Thanks to everyone who reviewed: brady66, StrangersAngel, Creed757, megs27, rckyfrk, DarylDixon'sLover, Abbi, TWDFan05, BubbaSue, malzateb, kevkye (x2), jeanf, moriahhh, Ayame2004, Scifigirl22, Ela1980, Reignashii, MistressKitten, Coffeeandsippycups
For the next week, Beth and Daryl barely left each other's sides, apart from using the bathroom and they were still within a short distance of each other then. They continued with gun training, and survival skills, Beth actually skinning her first squirrel the night before. And with his newfound knowledge, Daryl had also started teaching Beth how to throw a punch and protect herself. She was catching on, although not always getting it right. She knew this was important to him and she also knew that it could help her out in the future if she was ever in a bad situation.
He was making her stronger and she admired him even more for it. He simply wasn't going to just protect her, he was teaching her how to protect herself and survive. She was not a liability, she was becoming an asset to him. But he was also biding his time before he knew she would insist they leave the little sanctuary they had built in that trailer park.
He had taken her back to the gas station to pick up more fuel, as well as more of the food that was still there. He learned from his own mistakes the first time, and checked the whole place out before allowing Beth to get the supplies. He stayed back, and kept watch to make sure nothing would creep up on them.
Beth looked around, beyond the food and drinks, seeing what other supplies she could find. There was an impressive collection of travels mugs and souvenirs along the back wall. She had hoped for something a little more useful and she guessed someone was looking down on them because on the floor, knocked over was a display of area maps. She grabbed a few, picking them over until she found a map for Arkansas and for the states they would need to take to get back to Georgia. Throwing those at the top of her pack, she got up off the floor and made her way over to Daryl. She looped her finger into his belt loop and pulled him along to follow her. They had agreed to keep silent between them, and since she was still learning, she used her own tactics to get his attention.
Once they were a safe distance away and he was certain that nothing was going to come jumping out at them, he relaxed slightly.
"They had some maps in there, figured we might need them to get back to Georgia." She spoke softly as he taught her to.
"Yeah, we'll stay away from the main cities and stick to the woods as much as possible. Glad we found that pop out tent the other day."
"Such a shame we only found that one sleeping bag though," she flirted with him. He gave her a quick smile.
"If it get's cold, best way to keep warm is to sleep together naked anyway," he flirted back.
"Who says it needs to be cold?" Beth nudged her shoulder into his arm and giggled. They hadn't been intimate with one another since a week ago, and she did miss it. That didn't mean that nothing was going on, they were just more aware that this was not the time to be having sex or fooling around. There was crazy monsters walking around trying to eat them, they needed to focus more on survival than their libido. She did still enjoy curling up to him at night in their small twin sized bed. It was those small moments that made these days bearable.
Getting back to the trailer park, and putting the chain around the gates allowed them to release some tension. Daryl still felt the need to walk around and make sure that no one had joined them while they were gone. They had devised a security system a couple days before with the abandoned trailers. They had found some duct tape and taped the bottoms of the trailer doors and windows closed. They would know if someone has gotten in if they saw the tape had been tampered with. It made things go faster than checking every single trailer around them.
Daryl had also come up with a great idea to string some empty cans between some of the trees. This allowed them to hear any noise of people dead or alive, coming towards them. They were far enough back that it would give Beth and Daryl time to get away, but close enough that they could hear them.
Once they were sure that everything was okay, Beth started their fire while Daryl grabbed some cans of soup to warm up. Daryl had sat on the ground and leaned on the back wheel of the truck and Beth came and sat in front of him, pulling his arms around her. They sat in silence while the cans warmed up, listening for whatever was around them. It was still afternoon, and the sun was really warming things up.
"We still planning on leaving in the next few days?" she asked, cuddling into his arms more.
"Yeah, I'll go over the maps tonight, figure out the best way to get there."
"I'll go over our supplies again. Found a few more first aid items in the gas station we can add."
"We're gonna have to keep those packs as light as possible for when we start travelling by foot. Might have to take out those boxes of condoms you threw in there."
"Found those, did ya?"
"Yeah, along with the boxes you hid in the drawer, ya little minx."
"Gotta be prepared for every situation," she responded with as much sass as she could without laughing.
"You're gonna be the death of me, girl."
"But what a way to go." She got up and checked on the cans of soup on the fire.
"Ya don't even know what it's like, remember." He shot back.
"I guess that means you'll just have to show me." She shrugged, batting her long eyelashes at him.
"Tease," Daryl muttered, gnawing on his bottom lip to keep from grinning at her boldness. She brought the warmed cans overs and sat back down between his legs. Handing him his, she kissed him softly below his ear, along his neck but turned back to her food to start eating.
As he didn't believe in using a spoon, he drank it straight from the can, so he could use his other hand to hold onto Beth. All their flirting had definitely had an effect on him and he was hoping they might be able to relax a little together after their dinner. He had placed his hand underneath her shirt, and was caressing the skin of her hip, his subtle sign of what she was doing to him. She laid her head back on his shoulder, her spoon and can dropping down into her lap, as she enjoyed the feel of his hand on her flesh.
The moment was cut short by the distant sounds of cans rattling. Daryl immediately sat up, Beth lurching forward as a result of his movements, and grabbed his crossbow.
"Wait here." He instructed as he moved to the fences. Once he reached the fence line he saw one of the dead trying to get past the obstruction it its way. He relaxed when he realized it was just one. But that was short lived when he saw another, then another, then another emerge from the treeline. Before he knew it, he couldn't count the number of bodies moving against the alarms or past them. Dozens piled up against the fence and Daryl watched the cheap and weakened structure begin to tumble under the weight. He panicked and ran back to the truck, back to Beth.
"Beth! Get in the truck!" She jumped up quickly and looked at him cautiously.
"What's going on?"
"Get your shit and get in the truck! I'll be there in a minute!" He shouted as he ran around grabbing as much as he could.
"I'm not gunna leave you!" She called back.
"Go now!" He demanded as he gathered up all the weapons they had sitting around. The fence wouldn't hold much longer and they needed to get out of here now. He watched her climb into the truck and he sighed in relief before heading to the drivers side. He heard the fence collapse and, in morbid curiosity, he watched the herd of the dead stagger towards them. He wondered what drew them to the spot, they had made every attempt to keep as quiet as possible.
Daryl could see Beth's panicked face, as she clutched the seat. He started the truck and put into gear as the first of the bodies started making their way closer to them. He punched the gas and lurched forward, colliding with bodies. Beth shut her eyes in fear as she could hear the bodies hitting the front grill and bouncing underneath the wheels. They needed to get out of there as fast as they could.
They had placed the chain along the gate but it wasn't locked so he knew if he gave enough force, they would make it through. Getting into second and then third gear, he slammed through the gates and got back onto the gravel road. Beth had opened her eyes and looked in the side mirrors to see just how many were there to attack them.
"There were dozens back there," she informed him. He scrunched his eyebrows in frustration but acceptance.
"We have to put as much distance between us and them."
"Where are we gonna go?"
"Grab the map from the back, try and figure where we are. I'll find us a way," Beth nodded her head and left her seat to rummage through her pack. Once she grabbed the Arkansas map, she sat on the bed and ran her finger down from Little Rock to where the Trailer Park was. She folded the map up to the area and brought it to the front.
"We need to get onto Highway 530 and get down to Pine Bluff. We can go around the city and hopefully not get into too much trouble." He grabbed the map and saw where she was pointing to with her small finger.
"Good girl. Was hoping we wouldn't have to go around Little Rock." he replied, giving the map back to her.
"I'll try and keep us away from the larger cities but we might not have a choice. Need to get as far as we can with this thing." Beth added.
"We'll keep an eye out for fuel. I have those cans loaded in the back plus the tank is pretty full. Might be able to make it if we find more,"
She got up again to grab Daryl's flannel and curl herself into it. He knew that she was upset and just needed some comfort and if he wasn't able to give it to her, his shirt was a good substitute.
She made sure that he wore it every once again to keep the smell intact but it now belonged to her and Daryl was not going to mind.
He got them as far as he could before he needed to call it a night. It was pitch black outside when he pulled off to a small road, blocked by some of the trees and bush. It wasn't the safest place in the world, but he just needed to get some sleep so he could get them back on the road.
He made sure that the doors were locked and their bags and weapons were within arms' reach. Beth had made her way to the bed, tucking herself closest to the wall, facing Daryl as he triple checked everything. It would be the first time she wore pants to bed since he met her but they both knew that they had no safety anymore. They were sitting ducks and he only hoped that they could make it back to Georgia, together.
He knew sleep would not come easy, as they both worried about what this night would bring. He didn't need much so even getting a few hours would be better than nothing. He climbed into bed beside her, both facing towards each other and he put his arms around her to keep her close. She tucked her head under his chin and placed her hands on his neck, as a way to touch the bare skin she was accustomed to.
It was quiet but he could hear her breathing. He wished that she would fall asleep but that would be impossible after the day they had. He kissed her head and rubbed her back, to help ease her fears. But he felt her move around and eventually untucked her head and moved her hands to behind his head, behind her ears. It was so dark out that he could barely make out where she was but he felt her face close in on his, she kissed his lips lightly, barely touching them and pulled back slightly.
"I love you," she whispered so quietly into the silence of the truck. His heart rate increased as he took in what she had told him. Rather than try and figure out the words to explain his feelings for her, he tenderly kissed her, hoping to pass on his thoughts through his lips. Regardless of everything that was going on outside, this moment was all about them.
Thanks to everyone for the follows, and reviews. We are over the moon with the response.
Thanks to Carla for all the help and direction she gives us.
We're coming up to the fun part where our duo meets up with some familiar faces. Anyone wanna take a guess as to whom it is?
