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"Merle an' I are gonna fight."
"HA! The fuck you are!" Beth shook her head and blinked her eyes a few times in disbelief.
"Beth.." Daryl sighed. "It's the only way ta stop Martinez from threatenin' Merle an' ta git the money fast."
"He fucking deserves to be threatened!" Beth raised her voice and then quickly lowered it when she remembered her friends out in the living room. "No, you don't need to fight him. That's stupid."
"Yeah, he does, but his daughter an' her mother don', " Daryl corrected wistfully. "I have ta do this, Beth."
"I know, you're right.." Beth murmured. "I just.. Hell, have you ever fought him before?" Beth chewed her lower lip.
"We're brothers, darlin'. It was inevitable."
"Well.. Aren't you scared about what he's going to do? He might stab you with that ridiculous prosthetic he has!" Beth gulped.
"He wouldn' do that." Daryl assured her lightly.
"Well...if Martinez is there watching' then Merle is going to fight as hard as possible to try to look tough.." Beth worried and rubbed the back of her neck.
"That's why I'll have ta jus' as hard back at him," He said simply. "'m kind o' excited 'bout it in a sick way.. I been waitin' ta kick his ass fer so long."
Beth smirked wryly. "Yeah.. I know that feeling well. Maybe you can kick his ass for me too?" Betb asked, feeling herself submit to Daryl's plan and knowing there was no other way.
"'m doin' this fer us, Beth," Daryl said quietly. "As soon as this is over, I come home."
"You mean Merle said he'll let you go?" Beth asked hopefully.
"No.. But how could he not? He'll have his fuckin' money an' Merle will be off his back."
Beth hated the pessimistic thoughts that were going through her head, but this was Merle they were talking about and nothing ever worked to their favor when it came to her. "Are you sure, though? He'll be out of money and wanting to make more.."
"I thought o' that.. 'M jus' goin' ta have ta figure it out. I don' want ta think 'bout it right now, please," Daryl mumbled.
"I'm sorry.. You know how much I worry," Beth sighed loudly.
"I know baby, but ya don' have to. I have it under control," Daryl replied in a tired voice.
Beth blushed and asked slowly, "Did you just call me baby?"
Daryl was quiet for a moment before he said, "Shut up."
Beth laughed softly and shook her head. "No way, you called me baby."
"I didn' fuckin' mean ta," Daryl grumbled.
"I liked it.." Beth blushed harder and was grateful that he couldn't see.
"Ya did?" Daryl breathed out.
"Yeah.. I did," Beth bit her bottom lip and put her hand briefly over her eyes in embarrassment.
When Daryl spoke there was a smile in his voice, "I was afraid it might be too girly."
"I am a girl," Beth chuckled and shrugged a shoulder.
"Ya don' fight like a girl," Daryl responded.
"That's true. If I did then my moves would consist of slapping, pulling hair and scratching," Beth shuddered.
"Thank God ya don' fight like a girl, then," Daryl winced. "Wouldn' want ya pulling too hard on my hair...it's gettin' long."
"I bet you wouldn't want me pulling on your hair at all," Beth added.
"Well.." Now it was Daryl's turn to blush. He cleared his throat before speaking quietly into the phone. "I wouldn't mind if ya did it a little bit.."
Beth wasn't catching Daryl's drift. "Why would you want me to pull your hair?" She furrowed her brow.
"Yer fuckin' slow, girl," Daryl sighed. "I meant ya could pull on my hair a little while we fuck."
"Oh... Oh," Beth rolled her lips in and put her palm to her face. "God, I uh.." She exhaled shakily before asking meekly, "you like that?"
"Ya'd be surprised as ta what 'm into when it comes ta sex," Daryl replied in a low voice that went straight to Beth's center.
"I think there's a lot of things I don't know about you, Daryl," Beth laid down on the bed on her back, resting her hand on her stomach. "When you picture me tugging on your hair, what position are we in?" Beth's voice was quiet and smooth.
Daryl's breath on the other end of the line was evident and he spoke huskily. "I have ya up against the wall.. With yer legs wrapped 'round my waist an' yer arms 'round my neck.."
Beth closed her eyes and made a little noise in her throat. "And I'm holding onto your hair while you pound into me?"
"Fuck.." Daryl groaned. "Yeah, jus' like that."
Beth wet her lips and slid her hand under the bottom of her shirt, walking her fingers along her bare stomach. "You know...I love it when you play with my nipples...I get so wet."
"Holy shit, Beth," Daryl said shakily. "What are ya tryin' ta do ta me..?"
"Are you hard?" Beth asked in a low voice, sliding her hand down over her clothed pussy.
"'M so fuckin' hard," Daryl said after a moment filled with only his heavy breathing.
"Are you.. Touching it?" Beth rubbed her lips together as she massaged her clit and moaned quietly.
"Will ya think 'm a total pervert if I say yes?" Daryl asked weakly.
"Yeah," Beth replied. "But I like that," Beth smiled faintly, undoing her pants while her body buzzed at the sound of Daryl's turned on voice.
"I wish ya were here.." He moaned into the phone. "My hand won' ever feel as good as ya."
Beth's eyes rolled back in pleasure at that, her hand stroking over her lips slowly. "I'm so wet..."
"God, really?" Daryl groaned loudly. "Hell.. I love bein' inside o' ya. So tight an' warm.."
Beth took a deep and shaky breath, her hand working faster in her vagina. "I love how full I feel with you inside.. You've got a big cock, Daryl," Beth laughed breathlessly at the frankness of her comment.
"Fuck, Beth. I love the way ya suck my cock.." Daryl murmured. "Yer mouth is perfect fer it.. So warm an' wet an' soft.."
"You forgot big," Beth smirked and resumed her hand's movement. "You know I've got a big mouth.
"In more ways than one, ya," Daryl chuckled and it tiered off into a moan.
"Tell me what you're doing right now.." Beth closed her eyes and shuddered.
"Ya know what 'm doin', girl," Daryl said gruffly, the sound of him licking his lips coming over the phone.
"I mean.. Details, come on. Please?" Beth asked in a lustful voice.
"God.. 'm.. 'm strokin' my dick, Beth," He admitted lowly.
"Is it getting wet?" Beth questioned further, her own desire taking the place of any shame about her bluntness.
"Ya.." Daryl cleared his throat. "It's been wet since I started."
"Fuck," Beth puffed her cheeks. "I wish I could lick it."
"I wish ya could, too. Shit," Daryl breathed loudly.
Beth fucked herself with fervor and moaned freely into the phone, her cheeks flushing with pleasure. Daryl's groans and growls were enough alone to make Beth come, but she prolonged the sensation as long as she could, enjoying the swirling in her stomach and the warm feeling that spread.
"'m so close," Daryl's voice was pure sex and Beth couldn't hold off any longer.
"Me too, I need to come.." Beth admitted in a gravelly voice.
"Come fer me," Daryl urged desperately, his voice cutting off with a rough moan, followed by a few grunts as he came.
Beth lifted her hips and released hard in long spurts, her hand a flurry of movement over her center "Fuck, fuck.. Daryl!" She groaned and moved her head from side to side on her pillow while the last few drops left her.
For several minutes, they just laid there and listened to each other's breathing while they tried to calm it down. Beth had a stupid smile on her face while she cleaned herself up and turned on her side to curl up on the bed.
"That was.." Beth started.
"Good," Daryl finished. "I needed that so bad after this stressful as hell night."
"I haven't exactly had a stressful night, but that was amazing," Beth laughed lightly. "I didn't expect to go from talking about something so serious to having phone sex."
"Ya, me neither," Daryl chuckled and then whispered, "hang on on a sec." Beth heard him put down the phone and yell, "what do ya want?"
Beth yawned and twitched her nose, a calm spreading over her and sleep getting ready to claim her.
"Beth?" Daryl asked in an annoyed tone after a few seconds.
"Hm?" Beth mumbled.
"'m sorry, Merle is here ta ruin my mood. He wants ta go over plans b'cause he can' sleep, apparently," Daryl huffed. "'m sorry I have ta run after all this."
"Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do," Beth yawned and smacked her lips.
Daryl laughed fondly. "Ya sound like yer 'bout ta pass out, anyway. I guess ya came pretty hard, huh," Daryl hummed in approval and then yelled to the door again, "I'll fuckin' be there in a second!"
"Super hard.." Beth murmured sleepily. "Hey, I love you."
"I love ya, too. Sleep well an' I'll talk ta ya tomorrow," Daryl sighed.
"You too.. I can't wait. Goodnight," Beth puckered her lips at the phone while she started to drift off.
"Sweet dreams.." Daryl whispered and hung up the phone.
Beth rubbed her eyes while she clumsily made her morning coffee. Her head felt fuzzy from the night before and she was worried as hell for Daryl, but also happy. She felt happy.
"You've gotta tell me your tricks," Maggie appeared with a bagel in hand. "I feel like I've tried them all," Maggie hopped onto the counter and took a bite of her food.
"Huh?" Beth looked puzzled and poured the coffee into herto-go cup.
"I mean, we heard you going to town on yourself last night. You've gotta be doing something pretty fucking incredible to moan like that," Maggie smirked while she chewed.
"What.." Beth blinked and then widened her eyes in realization, her hand going to her forehead. "Oh God, I totally.. I totally forgot you two could hear me," Beth blushed hard. "I wasn't.. I mean, I was, but.."
"But what? Come on, don't get all stingy with the details. I've told you all of my sex tips," Maggie said pointedly.
"Maggie, I hardly think 'check if the carpet matches the drapes' is a sex tip," Beth rolled her eyes and blew on her coffee.
Maggie scoffed. "Anyway, you're changing the subject," She poked Beth on the shoulder. "What did you do?"
Beth bit her bottom lip as a smile spread, shaking her head and letting out a resigned sigh. "Daryl called, that's all."
It took only seconds for Maggie to put the pieces together; she was surprisingly quick when it came to sexual puzzles. "Dirty!" Maggie chuckled. "You had phone sex with a criminal on the run."
"Don't call him that," Beth punched her sister lightly in the shoulder.
"Come on, you know that makes it more exciting," She winked and took a huge bite of bagel, talking with her mouth full. "What's going on with him anyway?"
"Oh.. You know, another obstacle. That Martinez guy wants money right away and so Daryl had to improvise a plan. I don't like it at all," Beth shook her head.
"You know he can handle himself, whatever it is. What's the plan?" She munched and questioned.
"That he and Merle are going to fight," Beth sighed.
"Oh, he's fucked," Maggie shrugged.
"Hey," Beth swatted her again and her roommate laughed.
"I'm kidding! Seriously, Beth. He should feel lucky to get the opportunity to kick that jerk's ass. I mean, I'd love to get in on that."
"I think we all would," Beth yawned and glanced at the clock. "I've gotta get to class. I'll tell you more details once I find them out," Beth grabbed her bag and walked to the door.
"Sounds good. But really, do you do something special with your finger when you-" Maggie started and Beth quickly left and shut the door before she could finish that question.
Merle had a constant look of worry on his face and that wasn't something Daryl was used to seeing. His boss had always been cocky and collected and rarely showed a trace of fear. Daryl could see how vulnerable he was and it honestly gave him some sort of pleasure to see him like that after all Merle had put him and Beth through.
"I need ta make some calls 'bout venues.." Merle mumbled to himself while he jotted down notes on a piece of coffee-stained paper. "An' we need ta git on the road."
"How far are we goin'?" Daryl stretched his arms above his head.
"'bout four hours north.. I need ta make sure Martinez don' know where we are while we git ready fer this," Merle leaned back into his chair tiredly, clearly not having slept a wink.
"Alright," Daryl shrugged and pursed his lips, reminding himself that this was almost over. "Oh yeah, I was gonna ask, how are we goin' ta inform Martinez 'bout the fight an' the new deal?"
Merle glared up at his brother. "Did ya take Priss' role in askin' a million questions? Fuck, ya don' shut up. Leech is goin' ta tell him 'bout it all an' ta see if he'll hang tight while we figure out logistics. Happy?"
"Hardly," Daryl said dryly and peeked over Merle's notes, noticing some that were completely unrelated to the fight with Daryl and the plans for Martinez.
Merle caught him looking and sighed. "I'm jus' plannin' ahead fer after the fight. I'll be totally broke an' I'm thinkin' up a few opponents ya could go against that'd get us a decent amount o' cash."
"Wait.. No," Daryl immediately said. "After this, 'm done."
Merle laughed. "Yeah, right. I'll need ya more than ever."
"I ain't doin' a single fuckin' thing more fer ya after this," Daryl emphasized. "I don' care what ya say er threaten me with."
"Oh, is that so? Well, all it takes is a phone call an' dad will know the exact time an' location o' our fight. Which means after it's over, he'll be there ta haul yer ass ta jail," Merle tapped his fingers against the metal nub on his other hand and looked up at Daryl. "So, I think ya find yerself cooperatin' with me after all."
Daryl's nostrils flared in anger and his fist clenched and shook. He wanted so badly to punch Merle and not stop and if it lead to his death then so be it. He took a deep breath and reminded himself about the innocent little girl, that much to his dismay, was relying on the scourge of the earth that sat in front of him. If Merle died now, Martinez would do who knows what to the girl. Daryl would have to save it. He would save the anger and pain and take it all out on his brother during the fight.
Merle watched Daryl's fist relax with a smirk. "Such a pussy. Why don' ya make yerself useful an' go git me a muffin from downstairs."
Daryl swung back and punched the wall right next to Merle's head, causing a sizable dent and making Merle cringe and shrink to the side, his mouth dropped open. "Go git yer own fuckin' muffin, ya piece o' shit," Daryl spat and stormed out of the room.
"Yer payin' fer that damage!" Merle yelled after him.
"Fuck you!" Daryl replied and slammed the door, hurrying to his own room and barely making it inside before he was overcome by sobs. He fell to his knees and held his face in his hands, rocking back and forth while angry and hopeless tears poured down his face.
"What the fuck am I going ta do?" Daryl murmured to himself helplessly and sat against the wall, sniffing hard.
Beth hadn't heard from Daryl all day but she wasn't too worried; she knew that Daryl was really busy and probably just trying to deal with the new stressful development of his fight with Merle.
"Hey, haven't seen you work in here for a while," Dr. Morris popped his head in the door of the little student office adjacent to his own office.
Beth looked over her shoulder at him with a smile. "I've mostly been working on my stuff at home but I thought I'd come here to focus better. I think I'm finally getting to a closing point." It shocked Beth to say that because she never thought she'd be able to keep up with all of her school work amidst the insanity that had become her life. But it turned out that working on it little by little had paid off.
"I can't wait to read what you've got!" Morris rubbed his hands together and walked over to pat Beth on the shoulder. "It's been a long road to get here, hasn't it?"
"You have no idea," Beth sighed and gave a tired smile up at her professor. "Thank you for all of your help and support. I honestly couldn't have done it without you."
"Yes, you could have," Morris smiled warmly. "It's late, why don't you head on home. If you want I can start proofreading what you have here."
"Really?" Beth flashed a wide and grateful grin. "That'd be great," she saved her work to her USB and left a copy of her document open on the computer. "Feel free to suggest any changes," Beth yawned and stood up, reaching for her denim jacket and shrugging it on.
"Will do. Get some rest, Beth. I remember always being tired too when I was working on my thesis, it'll all get better," Morris sat down in the seat and waved over his shoulder.
"I hope it'll get better," Beth mumbled to herself and bid Morris farewell.
Beth walked home slowly, enjoying the fresh air and the cool breeze that helped clear her head. She checked her phone for the hundredth time and sent Daryl another text to ask him if all was okay. Beth didn't want to be the type to be clingy and worried all the time, but she couldn't help but assume that role with Daryl. She was just rounding a corner when she spotted a familiar face.
Merle's daughter was sitting on a stoop and eating ice cream, a big smile on her face as she leaned against a pretty woman. Beth kept herself concealed while she observed who was obviously Carol and the girl together, her heart tugging at the sad thought of what they were going through with Martinez.
Just as Beth thought of the man, he appeared out of the door and walked down the steps to sit on the other side of the girl, his arm going around her and his lips kissing the woman's cheek.
Beth opened her mouth in shock and put her hand over it. She watched the way Martinez and Carol interacted with such lightheartedness and how Sophia ate her treat without a care in the world. This was not a man that was threatening them, there was no way.
"Sophia, why don't you go upstairs and brush your teeth?" Carol smiled at her daughter and kissed her head, watching Sophia skip up the stairs. Carol cupped Martinez's cheek and kissed his lips, looking like she'd done it a thousand times.
"It's all almost over," Martinez spoke to her and Beth inched a little closer to hear.
"I still can't believe he fell for it," Carol laughed with relief. "I knew he was an idiot but I didn't think he was so gullible. I mean, all this time he thought he was hiding what he really does from me when I've always known his dirty business."
"He underestimates you continually, that's why he never deserved you," He added. "He's going to get what he deserves now. He'll be broke and left without you and Sophia. He'll have nothing."
"I'm just.. So happy that everything worked out like we've been planning for years. Maybe I should become an actress," she giggled and Martinez grinned, showing his mismatched teeth.
"You can do whatever you want. With the money from Merle we'll have a chance to start again. Far away from here," He rested his chin on top of Carols head.
Beth couldn't believe what she was hearing. She couldn't even begin to comprehend how twisted this was all turning out to be. Merle thought and he was fighting for Sophia. when all the while she wasn't in any danger. Martinez and Carol were both playing Merle to get money from him.
"I'm thinking about telling him the truth about Sophia right before we make our leave. You know, to give him a final kick in the balls," Carol beamed. "All this time he's thought she was his daughter; his pride and joy. He truly has no idea that she's really yours."
He smirked at that. "That will be the final blow to ruin Merle completely. It's brilliant. His boy Leech called me earlier and told me how he's planning to come up with the money. He's going to fight Dixon.. I hope he gets his ass kicked completely and I'm sorry I can't be the one to do it."
"Ooooh, Merle treated Dixom horribly back in the day. I'm sure he'll want his revenge. Are you gonna watch?" Carol raised an eyebrow.
"I wouldn't miss that for the fucking world," He chuckled evilly and stood up, taking Carols hand and walking inside with her.
Beth stood there in complete shock. She had to tell Daryl.
Daryl looked at his phone as Beth called him for the third time in the row, his heart sinking further in his chest. He didn't know how he was going to tell Beth the truth about what was going to happen to him after the fight. He wasn't ready to admit that he would still be Merle's slave and he had no idea when he'd be able to come back to Beth.
He and Merle had made it to their destination, which consisted of an old house with a big tin garage, which was where Merle had set up a make-shift gym. Daryl didn't even wanna know how Merle found this place or who he had to blackmail to get to use it.
Daryl sat on the dusty bed in the room he was staying in and smoked a cigarette, watching the smoke drift out the open window and dissipate in the crisp air. He glanced at his phone again as a text message came through from Beth: Daryl, seriously. PLEASE call me. I have to tell you what I heard. It changes everything.
Daryl chewed at his lips and furrowed his brows. He couldn't avoid this forever and he knew he was being an asshole for ignoring Beth and making her worry. With a long sigh, he clicked Beth's number and put the phone to his ear while he sucked in another drag.
Beth answered quickly, "Daryl, thank God! I was fucking worried."
"Sorry," Daryl mumbled. "It was a shitty day. What's up?"
"Wait.. What's wrong?" Beth paused.
"Nothin' ya need ta worry 'bout right now," He said truthfully. "Now, what did ya need ta tell me? Sounds important."
"Just... I can hardly believe it myself.." Beth took a deep breath before starting. "I was walking home from campus and I overheard a conversation between some people you know.." Beth repeated everything she had heard to Daryl and Daryl sat there, his mouth gradually dropping wider open and his cigarette burning down with him noticing, creating a pillar of ash.
"I.." He blinked fast and shook his head. "I can' fuckin' believe it," Daryl murmured and stubbed his cigarette out the windowsill. "Carol made all o' that shit up ta git money from Merle fer her an' Martinez's new life together?"
"Yes!" Beth said adamantly. "She is using her daughter, who isn't even Merle's daughter, to get money so they can run away together," Beth said shakily. "I'm like buzzing from the shock of it. I didn't know people like that really existed.. What the hell is this world?"
"Unfortunately I seen things like this happen b'fore, but I swear I never in a million years saw this comin'.. Fuck. So Merle an' I are fightin' fer a lie, 'm here b'cause o' a lie an' b'cause o' Carol and Martinez's greed," Daryl frustration flared with every word.
"Well, and Merle's greed. Basically, you're there because of the mistakes and selfishness of people.. Daryl, you have to tell Merle. When he finds out the truth he's not going to make you go through this fight. And he can no longer use the excuse of needing you to make money to take care of his daughter.. I think after he finds this out, he's going to want to leave and get away from it all," Beth rambled on in a fast voice.
Daryl rubbed his temples and wet his dry lips, still trying to let all of this process. "Ya.. Ya, I gotta tell him. Shit, he's goin' ta be be so angry.. Murderous, even. Maybe I should wait until mornin' so it's light out an' I can run if I have ta." Daryl thought out loud.
"That's not a bad idea.. I didn't even think about how he might react. He's so volatile and unpredictable that I almost don't want you to tell him.." Beth started to worry.
"Hey, we know I have ta tell him. Otherwise 'm goin' ta have ta go through with this whole charade an' as much as I want ta beat Merle up, I don' want ta do it under these circumstances," He mumbled. "I feel exhausted."
"You have every right to be exhausted," Beth spoke in a gentle voice. "I really think this is your way out, Daryl. You're almost through it.."
"'m so fuckin' sick o' bein' used," Daryl said weakly. "It's like everyone wants somethin' from me an' I feel like I ain't got nothin' left ta give.. 'm tired o' bein' controlled by Merle an' my fuckin' dad. Hell, I haven' seen my dad in almost a year an' he still runs my life."
Beth stayed quiet and listened to Daryl and Daryl was thankful that Bethbwas able to keep her urge to talk and talk at a standstill. "Thank ya fer tellin' me all this, though. I think ya honestly jus' saved me."
"What do you mean?" Beth murmured after a moment.
"I didn' know how I was gonna tell ya.. But earlier Merle was plannin' fights fer me after this one ta earn back all the money he was goin' ta lose ta Martinez. When I told him I wouldn' participate, he told me that he'd tell dad where the fight was gonna be, so he could come an' take me away," Daryl sucked his lower lip into his mouth.
"Things like this are exactly why I feel no sadness for Merle and what these people are doing to him," Beth said tightly.
"It's like.. He knew I couldn' do shit. He knew I had ta fight an' that we couldn' jus' change the location at the last minute once it's decided. I hate that he knows how ta git ta me," Daryl closed his eyes tight.
"But hey, he can't get to you anymore. Not after this, I promise.. None of what he said applies anymore. You're going to be just as free as me and all of this will be behind you. You'll never have to see Merle or your dad again," Beth comforted him in a soft voice.
"I guess it's jus' hard ta see the light at the end o' the tunnel when I keep gettin' rocks dropped in my way that block it out," Daryl sighed slowly. "Yer the one good thing in my life, Beth. Do ya know that?"
"I'm not going anywhere, and I'll help you break those rocks down streetfighter style. But you know, like the video game, not like your profession," Beth chuckled and a smile spread over Daryl's lips.
"Oh yeah! They kicked down brick walls an' beat the shit out o' cars with their kicks an' punches.." Daryl reminisced in amusement. "God 'm old."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, completely unrealistic but hey.." Beth laughed. "We'll do that together. I have no doubt that we're strong enough to."
For the first time the whole day, Daryl felt some peace. "Thank ya fer yer dorky way o' cheerin' me up."
"Thank you for letting me be the one to cheer you up," Beth added softly and was unable to hold back a yawn.
"I should let ya sleep.. I didn' even ask ya how yer day was," Daryl muttered. "'m a bad boyfriend, ain't I?"
"Are you officially calling yourself my boyfriend?" Beth asked humbly.
"Yeah, I think I am," Daryl surprised himself by saying.
"Then I'd say my day was and is pretty great," Beth grinned against the phone.
At some point Daryl had managed to drift off but was awoken by the cold air that was coming in through the window he'd incidentally left open. He stood up and stretched with a big yawn, feeling like he'd had no sleep even though several hours had passed according to his watch.
He shut the window and glanced through the glass with weary eyes at the light that was coming from the garage. Merle apparently hadn't slept again and was out there working out. Daryl stood and pondered what he should do. If he were in Merle's shoes, even though he knew he never would be because he'd never be such a tyrant, he would want to know this kind of information as soon as possible. No matter how long Daryl waited, Merle would be just as mad.
Daryl grabbed his jacked and slipped his shoes on. He wouldn't be able to go back to sleep anyway, so he might as well just go and tell Merle and hope that he wouldn't shoot the messenger.
He lifted his hand to knock on the door of the building once he'd reached it but paused when he heard Merle talking on the phone in an annoyed voice. Daryl put his ear to the door and listened instead.
"He wants how much?" Merle growled and Daryl could hear his furious pacing steps. "That mother fucker.. I should have known he'd take me fer all I got an' more. Why didn' ya try ta talk him down from that amount, Leech?"
Daryl creased his brows, curious about how much money that Martinez bastard had asked for.
"Shit.." Merle spat and Daryl jumped when Merle punched the inside of the tin wall and made the structure shake. "We'll be lucky if we scrape up that much money.. Dixon is goin' ta have ta fight twice as much an' ya an' Knox will need ta do some too in order ta earn that back."
Anger flared in Daryl again but he was able to keep it cool because he knew that none of this was going to go down as Merle expected it to.
"You an' Knox are pretty worthless though, let's be honest. Dixom is the only real chance I got, an' the only reason why he's stuck around so long is b'cause he's terrified o' our dad," Merle scoffed. "It's by the grace o' God that he hasn' found out yet that dad has been dead fer two months. I gotta keep this up as long as I can manage. Luckily he never wants contact with the guy again, so I think I can pull it off fer a long time."
Daryl was frozen in place and the only thing keeping him there was the sudden merging of rage, shock and disbelief inside of his body. He didn't even blink; he couldn't move. Of everything he'd been through, of all the betrayals.. Nothing could compare to this.
"Well, keep yer mouth shut 'bout all o' this and help me finalize the venue. It has ta go off without a hitch an' I need ta come out victorious so I don' look like a fool in front of Martinez. Let me know what ya find out 'bout the safe amount o' muscle relaxants I can slip into Dixon's drink b'fore the fight ta make him fuck up," Merle spoke as if he was asking an innocent favor and hung up the phone.
Daryl had never experienced so much anger in his life. He thought he'd felt it all when he beat his father off of his mother and defended himself from the nightly drunken beatings he'd dealt with while he was growing up. But this.. This was the kind of betrayal that he couldn't find a comparison for and he wasn't ready to face the facts of just how badly he'd been burned.
He knew if he stayed in that spot much longer, Merle would come out and Daryl didn't know if he could stop himself from killing the man. Not that he'd feel any remorse at that point.
He turned on his feet and ran back to the house, a cold sweat breaking out as he reached the shitty bedroom once again. He shut the door and leaned against it, still feeling the dull throb of pure rage bubbling up in him.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Daryl put his hands to both sides of his head. His dad was dead. His dad was dead, and he had been for months. Merle knew it and was lying to Daryl to keep using him, because he knew as soon as their dad was out of the picture, Merle would lose Daryl v
He closed his eyes tight and thought of his options. One, he could go back down there and kill Merle, bury the body and get the fuck out of there. Not like anyone would miss him. Two, he could confront Merle and beat him up, tell him the truth about Martinez and Carol and leave him in the dust to deal with it all himself.
But the part of him that was quickly becoming dominant wanted revenge and he would block out the rest until that was achieved- then he'd deal with the damaged pieces of himself. He'd come too far to commit a serious crime like murder or to let Merle get off easy.
Daryl would make sure Merle was left with nothing and would have to suffer every single moment of the karma that was coming for him. Daryl finally had a legitimate way out, and he wasn't going to let anything get in the way of that.
He felt so broken as he laid on the bed and he didn't think he'd ever felt worse than he did in that moment. He pulled out his phone and selected Beth's name, knowing it was 4am but needing desperately to talk to her.
"Hello?" came Beth's groggy voice.
"Beth..." Daryl mumbled shakily.
"What's wrong?" She spoke with concern.
"I need ya.." He whispered.
"Hey, what happened?" Beth pressed gently.
"Everythin'.." Daryl closed his eyes and put his arm over his face. "Can ya do somethin' fer me?"
"Yeah, anything.. Daryl, what's going on?" Beth replied, worried.
"I.. I need ya ta search fer somethin' online fer me. I don' have internet here," Daryl muttered faintly.
"Let me get on my computer, hang on," Beth said without another question and Daryl listened to the rustle of bedsheets and her computer booting up. "Okay, what is it?"
"My dad's obituary.." Daryl gritted out.
"What..?" Beth asked, dumbfounded. "Daryl, when did he die? What happened?"
"Please, don' ask more questions yet," Daryl begged. "Jus' look it up an' read it ta me?"
Beth swallowed audibly and typed her inquiry. She took a shaky breath and started to read, "Joseph Dixon passed away this morning at the age of 66 after suffering a stroke. He is said to be survived by his two sons Daryl Dixon and Merle Dixon but we were unable to locate them. Joseph will be cremated and his ashes will be given to a friend until his sons can be found..." Beth trailed off and gasped. "Daryl, this is dated like two months ago.. Oh my God."
"He would have hated that my name was in his obituary. He always hated the name Daryl," He mumbled and Beth listened, even though Daryl knew he wanted to ask questions. "See, my grandpa's name was Daryl an' my mom named me after him b'cause she loved her dad so much. O'course, grandpa hated Joe b'cause he saw how badly his little girl was treated. Joe never got Grandpa Daryl's blessin', an' I think that's part o' the reason Joe hated me from day one.. B'cause I shared a name with a man he couldn' stand."
"I remember when I first met you.. You mentioned that you didn't like your name.." Beth said with slow realization.
"How could I like it when it was fuel fer my dad's hatred toward me? It's why I accepted 'Dixon'' so readily.. But now, ain't none o' that matters," He sighed loudly. "I hated that man.. He made my life hell an' ruined my mother's an' I can't lie an' say that I'll miss him, but he was still my dad. It feels weird bein' the only good piece o' my parents that's left.. It's unsettlin'."
"I can only imagine.. You have every reason to feel that way," Betn said quietly.
"I'm sure he was alone when it happened an' the stroke came from years an' years o' anger an'high blood pressure along with it. I guess it's sort of ironic.. His anger drove my mother ta lethal drugs that killed her an' then his anger killed him," Daryl pursed his lips.
"How did you find out about your dad?" Beth voiced hesitantly.
"Merle knew. I overheard him on the phone. He's known since it happened an' he's been usin' me an' lyin'," Daryl said numbly.
"I.. I can't believe he'd stoop so fucking low.. I knew he was awful but I didn't know he was capable of this. Where are you? I'm coming there to kick his ass!" Beth yelled and Daryl heard her bump into stuff and murmur, 'ouch'.
"Hey, hey.. Calm down. There's only one way ta handle this so that Merle gits everythin' he deserves an' I get away from this once an' fer all, Beth. Nothin' else will ever be able ta hold me back," He said with almost relief.
"You could just leave right now, Daryl. He can't stop you anymore," Beth urged. "Please, come home."
"I could leave right now, yer right. But then Merle would be off the hook. Instead, 'm goin' through with the original plan ta fight him," Daryl nodded and took a deep breath.
"Why would you put yourself through that?" Beth asked in confusion.
"B'cause, if I fight him then not only will I be able ta fill this urge ta beat him up but I will also leave him with no money an' he will find out that Sophia ain't his. He'll have nothin' left. No dignity, no cash an' no family. I'll be left with no family an' no cash too, but at least I'll have my dignity. I can' jus' walk away from this now. Not after everythin'."
After a few reflective moments, Beth sighed. "You're right. I never thought I'd agree with something like this, but you're right. I support you 100% and I'll be there next to you for Merle's downfall. But how are you going to act like you don't know about this around him?"
"I'll jus' have ta, Beth. I know it's goin' ta be worth it in the end, so I can hold it together until the fight where I can let it all loose. Apparently he's goin' ta try ta slip me pills ta make me weak an' lose, so I can even pretend like his plan worked an' let him think he'll win. He's in fer the shock o' his life in more ways than one," Daryl puffed his cheeks. "I wanna come home ta ya so bad."
"I wish you could, or I wish I could come to you.." Beth said sadly. "I'm so sorry you're having to go through this alone."
"I ain't alone, yer here. Even if ya ain't physically beside me, I feel ya," He murmured tiredly.
"I'm there, Daryl," Beth agreed softly. "Get some sleep. Call me whenever you want, no matter when. I'm proud of you for being so strong."
"'m fallin' apart, Beth. But I will stay strong until the last moment. I love ya," Daryl mumbled.
"I love ya so much.. Goodnight," Beth whispered.