Chapter 18 – Bring Me Down
Beth stared up at the planes in the night sky. Flying so low that they practically shook the roof, and she crossed her arms. Watching as they headed toward the city and a sick sort of dread crept over her. This was the part she didn't get to see back on the farm. Hershel either cut off the television or there was just wasn't any service anymore. Either way, she remembered hearing about it from Lorie and Carol. How the plans flew over them, bombing the cities as they stood on the highway and watched.
There'd been no contact with Daryl since that last phone call a week ago. Theo and Jackson offered their phone chargers so she could, but she just shook her head. Knowing the more they talked, the harder it would be to tell him that he needed to stay with the Atlanta group. That was how it always supposed to be. So she gritted her teeth and let her phone fall underneath the couch to be forgotten about. Not that it made things any easier. She still missed his voice. Wished he was here, and yearned for his arms to wrap around her and whisper that everything was going to be fine. Especially now, as she crossed her arms to keep herself from shuddering, watching the tail end of those planes heading straight for the city.
"How many people are in New York?" Theo asked, his thoughts echoing everyone's as they watched on.
"Well over a million," Jackson replied, his eyes too glued to the sky as the sound steadily faded away. Beth lowered her own to the ground. Not needing to tell them again that we're all infected. No matter how you die, rather from a bite or the flu, you became one of them. The fools in the government, hoping to help the situation only made it worse.
"And how far away are you from that city?" He looked to his brother, that seamless communication passing through them as Jackson nodded his head. The fear already setting in as they watched the first of the flames go up.
Though they couldn't hear it, Beth could almost imagine the screams that would echo throughout that place. The fear and pain that would encompass those still inside as the napalm took effect. Burning their skin and then their lungs. Supposedly, neutralizing most of the infected, not realizing they just made the problem worse. With the city destroyed and very few living being left alive within its boundaries, it wouldn't be long before the herds came down, and swarmed the place. The unbelievable sight of hundreds of walkers pouring out of the woods. It was enough to scare the living shit out of anyone, and her descriptions from the time on the farm must have been echoing in Jackson's head as he said, "I guess it's time to go?"
Beth turned inside, her mind shutting down as she started the old mantra again. "Weapons, food, clothes, and run." The same thing that went through her mind all those months on the road after the farm. The same thoughts plaguing her after the fall of the prison. Everything going back to the way it was before and she almost laughed at how easy it was to fall into step. Just like riding a bike.
This time, though, they could take it slow. Be more prepared as Jackson and Lucinda went through their things. Taking a day or more to decide what they could afford to lose and what could be packed into the back of the truck. Luckily, Theo was smart enough to bring out another truck instead of his bike.
"Something that would have been easier to maneuver through traffic, but I wasn't counting on all this," he said, when Jackson asked about it. Theo found it a damn shame that it was stuck up north.
"Sure we can't head up that way? Canada and what not?" he asked, when they were mapping out their route out of New York. Deciding on going west for a few miles and then south. Beth didn't argue. Not that she could. These men were helping her find a way home, or whatever was left of it.
When the day came to leave, Beth found herself doubled over in the bathroom, retching up the remnants of her breakfast for a good five minutes before she felt her stomach calm down, and she was able to breath. When she leaned back it was to see Jessica in the doorway with an apologetic smile on her face. "I told them not to cook those eggs," she said, holding out a wet towel for her to take.
Beth shook her head, wiping her mouth with the towel before tossing it onto the sink. "Eggs tasted fine."
"No tellin," the woman said, brushing the hair from her eyes as she turned to see the others starting to move about. When she looked back, there was pity in her eyes and Beth held her breath to hear what the woman had to say. When she came out with, "you should probably rest." Beth gave her a short glare.
"No, I need to help ya'll pack."
"If you're sick how much help are you going to be on that road?" Jessica asked, giving the young girl her own pointed glare.
Beth bit her lip, her eyes rolling back for a second before she opened her mouth to argue again before she was cut off by the older woman "Just lie down for a minute, and rest. We'll call you when it's time to get to the heavy stuff."
Beth fumed, ready to argue, though the look in the woman's eyes told her it was no good. So, Beth found herself lying on the couch, staring up at the ceiling while the others sat around her. Once again going over their list of supplies. Making sure everything was accounted for. Even the small CB radio that Theo insisted on taking.
"Never know when you might need to radio for help," he said, shrugging like it was the most obvious thing. Maybe it was, and Beth was anxious to get on the road. To be heading to more familiar grounds, even as the rest of the group insisted that they didn't need her help at the moment.
"Rest," Lucinda ordered, pointing a her finger at her as the woman left the room. Jessica gave her a grin of her own as she left as well to round up what supplies she could.
When afternoon came and they managed to force a couple of bottles of water down Beth's throat, she started feeling better. Just in time to convince them to let her up and help with the packing. With all the things that Jackson and Theo decided to throw in, it took both trucks to haul it all. Mostly necessities, as stated before. Dry foods -some military foods- What weapons that Jackson held in his basement, what medical supplies they had here in the house. An ice chest filled with blood packs that Beth rose an eyebrow at when it was loaded on. Jackson shrugged, not commenting on where it came from and then the clothes and other, lesser necessities.
When they all managed to finish packing, they sat in the kitchen to eat a quick meal. One that Beth's stomach protested, yet again, and before she could finish she found herself back in the bathroom. When she returned, she gave an apologetic look to Jessica and said, "hope this don't continue on the road." The woman gave her a sharp look and a quick "hmm" before looking to Lucinda who had the same look in her eyes.
Beth decided to ignore them, cleaning up her plate and moving outside where the men were ready to load up.
"The others coming?" Theo asked, looking behind her just in time to see the other three stroll out the door. Lucinda took a moment to lock the place up before climbing in the truck with Jackson, and Jessica. Beth jumped into the passenger seat with Theo, and promptly rested her head on the cool window. Hoping that it would her stomach and her mood as she looked out the front window.
The long drive way already looking foreboding as they left the safety of the cabin. Following the words of one girl that may or may not be leading them to their death. Beth didn't know if leaving was the right answer. She knew that they had to stay ahead of the herds. That the dead always found you, no matter how safe you believed your home to be.
That was what they were going on now. Her past experiences and it scared her to think that they were putting their trust in her. People never trusted her like that. Never looked to her for all the answers. All her life she followed along with the others, knowing that her elders knew what was best. Now, though, she was technically the elder, despite being around three hundred year-old vampires. They were going off her knowledge because no one ever lived through this before.
"You wouldn't happen to have a map in that head of yours to tell us where to go and not go?" Theo asked, his tone light as he tried to ease the tension in the car.
Beth could only glance at him. "Don't go near major cities."
He nodded at that, the smirk disappearing from his face as he looked at her blank expression. Beth knew she had to pull it together. Knew that being pissed at the world wasn't going to help anyone, but still she couldn't stop the weight pressing down on her. Dampening her mood, and pulling her further into depression.
With a bit of reluctance, she forced a smile on her face as she turned toward the man. "I'm sorry, I'm just..." she let the words trail off as she thought about how she was feeling.
"I get it," Theo said, giving her a side glance as they pulled onto the back roads. He didn't elaborate, or even attempt to explain how he knew what she was feeling for several minutes. "I had to leave a wife and child once."
Beth turned to him, the sadness seeping into her eyes as she thought about her own pain of having to cut ties with Daryl. "During some early war, the revolution I believe. They came through my home town and dragged me off. One night, we were attacked and the entire camp was slaughtered. My wife believed me to be dead. So when I got back home, she'd already married another."
Beth closed her eyes, reaching out to grip his arm in reassurance. When he looked back at her, there was something akin to tears in his eyes. "She was happy, so was my daughter and so I forced myself to leave them in another man's care. Told myself, it was better that way."
"Did they ever find out about you being alive?"
"No," he said, his focus going back to the road. "Didn't have it in me to tell them and go through all that."
Leaning her head back, Beth stared back out the window. Not having the words to comfort him.
"So, I mean it when I say I know what it is to give up a loved one for their own good."
Beth smiled at him, a small reassuring smile that he returned before focusing on the drive and letting the silence draw out between them as the miles passed by. Beth attempted to sleep, knowing full well that when morning came it would be her turn to drive.
The miles continued on though, tree line mixing with another and before she knew it, they were passing the state line into Pennsylvania. The thought that she was one state closer to Daryl a comforting thought, even as she tried to figure out what she would do when she got there. Not like she could just waltz up to her farm and not expect things to be awkward. Closing her eyes, she told herself she would figure it out. That something would present itself and not to worry now. Allowing herself to drift off for the moment.
The first real problems not appearing until they were just passing into Maryland when they came across a three car pile up. One of them flipped over on its roof, looking like it exploded at one point while the other two were just crushed pieces of metal, strewn across the road.
"Want to take a guess at what happened here?" Theo asked as the other two vehicles in front of them pulled over. Jackson jumped out of the truck, along with Jessica and Beth as the two men approached. They could hear the snarling inside the car, the noise echoing through the late night, and Beth's steps faltered. Her hands already going to her waist just as Jackson pulled out his knife from his booth. Waving to the others to stand back as so that he could handle it.
"You watch yourself," Beth muttered, her tone coming out a bit snappy. The man gave a quick nod, somewhat waving her off as he approached the vehicle and bent over. He gagged, his head resting on the cement for a moment, and Beth approached cautiously. Wondering if maybe she would have to take the reins on this one. When she bent over and noticed the charred body of a what could have been a teenager attempting to wiggle out of the seat belt, she turned her head away as well. Gagging as she pushed off the ground and headed toward the grass.
The smell alone was enough to send her reeling, as she threw up the evening meal. Jessica came over to help her, holding her hair back and rubbing soothing circles across her back until the nausea passed. When Beth felt her stomach was under control again, she turned in time to see Jackson plunging his knife into what she assumed to be the head of the child. Everyone remained so focused on the act being drawn out by Jackson that no one noticed the walker coming up behind Theo, it's hands already snagging into his shirt as it leaned forward to bite his shoulder.
His scream echoed in the silence and it took everyone a second of surprise before Jackson was rushing over, plunging his knife into that walker's head as well. When it dropped to the floor, they all sat there staring at each other. The moment still by the fact that none of it could believe it just happened. That it happened so fast and without warning. Beth felt her head spinning, her eyes taking in Theo as he reached back, pulling his hand back to stare at it with dawning disbelief
When he looked back up, it was to lock eyes with Jackson. Some silent communication passing between the two, before Lucinda jumped into action. Yanking Theo over to the light of one of the trucks before she was pulling his shirt up. Almost ripping it to get a better look at the bite on his back.
"Shit," Lucinda muttered, backing away. Tears welling up in her eyes as she turned to Jackson, who continued to remain frozen next to the charred car. Beth rushed forward, wanting to see the wound herself as she yanked the man around. Taking in the deep grooves where the teeth ripping into his flesh, and the gaping hole left in its place. Blood seeping out of it, sliding down his back and Beth tried to focus on helping the situation. Her eyes scanning over the location and what could be done when she realized there was nothing. The bite mark was in such an awkward place that even attempting to cut around it would do more harm than good.
"Shit," she repeated as she met Theo's eyes. He must have seen the look of regret in her expression because he put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze as he said, "something had to bring me down, right?"
This one's shorter then most. My apologizes. Started to get writers block on this story, but I know where I'm heading with it. Getting there the trouble. Hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for sticking this out even if I get slow on the updates.
