Relief

ReedusLover3

Home is behind

The world ahead

And there are many paths to tread

Through shadow

To the edge of night

Until the stars are all alight

Mist and shadow

Cloud and shade

All shall fade

All shall fade- Pippin's song, Lord of the Rings 3

Fun Fact of the day:

Pilgrims ate popcorn at the First Thanksgiving Dinner

"What did he do, Daryl?" I asked, worried. All the bad thoughts were running through my head. "Daryl? What did he do?" I watched him sigh before messing with the bed covers.

"He.. he was close to raping you, Beth. So close." Daryl told me and I let out a huge breath. "Luckily Jimmy heard you calling out and broke down the door. Shane, he.. he was almost ready to-"

"It's fine." I said and Daryl looked up. "Where's Shane now?"

"Well, after Jimmy beat the shit out of him, Rick took him around back and had a very long talk with him." Daryl finally looked at me. "Then once they were done I about beat the shit outta him." I glanced up to see him staring at me with a dark look. "That fucker should be dead. Fucking Hershel stopped me.. said something about no fights on his property. Fuck that shit!"

"It's alright.. he-"

"Don't you say it's alright, Elizabeth!" He snapped at me and I cowered slightly, his expression immediately softened. "I'm sorry. Alls I'm saying is that Shane is nothing but trouble."

"I know. Does anyone else know?" I asked and leaned back into the headboard.

"Only Daryl, Hershel, and Jimmy know. Patricia and everyone else thinks you slipped getting out of the shower and hit your head." I nodded and then began thinking.

"Why do you care?" I asked.

"What?" That caught him off guard.

"Why do you care so much about me? I am nothing special, Daryl, i'm just like the others."

"No you're not. You're not like them, and we both know that."

"Why do you care? Tell me." I demanded, he never showed any other of the emotions he showed me to anyone else.

"Beth, there's something about you." He paused and stared at me. "I can't explain.. you know I can't."

"Daryl-" I was stopped when he got on his knees and crawled closer to me. His hands gripped my face and he stared into my eyes. Before I could say anything his head swooped down and he kissed me gently. He was acting like I was a piece of glass, like I could break any second. He leaned his forhead against mine and then rubbed his calloused thumb over my bottom lip. He looked like he was going to kiss me again when the door opened and Hershel stepped in. Seeing the position we were in, he coughed and looked at the floor.

"Excuse me, I need to check you're head Miss Parrish." Hershel told me.

"Please call me Elizabeth, sir." He nodded and then looked at Daryl who hadn't moved yet.

"If you could please leave." Hershel asked Daryl who gave a scowl but left without a word and I sighed. "You had a nasty hit to you're head, mighty fine cut you got as well." Hershel said as he unwrapped the bandage on my head. "You have gotten quite a knocking I hear. Maggie said you had hit you're head when she saved you?" I nodded. "Well, we'll have to watch you closely. Don't want any permanent brain damage." Hershel touched the cut that was on my temple, it stung really bad. "Hm not bad, 'bout four inches long. Might scar over. Well, it seems fit to be left unbandaged. You probably want out of that bed, correct?"

"Yes."

"I'll help you out to the porch to sit out there. Before we go I need to ask you something."

"What?"

"That Shane man, I have asked that no one know about him trying to sexually harass you."

"Why?"

"It will only cause problems here and I do not need that. I have asked the men who know that they shouldn't tell anyone. Shane has been reprimanded and will not be allowed to touch you and such. Now come along." I nodded and slid to the edge of the bed, I noticed someone had re-dressed me in the clothes I had chosen. Hershel wrapped an arm around me and helped me walked outside to the porch. I was angry that Shane wasn't punished more but I dealt with it. I sat on the rocking chair and Hershel went over to the men- Rick, Daryl and Shane who were around the hood of Carol's car. They looked to be consulting and I noticed how Rick and Shane looked discouraged, probably due to the fact they both were incapable of searching. As they went on talking, Rick pulled out his gun and sat it on the hood. Shane did the same with hesitation, and I was slightly happy he wasn't armed.

"Hey." I heard a male voice and jumped to see Jimmy standing at the entrance to the house.

"Hi, Jimmy." I nodded and saw him run a hand through his hair.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine, not feeling the best though."

"I see, you had been shoved around a lot when I found you.."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Saving me, from Shane." Jimmy nodded and eyed Shane who was still around the hood talking to everyone.

"Bastard.." Jimmy muttered. "He should be dead."

"That's what Daryl said."

"You should of seen him, Daryl, he about did kill him." Jimmy stuck his hands in his pockets. "I wouldn't of stopped him, but ya know, Rick's his best friend and obviously doesn't want him dead." I nodded at his words, understanding how Rick felt. "Well, i'll be going. Holler if ya need anything, Elizabeth." Jimmy walked into the house and I gave a small smile. Everyone dispersed from the hood of the car and I noticed Daryl walking towards me. When he was close enough, he leaned against the railing and watched me.

"You searching?" I asked him.

"Yeah, be back later tonight. Maybe for dinner." He answered.

"Be safe." Daryl came closer and ran his fingers through my auburn hair.

"I will." He ran a thumb against my cheek and turned away. "Don't go near him." Daryl spat and I knew he meant Shane.

"I won't." I watched him walk across the front yard and towards the woods. I had never met anyone like him besides my brother who nearly just like him. Daryl was stubborn, hard-headed, surly, an ass, but yet so perfect. I saw T-Dog and Dale preparing to get water so I called out to them. Dale came forward and smiled.

"Finally out and about, huh?" Dale grinned. "What do you need?"

"Can I come with you to get water?" I asked. "I need to move around, i'm tried to sitting." Dale thought about this before holding a hand out.

"Off we go." He smiled as we walked away from the house.

As we made our way to the pump, I stepped towards the well opening and stared around. It was so beautiful here.

"Say, you think there's a snowball chance we'll actually find the little girl?" I heard T-Dog asked and I sighed, of course we would. Daryl would find her.

"For the first time in my life i'm betting on the snowball." Dale answered.

"Yeah me too." T-Dog sighed, that's when I heard the snarling. Dale stepped forward next to me. "Do whatever we have to. I don't care if I have to comb the woods like Rambo or fetch a pail of water. Everyone kicks in, does their part." Dale and I leaned over the edge and peered down. My head spun and I fell backwards with a choked scream. "Am I right? Do your part, don't complain. That's what I always-" Dale ran forward and ripped the latel filled with water from T-Dog, he was about to drink it.

"I wouldn't drink that if I were you." Dale stated and T-Dog's eyes widened as he looked over at the well. It wasn't long before our whole group knew about the well, I was just surprised Hershel didn't know about it. Standing around the opening and looking down inside, we all stared at a water-logged walker. His skin was swollen and had been puckered up from being in the well too long. "Looks like we got a swimmer." Dale told us.

"How long do you think it's been down there?" Asked Glenn.

"Long enough to grow gills." Andrea commented.

"We can't just leave it down there. God knows what it's doing to the water." Lori stated as she stared down at the hissing walker.

"We gotta get it out." Shane looked around at us.

"Easy, put a bullet in it's head." T-Dog told Shane. "I'll get a rope."

"Whoa, whoa, guys. No." Maggie said, stopping all movement.

"Why not? It's a good plan." Glenn said, staring at her.

"It's a stupid plan." Andrea told him, annoyed. "If that thing hasn't contaminated the water yet, blowing it's brains out will finish the job."

"She's right, can't risk it." Shane glanced down at the pathetic thing.

"So it has to come out alive?" T-Dog asked, looking perplexed.

"So to speak."

"How do we do that?" I asked and everyone looked at me. Someone went off to get some meat and attached it to a rope and slowly let it hang into the well. The walker stared at it but made no move to even try to eat it.

"He's not going for it." Dale muttered.

"Maybe 'cause canned ham don't kick and scream when you try to eat it." T-Dog mumbled.

"he's right, there's a reason the dead didn't come back to life if they're raiding our cupboards." Andrea said. "We need live bait." Everyone looked at Glenn and he swallowed.

"No.. no, no. Not happening." Glenn told us.

"Come on, Glenn, we need to get it out. You're not heavy so we can lift you out if anything happens." Andrea told him and I stepped forward.

"I'll do it." I told everyone who chuckled. I had to do something for the group, I had been nothing but a problem it seemed. And Glenn always had to do everything, whether it was risking his life for his group or going out alone to get supplies for us.

"No, if we strung you up and flung you down there and that son of a bitch bit you.. Daryl would kill us all." T-Dog said and everyone made sounds of agreement.

"Come on, i'm lighter than Glenn." I whined. "Let me do it."

"Do what the woman says." Shane muttered and I glared at him.

"Obviously you never listen to what I say." I snapped back, reminding him of when he almost raped me and I begged him to stop.

"Now listen here-" Shane looked up and glared at me.

"Now, now." Dale, always the mediator, said and looked at us. "Let her do it." I nodded and gave him a tiny smile. If only they knew what Shane had done to me. I sat on the edge of the well and leaned my feet against the metal bar in the middle. Glenn and T-Dog helped knot a rope around my waist and hips, making sure it was secure.

"We're gonna get you out of here in one piece." I heard Shane tell me, his words forced, but I didn't care what he had to say.

"Living." I said. "I want to get out in a living piece." I hissed at the group. They wrapped the other end the rope around the pump and everyone held it tightly.

"Nice and slow, please." I asked.

"We got you." Andrea stated.

"Oh you people are crazy." Maggie muttered, nervous.

"You wanna get it out of your well or not?" Shane called out to her.

"Give us an eye there, Maggie." Dale muttered, and she stepped closer to the well to peer down. I started pulling myself down and let go of the metal pipe in the middle. Gripping the rope I held my breath as the people above me supported my weight. Shining a light on the walker, I watched as I got closer and closer to it. The snarls were loud and I let out a shaky breath.

"Doing okay?" I heard Maggie shout down at me.

"Doing great. Just peachy." I told her, swinging the other rope in my hand I tried to hook it around it's neck.

"Little lower, little more." Maggie told the others and I kept going further down, my feet dangling precariously above the walker. Almost getting the walker in the noose, the rope holding me suddenly got loose and I dropped a foot or two. Letting out a scream, I began kicking my legs in order to keep the walker away from them.

"Get it!"

"Grab it! Grab it!"

"Elizabeth!"

"Shit! No! No!" Everyones screams above me were heard, I was dropped even further and I let out a bloodcurdled scream.

"Fuck! Help!" I shouted upwards and felt some tears fall down my face. "Get me out of here!" I kicked and swung around the cement pit with the walker's arms trying to grab at me. I let out more screams and cuss words, trying to get my legs away from the snarling monster below me. "Get it off! Get it off!" I shouted upward, in hope someone would help me. "GET ME OUT!"

"Hang out!"

"Wait, hold on, Elizabeth!" People shouted back at me.

"This is bad.. oh god, get me out!" I cried out, kicking even harder. "Come on you fuckers! Get me out NOW!" I kept my hands on the wells side and kept kicking, I stared upwards to see nothing but the blue sky. "No, no! Help!"

"Pull! Pull harder!"

"PULL!"

"Let's go! Pull! Pull!" The group above kept shouting and I felt myself be lifted somewhat.

"Get me up, get me up!" I screamed and began trying to climb up my rope as they pulled. "Oh my God!" The snarling was getting louder and I felt the walker grip my legs. "Pull me up!" I shouted. "Harder!" I screamed, as I was being pulled harder towards the opening. When I reached the top I gripped the metal bar and heaved myself upwards. Shane ran forward and flung me away from the hole and everyone crowded around me. I slapped Shane away from me, remembering he wasn't suppose to touch me, he stumbled a few paces away. I glared at him.

"Are you okay?" I heard multiple people ask as I panted into the ground.

"Get off me." I hissed and sat up. "Here." I handed them the rope that held the walker, I had managed to somehow get the thing hooked around it. I stood up and stumbled away, trying to catch my breath. "Thank me later." I waved them off and limped back to the house. Damn, that wore me out. What would Daryl of said if he found out?