A/N: I'm honestly going to try to be better about updating, I swear! Maybe that'll be my New Year's resolution... Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone that made it this far! I appreciate each and every one of you!
Beth took a sip of water from one of the bottles they'd brought and washed down an aspirin tablet, only grimacing slightly at the bitter taste on the back of her tongue. She held out the bottle to Daryl, tapping his arm with it, and he accepted it carefully, waiting for a smooth, straight stretch of road before taking a gulp and handing it back to her with a quiet grunt in thanks. She stored it in her backpack and returned to watching the scenery pass by in a haze of green.
They'd been driving since morning, following a carefully planned route they'd decided on after consulting an atlas someone had found in what used to be an office at the house. The area seemed clear of any large herds or other people, quiet in comparison to the larger cities, or so she'd heard. The largest herd she'd seen had been outside that convenience store and that had been large enough for her. So far they'd only spotted a few small herds, maybe five walkers at the most, all in pretty bad condition and moving slow. They had yet to spot another living person and Beth felt a small knot of anxiety at the prospect ease in relief.
They'd been quiet since leaving the house but it wasn't uncomfortable. Beth remembered bits and pieces of her time with Daryl and knew that he liked to keep the talking to a minimum while they were outside the relative safety of their latest refuge, preferring to focus on the task at hand. She also found that talking between them wasn't necessary. She could read Daryl almost as well as he could read her and she realized that most of her urge to speak was spurned by her overall nervousness with being out in the world again. She didn't think they'd run into any trouble they couldn't handle between the two of them but the idea of something happening again, after everything, made her feel physically ill.
She took another drink of water and the silence was interrupted by Daryl's hoarse voice asking, "Ya alright?"
Beth looked at him, meeting his eyes for a moment before he went back to watching the road, his hands tightening on the steering wheel almost imperceptibly. Beth forced away her dismal thoughts and replied with as much levity as she could muster, "Yeah, I'm fine."
Daryl glanced at her again and lifted his chin a little, "Ya sure?"
Beth smirked at that. Why did she even try to hide anything from him? He relaxed a little at her chuckle and she responded more honestly, "I'm just a little nervous." She glanced over at him while adding, "I know we'll be okay, we're together, but… it's still a little scary to be out here again."
Daryl nodded once, glancing at her again, and agreed in a rough voice, "Brings back all that shit but… ain't gonna let nothin' happen to ya."
Beth straightened and replied firmly, "And I won't let anything happen to you." She smiled more brightly as his lips twitched into a typical Daryl smile and added, "You watch my back and I watch yours. We're a team, you and me."
"Yeah," He agreed gruffly, smirking a little now, "Should get jerseys." Beth laughed lightly and Daryl snorted before returning his attention to the road, letting them fall into an easy silence again.
They drove a little further before Beth directed them towards their last turn that would take them back towards the town, her finger tracing the road on the map as they approached the intersection.
"Looks like a straight shot from here," She noted, glancing up as they slowed to make the turn. "Maybe thirty minutes from town, forty five at most from the house?" Daryl grunted in agreement, eyes searching around them as they approached the turn, blind to what was on the other side.
Her mind barely had time to register the picture in front of her eyes before Daryl was throwing the car into reverse and quickly scurrying away, a muttered curse floating around them in the car. A herd of walkers, maybe a hundred, were standing just around the corner, all clumped together. She could hear their snarls starting to amplify as the car whipped around and accelerated away and she spun in her seat to peer back at them with wide eyes.
"They followin'?" Daryl asked, his voice low and hoarse.
Beth struggled to focus on the hoard behind them with the car bouncing down the uneven road, but finally she managed, "I think so. A few have started to come after us so the others will probably follow."
"Too close to the house, gotta lead 'em away," Daryl muttered, almost to himself. He pointed to the map, "Make sure we ain't drivin' into a dead end or somethin'. We'll keep goin' until we're far enough away then lose 'em."
Beth turned away from the sight to look at him, understanding dawning on her. She grabbed the map again and Daryl slowed their headlong sprint so she could read it. Her pulse was racing but her hands miraculously steady and she forced away the dull thud that pounded away in her head, the stress accelerating the pain before the aspirin could have a chance to take effect. After a moment she replied, "If we stay on this road we'll end up in Atlanta. That's probably good, they'll be drawn to any herds still in the city."
Daryl's fingers tightened slightly on the wheel but he replied evenly, "We'll get 'em headed that way then lose 'em right before we get there."
Beth nodded in agreement then looked back at the herd for a moment. She placed a hand on his shoulder and said quietly, "We have to slow down, they need to get closer or they'll lose interest."
Daryl nodded and the car slowed to a crawl. He turned in his seat to glance back too and Beth found herself holding her breath as they watched more and more walkers slowly turn their way and start shambling down the road. Once they got close enough, Daryl started moving the car slowly, stopping occasionally to let them catch up before taking off again. Beth tried not to wince at the sounds of flat palms hitting the back windows and focused on the map before her, trying to find the best place to lose the herd that was following them now. The snarls amplified with every moment and before too long Daryl didn't need the stop and go routine. He kept the car several feet away from the herd and maintained a slow but steady speed, leading the horde like a apocalyptic pied piper.
"Any idea where we can lose 'em?" He asked after a while, glancing between Beth and the mirrors as he kept tabs on their surroundings.
Beth nodded, "Yeah, about fifteen miles down the road there's a large subdivision that loops around back to a road that parallels this one. If we drive through there, take a couple turns, we should be able to lose them."
Daryl nodded, chewing on his lip, and added, "Gotta make sure we don't get trapped down some dead end street."
"I have a route planned out," Beth replied, "All square blocks with multiple turns we can make in case we run into anything else."
Daryl looked over at her again, his lips curving upwards slightly, and he jerked his chin a little, "Ya got it all figured out, then." Beth smiled at him, confident in her plan, and nodded confidently. "Alright," He continued, "Ya just tell me where to point this thing then and I'll get us there."
They rode in silence for a while, both keeping an eye out for any ambitious walkers that might be catching up to them and listening to the continued harried snarling behind them. Beth felt jittery, had to fight to keep her legs from wiggling, and she toyed absently with the end of her ponytail, wrapping the blonde strands around and around her fingers. Daryl's whole body was stiff, his eyes narrowed and watchful, his fingers drumming lightly against the wheel every so often as the only sign that he was anxious too.
"Probably drawin' every walker around with all this noise," Daryl observed after another extended silence, his eyes on the side mirror as he watched a particularly large walker extend a grasping hand towards him as if it knew Daryl was looking at it.
Beth shrugged a little and replied, "That's probably not a bad thing." Daryl grunted curiously and she shook her head from side to side, smiling patiently as she explained, "Any others not part of this herd will get pulled into it and we'll have fewer around the house. We're leading as many walkers as we can away from the others. Plus, if we hadn't stumbled on them today they could've made their way to the house. We would've been overrun before anyone realized it."
He nodded, "Yeah, probably right." He jerked his chin towards the map in her lap and asked, "How much further?"
Beth studied it for a moment, her fingers tracing a thin black line as she silently calculated. After a moment she responded, "We should be reaching the edge of the subdivision soon."
As if the words could summon them, the peaks of suburban rooftops emerged from the dense greenery bordering the road and Beth looked at Daryl, grinning proudly. He smirked and nodded once in recognition before turning in his seat to check on their tail. The snarling herd was still following and Beth returned her gaze to the map, going over her planned route again and eyeing other roads they could use if needed.
The trees seemed to just end and they found themselves on a road lined with houses, so close together Beth absently wondered how people could've lived like that. Wouldn't it feel almost claustrophobic? But then she laughed at herself, remembering the group of people living on top of each other back at the house and realized a house for just her and a few others didn't sound that bad, no matter house close it was to the neighbors.
They stayed on what seemed like the main road through the subdivision, drawing as much of the herd into the maze of houses as they could before they started to make they turns. Daryl kept his eyes focused on the road and mirrors, every once in a while letting out an inquisitive grunt to which Beth replied with how much longer they had before they could turn and start working their way away from the herd.
Finally Beth estimated that they were near the center of the neighborhood and declared, "Okay, up here, make a right." Daryl nodded, his hands shifting on the wheel in preparation. Beth glanced behind them and reached out to put a hand on Daryl's shoulder, saying quietly, "We're almost there."
He nodded, not saying anything in response but she could feel some of his tension lessening slightly beneath her fingers and she smiled as she turned in her seat to consult her map again. She wanted to be sure this was the best way to get to the road they needed even though she knew the map almost by heart now, having committed most of this area to memory in preparation.
She looked up and saw their turn approaching at last and directed quietly, "Here, make a right, then the next block make a left. We'll keep doing that until we lose them and eventually we'll wind up on that other road that'll take us back the way we came."
Daryl nodded again, the wheel slowly turning in his hands as they turned. Beth watched as the horde followed them, though at a diminished distance, and laughed breathlessly, "It's working!" Daryl's lips twitched into a smile but he stayed focused as he made another turn.
They continued to make a right then a left, each turn forcing the herd further and further behind. Beth felt her fear diminish with every block. Daryl had trusted her with navigating them out of their situation and she'd done it. She followed their progress with a finger, seeing that they were close to the other road that paralleled their route into the neighborhood. One last right turn and they'd be there, they'd be safe.
Daryl made the turn and slammed on the brakes, staring disbelievingly as Beth's triumphant smile quickly turned to one of horror. "Shit!" He exclaimed in a rough grunt.
He threw the car into reverse and started to back away from the herd standing before them, even more numerous than the one they'd been leading. The new hoard started to moan and stumble their way towards the retreating car and Beth turned in her seat to look behind, feeling the blood go from her face as she spied walkers from the first herd turn the corner, no doubt drawn by the noise. Beth glanced around, her eyes searching the houses, looking for a way out. They were pinned between two streets, no road to escape down, the houses too close together to drive between. Daryl stared at the herd before them, his eyes scrambling between them and the rapidly gaining walkers behind them. He looked at Beth then and barked, "Get outta the car, we gotta run!"
Beth nodded quickly, grabbing her bag as she leapt from the car, reaching out to grab Daryl's outstretched hand as he met her on the sidewalk. He pulled her to him then pushed her ahead, yelling, "Just keep goin', I'm right behind ya!"
She ran, pushing past a white fence as she darted into a backyard, eyes searching for a way out, a way to keep moving. Her eyes found a partially collapsed panel and she sprinted towards it, praying there'd be another way out on the other side. Her boots pounded against the rotting wood, making it groan and snap beneath her like a walker's teeth. She winced as the pain in her head grew with the exertion but kept moving into the next yard. She couldn't see a way out but Daryl tapped her arm and she turned to follow him as he pushed past another collapsed fence, his arm once again pulling her close then pushing her past him.
In the front yard of a house one block away they could still hear the snarls of the herd behind them and down the street the hoard they'd been leading was still stumbling along. It wouldn't be long before they were discovered and fighting past fences was only going to slow them down. Daryl glanced at her and she nodded, silently promising to trust him, reminding him she had his back and would follow him wherever he led. He nodded back, tapped her arm, then took off down the street, away from the first herd. Beth followed, watching the angel wings on his back sway with the rolling of his shoulders, a sight that struck her as so familiar it was comforting in a strange way she didn't fully understand .
After running several more blocks, Daryl slowed to a stop, his chest heaving slightly as he eyed Beth, "Ya alright?" Beth nodded, too winded to respond, and Daryl's shrewd eyes swept over her quickly before he turned away to scan the street. They could see a few stragglers from the first herd stumbling along a few blocks down but their rasping snarls were still loud enough to make Beth's skin prickle in fear. Daryl looked at her again, seeming to consider something, then stated, "Can't keep running like this, they got us pinned down while they're all riled up." He looked up at the sky and added, "Gonna be dark soon."
"We need to find somewhere to lie low for the night," Beth finished for him. He nodded and Beth laughed breathlessly, "Well if you're tired…"
Daryl snorted then jerked his head towards the nearest house, "C'mon, this one's as good as any."
