Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to AMC's Walking Dead or any of the characters. I own only my imagination.
Summary: Just two people at the end of the world, thrown together, alone together. T rating (for now), during S4, post-prison. BETHYL.
A/n: Same as last chapter. I'm trying to approach the "Still" and "Alone" scenes with a little more creativity than just copying from the show. I got the idea for this chapter from Tim O'Brien's war novel The Things They Carried. It's quite different from the book, but I liked the concept.
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6. Gone
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It happens like this:
A lone, white mutt sniffs around the funeral home and Daryl lets him in because Beth asks him to. She feeds him peanut butter off her spoon and wraps her dirty, scrawny arms around him. Daryl tells her she's probably gonna catch fleas but he scratches the mutt behind his ears anyway. They curl up together on the floor, facing each other, in front of the piano with the mutt in-between them. Her blue eyes shine in the soft darkness and he can't force himself to look away even though he thinks he should. Soft fingertips brush his and then her hand is wrapped lightly around his own. Her touch is gentle and firm; it's enough to make it hard for him to breathe. He watches her until her eyelids flutter shut, her breathing deep and even, chest rising in sync with the softly snoring dog. He rubs his thumb against the back of her hand until he falls asleep. In the morning, they decide to keep pursuing Terminus. They stuff their bags with preserved goods and Beth leaves a "thank you" note. As they head out, her little finger curls around his and Daryl doesn't pull away. The mutt trails after them, running in circles around their feet. Daryl thinks this feels like living.
…
None of that actually happens. It's all made up. Don't believe it.
It's the worst kind of story because it gives you hope and tries for beauty without telling you about all the terrible, ugly things.
Here's the real story:
Daryl went to let the dog in because Beth asked him to, but instead of a mutt, he found a herd of walkers and he yelled at Beth to run. When Daryl eventually made it out of the funeral home, he couldn't find Beth. Out of nowhere a black car with a white cross on the back window sped off down the road and Daryl chased after it for hours. All that was left of Beth was the bag of money and jewels he'd collected at the country club. She was gone. Daryl was alone. There was never any dog.
He left the bag.
It was terrible and beautiful at the same time. Her gone. Him chasing.
…
He wanted to give up. Just sit there in the middle of the road until he met his end. He hoped Beth was dead because her being just gone felt worse. He thought he might not mind if Joe and his gang were the ones to do him in.
But he carried on. No, he didn't go searching for Beth; he didn't make any marks on the side of the road in case she was out there tracking him.
Glenn go to Terminus. Maggie.
He didn't leave no signs. No clues.
There wasn't any grand romance in missing her. In being gone.
But there was something that did happen to him. There was something.
He didn't feel angry.
He didn't feel anything.
It was like nothing. Like he was gone too. He realized she'd given him hope, something to believe in, without him even knowing it.
Before, back in the beginning, when he had been with her, he had been mad. Angry that they'd lost everything. Angry that after all that time trying to make a home there, he was left with what in the end? Her.
But he'd never thought of quitting before.
Now something about quitting seemed alright with him. Like it'd be an okay way to go. What he really was, was just tired of it all. He didn't want to do it anymore. Survive. Carry on. What was it worth?
You're gonna miss me so bad when I'm gone, Daryl Dixon.
And that was it.
Who met the end of the world all alone?
Who wanted to be the Last Man Standing?
The prison seemed years in the past. The prison seemed like nothing.
Beth. Now that's a loss.
Beth.
That was losing everything.
Beth.
…
A/n: How do you think it went? Let me know.
