The early morning was gray and still as they headed out. They had been on the road less than an hour when the sign YOU ARE NOW LEAVING THE STATE OF GEORGIA. Beth remembered when Daryl had told her he had never been out of Georgia. They were entering South Carolina. She would mention that when they stopped.
The dead were everywhere ; as they traveled they could see them, wandering at first glance aimlessly but if you really watched you could see they seemed to go in the same direction. If you looked, really looked.
Still Beth felt safe, there on the back of Daryl's motorcycle and he loved the way she felt against him. His woman. She wouldn't be able to ride with him much longer though. She was starting to show a little bit more and she felt the first flutterings of life inside her. Daryl's baby. She prayed they would live long enough to see their child born.
For now though, she rode with him and tried to ignore the dead wandering the sides of the road.
"Dad?" Carl spoke for the first time in an hour. He was in the back seat with the baby's car seat. She slept peacefully for now, hating being restrained now that she could walk. He didn't want to wake her.
"What Carl," Rick was driving. He had managed cut his use of painkillers to once a day at night and soon he would have to scavenge more if he could. So far on their trek to Washington he hadn't found any.
"Why are doing this, going to Washington?" No one had really told him. He trusted Daryl though sometimes more than his dad. He wasn't a kid though. He remembered when they were trapped on the highway when the heard came through. When they lost Sophia, his best friend .
He knew this was dangerous, what they were doing. After he talked to Abraham ( who Carl thought was pretty cool ) Daryl had told them what they were doing. He said the mall wasn't really safe long term and after the prison he believed him.
"You heard Daryl; the mall isn't really safe," He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. His friendship with Daryl was strained now since the prison and his desire for Beth wasn't helping. He couldn't seem to help himself.
He had stood on the porch yesterday as the sun went down and heard the cries and moans coming from next door. When they came back to the house, he saw the bruises on Beth's neck and peeking out from the sleeveless blouse she was wearing. He didn't want to but he thought of where else on her body he had marked.
Rick didn't know why he was plagued with these thoughts. Back when Lori and Shane were alive he had been devastated to learn of their affair, even though he understood at first. But Shane tried to kill him, had wanted to take Lori and Carl away from him. Shane had been like his brother and it hurt him even worse than the knowledge that Lori had been sleeping with him. He knew how his obsession was hurting Daryl because he had been there. But he just couldn't help it and he didn't know what to do.
"Do you think this guy really knows how to stop this?" Carl asked. He hadn't spoken to Dr. Porter, the guy seemed like a jerk to Carl, like he was better than everyone else. Dr. Jenner at the CDC hadn't been able to tell them anything much.
"I don't know," he told Carl honestly. None of them were really sure. Not even Daryl. Rick knew Daryl didn't trust easily but like Daryl he did feel Abraham was who he said he was.
The baby stirred in the back seat. Michonne handed Carl a bottle from the bag. The baby was mostly on solids but she wasn't completely off the bottle. She should be, thought Michonne. She was a year old; thirteen months actually. Her little boy had been weaned by ten months. She pushed those thoughts away. Thinking about Andre hurt too much.
The baby settled and they followed the other cars in silence.
Man there were too many couples in this group, thought Bob. Glenn and Maggie were in the back seat and the giggles coming from back there were getting on his nerves. Sasha was driving and he was sitting beside her. Daryl and Beth were bad enough but he could understand Glenn and Maggie, who were already married when Daryl had brought him to the prison.
Sasha didn't talk much. She had resigned herself to not seeing her brother again and had already buried him, knowing now that they were headed to Washington there was no chance.
She liked Bob. He was ok she decided, a good friend. She sensed his discomfort with the sounds coming from the back seat, same as when Daryl and Beth were together. She thought it was funny because he was so obvious about it. Better get used to it , she thought to herself. It would be a long trip.
They were low on gas when Daryl saw the sign
PLEASANT VALLEY POP. 200
They had siphoned gas from abandoned vehicles they found. Daryl stopped the bike. Up ahead were two walkers. He motioned for Beth to stay with him; he needed her close especially when they didn't know what was here. It wasn't just the walkers he worried about. If there were any survivors here, they would be scared and standoffish to say the least. Downright unfriendly. He took out the two walkers and bent down to get the arrows out of the skulls.
Abraham and Bob set about siphoning gas from the cars on the street. Not very many. This was a small town.
"We need ta sweep the buildings, find supplies and a place ta camp" said Daryl. They split into their groups. They were on what looked to be the main street. Thunder rumbled in the distance. There was a storm coming in.
The sign on the front of the building said "Pleasant Valley Union Hall". Daryl tried the door. It was unlocked. He opened the door slowly, crossbow raised. Beth was behind him with the knife he had taken from Carol's body before he burned it.
Walkers. Four of them, all women came at them. Two of them dropped silently as Daryl's arrows hit their skulls with a sick splat. The third came for Beth but she easily stabbed it through the skull. She was getting good with the knife. Daryl was impressed with his beautiful ray of sunshine.
The fourth was right on top of Beth. Daryl couldn't get a clear shot but he quickly rammed his rusty screwdriver through the back of its head, its skull splitting like an overripe melon.
"Damn," he said, smiling at Beth. "Doin' great Princess," he whispered, in case there were more. They finished sweeping the building. It seemed to be clear.
They checked out the kitchen. There wasn't much. They grabbed what they found and threw it in their bags.
Knowing they were safe for the moment, Daryl put his arms around Beth, kissing her passionately. She felt his tongue enter her mouth and she ran her hands under his shirt, loving the feel of hard muscular chest. His hands were on her under her shirt now, his fingers toying with her nipples. She moaned. He whispered in her ear, "Ya like that Princess?" his hands unbuttoning her jeans and rubbing the cheeks of her ass. He pulled down her jeans, running his hands over her legs. "Got more for ya," he kneeled in front of her. She closed her eyes and moaned as she felt his fingers spreading her lips and then his tongue, his sweet hot tongue licking her. She was moaning as it plunged inside her as his fingers rubbed her clit. She was so close. Then he stopped. "Just getting' ya wet Sunshine," as he stood up . He turned her around so she was facing the counter/
She heard him unzipping his pants, felt his throbbing erection at her dripping wet opening. His face was buried in her neck and he whispered in her ear as he started to move. He was buried so deep inside her as his fingers found her clit. "Want ya ta come fer me," she was moaning now as his fingers played with her clit. He could feel it there hard as a rock under his thumb and he fucked her harder, each thrust making her moan.
"Want ya ta come hard baby Ohh Beth," he moaned in her ear with every thrust rubbing her harder, biting her neck now his fingers on her clit rubbing harder and harder
"Oh! Y-Yes Daryl oh I-I" she couldn't form words now, she could hardly breathe as her orgasm consumed her, devoured her as he moved faster inside her, his voice in her ear so close but so far away
"Beth Beth oh Beth !" and he came inside her, pinning her to the counter. Then he wrapped her in his arms, kissing her sweet lips that had screamed his name in passion.
They quickly dressed knowing they needed to get back out there. She hugged him again. "I love you Mr Dixon," and he picked her up in his arms. "Love ya too Mrs Dixon," and they went outside. They had agreed to meet at the vehicles in thirty minutes and they were late.
"Nice of you to join us," said Abraham. Everyone was laughing, having heard the moans coming from the Union Hall.
"Hell with all y'all," grumbled Daryl as he hugged Beth. No one could see he was smiling. But Beth knew.
None of them saw the pair of eyes watching from the window across the street.