The Twisting Knife of Loving You
Chapter 10
Rick paced restlessly around the prison yard, and he tried not to think about what might be happening to Beth at that moment. He knew how the Governor had humiliated Maggie and forced her to demean herself. He had seen what that man was capable of with Andrea, and now he held the power of life or death over someone who was very precious to him. Rick swore to himself that he would make the Governor pay the ultimate price for this, and if he had touched Beth, he would chop off all of his offending parts first.
"Rick?" Hershel hobbled over to speak with him.
"I didn't want to say anything in front of the others, but are you sure about this plan? I just don't think it's going to work," he said with concern.
The younger man sighed wearily and put his hand on the old guy's shoulder.
"You know how much I want Beth back here with us, safe and unharmed, but I can't just hand Michonne over, you get that, right? I couldn't do it before, and I can't do it now. She's willing to put herself out there to make him think he's getting the trade, and we can't ask more of her than that," Rick explained.
"The Governor said no tricks, or else he'll kill my daughter," Hershel warned.
The younger man couldn't bear to meet his friend's eye, but he felt he owed it to him to be honest.
"His intention will be to kill her anyway, no matter what we do. Even if we played it straight and just handed Michonne over, there's no way you can trust a man like that," Rick said with sad resignation.
"But you don't know that for sure, just like you didn't know the last time he asked you to hand her over," Hershel didn't want them gambling his daughter's life on it.
"I can't lie to you, and I don't know whether this plan is gonna work, but it's our best shot."
Rick had been over it again and again in his mind, and he couldn't come up with a better solution. These impossible dilemmas he kept being expected to find answers to were wearing him down. He loved Beth, but not with the depth he'd felt for Lori. He desperately didn't want to lose her though, not now he had let her into his heart.
"But my Bethy might die," The old man said tearfully.
The younger man hugged Hershel to him and he tried to hold back his own emotions.
"You said before, all I could do was my best, and this is it. We got Maggie and Glenn away from that psycho, and he's meeting us on our turf this time. Trust me, that piece of shit is going down," Rick vowed.
Beth groaned, as her body protested from a night spent sleeping on a hard metal floor. Her lips were dry, as was her mouth; they had given her a few gulps of water, but not enough to slake her thirst. The pulled herself up into a sitting position at the sound of approaching footsteps, and waited for whatever was coming next. Her blindfold had been replaced as soon as she was led away from her meeting with the Governor. But Beth had the idea that she was being kept in some kind of storage facility.
The door creaked open and she was hauled to her feet.
"C'mon Blondie, we're taking a ride."
It was the same gruff voice she'd heard the day before, commanding her to move.
"Where are we going?" She questioned hoarsely as they walked out into the cool morning air.
"We're gonna play a little game of he loves me, he loves me not, ya know it?" Martinez mockingly asked.
He started to laugh and Beth shuddered as he loaded her into the truck. He had his own agenda, which he hoped would help to secure him a place at the prison.
They drove for a long while in complete silence, and then the Governor spoke.
"So, Beth, what's Rick like in bed, huh? I was thinking he was the traditional sort; a real southern gentleman. But now I know he likes deflowering young maidens, I'm not so sure," he jeered.
She was disgusted by his question and refused to answer it.
"Oh, come now, don't be so coy, or maybe we'll have to make an unscheduled stop and show you what real men can do," he threatened.
Beth was almost overcome with terror at the thought of what he was suggesting, and she began to hyperventilate.
"Are we getting you excited, huh? Does Rick make you scream? I made Andrea scream."
The Governor roared with laughter, and his two accomplices nervously joined in.
"Please, don't hurt me."
Beth knew it was pathetic, and doubtless, futile to beg, but it was all she could do.
"Answer the question," the Governor demanded.
"I don't know what you want me to say. Rick is sweet and gentle, and he treats me real good in every way," she said through her tears.
"How very... dull, I was hoping for something with a little more pepper than that," he said with mock disappointment.
They continued to drive on in silence, until they came to a sudden halt. Martinez removed Beth's blindfold and she gasped with relief at the familiar sight of the prison. The outer gate, which they'd mangled the first time they came calling, and then subsequently cobbled back together by the group, had been left open.
"Be ready, and watch for my signal," the Governor instructed his two accomplices.
He dragged Beth out of the truck and held her close, with his gun pressed to the side of her head. She could see Rick and Michonne stood up ahead, close to the second prison gate. But her fear over what might happen next, cancelled out any joy she felt about being reunited with him. He gave her a tight smile of reassurance, and she managed to return the gesture despite her terror.
"Where is everybody?" The Governor questioned Rick with suspicion.
"You only asked for Michonne," he answered.
"I warned you against trying to pull anything, I said no tricks, or maybe you want me to shoot your little girlfriend, huh? What, is she too clingy, too needy, hmm? Maybe she's no good in the sack," the man with the eye-patch taunted his nemesis.
"What trick am I trying to pull? You asked for Michonne, and here she is. It all seems pretty straightforward to me. All you have to do is come get her, and give Beth back to me," Rick ignored his taunts and coaxed him instead.
The Governor kept his good eye locked on them, and was practically foaming at the mouth at the sight of the sword-wielding woman, who he reckoned had done him so much harm.
He took a couple of hesitant steps forward, and then thought better of it, as he noticed something suspicious. The van, he had once sent into the prison grounds to deliver a load of walkers, was now positioned near the outer gate. He was sure that it was part of a trap and he prepared to kill his hostage. He didn't want to shoot her through the head, because then she wouldn't reanimate, and so he released her from his grasp.
Beth set off running towards Rick as the Governor raised his gun, he was about to pull the trigger when a bolt hit him square in the shoulder, causing him to misfire and drop his weapon. A hail of bullets began ricocheting around the outsiders, as Glenn and Maggie started firing from their position inside the van. Shumpert moved to return fire whilst the Governor scrambled to retrieve his gun. Michonne had already taken cover but Rick was waiting for Beth to reach him, so he could get her to safety.
Daryl managed to fire a few more bolts off, but the sound of gunfire had started to draw walkers in from the surrounding area. He was forced to flee deeper into the woodland to evade the mounting threat. Martinez saw his plan to save the day, crumbling before his eyes as the undead started to surround him. He was forced to concentrate his rifle fire on them, whilst Shumpert kept up his defensive position behind the truck. The Governor somehow managed to dodge the flying bullets, and he raised his gun with his uninjured arm. Beth was still running towards Rick, and he fired at the Governor to try and cover her. But the man with the eye-patch had her in his sight, and he took his shot.
"No," Rick shouted in horror as he watched her fall.
Shumpert shouted for the Governor to get back to the truck, as he laid down covering fire. But the man with the eye-patch was too entranced by the sight of the young blonde lying motionless on the ground, to move.
Maggie and Glenn had to cease firing to reload, and Shumpert took the opportunity to run and get his leader. Rick aimed his last bullet at them, and managed to hit the black guy in the shoulder. They still made it to their truck, but Martinez was completely surrounded by walkers, his plan to get rid of the man with the eye-patch to curry favour with Rick, had gone as wrong as it could. He was out of ammo, and his pleas for help were ignored as he was set upon. The Governor drove off without any regard for his fallen comrade as the walkers tore Martinez apart.
Rick gave out an anguished howl, as he covered the short distance to where Beth lay bleeding from a wound to the head, and he clutched her tightly to him.