When Daryl cracked his eyes open, Beth was still standing to attention, taking her job as guard very seriously. She was staring at the door intensely, as if the second she turned away a walker was going to come ambling in. Her back was to him and so he could watch her without her knowing.
Daryl knew he should cough or move, something to let Beth know he was now awake, but he did neither. Some of her blond hair had slipped out of its tie and was curling forward around her face. Even with her stern expression, she still looked lovely. Daryl couldn't decide if there was something very real about Beth or if she was ethereal. At that moment, he did figure he'd spent too much time staring at the girl.
Daryl stretched and became aware of how much he had missed sleeping in a bed. He didn't mind the occasional night on the ground but that's all he'd had since the C.D.C.
Beth turned to see he was awake and then quickly looked away. The porcelain skin around her neck began to turn red. Daryl furrowed his forehead, confused by her reaction. He glanced down and realised his stretching had inched his shirt up so that the hollow near his hip was showing. He tugged the shirt down. Beth was probably just affording him some privacy, Daryl thought. He hadn't been wrong about her lack of experience with boys so it was probably uncomfortable to catch glimpses of a grown man's body. Daryl was more than happy to stay as clothed as possible around Beth.
He scratched his head and pretended not to notice Beth's embarrassment. "We should get some food t'take back." His voice was thick from sleep.
Beth nodded. While Daryl started to reattach his weapons, Beth redid her hair, sweeping it back so that there were no wayward strands around her face. She looked older now than when he had first met her on the farm. She had seen a lot of things in that time, Daryl supposed.
Daryl peaked out the window and saw no walkers hanging about on the second floor of the motel. They moved the furniture away and stepped outside. It was a cold morning and Daryl hoped the sun would burn the chill away as the day went on. Otherwise, it was a sign that winter was setting in.
There were a few walkers milling around the car when they walked down the stairs. Daryl killed them quickly and silently. They barely had the chance to snap their jaws threateningly at him before he cut their lives short.
Beth got into the car while Daryl finished the last one, wiping his knife clean on his pants. They would have to find an opportunity to wash themselves if they could. Not that Daryl was particularly vain but he was concerned about the grazes on Beth's arm getting dirty.
As much as he liked the cabin in the woods, maybe it wasn't very practical. While he drove he started to think of things he would need in a place they could stay long term. It would have to be secluded, that was for sure. He didn't want people accidentally stumbling on to it. A bathroom and an independent water source would be desirable. That was more for Beth than himself. Even a fireplace wouldn't go astray as they got further into winter but blankets and warm clothes would also do the trick. A bigger bed, he thought and then immediately corrected it to two beds.
Beth interrupted his list making. She pointed at a store up ahead. It looked like a family owned grocery store. Daryl only hoped it was walker free and hadn't been picked clean. It was larger than he first thought as he parked out the front. He made sure he removed the keys and locked the car behind him.
"Who would steal it?" Beth asked quietly.
Daryl shot her a telling look and she glanced down sheepishly. Some days he thought she understood this new world they lived in but other times she still seemed so naive.
Daryl tested the door and was apprehensive when it just opened. He would prefer not to waste time, crouched down and picking locks but easy access meant there was less likely to be any food.
Daryl took the lead and Beth followed behind with her knife out. It was a bit dim inside. The lights were off and the sunshine had yet to reach an angle which would illuminate the shop. Daryl hesitated to use his flashlight. He didn't want to advertise their whereabouts. If the price was a few mystery dinners then so be it. He couldn't hear anything and that was reassuring.
They found an aisle of canned fruit and Beth was ecstatic. He could tell by the large smile that spread across her face. At the very least it would taste better than beans, even if they probably had less nutritional value.
While Daryl kept his crossbow pointed up, Beth filled the bag with cans. She moved quickly and silently. Her biceps strained when she picked the bag back up but she didn't complain. Daryl wanted to find some more blankets or some extra clothes. Maybe they could look at the medicine section as well. Couldn't hurt to have more bandages or painkillers.
Daryl gestured the way he wanted to go and then held up five fingers, wordlessly telling Beth he wanted to go first and check the coast was clear. She gave him a thumbs up.
Daryl eased his way down the rest of the aisle, taking care where he stepped. He rounded the corner quickly pointing his crossbow down the next aisle. He didn't fire it because the point of a sword rested at the base of his throat.
Daryl's eyes travelled the length of the blade, noting it was actually a samurai sword. His gaze met the harsh stare of a tall, lean, black woman. Her face was blank but her eyes were violent. If he moved even an inch he would be losing his head, of that he was certain. Daryl had his crossbow pointed at her heart and he didn't lower it.
"Don't mean any harm," Daryl said, speaking slowly and calmly. He was probably contradicting himself by pointing his own weapon at the woman but something about her stare put him on edge.
"Heard that before," the woman replied. She was just as terse as he was. Movement behind her caught his gaze and it took all his effort not to run when he saw two walkers standing behind her. They stood there patiently, not making any moves to attack either of them. Daryl realised they had no arms and no jaws. His gaze flicked back to the woman.
"Daryl?" a voice asked and he winced as Beth finally appeared.
The woman looked past his shoulder and took in the new arrival. Her sword didn't waver. Daryl shifted slightly so that he was blocking most of Beth and drawing the attention back to himself.
The woman arched an eyebrow at his behaviour but didn't comment. Beth didn't say anything from behind him either, taking her lead from him.
"Go wait outside," he said curtly.
"But-" Beth began to protest.
"No buts! Do it," he snapped, not taking his eyes off the stranger before him. "Wait in the car and if I ain't out in twenty minutes go back't the cabin."
There was another pause and Daryl thought he was going to have to physically kick her out. But then he heard footsteps and the lingering smell of vanilla was gone. Once he was certain that Beth had gotten to a safe distance he lowered his crossbow.
"We just needed food," Daryl said, still meeting her stare. Was it his imagination or did she blink less than normal people?
"The girl yours?" it was the first time the woman had spoken and her tone was unexpectedly smooth.
"She's my responsibility."
The woman regarded him suspiciously. "How she repaying your kindness?"
Daryl flinched as he understood what she was implying. "Ain't nothin' like that! I knew her pa. We're trying to find the rest of our folk. We were separated a while back."
She considered what he was saying and then lowered her sword. She didn't put it away completely but it was a start. "Met this Asian kid with a similar story few towns back."
Daryl's ears prickled. "He wear a baseball cap?"
"Yeah, he your responsibility too?"
Daryl snorted. "No likely. He don't look like much but he's more 'an capable of looking after himself."
She didn't crack a smile, just stood there taking his measure. Daryl felt distinctly uncomfortable as she scrutinised him.
She gestured with her sword. "Get your food."
Daryl didn't need another invitation. He snatched up an abandoned bag from the floor and started grabbing whatever he could find that looked useful. He saw a coat, some toothbrushes and toothpaste. He snatched up some aspirin. Finally he took two bottles of water. The whole time, the woman watched him.
Not wanting to push his luck, he dangled the bag in front of her. "Think this'll do me. I'll just leave now."
The woman escorted him towards the door, her pet walkers shambling along behind her. It was a damn unsettling sight and that's for sure.
When they were close to the door he heard voices and Daryl started to hurry. He could see out the window that Beth was surrounded by men. He dropped the bag and pulled his crossbow back up to a defensive position.
"There are too many of them. You should let her go," the woman said casually, as if she didn't really care about the outcome one way or another.
"Can't do that," Daryl grunted. He dropped the car keys into the bag and the woman's sharp eyes tracked their fall. He trusted the stranger not to take the keys more than he trusted these men not to pilfer them off his dead body.
He didn't need to hear words to know that these men meant trouble. Beth was clearly agitated and the men were leaving forward, leering at her. One of them started to reach for her and she recoiled.
Daryl burst out the front door, levelling his crossbow at what looked like the ring leader. "Oye, keep your hands to yourself," he snarled.
"Mind your own business," one of them said.
Daryl fired an arrow into that man's thigh and started to reload without missing a beat. The man was shrieking and clutching his leg on the ground. The noise would attract walkers; he needed to wrap this up. There were still too many men between him and Beth. Seven not including the man flailing around on the ground.
"Shut up," Daryl snapped at the man. "It ain't gonna kill you. But you don't let the girl walk across to me, the next one will."
The one he had picked as the boss was regarding him with a cold expression. He reached out and snagged Beth's wrist, yanking her in front of him. He held a knife to her throat, stopping the threatening step Daryl began to take.
"How about you put your crossbow on the ground and we don't kill the bitch."
Daryl's narrowed his eyes at the man and he quickly calculated whether he could make that shot. He only needed to get him in the head. But he didn't like his chances that the other men wouldn't grab Beth and kill him before he had an opportunity to reload. He cursed under his breath.
Beth was biting her lip, trying to hold herself still but he could see a sliver of red where the knife had already cut her. It made him furious. He wanted to beat the living hell out of each of them with his bare hands for hurting her. Instead he very slowly lowered his crossbow to the ground and stepped over it. He could almost see the strange woman shaking her head at his stupidity.
He saw a walker some way down the street beginning to make its way towards them. Where there was one, more would follow.
The man who had a grip on Beth jerked her arm behind her sharply, making her cry out in pain.
Daryl punched one of the men who had gotten too close, blinded by his rage. He kicked one of the other men out of the way, striving to get to the asshole with his hands on Beth. Daryl was fumbling with his hunting knife, ready to take that man's hand off when he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head and then everything went dark.
AN: Oh it's another cliffhanger! I suck! I don't need to tell you who the woman was because you all are geniuses.
Enjoy the episode tonight and it's the same deal as last time, I'll be one week behind and I'd appreciate if there were no spoilers. Big thanks.