A/N: I'm sorry for such a long delay. I knew work was going to be too much and it was. Add in coaching competitive soccer and buying a travel trailer that brings me to the wilderness each weekend (no wifi, no computer)… there just wasn't time for this. I hope all of you can forgive me for abandoning you for half the summer. I feel bad I left you in a bad place as well – poor Daryl is struggling for life and Beth desperate to save him. Let's not delay anymore. Let's get to the story – Enjoy!
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CHAPTER 8
Every moment counted, every second that she wasn't moving was wasted. Beth didn't want to be away from Daryl any longer than she needed to be. The sooner she left, the sooner she'd be back to him with the medicine he needed. She refused to think about losing him.
Her mind briefly flashed over everything they had been through together. The endless days of hunger, the men fighting against them for their lives, the walkers chomping hungrily at their flesh. For some reason, this situation was worse, it was harder. She didn't know how to fight against tiny bacteria deep inside the man she loved. Still, Beth was going to, she was going to fight with everything she had to get what Daryl needed.
All of those thoughts swirled inside Beth as she slammed into the appropriate gear before rushing back downstairs. She flew out the door, seeing Sherri bringing the Jeep up. Rick was already climbing in. Beth had rushed past everyone in a blur. She couldn't stop, not for one second. If she gave herself that time to think, to breathe, then she would go check on her husband and she wouldn't leave. She would take his hand and hold on to it and not let go. She couldn't do that. She needed to be strong.
Beth was in such a rush she wasn't even mad when Sherri set the Jeep into motion before Beth even had a chance to close the door behind her as she climbed into the back seat. The front was already taken by Rick. That didn't irk her either that he was there. Beth and Sherri knew the area the best, but Beth also knew Rick. He was a leader by nature, take-charge-of-a-situation man, a passion that drove him. Both he and Sherri were genuinely concerned for Daryl. It was good to have them with her.
The gates were open and ready for them to speed out, Nate standing by and ready to close them as soon as they rushed by. It seemed the entire farm had a sense of urgency. Beth wasn't sure if she was grateful or uneasy about that. She was warmed that everyone cared as much as she did, but it concerned her that everyone else was just as worried as she was. The world was so much more dangerous than before. A little infection that would have been easily taken care of in the world could easily be your death now.
"Buck up and hang on, we ain't goin' the easy way," barked Sherri as she curved dangerously fast onto the highway.
The map seated next to her tumbled onto the floor at the sharp turn. Beth grabbed hold of the roll bar and tightly held herself from going up against the window. Rick was unable to catch himself before his head clinked hard against the glass.
His glaring blue eyes trained on the tall read head as he righted himself. "You know where we are going?"
"Sure as shit," Sherri replied, swearing around an overturned car.
Rick was able to stop himself from careening as before. "It'd be nice if we got there in one piece," he growled.
Sherri responded in not-so-kind words with Rick spouting off another retort. Beth didn't let the spat get to her. No, she needed to focus. She needed to think, to remember. She needed to find antibiotics that weren't penicillin based, no amoxicillin, and no ampicillin.
Beth closed her eyes. She forced herself to try and remember. The jumbling and bumping of the Jeep didn't help but Beth wasn't about to complain. She needed to concentrate. If she did, she could almost hear her father's voice. She could almost remember the words he spoke the medical terminology.
Beth had been seventeen when she had last been on the farm. She had been helping her daddy with his practice for a few summers by then. She would tag along a few times each week to visit the neighbors, see other farm animals and occasionally help her father out.
It made her mouth dry trying to remember, mouthing soundless words trying to get them to have meaning to her. Doxycycline. That word kept popping up in her head, repeating in the low humble voice of her father. She knew that had been an antibiotic, one that didn't end in –illin like Jess had instructed her to find.
Beth loved her father, missed him dearly. She loved all her family, gone and missing, but thinking about them and remembering them at times was hard. Especially in a situation like this, forcing herself to remember, forcing the memories to the front, the good came with the bad. She would do it, she would remember it all for Daryl. He needed her. She needed to do this.
Gentamicin. That was injectable, Beth remembered that. She remembered holding the calves, holding them tight against her while her father had given them doses when needed. She remembered their soft newborn fur curled at the ends, their wide frightened eyes and their soft bleatings for their mothers. Another antibiotic, she was sure of it.
Two… that was two Beth could think of. Another name popped into her mind. Baytril. It was a brand name she thought, she couldn't remember the medical name. She needed to be sure to find it… it was just so much to remember, so much that she couldn't.
It took a long time to reach their destination. Longer than Beth had hoped it would take. A detour had been needed. There had been too many walkers, to many cars piled up. Beth didn't argue with Sherri or Rick as they discussed different routes, knowing it was best. The detour still caused a knot deep in her gut. Her husband's time was ticking away, slowly and steadily.
When the trio finally arrived at their supposed destination, all were a little uncertain. Rick bent down and recheck the map Paula had given them, verifying they were at the right cross section. The jumble of cars and the building before them was where they were supposed to be. It didn't look as if they area was untouched as they had hoped.
"There," Rick said as he pointed across. "I think that's it."
Beyond a few other rear-ended cars was a large fire engine, lodged diagonally along the small strip mall. There was a sign hanging from the front store, Lloyd's Groceries and Liquors. It was twisted and hanging down lowly. The long red engine had plowed into the building, resting partially in front of the grocery but blocking the entrance to where they could only guess the ER veterinary clinic was located. The sign and most of the store front there had been smashed beyond recognition. The Dollar General at the end was clear and open. All the windows were smashed out, a plastic bag hanging on a shard shifting in the small breeze.
The area had definitely already been looted. It was not a great sign for their mission Beth though, but kept it to herself, knowing the silence of the others meant they were probably thinking the same thing. They had come all this way; they had to at least look around. They had to try. There weren't many options if this didn't work and Daryl didn't have much time.
Two straggling walkers turned their attention to them as Sherri pulled the Jeep in as close to the red fire engine as she could. She shifted the Jeep into park with a wary glance at their welcoming party. The walkers were far enough away still to not be a problem but were quickly closing in on them with each shuffling step.
"How we gonna get in there?" Sheri asked with a perplexed look on her face once she turned back to their task.
Rick took a moment to gaze over the situation, forming a plan. "The front of the liquor store is pretty well smashed up, maybe there's some sort of opening in the vet clinic too. Maybe we could squeeze in?" Rick offered with no real hope in his voice.
Beth knew waiting to talk about it wasn't going to change the situation. She exited the Jeep and pulled her bow to the front of her. With a fluid and quick motion, she loaded it and fired at one of the approaching walkers. The greyed woman snapped her jaw at the impact before dropping. Beth reloaded quickly, pulling an arrow from the quiver at her back before either Rick or Sherri exited the vehicle. She released after a measured aim, dropping the other with precision.
"Good shots, Beth" Rick told her approvingly, an appreciative nod of his chin.
Beth knew Rick still didn't see her too differently from as before. She was just a girl, a weaker member. The others might have told him she was capable, but she could see it in his eyes. Rick thought of her still as that teenage girl from the farm. She was grown, she was a woman. She could handle herself.
There was no time to waste, but Beth couldn't waste her ammunition either. She hurried and collected her arrows, placing them back in her quiver after pulling them hastily from the heads of the dead. With her bow replaced at her back alongside her quiver and the satchel she had brought for supplies at her hip, she was ready to explore the clinic.
"Let's check it out," Beth said as she led the way.
As the group passed the engine, something dark stirred inside. The windows were dirty; a grey-green film covered them so they could only see a shadow move inside. There was thud, maybe a hand, against the window that told them something was inside, and something was hungry. They didn't need to get inside the cab of the fire engine so whatever it was, it wasn't a threat.
The space beyond the truck was a complete and utter mess. There were glass shards covering the area from the broken windows and empty, broken bottles. The walls were unsteady, crumbling brick and drywall. A few shelves were twisted and tossed aside from the impact.
"Fuck," Sherri muttered.
Beth nodded in agreement. That about summed it up all right. The situation wasn't great.
The glass and debris Beth figured she could get around fairly easily. It was the entrance of the Vet Clinic that was still blocked. The giant engine blocking the area was too big to move, even for their Jeep. There was always the possibility of going back to get more bodies to help, but Beth didn't think they wanted to waste that much time.
Beth stepped carefully, thoughtfully, and picked her way until she was closer than before. If she craned her head down, there looked like there might be enough space. Maybe just enough that one of them could get through, well, maybe just her since the other two were roughly the same size. She could fit. It would hard, dangerous maybe, but she had to try.
"There," Beth said as she pointed to the area she had been looking at. "I think I can fit in there." She moved to take her bow and quiver from her back, there would be no room to squeeze in with them on her.
"Beth…" Rick started to protest.
The determined look she shot him stopped him from trying further. Beth was going; no one was going to stop her. Sherri knew better than to argue with her, giving her a nod of approval.
It was a struggle to get the correct angels as Beth maneuvered through the small opening. She hissed in pain as she caught her forearm on a shard of exposed glass. There was a little blood, just a scratch; she didn't even bother to look it over. There was one last jumble of junk in her way so Beth took a chance and shoved it to the side, heaving with all the strength she could muster in the small space. The building was filled with an eerie moaning of metal. Beth sprang forward through the new opening while Rick and Sherri sprang backwards. A load of debris fell into the passageway.
Beth scrambled away from the failing rubble as the dust billowed out and engulfed the small space she was in. It was murky, hard to see. There was little light, and now that was clouded with a haze of dust. Beth let a few clogged coughs escape her as she climbed to her feet, waving the dust away from around her and trying to get a better picture of where she was.
"Beth! Beth!" Rick shouted her name from the other side.
"It's okay," she coughed, just barely able to see his figure on the other side of the mess that was now piled between them. Her one escape route was now gone. "I'm good, I'm in."
There was some grumbling, the sound of metal dragging. "Okay, stay put, we'll get you out," Rick ordered.
"No. I'm good. Work on getting it open, I'm going to go and check it out," Beth responded as the last bit of dusty vapor started to settle around her.
Beth ignored the next few words from Rick. She knew he wanted to her to wait, he wanted her to be safe, but she could do this. It would be much more efficient for her to start looking while they were digging her out than for her to wait for them to join her. She could hear Sherri with Rick and knew it would be okay, they would get her out once she was done looking. She had faith in her family.
Beth pulled a flash light from her side satchel, flicking it on against the darkness. She never liked the dark. Too many creeping, crawling things liked the dark. Beth pulled her blade out as she scanned from side to side in the front room. The room was a disaster of overturned waiting room chairs, papers and files on the floor, and upended shelves. Nothing that would be easy to navigate in the dim light she had.
They had made enough noise to call up any lurking danger so Beth waited and listened for the telltale thumping or shuffling, counting in her head. One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Mississippi. She counted all the way up to ten, only hearing the noise behind her as Rick and Sherri moved the wreckage. Normally, their clearing protocol called for a longer waiting period, but Beth found she couldn't. Daryl couldn't wait.
With just the beam of light from her flashlight and the dim rays that managed to get through from the front entrance, it was a mess to traverse for Beth. She stumbled once, her footing slipping on the masses of paperwork littering the floor, a twinge of pain shooting from her already sore ankle. She noted a spray of black across a section of the floor, a foot print or two. She was certain the black spray had shone red at one point, people had been there.
Once Beth pushed through the front room into the back there was even less light, pitch black except for the small ray provided by her hand held flashlight. She scanned the area quickly, dragging the light over the large area. There were a few broken out sections she had to get closer to see, areas with shelves and counters. Another was further back with a huge sink, some metal tables. The last section held mostly kennels. One kennel had a mass of grey, slumped matted fur. Something had been left behind; Beth didn't want to know what so she quickly moved her light away. She didn't want to think about that poor animal, left to starve and die of dehydration.
The back looked to be even more of a disaster than the front room, more evidence that people had already been there. The shelves were supplies would normally be were mostly bare, empty boxes were littering the floor along with excess syringes and needles. It was a mess, a complete mess, but Beth wouldn't let it upset her. There was no time to be upset.
Beth started at the nearest set of shelves as she put her blade back in her belt, giving her a free hand to search the mess. Bottle after bottle, she tossed aside. Dewormer was not what Daryl needed. She did grab a few bottles that rattled with pills. They were nothing she recognized as antibiotics but wasn't willing to pass them up. Beth also shoved a handful of syringes and needles into her bag along with a few bags of saline with their lines they might be able to use. She would take anything and everything she thought they might be able to use.
Her satchel was half full when Beth left the shelves to start pulling open the drawers. She didn't find much useful in them except for the last one. It was a small, thick green book with the title in gold letters at the top, Plumb's Veterinary Drugbook. Beth looked down at the manual, remembering her father's. His guide had been dog eared and a constant companion of his. Her father hadn't been much of a "googler" so that reference book had been his main source of pharmaceutical information. Beth grabbed it, knowing Jess might find it useful, and shoved it into her bag.
Beth wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she had been able to search most of the vast area. She heard her name, Rick was calling to her. They must be getting close to being done, and so far she had failed. Beth hadn't been able to find what Daryl needed.
Frustration struck Beth, her anger shooting out to kick an overturned box. Unlike many of the others, this one thunked solidly as it tumbled over. It wasn't empty. Beth grabbed it, feeling there was some weight to it. The box hadn't been opened, perhaps it had been delivered just before whatever mess happened out there had transpired. The still sealed box was smaller sized but there was still something in it.
Beth set the flash light down on the counter, turned to spread the light over where she set the box to work. She carefully sliced the box open with her knife. Beth pushed it open. Little green packing peanuts were shoved aside as she dug in.
Her first prize was a small blue box with Enroflox 100 in white letters. Enofloxacin, Beth didn't recognize the name, but more importantly under that title and in smaller print was the word antimicrobial. That was what Daryl needed, that was what she had come for. The medication was injectable so Daryl might not like getting poked, but he'd live. That was the important part. Beth shoved the small box into her satchel, a sigh of relief escaping her.
There were a few other small boxes of another injectable medicine, GentaMax 100. Beth took them as well as two bottles of levothyroxine. She was sure that the last one wasn't what Daryl needed, but she couldn't afford to be picky. Beth knew the Enroflox was the best find, the others were just icing and she couldn't leave anything potentially useful behind.
Her name was called again, this time louder and more concerned. Beth knew she had to get moving. She hurried back to the drawer with the syringes, dumping a load of them and more needles into her bulging satchel. She rushed back the way she came, tripping slightly again on the paper littered floor.
"I'm here, I'm okay," Beth said as she approached the mangled mess she was going to have to get through once more.
Beth could see Rick in the newly formed opening, his head bent down low searching for her. She put her flash light away. The light from the shattered window and small opening was enough for her to see now, all around had a reddish tint due to the light reflecting from the red fire engine.
"Did you get it? Find what we needed?" Rick questioned.
Beth nodded. "Yeah, I think I got something we can use, I think Daryl will be okay." She wasn't completely certain, but she hoped Jess could find the answer in the little reference book she had grabbed.
Rick backed away from the opening as Beth approached. "I think it's big enough. You should be able to get through."
Beth crouched down in it, handing him the full bag. There was no way she was getting through the opening with that cumbersome pack at her side. The space was too tight, maybe more than before.
A quick glimpse showed her why Rick hadn't been able to force it open wider. The structure around it quivered with each movement she made, it was so unstable. Beth was surprised Rick had been able to manage that, the look he gave her let her know he thought the same as he waved her forward, having set her pack behind him. One little touch, a bump, and the whole thing could collapse. It was not a good place to linger.
Beth started to squeak her way through, contorting and holding her breath. It wasn't a long tunneled opening to get through, just a few feet but it was difficult to manage. As she reached the end her hip bumped the edge of a twisted bar, causing the wall to start to shake. Rick reached for her, grabbing her hand and pulling her forward with a force that wrenched her arm at her shoulder.
More dust and a loud grinding boom engulfed them as his motion thrusted her forward until Beth slammed into the fire truck, vibrating it with the painful collision. Rick followed her movement, his body over hers and shielding her from the collapsing debris. A metal beam fell forward just above them, crashing into the window of the truck cab. Glass busted out, most of it falling in but a few glittering shards raining down on them. Beth felt one strike her cheek painfully.
Both Rick and Beth held rigidly still, allowing a moment for the rumbling to settle down. Neither wanted to move before it was safe to do so. Sherri called to them from somewhere in the liquor store, asking if their asses were okay.
When it felt safe to do so, Beth tilted her head up to see Rick. He looked down at her, his blue eyes so bright in the halo of settling dust. He had his arms braced on either side of her against the cold metal of the fire engine. He had used his body to protect her. He was crowding her, his body pinning hers tightly.
"You okay?" Rick asked gruffly, pushing off her slightly.
Beth nodded, her cheek stung but otherwise she was fine. "You?"
Rick winced as he moved to straightened further. "Took a nasty blow to the – " His voice broke off into a gasp as his head was suddenly jerked back.
Beth saw the grey thin arms above them, the gnarled fingers twisting in Rick's hair. The walker inside the engine was lifting Rick inhumanly towards the busted window. Rick grabbled against the force, grunting with effort to rip himself away from the ghastly creature emerging from the cab. It was the walker they had seen when entering the area, the hulking silhouette they had decided wasn't a threat. The busted window had freed the grimy creature. With curled, twisted lips, the seemingly mummified walker snapped hungrily at Rick as he struggled against it.
Beth moved quickly as she went for her knife. She rose with it in one steady motion, striking up at the walker. Her blade pierced under the snapping jaw, inches from Rick's face. Beth twisted the blade after shoving it in hard. A crunch, a grating deep within and then Rick was released. The abrupt motion set Rick stumbling back a step on unsteady feet. Sherri caught him, setting him firmly on his feet.
"Thanks," Rick said, breathing deeply. He looked at Beth with a new respect, like he had never seen that side of her. He hadn't, he had never known the way she was now. He had been told, but now he knew. Beth could handle herself.
Sherri saw the look, a giant smirk on her face. "Told ya she could handle her shit," she snipped, giving a playful shove to his shoulder before she turned her attention to Beth. "Did ya get what Double D needs?"
Beth twisted her knife free, sheathing it quickly. "Yeah, I think I did."
Beth reached for her bag. It had been tossed to the area that Rick had sheltered her. She opened the bag quickly to take a look. Nothing was broken, nothing was leaking. A relieved breath escaped Beth before she hurried to collect the rest of her gear.
"We should get going, Daryl needs this sooner rather than later," Beth said as she started towards the truck.
"Wait," Sherri said, motioning to the side. "Got a few boxes here to lug back."
Rick shot her a judgmental look but Sherri shrugged it off. "We both couldn't dig her out, there wasn't enough room. So I looked this place over. Found some shit we might need."
"You were supposed to be watchin' our back," Rick grumbled with annoyance.
Sherri gave a dismissive flick of her hand as she trudged over to a few boxes containing miscellaneous supplies. "I'm a woman. I can damn multitask."
Beth followed Sherri, looking over the boxes quickly. There were a few bottles of various liquors, a giant jar of suckers and few other items. One box looked to be marked explosives and caution, looking like an array of fireworks.
"We don't need this," Beth said with furrowed brows.
"You always need a little liquor… for wounds and sterile stuff, ya know," Sherri explained with a glint in her eyes that suggested she had different purposes for it. "The suckers are for the kid. Oscar deserves a treat now and then."
"Fireworks?" Rick questioned skeptically, bending to grab one of the boxes.
Sherri snorted grabbing the other box. "Never know when we might want to celebrate," Sherri retorted. "May need it sometime, distract a herd or something. Shit, I don't know. Just found 'em behind the counter. Thought, why the hell not… wouldn't hurt."
They each had a box as the made their way back to the Jeep. The heaviest was taken by Rick, sloshing around in his arms. There were a few bottles of wine, red by the looks of it, along with a couple other odd bottles. So many of the bottles had been broken in the store so Sherri must have found the only few that hadn't been taken or busted.
The trip back was shorter since they were able to take a more direct route, yet it seemed somehow longer. Beth was in the back seat by herself again, boxed in by the liquor. She couldn't stop the restlessness that plagued her, anticipation making her edgy. She shifted in her seat, unable to get comfortable. Beth tried not to think about how long they had been gone or if Jess had been able to get Daryl's fever down. She tried to focus on Rick asking questions as Sherri drove, asking about roads, about locations. He was learning, he was doing his leader thing. She just tried not to think about how much worse Daryl might be.
Beth didn't release an easy breath until the farm was in view. Vinny let them in the gate, and Sherri drove up to the main building. Sherri had barely thrown the Jeep into park before Beth's hand was on the door handle. Just as she opened the door, a scream pierced the chilled air. It was a high pitched scream, long and full of despair. Something was wrong, dangerously wrong.
Her wide eyes met Rick's eyes briefly, only a split second, enough to see the wild concern in his eyes as well. His child was within those walls. Beth broke the look as she rushed out the jeep, her satchel in place and drawing her bow already.
Daryl was the only thing on her mind.
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