Beth lazily trailed a figure of eight in the water with her fingertips, listening to the soothing way the water splashed about her, the gentle waves licking at the rock she was currently laying on. The sun had warmed it beneath her so that her exposed back seemed to soak in the heat from the rock whilst her front was caressed by the warmth of the sun above. The sky above her was a bright, dazzling blue and the sweet sound of birds chirping lulled her into a welcome state of drowsiness.
A shadow moved over her then, blocking out the suns direct access to her skin as a figure moved into view. Beth squinted.
'Daryl,' she said softly.
Daryl came into view, his chest bare as he stood beside Beth, blocking out the sun. He smiled down at her, his eyes, bluer even than the summer sky, crinkled around their edges as he smiled, and Beth's heart soared up and up to join the birds above.
With a little effort, she pushed herself up until she was sitting, and leant up to touch Daryl's face. His skin was soft and warm as he leant his face into her hand, his eyes locked on hers.
'Where have you been?' Beth asked lazily.
Daryl opened his mouth to answer her, but instead of words, there was nothing but the low, guttural sound of a growl. Beth's eyes widened as she looked over his shoulder to see a mass of walker's advancing on them, encroaching into their safe-haven, pulling their broken and decomposing bodies along in a frantic attempt to get to them. The sounds of their growls rose up into the air until they were the only sound Beth could hear. She looked back at Daryl, who's face she still held, only to see it had transformed into a grotesque mask of itself; his eyes had sunken inwards and his cheeks had grown hollow, his lips falling limp. As Beth watched in horror, the blue of his eyes drained out and was replaced by the sickening milky white of death.
Beth screamed.
She sat up in her cell block, her blankets tangled around her legs and her hair falling wildly in her face. With shaking hands, she pushed it back from her face, scraping it off of the cold clammy sweat that had collected on her face. Beth heaved down several deep, steadying breaths as she sat up in her bed in the cool darkness, calming her pounding heart as it attempted to beat its way out of her chest and up into her throat.
Beth kicked the blankets away from her, freeing her legs. She felt cold with residue horror, her body shaking as she drew her legs up to her chest to rub some heat into them. Her breath came in shaky gasps as she blinked heavily, squeezing her eyes shut tightly several times to push away the images that still swam menacingly before her eyes.
'Beth, are you okay?' the somewhat breathless voice of Carol pulled Beth's attention to the door way, where the elder woman stood, looking across to Beth's bunk with a fearful expression.
Beth nodded.
'Yes,' she breathed, her voice shaking with the remainder of her dream, 'just a nightmare.'
Carol nodded.
'To be expected,' she said, 'we all get them.'
'Even you?' Beth asked softly.
Carol smiled.
'Even me.'
The two women looked at one another for a while whilst Beth's heart-rate subsided.
'Do you want to talk about it?' Carol asked.
Beth shook her head.
'No,' she sighed, 'I guess – I guess I'm just worried about Daryl.'
'Don't be,' Carol said, 'he's strong, he wont come to any harm.'
'How do you know that?' Beth asked.
'I know Daryl,' Carol said, 'I also know he wouldn't want you to be worrying about him.'
Beth nodded.
'Get some sleep,' Carol said then, turning from Beth's door. Then she turned to look back at the younger girl and smiled. 'And for what it's worth, Beth, I think it was very brave of you to stand up for Daryl like that. You proved yourself very loyal.'
Beth smiled back at her as Carol left. She stayed sat up in her bed for some time, her eyes absently watching the door. Carol's words had lightened the heavy tightness in her chest a little, instead allowing a glimmer of pride in.
. . .
Equipped with a headache and sore, bleary eyes, Beth re-woke fully a few hours later and headed towards the canteen, her empty stomach growling at her for having thrown up all that was left in it. She kept her head down as she pushed open the double doors and walked into the room, keeping her eyes on the grey linoleum floor beneath her boots to avoid any eyes that may have been on her – and she sure was certain there would be a few. She grabbed a plate of food and glanced up, looking for somewhere to sit. She spotted her sister and her father – but her father seemed to be looking anywhere but her. Instead, he leant in to say something to Maggie, kissed her cheek, then got up and left the room without glancing to her. Beth's heart plummeted.
He just didn't see me is all. She told herself. But her instincts knew otherwise.
Maggie, however, did see her, and she waved her over with a small, sad smile.
A little reluctantly, Beth approached her and Glen.
'How are you feeling?' Maggie asked with the air of a concerned mother who's child had been up all night with a fever.
Beth just shrugged.
The three of them fell into a silence after that, and Beth picked at the food she suddenly no longer wanted. Her mouth was too dry.
'Maggie and I are going on patrol,' Glen said after a while of silence. Beth glanced up at him. 'Did you want to come with us?'
Beth shrugged.
'Don't think I'd be much good,' she said.
'That's a lie,' Glen said, 'you're just as good as any of us.'
'You can't sit around all day moping.' Maggie said.
Beth looked at her sister, who was looking back at her with steady dark eyes. She sighed.
'Okay,' she said.
Sighing, Beth pushed her plate away from herself and got up.
'Meet us out the front when you're ready,' Maggie said.
Beth walked back through the canteen, her stomach fuller but her heart just as empty. She appreciated what her sister was now doing for her, but it hardly altered the fact she had so desperately tried to sabotage things before now. She understood she was worried about her and had been all along, but as she left the canteen Beth could not help but think about how far away Daryl probably was and how she could not go to him, talk to him, seek comfort in him. Daryl was proven innocent but he was not here with her to enjoy that, it had been a true pyrrhic victory, and here she was more miserable than ever. Even her daddy was avoiding her.
As she passed the common room Beth heard a voice that made her blood boil and a sheet of red descend down over her eyes – Carl.
Changing her route, Beth headed for the common room, her hands curling into fists as she walked. She pushed open the double doors leading to it and came face to face with Carl, Zach, and some of the other younger boys who hung out with them. Carl spotted her walk in, and Beth could sense his whole demeanour change. His straightened his back and raised his head, jutting out his chin in defiance.
'Beth,' Zach began, but Beth ignored him, heading straight for Carl.
Carl, as arrogant as ever, stood his ground, so much so that he did not even flinch as Beth stormed up to him. Her heart beating in her throat, Beth raised her hand and slapped him, hard, across his smug face, before he even had a chance to register.
He stumbled backwards, his eyes widening and his mouth falling agape as his hand flew to his stinging face. A roar of voices littered the air around them, but Beth did not heed them.
'You smug little shit!' she shouted, her blonde hair flying about her face, 'you thought you could stitch Daryl up and nothing would happen? I've got some news for you, Carl Grimes! The world doesn't revolve around you and its sick of taking your shit. We've all been through hell and back here, what gives you the right to act like a jerk because of it?'
'He needed taking down a peg or two!' Carl spat, straightening up.
'No, Carl, you do!' Beth yelled.
'Beth,' Zach said from the sidelines, 'I get you're upset but I don't think Carl would-'
'No,' Carl growled, staring straight into Beth's blazing eyes, 'I did set him up. Yeah, I planted that bolt.'
'I know.' Beth said.
Zach frowned, looking from Beth to Carl.
'Why would you do that?' He said.
'He deserved it,' Carl shrugged.
'You really are a child.' Beth said. 'You'll regret it, you really will.' She turned to glare at Zach.
'These are the friends you chose.' She said, then turned back to Carl, 'grow up, Carl.'
Then, with a flounce and a swish of her hair, she turned on her heels and stormed out of the room, her hand stinging from where it had collided with Carl's cheek, but her heart feeling lighter.
. . .
Beth arrived by the gates before her sister or Glen had, so she stood beside them, mindlessly kicking the toe of her boot into the mud. She had showered away most of her anger and gathered a supply bag, taking enough items in case anything should happen to them. A routine patrol was to walk the perimeter of the prison and ensure nothing threatened their safety like an oncoming horde or any structural damage, flooding, etc. but Beth knew better than the assume everything would always go smoothly.
As she stood with her back to the gates, she heard the unmistakable sound of them begin to drag open. She turned to see Tyreese pulling them across as, to her bitter annoyance, Sasha headed towards them. Beth bit the inside of her cheek, hard, to ebb any boiling rage she felt overspilling within her, and averted her gaze back down to the floor, where she continued to kick, a little harder than before.
The sound of Tyreese and Sasha's voices drifted over to her, but she could not make out what they were saying, nor did she care to. After a while, she glanced back up, purely out of habit, to see the pair of them standing within the open gateway – and a stray walker heading straight for them.
Beth watched as the walker dragged itself towards them and waited for one of them to notice – only they didn't. Tyreese was facing out, but he was so engrossed in what he was saying to Sasha that he had not seen it. Beth frowned. She swallowed past the lump in her throat as the walker closed in on them, its one lame leg pulling behind and its thin fingers reaching out towards its potential meal.
Sighing, Beth pulled her knife out from its case and ran towards them. She reached the walker just before it closed in on Sasha's neck and grabbed its rotting head in one hand, shoving it aside so she could plunge her knife into its skull. She pulled it free as it went limp and fell to the ground, landing on the hardened grass with a dull thud.
Panting from the exertion of both running and fighting, Beth straightened up, wiping the now bloodied knife off on her jeans and putting it back in its holder.
Both Sasha and Tyreese were staring at her. Sasha had drawn her own knife, but it lay useless in her hand, which had fallen limp.
Beth looked at her.
Sasha swallowed.
'Thanks.' She said, a little stiff.
'If it were down to me – I would have let it get you.' Beth said sharply, her eyes narrowing. 'But this is bigger than me. Than petty squabbles.'
Sasha swallowed again.
'Pretty stupid of us not to see it huh,' Tyreese gruffed, attempting to smile.
'Yeah.' Beth said.
'Look, Beth, I'm sorry for accusing Daryl- ' Sasha said slowly.
'Don't.' Beth said, rolling her eyes.
'She's trying to apologise,' Tyreese said.
'I don't want to hear it,' Beth said, 'she was ready to lynch him – you all were. Then when he was cleared you were still ready to, over something that is none of you business - none of anyone's damn business.'
'She knows that now,' Tyreese said, side-eyeing his sister.
'Yeah,' Sasha said, 'I had no right to pass judgement-'
'And yet you did.' Beth said. 'Every one of you took it upon yourselves to have an opinion and make it known.'
'I shouldn't have. I'm sorry.' Sasha said. She looked earnestly apologetic, her big eyes trained on Beth with an honest integrity. Beth found her anger fading slightly, but not entirely. She had, after all, called him a pervert.
'Well I guess you have plenty of time to think about that now he's gone,' Beth said, 'hopefully his absence wont affect you too much.'
'What do you mean?' Tyreese asked.
'None of you realise just how much Daryl does for you all around here, and this is the thanks he gets? I don't blame him for leaving.'
Sasha looked at her brother, the two of them exchanging shameful glances.
'Thanks again, anyway,' Tyreese mumbled.
Beth bit her lip and turned away from them, only to see Maggie hurrying towards her.
'Everything alright?' she asked once she was close enough, her words coming out in one big out of breath rush. She had spotted the slain walker.
'Fine.' Beth said.
Maggie looked from Sasha to Beth, both of whom looked ashy faced and angry, but the tension in the air was definitely a little clearer than before, and Maggie seemed to sense that, although it confused her.
Glen reached them, slower than Maggie, as Sasha and Tyreese walked away.
'What happened?' Maggie asked.
'It doesn't matter,' Beth said, not having it in her to repeat the scenario. Maggie looked at her for a while before nodding, sensing Beth was in no mood to open up.
'Hey. Rumour is going round you attacked the heir to the throne.' Glen said as he stopped beside the two females, readjusting his bag over his shoulder.
'What?' Beth frowned.
'Carl,' Maggie said, 'did you hit Carl?'
Beth bit her lip as a warmth spread in her cheeks. What a day this was turning out to be.
'He had it coming,' she said.
Maggie looked over her little sister's head to her husband, who Beth caught smiling.
'Come on,' Maggie sighed, shaking her head.
. . .
Maggie made idle small talk as they left the grounds and headed down the dust path, their boots crunching over the gravel that lined it, and into the cover of the woods below. Beth felt as though she as trying to make up for the pain she had caused her sister over the last couple of weeks, and whilst Beth was still angry with her for how she had treated Daryl, she was too tired of it all to hold onto it. She seemed to be making enemies left right and centre as she went along, so she needed to keep someone on side.
The day proved to be warmer than it had for some time, with spring finally showing its face. It was strange, Beth thought as they walked, how the natural world around them continued on and to thrive while their world crumbled. No-one had told nature that the world had ended, and so flowers continued to poke their heads up out of the ground and birds began to make their nests and have their babies as if nothing had changed. And she supposed nothing had changed, not for them. If anything, they were only freer now to live their lives in peace.
It would not be long until the sun rose to its fullest and the whole of Georgia baked beneath its all encompassing and unforgiving rays. Summer in the south was brutal, but Beth still welcomed it. It had been easier to get through before the fall, when pools had been a thing and running for your life through the blistering heat was less regular, but she still enjoyed the sun, even if it did bake the undead and increase the godawful stench that littered the world now.
But it kind of felt like home.
And they could start tending to crops again soon, once the ground thawed out, and that was something Beth looked forward to. She only hoped Daryl would be there with her to see that. He would come back, surely, he had to come back. He was a lone wolf, more equipped than anyone to deal with this world alone, but Beth still didn't like the thought of him out there by himself. He kept himself shut off and the world shut out, but Beth had seen a glimpse of his soul and it was as soft as anyone else's. He didn't need to be alone.
For once, the world proved Beth wrong, and their patrol was plain sailing. There was nothing out of the ordinary to report on, they came across only a few straggling walkers which were all put down with ease, and which showed no threat to their camp.
'I don't think they're a part of a bigger herd,' Maggie said as she straightened up after having taken one down.
'No they don't seem to be leading anything.' Glen agreed.
Feeling at ease from their uneventful patrol, Maggie and Glen chattered away as they walked, leaving Beth to trail a little behind, her mind occupied with her own thoughts.
She paused to readjust her bag, hitching it up higher on her shoulder, when she heard the sound of a footfall. She froze. Slowly, she pulled her knife from its pouch and looked around.
Maggie heard the silence and turned to see Beth on guard, her knife out.
'What is it?' she mouthed.
Narrowing her eyes, Beth looked around her. Then she sighed and stood up straight.
'Thought I heard something,' she said.
'I didn't-' Glen began, but all three of them were interrupted as suddenly Daryl stepped out from the shadows and right into the midst of them.
'Ain't never met three idiots easier t'ambush,' he said, as Beth stared at him.
'Daryl,' she breathed.
He turned to look at her, raising his eyebrows.
Beth covered the distance between them in a second and flung her arms around him, pulling him close to her. A little reluctantly, Daryl hugged her back, then took her forearms in his hands and set her down before him.
'Wha're y'doing out here?' he asked.
'Patrolling.' Beth said. 'What are you doing here? I thought you'd be long gone.'
'I'was,' he said, 'bu'I came back.'
'Why?' Beth asked.
'F'you,' he shrugged, his own blue eyes searching hers, 'Leavin' ya didn't sit right.'
Beth beamed up at him.
'Touching,' Maggie said, but Beth looked to see she was smiling. 'So you're coming back?'
'Mm,' Daryl looked at her, his face a stern, emotionless set.
'We're going to head back now, anyway.' Maggie said.
'I'm glad to have you back, brother.' Glen said.
Daryl nodded.
'What if – what if we didn't.' Beth said slowly.
Daryl frowned down at her.
'What if we didn't go back? Why should we? Everyone there has something to say about us, they wanted you out.'
'Beth,' Maggie said, 'what are you saying?'
'Me and Daryl should stay a way for a while – Neither Rick nor Carl are going to be thrilled with me. And Daddy's avoiding me.'
'He's not-' Maggie begun.
'He is,' Beth sighed, 'he is, but it's okay. Let everyone cool off. We can stay out for a while. We'll be fine.'
'Daryl,' Maggie said in a pleading tone, turning to the older man.
Daryl chewed on his bottom lip as he looked from Maggie to Glen and finally to Beth. He held her gaze for the longest, reading her eyes.
'No-one appreciates you,' Beth said slowly, 'let them see that. We'll stay away for a couple of days, give things time to cool down, show them how important you are.'
'We are,' Daryl said.
Beth smiled.
'Exactly.'
Slowly, the man nodded.
'Beth!' Maggie said, looking at her with incredulity, 'don't be stupid!'
'Nothin' will happen to her,' Daryl said.
'I'm safer out here than I am in there,' Beth said with a smile, 'Carl's likely to go for me next.'
Maggie sighed heavily as Glen placed one hand on her shoulder.
'Daddy is going to kill me.' She said.
Beth chuckled.
'You can handle him.'
Slowly, Maggie walked towards her sister and drew her into a tight embrace.
'Just a couple of days, okay?' she said into Beth's unruly hair, 'be safe.'
'I will,' Beth said, 'just until things tide over.'
Maggie let her little sister go and nodded.
'You're headstrong.' She said.
Beth shrugged.
'Be careful,' Glen said from where he stood, 'see you in a few.'
Beth nodded.
'You look after her Daryl Dixon.' Maggie said, rounding on Daryl, 'if you're not back in a couple of days I will look for you myself, and I will be bringing a gun.'
Daryl nodded once, curt.
'We'll be fine, Maggie, just let everyone see what life without us is like.'
Maggie shook her head, sighing.
Eventually, her and Glen left hand in hand, though Maggie turned to look back at her little sister several times until they were out of view.
'What now?' Beth asked once they were gone, a little breathless with disbelief at how things had turned out. She had Daryl back.
'Firstly, tell me wha'ya did t'Carl,' Daryl smirked.
Beth smiled.