Chapter Eleven: Need to Know
Carol POV
Daryl whirls around and runs. His winged back sprints down the corridor in a second, I can feel his determination radiating off him despite the new distance. I let out a groan. I'll chase him down after I handle the boy.
I turn and reach my hand out to the teenage boy. He looks at it warily.
"Just take it." I murmur.
He cracks a smile. "Thanks." He seems nice; I still don't like this situation though . "Come on." I order. He nods and we set off after Daryl. We run down the winding halls fighting Daryl's trail of havoc. Walkers fall out of every door and turn. Noah cowers behind me as I slice through rotting skulls.
"Daryl!" I call aggravated. All I hear in response is gurgling moans. We slow to a jog, I almost run right into Daryl. I skid to a stop. "Daryl? Where's Beth?" I ask at the lack of her company. I turn to face the kid. "Did you lie?" I ask with venom in my tone.
"He didn't! Don't worry I'm right here!" Beth calls alarmed.
She emerges from behind the crumbling concrete wall. I enthrall her in a hug before she can say another word. Daryl clears his throat.
The boy speaks up. "We need to get moving, they'll hear the gunshots" The boy explains.
"Noah's right" Beth supports. The boy's name clicks into place, Noah.
"Who's they?" I demand.
"The people who captured us, no time to explain, they're probably already coming" Beth clarifies. Daryl lifts his crossbow and growls back at us. "Let's get moving" I can feel his protectiveness like an aura.
"Why are ya'll just standing? This ain't a damn airport"
We all quickly regain our senses and set off.
Everyone scurries out of the massive garage and into the infested streets. The dead look up with madness and bloodlust carved onto countless and bleeding and mangled faces. Beth lingers behind with Noah to help support him. We all sprint across the open space and into a caged warehouse parking lot. Walkers litter the asphalt, they spread their sickly hands to scrape our skin. I swerve away from a lunging walker. But Beth doesn't… Her stifled scream rings through our ears. Before I can even process what's happening Daryl rushes past me.
I turn just in time to see the walker tumble to the ground with a bolt en-lodged in its rotted eye.
Anger flashes in Daryl's eyes. He grabs Beth's hand and leads us to a delivery truck. Beth doesn't look shaken or scared, she looks determined. We pile into the cramped seats immediately as Daryl twists the keys and the engine roars to life. We charge through the chain link fence with an echoing racket. Daryl floors the gas as we drive out of the haunted city.
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Beth POV
The truck swerves through a hoard of walkers. Everyone is sweating and heaving, the huffs fill the car.
I sit next to the window; my hand clamped over my gun like a vice. I can't seem to loosen my icy fingers. I glance at Daryl. He grips the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white from the pressure.
We all sit tightly together in a row. We all clutch our weapons just in case. The air is congested with our sweat.
I drink the moment in.
Here I am, reunited; finally with the people I love, on the way to my sister, on the way to Judith, to Carl, to Michonne.
About time.
My clenched fingers relax. My handgun falls into my lap like falling snow. Daryl's steel hard gaze locks with mine. He stares at me with concern and assurance all at once. I throw a faint smile at his stare. He swerves sharply to the left as a hoard of walkers pursues with snapping jaws and clawing hands. We all squash to the side like a moth to a flame.
Carol's clammy hand finds mine, I give it a firm squeeze. Noah glances at me with fear in his mocha eyes. I just snatch up his hand as well.
It's weird to finally help support the group. Before I was just a nuisance, all I could do was babysit. Now I can fight, now I can scavenge, now I can handle the wilderness. Now I am a Survivor. Carol risks an icy glare at Daryl, his eyes are glazed over as he stares at the road, he doesn't even notice. Carol's venomous focus remains over Daryl. I lay my head back against the window as questions float through my tired brain.
The skyscrapers melt away as we drive out onto free road.
"Explain." Daryl orders deep in his throat. We all jerk to awareness. Noah starts but Daryl shoots a glare at him. Slowly his eyes creep to me, he wants me to explain. Our eyes meet like fire and ice.
"I was kidnapped after I jumped off the roof." Carol gives me a questioning glance. "I hurt my wrist and ankle. They patched it up. Noah helped me escape. Noah nods.
"Who's they?" Carol asks exasperatedly.
"The hospital." Noah answers, no one interrupts him this time.
"They purposely find people who can't fight for themselves and take them to Grady. There they make them work for repayment. They keep you there like a prisoner, with an aura of safety but really you're stuck." Daryl eyes Noah intently. "It's true" I pipe in.
Daryl speeds up; I stare out at the old road signs. Now empty reminders of what used to be so centric in our lives before. Noah continues on about our plan to escape and how it was close. He only tells the bare bone of what was needed. I'm glad he's in the mood to explain because all I want to do is sleep so I can escape this nightmare. I turn away from the window and hug my knees. I feel so protective of my body since it would have come so close to being exploited. Gorman. I involuntary shiver. I feel Daryl's eyes on me even though my head is buried in my knees. I can feel when he turns away by the absence of warmth. I sigh lightly, I'm glad no one seemed to hear.
As my thoughts scatter I catch a whiff of conversation.
"I'm so sorry about how I stole you're weapons, it was reckless and stupid and most importantly wrong. I will never to that or anything like it ever a-"
"We get it." Daryl rumbles.
The sunset looks like the clouds are filled with embers.
Daryl swallows hard as we go by a pack of feeding walkers. All hunched over some poor creature…or person. Finally I work up the courage to ask my question. "Tell everything since we left the group" I say my voice filled with finality. Carol turns her head with sorrow in her eyes. Daryl looks toward me with alarm. I just nod, my jaw locked. No one stops me this time. Carol and Daryl exchange glances. "She needs to know" Daryl says roughly.
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The drive drags on unto the night. I cuddle into Carol's shoulder and she holds me there. I feel like a deflated balloon. All filled but now just a shredded piece of plastic. Carol's tale of despair and sorrow the group is facing is enough to jolt tears. She caught me up with our travels, our new people...Terminus. Noah listens intently even though he didn't know the people we lost. Carol tells the story of each separate group with painstakingly detail. Except she skims over her own. A glistening glaze over her eyes lets me know that maybe I don't want to know her story. Cold hard sadness bubbles through my mind
I couldn't take being awake after that, I just curled up and shut the world out. I know I should be blabbering but I just feel so hollow. Sleep pulls me into its depths. My eyelids weigh down and I just sleep.
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A/N Thank for reading, if you have any thoughts leave a comment.