The sun shining directly into her eyes is what woke Beth up. Her headache had long since subsided, thankfully. Slowly pulling herself into a sitting position, she threw her feet over the edge of the mattress, needing a moment to remember where she was. Looking around, she remembered the events of the day prior, and recognized the room as her own. She rubbed her eyes, forcing away the exhaustion she felt, knowing she had to leave today.
Beth stood up and stretched her arms above her head, letting out a yawn. She made her way towards her old closet, hoping there was something useful she could wear besides the many sundresses she had. Flipping through the hangers, she was disappointed when she didn't find what she was looking for, so she walked towards the dresser she had pushed against the bedroom door. Pulling out the drawers, she found three pairs of denim jeans and a couple of shirts. Hoping the pants at least fit, she shrugged off her old hospital scrubs and pulled on the pair sitting atop the pile, thankful they fit for the most part, she'd just have to dig around for a belt somewhere. Next, she grabbed an old grey tank top and plaid shirt, rolling up the sleeves and fastening the first few buttons and tucking it into her pants, just to help hold them up some. Sliding her feet into her old boots, she took a quick glance at herself in her old vanity, feeling somewhat human.
After Beth had finished getting dressed, she loaded up all her supplies and scrounged around her old bedroom, taking whatever she could find that may prove useful, and once she finished she heaved the old dresser away from the door. Knife tucked into her boot and tossing her bags over her shoulder, she slowly opened the door and listened, deciding to be cautious. Hearing nothing but silence, she made her way down the hall and to the staircase, sliding the old table out of her path and heading down the old stairs, careful to avoid the ones she knew that creaked. Before she left though, she made a snap decision and headed into the old den, going straight for the mantle that had some family photos sitting on top. She grabbed three of them, one of her and her siblings, another of her mama, and one of her whole family. Because no matter how much it made her heart ache, she never wanted to forget their faces or the good memories she'd been blessed with.
She was just walking onto the front porch when a crazy idea hit her, but it brought a smile to her face. Taking a few steps away from the house a few yards, she dropped her bags on the ground and ran to the old horse stables. Her daddy had usually kept a gallon of kerosene to light the old lamps they'd used in the stables, always refusing to get electric cables put in. Beth stepped into the stables, trying to ignore the stench of decay, that most likely came from one of the horses. Making her way to the shelves where they'd keep all the grooming brushes and tools, she found the kerosene sitting on the lowest shelf, easily within reach.
Beth knew what she was about to do was absolutely crazy, but she also knew if she didn't do it, this place would continue to haunt her, making her wish for a life that would never be. Heading back to her childhood home, she walked up the stairs and through the front door, before she twisted the top off the kerosene and started dumping it all over the furniture. She continued the walk around the downstairs, pouring the kerosene on whatever she felt like, pausing when she reached the kitchen to dig out a large box of matches from the junk drawer. Making her way back to the front door, she poured a path down the steps until the tin was empty, throwing it off to the side. She walked back towards her bags, reaching into the one with some spare clothes and pulled out the old hospital scrubs. Wrapping them around a fallen tree branch, she took a few matches and lit them on fire, walking back to the house. Taking a deep breath, she threw the branch with her scrubs through the front door, and watched as the flames slowly spread throughout the house, burning her pain and her past with it.
Smiling like a crazy person, she hefted her bags onto her back and gave the burning structure the one-finger salute, remembering how she and Daryl had burned down that old shack. Putting away the pain, she had said. Well, she was taking her own advice.
Hearing the growls and snarls of walkers from the fields being drawn towards the fire, Beth decided it was time to go, stabbing a few walkers that were reaching out for her. Already knowing her next stop, she walked until she reached the highway before taking a short break, walking over to an abandoned car and unzipping her bag that had the maps inside. Laying it out flat on the hood of the rusted Sedan, she searched the highways and backroads until she found it.
West Georgia Correctional Facility.
"What in the hell happened here!" Beth's heart was pounding in her chest, Alpha never spoke at a loud decibel, if she did that meant there was about to be a shit storm. "Well?!" Beth took a shaky breath and stepped forward.
"It was strangers that led the dead into camp." All eyes turned towards her, and Alpha took a few steps towards her.
"And how is it that you know this, Delta?" She questioned, her voice snide and silent, but Beth knew better than to cower. Fear meant death in Alpha's eyes.
"I was with Lydia," she began, "-when the screams started. We came to investigate, and saw two people wearing our masks. They were releasing the boy." She scrambled through her thoughts, trying to come up with a convincing lie, "I was trying to stop them, but Lydia…she stole my knife from me and held it to my throat. Said if I tried anything she'd kill me." Beth lifted the edge of her mask, showing the small cut on her throat from the knife Daryl had been wielding against her skin. "She cares for the boy, Alpha, she admitted it to me and almost killed me, just so he could escape." Alpha cocked her head to the side, looking at the knife mark on her neck and then back into her eyes, studying her.
"And if she allowed them to escape, where is she?"
"She went with them. I was trying to follow them, but when I heard somebody shouting for me, I came back." Alpha stepped back from Beth, and she put her hands behind her back, turning and walking towards Beta, who Beth only just noticed was in the vicinity. She stood still, not moving an inch.
"What are your thoughts, Beta?" Their leader asked, looking up at the giant man. Beta glanced at Delta, thinking for a moment before speaking.
"Delta is loyal," he began, resting his hands on his hips, "-she's proven that time and again. But you know I will always trust in your judgement, Alpha." Beta bowed his head to Alpha, and she nodded before turning around and walking back towards Delta, walking in circles around her.
Beth knew this would go one of two ways; she'd either be killed, or she'd get to live another day. Alpha stopped in front of her, but got right in her face.
"This is the second time I've had to question your judgement, Delta. Don't make me do it again." Beth could only nod and bow her head, submitting to her. Alpha turned so she could address everybody. "I need volunteers to go and retrieve my daughter." Immediately, people started to voice their objections, saying how that was against her own rules, and Alpha silenced them all with a glare. "I know what she has done, and don't think that she won't pay the price. Beta," she turned to face her second in command, and he stood at his full height, acknowledging her, "-I want you, Delta, and two others to go after them. She's our best tracker, and it seems only fitting that she be the one to go after them." He bowed his head once more, agreeing to the mission. "Everybody else, get rid of the bodies of the fallen. You know what to do. Dismissed."
Beth was just turning to walk away when she heard Alpha call out to her. Stopping in her tracks, she waited as the older woman approached her. "Go clean that cut, if it gets infected, it'll be a problem. I can't lose another person in command. You and Beta will leave in the morning." Beth acknowledged her orders, and watched as Alpha walked away before heading back to the tree where she left her bag sitting. Hefting it onto her shoulder, she decided to head to the stream and take a bath. Considering they had to constantly blend in with the dead, body odor was something they didn't worry about, but right now all Beth wanted was to wash away the grime, even if she'd just have to dirty herself all over again in a couple hours.
She trudged through the forest for about twenty minutes before she could hear the sound of running water. Pushing through a bunch of thorn bushes, she stepped into a small clearing and could see the glistening stream, the moonlight reflecting off it's surface. Feeling giddy at the thought of washing the layers of grime off her body, she dropped her bag to the ground and glanced around, checking for walkers and people. Knowing she was alone, Beth untied the mask from the back of her head, pulling it off and exhaling. She always forgot just how much more normal she felt when she could remove her mask. She hung it on a nearby branch, then proceeded to strip out of her ratty and threadbare clothes, tossing them into a heap along the water's edge, setting her old boots next to them.
Dipping one foot in the other, she hissed at the cool temperature, but decided the sooner she got in, the quicker she'd adjust. Wading out until she was waste deep, she took a deep breath and dunked her entire body under, staying like that for a few seconds. When she emerged, she ran her fingers through her blonde locks, trying to pull out the tangles and rinse away the dirt. Beth had been in the water for only a few short minutes, when she heard leaves rustling behind her. She paused in her scrubbing and listened closely for the shuffling footsteps or groans that would indicate whatever was there, was dead. Hearing neither, she knew almost instantly who it was.
"You should know better than to sneak up on a woman when she's bathing." Beth said faintly, not bothering to turn around, but instead continuing to rub water into her dirty flesh. Hearing a deep chuckle, she glanced over her shoulder, seeing Beta step through the brush.
"Just as you should know better than to bathe without a weapon within reach." She snorted at him.
"If I was worried about being attacked, I wouldn't be in the water." She said, turning towards him, not bothering to cover herself. It's nothing he hasn't seen before. "What do you want, Beta?"
"I think you know." There was that deep chuckle again. Beth studied him for a moment, slowly making her way towards the bank of the stream, her skin covering in goosebumps from the cool night air.
"And if I say no?" They always played this game. He would come to her, she would feign disinterest, but he's known her long enough to know what she wanted; a distraction. That's all they were to each other, and all they'd ever be.
"You won't." Beta smirked at her, and Beth stopped a few feet from him, water dripping down her naked body, hair plastered to her neck and back. She thought about his proposition for a moment, and decided she needed the distraction, needed her attention to be directed at something besides everything that had occurred over the last couple of days.
"Then you know what I want." There was one thing that she always demanded from him, and she knew he would do it, albeit reluctantly. He glared at her as he reached behind his head, slowly pulling the threads loose to his mask. So long as he lived, there would only be two people who'd ever see him without it. You can probably guess who those two people are.
Pulling the rotted mask from his face, he tossed it to the ground and stared down at her, eyes roving over her pale flesh. Beth smirked at him, striding closer until her feet were just barely covered by the water. Beta was actually a very attractive man, and she'd have to be blind not to notice. Reaching her hands up, she slid them under his long leather trench coat, pushing it off his shoulders and down his arms, letting his hands slip through it and fall to the ground. With his heavy coat off, Beth stretched onto her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, and Beta didn't waste any time in weaving his arms underneath her thighs, gripping her ass with his hands and lifting her against his body. Beth didn't even gasp, completely used to the routine they had developed over the last couple of years.
Beth kissed him first, not caring about the stench of death that always seemed to linger on him. She wrapped her legs around his torso, and he carried her to a nearby tree, pressing her back into the rough bark to support her weight. Pushing his hard body into hers, he lifted one of his hands to her small breast, squeezing it roughly, eliciting a soft moan from her. Digging her nails into his scalp, Beta groaned into her mouth and ground his hips against her heated core, letting her feel just how hard he was. Beth pulled her mouth from his before whispering into his ear.
"You know what I want, Beta." she growled into his ear, pulling his head back and staring him in the eyes, "-so give it to me." Beta was only too happy to comply, reaching between them to loosen his belt and shove his pants down just enough to allow his erection to spring free. Gripping himself, he dragged his length back and forth along her slit, feeling how wet she was from a mixture of her arousal and the water that still dripped from her body.
Not wasting anymore time, Beta forced himself into her aching heat in one quick thrust, causing Beth to moan so loudly he had to cover her mouth with his palm. The action only turned her on more, and he kept his palm firmly over her mouth, muffling the noises she was making as he pulled himself almost completely out of her wet heat, before driving back into her as hard as he could.
But no matter how good of a distraction Beta's constant thrusting was, Beth's mind couldn't stop wandering back to the man with the angel-winged vest, and that's how she knew.
She was going to be in so much fucking trouble.
A/N: Sooooooo...BetaxBeth anybody?! Notice that the rating has been changed! This story is officially M! I know it's insanely crazy, but keep in mind that Beth is in her mid-twenties at this point, and she was on her own for a long time, she's not innocent, nor is she sweet and naive. Plus I love the amount of drama that this will wind up bringing into the story later on.
As always, reviews are always welcome! And try not to hate me tooooo much for the second half of the chapter!