A/N Thank You All Again! Beth had quite the experience dressing out a deer, she did great :) Now we're off to the quarry.

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It's a lot easier walking without the rifle and the backpack, in fact, it wouldn't be a bad walk at all if she wasn't tired from her big morning. Still, she's not going to complain. The weather is perfect, the sky is blue and Daryl seems unusually relaxed.

All in all, this has been a great day.

She learned a lot about hunting she never realized before, some of it was gross, but at least Daryl explained why it was necessary and knowing that made it not quite as bad.

Oh my gosh, she finally got to bathe and that was wonderful. It was something she didn't even think about in the old world, it was simply part of her daily routine. Never could she have imagined a world where taking a bath was the greatest thing that could happen.

They topped off the busy morning with a simple and delicious meal and Daryl was right about food, it did seem to taste better when you've done the work yourself. The day has had the feel of a good old-fashion camping trip, and now they're topping it off with a late afternoon stroll. Perfect.

Several yards before they reach the edge of the rise he stops and explains, "It's best ta be careful, there could be sumthin' or somebody down there that ain't friendly. We don't wanna be seen or heard til we know for sure. We're gonna get on our bellies n kinda commando crawl over ta the edge. If ya gotta talk, keep it a low whisper, those big open pits carry sound. "

"I hadn't thought about any of that, but okay." In the old world Beth might have accused him of being negative and always expecting the worst. In this world the worst seemed to be waiting around every corner.

Crawling on her belly definitely wasn't in her plans and she's beginning to wonder why she bothered to bathe, then, even before lifting the binoculars to her eyes she sees them. People.

For the third time that day Daryl holds a finger to his lips and whispers, "Remember, quiet."

He's looking through the rifle scope and she's looking through the binoculars and everything seems so peaceful and idyllic by the quarry.

She makes a move to stand, she's ready to go say hello, but he grabs her arm and shakes his head, "No."

She wonders why he's being such a party pooper. They're just regular people. There's an old RV with an elderly gentleman on the roof, he seems to be the lookout. There are a few small tents and some women in a little cove doing laundry. That sight makes her smile. Women. She'd love a chance to visit with other women and ask them how they're coping, how do they manage in this strange new world.

She tugs at his shirt and smiles and whispers, "Come on Daryl, let's go introduce ourselves. Maybe we can travel together. Safety in numbers and all."

He knows it probably seems to her like he's being way too cautious, but being careful usually turns out to be a good thing. He whispers, "Hold on, let's just keep an eye on em for a few minutes til we know for sure what's goin' on."

She still thinks he's just being a big party pooper, but she goes along.

Her attention shifts and she focuses on one woman in particular, a woman who could be Amy. She's built just like her and her hair's the same color and length, but Beth can't quite make out her face because there's another woman in front of her blocking her view. Darn. She's even more anxious for Daryl to quit being so careful so they can finally go meet these people.

That's when all hell breaks loose.

A bulky man storms into the circle of women and begins yelling at one of them. He's pulling at her and then, oh my gosh, he hits her! The other women scream and all of them begin to yell at once, and at the same time Beth can feel hot raw rage coming off Daryl like steam. His muscles are tense and it's obvious he's angry and agitated, she's nervous about what in the world might happen next.

That's when someone else appears out of nowhere. It's a dark-haired muscle man and he's yelling too, just before he begins to violently beat the poor woman's abuser. It appears that's not what the victim wants and her expression is pure anguish as she tries to pull the muscle man away. Beth has no way of knowing what, but she'd guess there's a lot more going on here than just a fist fight. The dark-haired muscle man seems intent on beating the abuser to death with his bare hands.

Other men from their camp arrive and eventually they're able to pull muscle man off the abuser, and although the bloody and battered abuser is barely able to crawl into a nearby tent, he never stops yelling at the muscle man or the woman he struck.

They're all so caught up in yelling and fighting they're too distracted to notice when a small group of walkers shuffle into camp. That's all it takes, a few. The people seem completely unprepared for this, and my God, the sight is horrific. There's screaming and running and blood and death and all Beth can do is away.

Although he never voiced it, Daryl was as hopeful as her that these would be good people. Maybe they could even travel together, because she's right, there's some safety in numbers. But it has to be the right group, and this group doesn't feel right. Shit, they can't even seem to get along with each other.

His hand clasps her shoulder when he whispers, "Let's get back ta the van."

"Yes, please. That was awful."

Beth feels the heavy sadness of deep disappointment and she can tell Daryl's mood has gone dark. Once they walk a few more yards he tells her, "I think we need ta leave this place first thing in the mornin'. Sound good?"

"Yes, whatever you think is best."

Yeah, but it seems like something more is bothering her. He asks, "Sumthin' else is on your mind?"

He's intuitive, she knew that, "I thought one of those women could be Amy. You know, by her figure and her hair, but I couldn't get a good look at her face."

He's nodding, she's probably wishful thinking but life is tough enough and he doesn't want to take it away from her. "We'll probably see 'em again along the way."

They take two steps and then she stops and says, "I hated that man for hitting that poor woman, but the guy that beat him up was just as terrible. Worse. It didn't seem like he was doing it to defend her, it was more like he just wanted to beat someone up and that creep gave him a convenient excuse."

"Yeah, kinda seemed that way ta me too. Guys like him...he's the biggest reason we held back." He leaves out the part about not wanting that guy anywhere near her. Even from as far away as they were, there was a feeling Daryl got, the guy is trouble.

Back at the van they're both restless and he asks, "Ya wanna play a game a cards or sumthin'?"

"Oh yes, I love cards."

"Five card stud? Jacks or better? What's your poison?"

"Oh, um, well I've never played those but I played a lot of gin with my Daddy."

He looks at her like he's trying to decide if she's bullshitting him, but nah, she ain't. "A'ight, gin, but by the time we get ta that farm you're gonna know how ta play every poker game there is."

She smiles and nods, "Good, then I can beat you at those just like I'm about to beat you at gin."

"Oh yeah? You talk a lotta smack for such a little thing." It's fun and playful and after what they witnessed it's just what they need, but after a few hands they're both exhausted.

He grabs the sleeping bag and his hand is on the door, "A'ight, we'll pull out at daybreak."

She argues, "No Daryl, sleep in here. Please. I'll sleep in the chair up front. Please."

"No, don't fight me on this Beth. Get some sleep."

She can't sleep. She dozes and wakes, dozes and wakes for what seems like hours, until she hears a commotion. She knows exactly what it is. Those things are out there, with Daryl.

She grabs her knife, gripping it tightly in her hand as she slides the door open and screams, "Daryl!" And one of those things lunges at her. She's terrified but knows what she has to do. She rams her knife into it's skull and pushes it off her. "Daryl!" Oh my gawd, there's one on top of him and it looks like Daryl's caught up in the sleeping bag. He can't break free to defend himself. Beth races toward the walker yelling, "Leave him alone!" As she plunges her knife in the top of the creature's head.

Daryl's on his feet and there are more walkers coming, he hollers, "Get in the van Beth, quick!"

She does what he says, and he's right behind her and still they barely make it in. Daryl's kicking and pushing at walkers as he slams the side door shut, crushing the hand of one of those creatures.

He's moving fast as he jumps up front and into the driver's seat, he hollers at her, "Hang on tight!" The engine kicks over and he presses on the gas. They're driving through what seems like an obstacle course of walkers. He tries to miss as many as he can only because he doesn't want to wreck the van. They need the damn thing.

Beth is sitting on the floor in the back, hanging onto the toolbox to try and keep from being thrown around, and she hasn't stopped saying her prayers. It's a rough ride and she's feeling carsick, but thank God Daryl's alright. She was so scared.

It feels like they've been going forever, but it's really only four or five of minutes and they're free of the herd. When he's sure they've left them a few miles behind, he cuts the motor and asks, "Ya okay? C'mon up here."

"Yes, except now I need another bath. Just look at me, I'm covered in blood."

She's sitting in the passenger seat with the package of baby wipes trying to clean her hands and arms and he wants to laugh. She sure as shit didn't back down from the fight, but she don't like being dirty, "I'll try and arrange that bath for ya as soon as possible."

Then his whole demeanor changes. His words are honest and natural, "Ya saved my life back there. I's sure I was a goner. Thanks Beth."

She smiles, "Daryl, you've saved my life a few times, I think I owed you."

"Nah. It don't work like that. You don't owe me nuthin'."

He quickly turns away, his foot hits the pedal and they're moving again. Now that they're free of walkers his speed has slowed, and she likes it. It makes it feel less scary, like everything's okay and they're just cruising.

She stays quiet, looking out the window trying to see something, anything. There's nothing but total blackness, even the moon is hiding behind dark clouds. Although power was out in the city there always seemed to be some light from trash can fires, vehicle fires, headlights, flashlights, but out here it's total darkness.

She never realized how dark the world would be without electricity, but then why would she have. It was always a given, taken for granted. Even once in a while when a storm took the power out at home, Daddy had a big generator at the farm and Mama had several old-fashion oil lamps. They were never completely without lights. In this all-encompassing darkness even the van's headlights don't manage to illuminate much.

She's just making conversation when she asks, "So do you have any idea where we're going?"

"Some damn farm over on hell's half acre n we're takin' the long way."

He's not trying to be funny, he's grouchy as hell. Every time he gets nice or says something personal, it's like he has to make up for it by getting grouchy all over again. She gets it, grouchy is his comfort zone, but she's getting a little tired of his comfort zone.

"I just asked a simple question Daryl, if you don't know, then you don't know. Fine. Also, now that I think about it, if you don't want to take me to the farm then that's fine too. I can get there myself. Just let me out." Wow! What did she just say? Oh my gawd, what if he does?

He doesn't. He scoffs, but, well shit, he knows he can be tough to be around, "Yeah, I don't think so. Anyway, I'm tired. Gonna pull over up here, try'n grab a couple hours sleep before daylight. Then we go again, and we're gonna hafta find some fuel tomorrow."

Oh gosh, yes of course, gas. She hadn't even thought about that. Where are they going to get gas?

"I'm sorry Daryl, I'm a little grouchy myself."

He gives her that no-nonsense look of his and says, "Yeah, I get that. You got a right ta get mad at me, but don't be tellin' me ta put ya outta the rig. We both know that ain't gonna happen. I'm takin' ya ta that fuckin' farm. Honest? I can't wait ta see the damn place."

It's just happens, the word finally comes out, "Yessir!" Now she's made herself laugh and she can't seem to stop.

"Yeah, real funny." But she can see he's fighting the laughter himself. They both need a tension release.

"Grab that pint a whiskey and the map from the glove box n let's get in the back. I got sumthin' ta cover this openin' here between the cab n the backend. We can have the lantern on back there and it won't matter. No one will be able ta spot the light or see the rig."

It's a velvet-like black-out curtain tucked in the seat pocket behind the driver's seat. She hadn't even noticed that between the cab and the back end of the van there are strategically placed Velcro strips. Now she watches as he carefully secures the same type of Velcro tabs attached to the black-out curtain to those on the rig. Eventually it completely closes them off from the cab of the van.

It's so simple, and simply amazing and she's all smiles, "It's our private cave."

"Yeah, it keeps it real dark. On a night like this with no moon n no stars, the walkers and people we're not sure we wanna know won't be able ta see us at all."

He spreads the well-worn road map open on the bed and they kneel on the floor to look at it together. He loosens the cap on the whiskey bottle, gets it almost to his lips then thinks to ask, "Ya want a snort?"

"Um, no thank you."

"A'ight, suit yourself," and he takes a generous pull.

He points at a spot on the map, "This is where I think we are right now, pretty damn sure of it. This little flyspeck here is a small town called Amosville. I been to it a couple of times when I was roamin' around, huntin' n whatnot. There's an old style gas station, a farm store, a drug store and a little grocery. Probably a lot like where you grew up."

"Yes, it sounds like it."

"The gas station had some above ground fuel storage tanks around back, and I know a lotta them ol family farms have their own above ground fuel tanks. I'm hopin' we can fill the van and more. I'd hate ta hafta walk ta that farm."

"Oh my gosh, me too."

He folds the map, turns around and sits there on the floor, his back leaning against the bed, knees up and resting his forearms across them. She does the same. He takes another long pull from the bottle and asks, "When did ya know?"

"Know? Know what?"

"That it was the end of the world."

His question catches her by surprise, "Oh. Well, I was watching the news with my parents the night before I left for Atlanta. We heard about this nasty new flu that was like a worldwide plague. Honestly? My Daddy was sure it was just the news trying to get everyone riled up."

She shrugs and admits, "All I wanted to think about was visiting Amy and having fun in the big city before going back to college. I didn't want to think about problems or sicknesses or anything that might spoil my plans."

He nods, "College girl, huh?"

"I was at one time, then I was a dropout college girl for a long time, and then I decided to give it another try. I'm supposed to start in two weeks. I don't think that's going to happen now."

She takes a breath, "When I was driving toward the city, gosh, there wasn't any traffic at all going that direction, but man, the other side of the freeway? It was like caravans of people leaving town. I thought maybe there was some kind of school break and people were heading out on vacation."

"Then that first night I was at Amy's, we went out to dinner and that's when I got the cold chill of reality. The restaurant was short staffed and out of almost all the menu items. I just knew there was something really, really wrong but I didn't want to think about it. You know what I wanted to believe; I was still in some pretty good denial. I had myself 90% convinced it was just something happening in Atlanta."

"The second night Amy and I went out to some club. It was dead as could be. Most of the help didn't show up, but it didn't matter, there weren't any customers to serve. Amy was halfway through a glass of wine when some of those things, walkers, started shuffling in. There was screaming and running and we didn't look back. We threw off our heels and ran barefoot back to her place, dodging walkers and the living and they all seemed half-crazed."

"It was a few days after that, we were desperate and Amy left to try and find some food. I begged her not to go but she said she knew a place real close and it would be a fast in and out. We agreed it didn't matter what kind of food she found, we'd eat anything." Beth has the saddest look in her eyes when she tells him, "Amy's last words to me were, 'I'll be back in an hour, if I'm not, get the hell out of here. Go home to the farm.' And you know the rest of my story Daryl, if it weren't for you I would have been eaten before I even got close to the city limits. Now what about you?"

He takes another swallow from the bottle, "I worked for the state, road n bridge crew based outta Valdosta. It was about six weeks ago I started noticin' people gettin' sick and disappearin'. The first was our secretary. She was a nice middle aged lady. No one thought much when she got sick, people get sick and miss a few days, but she never came back. The supervisor said she decided to retire. I thought he was fulla shit but I didn't know nuthin' for sure."

"Then a guy who operated a trackhoe, same thing, he got sick and never came back. But he was only about 30, way too young to retire. They said he got a better job. I knew for sure that was bullshit, there ain't no better job for guys like him n me. I knew where he lived, him n me went fishin' together a couple a times, and I went over there ta find out for sure."

"The place looked ransacked, but not like anyone took anythin', more like some kinda fight or sumthin'. I saw there was blood n shit n that's when I just knew, sumthin' bad was happenin' and someone was tryin' ta hide whatever it was."

"I also noticed it seemed a few folks were leavin' town, with their stuff. I's like you, I wondered where the hell everyone was goin'. It wasn't a huge amount of people, but enough ta make me wonder what they thought they knew."

He takes another pull, looks around, looks down and continues his story, "I started gettin' ready in case I had ta split in a hurry. I serviced the van, made sure it had fuel n filled the gas can. I checked the tires n double-checked that the spare was in good shape. I loaded up a couple of five-gallon jugs of water and then I went ta the store, figurin' I'd stock up on some canned goods. That's when I knew for sure sumthin' wasn't right. There were too many empty shelves. Canned goods were picked over. Even rice n beans were gone. I got whatever I could, I ain't that picky."

He chuckles, "I got sumthin' called Hearts of Palm and the other day, I said ta myself, what the hell. I gave em a try. They're not too bad, but you'd need the whole damn tree ta fill up."

They both enjoy the laugh. They need all of those they can get.

"I went ta work the next day n put in for my vacation, just in case I's only bein' paranoid. I didn't wanna just walkaway from the best job I ever had. Anyway, I started boardin' up my place and I left Merle a note where I knew he'd look for one. I told him where I plan ta end up."

"It got bad, lotta them walkers roamin' the streets n stuff. I decided ta just go. Find Merle, we'd head out together. When I hit the road I knew it was all gone anyway, my job n everythin' else, everythin' gone ta hell in a handbasket."

She has every intention of asking him where it is he plans to end up, but first they're quiet, both of them thinking about what was the beginning for them, and what this all means.

Lack of sleep takes over and without meaning to they drift off right where they sit. It's a couple of hours later and Daryl wakes first, still sitting in the same spot but with his legs stretched out in front of him, her head resting in his lap and his arm wrapped around her. He allows himself to enjoy the feeling for all of five seconds, then says, "C'mon, I gotta take a leak and we we gotta get movin'."

She's trying to shake herself awake and she wants to say, "Yessir Mister Warm n Fuzzy!"

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He calculates they're five miles from the small town when they pass a large farm. What he sees over by the barn is the reason he stops, puts the van in reverse, then pulls into the long dirt driveway.

"Get your knife," he barks.

They stand in front of the van, him with the crossbow oh his back and a knife in his hand, Beth with her knife. He warns, "We gotta be careful. The family could be alive and laying in wait for trespassers, shoot ta kill type stuff. They could be in the house, and they could be walkers."

She hates the thought but he's probably right. This looks like it's been a very nice working family farm, but it also looks like it's been neglected the past few weeks. It's still late morning and where is everyone, they should be out working.

She stays a few paces behind him as they take a slow walk around. When they get to the barn he taps on the door and calls out, "Hey, anyone home," Someone is, but it's not a person. Not anymore. The telltale growling gives it away.

He pulls the door open and the walker is coming toward him. Daryl wastes no time, immediately stabbing it in the head. Then they see what's on the ground behind the creature, a half-eaten cow. Beth gasps, "Oh my gosh."

They find the remains of a calf and a foal and Beth can't help the tears in her eyes, "Oh Daryl…"

The sight affects him too, "Yeah, I know."

They walk out the man door on the opposite side, and he checks the gauge on the tank, "Plenty of fuel, and it's gas, not diesel. We better check the house, just in case the owner's still…well, you know."

He raps on the kitchen door and again they hear only the telltale growling. He nods his head toward Beth, her knife is up and she nods back. He quietly turns the knob on the door and they enter to find what is surely the woman of the house growling and shuffling around the big farmhouse kitchen. It gets Beth right in the heart, but it needs to be done and she stabs the walker in the head.

She checks the pantry and just as she was sure it would be, it's well-stocked with home canned goods. There's even canned fish and canned meat. Daryl remarks, "Shit, between the gas and the food we ain't even gonna need ta go ta town."

He can go ahead and pretend that what obviously happened here isn't as tough for him to handle as it is for her, she already knows him better than that. But there's no time for sadness in this world, it's all about survival.

They go back to the van and each gets their bag, then it's back to the house and they began to walk it one room at a time.

Beth initially goes for the things she's already been missing. She gets a clean towel from the linen closet, and from the bathroom a new bar of soap and not just shampoo, but conditioner too. She looks side to side, making sure Daryl's not watching, and quickly stuffs a package of tampons in the bag. She's dreading the thought, but eventually she'll need them.

There's a bedroom not unlike her childhood bedroom, she's guessing by the posters on the wall the girl whose room this used to be was a teenager. Gosh, maybe there are shoes that will fit. What was she thinking putting on boots before she left Amy's? Running in cowboy boots is just plain painful.

She checks in the closet and there's a pair of nearly new athletic shoes. She tries them on and, close enough. It's an uncomfortable feeling to just help yourself to someone else's things, but she has to be practical. She changes into fresh jeans and a clean shirt, socks and her new shoes.

She's consumed by guilt and sadness, but she reminds herself over and over, this is how it has to be in the new world.

She finds him in the master bedroom, he shrugs, "Didn't find much worth takin' in here, got a couple a things in the bathroom though. A bottle of Tylenol, some Bactine and Band-aids and a tube of toothpaste. Even got a package of new toothbrushes."

"Wow, those are great finds." He's watching her as she's talking. She's casually running the tips of her fingers over a silver inlaid vanity mirror, over and over. She seems captivated by it. It's a beautiful piece, probably some kind of family heirloom. She even picks it up and looks at herself.

He encourages, "Go on Beth. Take it if ya like it."

"No, that's okay. I don't need it. I'll just…I don't need it."

"A'ight then, let's go put this stuff in the van n then we can load up some a that food."

"Okay."

As she's walking out the bedroom door, he slips the mirror in his bag.

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A/N I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a comment. There's a chapter photo on my tumblr blogs gneebee and bethylmethbrick, I hope you'll check it out. I'll be back next Thursday with more of Love's Long Road, I hope you'll be here too. Until then remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee