- Chapter 25 -

Len rolled over and agitatedly shoved his pillow back over his pounding head. He had no idea why he was even attempting to try and sleep for, it wasn't like anyone else in the house was. Even from upstairs he could hear Joe, Dan and Tony commiserating noisily in the kitchen, the whiskey flowing freely. It was almost like they hadn't come back to the house to find Lou deader than shit, lying face down in a puddle of his own drool on the bathroom floor.

With the three men downstair only getting louder, Len gave up on sleep, throwing off the pillow to go check on his injuries. With a candle reflecting into the bathroom mirror, he pressed his finger against the tenderness that lingered at the back of his head, wincing as he did so. He stuck out his tongue only to find it blackened and bruised. Upon being reminded yet again of the damage inflicted at the store, Len felt another palpable wave of anger flow through him, the vehemence of which encompassing all else that seethed below it. The rage he had was focused, it had a target… and that was the girl.

When Len had last seen her she had been struggling to climb out from underneath Harley's dead fat ass, shoving frantically at his body as the tears had run down her face. He'd barely noticed the arrow protruding from his partners back when the lights had gone out, a flash of searing pain the only precursor to the blackness that followed. Who the hell knew how long he was out of it for, laying there bleeding on the linoleum like a piece of dead meat. The others arrived by the time he'd woken up and had quickly proceeded to give him an rash of shit about the incident, like he had asked for or wanted to hear their fucking opinions about it.

Joe and Dan had plenty to say though which had pissed him off to no end. His head throbbing, Len hadn't given two shits that him and Harley were told to only grab the girl and hold her upstairs so they could draw the man out. After all, it wasn't like there was anything in that plan for him. What he wanted took precedence over any other bullshit idea fostered on him by someone else and the moment he saw the girl, he knew he wanted her.

After they had discussed the situation a hell of a lot longer than was necessary to make a goddamn decision about it, the three of them had booked ass outside only to find the LTD sitting on its fucking rims and the pair they'd been chasing nowhere in sight. Somehow, both the man and the girl had managed to disappear, the two of them vanishing into thin air like a fart in the wind.

The car being Dan's prized possession, he had been beside himself to find it in such a sorry state. That had suited Len just fine. He'd been starting to feel like he'd been the only one fucked over during the course of the night and had been happier than a pig in shit to see someone else get what was coming to them too. Looking back, he probably could've done a better job of hiding that fact.

Dan had seen right through the poorly disguised glee written all over his face and the altercation the two of them had gotten into had almost drawn the attention of the biters. Joe had stepped in and with a few scathing words managed to shut down the fight as quickly as it begun. The man had a knack for doing that. Having appointed himself as their leader, he expected what he said to be done and Len for one was starting to get mightily sick and tired of it. Despite Joe's flouncy way with words and all his talk about claiming shit, he was nothing but a sadistic asshole who just happened to think he could lord over the rest of them like someone had put him in charge. There was a lot of bullshit about them being a pack, but Len knew a lone wolf when he saw one. He often felt as though Joe would gladly set them all baying for blood against each other if he thought his status as king shit was remotely being challenged.

Dan, of course, had stepped away as told, wailing about the current state of the car like they all weren't aware of it. While he did so, Len took a closer look at the knife holes in the tires, coming to the conclusion that the deep gouges were likely done by the same asshole prick that had hit him. It had to have been him… the girl barely weighed a buck ten soaking wet and was likely in no state to perpetrate such a thing courtesy of the hefty backhand she had received.

It was decided that the three of them would hunt down a couple of tires to replace the two that had been punctured rather than trek after the man and the girl on foot. With no other choice, they had searched the stores cluttered parking lot looking for tires that matched the LTD's, creeping around the abandoned cars and tents to avoid the biters that wandered amongst them as well. Dan had whined about having to do so the whole time under his breath, bitching incessantly despite the fact that no one gave a shit. Len had been this close to knocking his ass out with the tire iron in his hand just to get him to shut the fuck up about it.

When they finally found two tires that would work, it hadn't taken long from that point to change them out for the flats. Antagonistic to a fault, Len pointed out that they wouldn't have had to of gone to all the trouble to begin with if Dan just kept spares in the trunk like a normal fucking person. While Dan hadn't appreciated hearing it, he made it clear that he didn't really care. For reasons beyond anyone, he preferred to keep the girls that they abducted back there instead, asininely insisting to anyone that rode with him that a kidnapping should feel like a kidnapping.

Putting the jack away, Joe pulled a regretful breath before announcing that he had changed his mind. They would be going back to the house to regroup with the others first before heading out to look for the couple. At the disbelieving look on Len's face, he was quick to say that they would do so at first light, when they'd have more people and they could at least see what they were doing. Besides, he was tired, and felt the need to insist that it was in all of their best interests if they went back and got some shut eye before the long day ahead.

Glaring at him like he had just lost his damn mind, Len had complained vociferously. Being the best tracker they had, he wanted to strike while the iron was hot. As of right now, the two they were after couldn't have gotten far, not with the girl in the state she was in. That wouldn't be the case come morning, the potential for tracks left behind diminishing greatly as the hours passed by.

To no one's surprise, Dan had concurred with Joe, the look on his face making it obvious that he was doing so just to be a dick. Having been over ruled by the two assholes he was with, Len had ridden back to the two story home they called camp in sullen silence, his mind seething.

They had arrived just in time to see Tony lumbering his way down the porch stairs, yelling and waving at them like the idiot he was. Len fucking hated Tony. He was a greasy fat two-bit thief with a misguided sense of self entitlement all because he had known Joe first. Initially Len had merely found him annoying, his so-called relationship with Joe the only reason he was even remotely tolerated. From there, it hadn't taken long for general dislike to turn to hatred, the man crossing a line with Len that he could never step back over.

Tony had taken a liking to some middle aged bitch Len had abducted from some family campsite and for some reason, she had latched onto him like he was the second coming of Christ. Having been the one that had to put in all the work to acquire her, Len had been pissed. Of course she had gone out the same way every other woman they took had, but Len had never forgiven or forgotten it. From that point on, he went out of his way to make Tony's life a living hell, despite the fact that Tony had apologized for the transgression more times than he cared to hear.

Watching as Tony made his way to the car, Joe had Dan roll down the drivers side car window so he could lean down and ask, ''What?''

Panting from the energy the trek required, Tony managed to gasp out, ''Y'all… see some fella out there running… down the road? The one… you were on?'' He hunched over with his hands on his knees, struggling to draw an even breath. From the back seat Len rolled his eyes. This could take all fucking day.

''Man, it's the dead of night!'' Dan said from behind the wheel, "Unless something crosses the headlights, we ain't gonna see shit. Why?''

''Some motherfucker was hiding out in one of the rooms upstairs… jumped Lou in the bathroom an' killed him.'' Hunching down, Tony peered past Dan to where Joe sat in the passenger seat. ''I was sleeping an' the noise woke me up just in time to see him jump out the window like a goddamn monkey!''

When Joe's eyes narrowed in disbelief, Tony continued emphatically, pointing to the darkened top floor of the house the car was parked in front of. ''Swear to God man, Lou's upstairs dead and that bastard killed him! Just strangled the shit out of him and took off!''

Joe got out of the car, prompting the other two men in it with him to do the same. As they did so, he leaned on the roof of the LTD and asked disbelievingly, ''When the hell did all this happen?''

''I don't know, a few hours ago.''

Len was at the back of the car unloading the haul they had scored from the store, pissed off and not giving a shit who knew it. Upon hearing Tony's answer he dropped the bag in his hand and charged out from behind the open trunk, ''A few hours ago?! You saw that fucker jump out the window a few hours ago and you didn't go chasing after him or nothing? What the hell did you do? Wave him off with a parting gift an' thank him for his time?!''

Completely flustered, Tony managed to sputter out, ''Fuck you! Ya'll had the LTD an' the keys to the truck! What was I supposed to do, run after him on foot and get myself killed out there?''

''Considering that you 'bout keeled over from the effort needed to just get down the fucking stairs, I guess not!'' Len closed in, wishing more than anything that he could just take out all of his frustration on him with his fists. His mere presence was almost as annoying as what he had said. This whole day was just getting worse by the moment and Len was this close to a breaking point! He shoved a finger into Tony's chest and bit out, ''It's a goddamn shame though, 'cause at least then all of us could be spared your fuckin' stupidity!''

Tony slapped his hand away, his hackles rising. In an effort to defuse the tension running rampant between the two men, Joe stepped forward to cut through it quickly and decisively, bellowing over the heated aggression to ask, ''Where are the others?''

Reminded of the more pressing issue at hand, Tony stepped away, his fat face blotchy and red. Whether that was from the energy needed to spit his story out or from getting his balls busted in front of the others, Len couldn't say. Tossing a bag to Dan, he swung his own over his shoulder before slamming the trunk shut and heading into the boarded up house. He couldn't give a rats ass where the others were at. He just wanted to know what the game plan was as far as the two from the store was concerned. He had a score to settle with both of them and he was getting more and more pissed off the longer it was taking to get the situation addressed.

''I don't fuckin' know,'' Tony said indignantly from behind, ''I done told ya I was sleeping! Billy might have taken 'em hunting or they could've gone raiding that Terminus place Harley spoke of.''

Picking up the last bag Len had thrown in the dirt, Tony followed Joe and Dan up the porch stairs, wheezing slightly under the added weight. His brows drew in confusion as he looked around, ''Wait… Where is Harley? Ain't he with ya'll?''

''He was.'' Dan muttered, leaving it at that as he held open the screen door.

Len went straight upstairs, letting the others deal with Lou's dead carcass. While dressing his wounds his mind had inevitably gone back to the girl, where it chose to dwell for the next few hours at least. With her tight little body and her long blond hair, she was definitely in the upper echelons of the bitches he had come across since the turn, young and beautiful being a rarity these days. But had been the fear in her eyes that had really done it for him… as it always did.

The all encompassing terror that came over them was truly his favorite aspect of the freedom allowed him by the turn, and it made his dick hard in a way that no amount of tearful pleading ever could. That the girl had tried to hide hers had excited him immensely, but it was the fact that she was untouched that had made the moment really special. After the constant stream of used goods that came through their door, Len could practically smell it all over her. Whatever her relationship was to the man, he could only hope she stayed that way at least until he found them.

Leaving the bathroom, Len yelled down to the three men drinking that he was trying to sleep and to shut the fuck up. That was a lie. With thoughts of the girl filling the twisted recesses of his mind, he had never been more wide awake. Depraved and repugnant by nature anyway, the restless anger only darkened the path he was on, causing the wheels in his head to spin. He wasn't going to be satisfied until he found her... until he finished what he had started. She'd be his reward… his own pat on the back for killing the man she was with. Either way, both of them were gonna suffer for what they did to Harley and himself... and Len finally had an idea on how he was going to facilitate it.

…..

Daryl slowly woke from the black void that had held him in its grips and groaned in pain as his eyes attempted to adjust to the minimal light in the room. He squinted against it, the dim haze somehow piercing, and threw an arm over his face only to grit his teeth when the slight movement reminded him again of how sore he was. Feeling like hammered dog shit, he lay there for a moment, forcing his lungs to pull a slow even breath while he tried to remember where he was and what the hell had happened.

Everything felt murky and convoluted, like he had been dead to the world for a fucking week. Decidedly not helping was the headache that was now throbbed insistently at his temple, the constant pounding of which making him nauseous. He pressed his forearm to his brow in a useless effort to subdue it. The pressure was making the recollection of anything else damn near impossible, the effort it was taking to think in spite of it only making matters worse.

Trying his damndest to not just pass out again until the answer presented itself, Daryl forced himself from the bed to go take a piss, hoping that the sheer act of standing and being aware that he was doing so would help clear things up somewhat. Shoving the covers off, he paused when he looked down to find that he was only in his underwear. Confused by the fact but too fucking out of it to speculate upon it further, he grabbed his pants from where they lay at the end of the bed and put them on, sliding them over his hips to zip them but leave them unbuttoned. With his door already open, he gingerly made his way into the bathroom.

Daryl happened to glance into Beth's bedroom as he went only to see that she was still dead asleep. Sprawled out on her stomach, she had one arm thrown over her pillow and the other hanging precariously off of the side of the bed. Confounding him even more was the fact that she was only in her underwear as well. Even with his head feeling like it was in a cast iron vice, there was no mistaking the bare leg that had managed to kick itself free of the tangle of her blankets.

What the hell? What had he missed over the course of the night?

He saw her clothes drying over the bathtub as soon as he entered the bathroom, answering at least one of his questions. Next to them hung his jacket and vest, still slightly damp. There was a bucket of clean water sitting on the bathroom floor and after taking care of business, Daryl splashed some over his face in an attempt to get his shit together. As he toweled off, he studied his wounds in the mirror. For the most part they looked good, better than he expected. Some were still fairly raw, but none of them seemed to have an infection. Considering how rough the ride down the ravine had been, he guessed he considered himself fortunate.

Upon closer inspection, Daryl noticed that some of his dressings had been changed out while he had been asleep and wondered yet again just exactly how long that had been. He pulled a deep breath, resigning himself to having to ask the girl to fill in the blanks for him as much as he didn't want to. It was a damn good thing that his headache had receded enough for him to tolerate the conversation doing so would require.

Ultimately deciding that he looked about as fucking good as he felt, Daryl went back to his room. Once there, he peered through the wooden slats that covered his window. The storm covering the area still lingered heavily overhead, the grey expanse of swirling clouds telling him that the rain wasn't stopping any time soon. On his bedside table lay his knife and what was left of his cigarettes. Next to them, a half empty bottle of water and a couple of pills. Assuming the pills were for him, Daryl swallowed them dry before shoving one of the cigarettes into his mouth to light it gratefully. As he pulled the smoke into his nicotine deprived lungs, he glanced around the dimly lit room as if seeing it for the first time.

There was a stack of clothes sitting on the nearby chair and he dug through them as the cigarette hung forgotten from his lips. Finding a clean flannel in the pile, he shrugged it on over his bandages, letting it hang open loosely as he threaded his belt back onto his pants. Eyeing his mud covered boots for a moment, Daryl had a vague recollection of kicking them off in a fatigue induced stupor before crashing for the night. Still not remembering a damn thing past that, he decided to leave them there as he padded over barefooted to where Beth was still asleep in her room. It was time to get some answers because he was sick and goddamn tired of not knowing what else had transpired since their time together in the bathroom.

Feeling better than he cared to admit for being up and moving, Daryl sat down on the other side of her bed and propped his back against the old wooden headboard. As he continued smoking the cigarette, he looked over at the girl sleeping at his side. Beth hadn't moved at all the whole time he'd been shuffling noisily around the small apartment, and even in the muted light from where he was sitting he could clearly see why.

She was exhausted.

Of course, the dark shadows that lingered under her eyes didn't detract from her in any way. With her hair in a tangle over the pillow, she was still beautiful and, as his gaze swept down further, still in just a very thin tank top and her yellow underwear.

Daryl pulled the comforter further up on the girl, not needing the visual reminder of why he had broken his word yet again like a hypocritical asshole. It hadn't been his intention. After she had finished patching him up, he had gone to his room with the full intentions of passing the fuck out just like he said he was going to do. With the Horton forgotten back to the bathroom, he had went back for it only to see her awkwardly cleaning up the mess that his injuries had caused. She had looked lost… like how she'd looked sitting alone at the huge bar back in that country club. For reasons still beyond him and despite all the bullshit he had said to her, he had felt compelled to kiss her, the inexplicable need to remove the sadness from her eyes somehow turning the intended token of gratitude into something a lot more substantial.

And as much as he wanted to know what happened after that, Daryl now realized that he didn't actually want to go so far as to wake her to find out. From the changed bandages to the clean clothes, she had obviously done plenty while he had been out of commission and deserved the rest that she had allowed him. As if somehow agreeing, Beth sighed sleepily from the pile of covers next to him, burying herself further under them in an effort to counteract the lingering chill in the room.

Daryl pulled a drag from the cigarette and huffed a smoke ring into the air, contemplating what it was about the girl that he found so comforting to be near. Hell, just being in the same room with her had the tension that had gripped his muscles now gradually releasing. It hadn't always been that way and he wondered at what point did that particular aspect of their relationship change. Glancing back over at Beth, he was quick to realize that the sexual attraction he felt towards her made pinpointing the moment difficult. It went without saying that laying next to her in the current state of undress she was in was decidedly not helping.

In the long run, it didn't matter. What he felt was something more, a connection of some kind that he with her and only her. It was the reason he hadn't pushed for things to go further when she had been on top of him in his room. He had held himself back, denying his visceral urge to mate despite knowing how goddamn easy it would've been to work his way around her virginal defenses. That knowing was what had compelled him to head out that morning with the Horton in hand. He had been fucking tired of laying there torturing himself with thoughts of his hands on her skin, of how tight she would be...

Pressing the end of the cigarette out between his thumb and finger for lack of another viable option, Daryl could feel his eyes begin to droop the longer he stayed at her side thinking about it. He went to push himself from her bed only to bite down on a groan when his joints resisted painfully, having finally found a degree of comfort that they hadn't had for a while now. With the rain pouring down outside damn near insisting that he take it easy anyway, he settled himself back down, too fucking tired to fight it. Glancing apprehensively back over at the girl, it didn't take but a moment until he was asleep himself, the last thought going through his mind being that he hoped that he woke before she did so he didn't have to explain to her why he was crashed out in her bed.

….

What? Another chapter so soon? This is a thank you to all who have read, followed and commented on this story! I hope it was a nice surprise.