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They had been driving for a week now. Daryl was cursing how long it was actually taking. Normally, they would have been there in less than a day but with all the abandoned vehicles littering the roads, and all the unscheduled stops to pick up more supplies and use the bathroom, it felt like their day trip was turning into a month long excursion.
Thankfully, they hadn't seen too many dead people wandering around. They seemed to bypass a herd by taking a few back roads, although they did see the odd straggler, eating it's latest meal of human or animal. It was starting to wear on both of them. Daryl, being the light sleeper he was, noticed that Beth was sleeping less and less. She was worried about how long it was taking them to get home. She was losing energy and he couldn't do very much to help her.
They had never spoken about those words she whispered to him that night, and he never uttered them back to her. They were both in survival mode, and figuring out their relationship wasn't a top priority. They may have slept in the same bed together, but they hadn't touched since they left the trailer. He hugged her close at night, and she grabbed his hand reassuringly during the day but they remained focused on their task of getting back to Georgia.
They had just bypassed Montgomery, Alabama, when their luck turned south. He began to slow down to stop the rig, due to the sea of broken down or abandoned cars, when he felt a rumble beneath his foot.
"Shit." He growled as he frantically began to downshift and steer the rig away from the barricade not twenty yards away from them. Thankfully they weren't going fast, he couldn't risk driving over 40 on the narrow back roads in the beast of a truck, so he didn't have as much trouble stopping as he had thought. Once the rig had slowed enough, he threw the emergency brake and it jolted to a rough halt.
"What was that?" Beth asked. He jumped out of the truck and began to inspect the area just behind the tires. Just as he had thought. He climbed back into the driver's seat and closed the door behind him.
"Fuckin' brakes are shot. All that startin' and stoppin' we've been doing to move shit. Can't take it any further." He glanced at her, instantly noticing the pale look that crossed her face.
"We have to walk?" It wasn't really a question. They both knew, deep down, that this day was coming. He had just hoped they could have gotten a little further.
"You got the bags all packed and ready for this, we'll be okay," Daryl reassured her. She slowly got out of her seat and made her way to the back to double check the packs. She threw in whatever else would fit, some water bottles, more canned food and Daryl's flannel that was laying on the bed.
"Are we leaving right now, or we spending one more night in here?" Beth was hesitant to ask, not ready to leave their safe place just yet.
"Still got plenty of light, we should start moving." She nodded and double checked everything.
"Not much left in here, so if anyone raids this place, they'll get a few cans of food and a warm bed to sleep in."
"Not too worried bout that, just want to get movin'. Might get there faster on foot now."
They grabbed each of their packs and put them on. Daryl grabbed his crossbow, having to hold it over his shoulder. Beth had the pop up tent, which she managed to wedge between the straps and her back. They both had their knives attached to their belts and guns sitting in their holsters.
They were quiet as they started their trek. Soon, the truck was nothing but a distant memory, they could barely see behind them on the road. Usually Beth was okay with the silence between them but she was really scared of being out in the open at the moment and didn't know how to convey her feelings. She saw that Daryl's hand was free, his other clutching the strap of his crossbow and she took the chance to hold his hand for comfort.
Daryl felt her fingers inch their way into his. He'd become accustomed to Beth needing physical touch to make her feel better, so he wasn't going to pull away from her now. He intertwined their fingers as they continued down the road.
As the day progressed and the sun was starting to set, Daryl took them off into the woods.
"Why are we heading in there? Wouldn't the road be safer?" she questioned him, almost pulling him back towards the road.
"Nah, too open out there. Can hide ourselves better in the bush."
He found a small clearing, just big enough for them and their tent and took his bag off. He looked around, keeping an eye for any movement between the trees. Beth grabbed the string and some of the empty cans she had stashed in the bad to make some noise makers. She put them around the trees, further away from their camp so they would have as much notice as possible to anything coming their way.
Daryl watched her back, and luckily, they didn't have any visitors. While he started on the small fire, Beth got the tent setup for their sleep. They had maintained silence for most of the day, and Beth was actually starting to get annoyed with how quiet he was being.
"How long you think it will take us?"
"Dunno. We passed Montgomery about an hour before the truck broke down an' we probably only walked two miles today. I'd say we're about forty fives miles from there. Drove from Atlanta to Montgomery once an' I think it was around 180 miles. Maybe less."
"We're gunna need to find another car." She muttered.
"Ain't gunna do us any good, just break down like the damn truck if we have to keep movin' shit around."
"So we're just gunna walk 180 miles to the farm?" She didn't mean to sound accusatory, but being out in the open and Daryl acting as if it was no big deal was starting to weigh on her.
"I'm sorry, I left my teleporting machine back in that diner I found ya in." He sneered, clearly not amused by her complaints.
"You don't have to be sarcastic," She whispered, her voice sounding weak even to her own ears. She instinctively pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Suddenly, she was transported back to that fateful diner, feeling like nothing once again.
"I don't know what else ya want from me, girl. I'm keepin' ya alive!" He bit back at her, his voice rising slightly.
"Daryl, keep it down." She pleaded as fear of one of those things hearing him clinched at her tightly.. He scoffed and looked back over the fire.
"Go get some sleep. I'm keepin' watch." He grunted dismissively.
"Aren't you going to sleep?" He shrugged in response. "Don't just shrug me off. You need to sleep." She insisted.
"In case you haven't noticed, we're out in the open and a few cans on a string ain't gunna keep those things from rippin' that tent apart to get to us."
"Stop!" She snapped back at him. She had enough of his bitterness and negativity. "Don't start talkin' to me like I'm a child just because we're stuck out here. I'm trying to help figure out how to help get us there, too! You don't get to talk to me like this because you're afraid!"
"I ain't afraid of nothing."
"Bullshit! I saw you. When those things tore down the fence. You were scared." Her voice softened. "It's ok to be afraid. Just don't push me away." He looked away from the fire to her, her face was soft and caring. He didn't see the fear and frustration he saw there earlier. "Don't shut me out." She whispered. He watched her for a moment, studying her, before he gave her a slight nod and his shoulders slumped. The tension in his chest evaporated in defeat.
They sat in silence for a while longer until Beth scooted closer to him. He watched her movements curiously. She wrapped her arm through his that rested on his knee and tucked her head up against his shoulder. He felt like he should apologize but he wasn't sure how.
They sat next to each other, only moving to grab some food from the bags and heating it up on the fire. The tension seemed to dissipate as they ate, and a calmness settled over them. Daryl didn't like getting mad at her, especially now that they only had each other. It was just easier for him to revert to his old ways of secluding himself and putting walls up around him. But Beth was becoming someone who knew how to knock those walls down. She only wanted him, and those three words she uttered to him a week ago still ran through his mind.
He had spent all the silent time between them, trying to figure out what he felt for her. It was something strong, he knew that. Whenever they were apart for small amounts of time, and especially when his anger got the best of him, he felt his chest constrict and his heart ache. He had been around her everyday for more than two months and being away from her felt unnatural.
Once they finished eating and the fire died down, he nudged her shoulder with his arm and nodded towards the tent.
"You sleep first, I'll keep watch out here," he whispered to her. She merely looked up with her big doe eyes and batted her eyelashes.
"You can keep watch inside the tent with me." Her voice was laced with seduction and Daryl knew what she was insinuating. It had been quite some time but he knew he needed to keep his head straight.
"You need to sleep Beth, you gotta take over for me eventually," he responded, trying to keep the rejection to a minimum as to not upset her.
"I will sleep, I just like you being next to me," she added with sweetness. He sighed and pushed his hair back with his hand. She moved to get into the tent and laced the door to keep it open. She grabbed his flannel, and with her back turned to him, removed her shirt and replaced it with his. He knew what she was trying to do and he felt his resolve start to crumble.
She crawled into the sleeping bag, leaving it open for him to slide in next to her. He got in the tent and laid down beside her. He was on his back, trying to keep the impure thoughts at bay. He felt that if he looked at her, he would snap and would probably go down a path they shouldn't be taking.
Beth snuggled close to him, even grabbing his arm so she could get in right beside him. She wrapped her arm around his torso, and leaned on his shoulder. If she could stay like this the rest of the night, he would have no problem but as luck would have it, she wasn't going to listen.
He felt her light kisses on his chest, even through the shirt he wore. She moved up slightly, to make her way to his collarbone. Rather than let her continue, he needed to stop her before she went too far.
"What are you doin, Beth?" he grumbled.
"You haven't kissed me properly in a week Mr. Dixon. Girl needs to know she's still wanted."
"If I kiss you, will you go to sleep?" He chanced a look at her, to see her eyes hooded with desire. She bit her lip and nodded slowly. He moved closer to her, using his free hand to cup her chin. When he was almost able to feel her lips against his, he stopped.
"Believe me, I want ya, but we got to stay safe and gettin' carried away right now isn't safe. I mean it, a kiss and then you go to sleep."
If Daryl thought he was making a point, she obviously didn't care enough because she grabbed his face and pressed her lips hard against his. He was momentarily stunned by her boldness. However, when he heard her moan against his lips, his own words were lost to him. She shifted next to him, maneuvering her other arm to grab his hair. Figuring, he could enjoy a few minutes, his hand descended to her hip, pulling her closer allowing her to feel his reaction to her. Another moan escaped her lips, but it allowed him to thrust his tongue into her mouth.
They were getting carried away with their hands roaming, and their mouths battling for dominance. They had shifted so he was now resting in between her thighs, their need for each other outweighing any safety they should be taking at this moment. Daryl's hand had made it's way underneath her shirt and was caressing her breast.
He broke away from her lips to move his mouth down to her neck, gently scraping his teeth against her skin. Beth pulled on his hair when his bites became harder against her sensitive flesh.
"So much for one kiss," she gasped. She could feel his grin as he continued his journey toward her collar.
His hands moved to the outside of her shirt, to start unbuttoning the flannel when they heard a twig snap. His head shot up to look outside the tent with Beth stilled beneath him.
"Don't stop on my account." A familiar voice called out through the woods. Daryl knew that voice instantly and his whole body went rigid.
"Fuck." He climbed off Beth and climbed out of the tent. Beth realized immediately that he didn't seem afraid of the man outside, though her body was trembling in fright. She looked over to the forgotten crossbow in the corner of the tent, wondering who it was that would cause Daryl to leave his weapon behind.
"Holy shit. If it ain't my baby brother! Whatcha got in there, Darylena? Sounds like a sweet little thing with all them noises she's makin'."
"Fuck off, Merle."
A few of you guessed Merle so good job. Brandy and I both adore writing Merle so we knew he had to be included. What is he doing in Alabama, well, we'll be finding that out next chapter.
Thank you Carla for all the help you provide us.
To all the peeps who follow me on my tumblr site, UBFL, thanks for the continued love and support. You can follow Brandy at brandylynn1013 and you can follow my personal tumblr at sillymommy2010.