl into a room. She looked around at the bare walls with big gaping holes in it. There were old clothes littered about, trash everywhere. Along the far wall leaned an old mattress and beside it a bed frame that was cracked in half. Daryl was opening the closet door carefully. Sounds silly in a walker infested world, but you never knew what you were gonna find when you opened a door. It's so the opposite of what it used to be. Used to be open doors meant Sunday after church and Sunday lunch with friends. Fried chicken like mama made and creamed potatoes. Beth suddenly felt homesick and hungry all at the same time. But now, no, doors were feared. Unless it was made of steel; then you got behind it and prayed with all your might the walkers in the dark world outside would just die off somehow.
Daryl stiffened up as they walked in his old room. "It's a shit hole" I know. Daryl's face reddened looking around his old room. He had spent many of a night in here as a kid. He remembered hiding in the closet from his Pa when he was on one of his rants, which was almost all the time. The placed had sucked then, he knew, but looking at it now, he was ashamed. He hated that this was what he had come from. He knew Beth had an ideal childhood. Growing up on a farm with a mom and a dad who were still together. Yeah, that was about as perfect as it would get, he thought.
Beth whispered "Daryl...".
"It don't matter none." He growled. That kiss, he thought suddenly. Damn but he was a stupid bastard. He shuddered to think what Hershel would say. Hershel was like the father he had never had. He had to keep Beth safe. That was for sure. He just didn't know how the hell be was going to keep his hands off her. He went to open the closet, carefully, bow cocked and ready, and twisted the doorknob slowly. Creaking it open he listened for the death growls. He opened it all the way. Nothing inside. Nothing but more trash and old clothes. It smelled stale, a faint odor of urine still permeating the air.
He knelt down at the back right corner and used his knife to pry up that old board. Upon opening it, he was relieved to see the peanut butter, jelly and vienna sausages cans still there. Along with it were a few cans of stolen beer of his father's. When his dad had been drinking so much, he never knew where his stash was. He hid stuff everywhere, then forgot where he put it. Half the time, that's why Daryl and Merle got beat so much. Thinking back now, it probably was his fault his old man beat the shit out of him every day. But now that he and Beth had a source of food, he was grateful for every single lash, punch, kick, and burn his father had unleashed upon him.
What he had stashed away, would last them for a good long while. He used to stash the food under this board when he was young cause you could never tell when the old man would have any money for food or when he wouldn't. So yeah, he was thankful for those beatings, he guessed.
Beth could not understand him to save her life. One moment they were kissin, and the next he was being an ass to her. She saw right through him. He thought she was a young and stupid child. God, she was tired of everyone treating her like a baby. She was a 19 year old woman. She deserved to be treated as such. She was seething by the time Daryl started handing her peanut butter, jelly, vienna sausages, chips, and cans of tuna. It was an odd array of items, but anything would do really. When he handed her the first jar of peanut butter she quickly reached for her pack and started putting the items he was handing her into her bag. He was going too fast though. "Speed it up girl, we ain't got all day!" He snarled at her.
That was it, thought Beth. She was going to let him have it. At that, she threw the bag of chips he had just handed her, back at his head. Daryl looked at her with the meanest look she had ever seen on his face. She instantly started apologized to him. She had never thrown anything at another person in her life but he infuriated her. "I'm sorry Daryl...I didn't mean to...". Daryl interrupted her.
"You're sorry?". He bellowed.
"Shh, Daryl, be quiet". Beth pleaded. She was afraid walkers would hear him. She shouldn't have thrown the bag of chips at him.
Daryl was absolutely shocked that she had thrown the chips at him. It didn't hurt. It just pissed him off. He swore this girl was going to be the death of him yet. Little spit fire throwing something at him; she had guts, he'd give her that. He knew he was being an ass. He couldn't help himself though. He looked at her, gruffly speaking "You are acting like a spoiled brat". He silently turned around and reached for the bag of chips and another jar of peanut butter and handed them to her.
Beth was incensed. She ought to throw the jar of peanut butter at his head. Maybe then he would listen. Instead, she threw the items to the floor, screaming "screw you!" She turned on her heel, leaving her pack there, and headed back out of the room. That man made her see red. It was the Irish in her too, probably. But he was really acting like such a jack-ass. She didn't think she had been this mad since Maggie had come home from college that time and Beth found her birth control pack. She had been furious at Maggie then. They'd fought and made up immediately after. It was always like that with her and Maggie. Her breathing hitched just a bit, thinking on her sister's safety.
She walked back downstairs. She was almost positive they had closed the door behind them. She looked down at Daryl's father's body laying on the floor. She wondered how much walker blood she had on her shoes. The door was just barely cracked open. She knew that they had shut the door. She also knew that walkers couldn't open doors. That only left one other option. Someone had opened the door and it wasn't her or Daryl. She didn't have time to even turn around, before a hand was clamped over her mouth and the whole room went dark.
Daryl watched her storm off and felt a moment of regret for what he had said. Let her be pissed off at him, he thought. She really was acting like a little brat though. He vaguely wondered whether or not she got whippings regularly when she was little. He suddenly envisioned turning her across his knee and spanking her. Just the thought of it aroused him. God what was wrong with him?! He had never been one for fetishes. Didn't get into kinky shit. The only girls he ever slept with were the ones Merle brought around from time to time. Sure he'd banged girls in his day but that just wasn't what he was about. It made him feel cheap and dirty. He was always drunk when he did it and woke up with a hangover and praying to God he had used a condom. The world did not need any miniature versions of Daryl Dixon, he thought to himself. He finished loading the pack and stood up to leave the room. He heard a door shut downstairs. If Beth had gone outside without him, he swore he would turn her over his knee. Swearing under his breath, he descended the stairs. His father was laying on the floor and Beth's journal was lying by the door. Picking it up, he suddenly had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. He actually felt as if he had been punched in the gut. He wrenched open the door, seeing the trail of dust left behind by an old four door sedan. It had a distinct cross in the back window. Trying to ignore the fact that the blood felt like it had drained out of his head, he quickly loaded the SUV. He got in and re-wired the engine and took off in the direction of the dust cloud. Heart beating in his chest, he drove as fast as the car would carry him. He didn't think he had ever been so scared in his life. Who would have taken Beth? He had to get her back. He had to.
AN:
Okay guys, now, don't kill me. I didn't even know that I was rewriting her kidnapping until it happened. I wasn't planning on going in that direction, but that's what happens sometimes when you get lost in your characters and their story. So it's going to get better. I promise. But not just yet. I am going to really explore the direction this story has taken and see where it goes. As always reviews are welcomed and encouraged. Enjoy lovelies, and until next time.