With Judith balanced on her hip, gently bouncing her up and down, Beth walked down the corridor of the cell block mid-morning, smiling down at the little girl who gummy-smiled back up at her with big bright brown eyes. Those brown eyes widened as the sound of Rick drifted out into the corridor.

'Do you recognise your daddy's voice?' Beth cooed, grinning, 'is that your daddy?'

Judith giggled, burying her head down into her chubby little neck.

'I ain't gon' let him get away wi' this, we ain't safe so long as he's out there.'

Daryl's voice caught Beth a little off guard; it always had the same effect on her, sending shivers down her spine, especially when she wasn't expecting to hear it.

'We need y' here,' Rick said, 'you're our main provider.'

'I can go out b'fore we go – today, if y'want.'

'Who knows how long you will be, though?' Rick said, 'You're important to us, you're part of the group here.'

'I ain't leavin' the group – 'm protecting it.' Daryl said. 'I can find him an' stop him b'fore he comes back.'

'We don't know he will come back.' Rick said.

'He might, why risk that?'

'I don't like it... you should be here with us.'

'Everyone's got'a do their bit.'

Beth looked down at the baby in her arms, her heart pounding.

'Not nice being left out of the picture, is it?'

Beth turned around, her hand flying to the babies back to make sure she didn't fall. Carl was standing in the doorway of his cell room, his arms folded, watching her through a look of hostile disdain. There was a weird mixture of anger and happiness in his own brown eyes, so similar to the happy wide ones of his baby sister.

'What?' Beth snapped. She had always been close friends with Carl but she was nearing the end of her tether with him and his attitude of late.

'Daryl's going out after the Governor.' Carl said, his voice laced with contempt.

Beth swallowed around the lump in her throat, her eyes narrowed on him.

'And I'm guessing by your face he hadn't told you. Or asked your permission, perhaps?'

'Take Judith.' Beth said through the sour taste that had collected in her mouth.

She passed the baby off to her older brother, a small pang of guilt at ditching her so suddenly presenting itself, but it remained so buried beneath the rushing feelings of anger and frustration that she paid it little attention.

Turning her back on Carl's smirk, Beth left the cell block, heading for the open air in which she sought solace. She hoped the cold air would help clear her mind.

Beth pushed open the nearest door and stepped out into the brisk air, her boots crunching over the gravel of the ground as she walked through the cold. She was angry, but she was unsure whether she had any right to be. The Governor did pose a threat to their safety and Daryl had every right to want to go out and find him, to stop him. Not just the right, either; Beth thought he was correct in his belief that the Governor would not leave them alone. Rick was being naïve, she thought, to think they were safe from him. They would never be safe from him, not really.

'You're joking.' Glen's voice, somewhat deadpan, reached Beth over the wind as she walked, rounding the corner of the prison in the direction of the courtyard.

'I'm not.' Maggie's voice joined Glen's then. Beth stopped.

'Daryl? Are you serious? How? I mean – how does one find their self in that situation?' his voice had taken on a gleeful tone now, traces of laughter lurking beneath his words.

'Beats me,' Maggie chuckled.

'I don't get it, I really don't. Out of everyone here – who would go for Daryl? I mean – well – would you?' Uncertainty took the place of glee.

'Not at all!' Maggie's tone was incredulous.

'How do you think it went? Like, that's got to be awkward man... he's so... intense. I bet it was weird-'

'This is my sister,' Maggie said in a hurry, 'I really don't want to think about it.'

Her suspicions confirmed, Beth rounded the corner and came face to face with Maggie and Glen as they sat together at one of the picnic tables.

'Yer mum never teach you not to gossip?' she spat, her chest heaving with anger.

Maggie and Glen both turned to look at her, wide eyed and startled.

'Beth-' Maggie begun as Glen looked down.

'No! I told you in privacy and you're going around laughing at me behind my back, telling everyone?'

'I told Glen that's all, only Glen,' Maggie said, rushing to untangle her legs from beneath the table as she stood up.

'It wasn't your information to give - ' Beth snapped.

'He's my husband,' Maggie said, offering Beth a panicky smile, 'I had to tell him – I was worried about you Beth!'

'Why!' Beth yelled, 'I'm fine!'

'Because he's a grown man and you're – you're a kid!'

'I'm not a kid,' Beth said, her voice icy cold with anger.

'Okay,' Maggie said slowly, 'I didn't mean t'upset ya – I really didn't. I just...' she shook her head.

'Forget it,' Beth snapped, 'just forget it, okay?'

'Alright,' Maggie nodded, 'I'm sorry.'

Beth nodded, her breathing slowing as she steadied her heart. She looked from her sister to Glen to her sister, both of them watching her in the solemn yet anxious silence of those who knew they were on thin ice. Sighing, Beth turned her back on them and stormed off, a strong suspicion they would continue their conversation once she was out of earshot, albeit in whispers.

Beth headed back for the prison, her spirits at an all time low; her sister was laughing behind her back and Daryl was getting ready to leave them. Her heart felt heavy as she stepped back into the prison, her lips down turned as unbridled sighs escaped them, the only real way she could relieve herself of her emotions, even if sighing only helped for the duration of the sigh, the heavy weight of her worries settling back down on her chest straight after.

Feeling both miserable and embarrassed and unable to fully process either emotion, Beth walked into the canteen. She spotted Carol from afar, leaning against one of the tables. She turned to look at her as she entered.

'Hi, Beth,' she said in a voice unusually cheery and a little louder than usual, but Beth was too despondent to pick up on it.

'Hey Carol,' She sighed.

'What's the matter?' Carol asked, straightening up to look at the girl as she walked around the tables towards her.

'Nothing,' Beth sighed, pulling at the sleeve of her sweater.

'There ain't none left-' Daryl emerged from within the pantry then, his head down as he looked at something in his hands. He looked up as he stepped out, looking to Carol, but he spotted Beth and stopped.

'Oh, just packing up a few supplies for your trip?' Beth said, feeling her anger surface again in unrestrained waves, overflowing before she could check it.

Carol, her face drawn into a pinched expression, looked from Beth to Daryl.

'I-' Daryl frowned.

'So when are you going?' Beth asked, folding her arms and standing her ground, her legs parted and both boots planted firmly on the grey flooring, inadvertently turning herself into a human barrier.

Daryl looked at Carol, his face worried, his eyes wide. He looked like a child that had been caught out. Beth watched as he opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, seeming to splutter. She had never seen him looking worried before, and perhaps under different circumstances she would have sympathised with the look or even found it amusing or cute – but not today. She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at him.

'I think I'll go see if Judith needs feeding,' Carol said, getting up.

Daryl threw a desperate glance at her, but Carol shook her head.

Beth watched Carol walk out of the room before she turned back to Daryl, her eyebrows raised as if to ask 'well?' She was waiting.

'Me an' Michonne are goin' afta him.' he said.

'When?' Beth asked.

'Soon,' Daryl said.

'Were you going to tell me?' Beth asked.

'Yeah I - ' Daryl paused and looked down, visibly swallowing, 'I was gonna.'

'When?' Beth demanded again.

'I haven't even seen ya,' Daryl frowned.

'You saw me yesterday,' Beth said in a voice dripping with contempt, yanking up the sleeve of her sweater to reveal her slightly swollen, reddened wrist, the image of the bow evident. 'Or did you forget that?'

'No,' Daryl shook his head, 'I just didn't know fer sure 'til today. I wasn't gon' leave without tellin' ya.' He stepped towards her, placing his hands on her upper arms just below her shoulders, 'come out with me.'

'What?' Beth frowned.

'I need t'go get some supplies,' he said, 'from town.'

'When?' Beth asked.

'Today,' he said, 'I was gonna go wi' Michonne but if y'wanna come, I'll go wi' you.'

'Okay,' Beth nodded, her anger depleting as she looked into his blue eyes, his hands warm and strong on her arms, 'yeah.'

. . .

Maggie came to see Beth as she packed a bag, clearing her throat as she stood in her doorway.

'Yes?' Beth said, standing up and turning around.

'Beth,' Maggie said, her voice solemn, 'I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have been talking about you like that, it was rude.'

'Forget it.' Beth sighed, turning back to her bed.

'Are you going somewhere?' Maggie asked timidly.

'I'm going to get supplies.' Beth said.

'With Daryl?' Maggie asked, but it didn't sound much like a question.

'Yeah.' Beth turned around again to face her sister, swinging her backpack onto her shoulder as she did so and picking up her knife from the table. She stared down her sister with her bright blue eyes as she held the knife in her hand. 'Got a problem with that?'

Maggie shook her head. Her lips were pursed to one side and her eyes were soft, her dark eyebrows slanted towards her hairline. Beth sighed.

'I've got to go,' she said. She stepped towards Maggie and gently touched her arm. 'I'm not mad at you. I'll see you when I get back.'

'Okay,' Maggie said softly, offering her sister a small smile.

Maggie walked with Beth down to the prison grounds where Daryl was waiting for her, stood beside one of the battered white pick-up trucks they sometimes used.

'You take care of my sister,' Maggie said as they came to a stop beside him; her voice was softer than usual, her tone less abrasive as she addressed Daryl.

Daryl nodded, walking around the truck and opening the passenger door to throw his bag in onto the seat with his crossbow.

'Be safe, Beth.' Maggie said, pulling her sister into a hug.

'I will,' Beth said, smiling at Daryl over her sister's shoulder. He gave her a small half smile, his head lightly bowed.

Beth climbed up into the truck once Maggie let her go, pushing Daryl's pack aside and slinging her own down beside it, letting them take up the spare seat in-between her own and the drivers. Daryl opened the other door and climbed up behind the wheel with a grunt. He looked over at Beth, one brow slightly raised. She smiled at him, her way of reassuring him she was fine, and that he could be too.

Daryl started up the engine as Maggie yanked the gates open for them, standing aside to watch as they pulled out of the grounds and made their way down the road; Beth twisted in her seat to look through the back window where she saw the gradually receding image of her sister pull the gates back shut.

She turned back to face the front to see Daryl fighting to retrieve something from his back pocket, struggling to elevate his body off of the seat, leaning his weight back into the headrest. She frowned, amused, as he pulled out a crushed pack of cigarettes.

'Wha?' he said.

'You alright?' she laughed.

'Yeah,' he frowned, fumbling one out and sticking it between his lips.

Beth shook her head and chuckled, turning back to face the front, watching as the country side around them slipped away. She saw him light up from her peripheral vision, chucking the packet and the lighter onto the seat beside her. The smell of smoke filled the cabin as Daryl breathed out on a sigh.

'How's yer wrist?' he asked.

'It's okay,' Beth nodded.

Daryl nodded, the cigarette bouncing lightly between his lips. There was nothing attractive about smoking, Beth had never liked it and had never been in the slightest bit interested in trying it – but something about seeing Daryl do it had her tingling in places that shouldn't have been tingling.

He could probably do anything and I'd find it sexy, she thought to herself. Hell, how had she gotten here?

She glanced to him, watching with admiration as he rest his wrists atop the steering wheel, the cigarette hanging loosely from his lips, his eyes narrowed lightly on the road ahead of them.

I'm in trouble here Beth thought weakly, but the thought was drowned out by the undeniable lust that coursed through her. She was still upset that he was leaving, and worried about his possible encounters with the governor, but she was glad she got to spend this time with him before he went. All to herself.

'What?' Daryl's voice brought her back to the present, his blue eyes on her as he took the cigarette from his mouth.

Beth's face felt hot.

'Nothing,' she said, trying to sound innocent, but her voice tripped up itself.

'Y'were lookin' at me.' He said.

'Was I?' She squeaked.

'Yep,' he said.

'What are we looking for in town?' Beth asked, changing the subject and turning to look interestedly out of the front window.

'Medicine.' Daryl said slowly.

Beth nodded.

'How long are you going for?' Beth asked then.

'Dunno,' Daryl shrugged.

'Where are you going?'

'North,' he said, 'we found a track tha' looks like it belongs to him heading that way. Looks like he ain't alone neither.'

'But everyone from Woodbury is with us … or dead.' Beth said.

Daryl shook his head.

'Couple o' his grunts got out wi' him. Or he might'a picked up some new friends.'

Beth nodded slowly, musing it over. She really did not like the thought of Daryl going out there.

'Are you scared of him?' She asked quietly.

Daryl took one wrist from the wheel to hold his cigarette as he turned to look at her, his lips parting in half a grin.

'Nah,' he said.

Beth regarded him for a moment, then offered him the other half of the smile, which he took.

'I am.' She said after a while, the smile fading from her lips.

Daryl's own lips reformed into a hard line, his pallor darkening.

'I know,' he said, returning to face the front. 'That's why I have to go.'

'What do you mean?' Beth frowned.

Daryl drummed the fingertips of his left hand on top of the steering wheel for a while whilst the cigarette burned in his left, the smoke billowing softly up in small spirals. He raised it back to his mouth and took a deep drag as Beth watched him, returning his hand back to the wheel, slowly feeding the wheel through his hands as the road curved around before them. The cigarette burned low in-between his lips.

'I don' care what Rick says,' he said slowly around the cigarette, 'He's a threat. If he's out there, he's a threat. And he got to you, he hurt ya, and I ain't gon' sit back and let that slide.'

'You'll put yourself in danger,' Beth said.

Daryl shook his head.

'I ain't in danger,' he said, 'he hurt ya, I can't sit around doin' nothin' while yer loosing sleep over th' prick.'

Beth watched as Daryl wound down the window beside him to throw out the cigarette; the cold air hit Beth's exposed skin, forcing her to hug herself tightly to keep from shivering. Daryl wound the window back up, blocking out the frigid air once again. He turned to look at her.

'I ain't gonna let no son of a bitch hurt ya,' he said, 'Or frighten ya or keep y'worried. You deserve t'be safe and protected an' if I can do that – I'm gonna. And I aint sayin' I think y'can't handle y'self, cause I reckon you've proved that y'can, but I'm sayin' - you ain't always gotta.'

Beth stared at him, her heart in her throat. The warm sense of pride that his acknowledgement of her abilities elicited was intermingled with the strange, roughly primitive sense of territorial belonging that his words brought forth. She wasn't entirely sure and could never be certain because Daryl was never that forthcoming with words, but he seemed to be proving his feelings for her each day, showing his willingness to protect her. She felt then like she was his, truly, and with that, he was hers. He would put himself in danger to protect her. She felt warm with both pride and admiration as she sat and stared at him, her face open and full of emotion.

'Thank you,' she whispered.

Daryl looked sideways at her. He shook his head to say no worries, whilst Beth leant her own head back against the seat, watching him from the corner of her eye, her Daryl.

. . .

It was an ambush. It was not orchestrated with prior knowledge, wits nor any kind of brains, but an ambush was what it felt like to Beth.

Daryl had parked the truck a little way from the pharmacy they intended to sweep so to not draw attention, but almost as instantly as they vacated the truck they could see they were in trouble; there were at least a dozen walkers roaming in the not too far distance. For a moment they both seemed to consider getting back in the truck and leaving, but they both soon figured they would be safe once they were inside. The situation outside, however, forced them to forsake their usual ritual of checking the building was clear before entering, not bothering to hang around and knock on the door and listen before heading inside, instead Daryl pulled the door ajar and ushered Beth inside before him.

A tree outside the back of the shop had fallen and taken down a significant chunk of the wall with it, undoubtedly thanks to the recent hurricane. This new entry to the shop had allowed the walkers from the street to enter the building, converging within the small dark space, perhaps drawn inwards by the noise of the falling wall, perhaps forced in by the rain – whatever their reason, they seemed to be stuck within the building once they had entered, either not having the capability to clamber back over the fallen branches and scattered items, or never having a strong enough reason to. Unable to leave and evidently starved, the walkers spotted Daryl and Beth the second they opened the door, their bored, roaming eyes maybe instantly noticing something out of place, or perhaps the smell drew them, or the unusual sound. Their sunken eyes zeroed in on them and they instantly made their way to them, tripping over the fallen debris and scattered shelves throughout the room as they uttered their low, guttural sounds to alert any walker who may not have noticed the easy snack that had just walked right into them.

The two unlikely hunting partners saw the approaching walkers at the same time, evidenced in the fact Beth drew her knife at the same time Daryl cocked his crossbow towards them. He could have picked the approaching walkers off before they got to them with relative ease, but before he could, three more walkers suddenly appeared to the side of them, appearing as if from thin air from between the shelves.

Daryl was able to shoot one of the walkers in the face, but the one at the forefront was too close to aim for and suddenly it was on him, using that split second of panic within Daryl that had not yet ticked over into survival instinct to grapple him. This particular walker would have been a large, burly man in life, of an impressive stature, and whilst its skin was now sunken and drawn, it was still a considerable beast of a thing as it towered over Daryl, its eyes puffy within its face, the skin around its features having begun to be dragged down by its no longer functioning muscles and their inability to defy gravity so that it swung limply around his jaw and chin, swinging like a pendulum before his throat.

Using the specific tactic particular only to walkers, it lunged and threw itself at Daryl, knocking into him and consequently pushing him to the floor; Daryl fell onto the hard floor with a harsh thump, the walker falling on top of him and the crossbow skidding away from him.

The entire situation had unfurled within seconds and panic had forced Beth to step back, mouth agape, as she watched in horror through her wide blue eyes which remained fixated on Daryl as she watched him fall backwards, in slow motion. Suddenly she felt her head snap back with a painful yank. Twisting her body, Beth turned to see a skeletal corpse dragging her down towards its broken, gnashing jaw by her ponytail. Screaming, she found her strength and twisted her arm to strike at the walker with her knife.

In any other circumstance, Beth's attack would have been enough, for her knife sliced across the peeling skin of the walker's throat. However, her assailant was already dead and a shattered windpipe did nothing to deter it as it continued to pull her down towards it.

Beth screamed as she lost her footing, tumbling down on top of the dead body. Panicking, she thrust her elbow with as much force as she could muster behind her, feeling it connect with the face of the walker, using the time to throw herself to the side and from on top of it. The impact knocked it away from her as the brittle, unnourished bones snapped and caved in under her force, but it did not stop it; it soon crawled its way onto her again, its hand only tightening in her hair. Beth pulled her arm away from its face and incredibly dangerous mouth as quickly as she possibly could, fighting to untangle herself from its grip. Panting, she grabbed up her knife that had fallen beside her and plunged it into the oncoming face of the walker that was crawling on top of her now. She forced the knife into the sunken eye socket in-between the drawn and bruised brow and cheek bones; whatever force reanimated these walking corpses drained before Beth's eyes, but its cold skeletal grip remained firm in her hair. Winded, Beth unsnarled herself from its grip, snapping the fingers back from the hand that held her and pulled the knife firmly from the skull. Tears in her eyes Beth crawled across the floor as she gasped for breaths, her lungs desperate to draw in any breath, on her hands and knees, her heart thumping wildly against her ribcage. The floor was cold and slick with an assortment of fluids she absolutely did not want to distinguish against her palms. She pushed herself onto her knees and drew in a deep breath, then slowly got up onto her feet, pulling herself to a shaky stand.

Daryl had regained his own composure and had thrown off the three walkers and was firing bolts into the walkers approaching from the back, who seemed to have gained more footing than was logical in the time that had passed.

Panting, laced in her own sweat that had gathered from her altercation with the walker, her hair having fallen loose and entangled across her wet face, Beth stamped down on the head of a walker that was pulling itself across the floor towards her by its arms, its teeth snapping towards the ankles. Anger coursed through her as her foot tore towards the monster, anger at having to deal with any of this at all, anger at the fact there were more of these things, that they just kept coming. Her boot crashed down through the skull, its head caving in beneath her foot with an audible crack and pop in a grisly explosion of brains and blood and gore which splattered up her legs and scattered out in all directions across the lino flooring, causing her to skid.

Beth's chest heaved, her breath coming in painful, ragged gasps. She forced herself from the mess that was once someone's head, her boot having become slightly wedged in the gore as she tugged her leg out, and stepped forward to retrieve one of Daryl's bolts that was protruding from the back of a head; Daryl had shot the walker in its face, but it had fallen down on its front, forcing the bolt through the skull and out the back of it. Grunting, Beth pulled it through the skull, twisting it in order to get it through the bone, the effort required causing her to shake.

Before she had stood up or had a chance to process the vile intensity of what she had just done, another walker was on top of her, falling down onto her back; she stumbled backwards and threw it off and to the side, crashing back down onto the floor with it. She kicked out, yelling, kicking its broken nose into its skull. She gasped out loud, hitching breaths that tore through her throat as she thrashed wildly against it, kicking its face again and again until it finally lay still, completely unaware that she was sobbing.

Daryl's hand came down to her then which she reached up and grabbed, letting him help her up. He pulled her to her feet in a rough pull, steadying her as her boots slipped across the slick linoleum, preventing them from gripping.

'We need t'get out of here.' He grunted, grabbing her hand. Beth nodded, breathless, wiping the loose blood and guts and tears from across her cheek. Daryl pulled her after him across the store, dragging her along behind him as they ran towards the fallen wall. There were still a few walkers gunning for them, but Daryl pulled her past them, using the fallen displays and overall mess of the store to their advantage.

They stepped out over the scattered bricks and branches and through the broken wall into the low winter sun but did not stop - the two of them jumped over the rubble and overgrown shrubbery of the outside as Daryl pulled Beth across the grass that had grown up and unruly, uncared for over the years since the fall. It was difficult to run through, but with Daryl pulling her by the hand and Beth's own heart thumping a million miles an hour and forcing out gallons of adrenaline, she was able to jump over all obstacles, tripping slightly only twice.

Daryl led her to the backyards of a strip of houses in which the fences had fallen; he pulled her over these fallen fences, their boots crunching down over the splintering wood. They crossed a garden and stopped at the back door of a house, which Daryl forcefully kicked open. They hurried inside, setting to work to barricade the door behind them with any and all pieces of bulky furniture they could find. They kept their senses out whilst they worked, ensuring no walkers ambushed them from within. Daryl ran around the house after, checking the safety of the front doors and the bedrooms, finding them all secure and empty. Then he returned to Beth.

They stood in the middle of the dim sitting room, staring at one another, their chests rising and falling in rapid succession that seemed to heave in time to one another. The only sound was that of their breathing, strong and pained amongst the dark and empty room.

Slowly, reality set in as Beth's heart rate gradually receded. She could feel a steady, casual drip of something from the top of her head; bringing her hand up to touch it, she brought it away to see it covered with grime. Was it her blood? She had no idea. She wiped her face on the back of her hand, attempting to take deep, steadying breaths.

As realisation set in, Beth began to feel a strong sense of disgust, her stomach heaving lightly as the memory of the caved in brain surrounding her foot kept swimming to the front of her mind. Swallowing heavily against the bile that threatened to rise in her throat, Beth tore her boots off from her feet and threw them away from her across the room. She stared at Daryl then, his own face a picture of horror; his hair was slick with both sweat and blood, his face splattered with gore and dirt, his shirt soaked through with blood, his hands and arms covered.

They stared at each other for some time as Beth stood in her socks, slowly sinking into the carpet around them, until suddenly they both snapped. In an instant they were together, Beth's arms around his shoulders and his arms tight around her waist, his lips on hers. They were a horrific mess of blood and guts and sweat but it didn't matter one iota to either of them. Breathing heavy, they begun to undress one another, Beth pushing Daryl's vest down from his broad shoulders and unbuttoning his shirt with shaking hands, her fingers slipping from the small buttons time and time again. Daryl took the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head; Beth grimaced as the wet and smelly fabric brushed her face, but it was a huge relief to have it removed from her body.

Daryl shrugged off his shirt and pulled his belt free from the loops of his jeans as Beth unbuttoned her own, both tasks taking longer than necessary because neither of them could keep their hands on their own bodies for too long, the horror and fright of what had just passed seeming to make them desperate to touch one another physically, to ensure they were really there, they were alright, they were alive.

Her heart in her throat, Beth attempted to pull off her jeans, but the moisture from their encounter had stuck them fast to her skin, so Daryl lowered her down onto the carpet and helped pull them down her slender legs, leaving her to kick them off over her feet. Neither of them spoke as they forcefully tore one another's clothes from their bruised and filth ridden bodies, but nothing was needed to be said. They paused often to kiss, their kisses rushed and passionate, their teeth clinking as they kissed too desperately.

Naked and cold, Beth tangled her fingers into the gore ridden hair of Daryl, biting her lip as she watched him push himself inside of her with a deep sigh. She expected to feel pain, but apart from a mild discomfort, there was nothing but pleasure and the intense feeling of feeling home. She had missed him and having him back inside her made her feel like everything they had just gone through was not so bad. She gasped as he moved within her, pulling him down and digging her fingers into him. Their bodies connected as closely as was possible, slick with sweat as the room began to fill with the sounds of their heavy, rasping breaths and low groans, neither of them really able to fully express their own pleasure and relief. They were supposed to be in hiding, but neither of them cared all that much for silence, panting and gasping and moaning as they lay in someone's sitting room, stripped of their clothing and fear for the time being.

There was nothing slow or soft about this encounter and neither of them uttered a single word to one another, the deep sated need both of them had of just needing to be close to one another took over in animalisatic primitive instinct that had them both panting and clawing at one another on the floor of a long abandoned house, covered from head to toe in grime and blood, the remainders of which now mingled with one another as their bodies lay pressed firmly together, new layers of sweat accumulating on their sore and battered skin.

Digging his elbows deep into the carpet, Daryl sped his movements, groaning as Beth pulled on his hair and tightened her thighs around him, until they reached climax together, Daryl burying his face in her neck and grinding his teeth together, Beth throwing her head back and crying out, screwing her eyes shut.

Eventually, they fell apart, breathing heavily and worn out. They remained where they were on the floor for some time, getting their breaths back and lowering the rapid beats of their hearts that had done nothing but pound away since they first entered that store. As time passed, they had no choice but to pull their spoiled clothes back on and look forward to retrieving the car and making the journey back empty handed. As Beth gingerly lowered her shirt down onto herself, she thought she had never needed a shower so badly in all her life, and she would have had difficulty believing Daryl did not feel the same.