Murphy's Law is fairly common knowledge; whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.

Fuck, did things ever fucking go wrong.

The festival had started off strong, people were laughing and bonding, overall merry. And when Henry had walked up to her and Ezekiel with a young girl at his side, Carol felt a wave of relief wash over her at seeing her son. The girl, whose name was Lydia, was the daughter of the leader of the Whisperers; the ones who had killed Jesus.

Things seemed to go downhill from there fairly quick.

Daryl and Michonne had asked to speak to her in private before they met with the other community leaders, saying they had something important to tell her. And out of all the things they could've possibly said, the words "Beth is alive" weren't even a consideration.

To say she was shocked would be a massive understatement, and while she wanted to know all the details of how she was alive and where she was at, if not with them, she also knew that there wasn't enough time to discuss it right then and there. They had to go to the meeting between leaders.

When the leaders came to an agreement to send a small group of soldiers to Hilltop to ensure its security against the Whisperers, Carol volunteered to go along, leaving Ezekiel and Henry behind to enjoy the fair. Together with Daryl, Michonne, the group of newcomers and a couple of the Kingdom's strongest people they left for the Hilltop.

They hadn't gotten very far when they were intercepted by the Highwaymen.

Ozzy and his second, Alek, were clearing the roads when they found one of Hilltop's caravans on the side of the road, a couple of dead bodies left behind. Daryl said there were tracks they could follow, and they agreed to split up. Carol, Daryl, Michonne, and Yumiko were to follow the tracks and see if anybody had survived, while the rest headed straight for Hilltop. They had been following the path for hours when they were surrounded by walkers, but they managed to defend themselves. It didn't matter though, because they showed up, surrounding them at all angles. Daryl was the first to drop his weapons, the rest followed.

When Alpha stepped through the crowd and walked straight up to Daryl, a horrible feeling started to build in her gut.

Either they were going to die, or somebody else already had.

Alpha had left a couple of hours ago, leaving Beth in charge of the camp. Beta was still gone as well. She was supposed to be meeting him at that barn at midnight, but she was seriously debating leaving early so she could try and figure out what the hell Alpha was planning.

Beth looked up at the black sky, the full moon nowhere near its peak. She turned to observe the Whisperers that had remained in the camp, taking note that all of their strongest people had gone with either Alpha or Beta…which meant that she could leave camp soon, virtually unnoticed, if she really wanted.

Ambling her way over to her pack, she knelt down on the forest floor, digging through her meagre possessions for her sharpening stone. Finding the stone, she twisted around to lean against the tree where her bag was sitting, unsheathing her knife and dragging it across the rough surface. The sound of her blade dragging across the rock made her calm, which some may find strange or morbid, but not to her. Besides, she needed to kill a little time before she left for the barn. Focusing on the sound of her knife scraping against the stone, she allowed her mind to wander.

Beth had been baffled by Beta's strange show of affection the other day. Where had that come from? He wasn't somebody who was ruled by his emotions, not even close. Emotions were weakness, he lived and breathed that philosophy. So why? What the hell has possessed him to treat her with such tenderness, as one might do for a lover? Sure, they had their fun, relieved their stress…but Beth wouldn't consider them lovers.

For some strange reason, thinking of the word 'lover' brought a strange image to her mind, one that had her face warming up and making her grateful for wearing her mask. She pictured angel wings on worn black leather, dirt and sweat-covered arms, shaggy brown hair and eyes so blue they reminded her of the ocean.

What in the fuck?

She mentally reprimanded herself for picturing Daryl. They'd never been 'lovers', not even close. Beth wasn't even sure if they'd ever been friends. She knew she'd driven him crazy when they were out on their own, separated from the rest of their family. Looking back on it, she didn't blame him for screaming at her the way he had at the shack. He was right, she just hadn't wanted to admit it. But she also knew that she'd made a point to him, about not hiding his feelings and that, despite everything, there were still good people. And that memory of them, drinking moonshine and burning down the shack, was something that had kept her going over the years.

It's funny, when she thinks about those days' past. Doing the math in her head, Beth realizes she's been with the Whisperers longer than she'd been with her family, since the world went to shit. And yet, she felt no real loyalty to them. Not to Beta, and certainly not to Alpha. She was willing to admit that she'd learned a lot from them both, and they had made her stronger, teaching her not to be ruled by her emotions like so many were. But Alpha let her own people do horrible things to one another, things that Beth had almost fallen victim to on numerous occasions, when she'd first joined them. Things that she'd saved Lydia from as often as she could, even if it meant taking a beating. If she was being honest with herself, not that many of her people were worth saving. The good ones never lasted long, not with Alpha.

So no, she didn't feel a strong sense of loyalty to the Whisperers, not when she knew she was always expendable in Alpha's eyes. Reminding herself of that made her betrayal easier. It also helped knowing that Lydia would most likely not be caught in the crossfires.

Snapping out of her reverie, Beth looked around, noticing that people were settling in for the night, some already asleep. She took a gander at the sky, and seeing the moon was steadily creeping higher, she moved to stand. Tossing her stone back in her bag, she sheathed her knife at her hip and put her bag on her back. Taking one last glance over the camp, she made sure nobody was looking her way as she slipped away, because she wasn't supposed to be going to the barn alone. She knew Alpha wanted her to wait until Beta sent somebody for her, but she couldn't. She had to get to the barn before either of them, had to know what Alpha was planning and if there was anything she could do to stop it.

Sneaking out was easy, it wasn't the first time Beth had done it. And if anybody were to get in her way…well, let's just say nobody had better get in her way. She crept quickly out of the forest, past the small herd of walkers they kept in the field, sticking to the tree line so that she wasn't spotted by the Whisperers that ambled amongst the dead. Once she had put a sufficient amount of distance between her and the camp, she started running. She knew it was probably a waste of energy, but years on the road had made her endurance higher, even with the injuries she'd sustained over the past week. She's been through worse, and she needed to get to the barn as quickly as she could. Two miles could take forever if she walked, especially if she walked with the dead. If she ran, she figured she could get there in less than thirty minutes, which would give her plenty of time to survey the situation before Alpha or Beta arrived.

There were no sounds in the dead of night, nothing but Beth's hard breathing and the sound of her feet as she ran across roads and through bunches of trees. She didn't bother with killing any walkers that she came across, instead choosing to dodge them as they reached out for her, her fast movements giving away that she wasn't one of them. She didn't have the time to spare.

When she was about five minutes away from the barn, she slowed some, moving at a fast pace but no longer running. She was almost there, she could see the dirt road leading to the barn. Taking to the trees on either side, she started to move much more carefully, thinking through every step and avoiding making any loud noises. She could see the barn, there was a faint light peaking through the gaps in the wood, and she could see somebody standing guard at the door. Knowing Alpha, there was most likely one guard on either side of the barn, and then another two or three inside. So what's her next move? She needed to get in there, but she had a feeling they wouldn't let her in without Alpha or Beta present, despite her position. She would probably have to fight her way in…because they were animals.

And animals don't negotiate.

She snuck around to the back of the barn, taking care to be unseen. She was right, there was somebody guarding the back. By the size and build of the person, she guessed it was a man. She found it ironic, in that moment, that despite the length of time she'd been a Whisperer, she hardly knew any of her own people.

Not like it'd matter for much longer.

She watched the man as he paced the back of the barn, waiting until he turned his back before she crept from her hiding place, tiptoeing behind him and wrapping her good arm around his throat and using her bad one to unclip her knife. Stabbing him in the head, she let his weight fall against her, slowly lowering his body to the ground, trying to make as little sound as possible. She paused for a moment, listening to see if anybody had heard her, but she was met with silence. Breathing slowly, she made her way into to the trees and headed back for the road. She wanted the person guarding the front to see her and announce her presence to whoever was inside.

Mustering up all the confidence she possibly could, Beth trekked up the dirt road in silence. The person guarding the door, another man, tilted his head and murmured against the wood, confirming her original theory; there was somebody inside. She continued to walk, appearing uninterested as to whatever was going on. When she was a couple feet away, the man held up his hand for her to stop, and she did so willingly.

"You're early. Alpha and Beta aren't here yet." She figured they weren't by the lack of soldiers outside.

"Got bored of waiting. Figured I'd make my way over on my own." She lied, standing tall and trying to look indifferent, as if this was just another chore to her. The man hesitated, unsure what to do in the presence of Delta.

"Alpha said nobody is be allowed inside until she or Beta arrive. That includes you, Delta." The man grunted, trying to sound stern, as if he had any power of position over her. Beth snorted and crossed her arms, staring him down.

"Oh does it now? See, last I checked, I'm third in command." She hissed, taking a step forward. "I'm fairly certain that makes me exempt of her orders, unless specified otherwise. Now, move aside." The man's hands clenched into fists at his sides, his body ridged.

"I'm sorry, Delta. But I can't let you inside unless Alpha or Beta are present." Beth huffed out an irritated breath, putting her hands on her hips, her fingers inching towards the blade at her hip.

"Then I'm sorry as well." The man tilted his head in confusion as she took a lazy step closer, easily within arm's reach.

"Sorry for what?" She looked at him, a hollow smile on her face.

"This." As soon as she'd spoken, Beth had her knife in her hand and embedded in his throat, blood immediately spraying out and onto her mask and shirt. Whatever the man was about to say was lost in the gargles of him choking on his own blood. She let his body drop with a loud thud, wanting whoever was inside to hear what was going on.

"Jack? What's goin' on out there?" She heard a woman call out, and Beth immediately ducked back behind the corner of the barn, peeking her head around the corner when she heard movement. She could hear the sound of the wooden barn door scraping against the dirt, and a feminine gasp. Glancing around the corner, she saw a woman kneel down next to Jack, before calling out to whoever was inside to get out there. She watched as two more Whisperers came out, both coming to a halt when they noticed the dead body.

"Find whoever did this, they can't have gotten far." The woman ordered, and Beth watched as the two people behind her, a male and a female, split up to search. She yanked her head back when one of the women started heading in her direction. Casting a quick glance towards the sky, she knew she'd have to be quick about this, she only had a short while before Alpha was due to arrive. Knife raised in front of her with the blade facing out, Beth pushed her back up against the barn and waited for one moment, then another, then one more before she caught sight of the woman coming around the corner. Not giving her a chance to react to her presence, she swung her arm out and stabbed her in the eye socket, the sound making her want to gag, but she pushed it down.

Letting her body fall, Beth yanked the blade from the dead woman's skull and turned, racing towards the back of the barn, going around the next corner and hiding in the shadows. She didn't have to hide long, because the man came around the other corner, and he noticed her instantaneously. He reacted to her quicker than the woman had, and managed to land a hard punch to her gut, momentarily knocking her to the ground. But she didn't let him keep the advantage for long. Pulling a small switchblade that she kept hidden in her boot, she stabbed him in the calf, causing him to cry out in pain and fall back against the barn wall. Scrambling to her feet as quickly as she could, Beth wasted no time in slitting his throat and shoving his body into the dirt. She was heaving, but she didn't have time to rest.

One to go.

Beth didn't bother trying to be stealthy anymore, it was obvious she was there. She stomped her way back around to the front of the barn and peered inside the open door. She couldn't see very well in the soft light, but there were large forms on the ground, and by the constant shifting of them she assumed they were people. An angry shout made her pull her head away and spin around, just barely reacting in-time to avoid a knife descending towards her head. Beth charged the last woman, wrapping her arms around her center and pushing her with all her might, using her weight as a momentum. The woman dropped her weapon in shock as she was thrown to the ground, Beth collapsing on top of her. She wrapped her hands around her throat, squeezing as hard as she could. The bitch was putting up one hell of a fight though, and she kept clawing at Beth's face, grabbing at her mask and actually managing to rip it from her face.

The shock of losing her mask made Beth loosen her grip unintentionally, and the woman heaved forward, pushing Beth back and sitting on her stomach, punching her in the face. Beth grunted in pain, but tried her hardest to feel around on the ground for something to use as a weapon. When her fingers brushed up against what felt like a rock, she wrapped her hand around it and held it tightly. She acted as though she had passed out, and the woman stopped punching her, believing she had won.

That was a mistake.

With her guard down enough for her to make a move, Beth used what little strength she had left to hurl the rock at the woman's skull, nailing her directly in the temple. She collapsed to the side, giving her to chance to flip over on top of her, and Beth continued to smash the rock into her skull, ignoring the fact that she was obviously dead and that she was just making a bloody mess. When she finally had enough, she dropped the rock and hesitantly stood, legs shaking from overuse. Her hair was covered in dirt and sweat, her clothes ruined from the blood of the ones she had killed. She could feel blood running from her nose, and she reached a shaky hand to her face to wipe it away. Her lungs felt like they may burst, and she was so exhausted…but she wasn't done, not yet.

Slowly, Beth limped towards the open barn door, picking up her knife and bag that she had dropped earlier on her way. Stepping into the barn, she found a second lantern hanging from a beam near the door and lit it up with a candle that was sitting close by, needing more light to see what was inside. What she saw made her freeze, shocked at the sight before her.

There were roughly a dozen men and women kneeling on the ground, all with their hands tied behind their backs and mouths gagged. A few of them looked up in fear when they heard her enter, their eyes wide at her disheveled appearance. One face in particular had her trying to calm the panic she felt welling up inside her.

"Henry?" She gasped, and the blonde teen's head shot up, looking at her in surprise. Not wanting to waste any more time than she already had, Beth quickly limped over to him, her knife grasped firmly in her palm. She knelt down behind him, slicing the rope from his wrists and untying the gag from his mouth. Once he was free, she offered him the switchblade from her boot and they each moved to another person.

"What happened?" She asked, not looking at him while she worked on releasing a younger woman with short brown hair. Henry glanced at her before working on the ropes binding a man's wrists.

"Alpha. She snuck into the Kingdom," He started, coughing to clear his throat, voice sore from lack of use, "-her and a couple others, they just grabbed people at random when nobody was looking." Beth couldn't say she was surprised, but what she didn't understand was why Alpha had kidnapped these people?

She didn't have time to dwell on the unknown though, she had to get as many of these people out as she could. Her and Henry worked quickly, slicing through the binds on the others and letting them remove their own gags. When everybody in the room was free, she pushed through the crowd and lifted the wood beam that latched the back door shut, tossing the hunk of wood to the ground with a grunt. Turning back around, she faced the people, most whose names she didn't even know, Henry being the exception. The boy in question made his way towards her.

"You all need to run," Henry's brow furrowed, confusion etched into his features, "-now. I'm still not entirely sure what Alpha had planned for all of you, but I guarantee it involved your deaths. So, unless you feel like dying tonight, you all need to go and warn the rest of your people." Their hesitation to leave irritated Beth. Didn't they realize they'd probably die if they tried to be heroes? Shit, releasing them and killing a bunch of her own people has pretty much guaranteed her own death.

"You-you're coming back, right?" Henry questioned, not wanting to leave her behind. Especially considering how many times she'd saved his ass. Beth looked at him, empathy on her face.

"I'll try." He didn't look like he believed her, but she didn't really care. They needed to leave, and it needed to be now. "Time for you to go, before Alpha-"

"-before Alpha what?" Beth felt dread pool in her gut, the hair on the nape of her neck standing on end.

Fuck.

The small crowd of people whipped around to the front entrance of the barn, and Beth could see Alpha standing there, her mask off, Beta flanking her side.

Well, she's officially dead.

"Run!" She shouts, shoving open the back door and pushing Henry through, the crowd of people not far behind him. She could only hope they can make it back, because now she had to make a distraction. Turning to face Alpha, she could see how enraged she was, and Beth knew she might not make it out of this alive. She watched as Alpha shook her head before throwing a glance over her shoulder at a couple of Whisperers, ordering them to go and collect as many runaways as they could.

"You did a bad thing, Delta." Alpha whispered, staring at her, a murderous look on her face. She didn't need to look at Beta to know his was the same. Beth glared at her, deciding if she was going to die, she may as well put up a fight.

"None of those people deserved whatever the fuck you had planned for them!" She was done whispering, done being Alpha's bitch. It was time to make a stand. Alpha gave a humorless laugh, stepping in Beth's direction with her hands clasped behind her back.

"And who are you to make that sort of decision?" Alpha questioned, her tone mocking. "I wonder, how long have you been conspiring with the enemy? What made you decide being weak was better than being strong?" She finished her sentence in a growl, but Beth refused to back down.

"I'm not being weak, Alpha. I'm opening my eyes and seeing things for what they are." She stated, her voice unwavering despite her shaking palms.

"And just what do you see, Delta?" Beth met her eye before speaking.

"I see a monster," She declared, her voice agitated, "-I see somebody so obsessed with power they'll kill anybody that dares to disagree. You think you're strong, Alpha, but you're not. You say I'm the weak one for going against you, but I'm not the one who drove my daughter away with my insane beliefs, am I? It's all bullshit!" She knew mentioning Lydia would get Alpha fired up, and she was right. The woman marched over to her and backhanded Beth across the face. She didn't even react to the hit; her entire body numb from her injuries by this point. But instead of hitting her again or killing her, Alpha turned and strode away, back towards Beta.

Beth decided if she was going to even attempt an escape, now would be her chance. She was thankful they were in a barn, because barns had a lot of dry hay, and there were a couple candles and lanterns lit. Scanning the space around her, she noticed a lantern hanging from a beam in the center of the barn, between her and the rest of the Whisperers. If she could knock it down, it'd set the hay all over the ground ablaze.

"One more thing, Alpha," Beth spoke, her voice loud enough to draw her ex-leader's attention, "-my name is not Delta. It's Beth." And in one quick motion, Beth threw her knife directly at the lantern, effectively knocking it off the hook and shattering to the ground.

The small flame spread quickly, thanks to the remaining oil that had spilled from the lamp, burning on the hay surrounding them. Her distraction appeared to work, and she took the opportunity to spin on her heel and haul ass out of the back door, pushing her body to the limit as she ran hard and fast, not caring what direction she went. She just needed to get as far away as she could.

Beth knew she was being pursued when she heard heavy footsteps pounding behind her, and her heart leapt into her throat. She cried out in pain when a large body collided with hers, knocking her down into a bed of leaves. She knew who had tackled her, the size of the body alone was a give-away.

"You betrayed your people," Beta hissed into her ear, his large hands wrapping around her throat, "-you betrayed me. You're the same as Lydia. You're weak." He growled, tightening his grip on her throat. Beth gagged and gasped for air, trying in vain to pry Beta's hands from her throat. She knew it was useless, she didn't have a weapon or anything to even make an attempt to stop him. Beta was going to kill her, right here and now. And she was ready to accept that, with only one regret; not getting the chance to see her family once more.

She was on the brink of losing consciousness when there was a yell from somewhere around them, and suddenly Beta's weight was off her small frame and she could breathe again. She rolled onto her hands and knees, coughing and gasping for air and trying to get her eyes to focus on what was happening nearby. Looking to the side, she could see that it was Henry who had somehow managed to get Beta off of her. But she could also see that Henry didn't stand a chance against Beta in a fight.

As quick as she could, Beth pulled herself to her feet and only wobbled for a second, thankfully. She immediately charged at Beta's back and leapt onto him, wrapping her legs around his torso and her arms around his throat, squeezing as much as she could. Beta grabbed onto her arms and started to pull them away from his neck, but Beth refused to let go that easily. Doing something that would probably make her throw up later, Beth leaned her head forward and bit down on the side of Beta's throat, and he shouted in pain, his movements becoming more erratic as he tried to remove her from his back. She kept biting him, clenching her jaw so tight that the warm, coppery taste of blood began to fill her mouth; and she was fairly certain it wasn't hers.

Beta had clearly had enough, and he walked backwards, smashing Beth into a tree, causing her to gasp at the pain shooting up her spine and let go of him, giving him the opportunity to step away. But he fell to his knees, disoriented from the blood loss and from being knocked into by Henry, and the blonde-haired boy grabbed a fallen branch and smashed it into Beta's head, managing to knock him out cold.

Dropping the branch, Henry turned to Beth and crouched down beside her. She looked like shit, and she seemed like she was having a hard time breathing.

"L-leave…" She heaved, trying to tell him to go without her, but the stubborn kid wouldn't listen.

"Like hell I'm leaving you here! Lydia would never forgive me, or you for that matter." She snorted at his declaration, knowing he was probably right. "Alright come on, put your arm around my shoulders, we're getting out of here." She groaned in pain when he slowly helped her stand, her body protesting every movement. Before Henry could start guiding her away, she stopped him for a moment. She turned and limped over to Beta's unconscious form, kneeling down beside his face.

"I'm…n-not…weak." She seethed, knowing he couldn't hear a word she was saying but not giving a single shit otherwise. Forcing herself back up, she beckoned Henry over to help her, grateful to him for saving her life. Together, they started to make their way in the direction of the Kingdom, or so Beth was assuming. She was having a difficult time staying awake.

"C'mon Beth, stay awake!" Henry grunted at her, heaving more of her weight on his side, basically dragging her at this point. As much as she'd like to do what he says and keep her eyes open, it was just too difficult. She stumbled over her own two feet, collapsing into the mud, dragging Henry down with her.

"G-go…" She rasped, her throat sore from being choked, "-get h-help…" Even as she mumbled, Henry was shaking his head.

"No fucking way! We either go together, or not at all. So show me why they called you Delta and fucking move!" Hearing him call her that fucking name did something to her insides, and she forced herself up, damn-near screaming in pain as she got to her feet; Henry lifting her good arm back around his shoulders. Every step felt like a fresh stab in her ribs, and she was heaving and gasping as they walked, but she wouldn't quit. Not when she was so close.

She would see her family one more time, even if it fucking killed her.

The sun was just creeping up over the horizon as Daryl was making his way off of Alpha's land. The crazy bitch had shown him her herd of walkers, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen so many of them. She had told him where the borders were to her land, told him exactly where he would be able to find it, saying he'd know where the boundary lay. She also warned him that if they crossed into her land again, she'd send her herd to all of the communities. He was so lost in thought, that he almost missed Carol jogging in his direction, her arms immediately wrapping around him in a hug. He was grateful that they'd all been released, and he was still shocked that Alpha had agreed to leave Lydia alone, basically disowning her.

Looking up, he noticed Michonne and Yumiko standing and waiting for him and Carol, and when they were all together, they continued their trek towards the border, ready to head for home.

They were walking through a small section of forest when Michonne gasped, drawing their attention to a lone figure passed out against a tree trunk.

"Siddiq?!" Michonne shouted before rushing over to him, collapsing on to her knees and shaking him. Daryl took in his appearance; he was covered in dirt and his head was bleeding, but other than that he seemed alright. Thankfully.

"Mi…chonne…" Siddiq groaned, blinking his eyes and slowly lifting his head to look up at the, "-they…were at the…f-fair." Daryl's blood ran cold. There was only one 'they' that he could be referring to; the fucking Whisperers.

"What'd they do?" Daryl grunted, dropping to one knee to inspect Siddiq's head wound, but the man was having a hard time speaking. He was struggling for breath, and it was obvious he was on the verge of becoming hysterical.

"Siddiq, calm down. You're safe now." Michonne made an attempt to comfort him, but Siddiq shook his head slowly, his eyes welling up with tears. Struggling to find the words, he just pointed behind him, up the hill. They all looked in the direction of his finger, and past the trees they could see a large clearing up ahead. Michonne grabbed one of Siddiq's arms, looping it over her shoulders and helping him to stand, Yumiko grabbing his other one and doing the same. Supporting most of his weight, the small group made their way up the hill, pushing branches out of their way.

Daryl had a gut feeling that whatever Siddiq was trying to show them wouldn't be good, and when they reached the clearing, he could see five stakes embedded in the ground around ten feet apart from each other. This was obviously Alpha's border, and while it normally wouldn't be something to be concerned about, it was what was on top of the stakes that had fear gnawing away at his insides.

Because there were five heads stabbed on the stakes.

As if in a daze, they all made their way closer to the border, so they could identify who was on each stake. Daryl's heart was thundering in his chest and his palms were clammy, terrified of who he would see.

"Oh my God…" Yumiko gasped, her free hand covering her mouth in fear and disgust at the sight before them. Michonne and Carol both had similar expressions on their faces, and Daryl felt his eyes burning as he made a mental note of each new grave they'd have to make.

Tammy.

D.J.

Frankie.

Rodney.

Tara.

He subconsciously registered the sound of a sob coming from somewhere beside him, but his attention was on the stakes, his eyes locked on Tara's decapitated head. The urge to vomit hit him when he heard the groans coming from each one of them. They had reanimated, meaning they'd been dead for hours, and nobody had a clue.

"Mom!" A male voice shouted, and all their heads snapped around, spotting Henry entering the clearing, a beaten and bloodied person on his side. It only took Daryl a moment to realize who it was, and his heart dropped into his stomach.

Beth?

He wasted no time running over to them, Carol hot on his heels. He took a quick look at Henry, and stared at him with concern, his expression portraying his silent question; are you okay? Henry nodded that he was, but turned his head towards Beth, her body sagging against him, hardly able to hold herself up. Carol had reached them and asked if he was alright; Henry reassuring his mother that he'd live. Daryl ignored them, instead taking a small step closer to Beth.

As if sensing his presence, she lifted her head, and his heart wept at the damage done to her face. He could only imagine how the rest of her body looked. He was drawn from his thoughts when he heard her voice.

"Daryl?" She asked, unsure if he was really standing in front of her or if her exhaustion was causing her to hallucinate. She made an attempt to step away from Henry and towards Daryl, but her legs gave out and she fell forward. Daryl was quick to catch her, slowing her body down and helping her to rest on her knees. She reached her hands up to his face, touching his hair and tracing his features. She gave him the best smile she possibly could, which wasn't much considering the swelling on her face.

"I found you." She murmured, grasping his neck with both of her small hands and pulling their faces closer; resting her forehead against his, her eyelids fluttering shut. "I swore to myself I'd see you again." Beth opened her eyes to look at him again, and he could see the unshed tears that she was fighting back. He also noticed when her eyes were drawn behind him, quickly realizing what she was seeing, obvious by the horror etched on her face. "No…" She whimpered, her lower lip quivering, "-I…I got them out." Her admission shocked him, and Daryl could see out of the corner of his eye that Carol and the others were watching her now as well.

"NO!" She shouted, trying to crawl around Daryl. He didn't allow her to get far; rotating his body to wrap his arms around Beth's torso and shoulders, holding her back. He felt her body shake as she started to openly sob in front of them, his own eyes starting to water once more. "I got them out! I fucking told them to run! They were supposed to make it back…nobody else was supposed to die…" She cried, her tears steadily dripping off her cheeks.

Daryl had tuned out everybody around them, his attention focused solely on Beth as she wept, shedding tears for people she didn't even know. That was how he knew; Beth Greene was still there. Despite it all, Beth had retained her humanity, even if she didn't realize it.

"I tried, Daryl." She mumbled, her words a bit garbled from her crying. "I tried to do the right thing, and they still died." Beth turned in his embrace and hid her face in his chest, her tears soaking his jacket. But he didn't care. Daryl tightened his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head, glancing up at Carol and Henry; at Michonne, Siddiq, and Yumiko. They all had devastated expressions on their faces. Daryl could only assume his was similar in-fashion.

"Hush now, girl." He spoke in Beth's ear, holding her as close as he could. "We're gonna be a'right." Even as he said the words, he wasn't sure he believed them. But Daryl needed to be strong in that moment, for the both of them. He repeated himself, sounding a little more confident than he had the first time.

"We're gonna be a'right." He muttered, low enough so only she could hear.

"I promise."

A/N: I decided to save Henry and Enid, I felt their stories were cut short on the show. Everybody else I basically tossed names in a hat and chose at random! This chapter also marks the end of the BetaxBeth moments! Lol, you're welcome!

Reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated! Let me know your thoughts and feelings, I love hearing from my readers!

-Taylor Catherine