... Chapter 37 ...
''C'mon sleepyhead, get ya ass up.''
Beth's eyes flew open when the roughly spoken command was accompanied with a resounding slap to her exposed behind.
''Ow…'' She grumbled, sleepily rubbing the area in question when the faint sting it left behind lingered, ''Oh my god Daryl! Was that necessary? You could have just woken me the normal way...''
Daryl smirked, obviously finding her testy mood amusing. ''Yeah I could've, but what kinda fun would that have been. 'Sides, never got 'round ta giving ya that spankin'. If anythin', you should be thankin' me that I'm considering it done.''
Beth groaned, finding his asinine logic too much to take upon first waking up. Glancing over, she saw that he was fully dressed and in the process of slinging the Horton over his shoulder. Suddenly very aware of her own nakedness, she clutched the blanket to her chest and sat up quickly, her brows drawing as she shoved her hair from her eyes. ''Are you going somewhere?''
''We're goin' somewhere… so best get moving 'cause I'm leavin' in five.''
His point made, Daryl left the room to go downstairs, leaving Beth blinking after him in shock. He wanted her to come do… whatever it was he was doing… with him? That was a first.
She pushed herself from the bed, pausing only when her aching thigh muscles were quick to remind her why the sudden movement of it wasn't such a good idea. Having no doubt that Daryl would leave with or without her, she got dressed as fast as she could, taking a moment to brush her teeth and sweep her hair up into a messy ponytail. Having done as much as she was able in the limited time frame she'd been given, she slid her knife into its holster and flew downstairs to find him standing in the driveway holding one of their backpacks.
''Where are we going?''
The question came out in an excited rush, despite every vow she had made to herself in the last five minutes to not have it do so. The last thing she wanted was for Daryl to know just how happy she was to be finally included in his plans. Knowing him, he would change his mind, doing so just because he could for whatever reason best suited his argument.
''Next storm's headin' in any day now,'' He said, letting her take the backpack from him as they began walking down the driveway, ''Reckoned it's as good a time as any ta go check out town, take a look around before it does.''
As they passed the front gates to the cemetery, he spared her a glance, the look on his face dubious to say the least. ''What… ya ain't got nothin' ta say about it? Figured I'd be inundated with a million fuckin' questions by now…''
Trying her best to keep up with his steady gait, Beth just shrugged, ''Of course I have questions. I'm just waiting until we're far enough away from the house to ask them. That way, you won't be able to send me back if they annoy you… which, knowing you… will be right away.''
Daryl sniffed, not feeling the need to deny the assumption. When she heard him do so, Beth felt comfortable enough to add, ''Besides, you wouldn't have us going to town if you didn't have a good reason… I was just hoping you'd get around to telling me what it was so I wouldn't have to risk it by asking.''
''Guessin' that's fair.'' He conceded, heading them off of the main road and into the surrounding woods. ''Need ta get some parts for tha bike, that's tha main reason right there. Noticed when I was comin' back that tha damn thing's runnin' a hell of a lot warmer than it needs to. Phone book says there's a parts store in town… figured we'd jus' kill two birds with one stone an' sweep tha place while we're at it... see what's there.''
Beth stepped over a fallen log in her way before coming back to his side. ''So that's why we left the bike behind again..."
''Yeah, that and tha same reason we left it behind before. Ain't no need ta go roaring in when we got no idea what's there waitin' for us. Game plan was always ta check tha place out on foot. Bikes hidden in the brush behind the house an' that's where it'll stay until we get back.''
''Hidden?'' Beth asked, confused. ''Why?''
Daryl just shrugged like the answer was inconsequential. ''Can't really say… I get weird feelings about shit that I've learnt over tha years it best not ta argue with. It was telling me ta hide tha bike so that's what I did. Way I figure, fuck it… better ta be safe than sorry.''
''Well, it just means that we get to keep it, right?'' She said, recalling the lesson learned the last time they had done such a thing. That had been the day she'd been attacked at the store, the events of which seemed like a lifetime ago now.
Daryl looked over at her as though surprised she had remembered and Beth huffed indignantly, ''What?! I listen!''
''Pfft! Yeah, right…'' He snorted disbelievingly, ''Ya listen ta everythin' 'cept for when I tell ya ta stay put… or when I tell ya ta not get into tha trouble that for some reason ya seem hell bent upon findin'… or if I ask ya ta…''
''Anyways…'' She interrupted quickly, not much appreciating his unnecessary commentary, ''What else are we going into town for?"
Daryl bit back a smirk, having obviously enjoyed giving her the rash of shit he must have thought she deserved. ''Food an' more water. We're outta soup an' down to tha last jar of peanut butter. What we have left ain't gonna last us too long. We'll look for weapons as well, maybe some more propane… all that an' hopefully be back before nightfall.''
Noticing that they were heading further into the woods, Beth paused in confusion. ''I may not have your freaky sense of direction but… isn't town that way? Why do you have us going further into the woods when we could just take the main road in?''
Re-adjusting the Horton over his shoulder, Daryl ducked under a low hanging branch. ''It's covered in walkers, that's why. Enough to where I had ta ditch it on tha far side 'a town an' push tha bike through the woods for tha last two miles home. Walkers being everywhere is jus' another reason why we're doing this on foot. Going in quiet is tha only way we're goin' in.''
''Oh…'' Beth sighed, not nearly as excited as she had been at the prospect of exploring the town anymore. Avoiding large groups of walkers was almost as nerve racking as being caught completely unawares by them. It was like the cat and mouse game of the five in the cemetery only with a hell of a lot more cats and infinitely more harrowing. ''I guess that makes sense.''
Daryl stopped and turn around, his face serious as his boots sunk into the sodden leaves at his feet. ''There's another reason why I detoured us out here. I wanna show ya where that cabin is, jus' in case shit goes down unexpected like. That way you'll know exactly where ta go so I can find ya.''
Beth regarded him just as seriously. ''Wait… is there something you're not telling me? Because I'm starting to feel like you're prepping me for something bad to happen.''
He gave a single shake of his head. ''Nah, jus' being cautious is all. Ain't nothin' wrong with having our shit together. That means contingency plans too. Fallen off with tha training I promised ya a while back 'cause of tha rain an'… well… other things… so there's no time like tha present ta get back on with tha program.''
Her brows drew, somewhat surprised to hear him refer to the new aspect of their relationship in such an emotionally detached kind of way. '' 'Other things'?''
''Ya know what I mean.'' He pulled a deep breath, pausing for a moment to chew on the edge of his thumb nail, ''Look… since it's been brought up… I know things have changed for us on that front an' as I said to ya before, I ain't regretting that… but I can't have it changing what needs ta happen out here. Outside of that bedroom, I need you ta have ya head in tha game… no fuckin' around, ya hear?''
Pinned under the intensity of the singular demand, Beth could only nod woodenly, not trusting the sound of her own voice. Just what exactly did he think she was going to do? Moon over him ridiculously at the most inopportune moment and put both of their lives at risk?
The fact that he even felt the need to say such a thing was jolting, especially considering that she had somehow managed to survive for as long as he had and had done so without his weapon or his training. Having finished saying it, Daryl walked away, his face a blank slate as he disappeared into the brush to drop out of view. Feeling like her stomach was full of lead, Beth followed behind him, the harshness of his point lingering in her ears for far longer than she would've liked.
Remembering just how different he had been that morning, she came to the realization that she was going to have to work harder to separate the confusing dynamics of their relationship, if only to prevent herself from getting hurt feelings over the inherent personality traits that he either didn't know or didn't care to change. With the brief interaction chafing at her, she was relieved beyond words that she hadn't told him she loved him. By keeping that particular card close to her heart, she could keep all of her feelings for him there as well… and continue to try and prove to him that she wasn't as inept as he obviously thought her to be.
Doing her best to keep her footing in the muddy terrain, Beth looked up and saw the cabin Daryl spoke of over in the distance. It was a small structure, nothing more than a seasonal hunting lodge really. Sitting alone amongst the surrounding foliage, it had a single bare boned window and a dilapidated wooden porch and was perhaps the saddest little thing that she had ever seen.
As if reading her mind Daryl glanced over at it. ''Ain't much ta look at but it'll do for tha reason we'll be using it for. Think you can remember how we got here?''
Beth gave a stilted nod. ''Are you sure there's not a reason why I'd need to remember?''
''As I said, better ta be safe than sorry. There's a lock on tha inside an' a small stove that serves as a fireplace. If for any reason shit goes down an' we get separated, I want ya ta come here and wait for me… no tryin' ta be a hero, no thinkin' you can help... for any reason,ya understand?''
''I got it.'' Beth ground out, trying her damndest to not to let his tone of voice make her feel like he was talking to a child that didn't understand the rules.
If Daryl sensed her indignation, he didn't show it. Instead he swept past her to get back to the objective at hand. Beth figured it was much more likely that he didn't care, just as long as she complied to what he wanted with no argument on her part. As they walked, she couldn't help but wonder if he would've been so adamant with Michonne. What was it about her specifically that made him feel like he had to drill every precautionary aspect of what he wanted into her so oppressively?
The closer they got to town the more solemn Daryl became, a single minded determinedness coming over him that was worrying to say the least. If he was like this now, she almost dreaded how he was going to be once they finally got there. The survival instincts that made him who he was seemed to kick into overdrive as soon as they stepped foot into the woods, making him seem almost like a stranger after the last few days they had spent together.
Swallowing her trepidation, she resigned herself to just doing the best that she could. He asked her to come with him for a reason, maybe he had forgotten what that was as the seriousness of the endeavor became apparent.
A few miles later, Daryl finally found an abandoned bridge that would lead them to where they needed to go. As they crossed it in silence, Beth peered over its side to see the river that ran underneath it was swollen beyond capacity. The constant deluge that had been dumped by the recent storms had the water crashing noisily at its banks, filling the air with a clamorous roar as it rushed past them. The deafening sound made it difficult to hear her own thoughts, which was probably a good thing with the grudgy way she was feeling.
As she walked, Beth could see that Piedmont was laid out like most other small Southern towns she had seen growing up. The farm houses that lined its perimeter were quickly followed by the smaller commercial establishments that had been the lifeblood of the place - family diners, feed stores, gas stations and such. In their better days, they would have been thriving. Now they all sat on the side of the road in a sorry state of disrepair, completely abandoned and littered with dead corpses.
She knew without asking that Daryl was leading them to the congested center that would have been the heart of the town. That's where the retail stores would be, along with the restaurants, bars, office buildings and hopefully one semi-stocked auto parts place.
Upon seeing some walkers ahead, Daryl stopped suddenly and turned around. Completely lost in the monotony that trudging along behind had induced, Beth almost ran into him, catching herself at the last moment. Ignoring the look of censure the near collision quickly earned her, she took a step back and waited to hear whatever he felt the need to have to say.
He swung the Horton from his back and settled it against his chest. ''Store we're lookin' for is right off a' Main street which shouldn't be too hard ta find. Want ya ta stay close an' watch our backs, stick to tha walls best ya can… an' if I say run, ya run an' don't look back...'' He pointed to a nearby apartment complex. On its second floor was a balcony that had a trellis at its side, making it fairly accessible. ''If anythin' happens, go there an' wait for me. If it's not safe an' ya can't make it, get outta town an' go straight to tha cabin… ya know where it is now. Got it?''
Seeing the walkers now herself, Beth just nodded that she understood, unable to pry her eyes away. There were a lot more than she expected, especially this long after the turn. The river that ran the edge of town had likely kept them all confined within its borders like caged animals. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all. Unable to disperse as was their nature, the ones ahead looked ravenous with hunger... the fresh meat entering their midst all that was needed to start a frenzy that the two of them were completely unprepared to deal with.
Seemingly unphased, Daryl headed them in anyway so Beth decided to trust in his judgment. Following quietly behind him, she swallowed any residual feelings she had about his own in her, choosing instead to focus only on the task at hand. Pulling her knife from its holster, she gripped the leather of its handle tightly in her hand. As he said, it was better to be safe than sorry.
They silently made their way into the center of town, ducking into alleys and crouching behind abandoned cars to stay as hidden as they could. Finding the street they were looking for quickly became so nerve racking that Beth started to doubt that it even existed. When they finally came across it, Daryl grabbed her arm and pulled her into a storefront alcove. There, tucked away in relative safety, they both took a moment to catch their breath, each of them somewhat amazed to have made it as far as they had undetected.
With his back pressed to the boarded window, Daryl dared to look over his shoulder to the road in question, prompting Beth to do the same. From where she was next to him, she peered past his arm, unable to help herself as she stared wide eyed at the sight that greeted them.
The entire street was flooded with walkers, all of them wandering by aimlessly as the jostled and growled at each other. Slamming back against the plywood, Daryl ran a frustrated hand down his face, the wheels in his mind spinning out of control as he attempted to assess the direness of the situation... one that he obviously hadn't expected to have to deal with.
''Christ, that's a shit ton 'a walkers…'' He groused out loud, staring unseeingly over her head to the broken boards on the other side of the threshold.
Unable to look away from the horde meandering along unawares, Beth swallowed heavily in agreement before falling back and whispering up to him, ''Oh my god, it… it's like the whole town is there… all on that one road!''
Daryl began circling in the small space allotted to them like a caged animal chomping at the bit. His jaw clenched in anger as the muscles under his skin began to tic. '''Course, it's gotta be the one we're tryin' ta get to! I mean, why tha fuck wouldn't it be?! Once... jus' once... all I want is for shit ta be easy but nah, guessin' that's jus' too damn much ta ask! So what do I get instead? This! A walker parade of fuckin' bullshit!''
''Will you calm down!'' Beth whispered furiously, glaring over at him. ''They'll hear you!Just stop… and think! What do we do?!''
''How in tha hell should I know?'' He bit back in return, gesturing sarcastically towards the problem to sneer out derisively, ''Why don't we jus' waltz in an' hack our way through, fuckin' hope for tha best!''
''You're not helping!'' Beth snapped, biting at her lower lip before quickly thinking out loud, ''Could there be another way around, a back alley or something?''
To his credit, Daryl pulled a calming breath before saying grudgingly, ''If there is, we'd have'ta go all tha way back to tha end of this fuckin' street ta find it. All these buildings are attached.''
''Well, if that's the case, how about the roof?'' She glanced up past the overhang, ''If we can somehow get up to the roof we can find the store that way, stay out of reach of those on the ground. If all of these buildings are attached, it couldn't be that far. It's completely do-able.''
Daryl's brows rose as he stared at her disbelievingly. ''Lemme get this straight, you wanna go all tha way up there an' what… finangle our way over a bunch'a rooftops like we're in the fuckin' circus or somethin'? Is that what ya sayin'?''
''You got a better idea?!'' Beth argued in frustration. She seriously wanted to scream at his hardheadedness but didn't dare do so because of the situation in which they found themselves, one she was at least trying to get them out of! ''Think about it! At least if we're up there we can find the store without having to deal with anything down here. Once we do, we'll just access it from the roof rather than the ground… clear any problems from the inside without disturbing anything on the outside!''
Having caught the attention of a random walker that had just happened to look over, Daryl turned and kicked in the bottom window of the stores front door, knowing that others would quickly follow.
''Guess it's as good 'a plan as any...'' He rushed out, glancing over hurriedly to see a few more walkers breaking off from the horde to begin heading their way, ''Times up for discussin' it! Climb through!''
Beth scrambled to do as he said, crawling over the doors threshold on her hands and knees while being careful to avoid any of the broken glass scattered on the floor. Turning, she grabbed the crossbow from Daryl so he could do the same. They quickly shoved a display case against the door to prevent anything else from following and both stood there for a moment panting as they watched the walkers slam themselves in frustration against the slats of plywood.
Daryl glanced over to where she was pallidly staring at the mass now gathering outside and placed a hand on her arm, ''Let's go.''
Pulling the Horton up, he led them upstairs past the offices and storage rooms until they found the access door to the roof. Climbing out easily enough, they both squinted in the daylight as they viewed the situation from their new much higher vantage point.
''Well, that ain't somethin' ya see everyday.'' Daryl muttered as he peered over the edge of the roof top terrace to the horde milling agitatedly below.
Seeing a row of dead potted plants nearby, he picked one up and threw it as far down the road as he could manage, watching its trajectory until it smashed on the street. The noise it made served its purpose as even more walkers began diverting from Main street, funneling instead onto the road they were on. Even the ones in front of the store started to move off, falling in line with the rest of the mass as they shuffled towards the outskirts of town. Upon seeing them do so, Beth picked up a pot as well, giving it her best effort only to have it land on the head of one of them, killing it instantly.
Her eyes widened and she glanced over at Daryl to see if he saw.
The amused look on his face told her that he had and he bit back a smirk before muttering, ''If you could do that ta all of 'em, it would make this whole day a hell of a lot easier.''
''It wasn't what I was going for…'' She chagrined, now finding the humor in it as well.
''Don't matter, worked either way.''
She looked down and saw he was right. The unexpected noises had the walkers steadily empting from their objective. If they were lucky, they'd keep on going, the length of the road itself leading them further away. While it wouldn't resolve the problem completely, it would at least take care of the worst of it, helping significantly in case something were to happen while the two of them were here. The river would keep the walkers contained so they didn't spill into the surrounding area to become an issue again later. All her and Daryl would need to do was find another way out whenever the time came to leave.
With at least one problem in the process of being handled, Daryl climbed onto the ledge of the building and followed it down its length, leading them across the roof tops and past any impediments in their way such as antennas or satellite dishes. Beth stayed close to him as he went, making sure to keep an eye out he had asked. Most had terraces on top that were either public or private and the two of them passed by them all without a second glance, not much caring to know what or where they led to.
Daryl had been right, the buildings themselves were mostly attached. Those that weren't were so close together that Beth couldn't help but wonder why they had even bothered to separate them at all. Rickety makeshift bridges spanned the small gaps, temporary platforms constructed out of two by fours, pieces of furniture and sheer desperate ingenuity. Erected by the previous tenants, they were likely a last ditch effort to stay above the gory madness below and were probably used for the very reason that her and Daryl were using them now.
Crossing only the ones they needed to, they were able to find the parts store quickly enough. Unfortunately, it was on the other side of the street, too far away for any ramshackle bridge to cross. It also had a fair amount of walkers meandering around in front of it.
Daryl sighed resignedly as he looked down at it. ''Shoulda known it wasn't gonna be that easy.''
Like every other store in the area, the auto shop was located on the ground level with either apartments, offices or storage facilities occupying the top two floors. The outside looked undisturbed for the most part but Beth knew how misleading such a thing could be. There was no way to know what lay behind the boarded windows. Even from where she stood high above, she could see the bloody handprints that marked the glass on the inside. That was never a good sign.
Adjusting the Horton on his back, Daryl saw them too. He squinted over at her through his hair, ''Got anymore bright ideas?''
Feeling somewhat put on the spot that he would even think to ask, Beth assessed the situation once more.
''Um… we could go downstairs, make a run for it like we did in Barnesville?'' She suggested improbably.
Daryl pondered it for a moment before shaking his head, ''Ain't gonna work. They'll be on us before we even reach tha door.''
Surprised that he was even contemplating what she had to say, Beth thought about it harder, trying her best to look for the answer to their dilemma outside of the very small box they had to work in.
''How about the power lines.'' She said, pointing to the jumble of cables and insulated wires that stretched over to the building in question, ''We could use them to cross over, go in through the roof the same way as we would over here. It's not like they have electricity running through them and they'd be more than strong enough to hold our weight.''
Seeming to consider the option viable, Daryl went over and swung himself over the edge of the building, setting his boot on the cable so that he could gage its strength against his weight. Upon sensing its sturdiness, he steadied himself more fully onto its grappling connector, holding onto the ledge of the bricks just in case. As he took the time he needed to assure himself that it wouldn't snap from under them, Beth glanced down at the walkers below, thankful to see that the actions he was taking hadn't garnered their attention. If their luck held steady, it would hopefully stay that way.
''Well?...'' She breathed nervously.
''Seems solid.'' He muttered, hefting himself back up onto the ledge. Assessing the distance once more, he glanced over at her to say, ''I'm gonna head over. You stay here an'…''
''What?!'' Beth whispered furiously, suddenly resentful beyond belief. She stepped towards him with her pointed finger at the ready, ''No!You don't get to tell me that anymore! This was my idea! As was coming up onto the roof in the first place! You're not going to do this to me again… make me feel like I can't do the things you can do just because I'm not like Carol!''
Daryl just stared at her, the indignant outburst having obviously come from out of nowhere. ''What tha hell are ya talkin' about? I ain't tellin' ya ta stay because I'm wishin' you were like Carol an' I sure as shit ain't tellin' ya to do so because I think you're incompetent or whatever!"
''Then what is it? Every time that I feel like I'm pulling my weight and can actually be an asset of some kind, you hit me with 'you need to stay here' and 'I'm leaving you behind'! You already got to do that when you went to go get the bike. I'm not getting left behind again!''
Beth felt the tears burning the back of her eyes and cursed herself silently, wanting more than anything to just be able to assert her point with as much conviction as possible. She was in this too and meant every word. Her defenses up, she was now left waiting to see what he would have to say about it, having forced them into a stand-off that neither had expected to deal with right then. With her feelings building to a head for a while now, she could honestly say that her only real regret was that they had chosen now of all times to make themselves known.
Just as she knew he would be, Daryl was too observant for his own good. Upon seeing the misting of tears behind her adamance, he released a drawn out sigh. ''Christ sakes, ya got it all wrong. C'mere... it ain't like that." He grabbed her hand and pulled her against where he was sitting on the ledge of the building. "I ain't tellin' ya to do any of those things 'cause I don't think you can handle ya self... ya more than showed me that ya can by gettin' us this far."
''Then what?'' Beth whispered up to him, completely at a loss.
''Jus'... don't want nothin' happening to ya, is all.'' His brows drew as he struggled to find the right words. ''Me, I can deal with… it's all I know an' what I'm used to. But you? I get… all distracted, things gets outta focus...''
Daryl paused for a moment before continuing, ''That's why I said what I said to ya back at tha cabin, despite knowin' it was heavy handed as shit. It ain't you that I'm worried won't have their head on straight out here… it's me. Thinkin' about ya in harms way... I don't know… it fucks with me in a way that I'm still tryin' ta wrap my brain around. Sure as hell makes me wanna do nothin' but leave ya locked up safe in the house for tha rest of ya natural born life, that's for damn sure.''
Feeling better for knowing the truth, Beth looked up at him and said with all sincerity, ''Could we choose not to do that and instead just trust that I know what I'm doing? You need to understand that I can handle myself, but only if I have you right there to take care of both of us. I promise I can do anything that you need me to, just as long as I know that you believe in me to do it the same way that I believe in you. Do you think you can do that?''
Daryl regarded her for a moment before the corner of his mouth notched up begrudgingly, doing so despite himself. ''Do I have a choice in tha matter?''
The stiffness in her shoulders eased now that a tentative accord between them had been reached, leaving Beth to impart decisively, ''Not really.''
''Well, I'm guessin' that we better jus' get this done then,'' He sighed, obviously somewhat relieved to have found an agreeable middle ground as well. ''… before ya make me spill my guts anymore than I already have an' tha sun gets ta settin'. An' jus' so we're clear, we may be doin' this together but it still goes down my way… an' that means I'm headin' over first.''
Beth glanced past the edge of the bricks to the walkers below, noting the daunting distance down to where they lingered on the curb. ''Oh, by all means…" She conceded dramatically, ''you go right on ahead.''
''Pfft...'' Daryl sniffed, shaking his head but seeming to appreciate the sarcasm none the less, "Figures."
She stepped away so he could push himself back over the ledge, not necessarily looking forward to following behind him now that everything was said and done. Still, Beth had no doubt she could do it, especially now that the two of them had cleared the air between them. Daryl may not know it but he had just professed some of the most meaningful things he had ever said to her, but it didn't change the fact that she had a point to make too and at least now she felt as though he had heard it.
Situating his weight back on the coupling, Daryl swung under the cable and wrapped his legs around the wire to steady himself on it more securely. Pausing for a moment, he looked up to where she was watching him do so to say with gruff sincerity, ''Y'know, my fuckin' life was so much simpler before you came along, y'know that?''
There was a faint glint of humor in his eyes as he began shimmying his way across the length of the cable hand over hand. As he went, he continued grumbling, doing so under his breath despite knowing full well that she could still hear him perfectly, ''Swear ta god, shit used ta be easy… didn't have'ta talk 'bout my fuckin' feelings… didn't have'ta be told what ta do… sure as hell didn't have'ta convince anyone ta stay out of trouble… not that they listen or nothin'…''
Rolling her eyes on a smile, Beth hefted herself up onto the ledge to whisper over to him as loudly as she dared, ''Will you just shut up and move faster! You know you'd miss me if I was gone!''
From where he was half way across, she heard him huff resignedly… the slight breeze that flowed between them allowing her to catch him say, ''I would… an' that's tha damndable thing of it all.''
…..
Thank you for reading "What Still Lies Ahead". I appreciate all comments and reviews as always and am grateful to anyone who takes the time to leave one.