Hey guys, I loved last night's episode so much! I won't do spoilers though, you're welcome. So the next instalment! Once again, thank you to my favouritors, followers and reviewers- you make me feel all fuzzy inside xxx
Beth and Daryl sat and just stared at the empty forest for a while, happily ignoring the gravity of life and conflict for a final few moments. Neither really wanted to go inside, but he was paranoid of her safety. Those shorts gave the undead easy access to soft sweet flesh, and would give easier access to any living man.
Upon their re-entrance Beth instantly realised her sister, and subsequently Glenn, we no longer around. A twist of guilt sat in her gut, if only she could have kept quiet about it all. But Beth had never been too good at holding her emotions back, particularly when they began to escalate to serious matters as this. The whole apocalypse she had felt trapped on an endless rollercoaster of emotions, and frankly she wished she could get off, but that was doubtable and trivial. And she wasn't riding this thing alone.
The rest of the group were sitting down, Sasha moved across to leave room for the two of them. Beth smiled shyly, carefully settling down next to Daryl so that they weren't touching. The silence was awkward, cuttable with any sharp implement. Her chest felt tight still, but her eyes were try to drained of emotion to be bothered to show it any more.
''I'm sorry,'' somehow Beth could see this is as simply her failure. Had she been able to do this alone, or she could truly regret her past actions, then perhaps everyone else's faces wouldn't be so scared and hurt.
''Don't be.'' Kenneth spoke up, he looked at her sternly. She was not taking the blame for thoughts they all had. Beth blushed and leant back, swallowing heavily. That was part of her appeal, the fact that eye contact could stop her thoughts with unassuming attention. This world had destroyed her and pieced her back together, but instead of that making her unattainably lost it gave her this innocent quality of honest existence.
Michonne looked across at Daryl, he looked exhausted. His arms were folded, keeping the world at bay because it was too painful for him. Sometimes he comes across as uncaring, rather than the truth. He cared too much. It hindered him, made him weaker and stronger at once. That was no more true that with Beth. He caught her eyes, knowing she was looking. Nothing more than a quirked eyebrow and glance at Beth, who was trying to disappear in to herself, was needed. His arms slipped around her, pulling her close, her head against his shoulder.
Seemingly it was shock that made her malleable, but she was never opposed to the reassuring strength of his arms. Daryl didn't normally do public affection, but she wasn't going to shy away if he instigated. It was past the point of pretending with these three, they all knew anyway. And Michonne was right with that look, he needed to know she was solid and she did him too. No one else was surprised at the development of their relationship, mostly knowing Beth had been down here two nights and being able to read through the lines of their relationship. If you knew they were a thing it was pretty easy to see. Besides there was something reassuring as having them together, as if their clumsy attempts to do this was the greatest beacon of hope the rest of them had.
They all sat in united silence, the pink sky expanding and lighting up the sky gradually as they sat. When Beth moved, her muscles protested become stiff and each step was a dull ache.
''We should all have breakfast and plan out what we want to do today.'' The simplicity of her sentence was enough for the bleary eyed others to stretch and start preparing themselves for the room transition on equally aching and tired limbs.
Beth made it up the stairs quietly, moving to the door to knock, she didn't want any shocks by walking in. just before her knuckles touched the painted wood did she hear the conversation. She stopped her hand and feeling like an awful person she listened in.
''we aren't safe are we? Please don't lie, Glenn. I don't want to die, but how long until the next attack? I can't lose any more family- and Beth, she's so young, and she's so weak. She has fire- ok, I agree with you on that. But we all know the reason she's here is Michonne and Daryl right? What happens if she's alone? And, and if I lose her. I'm the only one left. We're all going to die.''
Glenn was muttering complacent things, making Beth think this wasn't the first outburst like this. She felt dirty for having heard it. And frankly she was hurt that Maggie couldn't see that she was just as strong as she could be, she had gotten this far. Sure she needed help, but who didn't? Even Daryl, warrior king of the apocalypse, needed help sometimes too. She wished Maggie saw her as an adult, and understood that talking of before made her regress to a child in Maggie's eyes. She probably always would be to her.
Softly knocking, Beth opened the door and stepped in as if it were a fluid movement. Maggie looked up, wet eyes that she hoped her sister wouldn't see and smiled. Glenn did a less fluid job of changing emotions, but they both ignored him.
''Bethy, you scared me, you're so quiet.'' Maggie smiled, upon seeing her sister all thoughts and doubts that plagued her disappeared.
''Must have picked it up somewhere, anyway, we're having breakfast'' It wasn't malicious, Beth laughed quietly and beamed a smile. She had picked up a few Daryl-esque habits as of late. Had Maggie been looking she would've seen that it was forced, but she wanted to believe Beth hadn't heard anything so she took the sunshine warmth of past memories.
Cereal bars and fruit are basically a full English breakfast. Bacon was something however Beth missed, which surprised her since she had been a vegetarian in the last world. That soon changed though, and she thinks if she were back at the farm now she wouldn't be. Food was food, and zombie land teaches you to be less picky about all that.
Beth sighed lightly, still reeling from the comments of Maggie. They were all going to die, but thinking that way made no difference at all did it? Stepping over to hand out the last bowl, Beth managed to slip on spilt juice, trying to clutch the counter she failed. Swearing loudly. Strong arms
''Didn't know you had such a sailor's mouth.''
''Yeah, seemed I picked it up somewhere.'' She smiled back, at everyone snickering, conscious that was the second time today the Daryl habits had been noticed. Daryl for his part respectively let go of her, helping her to get a cloth and wiping the floor. On the way back up she felt his warm breath on her neck.
''Whatever's on your mind we can talk about tonight.''
Perhaps it meant more because it was Daryl, and Daryl hated having to comfort others. But the fact that he would offer her that intimacy made the feeling in her gut change a little.
Meanwhile Maggie and Glenn were sat near the SUV, it was the last ditch attempt to try and start it up, besides it gave him time with Maggie. Being alone for weeks just the two of them made it harder to be incorporated in a group, particularly one that was already up and working before they arrived. Even as a sister, Maggie felt slightly out-casted, but she knew it wasn't intentional. They had just missed too much. It was this dependence on a person you spend a lot of time surviving with that made Maggie ponder her little sister and the younger Dixon.
''Hey Glenn, what do you thinks with Beth and Daryl.'' Maggie slumped against the car, knife still in her hands and looking across the area. Her voice was unrestrained and curious, like a child might be. ''I mean they're close, you realised that right, like they know what the others thinking.''
''They spent weeks mourning together,'' Glenn tried to shrug off the feeling of lying by not mentioning his own thought, hoping she would be satisfied with a generic man answer. But it was Maggie, of course she didn't see it that way.
''Yeah, I know but- there's something different between them. Like, have you ever seen Daryl really care about anyone like that since that lil' girl on the farm? Maybe carol. He tends to like people from far away-wait, what aren't you telling me?'' Maggie was talking with her hands, trying to work out some unsolvable problem in her head, when she caught Glenn's face however she stopped.
''Telling you? what there's nothing-'' he looked up to Maggie's face giving him a look, and then he remembered how bad he was at keeping secrets or his face neutral. ''Ok, so, I don't think it's anything at all, but- I think Beth's been sleeping with Daryl. Oh fuck, no not like that- like she sleeps downstairs.'' Maggie had flinched in a sudden outrage like a switch was flipped, and it scared him a nit, a lot actually, that she could fire up and down so quickly.
Maggie took some deep breathes, glaring at Glenn slightly for the uncalled for heart attack. She remembered Michonne saying something about them being friends, said they were close. Maybe she hadn't taken that seriously at all, but now it seemed obvious. They spent a lot of time together, he actually had conversations with her, something that never happened inside the prison. But the prison was so long ago it was hard to remember if they ever talked then, even if they had Maggie wouldn't have known. She thought of every time she had seen them together since instead.
''She woke up from the nightmare down there.'' Maggie's voice was one of something clicking into place, blatant aggravation she had missed it. For the first time she contemplated how she came into the living room last night. Too pumped up on adrenaline to notice Beth was straddling Daryl and he was holding her, tenderly, like he wanted to. Thinking back it got uncomfortable, thinking that somehow her baby sister could get through the cracks in a much damaged man like that. And she trusted Beth's intentions to be honest and innocent, as well as Daryl, but that sisterly nagging refused to give him complete trust.
''Look Mags, think about it this way- they both lost a pretty dominant older sibling for a long time, they're both the quiet type, love Judith like she was their own and provide what the other doesn't. Is it surprising they make good friends?'' Glenn stopped tinkering to take a water bottle and shrug at Maggie, who nodded slowly to everything he said.
It was true despite their vast differences, the core of them was similar. She wouldn't want to encounter a fight with either of them, after all Beth could hold her own when she wanted to. The Greene stubbornness explained a lot of things, why Beth had got off the bus at the prison and how she got through to a redneck recluse. Maybe that's all they were replacement siblings and an understanding friends. That could be a thing, right?
Her thoughts however were interrupted by the sounds of walkers. The low rumble started in the background, probably slightly missed by their conversation. All the hairs on Maggie's body stood on end, and seeing her freeze Glenn did too. The groaning got louder, the level of noise making them know it wasn't a few. Hastily and quietly trying to pack up, was the wrong decision. By the time they had the tool box closed, beside a few rudimentary impromptu weapons, the first walkers stumbled out the tree line.
More than a few had been expected, but this was more than a more than a few. Maggie's eyes bulged at the sheer uncountable numbers of an undead army. For perhaps the first time she contemplated how many people had lost their lives and succumbed to this fate. Would that be her? The panic was ripped from her as Glenn grabbed her hand and started legging it back. It was too late and too dangerous to attempt picking them off. They threw down the bags and ran, Glenn was slower than his usual swiftness, but adrenaline did wonders.
When they saw the house they started yelling to get inside, Tyresse, Sasha and Kenneth were all outside putting up wire defence systems, but it was going to be futile to this number. Not missing a beat, the three of them got into the building. Glenn heard distinct foot prints behind him, fearing it was a quick walker he turned to face Daryl.
Daryl had obviously run further, getting caught up in the herd too whilst hunting. Sweat glistened on his face, he span mid step and hurled the squirrels at the nearest walkers. They slowed to take the fresh food, making the next ones about twenty metres behind. Then he kept pace, quicker on his feet than definitely Glenn, but remaining at the back to shoot any getting too close.
Like a sixth sense they caught Michonne slipping into the house and followed her in, quickly slamming the door and locking it behind them. The breath of relief that they had everyone accounted for in the kitchen was short lived. Everyone in that moment looked the same. Scared shitless expression of panic and fear, eyes wide and mouth apart to keep up with rapid breathing.
The banging against the door hit like a wave, Daryl leant against it, sitting and using his legs for leverage. The glass panels smashed, glass raining down on him and mangled arms reaching through the spaces to grasp at anything.
''It ain't gonna hold, get upstairs.'' His voice was strained, speaking through gritted teeth. The noise riled the walkers more, making them push harder. And he knew it was going to be over. His eyes met Beth's, she was holding Judith close to her chest. She wanted to cry, but that would have to wait.
''Daryl-'' it could've been anyone, it dint matter the answer was the same.
''Now.'' The authoritative confidence made them bide his instructions.
They all turned and ran upstairs dispersing simply to hide themselves away. Panic made them split up. Michonne stayed down with Daryl, katana ready to give minimal cover, he nodded at the silent formation of a plan. Steeling himself he propped up, leapt up and ran. Michonne took down the first few, the bodies creating obstacles that bought them precious seconds.
And with that hundreds of walkers flooded their home.
This could be goodbye
Wow, so this got scary quite fast. xxx