Here we go again! I'm working on Night and Day as soon as publish this one so no worries! It will be out today. It was just one of those days where I woke up and I knew I had to get this out before it left me. Sometimes the muse works that way! It's not a long chapter by any means and you'll see why when you read it. Thanks for all of the reviews for the last chapter! Awesome! Awesome! I'm flattered, grateful, pleased, etc. So I went ahead and published this one out for y'all. Enjoy!
Merle was no where to be found the next morning when Beth headed out to the vehicle that she and Daryl were going to take on the run. She had gone upstairs under the pretense of asking Daryl something and she had glanced into his cell. It had been empty and the bed had been made. She didn't want to ask anyone where he was though, for fear they would wonder why she was inquiring about the man. Instead she kept quiet and made sure she had her weapons and food for later for the both of them. Her Daddy hugged her tight and kissed her cheek, wishing her safe travels. She saw him exchange a few words with Daryl and then he clapped the man on the back. She felt a little annoyed at that and she wondered why he couldn't be the same way with Merle. She knew that Merle wasn't Daryl, but it hurt all the same.
Once they were loaded up, they got into the car and Maggie and Glenn waved them through the gates. She kept looking for Merle, but it was no use. She hadn't seen him anywhere and she hated to admit how disappointed she was. She had only brought this on herself anyway. They rode in silence for a while and Daryl remained focused on their surroundings. She looked out the window for a bit at the passing scenery, but quickly grew bored of that. That wasn't exactly a lot to look at anymore. She wished she knew something to talk about with Daryl, but she was a little scared that if she started a conversation he would ask her about Merle. She wasn't sure she could talk to Daryl about her brother.
Finally he spoke up as he weaved them around several cars that were abandoned on the road, "Ya ready for this?" He asked.
She took a deep breath and nodded, "I think so."
"Ya better know so. I can't be havin' ta worry 'bout ya every five seconds. This is yer moment kid. Take it or leave it," He said.
"I'm not a kid," She responded.
He lifted a brow, a smile quirking on his lips, "Oh?"
"Don't you ever get tired of people labeling you?"
He grew silent then, his expression turning serious and after a moment, he nodded. "I s'pose I know what ya mean. People's always thinkin' me an' Merle's nothin' but redneck trash. I'll give 'em tha redneck part, but I ain't never been no trash," He commented.
She studied him quietly. This was the first time she had ever had any type of serious conversation with Daryl and it was only then that she realized he was talking to her as if she was his equal instead of beneath him. "I think people are too quick to judge what they don't know. Most times it's to hide their own inadequacies," She said.
He chuckled, "Ya know, I reckon' ya ain't too bad kid. I can see why ya frustrated cause everyone's always stickin' ya in tha corner. I keep tellin' Carol she needs ta let some of tha others help 'er cook an' clean, but she's hard headed."
Beth smiled at his obvious affection for the woman. It made her sad that Merle couldn't be a little more like his brother. "Thanks," She said softly.
He glanced over at her, "Ya ever tell anyone I said that an' I'm takin' it back," He replied dully.
She laughed, glad for the comic relief, "I won't tell." He nodded and then they grew quiet again as he continued on to a destination unknown to her.
It was some time before they finally arrived in a little town that was about an hour away from the prison if she had guessed right. He pulled them up in front of a pharmacy that had a couple of broken windows, but could still hold things they might be able to use.
Daryl grabbed his crossbow before looking to her, "Stay close an' keep yer eyes peeled," He said.
She nodded mutely and reached for her knife so that she would have it ready. They stepped out of the car and made their way over to the pharmacy. Beth could see a few walkers across the street from them, but so far none of them were paying them any attention and she kept an eye out as Daryl peered through the broken windows. He backed up after a second and motioned her closer, "Got three of 'em wanderin' 'round in tha back. I'm gonna take one out with my bow an' then we can knife tha other two. Think ya can handle it?" He whispered.
"Yeah," She whispered back.
He stared at her for a moment longer and then stepped over the broken glass and into the pharmacy. He waited just inside for her to make it across and then he aimed his bow and fired the first shot into the skull of one of the walkers. The other two immediately turned toward the source of the noise and Beth tightened her grip on her knife. Even though she must have taken out four or five with Merle just the other day, she was still a little nervous. There was always the chance that things could go wrong. She summoned up her courage though and approached one of the two remaining walkers. She saw Daryl take the other down out of the corner of her eye.
The walker made to reach for her, its boney fingers caked with blood and muck. It groaned in its raspy sounding voice and she braced herself before rearing back and letting her knife fly through the air. It connected with its face, making a sickening crunch and she pushed all of her weight into it. The walker crumpled beneath her and she had to hang firm to her knife to keep from going down with it. The knife slipped out of the walker eliciting a sickening plop and Beth sidestepped to avoid it falling over onto her foot.
She turned then, to find Daryl nodding at her from a few steps away, "Not bad. Definitely not tha same Beth from before, huh?" He asked.
She smiled, appreciating the compliment, "Thanks, and no I'm not the same Beth."
His eyes traveled to the outside and she saw that they were attracting a little attention from some of the walkers shuffling through the streets. He frowned and began scanning the shelves, "Let's get what tha hell we need an' get outta here. Ain't wantin' ta get caught in no herd," He muttered.
She agreed and they rummaged through the rest of the shelves, finding very little of use. She grabbed what she did see though and stuffed it into her backpack. They could cipher through it later, she thought. She noticed that Daryl kept glancing towards the windows and when she looked again something seemed off. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was until Daryl started making his way towards the window. Then she noticed that there weren't any walkers anywhere. She frowned and unconsciously walked over to where Daryl was standing. His brow was furrowed and she knew that he had noticed.
He glanced at her, "Time ta go. Somethin' ain't right. Stick close an' move fast. I'll cover ya, jus' keep movin'," He ordered.
She nodded, her heart beginning to race. If Daryl was worried, then chances were there was something to be worried about. Daryl stepped out and she quickly followed suit. Their movements were quickly cut short though as Daryl jerked backwards and began to fall. She could see some kind of needle sticking out of his arm and she panicked.
Seconds later, her world went dark.
Merle wandered the prison grounds in a restless state. He had watched the girl and his brother leave that morning for the run with an uneasy feeling. He knew that Daryl would take good care of her, but something still didn't feel right. As the day progressed, that same feeling grew more and more until he was a bundle of pent up frustration. For the most part he stayed away from everyone all day. The only two people he really talked to weren't there and he didn't feel comfortable hanging around the others in the group. They weren't exactly his biggest fans and he knew if it weren't for his brother, he wouldn't be here.
His feelings increased more and more as the day wore on and finally as dark began to fall, he found himself up in the guard tower with Rick, pacing the floor. Just the fact that he was occupying the same space as the man, only made his worry that much more apparent. He could tell that the other man was worried too even though he tried to hide it.
"Somethin' ain't right out there. I can feel it. Been feelin' it all damn day," Merle commented.
Rick sighed and lowered the binoculars he was using to try and scan the area, "They might have just gotten held up," He said.
Merle snorted, "Yeah, by the Gov'nor. My brotha woulda been back by now Sherrif."
"We can't afford to send anyone out to look for them. There are others here we have to protect. Just give them time. They could pull up any second and then we'd be putting the others at risk for nothing," Rick said.
Merle scowled, "Fine. I'll give 'em til mornin' an' then I'm goin' after 'em. He ain't back by then, somethin's definitely wrong."
Rick pulled away from the balcony to look at Merle, his expression a mixture of worry and exhaustion, "You can't just go out there alone. It isn't safe," Rick insisted.
He snorted, "Ain't yer call ta make Sheriff. Come first light an' that vehicle ain't back with the both of them in it, I'm outta here. With or without anyone's help," He turned to leave the tower and then paused as he passed Rick. "That's my blood out there an' I ain't jus' gonna sit here while that sadist destroys my brotha."
He took the stairs two at a time. He wouldn't think about the fact that the girl was in the hands of a monster. He had to believe that she would hang on at least until he got there because at first light he was headed out.
So we're hitting a little turbulence...Sorry about that, but that's how my mind takes me sometimes. Review me y'all! I wanna hear it! ;-)