A/N: Thanks for reading! The story is almost at an end. This is the penultimate chapter. Can both Daryl and Beth make it out alive? Thanks for all your lovely comments and reviews, it means a lot! Hope you enjoy!


Chapter 11 - Dawn's Dream

This couldn't be the end.

Daryl and Beth sat kneeling side by side as they looked into each other's eyes. Their eyes were burning with determination. This couldn't end here. Their story had to go on.

Dawn put her gun back in her holster and turned towards the door. Daryl leapt up and caught Dawn around the waist. She struggled ferociously, jamming her elbow into his chest as hard as she could but Daryl quickly took control, overpowered her and threw her to the ground.

"Sorry, Dawn." said Daryl. "We can't let you do this."

Dawn tried to stand up but as she lifted herself onto one knee, Beth grabbed her by the hair.

"I won't let you do this, Dawn." she said softly.

Dawn and Beth stared at each other intensely. Deep down Dawn still respected Beth and she could see the determination and the fight and the toughness. Behind the cute smile and small frame of a teenage girl lay a survivor and a fighter. Dawn smiled at Beth. For a moment, she was almost glad she was still alive.

Beth's emotionless glare then swelled into rage as she balled up her right fist and delivered a sharp, stinging punch right on the side of Dawn's jaw. Dawn's head rocked back and her body fell to the ground with a thud. Daryl leaned down to check on her. Her eyes were closed but she was breathing, just knocked out cold. A large bruise had started to appear on the side of her face.

Daryl looked up at Beth who was shaking with anger and fear. Daryl went over to her and put his arms around her. He could feel her small body quivering beneath his and he held her closer.

"You did a good job, Beth." he whispered in her ear. "But it's not over yet."

When Beth calmed down she went over to the dead corpse of Dr Edwards and took off his belt. She handed it to Daryl who used it to tie Dawn's hands together. Daryl then picked her up and carried her over to the corner of the room where he laid her down gently propping up her head as fell back and making sure her body sat in an upright position.

Beth wondered why Daryl was being so gentle with Dawn after everything she had done but she said nothing and simply kept the thought to herself. But then, of course, she just knew that Daryl was one of those rare types in this mad world. One of those who despite everything was so selfless, he could never let another soul perish and become another monster. He was the last perfect human she knew.

Beth and Daryl said nothing while Dawn lay slumped in the corner, unconscious. There were still plenty of walkers outside and it wasn't safe to try and make an escape. They spent the time looking for things they could use as weapons. Daryl broke off a chair leg that he could use as a spear and Beth took Dawn's gun and knife.

Dawn had been out cold for thirty minutes when she finally stirred. She groggily opened her eyes and looked around and saw Daryl and Beth standing over her. Daryl was wielding his crossbow while Beth had Dawn's gun. She tried to get up when she realised she couldn't and that her hands were tied together.

"Looks like you won." said Dawn with a wry smile.

Daryl put his crossbow away and knelt down in front of her, his face just a few inches from hers.

"I told you before, there ain't no winners and there ain't no losers."

"I'm not an idiot." replied Dawn. "I know when a situation is won and when a situation is lost. The hospital is gone. You should have just let me shoot you, it would have been quicker and less painful and the way that you're going to die now."
"We're not going to die." said Beth. "We have a group, they are alive. They are going to come."

Dawn started to chuckle which soon turned into a maniacal laugh.

"Wasn't it you who told me that no-one was coming?" she said. "There's no point trying to fight it. Let's just accept death and let it consume us. The more we fight, the more we'll suffer."

Dawn paused for a moment and looked over at Dr Edwards' body, blood still seeping drip by drip beneath the arrow implanted in his skull.

"Look at him." she continued. "Look at him. Look at how peaceful he looks. He knows no pain and no fear and no anger. That is how we should be."

"You don't know, Dawn." said Daryl. "You don't know what we've been through and how we've survived. You've been here the whole time. We've survived walker invasions, crazy group leaders, cannibals, we survived and we're still here fighting. I cam looking for Beth 'cause I knew she was still alive. She's a survivor."

"You're saying I'm not a survivor?" asked Dawn.

"If you come with us, you'll survive." said Daryl.

Beth's head snapped back and she glared at Daryl, incredulous.

"We can't bring this bitch with us!" Beth said raising her voice so much that Daryl had to raise his finger telling her to calm down. Dawn laughed again.

"She's right, Daryl. I can't go back with you. Not after all this."

All three fell silent for a few seconds and reflected on the horrible situation they were in. Beth was about to speak when suddenly they heard a hiss of static behind them. Beth and Daryl both spun around and looked at the transistor radio sat upon Dr Edwards' work desk.

Then out of the static came a voice - a voice Daryl and Beth had longed to hear. It was distorted and faint but it was unmistakably Rick.

"Hello. Hello. Is anyone there?"

Beth's heart skipped a beat and she dashed over to picked up the transistor radio. She thought she would never hear Rick's voice again after it faded out last time.

"Rick!" she cried. "Beth here. Daryl is ok too but the hospital is in big trouble."

"We're on our way! We're in a fire truck and we're close! Hold on tight!"

The static enveloped Rick's voice and it crackled and hissed and then nothing. Beth tried to call out to Rick a few times but got no response.

"Don't get your hopes up, Beth." said Dawn. "Atlanta is overrun, they won't be able to get close."

Beth tried to get another response from Rick but failed. Her heart sank. She thought for the first time that Dawn might be right. Perhaps there was no hope and they were doomed. She looked back at Dawn who smiled back at her and had that look of - I told you so.

"If Rick says he's coming then he's coming." said Daryl walking over to Beth.

He started checking the radio, shaking it, trying desperately to get any response from it.

Dawn thought about escaping while Daryl and Beth were both distracted. She thought she could just stand up, open the door and it would all be over just like that.

Dawn tried to bite the belt that bound her wrists. She loosened her bonds a bit and bounced up to her feet. She was about to escape when she heard a loud horn coming from outside the hospital. Daryl and Beth's eyes lit up and they raced over to the window.

Outside - they saw a red fire truck pull up by the front entrance. They watched on as Abraham got out first and started hammering walkers with the butt end of his rifle. Rick and Noah came out next and shot more. Then Beth beamed as she saw her sister, Maggie exit and start attacking walkers. She was still alive. She had come to rescue her.

Dawn walked slowly over to the window too to see what Daryl and Beth were looking at. She looked down at the overrun parking lot that was being cleared by a group of survivors fiercer than she had ever seen before.

"This is your group?" she asked.

"Yeah, we always stick together." replied Daryl.

"You are survivors after all. You know what, you might make it and I hope you do. The world needs more people like you."

"You're surviving too! I told you that."

"No. But there is a way out of here. There is an air duct in this room that leads to near where the elevator shaft is. I think it's your only way out."

Daryl and Beth looked up and saw the air vent directly above.

"Another air duct?" Beth said, with a sigh. "I guess there's no other way."

It was high - way too high for them to reach. Even Daryl at full stretch couldn't get anywhere close. He then squatted down and before Beth could even react, he wrapped his arms around her legs and flung her up into the air. Beth outstretched her arms but still couldn't quite reach. Daryl hoisted her up higher and with Beth just managed to scratch the vent with her fingertips. And when Daryl jolted her up again she found her fingers clinging to the metal grid.

"Pull it off, Beth!"

Beth yanked at vent again and again and eventually managed to detach the grid. She tossed it to the ground and then used all her arm strength to haul herself into the air duct. She struggled and heaved herself up into the tight air that felt a lot tighter that the last one.

"Come on Daryl!" Beth cried, reaching her arms out towards him signalling for him to come up.

Daryl was about to reach up and take Beth's hand when he turned around and looked at Dawn.

"You're next, Dawn." he said, squatting down and sweeping her off her feet.

"W-What?" was all she could yell out as she squealed and squirmed in Daryl's arms. "Daryl, I told you to leave me!"

"I ain't letting anyone die today!"

Daryl jolted Dawn up. She looked up at Beth who reluctantly still had her arms outstretched. Beth grimaced once and then said the words she thought she would never say.

"Come on, Dawn, grab my hands. We are going to survive. We are going to survive together."

A tear rolled down Dawn's cheek. For the first time, she thought that perhaps there was hope for her and perhaps there was finally a way out of this nightmare. She closed her eyes and gulped and then reached up and grabbed Beth's hand who helped pull her up inside the air duct.

TO BE CONTINUED...


a/n: thanks for reading. please leave a review if you liked it and hope to see you next time for the final chapter! :) peace.