It took me a long time to get this chapter the way I wanted it. I changed it multiple times but I think I finally got it how I wanted it. If not, well now it is posted so it is too late! I also took a while with this chapter because I have had finals this week. But luckily that is over so now I can hopefully get the next chapter up sooner! Enjoy!
Beth's POV
A bucket of ice-cold water poured over Beth, jolting her back into consciousness. She gasped and tried to back away, but was stopped by a metal shackle that surrounded her right ankle. As Beth sat up, the right side of her head pounded and felt like it was twice its normal size. "That's right, wake up girlie," said a man's voice from above her. Beth looked up at the speaker, who was a middle aged man holding an empty plastic bucket. The guy had filthy stringy hair and dirt brown eyes. Stubble covered his chin and he was a bit overweight. He had a gun strapped to his waist but didn't appear to carry any other weapons. Beth shuffled as far away from him as she could and bumped into a body with her back. She whirled around to find that another girl was tied next to her. The woman looked to be a bit younger than Beth and had long black hair that hung over her face. Her rich almond skin was disrupted by purple and yellow bruises. The teenager had her arms wrapped around her legs and appeared determined to stare at the wall.
Beth was still taking everything in when the door at the opposite end of the room opened and another man stepped in. He was tall with short blonde hair and light blue eyes. He appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties. The man's jaw line was square and he had a nicely trimmed beard. His clothes were clean and he didn't appear to be carrying a single weapon on him. He carried himself with confidence and a self-assurance that reminded Beth of another well groomed man, the Governor. The thought of the Governor caused Beth to shiver more than any freezing bucket of water ever could.
"Well what do we have here," asked the handsome man in a soothing voice as he crossed the room. He walked right up to Beth and reached for her face. Beth tried to turn away but he grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him. "Ah, yes, you will do quite nicely," he purred. Beth's skin crawled, she didn't know what the man meant, but she felt sure that whatever he had in store for her wasn't good. "My name is Seth, what is yours," Seth asked. Beth just glared, she wasn't about to answer his questions. He chuckled a bit. "A feisty one eh? Haven't had one of those in a while," Seth taunted, his sweet smile contradicting his malicious words. Beth was relieved when he released her face and turned his attention to the first man.
"David, where did you get this one," he demanded, pointing his finger at Beth. The older man, David, jumped at Seth's command. "Dean and I picked her from the house at the upper eastern edge of our territory," David replied. "We had gone to set up some traps in the new house only to realize that it was already being occupied. We watched carefully and got lucky when a herd came through. We lured them toward the house so that they would flush out the intruders. Dean and I had just gone up the road a ways to watch the show when this piece of eye candy came tumbling out a window," David looked down at Beth with a predatory smile. Beth wanted to curl up in a ball like the girl beside her, but tried her best to keep on a tough face. She couldn't let these men know how scared she was. She had to be strong like Maggie was during her ordeal with the Governor. "She ran right toward us so we hid. A walker burst out and while she was killing it, we snuck up on her," David continued, "She gave me a darn good bruise before Dean knocked her out. As we were driving off, the guy who had stayed in the house with her came out of nowhere and started chasing us like a lunatic and yelling 'BETH'. Of course, he couldn't keep up with us, the idiot." David spat out those last words but Beth's heart leaped. Daryl was still alive!
Seth looked back down at the blonde. "So your name is Beth," he said, his calm voice carrying a hidden menace in every word. Beth stared at the floor, refusing to have a conversation with the man. She wasn't about to give him what he wanted. "You will talk soon enough," Seth said with confidence before moving in front of the other girl. "What about this one," he asked David. "Oh, her. We had stopped at a river to refill our water and found her passed out at the river bank. She had awful bruises, you can see them for yourself. Don't bother talking to her, she hasn't spoken a single word during this whole week, she might have been hit too hard on the head," David informed Seth. "Alright, good work David," Seth said, "Go round up a few other men and check the other houses that we have set up, see if you can find a few more bodies. Gareth and his group will be coming around in a few days and we need to have the place stocked up if we are going to make any money." David left to follow out his commands, but Seth remained behind. He walked slowly in front of Beth, who refused to look at him. Instead she focused her eyes on his brown leather boots that were planted firmly in front of her. She felt a hand stroke her head and backed away as fast as she could from the man's touch. "Calm down little lady," Seth crooned at her, "You are lucky I like blondes, you are going to be my favorite." Beth glared at him with all the venom she could muster but he just returned her hatred with a smile. "Don't worry," he said, "you will come to like me with time, they all do." The door slammed behind him and the room was quiet.
Beth finally had the chance to look around. It was a simple set up. The small room had been made of brick and concrete and there was only one door. There was a window, but it was covered with a black tarp. A few ragged posters clung to the wall, but other than that it was bare. A metal desk had been shoved into the corner of the room, a few plates and cups were stacked on the top of it. Beth could only guess that the place used to be a factory and this was one of the old offices. In the middle of the room was a wooden table with a lit lantern sitting on it. The floor was made of cracked concrete and Beth's chains were attached to a metal circle that appeared to be bolted to the wall. The metal that clasped around her ankle was cold and Beth shivered between its touch and her soaking wet clothes.
Beth glanced over at the woman chained next to her. The woman's head hung down and her tangled black hair hid her face. She hadn't moved since the men left. "Hey," Beth said gently, but the Filipino didn't respond. Beth reached out for the girl's shoulder, but at the lightest touch, she shied away and began whimpering. The girl looked up with dark chocolate eyes that were full of fear. Beth withdrew her hand, not wanting to scare the disheveled woman. Despite the girl's haggard appearance, Beth could tell she had once been beautiful. The two women sat staring at each other for a while until the Filipino girl suddenly lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Beth. Sobs wracked the girl's body as she buried her head into the blonde's shoulder. Beth held the girl and tried to console her. Her words felt like useless fluff though and pretty soon Beth gave up talking and just stroked the girl's long hair.
After an hour or so, the Filipino girl had fallen asleep in Beth's lap. Her tears had left streaks on her dirty face but the teenager's breathing had become even again. Beth ran her hand over the girl's head. Taking care of others always made her feel stronger and forget her own problems. Sitting in the room without anyone to talk to and anything to look at, Beth's mind began to take in the situation. The older man, David, had said that Daryl had made it out of the house alive, but hadn't been able to follow her. They had driven her to this unknown location and it seemed unlikely that Daryl would be able to find them. Beth tried to hold back tears. As much as she wanted to believe Daryl would save her, she knew that even he wouldn't be able to track a vehicle on a road. Be strong, if you are going to see Daryl again, you are going to have to escape on your own. Beth began counting and breathing in and out every five seconds. Be strong, you have a job to do. It became her mantra, the same way it had back at the prison. Beth couldn't let herself fall apart, she had a job to do. Right now that job was comforting the younger girl and finding a way to escape. She had to keep her wits about her and watch for any opportunity to get free.
Daryl's POV
The scene kept playing over and over in Daryl's mind. He had killed several walkers on his way to the road. When he finally burst out onto the pavement, the first thing he had seen was Beth's backpack laying on the ground, the contents spilling out everywhere. Daryl's chest had tightened in fear and what he had spotted next didn't do anything to quell his panic. A walker lay dead nearby with Beth's knife buried in its head. That's when Daryl had heard the squeal of wheels and looked up to see a dark blue car picking up speed down the road. Daryl's stomach sank at the sight as the weight of what was happening kicked in.
Without caring how much attention it attracted he had started yelling. "BETH," he had hollered chasing after the dark blue car, "BETH!" The car had quickly gain distance, but Daryl memorized every detail he could make out. A white cross was on the back window and the license plate was THG4381. He had run after the car in despair as it turned around a bend and out of sight. This can't be happening! When Daryl had rounded the bend, the vehicle was nowhere to be seen. Daryl had known he couldn't keep up with a car, but he kept running because there was nothing else he could do. Beth was in that car and he couldn't just give up, she needed him, he was supposed to be protecting her! Daryl had run for several hours in the dark, following the road and screaming Beth's name. It was dangerous to be out in the open at night, especially when he was making so much noise, but Daryl hadn't cared. All that mattered was finding Beth.
Now, dawn was beginning to break and Daryl had been walking along the road, cursing the bastards that had taken Beth. His whole body ached from the long run but Daryl forced himself to keep walking. Every second he took could make the difference. Images of Beth scared and alone fueled Daryl's anger and he stumbled forward before breaking into a jog. His ragged breath sounded loud in the still morning air. Daryl tried to not think and just run, but as time dragged on the thoughts came unbidden to his mind. He had lost the last person in his group, he had utterly failed. All the names his father used to call him came flooding back. Chicken-shit, good for nothin, idiot, failure, son-of-a-bitch. The names were meant for Beth's kidnappers as well as himself. Daryl had failed the one person who had been left to depend on him. Her blue eyes sparkled in his mind and her smile floated in front of his eyes. How could anyone want to hurt someone as innocent and sweet as Beth? Daryl looked ahead at the road to find that it forked. His heart sank as he realized that his chance of finding Beth was diminishing before his very eyes. Daryl slowed down and searched desperately for some sign that would tell him which way the car had gone. However, the leaves that had been blown over the road appeared undisturbed and tires didn't leave tracks on pavement. Daryl let his crossbow fall out of his hand and he sank to the ground in defeat. Despite everything he knew about tracking and killing, it was worthless in this situation. Beth was out there somewhere and he didn't know how to find her. Once you got separated from people in this world, it wasn't very often you would find them again. It was like losing Sophia again, but a thousand times worse.
Daryl knew he was sitting out in the open, almost asking for trouble, but it didn't matter. He stared at the dead leaves in front of him, blaming himself for everything that had happened. Beth had trusted him and believed in him and he had let her down. Daryl had let his emotions get in the way of what needed to be done and the young girl had paid the price. When he had first let himself be distracted by her, Beth had ended up with her ankle in a metal trap. The second time, they had been sitting at the table eating dinner. The memory was only from last night but it felt like it had happened years ago. Daryl could still see her lips form a small circle as a slight "oh" had escaped her mouth. Her eyes had widened and in that moment Daryl was sure she had realized his feelings for her. He had tried to play it cool, like nothing had happened, like his life wasn't hanging on how she would respond. She had never been able to respond though. Cans had rattled and the dog had barked. Daryl had jumped at the chance to get away. He had wanted Beth's response and at the same time dreaded it. His mind had been so caught up over the beautiful young girl that he had made a dreadful mistake. Daryl had opened the door without checking to see what was outside.
Daryl cussed himself mentally, he could still feel the weight of the walkers pushing against the door, their nasty hands reaching for him. If Daryl hadn't opened the door, if he hadn't told Beth to meet him at the road, if they had just moved on like Daryl had originally planned, Beth wouldn't be gone. Daryl felt the way he did the night his mother died. He felt alone and desperate but unable to do anything. All of these years and nothing had really changed. He had learned a lot and become a lot stronger, but he still couldn't protect the ones he loved. When Beth had looked at him with those eyes full of admiration and told him that he was a good person, Daryl had thought for a while that he had changed, he had believed that he could be different. He had believed that he could be someone worthy of a girl like Beth. Yet, she had been taken away from him like his mother was, like his brother was, like the whole entire group was. He should have known that it was too good to be true, living in a house with a wonderful woman who accepted him for who he was. That just wasn't something he would ever have, even after the world had ended. Beth's words rang in his ears "You're gonna miss me so bad when I'm gone Daryl Dixon." Daryl hadn't taken her drunken statements too seriously, but now they came back to him like unwanted ghosts. He did miss Beth, he missed her much more than he ever thought he could and certainly much more than he should.
Beth's POV
The door opened and slammed back against the wall. The Filipino girl jumped up out of Beth's lap and returned to her former huddled position on the floor. A big burly man carried in a couple of paper plates with rice and beans. He set them on the floor with a single gruff command, "eat up", before he went back out of the room. Beth took the meager meal and began scarfing it down. Halfway through, she noticed that her fellow prisoner hadn't touched her plate. Beth picked up the food and set it closer to the girl. "Here, eat some," Beth encouraged. The Filipino girl stared at the food for a minute but then began hesitantly to pick at the pinto beans.
Beth finished the meal and continued trying to get the younger girl to eat. When it became apparent that she wasn't going to finish the meal, Beth ate the plain food herself. Her throat was dry and she needed the restroom. Beth tried not to think about her problems and let her mind wander to Daryl. Beth wondered what the redneck was doing, she hated to think of him all by himself. No one, not even Daryl could survive long on their own in the world they lived in now. She knew that he would look for her, no matter how impossible tracking her might be. Daryl wasn't the type to give up; he had searched for Sophia long after her own mother had lost hope. Beth remembered how the redneck had gone out every day looking for the child and had even risked his own life. Daryl was out there somewhere looking for her and Beth had to stay alive in order to see him again. The blonde began tugging against her shackles, evaluating how firm they were. To her disappointment, the metal and bolts all held tight. Two dark eyes followed Beth's movements. "Hey," Beth said in her most comforting voice, "what's your name." The girl shrank away and buried her head into her knees, refusing to answer the question.
As Beth was trying to figure out how to talk to the Filipino girl, the door opened and Seth entered with the burly man at his side. "How are my two songbirds doing," Seth asked cheerily. Beth's lips rose in a snarl as he mocked her with his pretend pleasantness. The Filipino girl curled into herself and got as close to the wall as possible. Seth gestured to the burly man, who handed him two bottles of water. "I bet both of you are thirsty, I might feel like rewarding you if you answer my questions," Seth told them. Beth stared at the water, the burn in her throat increasing. What would Daryl do? He certainly wouldn't answer the questions, he barely talked to people within his own group. However, if Beth was going to escape, she couldn't be dehydrated either. Beth wasn't about to spill all of her deep personal secrets so there was only one other option, to lie. Seth walked over to the younger girl and held out the water bottle. "Aren't you thirsty Princess," he encouraged. In a quick movement, the Filipino girl slapped the bottle out of his hands before going back to her fetal position. Seth's face transformed in an instant, going from a charming smile to a snarl. His eyes flashed and he hit the young girl across the face. "How dare you bitch," he hollered, moving forward as if to beat her again. "No," Beth screamed, trying to get between him and the curled form. Beth didn't even know the teenager, but she couldn't bear to watch her get assaulted.
"What do you want to know," she asked Seth, hating the power that he had over her. "Oh, look, this one is smart," Seth purred, he anger disappearing in an instant, "she knows how to be reasonable." He rewarded her with a short drink of water before taking the bottle away. "Now precious," he began, "why don't you tell me how old you are." Beth knew she looked younger than she was and figured she might be able to play that to her advantage. "I was fourteen when the outbreak happened and now I'm sixteen," she said, making her eyes as big and innocent as possible. Seth gave her a smile and seemed happy with her answer. He placed the water bottle in her hand and let her take a sip. "Why don't you tell me where you came from," Seth asked. Beth didn't see any harm in telling him about the prison, it was overrun and destroyed anyways. "I had a group," Beth answered, "We took over a prison and had it holed up tight until a neighboring community attacked us." Beth's eyes watered at the memory. "A lot of us died, but there are a lot of us who escaped and they are not going to be happy that you have taken me," Beth said, trying to make it seem like she had more than just Daryl hunting for her.
"A group looking for you," Seth snorted, while letting her have another mouthful of water, "From what David said, you were only with one other person. Who was the man you were with?" Beth bit her lip, she didn't know how much to say about Daryl. "Now babydoll, I'm going to need you to answer me when I ask you a question," Seth urged. Beth's skin crawled at the pet names he used on her. It had been sweet when Jimmy had given her similar nicknames, but this was the complete opposite of sweet. "He is my uncle," Beth replied, feeling that it was safer to claim to be related to the redneck than to actually explain their relationship. Seth gave her the water, which Beth took.
Next, Seth asked her questions about her life before the outbreak and if she had seen any other people since she left the prison. Beth told the truth unless she thought telling a lie would help her situation. A lot of the questions were trivial and Beth got the feeling that Seth enjoyed his power to make her talk more than he was worried about getting important information out of her. After half an hour of interrogation, Seth started winding down. However, his next question took her by surprise. "Have you ever had a boyfriend," Seth suddenly questioned. Beth squirmed, not feeling comfortable with the topic. "Yes," she admitted, Jimmy was the only official boyfriend she had ever had, although there had certainly been something between her and Zach. "Hmmmm," Seth pondered, staring at her. "How far did you go with him," Seth probed as he scooted closer. Beth glared at the older man and tried to put as much distance as she could between him, but her shackles kept her from moving much.
"If you so much as touch me," Beth snarled, dropping her compliant act, "My uncle will kill you when he finds me. He is very protective of me and has killed men before!" Seth broke out into laughter. "Sweetheart," he taunted, "your uncle isn't going to find you. You are never going to see your uncle again. Even if you do, he isn't going to be the one doing the killing." Seth grabbed Beth's wrist in a tight grip and she winced at the pressure as she tried in vain to pull away. The man stuck his face right up to hers, all of his charm disappearing in an instant. He growled, "Your mine now, you understand? MY GIRL! And no one is going to take you away from me!" Beth turned her head away, fear creeping into her stomach at his words. Luckily, the door banged open and David called to Seth from the doorway. "Boss wants to talk to you man," David ordered. Seth let Beth's wrist go but continued staring at her. "Now," David added. Seth patted Beth on the head, oblivious to her disgust at his touch. "I will be back my kitten, don't you worry," he said, before going through the door David held open. David let the door slam behind him and Beth could hear the click of a lock being turned.
Beth allowed a small whimper to escape her lips once she was sure the men were gone. "Seth is a psychopath," Beth thought, as she pictured how fast he could go from threatening to sweet talking. One second his eyes would be light and inviting and the next they would be angry and harsh. There was something mentally unstable about the attractive man. The Governor had been evil and had put up a front, but this guy was just plain deranged. Beth wondered what they planned on doing to her. Although she had sworn Daryl would come for her, she knew that seeing him again was unlikely. The blonde remembered hunting in the woods with him, carrying his heavy crossbow. She had told the redneck that she was getting better at hunting and soon wouldn't need him at all. Beth wanted to take her words back, she needed Daryl more than ever. Beth would have given almost anything to have the rough redneck beside her cussing and slurping up jars full of pig's feet. Her thoughts were interrupted by the Filipino girl making sniffling sounds. Beth reached out for her companion's hand, hoping to comfort her and needing comfort herself. However, she drew back when the girl jumped away from her touch. Beth wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her head them. She had never felt more alone.